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Mike's Journal

Saturday, July 09, 2005
1:26 AM -
Saturday, July 02, 2005
1:03 AM - Guess what....no not that!

The band is back!!!!


Monday, May 31, 2004
10:37 PM - alot has happened since the last time i posted.....
but ill tell you about them sometime in the future...ha!

right now my computer has a virus and i have to get it
fixed before i spend alot of time writing...

hope your happy #2
more to follow

mike
Wednesday, December 24, 2003
1:21 PM - happy holidays to everyone...

thank you to everyone for a very big year...2003 was a very amazing year for the band, we got to share the stage with alot of amazing bands, met alot of new fans and made alot of new friends and started work on the new album...hopefully 2004 will be just as fun for the band....we will be launching the idle tribe (our official street team), releasing the new album and hopefully touring alot more in the new year...

thanks again to everyone...friends, family and anyone who supports independent music

...and to all a good night



Thursday, November 27, 2003
1:32 AM - things im thankful for.....

-monkeys
-j.r. tolkien
-charlie brown cartoons
-independent musicians
-aquatic reptiles
-sidewalk artists
-people with a sense of humor
-redskin off weeks
-late night djs that play pearl jam nonstop
-village idiot meals
-dante and randal conversations
-celtic pride
-trogdor, strongbad and the cheat
-stoner movies
-heavy metal songs that get me through the day
-people that remember when the orioles were decent
-my band and the people that support my dream of becoming a musician
-#1 & # 2
-my family
-my friends
-my girlfriend
-and lastly...im thankful that the native americans dont treat us as bad as we treated them years ago

thanks for an awesome year




Thursday, October 09, 2003
1:10 AM - so the signed document wasnt notorized.....who knew...

anyway, i think the redskins are trying to see how few quarters they can play and actually win a game..... most games have been two.....however this week they tried to win a game after playing about five minutes.....and the outcome was not pretty, im praying that this week mr. sapp goes easy on us....

as for band jargon, schroader and i have been hitting the practice facility pretty hard these past few weeks, charlie is constantly writing new songs, pigpen needs more sleep as work is killing him, snoopy and woodstock are looking for venues and lucy is....well who cares what lucy is doing, lol

and one last note.........sunday sunday (non bloody) sunday - november ninth
roger clyne and the peacemakers are gracing the east coast with a scheuled stop at club iota....this is one of my all time favorite bands and their wagons hardly ever head east so i suggest everyone who is an idle ride fan....go check out the show....hopefully if we are not recording that day, we will all be there...road trip

goodnite trogdoranians song of za week (octoberiesque 9) - charlie brown theme
Thursday, October 02, 2003
12:32 AM - trogdor 1 voltron 0......thanks for playing....

another crazy week...but a decent one.....redskins won, met my aunt that i hadnt seen in probably 15 years, and had a productive week on new drum techniques and placement.

im going to try and get some photos uploaded to dave soon...my digital camera is still messing with me and kevin and i are still working on street team logistics...

other than that there is not much to say this week except congratulations to sam on tying the knot, wish i could be there cause youve always been there for us.....and im also looking forward to the traditional halloween charlie brown get together this weekend (sincerity as far as the eye can see)....hopefully this year charlie brown will kick the friggin ball....

until next time.....break out the hoodies its gettin cold....woohoo

song of za week (octoberiembre 1) - pantera-cemetary gates
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
12:55 AM - so its been awhile....its been a hectic month and its not backing down evidently...


i want to start this entry out on a personal level.....my uncle passed away this week and i would like to send all of my prayers and love out to my aunt , cousins and the rest of my family. he will be missed and i wish i could be there for the parting ceremony. this event reminds me that i dont spend enough time with family and friends and that i should cherish every moment that i get to see you all......so im sorry for being a bad friend/relative and im going to try and change my habits of not keeping in touch...

ok now on to post production news....right now i am currently in the process of relearning how to play the drums.....our producer is testing my comfort level on percussion and trying to raise my ability to a new level...hopefully by the time we play live again i will be more educated on the skins and the album will relay this...who knew drums were a science and not just a stress reliever?

other than that, everything is ok...i think....im working on new merchandise ideas/designs along with album artwork and promotional strategies.....also i still need photos for the new album so please email me if you want your photo in the new cd or if you have any ideas/thoughts concerning the new album, street team, turtles, peanuts characters, jack skellington, strong bad or bloody finger art work?

