Leo Goes Grr… article submitted to Artbeat Magazine in OKC!

Shout out to Blair Waltman for the great job.  Thanks so much!

It’s hard being the new band. You play an insane amount of shows for small crowds and smaller money, while still trying to find time to write new music, look for more shows, squeeze in band practice, and did we mention this is all probably on top of a regular day job? Starting is not an easy gig. But Leo Goes Grr… is off to a promising start. Mixing folksy flow with the harder rock riffs and playing their first major show Saturday night at the Sweet Surrender Benefit Concert at Oklahoma City’s Conservatory, the group looks like it might survive it’s own opening act.
Manned by Anthony DiFabio, Will Chesher, and Jeff Smith, Leo Goes Grr…has only graced existence since last November, although they’re not complete strangers.
“We’ve been in different bands in the last four years together, through college,” Smith said, motioning to himself and DiFabio.
“Will, he’s kind of come on in November,” added DiFabio. “He was kind of the spur for the change. It’s been very good, very uplifting.”
Also uplifting? The influences for this trio. Drawing from musical forces like Damien Rice, This Will Destroy You, and scores of instrumental tunes, Leo Goes Grr…presents a fun, moving sound that touches on different aspects of life.
“Some of the songs are about girls, some are about our family, some are about different shows on TV,” DiFabio explained, and he’s not kidding. Their song “Reno” is actually based on the now-defunct series “Arrested Development,” hitting on what they so aptly call the Michael-Marta complex. All this is balanced on steady drum beats, charged riffs, and DiFabio’s subversively bittersweet voice. “He’ll write the first part of the lyrics,” Smith explained, talking about DiFabio, the band’s resident lyricist. “Then we’ll just sit around on the floor together, talk and laugh until we figure out ‘Oh, that’s actually really good.’ Then go from there.”
‘Going from there’ has already amassed itself in the form of an EP titled “OK Joe DiMaggio,” six tracks of music recorded sans studio at live shows, done in the heart of indie style: low budget and self-produced.
So what big goals lay ahead of this fledging band?
“I don’t know if building a name has even been an issue,” said DiFabio. “It’s just friends getting together and playing music.”
If nothing else, you have to respect this band for having the purest form of musical passion. It’s not about the cash flow; they play because they love it.
Smith stated, “I’m never more at peace than when I’m just playing with people…there’s no stress to it, it’s just fun.”
With a musical mindset and a rock-meets-folk sound, this fresh group straight from the inner workings of OKC has potential to become something great. Fans of good new music, keep your ears open for Leo Goes Grr…

This last couple of weeks I have gotten the pleasure of meeting a new friend who is from all different parts of the country.  This person has traveled and lived in northern california, southern california (which she assures is nothing like northern), the pacific northwest, and the really chilly northeast, but this is her first time in the mid-west (south-esqu area…).  She has started coming to bible study with us and just sharing her thoughts on life from different perspectives and I must say that it is refreshing to get a new perspective on how people act.

We laughed last night as we discussed the overwhelming majority of people (in this region) who feel that if you are not republican then you aren’t really a Christian (a person from an un-named BIG church told a member of the church I go to that she would be praying for her children because she had an Obama bumper sticker on her car, this was after telling her she would be praying for her soul as well!  haha…).  What was funny was how our new friend looked puzzled and then that moment of lightbulb above head struck as she realized where she was living and how far from “kansas” she actually was (or really how close she was ha!).

Then as we were wrapping up small groups a large thunderstorm began to approach.  We could hear the rumble of the thunder and one of our student’s dads called to warn him about it.  This is when our new friend began to get REALLY uncomfortable.  Now i would love to say that I was really compassionate and trying to help with her tornado phobia…but I wasn’t (at first!) I teased a little but then realized that when you aren’t from this area how terrifying the thought of some spectral cloud of debris sucking you into the sky and throwing you for miles might actually seem.  I realized maybe i don’t need to run out into the weather to watch the “finger of God” reach down and scratch the surface of the earth.

