NothingKnew

Random thoughts in Labor Day 2011

DannSaxton — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 09:29:52 +0000

Life isn’t easy. I’m cool with that. But it should be enriching, and fun. We’re the only thing standing in our way. Perception IS everything, even though it’s near impossible to correct or redesign the course of your perception. I’m in dire need of a redesign in perception, happiness is so tough to find – I guess I equate happiness with satisfaction and I’m not sure I’ll ever be satisfied completely… Is that what makes me awesome or is that what makes me a mess? Maybe both? Not sure if I’ll ever know.

Today I went on a hunt for a party. Mr. Tim Fox and I embarked on a journey with no knowledge of destination. Literally. Tim heard about a party, so we drove to the area..with no address information. But the top down for a late afternoon drive seemed like a good idea. Bought a 12er and after searching with no results, and accepting we wouldn’t find this party, we stopped into Griffith Park and brown paper bagged a few beers by a creek. Friend for years Brooke came by, we named the area Fellowship Creek and playfully each touched the creek water before we left.. It was freeing and fun – what life should be. (But it should be more financially FR$$, we shouldn’t need money to survive, it seems like we should have outsmarted that idea already)

What? I’m 30?

DannSaxton — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 10:30:43 +0000

The blog obviously fell through the cracks, but hey – I’m 30, I’m alive, and I’m back!

Lot’s happened since we spoke last my friends.. I’m 30. I’m single. I’m the Production manager of The Roxy Theatre on Sunset, and my band ‘Kill The Complex’ is on the radio! Next week our song will be featured (as background music) on The Primetime Emmy’s, and from the word on the street, Jersey Shore is using our tracks quite a bit for the next season, we’re the soundtrack to Snooki’s sex life LOL. The first big show I handled as the head of the production team was the Foo Fighters, that was the 2nd time I’ve worked wth Dave Grohl…WHAT! Yes, I’ve shaken hands and shared jagermiester with the drummer of Nirvana. Btw, he’s RAD. Did I mention that his bass player in ‘Them Crooked Vultures’ is John Fucking Paul Jones from Led Zepplin? Yeah. It’s a crazy life, but someone’s got to live it. I’m treating this like you’re my best friend and I’m writing you a letter. Ok? Cool. This is a big one, I have a new car. New to me. 2005. Check out the pic – I’m a Ford man..and my 2005 Mustang convertible is the best toy I’ve ever had. Life is good again, the upswings are great in life and we need to notice and absorb when our lives are truly fun, exciting, and unpredictable. This ain’t no dress rehearsal.

KILL THE COMPLEX released our full length album, EVOLUTION, in January 2011 and the buzz is happening. More than I’ve felt before, I’m excited for the future with this. The dream seems reachable, touching the globe with music is what I strive for – global reach and helping people feel. Mike Elling has joined the band on bass guitar and he’s been a breathe of fresh air in numerous ways. He kickstarted our own belief in the project, which I’ll never be able to re-pay him for. Really cool guy and good singer! Fucking amazing having a singing bass player. Acoustic album almost wrapped recording/mixing. Still adding some bg vocals.

I live in an apartment, in Silverlake. East Hollywood area very near Downtown Los Angeles/Echo Park area. I live with my bud best friend Tim Fox.Tim just produced a movie with Deoan Sanders in it, movie called WHITE T. Very proud of this guy, out there making things happen for himself, a man’s man. He’s a brother to me. I have a new idea, I’m making a documentary about the Roxy’s lighting director Bolle Gregmar ~ started shooting last week.

Tonight I became a gambling me. The Valet guys from next door (The famous Rainbow Bar&Grill), let me in on a betting system they’re a part of. I bet on 2 games and made $75 today. A new source of income? If luck grew on trees..

Ok, off to bed.It’s good to be back ~

Sunset Strip and a Sex Pistol

DannSaxton — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 00:10:12 +0000

wow. sold out Roxy. I’m stage managing/production managing. just another night at the roxy..it was was incredible for alot of reasons. i don’t get star struck really, but the fact that i had a convo with Steve Jones (Sex Pistols) is making my brain explode right now. It’s a band called Camp Freddy, bunch of A-listers on stage together playing covers.
i’m floored by nights like tonight. i told Travis Barker how i saw him play at the Quest in Minneapolis with the Aquabats in ’99..He played an entire set with Dave Navarro on guitar and interchanging singers/guitar players/bass players..Teddy my drummer was in the crowd with a new girl..he’s quite the ladies man..Last week I saw Fred Durst do the verses of “Sweet Emotion” with these guys! i saw Macy Gray get up there last week too.
I saw the singer of SlipKnot sing a Chains song with Jerry Cantrell from Alice in Chains on guitar/vox tonight, what!? Crazy.
Mark Mcgrath performs every week with these guys too. Tonight he introduced me to his wife in the Roxy kitchen, who’s pregnant. she’s having twins.
Mark and I used to work together at Extra, maybe one of the nicest guys i’ve met. He and Steve Jones played “Bad Luck” by Social Distortion with Travis Barker on drums..are u kidding me? I love Social D!

