Taking the Stage

Well, I'm about to head down to Sticky Finger's for the first round of the Arkansas Times Musician's Showcase. I entered the contest on a whim and I guess on that same whim I got in.

Frantically I put together the band that will join me on stage tonight at approximately 11:00.

We're the third slot.

I'm nervous.

With the Mercers I don't get that way. We're such a well oiled machine, and at the end of the day I can pretty much know how a show is going to end up.

But this is different. This is my music! Up until now I've mostly kept it all to myself, but after tonight it's out there. Its up for debate and to be processed thoughtfully, or casually in one ear and out the other. I put some of my roommates maxi pads in the arm pits of my shirt for fear of being docked points for obscene pit stains. Luckily they are sticky on one side so hopefully they won't fall out when I lift my arms during emotional/ showy sections of the set. At first I thought she wanted me to put the sticky side against my hairy pit, but after a moment of giggling she explained that "the sticky side goes against your shirt...idiot."

Hopefully that will be the only hiccup of the evening.

I've very proud of the work me and the guys have pulled together in the past two nights.

More than anything, I'm proud to expose this little bit of my creative outlet- the window to my soul if you will.

Here's to seeing things through.

I'll keep you abreast of the results!

The Year of the Self-Made Man

Well here we are again, off to a great start.

I'm so very excited about the new year. All my loose ends are finally being worked into the weave of things. Tori Houston took photos for my album last week and I absolutely can't wait to see them.

My idea for the concept was realized with Mark's help. He knew the exact location of the exact motel I described to him. I wanted to find a dingy old motel that was sort of locked in 1972. Success came in the form of a little motel in Conway. It was very clean, but was a time capsule if I've ever seen one. IT WAS PERFECT!

I'm going to pick up the pictures tomorrow. Then it's up to Rosemary to deliver with her eye for graphic design.

I don't know what I'd do without my talented friends. Most of the time I try to do it all, and then right when I think I'm unstoppable I remember that I can't take pictures of myself and I can't do the graphic layout for my album. What can I say, it takes a village.

2010 is fast becoming "The Year of the Self-Made Man." I'm literally making something out of nothing when it comes to the launching of my quote, unquote "music career." But with each show, and each blatant request to be featured in local magazines, and each facebook fan request I seem to be tracking a little progress.

At the end of the day it's up to me anyway so why shouldn't I be the man behind the curtain?

Sorry to disappoint you but, yes, that's me back there pushing all those buttons and pulling all those levers.

Before long, everything will come into focus.

We'll understand it all by and by.

Magic

I performed last night with Rodney Block and his Real Music Lovers.

We killed it.

I'm certain that we will share the bill over and over from here on out.

As much as I love my Mercers, its amazing to stand in front of a band with a different perspective and a different current.

The best part was my closing hymn; "Magic," by Robin Thicke.

We killed it.

In other news, people are starting to buy tickets to my New Years Eve show. I hope like hell the thing sells out... I guess anybody would. The Mercers and I are seeing a bit of success come our way due to the buzz surrounding our shows. Each gig is packed with people I've either never met or had met only a show or two before. Its humbling and exciting all at the same time to see the ball start to roll.

My album is one mandolin track away from completion!!!! Everybody pray that we can wrap that up real soon.

The most exciting news I have to report is that Roll Tumble Press has agreed to create a New Years Eve poster like no other for my show. Christie Turk and Caleb Pritchett, the geniuses behind the press, are drawing up the plans for what will surely be a design fit for art school text books. Theirs are the sort that artists everywhere should study and draw inspiration from. I'm in constant admiration of their work and I am so blessed to be their muse for this project.

Stay tuned for more to come.

Peace and Love.

My debut album "Paradise" coming soon

I am very excited to announce that my lovechild, whom I have been nurturing now for a few years, is almost ready to release out into the world. The album and it's title track are called "Paradise."
I've been blessed by having a handful of my talented friends lend their musicianship and perspective to this long-awaited project. All the songs started as simple lyrics and melodies that I've never been able to forget after initially scribbling them down.

Also, my website, www.codybelew.com, is finally up and running. If everything is going as planned then you probably found the site first before clicking your way over to my little blog.
...and I'm so glad you did!

All of my show dates and appearances will be listed there on the calender page so check it out to stay informed!

If you're a new friend, I am so happy to be a part of your life.
If you're an old friend, you know what to expect and I can't wait to see you again!

Stay tuned, and thanks for visiting my blog.

