Guitar and Video Games or I'll Stop the World and Melt With You

howdy. . .not much to report today. . .sittin in the dining room surrounded by technology, ramen and coffee. . .a winning combo. been taking in a lot of new tunes lately and getting inspired by older ones again. . .Mr. Hartley turned me on to the Team Love Records website where you can download FOR FREE!!! a rotating collection of records from their artist roster. . .i got 6 new records. . .some of it AMAZING some of it not my cup of tea. . .but hey, its free!! also been listening to mewithoutYou a lot recently. . .they seem to be my fall back band of the year. . .whenever i feel i've grown tired of music i hit them up and it always makes me feel like there's still some gas left in the ole creative tank. . .playing the TSG show really reminded me of what music is really about (at least to me) and that is getting together with folks you love and experiencing that very intangible, palpable THING that music is. . .we call it "Going to the Ether" you can call it what you will but its that moment when it seems like ANYTHING you think of you can do on your instrument. . .like the instrument is just an extension of your heart and brain. . .i know i'm asking to get made fun of for most of this that i'm writing but oh well. . .i just hope that everyone has something that takes them "To the Ether" in their life. . .thankfully i have more than one. . .so that i make sure and don't spend too much time with my toes on the ground. . .hehe.

i hope you're day is wonderful and amazing and i hope you got to see our (very light) pretty snow coming down last night. . .

lovies

Fordeaux

Bittersweet Symphony or The Keys to the Kingdom are the Keys to the Automobile. . .

Hi, all! been a little while i know. . .you've all been waiting with bated breath for me to reappear and give meaning to your collective existences. . .hahahaha yeah right! i guess its time to make the announcement in a big way. . .I'm moving to Michigan. East Lansing to be specific and today is the official beginning of "Get ready to move time!". . .this seems to be something i do quite a lot, and something i also happen to enjoy in a big way! you get to go through all that stuff and see all kinds of old crap you had no idea you still had or maybe even had in the first place. . .amazing. i just found a bunch of Haiku i had to write for Eng. 101 at Belmont. . .fuuuuuuuuuunnnnyyyyyy!!!!

In other news, the Big Double Duty show came off without a hitch! It was a blast and reminded me of just hooooowwwww much fun i have playing with TSG. . . i really think that the combo of Parrish, Burleson, Lane and Ford (Lawfirm anyone?) really had something tasty going on. . .it was great and i think we reached the outer bands of the milky way in record time. . .i don't really remember half the show! hahaha the FC set was very strong as well. . .it felt really great (even though i kept breaking shit. . .hahaha)

The news came in today that the TOD tour schedule will be X-tra nice for '09. . .looks like February-December on the road. . .yowsah! this, of course, doesn't mean that we won't have ANY time off but it does mean we'll be busy bees for the entire year. . .and we get to go to some amazing places. . .so far it looks like this: Feb-Mar US (and i mean the ENTIRE US) and a pinch of Canadia. . .Apr-May Euroland. . .then its Japan/Australia. . .then back to Euroland. . .PHEW!

well, i'm gonna get back to packing. . .everyone go check out the Verve's performance from Glastonbury this year. . .inspiring isn't the word. . .and anyone with pics/vids of our show send 'em over to me. . .

love to all!!!

shameless self promotion or SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION

FRIDAY NIGHT, DECEMBER 5TH

FORGET CASSETTES

THE SINCERITY GUILD

NITE NITE

@ THE END (NASHVILLE, TN) 9PM $7

i'm playing drums for both TSG and FC. . .the FC set will be almost totally SALT material and most assuredly more rock and roll than more recent appearances. . .TSG will be rockin as usual!

thanks for your support!!! tell your friends!!!

Reading time agaiiinnnn or thoughts on a post 9/11 world

my first post in a while. . .probably a little more solemn in some respects than previous ones. been doing a lot of thinking about the future(s) lately. . .my michigan move is closer at hand every day and the beginning of my new life (once again) in a new place gets more exciting every time i think about it. . .i love the idea of the change and i also (naturally) get a pinch sad just before beginning the actual move. . ."the future's so bright" indeed!

reading a lot these days, just finished Zadie Smith's White Teeth and started Don Delillo's Falling Man all in the same day. . .hahaha. talk about differences! White Teeth was one of the rare occasions for me where i actually enjoyed laughing out loud at a novel, i highly recommend it. Falling Man is already putting me in a different headspace. . .Delillo seems to get more and more efficient with his writing with every passing book. this one is full of little "punches" of words. they don't even seem like full on sentences at times. . .he does an AMAZING job of capturing that numb, horrified feeling immediately following 9/11. . .it definitely has caused me to think of that time more than i have in quite a while. . .