until then, courage for trogdor is lurking in the shadows


songs of the month haha (septiembreolamonkeydo) -

govt mule-blind man in the dark
maroon 5-hard to breathe (thanks jb)
cold-rain song
breaking benjamin-home
aperfectcircle-pet
flaw-my letter
the damning well-awakening

thats enough to keep all you guestbook bashers busy for awhile...lol ye darn monkeys
Sunday, August 24, 2003
11:24 PM - ...and the dragon comes in the nnnniiiiiiigggghhhhtttttt!!!!. im back.....sorry once again for not publishing a journal entry in soooo long....you know its bad when someone else's journal yells at you to update your own (thanks wacko dave-o). thanks to everyone who came out to the apollo show, it was nice to see alot of people that i havent spoken to in years ( im still trying to remember who some of them were, lol ). thanks to everyone who put in all the hard work to make that show happen and thanks to my band and friends for putting up with me this past week as i was a complete jerk out of sheer frustration, anxiety, stress, etc.......if you would like to see us play there again, please contact the apollo theatre or downtown martinsburg and let them know how much you enjoyed the event.

thanks to everyone at the "private business show" also who were excellent hosts and to everyone who was not a part of this event, we will hopefully soon have some new "live acoustic" songs available for download on the website from that interesting endeavour......

....and lastly thanks to everyone who helped/supported the band during the touring phases of 2003....every year we make more and more progress because of our fans/friends and we are looking forward to touring in 2004 after the recording sessions....we will see you then!

Mike's SONGS OF THE MONTH (august 2003) -
first time by.....finger eleven
&
weak & powerless by......a perfect circle


Saturday, June 14, 2003
4:31 AM - so im really slacking again at this whole journal thing....but by the looks of the rest of the idle journals, im not the only lazy bum. anyway....ive got alot to say considering i havent typed an entry since...(let me look)...holy crap a month! wow, i suck but youll have to deal with it.

id like to start off this entry with a happy fathers day announcement to my dad, most of the time we speak two different languages to each other but i love him and i know the feeling is mutual. hopefully, someday my stupid childhood dreams of making it in the music business will make you proud. you have taught me alot-including when the redskins are losing, its always a good time to mow the yard! thanks for everything.....

second id like to thank everyone at the village idiot for always making us feel at home (its like grandmas house, you know youll always be comfortable and never leave with an empty stomach)

the past month has been pretty overwhelming to us....we have shared the stage with some amazing bands at incredible places......from new york, to virginia tech, to dewey beach, i think we have made alot of new fans and friends in just a short period of time and i hope this continues....

thanks to green to think, bowman, the mayan factor, rotoglow and love seed mama jump for sharing the stage with us and for being kick ass musicians who are down to earth....

im rambling i know but im almost done......
upcoming events that you dont want to miss..........friday, june 20th at 9:00pm we will be playing two all original sets at books a million in winchester as part of a harry potter book release celebration.....the store is expecting around 1,000 people and there is so many activities going on from 9-12midnight...if you are under 18 and never get to see us perform...now is your chance.....the following saturday we will be jamming acoustic with our friends condition k at our hometown venue, the village idiot at 10:00pm

....street team is still in the works and tshirts should be arriving at the end of next week.....

take care everyone and we will see you next weekend!!!!!!

Mike's SONG OF THE WEEK (6/14/03)...........love seed mama jump - rona www.loveseed.com


Wednesday, May 07, 2003
4:30 AM - hiyo all......we just got a cd back from the morgantown sound at wvu of our show there last november.....its weird to actually hear the new songs for the first time from a spectator point of view....however i am very pleased at how well the new music gels together. hopefully the time we take off this fall will take this songs to a new level.....cant wait!!!!.....also looking forward to seeing new york for the first time instead of driving through it on the way to a show up north. i would also like to praise green to think for the opportunity and for just being cool.....its very random to meet talented "nice" musicians, and im glad we have met sooo many cool musicians/bands lately. i would also like to take the time to tell everyone who doesnt own the black album, that we have finally reordered the cd and it should be in stock soon....along with some other items. well i better head out and try to get a couple hours sleep before the ole' day job tomorrow.....take care everyone and we will see you next week in frederick!!!!!!

Mike's SONG OF THE WEEK(5/7/03)......cold-goodbye cruel world........their new album comes out next week and its about damn time!!!!woohooo-one of the best modern bands in my sick, twisted lil opinion
Saturday, April 26, 2003
4:11 AM - friday night/saturday morning....still awake because i keep throwing my sleep schedule all out of whack. so i worked on a couple more shirt designs and now im surfing the web looking for various music related crap, lol....just thinking about the future and where it will lead me at the moment-excited and scared wrapped with a big sheet of confusion....i dont think people take the time to stop and look at where there life is headed, or maybe when they do they get frightened and try not to think about it like i do so often and then start rambling.........so ill stop.

from all hands crossed
perpendicular minds have foreseen
their blessed time has passed
placed hatred on living dreams
and beyond all once belonged
have all since gone
to their first place of angst
once arrived, have now fallen
replacing marks with intoxicant laughs
the remains of the few
loathe the future...and remark to the past
watching brethren demise
but stand just as tall
a family knowledge has never been blood
but by heart hears the call
so your first decision
becomes known as a goal
nothing controls the man
everyone leads their own soul....mts

goodnight and have a good weekend.......

