It’s been over a year since my last post, and I realize I’ve been paying for this blog, so I better start getting my moneys worth!
What’s new? I’ve been gigging a lot, I’m up to 5 weekly gigs, and possibly picking up a 6th. Moved in with my Aunty and Uncle, and cousin & girlfriend, last October. Travelled to Japan in April with the Domingo clan and friends for a couple weeks. We totally lucked out, got to experience full bloom in Tokyo!
Nuts yeah?! Also I took that picture. Maybe I’ll do a Japan post later. Only a few months late.
I travelled back to LA for the first time in ages to play at a friend’s wedding in the deep hills of Malibu. Congrats again Staci and Justin!
There’s the view of the pacific ocean from the day before the wedding.
Also met up with my friend Taryn, my best friends younger sister who works at this bougie-ass hotel in Beverly hills, and she treated me to brunch. Ate this dessert there with real gold powder on it. I was worth a little bit more for a few hours after that.
What else… Oh Smooth Remedy finally hosted a songwriting retreat out in Ka’a’awa this June, and it was scary, wonderful, eye opening, and exciting. We didn’t get a huge turnout, be we had two quality attendees. Our two very much local haole friends, Mr. Noah Meyers and Tim Rose. We were so exited that we planned our next songwriting retreat before we left that weekend. September we’ll do it all over again 🙂
Speaking of songwriting, I’m going to admit I haven’t been writing, like at all. The songwriting retreat really helped sparked the flame again, but before that I had gotten comfortable in just gigging. Or at least that’s the excuse I told myself when in fact I’m just scared. But again, the songwriting retreat really gave me the confidence to start writing again, so hopefully will be making moves in that department!
Oh! I also began taking singing lessons from my old buddy from high school, Renson Madarang. He was actually in the first iteration of our band, Smooth Remedy, and played saxophone for us. How crazy is it that we had no idea he sang, and now he sings opera and is going to school for vocology. He’s really stressing not changing my voice, the voice that makes me Shane, but developing and strengthening that voice. We’re working toward singing in a manner that is healthy and sustainable for the rest of my life, and that’s extremely exciting. For a while now I’ve worried about the possibility of not being able to sing in 5-10 years, because I had a feeling that the way I was choosing to sing was destructive to my vocal chords. So Renson has really given me peace of mind, and I’m so stoked for our future working together.
Currently chillin’ in Starbucks in Kapolei, bumming some free wifi, waiting to go setup for my usual Friday gig at Eating House 1849 Kapolei. Taking care of emails, invoices, contracts, and the calendar, and sipping on some cold brew heavily doused in half and half. Started doing Keto again, so I’m all about that heavy cream life. As I typed that, my stomach gurgled, saying, “maybe you shouldn’t have taken all of those omega fat pills earlier…” So with that I will end this entry for now and ask these kind Starbucks employees for the bathroom door code.
Bottom line is… Life is good 🙂
Surviving On Songs 