Overall it has been an enlightening experience meeting this new friend and realizing just how unique we can all be (while still falling into meta-groups that think in somewhat congruent ways).  O well.  enjoy your afternoon.  peace to you.

current itunes track: 10 Million Slave, Otis Taylor, The Return of the Banjo

currently watching: nothing.  i am still behind on tv, though i did watch the new family guy on sunday night.  I WAS VERY disappointed, just not a good episode.  they tried to push the envelope and all they did was push a boring plot into my living room..suck

currently reading: House of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski

Alright well today’s post is not to insightful but it does require your help!  I don’t know what to CALL this blog.  I like song lyrics, movie quotes, and book references, but I need it to be short to the point and concise.  I have tried about 20 different ones over the last few days, but I can’t find one that sticks.  I need your help otherwise this blog will be named something like

deep thoughts
daily musings
why the crap hasn’t anyone commented?
i’m conceited, read MY blog
“random dave matthews lyric”
Look i am deep and brooding
“video game related joke”
some book you’ve never heard of quote
some bible verse taken out of context
some philosophical pondering
something not original at all…

so you can see I am at a cross roads…I need your help!  COMMENT on this one and let me know what you think.  all of you my fellow friends have great titles for your blogs and i feel my creativity has hit the edge of its abyss.  please help me.  please keep me sane and help me from changing the title of this blog every few hours.  winner may received a prize!*

*this claim could/probably be false.  but you never know…

current itunes track: The Dreaming Tree (Live at Saratoga Performing Arts Center; Saratoga Springs, NY), Live Trax 2008, DMB

currently reading: facebook

currently wondering: why i even play drums, wow carter beauford is amazing.

How many of you love blogs?  I do.  Well I love my friends blogs.  Especially when they tell me cool or interesting things.  I realize this blog has been pretty bland in the past and I want you to know I apologize and I am looking to rectify this ASAP!  So instead of super long posts with no quality I am going to go quality posts no matter how long!

Check out http://tonydifab.wordpress.com/ if you want to see someone who makes blogging worthwhile!

Following in his footsteps I am commiting to write like I never have before.  So please let me know what you think when you think something (if you don’t leave a comment it tells me you weren’t thinking!) and we will see how things go!

I am looking forward to writing about video games, movies, tv, and life.  so if you have any questions you would like me to tackle please leave them in a comment and I will tackle it!

Today’s blog…actually begins HERE!

I have never been fond of Ski Trips in youth ministry.  I have always thought they were expensive and dangerous.  Well this year the kids at church convinced me to plan one and I was actually really excited and had everything ready until Sunday.  Tony, the pastor at my church, gave a lesson on where is God during the Financial Crisis?  Now the message was not some hugely profound life shattering message, but it was a well delivered common sense talk on scripture and what OUR responsibilities are when life gets tough in the kingdom.  I found myself weeping as a map was shown of the foreclosures on homes just within the zip code the church resides in and i wept even harder as a woman talk about giving her last 40 dollars (for a family of 8!) to the church and getting a surprise check for forty dollars the same day!  I was deeply convicted about the ski trip and knew that I couldn’t take 6 kids and 3 sponsors skiing (at close to a $3600 price tag…not a piece that was everyone as a whole….) when students in my ministry couldn’t go and the church couldn’t cover their cost!  So today I have called all the students and parents and sent emails apologizing about canceling but I am not worried and I am overwhelmed at the response I have gotten.  All of the parents have been really cool about it and understand!  So I have planned a huge Guys Night/Girls Night bash (that will be much cheaper, so everyone can attend) that will blow the roof off what was going to be the ski trip weekend!

I am proud of the students and parents in the group who understand the need to be discerning in the midst of this financial mess and I can not wait for Mission OKC during Spring Break when we are going to love all over our community!

Take time to look, think, and most importantly, love.  We are not alone.  We are not the center of the universe.  We are a community, hand in hand – holding on for dear life.

current itunes track: Bartender (Live at Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA), Live Trax 2008, DMB

currently watching: The Twilight Zone, Season 1

currently reading: Deuteronomy and Galatians

currently gaming: Rock Band 2 XBOX360, Mercenaries 2 XboxLIVE with DiFab, A Kingdom for Keflings (Xbox Live Arcade) i will blog about this later, probably the coolest, most addicting game I have played in YEARS!

currently wishing: it was small group night again.  i love small group nights.

currently missing: all my homies all over the world…

current favorite video of all time: I’m on a Boat by The Lonely Island (look for the edited SNL version as it is pretty full of obscenities!) It is the best example of parody I have EVER seen.

So I haven’t blogged since the start of December and I apolgize.  I have been lazy, and apparently that kills so i better watch out!

Lots of changes.  Life is good, I saw Katie and Daniel get married (which means I also got to see some other great friends!  What a great weekend), Christmas was off the chain (I got spoiled like crazy.  RIDICULOUSLY CRAZY.  IT was awesome to see family.), the new year has started well (see below), and now today I am sick as a dog andtrying not to cough up a lung!

