What this blogging all about

Here I am- I'm a professional musician and Los Angeles native (yes, born and raised Valley boy). I went to USC, studied music, went on to perform as a guitarist for Lady Gaga, Solange Knowles, musical director for Justin Guarini, and a few other artists you might know. I'm now producing tracks for tv/commercials, co-writing and producing Justin Guarini's new album, and performing regularly live in L.A.

Well, it's been a long time since I wrote down my thoughts to be read by the public. I used to do it quite often through mass emails, sharing my views about life and the world, especially after breakups with girlfriends, the lessons I learned from the heartache, or when I was feeling sentimental etc. but for various reasons (which may be divulged throughout my blogging career) I haven't written any in well...years! So, it's very fresh for me to start this again in a new arena I know nothing about- Blogging?!!

Blogging has been around for a while now, but it's totally new to me. I have neither written or read blogs. I don't know how to do it. USC didn't have a class in it. But they probably do by now ;)

So no more letters, not much talking on the phone (except after peak hours or on weekends). To compensate we post self incriminating videos of ourselves in our underwear and post them on Youtube (I played guitar in my underwear exposing video).

And getting together in person- WoW- that would be asking a lot of us L.A. habitants to do. Drive in 30 minutes to an hour of grueling, heart attack instigating traffic?! Not to mention taking the time out of our busy schedules. I've tried to make that happen more lately since I've been off the road, but most people seem to have a hard time committing. I'm somewhat guilty of that myself, I admit. I miss connecting with people in person... not just now, but always have I think.

At a rehearsal recently with a group of Brazilian musicians, they said that in Brazil people will just be walking by your house on the way somewhere, see you on the porch and say "hey, let's go have a drink! let's hang" and most of the time, you would go along, maybe even collect more friends along the way, and really be together. L.A. is hardly designed for this possibility- it's almost as if it was designed to make that as hard as possible. This is where I grew up, so I really noticed this difference when I started to travel to places like Brazil, Berlin, and to some extend New York (which is much better at this, but still a rat race too).

Don't get me wrong- I'm not an L.A. hater. The older I get and the more I've travelled, the more I actually appreciate where I come from and the luxuries we have here. This is a great place for sure. Nevertheless, there is something missing in natural human interaction- which brings me to blogging,  not as a substitute for what is missing here for me (because it won't ever be that), but as an exploration. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Sometimes it's the only way to grow. Maybe this is just to let go of my own stubbornness (just shoot me if you catch me on Twitter ;)

If coming together is evolving in our society to become more challenging, then I'd at least like to share things that may entertain you, or someone may benefit from, or just let it be the rantings of a late twenties artist if that's all it's meant to be. So, let's see what comes...

-Matthew Haze
Funky White Boys Entertainment