Feeling down...

Sometimes we all feel hopeless no matter what it is we are doing. The live life happy 100% of the time book is found in the fiction section. Let's face it. There have been times where I never wanted to show my face in high school, withdraw from Penn State, and give up music altogether and think about my family in the long run. I have been to sea level when it comes to emotions, but I have been on top of the world as well. Life is a weird game.

What I've learned through all of my years on this earth (I feel like Ghandi or something) is that you have to let the emotions play their part. Without sad, you wouldn't have happy. Without bad, there would be no good. Just remember, that time will always pass. That test that you freaked out about for a week studying until your brain exploded which you failed anyways will not matter in a few years. You won't even think about it. That boy or girl you cried about for a week won't matter once you find a better one. Trust me, you will.

This is another reason why my song Why Worry? means so much to me. When I get down in the dumps, I remember that I'm going to be worm food one day anyways and it won't matter then.

Go pre-order my album by clicking here and get one of the sweet bundles!

Love,

T.J.

Kiva and what it means to me...

Many of you have been asking me about the non-profit organization I am donating a lot of my profits to called Kiva. Here is a video that I made explaining it:

So please, help me out and I'll give back to people who need it.

Pre-order my album now! Click here!

Love,

T.J.

Why Worry? and its meaning...

I recently just posted a new song called "Why Worry?" off of my upcoming album on my Myspace. I thought it would be cool for you to get some insight on the song. I won't do this for many of my songs because I feel like it's really cool for you to take your own meaning out of the song instead of knowing the exact idea that was in my mind at the time.

As most of you who are reading this already know, I'm just a normal guy. I happen to play music and a bunch of people listen to my art, but in reality, I'm just like you. I have the same problems, same dreams, and the same likes and dislikes. "Why Worry?" was written about when I was debating whether I should get a full-time job right out of college or whether I should follow my dream - music. The first lines of the song "when will you wake up? I may not be much" are about an internal conflict that I was holding in my mind about should I conform to what the rest of my friends are doing which is getting a job or should I keep making music and attempting to survive off of my album sales and shows. "When the clock begins to tick, i'll run, you'll sit, and i'll ask what the hell you running for? and why worry anyway?" This line shows that I'm a risk-taker. I always have been. I'm the kind of guy you'll play in Madden on Xbox 360 that will go for it on 4th down. I was the athlete who enjoyed being down by a few points at the end of the game because I thrived off of the excitement. The same mentality rolls over to music. This is exactly what was going through my head before I chose music for my career. I'm going for the risk.

The chorus is me talking to you. Straight up, it's like me and you sitting on a park bench, and I'm trying to give you some advice. "Listen, just listen up, you got the whole world in front of you. Do what you wanna do." Even though I may not be making nearly as much money as some of my friends are, I'm loving my life right now. I have nobody telling me what to do. I don't have a set schedule that I need to live by (although, I do make a schedule for myself). I'm following my dreams. I'm living it up. I'm making memories. Isn't that what life's about? Think about when you hangout with friends you haven't seen in awhile. You will probably talk about the old times and funny memories. You'll never mention that one test that you failed or that terrible after school job you had. Life is about loving those around you and enjoying the time you have together.

"The keys are made from ivory. Some art, some heartless. Why would you not try to play?" This is symbolism. I am obsessed with antique pianos. I think they are beautiful. But let's face it, some are complete shit. You will probably go to your grandma's house and find a rickety piano in the basement. If she keeps it in tune, it probably sounds gorgeous. However, if there is no upkeep, it will sound exactly like it looks. In this line, I'm asking not to judge a book by its cover. Within the book might be the best story you have ever read in your life. I'm the kind of person who was always fascinated with the little things. I still am. I love trying to get inside a person's head and figure out why they choose the things they choose. This line is asking why wouldn't you try something out? Why won't you follow your dreams? What's holding you back?

That is pretty much the whole song when it comes to lyrics. I love it because it is a song for all of my listeners. I'm not talking about my problems or my likes and dislikes. I'm talking to you. I hope you all enjoy it, and please pre-order my album. I made a bunch of bundles for you to choose from. You can have a piece of my original artwork if you choose one of them. It's basically like a piece of my heart. For every pre-order album I sell, you are letting me continue to do music another day. Seriously. Thank you. Go order them now because there is a limited number available. Don't miss out! Here is the link: Booyeah

Love you all.

-T.J.

Sufjan Stevens

I think I'll start doing an artist review every Friday or so. Is that cool?

Cool.

I'm really not an indie kind of guy. I've always been into pop-rock, 90s rock, singer-songwriters, anything with a catchy chorus. However, I've been broadening my horizons a bunch recently and came across an awesome artist, Sufjan Stevens.

Go listen to his album, Illinoise.

I like this album because it's very calming. It settles me down and makes me think about what he is doing musically and let's me hear his emotions while singing. I love that. His harmonies are creepy, yet beautiful. He never forces anything into his music. Every instrument, lyric, and melody has its place.