in other news, the . . .Trail of Dead record is done! it finally sounds amazing and exactly the way it needed to sound. . .everyone is pretty excited. i think the official release date has been set for February 17th with our touring to begin on the 19th hahahaa! much press and blah blah blah to follow for that i'm sure. . .also practices and preparations for the December return of The Sincerity Guild and the decidedly more Rock n' Roll version of Forget Cassettes have begun. . .TSG spent the whole of last weekend in an undisclosed location practicing up for 4-6 hrs. a day to ensure maximum rock potential shall be met. . .the show should be stellar!

i'm sorry to those who i haven't been able to see since i've been back but, honetly, i've been enjoying being at home so much i really haven't left the house that much. . .i think i'm beginning to drive the roomies crazy!! haha

i hope you're all well and getting ready for the holiday fun as it approaches!!!

loves and doves

fordsie

ps. . .just had to post some pics of what i've been up to. . . .hahaha!

I gots inks in me skins or YOWSAH!!

so here it is, the first pic of the tattoo on the web. . . i took the plunge last week and got it done. pretty awesomely happy with it and as with everyone who gets a tattoo now i know i wanna get more done. . .trust me folks the pain is nothing, seriously. i'm still in the healing process and i'm applying loads of neosporin and ointments galore and you can kinda see the bruising right around the bottom right a little. once its done peeling i'll send up another pic or 2. a HUGE thanks to Chuck Nice in Brooklyn for doing this for me and being an all around super man!!!

back from CMJ and all the craziness that was. . .our shows were fun and the ew TOD EP "Festival Thyme" is up over at iTunes now for your enjoyment. . .coming up for TOD a TX mini tour of Houston, Dallas and Austin where we play the Fun, Fun, Fun Fest and i get to play with the Dead Milkmen and my heroes BAD BRAINS!!!!!!!!! to say i'm excited is a giant understatement. . .

this friday is the Ryman show with Bobby Bare Jr., The Hold Steady and The Drive By Truckers. . .it still hasn't sunk in that i'm playing the Ryman. . .whoa!

hope you're all well and i'll see you very soon!!!

Tortured Egg Salad Turnovers or The way to a man's heart is through is 3rd or 4th rib. . .DUH!!!

ITSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS FRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDDDDDDDDDDDDAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!

To most of you cats this means the end of your week. . .for me its just getting started!!!! I leave today for quality time with the little lady on the streets of Philadelphia and i'll hang there with her until sunday at which point i take a bus into fabulous NYC for the start of CMJ 2008. . .this is both fun and a headache as it involves lots of subway travel and general getting around in a city that is somewhat unfriendly to the "band getting around" subculture. . .in other news, i've finally shaken the cold that has dogged me for some time and i seem to be on the road to a speedy recovery, thank you very much. . .

i saw Robin Williams at the Grand ole Opry with my folks last week!! i laughed my ass off. . .almost literally.

in yet OTHER news. . .The Sincerity Guild is playing a show with Forget Cassettes at The End on December 5th. . .mark your calendars kids i'll be pulling double duty that night and playing drums for both. . .its gonna be a rock and roller so come out. . .the FC set will be mainly stuff from SALT that has been neglected somewhat in recent days. . .and TSG will rock you like usual with probably a little extra spice thrown in for good measure. . .DONT MISS IT!!!

also, be sure to head over to the RYMAN on halloween and check Bobby Bare Jr.'s opening set which will also feature yours truly on the drums!!! yayyayayayayay!!!!!! for drums!!

i hope you're all fabulous and i hope to see you soon!!!

new Trail of Dead EP is coming!!!!! October 28th i believe!!! so there. . .i'm a salesmen, for myself!

Kokomo or The ceiling fan's falling chicken little!

good morning all. . .its debate day here in Nashville and there is every chance i'm gonna be locked up inside my house for the day. . .i AM gonna try and ride my bike down close to Belmont to see what the madness looks like in person. . .i hear there's gonna be lots of protesting and such. . .YAY!!!

getting geared up for my CMJ trip. . .TOD will be playing a possible total of 3 times at this one. . .sounds like a good time!!! i'm flying into philly on the 17th to hang with Ms. Pigg for a couple of days before our craziness begins in earnest in the city and maybe get to see some of philly i haven't seen before. . .

after that the FC practices will begin and then we'll get a chance to see how many shows we feel like doing before the new year begins. . .

word 'em up!