This is the 4th time i’ve worked with all these guys up close and personal, there’s only 3 of us managing the club, and the stage is mine when I’m working. Next week I’ll work with Jason Bonham for the 3rd time and Steve jones again..are u kidding me? My book gains chapters nightly..

Me and the Big Guy gettin Jolly!

The NEW Kill The Complex.

DannSaxton — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:00:28 +0000

I’m lying here in the dark in my apartment listening to the newest mixes. I had something happen today while recording vocals, that doesn’t happen as often as you’d think. You would think that every take is an internal liberation, but unfortunately recording is more technical than that. Usually, while thinking about the words of the songs and re-tracing the feelings I had while I wrote them – I’m also thinking about the things I didnt like about the last take and smoothing them out int he current one. Today, while singing the chorus of ONE GREAT WONDER – I had a moment I’ll never forget. I got lost in my own song. It was like the butterflies you feel when you’re falling in love. I gave myself goosebumps because for that period in time I was somewhere else – I was IN the music. I’m sure I sound like a hippy, but god dammit I am a hippy. Well, hip atleast,,haha. I can’t really explain the sensation, but an orgasm is probably the closest thing I could relate it to. Seriously. The excitement about this new record grows more and more everyday, but today – it jumped, like, 13 floors to the penthouse. We’ve been saying this album was “coming soon” for a year now, which is lame, but I’m so happy we’re taking the time to sit and really paint with the colors we have..music makes me happy.

Where did KTC go?

DannSaxton — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:11:26 +0000

We’re still alive. We’re soooo close to finishing this new album, it’s making me go INSANE. But…it’s just not ready. You know that saying, “you know when you know”? That’s exactly it. We’re close, but we just don’t KNOW yet. I’m waiting for an epiphany that tells me – yes, it’s done. Don’t worry, we’re not sitting around twiddling our thumbs trying to figure anything out. I have 2 songs left to sing, and background vocals, and there’s alot of ear candy we’re working on to give our album the freshness you’d get with a batch of warm clean underwear straight from the dryer.

My mom visited me, here she is cooking in my east Hollywood kitchen..

Golf is an excuse.

DannSaxton — Tue, 05 May 2009 20:39:57 +0000

Ok, I played golf in junior high – it was an excuse to hang with my buddy Kurt and an excuse to swing a metal stick at something. I was horrible.

Nowadays, every once in awhile – I go out with some close friends to a course in Burbank – small little 3 par course. I went with one of my best buds Tim Fox and his brother Paul on Sunday. I like to dress the part, what can I say?! Funny thing is, I’m still going because it’s an excuse to swing a metal stick at something.

Hello to 28.

DannSaxton — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:17:19 +0000

Today is my 28th birthday. I woke up a few minutes ago, literally, I still can’t see clearly because of the eye boogers. I woke up to the beautiful sounds of POUNDING ON MY ROOF. Yes, I live on the top floor – so I don’t need to listen to closely for signs of roof repair. Today…today…what to do today. I think I’ll start off by telling myself that growing older is the cool thing to do. Ok. Now I feel great. Seriously tho, last night I wrote a song at 11:44PM called “Cheers To 27″ – it kinda just happened, the best songs usually do. The chorus makes alot of sense:

Growing Older gets harder every day, but growing older is better this way.

Growing Pains isn’t just a show with Kirk Cameron, it’s real life – but if given a chance, would you trade your negative experiences? Not a chance. Hello to 28.

NEW ALBUM UPDATE:

DannSaxton — Sun, 03 May 2009 19:05:10 +0000

Where do I start? The recording process has been exactly that, a process – and we wouldn’t have it any other way. This album is a new true expression, and if we were going to do it – we had to do it right. Some of these songs are years, literally, in the making. The 4 songs that we’ve had on our MySpace page were inbetweener songs, inbetween Butane and Kill The Complex, and we’ve kept 3 of them for the new album – and revamped them a little bit – we were never completely happy with those recordings that we put on the MySpace and the sampler disc in 2007. We have quite a few songs, and cutting the fat and choosing a quality flow for the album can be tough but exilerating.