"I Like You" by Sandol Stoddard Warburg

I like you and I know why.
I like you because you are a good person to like.
I like you because when I tell you something special, you know it's special
And you remember it a long, long time.
You say, Remember when you told me something special
And both of us remember

When I think something is important
you think it's important too
We have good ideas
When I say something funny, you laugh
I think I'm funny and you think I'm funny too
Hah-hah!
I like you because you know where I'm ticklish
And you don't tickle me there except just a little tiny bit sometimes
But if you do, then I know where to tickle you too
You know how to be silly
That's why I like you
Boy are you ever silly
I never met anybody sillier than me till I met you
I like you because you know when it's time to stop being silly
Maybe day after tomorrow
Maybe never
Too late, it's a quarter past silly
Sometimes we don't say a word
We snurkle under fences
We spy secret places
If I am a goofus on the roofus hollering my head off
You are one too
If I pretend I am drowning, you pretend you are saving me
If I am getting ready to pop a paper bag
then you are getting ready to jump
HOORAY

That's because you really like me
You really like me, don't you
And I really like you back
And you like me back and I like you back
And that's the way we keep on going every day

If you go away, then I go away too
or if I stay home, you send me a postcard
You don't just say Well see you around sometime, bye
I like you a lot because of that
If I go away, I send you a postcard too
And I like you because if we go away together
And if we are in Grand Central Station
And if I get lost
Then you are the one that is yelling for me

And I like you because when I am feeling sad
You don't always cheer me up right away
Sometimes it is better to be sad
You can't stand the others being so googly and gaggly every single minute
You want to think about things
It takes time

I like you because if I am mad at you
Then you are mad at me too
It's awful when the other person isn't
They are so nice and hoo-hoo you could just about punch them in the nose

I like you because if I think I am going to throw up
then you are really sorry
You don't just pretend you are busy looking at the birdies and all that
You say, maybe it was something you ate
You say, the same thing happened to me one time
And the same thing did

If you find two four-leaf clovers, you give me one
If I find four, I give you two
If we only find three, we keep on looking
Sometimes we have good luck and sometimes we don't

If I break my arm, and if you break your arm too
Then it's fun to have a broken arm
I tell you about mine, you tell me about yours
We are both sorry
We write our names and draw pictures
We show everybody and they wish they had a broken arm too

I like you because I don't know why but
Everything that happens is nicer with you
I can't remember when I didn't like you
It must have been lonesome then

I like you because because because
I forget why I like you but I do
So many reasons
On the 4th of July I like you because it's the 4th of July
On the 5th of July, I like you too
If you and I had some drums and some horns and some horses
If we had some hats and some flags and some fire engines
We could be a HOLIDAY
We could be a CELEBRATION
We could be a WHOLE PARADE
See what I mean?

Even if it was the 999th of July
Even if it was August
Even if it was way down at the bottom of November
Even if it was no place particular in January
I would go on choosing you
And you would go on choosing me
Over and over again
That's how it would happen every time
I don't know why
I guess I don't know why I really like you
Why do I like you
I guess I just like you
I guess I just like you because I like you.

spinning spinning

Today I creep along.
The pit of my stomach is numb.
I must find myself in order to give myself.
I must drink Lilac Wine.
I will find you in my darkest hour.
I will search you out and fall at your feet.
I will turn myself over to you.
You must hold on to me.
You must.

A slew of violations

Okay, post time.

What a summer it has been! Wow.
I will be going into the studio at the end of this month to record my long-anticipated first EP. It will be seven original tracks that I am very very proud of. I can't wait to turn them loose for everyone to absorb. The project will be the combined efforts of Michael Wallace, John Willis, Wes Saunders, myself and a few others. The time has finally arrived.
In a completely different vein of my life, I finished the first draft of my children's book, "Grinucha the Witch and the Awful Shoe Switch." It took me a year to complete, and in my naive position as a novice writer I was almost scammed by a crooked literary agency. I went so far as to sign a silly contract, but was able to dissolve it in the 72 hour window of submission. So nothing lost but a little pride, and an immense amount of knowledge gained. I'll take it.
I am working on the second draft right now. I LOVE the process. It's like putting together a puzzle. I have the picture in my head, and all the pieces are right here in front of me. Now I just have to put the whole thing together. Rosemary is editing these first drafts for me before I submit it to a real live agency. (insert famous quote about success reached by earning it, not by expecting it.)
I have not yet been able to settle my nerves and my mind since the attempted break in a few months back. I think I would handling it better had we not been home. But we were home, and that created a whole mess of terrible thoughts that swirl round my bed at night. Or when I have to force myself to go out to my car after dark. Or when I'm contemplating taking a shower but won't do it unless someone is home. Not because I'm scared, but because if the water is on I can't hear everything that's going in and around the house.
I know it's all very silly, but it's where I am right now. The silver lining to it all is that I rearranged my room (so that I wouldn't sleep between the windows but facing them.) It spurred me to make new curtains out of some old ones that I had in the attic (so if someone happened to be outside my window they couldn't see in between the blinds and the window frame.) Needless to say, I LOVE the new set up. It tells a much more comfortable story, and I like the way it looks at first entering the room.
I'm excited for whatever is around the corner. I know good things are in my cards.

Soon enough this blog will be a link from my website, codybelew.com. It will be the information hub for anyone wanting to track me down. It will have show times/dates, news, photos, video links, etc. So there will no longer be an excuse for things not to happen. The arch will have been open, so y'all just come on in!