"Saaaturrrday in the park. . ." or Boss Hoss

what a lazy saturday. . .hangin out with the windows open to the Ford domicile and airing the house out with Memphis Soul and fresh air. . .its good to be back "home" and able to listen to the musics and bang on this keyboard and talk to the little lady (though i wish like hell that she was here!!!) this is still an amazingly beautiful day and i think i'm gonna go riding the bikes later with Tyner and Master P all over town and shake the dust off my ass!!! hahaha!!!

later than that is going to a movie with Travis and just laughing my bootie off as only me and the Traver can do!!!

hints of "reunion" shows are in the air. . .FC and TSG are seriously talking about making this happen and more than once. . .there is also talk of TSG recording in the next month. . .everyone think on it real hard and it may just happen!!!!

i'm off to enjoy the soul and some homemade lunch!!!!

loves to all!!!

Slow and Steady Wins the Race or "CHARACTERISM?!?"

back home after awesomely long fishing trip and great sleep in the most comfortable bed in the state of TN. . .let's face it, there are more comfy beds in other states. . .i also had the distinct pleasure(???) of watching the ONLY VP debate last night. . .WOW!! i have ot wonder if the news media was watching the same debate but then i remember that they NEED this to be super close so they have something to report on for the next month. . .a GIANT ugh to you politics!!!

some of the dates are firming up for the next month or so. . .of course there's the Halloween jamboree at the Ryman with BBJ, The Hold Steady and The Drive-By Truckers. . .still can't wrap my head around that one. there's also a CMJ run with TOD and then a Texas mini tour with TOD as well. . .in between those will be some little lady time (can't wait!!!!) and possible Forget Cassettes/Sincerity Guild happenings/recordings/shows and then its on to holiday time and a mountain cabin getaway with the folks and The Pigg!! its shaping up to be a killer end o year. . .and don't forget everyone there will be the awesome combo Sagittarius Birthday Bash sometime in December!!!!!

how is everyone doing??? i'm trying to make the calls and keep up, i promise!!!

to quote Greg Dulli---"Baby you be sweet!!"

Got my eyes on the finish line or blue and silver are really nice colors on drums.

here i am back home again. . .sitting at my little adjustable table staring at a computer screen and drinking fresh coffee from my penguin mug. . .amazing how little time it takes to get back in the rhythm huh?? we pulled back in town last night about 10:30pm and i must say that the last 3+ weeks have felt like a year. . .i actually verbalized the thought i've had for some time last night, "I'm getting to the point where i don't recognize home anymore. . ." this is a hard concept to explain to those of us who don't travel or don't see home for extended periods of time but it definitely becomes the case. . .its has a strange sort of tiring effect on the body. in my boyish dream land i would love to imagine that this puts me in the same league as the sailor types who used to go away for months or years at a time. . .(and this is when The Pigg starts laughing and says "Oh come on. . . .) but really it just makes you realize how quickly the time slips away and how much change occurs while you aren't looking. . .this particular trip was amazing but only punctuated by doing what i actually do for a living, playing music. . .there was A LOT of hanging out which was awesome but it also keeps you form getting in the "groove" of being gone because you have entire days without anything to do really. . .this sounds like heaven to most, i'm sure, but it can be quite nerve-wracking for those of us with lots of bottled up energy and the need to stay busy. . .hehehe

anywho, its great to be home!!!! i can't wait to hang with the lovelies i haven't seen in a long time and say howdy to everyone i've missed!!! i hope you're well!

"Outside is America. . .or The Life You Save May Be Your Own. . .Part the First

ATP report here we go:

grading on an A-F scale. . .

Built to Spill---B

Polvo---A+
Les Savy Fav---A+
Shellac---A
Bob Mould---A++

EPMD---A+
All 150 dbs of My Bloody Valentine. . .B-

ok so i missed the majority of the Friday night Don't Look Back lineup but did get to catch Built To Spill which were fun but not quite as good as they were in Portland, OR the week before. . .the Saturday night line up was quite the remarkable one as it was made up of a host of bands that i've admired since i was a young'un. . .Polvo kicked my night off by being absolutely amazing and playing pretty much everything that i wanted to hear but not doing it just as it was recorded and instead updating it and making it new in one way or the other. . .they also played a brand new one which blew my mind and made me very happy that they were back together!