Phil Buckman, our good friend and amazing musician is back in the band on Bass guitar. We’re very excited to have him back, and the sounds and rythyms he brings to these songs add so much life and emotion to the tracks. Ted Barakat, drummer, finished the drum tracks back in November – so you can see how long this has been in the works. November was the beginning of the recording process, then bass, then guitars, and now vocals.

The dialogue in these songs have been rolling through my head long before they became songs. Gabe Heredia is a mastermind guitar player, who instinctively exudes emotion in the riffs – it’s automatic. As a songwriter, he supplies this amazing foundation for me, it’s so easy to be the songbird I am, and just sing my thoughts. When I hear the tones and melody of the music these guys create, my mind transforms into this soaked sponge and all I have to do is squeeze – and my thoughts pour onto the paper. It’s truly amazing, I’ve never tried to explain it before – but I think I just did…

The point is: This record is the best work any of us have ever done, and as we continue to evolve as people, our music is documentation of our Evolution . It’s been awhile since anyone has heard new music from us, but our lives didn’t stop, and the songs continued writing themselves. Very soon, you will see exciting new changes on all of our websites – and a taste of the new album will be released with those changes. We will be playing these new songs on west coast tours and building our fanbase again, we can’t do this without help from our fans and friends that are awaiting this release – please tell someone about us once these changes happen – we can’t do this without you.

PEACE

I’m a whore.

DannSaxton — Sun, 03 May 2009 18:35:28 +0000

Whore: a word that can have quite a few angles to the definition. I’ve lived a few. I grew tired of the obvious a long time ago, now I’m realizing I gave in to another and didn’t even know it. All my life I’ve known that someday I will be ok. Someday will be the best someday, so good that I could never really imagine it. So to get there, I do what I can, must, will, need, and want…sometimes.

Want. For some reason what I want comes last. Why do we do that to ourselves? I never used to put what I wanted last. For some reason we are taught that life isn’t about what you want, you gather funds and energy to obtain what you need. Maybe it’s because our parents never truly got what they wanted, and they’re trying to save us the heartbreak. I’m turning 28 tomorrow and I’m here to tell you that that concept is complete and utter BULLSHIT. It’s ALL about what you want, and you work until you get it. It’s not unrealistic or naive to shoot for what you want. I’m down for the heartbreak. I’ve felt it for years. I thrive on it. At this point, when success hits my life in a big way – which it will, i know it – my head just might explode and leave my exhausted brains dripping off every rooftop in east Hollywood.

The hard part about trying to be a success in music, is that you’re trying to be heard. How many times do we struggle to get our opinions out in a simple conversation, let alone getting the attention of record execs and hopefully, wishfully the entire world. Depending on a wish is painful, but I don’t think I could have it any other way. Life is magic, life is tragic – and I was tricked the day I was born.

I’ve whored myself out to this city. I’ve had so many dayjobs in so many industries that my best bud Tim Fox calls me Oddjobs.

I’ve whored myself out to this dream. Everything i’ve done from the day I moved to California has been because I felt something in my gut that was undeniable. Even when i realized that everyone moves here because they feel it – I stayed because I knew my feeling was true and theirs was a dillusion.

Everything is an Evolution. But if you don’t realize your growth, you’re not growing.

PEACE

Here we gooooooooooooo

DannSaxton — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 20:12:48 +0000

There’s an excitement going around in my circle – seems like life is becoming more potent. After a long depressing time without any progress with the band [because of my vocal chords' failure to fight through a nazi attack by the cyst in my sinuses] I was told by my doc 2 months ago that singing was something I could do again, slowly. So, back to rehearsals and the recording studio to finally finish the album we put on hold due to…the nazi cyst.

Feels good to be back on track, i was going crazy there – which made for some pretty interesting songwriting, I started writing and recording my own record – which has been amazing for the soul. At this point, I’m trying to get all my projects in line; the band, UnityShows, a film I’m co-writing, my personal album, KTC NEWS video project..

KTC CHECKLIST:

RECORD SCRATCH VOCALS

START NEW WEBSITE DESIGN

CREATE “FAN LAND” FOR WEBSITE

UPDATE MYSPACE

IMPORT KTC NEWS FOOTAGE INTO FINALCUT

UNITYSHOWS

SCHEDULE BOARD MEETING

BOOK VENUE FOR OCT. 18TH

BOOK SOUND FOR OCT 18TH

BOOK BANDS FOR OCT 18TH

..that’s an example of what i’m looking to accomplish in the next few days..exciting stuff, I can say I hold the reigns here..altho sometimes the horse doesn’t listen..

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