I love it.

Take a listen and feel free to express your opinions about his work!

-T.J.

Love

A bunch of people wanted to read a topic about love. Instead of talking about kisses, hugs, birds and the bees, I want to talk about a different kind of love - passion (for those wanting to see something lovey-dovey, please refer to The Notebook). It's really rare to see two people have so much passion for each other. In all honesty, a person is usually passionate about a subject. For me, it's music. For others, it's artwork. For Pee Wee Herman, it's porn. Get my drift? Okay.

I strongly believe everybody who is happy in life has some sort of passion or some sort of reoccurring hobby. Many people in life want lots of money. That can be a passion. I personally don't think there's anything wrong with wanting a bunch of money. However, wanting and getting it are two different things. You can't just complain and say "blah blah blah Bill Gates is so lucky. Blah blah blah Steve got a VP job because of his parents." News flash! These people either worked really hard with their business to achieve their goals or used connections. There is nothing wrong with that. If you don't like using connections, have fun being a dreamer. Business is all about networking. Life is all about networking. You have friends, family, work, and playtime. Most of these things involve people.

Okay, I tend to ramble a lot but writing blogs help me clear my mind sometimes so deal with it. Back on subject. Passion. Love. Money.

Right now, if I had $5,000 at my disposal, my life would be a lot easier. So, I'll figure out a way to get it through what I love - music. Yeah, that might sound silly that an independent musician wants money. It's an oxymoron, right? Wrong. There are always ways to make money whether it's from CD sales, shows, prostitution, or doing marketing events for companies. All I know is that I'm so passionate about my music, and I'm SO passionate about my new album, Stepping Stones, because I know my true fans will buy it. They will allow me to keep doing my passion without letting the lack of money interfere with my life and goals. Every time I feel a sense of anxiety coming along because I might be living on the street begging for change, I remember that I wrote a song called "Why Worry?" for a reason. You will hear this song on Sunday on my Myspace by the way. Keep your eye on the prize. Take it day by day. Work hard. Believe in yourself. Love what you do. Good things will happen.

Pre-orders for my new album, Stepping Stones will be available starting on Sunday by clicking here!

Tell your friends. Spread the word. Spread the music, peace, and love.

Love,

T.J.

What is the better generation for rock music?

Was it the British movement in the 1960s launching bands such as The Beatles, The Who, and The Rolling Stones? The 60s were also responsible for Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Cream, Simon and Garfunkel, The Mamas and the Papas and more.

Or would you say the 90s were better? The 90s brought back the rock with attitude including

bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Sublime, Bush, Oasis, The Verve, Counting Crows, Dave

Matthews Band, Alanis Morissette, The Smashing Pumpkins, and more.

I guess it's a bit hard to actually come up with an answer to this question because it's like comparing apples to oranges. These music movements are responsible for what rock music is today.

Hopefully the 2010s will be responsible for another movement.

John Mayer - My biggest influence

At first, I hated John Mayer. "Your Body Is A Wonderland" made me want to puke at first, but that's before I actually took the time to see what this guy was all about. I started to get into him when I picked up the acoustic guitar. This is when his album No Room For Squares was out. After learning some of his songs, I noticed he was different from other artists in the Pop/Rock category. This guy made you feel like he was your best friend. His lyrics - relatable. His songwriting - relatable, poppy, catchy, stylish. Acoustic guitar playing - great rhythm, interesting use of chords, solid.

This first CD didn't truly hit me for how awesome it was until I saw him grow as an artist. Heavier Things came out and showed Mayer's love for electric guitar. He was still holding back from showing off his impeccable guitar skills, but this CD was definitely a great transition into what genre he really wanted to get into - the blues.

Mayer released a live album with his trio called Try! which showcased gritty rock and blues original songs and unbelievable renditions of some cover songs by renown artists such as Jimi Hendrix for example. He nailed everything. He played the guitar effortlessly and really started to come into his voice.

I heard from a friend that when he went to high school, he sat in the cafeteria during lunch in the corner by himself playing the guitar. People in his high school knew him as "John, oh yeah, that kid who plays guitar." Well, that surely paid off.

Continuum really put me over the edge. I became a die hard fan after this CD came out. It made me look at songwriting in a complete different way. There's so much headroom in this album and the whole album contains this "vibe." It makes me think of rock albums that were recorded in the late 60s - the albums that you can listen to 15 times through without becoming sick of them.

What makes John Mayer a superstar is obviously his songwriting skills first. He continues to write hits after hits as he grows as a musician. He taps into different styles of music and consistently succeeds. His lyrics are always relatable. Now, he's known as one of the best guitar players of our generation. Amazing performer. Hilarious person. He understands the social networking age as he engages his audience through his website and Twitter.

If you aren't a John Mayer fan yet, please go listen to him. Go buy his newest DVD called Where The Light Is and you will be amazed.

This guy is my biggest influence, and I practice every day for hours upon hours hoping to get a chance to meet with him and hopefully play with him one day.