365 Days of Tommy P: Day 59

Saturday, February 28, 2009 (59)

Today I filed some corporate paperwork.

Here we are rockin out to Deaf Tom Crow and Becky Barron at the Avenue Ale House. I think with the exception for Mike poppin out in the background I look the most sober. As you can see, we were playing with the salt and pepper.

We went to Andrew and Peter’s after the show. It was there and then that Andrew decided it was the appropriate moment to reveal his crossbow. It [unintentionally] went off in the roof.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 58

Friday, February 27, 2009 (58)

I woke in my bed for a change.

I was exhausted from my week so I stayed in. Here I am lyricizing.

I realized this afternoon that I had inadvertently gone more than twenty-four hours without eating. I was so involved with what I was doing I hadn’t noticed any hunger.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 57

Thursday, February 26, 2009 (57)

I woke up on another couch.

Breakfast in the loop, followed by some off track betting, a little billiards, and more tracking on the Violet Winter album. Here I am listening to what three days of hard work sounds like, while kickin back in the best seat at The 3 C Rec-Co. We had a few sing-alongs, and started installing track lighting as the first step to a destination for the studio.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 56

Wednesday, February 25, 2009 (56)

I woke up on a couch in a basement.

Manning the board at Third Coast Recording Company and making large strides of progress with the Violet Winter album. Rockin my Girl Talk shirt to set the appropriate vibe for dance tracks. A long day of drinking and recording is only to be followed by a long night of drinking and talking about music.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 55

Tuesday, February 24, 2009 (55)

Kicking up my feet on the MCI as Oscar lays down a wall of guitars on the debut Violet Winter album at Third Coast Recording Company.

After this I went out and celebrated Fat Tuesday.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 54

Monday, February 23, 2009 (54)

Working on another composition in The Vault.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 53

Sunday, February 22, 2009 (53)

Spotted: Tommy P heading home from The Loop at 6:00 A.M. wearing his clothes from the night before. Hair looks a little windblown, been doing a little fire escape scaling for some late night city gazing again, TP? xoxo

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 52

Saturday, February 21, 2009 (52)

Getting Culverized in Wisoncsin before shooting jazz legend Phil Woods performing with the DePaul Jazz Ensemble at Badger High School.

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“Don’t worry! We’re getting matching hats!”

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“332 Fellows. That sounds like a horrible bar!”

Later: “Let’s get drinks at 500 Buddies when we’re done here!”

GPS: “Turn right on Fellows Road.”

Us: “Guys, I don’t think that was the name of the bar. It was the address.”

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While setting up the video shoot:
“Let’s do two free range cameras, and one stationary setup on the right side.”

“Wait, so we’re not going to do a wide shot from the back?”

“I know someone who wants a wide shot from the back.”

“WE’RE IN A HIGH SCHOOL!”

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 51

Friday, February 20, 2009 (51)

Rockin’ out – Eighties Style!

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 50

Thursday, February 19, 2009 (50)

I listen to Kill Hannah like a priest reads The Bible. A leisurely 1 A.M. cruise through downtown Chicago is one of the most perfect methods to experience the sonic affair.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 49

Wednesday, February 18, 2009 (49)

I was up above it. Now I’m down in it.

Vinyl.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 48

Tuesday, February 17, 2009 (48)

When I was an underclassman in high school, my friend Jorge and I found ourselves hanging out with a upperclassman/lesbian/punk from a rival high school. For some reason she took to me and decided to make me her project. The three of us went down to Clark and Belmont for an afternoon. Our first stop was The Alley. I had never been there before, and my reaction was as that of a child entering Disney World for the first time. I was looking around at all of the shirts hanging on the walls, all of the jewelry in cases, and the odd looking people who worked there. She started pulling off of the racks for me to look at and try on. Eventually we came to an agreement on a jacket that I only purchased because it was fifty percent off (everything there was rather expensive). The garment was a black velvet-like felt fabric, and on the left side displayed a flaming skull that had a metal spear through its jaw.

From there we went to a used record store around the corner. She perused the punk collection and pulled out Anti-Flag’s “Die For The Government,” (I don’t think she spent too long browsing given that it was an “A” selection). After that we went to a shop that is no longer standing, (it was torn down as part of the Brown Line expansion project, (along with the original Bottom Lounge, which is appropriate the scene died in 2004)). She picked out a bottle of blue Manic Panic hair dye for me. At the check out counter the cashier looked at the hair dye, then looked me up and down. It was after a school day and I was still dressed in my dress code clothes from school consisting of khaki pants and a collared button-down shirt. The cashier then asked, “Do you listen to Blink-182?”