Mike's SONG OF THE DAY(4/26/03)......chevelle-forfeit
Saturday, April 19, 2003
2:55 AM - hello once again to any crazy person who decides to read this....the band is very busy at the moment and im loving every moment of it... so much in the works...right now im designing tshirts to get approved by the idle staff...but instead of talking about idle ride this time id like to shift my attention to a new form of inspiration that i have been looking into lately.....if you grew up in a small town in west virginia like i did, you probably thought that you would never make anything of yourself because of where you were from and because of what you were told about the area....i did...and i apologize....the reason i am ranting is because i grew up a pessimist like most of my hometown friends and never thought anyone from "my neck of the woods" would amount to anything....sometimes it takes ocular proof to change a persons mind....if you know anything about the major label band godsmack, you have probably noticed that they have a new drummer now....his name is shannon larkin, and he came from "my neck of the woods"....he has graced the music scene in such bands as wrathchild america, souls at zero, ugly kid joe, candlebox, vanilla ice, amen, snot and has even appeared with black sabbath and many others.....so anytime anyone says you can never amount to anything because of your background/origin, play the new godsmack album for them and laugh in their faces...
thank you shannon...

Mike's SONG OF THE DAY(419/03)......godsmack-title track "faceless"

Friday, April 04, 2003
5:43 AM - and then it was the beginning of the weekend.....thank god/buddha or whatever deity you so choose. its been a long week, but once again another productive one......soon we will be finally playing frederick, maryland and chantilly, virginia. but first is one long fun weekend at one of the most haunted places in the world-gettysburg what the hell was that pennsylvania....however no time for ghost hunting as we will be playing two shows friday and saturday and promoting the band as much as we can.....if you have never been to one of our gettysburg shows, nows your chance because they are like no other.....strong turnouts, strong crowd response and alot of idle ride veteran fans. as with my last entry, the street team is still in the works and weve found a couple leaders to head the project...if anyone has any ideas or wants to help in this great responsibility, please email me so i can assign different areas to different people and start getting the promotional gear ready....im also happy to announce that soon we will have some new idle ride merchandise and we will be restocking the last cd "the words in their eyes"......and day by day we are creating more and more songs to be later selected for our new cd, right now we have about twenty tracks to choose from... i cant wait to hit the studio again and record some of our best work ever....the year is getting better and better everyday for the band....thanks again to everyone. also just like to announce that two of my favorite independent bands will be releasing new cds soon 1. the mayan factor and 2.foundry...please check out both bands because they are amazing musicians, there are links to their sites on our links page.....take care and thanks as always.....

Mike's SONG OF THE DAY(4/04/03)......filter-God damn me




Wednesday, March 19, 2003
1:36 AM - ok so its been awhile since i attempted to write something.....the last few weeks have pretty much been a blur...but i think im finally getting out of my mental and physical sickness. id like to start off by saying happy birthday to my dad and brother (two of the greatest influences on my life) and thanks to rotoglow and select members of shepherd college for the opportunites placed upon us this last weekend. weve had setbacks lately, but good things are on the way. each day is a new and interesting chapter in idle ride as we are networking with other musicians constantly, playing new venues and meeting more and more people willing to listen to our music. thanks to everyone who has helped us get this far....we wont let you down. as of this week, an idle ride street team is in the works and all the details will be posted shortly....this will be any fans opportunity to show us how far you are willing to go to help us reach our goals and dreams.....fans are what makes a band and we want you all to help us reach the next level....once again thanks for your time and thanks to anyone/everyone who is willing to give independent music a chance.....

...."and heres to life".....