Les Savy Fav was just what the DR. ordered and Mr. Tim Harrington and the boys didn't let anyone down. . .they were SUPER tight and Tim's shenanigans were a sight to behold!

Shellac is one of those bands that just seems to stay the course. . .never my fave but a great show nonetheless!

the next day was EPMD who as the odd men out did wonders to realize who the crowd was and play to that crowd and never look back. . .they hit all the high points and then went into some new material that'll be on a new LP in the spring i think. . .AWESOME!!!

Mr. Bob Mould followed us TODer's on sunday and he destroyed all the competition. . .with Jon Wurster from Superchunk on drums Bob and his band TORE IT UP!!!! they played Sugar songs, solo Mould songs and the last half of the set was ALL HUSKER DU!!!! i haven't felt like a kid at a show in soooooo long but this one made me get that feeling all over again. . .

the storied MBV came up to close the night and were 40 mins. late. . .not making a Ford happy and then the LOUDNESS kicked in. apparently the sound engineers were told to make it as "uncomfortable as possible" for everyone. . .they succeeded. having not been a HUGE fan anyways i could've done without all the drama. . maybe i'm just getting old.

Brooklyn on a budget or How to make Howie Weinberg nervous

on the couch here in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. . .or Crooklyn. . .he he. . .my trip here yesterday was pretty uneventful, well we did hit some pretty "cranky" winds about 2/3rds of the way through the flight. . .always a good time. the events of yesterday unfolded as follows:

In/On "The Flyer" they tell you very early on, "If you're gonna move around the cabin, please use the hand rail to prevent falls." the 3rd lady who got up during our trip either didn't hear this announcement, didn't care or thought she was super woman. . .she was NOT the latter. . .the reason i'm relating this story is not because she fell, which would've been awful, but because the faces she made while ALMOST falling for about 5 mins. (the length of time it took her to go from front of bus to bathroom) made me, once again, have to look at the floor and give a little smile. you see i'm pretty much in love with the ridiculous faces that we as humans make when something goes wrong or not to plan. . .it cracks me up.

once we got to DTW (Detroit Wayne County Aiport) we're informed that its the LAST day for the terminal where my plane will be departing from and that at 12am the entire terminal will be moved to the new, shiny NORTH TERMINALLLLLL!!!! (extra letters for emphasis). . .if you've never been to a terminal on its last day, here's an idea of how it goes. . .when i walked up to what i thought was the security line, nobody there. . .i had to ask the lady on the OTHER side if i was in the right place. somehow for that question i conjured what my father refers to as my "5-year old voice" reminding me that i use to call for him in the middle of the night with a high-pitched faux british accent, "Doddy, Oh Doddy.". . .anywho, she tells me yes i am, in fact, in the right place and then she, wait for it. . . wait for it. . .yells the word, "PASSENGER!!!!" real loud which gets the TSA folks up from their seats (where i think they were sleeping) and makes them do the normal routine even though i'm the ONLY one in sight. once through "security" reality takes a back seat and i step onto the set of the newest George A. Romero movie involving the undead. . .the place looks deserted! people are taking chairs out as i'm standing there. . .i have a little while to wait so i go cruising about the place to dixcover the B.B. Kings is still open but all the employees are just hangin out shooting the proverbial shit and the other 2 eateries only have minimal stuff to sell AND the Magazine Girl (sorry i didn't catch your name) who weirdly called me sweetie (a term reserved i thought for grandma's and older, somewhat smelly aunts) is just standing there looking depressed and somewhat bewildered by what exactly to do. you could see she clearly wanted to be in the BB Kings club but it just was not to be. . .

after my flight i took a cab from La Guardia to the mastering facility of one Mr. Howie Weinberg. anyone who likes music should, at this point, grab a CD and look at the credits. . .especially if it its by Smashing Pumpkins, Beastie Boys, Metallica, Slayer, Public Enemy etc. . .this guy has mastered soooooooooooo many records its ridiculous. after checking in at the front desk and receiving my VISITOR sticker (you see Diddy owns an entire floor of this building) i proceed up to the Weinberg suite. . .there i'm greeted by a hall full of gold and platinum albums from some of my favorite bands EVER (review list above for a taste, i mean this guy did THE POWER STATION!!!!!!!!!). . .then i'm greeted by Jason Reece, Conrad Keely and, of course, Howie. . .Howie is a funny man. at one point he asks me, "What, are you nervous?!?!" my reply is "No, no I'm just a "pacer". his response. . ."Well have a seat or go do that outside, you're making ME nervous. I'm no good with pacing." . . .so i sat down. . .hahahahaha!