The New Year has started and Meagan and I are participating with the Fam in a Biggest Loser type contest.  It is pretty awesome.  The winner will get a new article of clothing from everyone else who participates!  So far I have lost around 10 or so pounds in a week and a half…i need to work harder!

Like always I have been missing friends like crazy.  This college student to adult transition is just no fun, I am glad that Difab, Kyzer, and Selena are here…we are hoping to go to houston before Spring Break though!

Meagan and I have bought some more furniture.  We got her a cool Baker’s rack at hobby lobby and then we got an end table and coffee table for the living room.  We even got some art for the bedroom so meagan is helping me be all domestic since my idea of good pictures are posters!

Surprise on Tuesday, I went to Game Stop and found a copy of Assassin’s Creed for $17.99, this is the 7th best rated XBOX360 game and I snagged it for under twenty bucks, so much for workingout this week!  HA!

New office on TONIGHT!  Don’t miss it.

So I should wrap this up.  Sorry there isn’t any real content, I will get back to regular blogging with all sorts of jokes soon!  You rock.

peace to you and your family

currently on itunes: Genius playlist starting with Everything’s Magic, Angels and Airwaves

currently watching: 80s movies, classic action movies

currently reading: Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk (for the umpteenth time)

currently gaming: Assassin’s Creed, XBOX360 – Sid Meier’s Priates, PSP – Heavy Weapon XBOX360 Arcade

currently wishing: to just travel around the country and play music.  Schedule Leo Goes Grr in your hometown (just leave me a comment and we will work out the details!  Come on Lubbock, Phoenix, Houston, Tulsa, New Jersey, and Canada…you know you want this tour!)

I am a pretty macho guy.  I love football.  Gladiator, Saving Private Ryan, and Die Hard are some of my favorite movies.  I enjoy video games that let me be the shooter.  Anything with a satisfying explosion is pretty cool.  My Dad and I built model cars, rockets, and rc cars.  So I see myself as pretty tough.

But over the last couple of years a couple of my best friends have been a 5 year old and a 2 year old.  My friend Joey has a couple of boys who know no strangers.  They make friends with anybody and know that the college students (their dad was a Resident Director in charge of an entire dorm at SNU) want them to be the center of attention.  I have never had my heart melted like hearing Judson cry “Beff”  (he never could get that J sound down) and then run right at me to get picked up.

Grady (the 5 year old) was pretty sure we were all there for him every time we visited.  I was excited when he called to invite me (my new wife and all of our friends) to bring my favorite ice cream topping to watch the “REAL” Alvin and the Chipmunks.  I remember being one of the first people besides his parents to feed Judson.  I was pretty stand offish about little kids (babies just aren’t my thing) but Joey (who is a great judge of character) knew that I could do it.  So I put on the mommy feed ring around my stomach and held this new quivering life to feed him a bottle.  I grew up right there and Jud must have known it was me (because for the rest of their time here in Oklahoma he would run at me full speed to be thrown in the air).  I knew those boys weren’t mine, but I would have died to make sure they were safe.  

So when Joey decided to move to Phoenix for a GREAT job opportunity, I lost a whole slew of best friends, Joey, Sarah, Grady, and Judson; and now they have added another little life, Wyatt, to the mix in phoenix and honestly I can’t wait to get there, put on the mommy feed ring and help out with this one.  

I don’t know what it will be like to be a Dad, but after My Dad (who has always showed me how to be a man) and watching Joey (who is one of us even if he is a “little” older) I know that it will be awesome…(but I can certainly WAIT. hahaha!)  One thing about these boys was that they were always fun to play with, throw around, spin around, and just when they started puking you could give them back!  

So I am sure I speak for Aaron, Eric, Curtis, Tomy, Robert, Chris, Selena, Christina, Sybil, and Meagan when I say we miss all of them and we can’t wait to get some TICKETS TO PHOENIX!

current itunes track: The Day That Never Comes, Metallica, Death Magnetic

currently watching: Saving Private Ryan 60th Anniversary D-Day edition

currently reading: Last Man Standing, David Baldacci

Hey Friends!