Mike's SONG OF THE DAY(3/19/03)......roger clyne and the peacemakers-green and dumb

....if anyone has any ideas/thoughts/stupid jokes about the street team, the matrix, womens bowling, fresh-a-pepper or about talented musicians who wont get off their lazy bums "hint hint" please email me at mike@idleride.com
Monday, March 10, 2003
12:41 AM - just wanted to run some questions by everyone.........
1. idle ride street team-yes or no, what to call it, incentives, leaders, how to run it?
2. merchandise.....what would you like to see idle ride on?
3. where can you buy a "honey bear" or "sugar glider" as a pet?
4. what should i eat for dinner tomorrow?
5. whats your favorite "peanuts" character or favorite cartoon?
6. if i was a courderoy house shoe, where would i hide (this one is for dave).....?

please email all answers to mike@idleride.com
thank you for your time, patience and insanity

Mike's SONG OF THE DAY(3/10/03)......the sound of silence
Thursday, March 06, 2003
3:04 AM - there is a whole lot of big mainstream concerts coming up this summer. ....and if your like me, you wont see any of them because you cant afford any of the ticket prices. lollapalooza, music as a weapon, and the summer sanitarium to name a few.....lets pick on the metallica headlining sanitation i mean sanitarium tour for a moment....i remember when you could see a festival for a little over twenty bucks and im not that old...i saw metallica on lollapalooza with soundgarden, the ramones, wu tang and a bunch of others for a little bit of nothing....now they have decided to take a million big name bands and place them together for a big hoopla tour and charge you a starting price of what?.....thats right 75 big dollars....i mean i know metallica has a new bass player and hes an amazing musician.....but for 75 dollars it better be Jesus himself rocking out with the rest of the four horsemen before i pay to see this big summer something or other. Thats almost as much as the woodstock three day festival ticket, lol...the most money i have ever paid for a ticket was around fifty bucks to see tool, and although it was an amazing show i will never pay that much again to see a band....if i were a true music lover, i would save my big wad o' cash and go see a bunch of independent musicians play for a little bit of nothing......you would be amazed how good some of the shows can be....and im not trying to plug my band because i want you to go see any independent musician you can.....once you break away from money issues and media hype, you find the true musicians are playing night after night for two reasons....the love of music and the fans.........support independent music!!!!!

thanks and happy b-day button!


this post in no way is making fun of metallica or their huge wallets, lol. ride the lightning is still one of my all time favorite records.

Mike's SONG OF THE DAY(3/6/03)......any song by Jims Big Ego
Friday, February 28, 2003
12:32 AM - i cant believe it is friggin snowing again!!!!!....i remember when i was a kid and snow was probably one of my favorite things. now its just a pain in the ass....and as i drive to work, i watch all the little kids building snowmen, and forts and i just want to stop my car and snowbomb the hell out of them, lol....just joking. cabin fever (no natchez trace pun intended) will make you violent, lol....so we are one week away from playing again...and we have some amazing openers that i am honored to share the stage with....im hoping the weather doesnt mess with the performances, i really want to play music and we have had to cancel two practices already....oh well..i better head to sleep, not enough snow to keep me home so i better go check on the matrix and find out if jb needs to talk about salts, tim hardaway announcing and why boston cant win more than two games in a row...nite monkees

Mike's SONG OF THE DAY(2/27/03)..........Rotoglow-Situation www.rotoglow.com


Tuesday, February 25, 2003
1:23 AM - im getting lazy in my old age, sorry i havent posted in awhile, im trying to keep busy with too many things at the moment. more practicing, more promotion, more idle ride to provide "you all", the fans, lol with the best that we can do as musicians and as people. as i had hinted at earlier, good things are on its way...soon you will be able to come see us play with a plethora.....yes i used plethora of new, amazing bands like the mayan factor out of baltimore, condition k out of harrisburg, pa, green to think out of new york, etc. come check out these awesome bands and show your support to independent musicians that carry the same dreams that we have....right now im trying to find drum parts to a numerous amount of new idle songs that jason is dishing out lately...by the time we record the new album, we should have over twenty songs to choose from...

.......march seventh and eighth is coming soon......hope to see you there

since i havent done this in a while ill give you a couple of songs
Mike's SONGS OF THE DAY(2/24/03)..........Peter Gabriel-Salisbury Hill
.......................Sepultura-Rattamahatta......................& anything by A Perfect Circle
Tuesday, February 18, 2003
12:12 AM - looking at the snow covered landscape outside, only one thought comes to mind....man i hope i dont have to work in a couple hours, lol just joking..oh well....it was a pretty boring day....alot of movies, job hunting, and pretty much nothing else. hopefully tomorrow will be a more productive day. listened to a lot of unsigned bands cds today....and i will be recommending the good ones to you all soon.
take care and drive safe in the morning