so yeah now the record is "done" barring minor fixes and i'm finally getting to hear what happened while i was away in Nashville. . .and we're all deciding if we have to call Howie back and get some fixes done or if we're happy with things the way they are. . .today is a busy day, i'll be heading to the laundromat soon for clean clothes getting and then trying to catch up with friends i haven't seen in a while a little later on. . .what are you doing today?!?!

Biblical Acid Trips or How to make and influence your friends. . .Part the second

. . .now on the bus and heading out of The EL (East Lansing, MI) and already there have been 2 interesting occurences. . .the first was an older lady talking to the driver and subsequently holding up the line, whose last mutterings as she climbs on the bus are "That's why we need everyone to vote." now anyone who knows me knows that i find these types of things hilarious given that 99.9% of the time 99.9% of the population (myself included, sad to say) could give one giant damn about who's getting elected or not. . .this time around seems different. i guess its displeasure with the current state of politics in america and i guess its also due in large part to giant marketing campaigns on both sides of the party line and yes, i know, history is gonna be made either way (thanks for reminding me of this every 15 mins. CNN = Politics, ya know!!!) but it seems people are really into this one. . i hope it changes things. . .

the other happening was a lady in the front of the bus who spoke like my old Yoga instructor before she put the crazy sleep hex on me during "body scanning" (a term that still conjures memories of that movie Fire In The Sky) telling a man that had just entered the bus that she was "Soooooo glad to see hiiiiiiimmmmm." and that "It's been yyyyyyeeeeaaaarrrrrssss." all the while he listened patiently until he realized that this lady had NOT, in fact, EVER met him. the joy for me as a spectator was watching this realization creep onto his sunglassed face. you could tell he went from friendly to "creeped out" when he replied, "You must be thinking of someone else (dramatic pause) well i gotta keep the line moving." this was said with just the right combo of "creeped out" and embarrassment that i couldn't help but look towards my feet and give a little smirk. . .

man i love this blog thing. . .

Biblical Acid Trips or How to make and influence your friends. . .Part the first

sitting at the table with the little lady having coffee before i leave to catch The Michigan Flyer which will take me to Detroit's Wayne County Airport where i will catch the flight that gets me closer to ATP. . .NYC by 6:30pm and then studio hangin (more than likely) and a chance to hear the results of 2 straight weeks of mixing what we recorded a few months ago. . .it seems like we recorded that stuff YEARS ago now. . .geez. its gonna be hard to leave here today. this trip has been so very nice. . .

Tomorrow Never Knows or The face you see in the mirror might be your own. . .

so i finally head out tomorrow for the fabled land of NY and ATP. . .the line-up for this one is KILLER (www.atpfestival.com) and i honestly can't wait to play some crazy TOD rock again. . .too bad Mr. Jay Leo won't be able to join us. . .i miss that guy's face (smoochies Jay!) and can't wait to rock it with him either!

plans are in the works for multiple things on the music front. . .right after ATP i do a week tour with Bobby Bare Jr. from DC down to Austin for the ACL festival and then we start practicing up for the big Ryman extravaganza with the Drive-By Truckers, The Hold Steady and BBJ. . .THEN, TOD cranks back up with a Texas mini-tour playing Dallas, Houston, Austin and Fun Fun Fun Fest and 2 shows in Los Angeles (not in TX) before coming home for the year. once i'm back here there will be a gathering of the troops for some LONG LONG overdue Sincerity Guild recording/playing and a possible foray into SALT land with Forget Cassettes. . .pack some fishing into that and a trip to Puerto Rico for the New Year and you've got yourself one busy Fordsie. . . .hahaha!

i hope all is well with you and yours and i hope to see you all really really soon!!!

This Is 1

howdy folks. . .i'm gonna give a go at this new fandangled piece of readery called "The Blog". . .i've kept one up over at myspace semi-religiously but i figured it was time to have a real place to keep my thoughts and ramblings. . .hopefully i'll continue to have sordid tales of love and betrayal to keep inundating you with for many, many years to come. . .