Music is magic. It transmits emotion, stories, space, and can do all that without words. Add some words to the music and the creations get even more complex. It’s magic. It’s witchcraft. I write a good amount of bards and troubadours in my stories. And in this case the old adage is true. My writing … More Wannabe Troubadour
With clumsy fingers he begins to play. The notes bump into each other and stumble around the room. The rhythm ebbs and flows with little cares for how the song dictates. It moves at its own pace. Slowly, a sort of sense is built. The rhythm holds in the center and the notes begin to … More Strum
If you were to look over at my Instagram feed, especially recently, you might come away with the impression that I am a great player. Which would be a shame, because I’m not. Sure, I like to strum and pick while I muddle my way through singing a song, and recently I have set my … More Me and the Ukulele
In my never ending quest to get the whole world reading my books and supporting my writing habit… er… I mean… No, that’s pretty much exactly what I mean. Anyway, in that interest, I’ve started using Instagram as of about 5 hours ago. It’s neat. Pictures are fun. But I’d be lying if I said … More Instagramming
I trying to embrace the “troubadour” aspect of this site, and for me that means strumming along on my ukulele. As much fun as it is to do alone, I think having more people join in on the musical process makes it even better. I’ve put together a little Facebook event, which you can see … More Ukulele Strum-a-Long #2
We all need something that clears our heads. Something that helps us relax and get those good feelings flowing. Hopefully we’ve got more than one trick that gets us centered. I know I’ve got a couple. Sometimes a simple hot shower will work. Sometimes all it takes is 30 minutes on my rowing machine. Working … More Ukulele Smooth
This past Sunday the Japan branch of the Thomas clan (meaning me, the Mrs. and the son) were out playing in Ikebukuro, specifically the Sunshine building. It was a cold day, but we wanted our little guy to be able to move around and even run a little bit. At some point we heard chanting … More J-Pop Idols in the Wild
I’m trying something new and reviewing music. Partly because I am a big fan of music, sounds simplistic but very true. Mostly because I am a great admirer of the artist Manny Marx and as he is a fellow independent I want to help shine a light however I can. Album: Diaspora Artist: Manny Marx … More Grumpy Bird Reviews: Diaspora – Manny Marx
Taking a little break from my Daredevil reviews. I’m eager to continue with the series, but last night was my first time going to an ukulele get-together. I’ve been trying to get more serious about practicing the ukulele. It is such a fun little instrument and I really do think that just playing around and … More Ukulele Meetup
One of the interesting things about my relationship with the Mrs. is that we don’t really share a lot of interests. Our taste in music and movies make a Venn diagram with a very small overlap. Reading preferences are different. Even what we want to do on a trip to Disneyland doesn’t really line up. … More Finding Common Interests (aka Ukulele Power)
Deadly Troubadour 