Mike's SONG OF THE DAY(2/18/03)..........Radio Caroline-Uninspired
Monday, February 17, 2003
12:04 AM - other than the abundance of white crap outside, this weekend was very productive and fun. two long days of playing music, networking, mentoring and meeting up with old friends. the band played three official shows of four songs or more.....a 45 minute set at the ye olde ale house near mechanicsburg, a 4 song set on the x-stage for harrisburg radio station 105.7 the x, and a 4 song acoustic set for the pennsylvania musicians magazine. my favorite part of the whole conference however was probably the saturday night jam session with members of foundry, the mayan factor and other bands in the halls of the hilton. its nice to meet so many people with the same interests as we do in music. overall an excellent weekend and for all of our fans out there that appreciate independent music, we will be bringing some new bands with us locally soon. i have a long list of thanks to go through for an excellent weekend....so here goes...

kevin north
foundry
the mayan factor
hlf
33-west
rotoglow
green to think
radio caroline
mink
k-condition (kyle and mitch from julian fist)
shannon and melanie (parocks.com)
angela (thelab-pa.com)
our mentors
and a million other bands i cant quite remember their names...but thanks anyway

Mike's SONG OF THE DAY(2/16/03)..........The Mayan Factor-Warflower




Friday, February 14, 2003
1:28 AM - well its about one in the morning.....and im still doing laundry, getting ready for the mmc7. everyone is sound asleep and hopefully relaxing after a hectic and pretty scary week. i thought since i hadnt posted for a couple days i would reflect on my life at the moment. it just turned valentines day and i pray that most of you spend your day with the ones you love, whether it be family, friends, pets or what have you...not all of us get to spend this strange tradition of a day with the ones we love....so if you have the chance, please do so.
this week has been one hell of a scary point in time, with all the terrorist threats and talks of going to war... my opinion on the matter is, dont start blaming every religion, every race, or everyone who looks a little different from you for the problems overseas and in this country...in every aspect of life you will find love and hate, in every race, every religion, you will find good and evil, problems and strengths...no one race or religion should be blamed for everything....ive seen it over and over again, how the actions of a few can ruin it for the masses. instead of blaming others, look inside yourself and make sure (first of all) that you are not part of the problem, and are trying to live at peace with everyone around you so this planet can last a little longer.....
lets do our best to make this valentines day worth it by letting the people around you know how much you care about them...i would just like to say thanks to everyone who has supported me through all my failures, accomplishments, stupid ideas, laziness and struggles.....your the reason i wake up every morning with hope and a smile.
there is hope.....never live in fear, for it is truly not living.....

good nite and thanks for your time...we will see ya when we return from harrisburg

the matrix will have to be talked about some other day, lol

Mike's SONG'S OF THE WEEKEND(2/14/03 - 2/16/03)..........Train - 1. I Am 2. Hopeless


Monday, February 10, 2003
10:29 PM - well the sickness is spreading....whacko dave-0 disease has taken control of the whole band so we are trying to relax and get better before mmc. other than that i think we are all pretty much high spirited. a pretty boring day of sorts excpet for the occasional thought of actually touring and getting noticed by someone on "the inside" of the music business, lol. oh well, until then we will keep living our dreams. well i must go take a decongestant, listen to some unsigned bands cds, and question the matrix some more with jb. nite

Mike's SONG OF THE DAY(2/10/03)..........Rusted Root-Back to the Earth
Sunday, February 09, 2003
10:58 PM - what a weekend!!! a great time had by all except for maybe our infested guitarist whacko dave-o. everyone played very well and it was an excellent venue. we are guaranteed to be back in the charleston area in the very near future. thanks to everyone who came out and supported the local music fest down there and a special thanks to our amazing new friends foundry who put on a ridiculous musical assault and had everyone in awe. hopefully we will be heading to new york to play some more gigs with them and we are trying to bring them down here to virginia so all our local fans can experience their amazing live sound. we have some pictures of the show to post sometime soon, including photos from the "watchtower" double band jam that ended an incredible night. thanks again to everyone involved with the music conference, the friendly bands and the empty glass.......

Mike's SONG OF THE DAY(2/9/03)..........Foundry-It Matters www.foundryband.com



Friday, February 07, 2003
6:03 AM - Whats up Idle monkees.....hope you like the new webpage....sorry it took us so long to make a new one. Anyway the band and I are on our way to sunny buchannon to visit the Tanners and Cheech, and then we are off to the West Virginia Music Conference. Hopefully things will go well and this snow wont hold us back too much. 2003 is going to be a big year for us hopefully....We are churning out alot of new songs and a bunch of new surprises in the near future. We look forward to playing some local shows this coming spring and summer and we thank you for your support as always. Well I will tell you about the conference some time on Monday, until then i must go talk to JB about the matrix and leonardo leonardo......byers!

P.S. Also just to give you an inside look at what type of music i listen to ill be giving you a song to check out every so often......

Mike's SONG OF THE WEEKEND(2/7/03-2/9/03)..........Nine Inch Nails-The great below


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