I haven’t worn the coat in years. I have five Anti-Flag albums on my iPod. The hair dye remains unopened in my bathroom (even after four moves). And Blink-182 has just reunited . . .

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 47

Monday, February 16, 2009 (47)

Cold winter nights under dark city skies are envious of warm summer breezes beneath the heaven’s constellations.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 46

Sunday, February 15, 2009 (46)

"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?" Romans 6:3

It's a good thing no one noticed me stifle a laugh when the Deacon said "Do you reject Satan, and all of his empty promises?"

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 45

Saturday, February 14, 2009 (45)

"Tom, it's like we're 17 again and we're driving around listening to Jimmy Eat World!"

Here we are at a Mexican House Party on the Southside - yeah, we blended in

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 44

Friday, February 13, 2009 (44)

Observing the congregation at The “Cherch” of Smerch.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 43

Thursday, February 12, 2009 (43)

Q) Where am I on a day off from I.V. Lab Studios?

A) Third Coast Recording Company

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 42

Wednesday, February 11, 2009 (42)

Tracking vocals in The Green Room (I.V. Lab Studios' B Studio).

When I'm running a session I have to wear shades because I make the track like fire.

The night before I was asked if I was available to engineer the session. I realized that replying that I was "Down to clown" was not the clearest response given to whom I was speaking.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 41

Tuesday, February 10, 2009 (41)

One of the warmest Two-Ten days in Chicago in some 130 years, so I heard.

It was on this day two years ago that The BLB and I recorded "12oz Curls," "Case O'Brien," and "Down In Palisades Park" in my apartment in Lincoln Park, Chicago.

I got a lot of texts today wishing me a "Happy Two Ten."

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 40

Monday, February 9, 2009 (40)

The cool rain falls
The warm breeze blows
The steel dragon flies
The clock ticks forward

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 39

Sunday, February 8, 2009 (39)

Make over montage!

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 38

Saturday, February 7, 2009 (38)

My first visit home of 2009, featuring another great sunset.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 37

Friday, February 6, 2009 (37)

A number of years back, it’s hard to tell these days when exactly, when I was the sex symbol and bass player for my band No Fate, I was stopped at a red light on my way to band practice in Chicago. It was a warm and sunny summer afternoon as I waited in my dark blue Honda Accord for the traffic light to turn green. I glanced in my rear view mirror and saw two young ladies dancing to music in their seats. I slid on my shades on the new Reforma demo I got outside of the Metro the previous evening. Movement in my rear view mirror caught my attention and I looked into at the girls again. They had just put on sunglasses as well and were still dancing. The light turned green and the warm summer breeze surrounded me as I drove down the boulevard with the windows down and the sunroof open. At the next stoplight they were still behind, this time smiling and waving. I waved back to them and they turned to each other and laughed. I shifted my car into park and got out leaving the door open behind me. I approached the open window on the driver’s side of the girls’ car. They looked at each other again and did more of what looked like a giggle than a laugh.

“Would you girls like a free CD?” I asked with a smile as I removed a No Fate demo from my pocket.

“Thank you.” The driver said with a grin as she took the CD from me.

“Would you like a free cookie?” The passenger asked me, holding a tin of homemade cookies, as she leaned over her friend with a wide white smile.

“Thank you,” I said as I smiled to both girls and returned to my car before the light turned green.

A few minutes later something struck my rear windshield. It was a cookie. I saw in my mirror that the girls were laughing again. I turned down stereo and heard that they were blasting the CD that I had just given them. I raised my hand up through my sunroof and the passenger made a second throw. This time the cookie she had thrown found its way to my hand.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 36

Thursday, February 5, 2009 (36)

We are watching a DVD of Einstürzende Neubauten.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 35

Wednesday, February 4, 2009 (35)

We were going to go to the DWD party. After we spent so much time talking about and listening to Malik Yusef, The BLB, and other new and upcoming music that we decide not to head out at 3:15.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 34

Tuesday, February 3, 2009 (34)

Meghan heard I was home and didn't want to go to bed. She started jumping up and down in her crib until she was allowed to come watch television with us.

(Meghan is reflecting on the 50th Anniversary of The Day The Music Died).

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 33

Monday, February 2, 2009 (33)

I almost died again today.

365 Days of Tommy P: Day 32

Sunday, February 1, 2009 (32)

"Cool shirt Tom. Going to a rave later?"