Today is my birthday and it is the strangest birthday I have ever had.  I am married, I have graduated from college, and my mom and dad are hundreds of mils from here.  Now I have had birthday’s when I was dating meagan (and I knew we would be married), I have had birthdays in college (hoping I would graduate), and I have had birthdays apart from my parents, BUT this one feels so weird because it is like I am an actual adult and I realize why people want to do childish things on their birthday, because you miss that anticipation of a stupid song and cake.  Now I have a great evening planned with friends, but the pinnacle of tonight is laughter and stories about days gone by.  The theme of birthdays  - at least when you live at home and worry about homework and if your teacher’s will be nice the next day – can be found in the the apex, the precipice, the mountaintop moment of joy when a cake with candles (hopefully trick) is brought out of whatever kitchen is present and everyone you know (and that matters in this world) sings you happy birthday in the most god-awful key you can imagine.  

Now I realize that as you get older everyone that matters might not be able to be in the same room to sing you that song and that is pretty darn sad!  But I don’t want to be a debbie downer, I just realized that there are new ways to look at birthday’s and that now the point isn’t the cake or the presents, but the people around them that matter o so much!

so on this day of OLD growth how about wisdom from some young folks?  In my last post I wasted time with an awesome forward.  Well I took that and transformed it into a youth lesson for us to share at church.  Here are some responses.

I fear: Jellyfish (9th grader)
I miss: being loved (senior) 
I wonder: how ants feel being 500 times smaller than me (a pretty tiny senior)
I care: about everyone (8th grader)
I hate: when I can’t find something then I find it when I don’t need it (a frustrated 7th grader)
I love: sisters ( a beautifully sweet junior)
I always: watch tv (a really honest 6th grader)
I wish: I had more time (a wise 8th grader)
I never: cuss (8th grader)
I hate: gas prices (a non-driving 10th grader)
I don’t always: ride my bike with no handlebars: (a rambunctious 9th grader)
I have: much more compared to people in other parts of the world (a very perceptive and wise 7th grader)

Nothing like reading the words of students to know that this is the great job in the world.  I love my students.  

peace to you

current itunes track:  Can’t Complain, Nickel Creek, Why Should the Fire Die?

currently reading: just finished up Postmodern Youth Ministry, Tony Jones

currently watching: The office, Season 4 (i am addicted…)

Hey Friends!  It has been a LONNNNNNNNNNGGGGG weekend.

I took 20 folks to six flags for the annual Naz Nite event and no one got hurt and I didn’t forget anyone so it was successful.  I really enjoyed riding the Tony Hawk’s Big Spin ride…pretty awesome.  We went all night friday and then on saturday, I saw some of the sickest mullets you have ever seen.  O and I almost ate my own weight in Pink Things (if you don’t know, you have never been to six flags).  It was a good weekend because I got to hang with aaron and karlee at six flags and then when I got home meagan’s mom and dad and her sister and brother were here (we missed micah!).  We had so much fun going out to eat and hanging together and watching the NEW TV that meagan and I got on thursday evening, right before I left for six flags.

I got up this morning at 5:20 to run some errands for my precious wife before her FIRST DAY AS A TEACHER!  I am so proud of her.  I went and bought her slim fast bars for lunch (she gets fifteen minutes, and I don’t think she needs slim fast bars, but that is what she TOLD me to get!) and then I got her a stop watch, for what I don’t know, maybe she is going to teach her students to be olympic swimmers and she will train the next michael phelps!  Then I went and got her favorite starbucks drink (granda mocha frappuccino) and kissed bye before she left to go to work!  

While I was at wal mart this morning at 5:30 i did happen to pick up the 4th season of the office on dvd.  I have already watched two of them and have almost wet myself laughing.  Seriously when pam sees michael naked I fell out of my chair (i had forgotten!) (I didn’t see where it began, but I saw where it ended hahahaha).

So anyway laugh is busy.  I am ready for some down time and I LOVE my wife.  Hope you are having a good day.

kristin thomas you have to come to oklahoma city.  now.

current itunes track: Digital Love, Daft Punk, Discovery

currently watching: The OFFICE, Season 4

currently gaming: gta IV, xbox360, on the new 42″ tv…meagan is too sweet to me!

Hey friends.

It is noon and I am sitting in my cluttered office here at church just chillaxing (a word some of the students have taught me…you should try it) and all of the sudden it hit me.  I do not have to be in class!  Today classes started at my alma mater and I am not sitting in a desk being forced to learn (NO I am sitting in a desk being forced to work…not really i love it here).  So sitting here I thought of all the things I don’t have to do and all of the things I can do in my new found spare time!

Things to NOT do:
1.  Wait until the night before something’s due to work on it!  I mean seriously now I have all this time certainly I can work ahead right?
2.  Eat terrible, fatty foods late at night.  I was only eating taco bell every night cause I was still awake from homework that was due tomorrow…
3.  Play video games from 3pm until 10pm and FEEL GUILTY (now I am wasting MY time not my educational time! hahaha)
4.  Pay for sitting in a class room (now they pay me to sit at a desk!)
5.  Wake up to the tornado sirens at noon on saturday (apparently the whole city is actually running on saturday mornings?  i never knew…
6.  Sit in chapel and try not to snore.  Now if I am in chapel I am there of my own accord and I don’t even have to remember my ID to feel good about it.
7.  Wash clothes as sparingly as possible.  I got married.  My clothes are always clean now!
8.   Leave food in the fridge from September to April.  Yeah I tried that.  not cool…
9.  Sleep 4 hours a night.  apparently if you sleep 8 a night you remember stuff. i don’t remember my junior year of college.  i thought I finished in three!
10.  Finally,  read books assigned by others.  Now I can sift through material I choose…or just put off reading until it is du…wait hahaha  it is never due!  Here I come TV on DVD I am not moving off the couch for a month!

Things to DO with my new found time:
1.  Taxes; appaprently putting time and effort into this is important and actually can equal money (so
time + effort/taxes = money (sometimes) and I wasn’t even a math major…(oops)
2.   Work out.  Seriousl….hahaha.  maybe later.  no really.  no i can’t.  i have to try…well we’ll see
3.   Drink more water.  As I chug a mt. dew.  great.
4.   Save Money for kids college, retirement, etc.  but didn’t the heroes season 2 dvd just come out?
5.   Spend more time talking about the weather.  I live in Oklahoma i spent all of college doing that, but apparently this is what grown ups call small talk.  i am not getting the hang of it.  apparently people don’t like jesus popping in and out of small talk conversations.  course i learned that from the pope.  i asked him about jesus and he was like “WHOA!  I keep work at work….
6.  Have Kids.  serious?  i just got free time and now I am supposed to raise kids?  i think that one can wait…
7.  Read the Wall Street Journal.  Because I was getting tired of all those Oprah Book Club suggestions…
8.  Drink coffee (without some venti, frappucino starbucks created word attached to it).   yeah.  again said as I chug a mt. dew.
9.  Be engaged in politics.  Can we please just talk about the weather?  I don’t care if it is partly cloudy with a chance of white, old clouds, or dark, young clouds, I just want clouds that’ll fix the economy.
10.  Finally, love my wife.  no joke here.  i will love her for the rest of my life.  best part of being a grown up!  man i miss her right now.  dang.  i love my wife.

So there.  I am gonna get on this list asap.  But for now I am fixing to buy a big tv and discover that when I get home there are no papers waiting to be written, but rather a wife to love, dinner to be eaten, and friends to play video games with.  man finishing college is good.  

peace to you

current itunes track: Thickfreakness, The Black Keys, Thickfreakness

currently watching:  The Office, Season 2 (getting back in the mood I am so STOKED!)

currently surfing: http://www.collisionmedia.tv/  (if you book them be sure to tell them Jeff sent you!)

Seek Up 
Dancing Nancies 
Warehouse 
Burning Down The House 
Corn Bread 
Old Dirt Hill 
Eh Hee  
You Might Die Trying 
Crash Into Me 
So Damn Lucky 
#41 
Stay (Wasting Time) 
Gravedigger 
Anyone Seen The Bridge/Too Much Intro/Halloween 
Louisiana Bayou 
Ants Marching 

 _______________________
Sledgehammer 
Two Step

what an amazing night!  Tim Reynolds in on Electric, Jeff Coffin (who plays for Bella Fleck and the Flecktones) on sax (LeRoi Moore is still recovering from his ATV accident), Rashawn Ross killing the trumpet, and of course Dave, Carter, Boyd, and Stefan playing as virtuosos of their instruments.  

The transition from ASTB to the Too Much intro right into Halloween was EPIC and every solo tim reynolds played was amazing, especially on Cornbread, #41, and Two Step.  I don’t even have words to describe the drum solo that carter did at the end of two step.  dave was friendly (and odd) as usual and having friends there was just the top of any concert.  so to aaron, tomy, matt, karlee, mendy, and of course my beautiful wife – THANKS FOR GOING!  It was a great first dave show and i look forward to many more!

i love all of you and hope you are having a great day.  peace to you and your family.

current itunes track: belief, John Mayer, Where the Light is (Live in Los Angeles)

currenttly surfing: ticketmaster.com – looking for more dave tickets (can i spend more money?)