I can sing in key!

Hey, the gig at The Anchor Room went pretty well, in my humble.

Not only did a good number of people show up, which is a nice change. Also, my dear wife says my vocals sounded better, and we think it's all thanks to the Galaxy Hot Spot PA5X140.

Simply speaking, when you're performing on stage with amplifiers, you can't hear yourself very well. You can hear the echo off the back wall just as well as the original sounds from your amp. So you need an additional speaker pointing back at yourself so you can hear all of the music at the right time and the right key. A monitor helps a vocalist not go out of tune.

Thanks to everyone who showed up! Next gig on November 3.

433 photos in 45 seconds

My friend and coworker Steve Linsenmayer came over Saturday morning, and we went around the neighborhood, taking pictures of me. I needed some professional shots of myself for flyers and posters and stuff like that there.

Instead of picking a few photos and posting them here, I thought, why not show them all? But who has the time to look at 433 photos?

Well, you do! Here are the photos, all in less than a minute.



433 still photos as a 45-second video on Vimeo

Thanks to Steve for the great photos. Thanks to Apple's GarageBand for the groovy music loops. Thanks to Vimeo for hosting the video. (Fort Wayne native Zach Klein is one of the guys who created Vimeo.) And thanks to Scott Greider for, unbeknownst to him, giving me the idea to post video.

Also, you can click here and download a high-quality version!

Our trip to the zoo

I've been having some fun with Shutterfly, and here are some photos from our recent trip to the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo.

To see our photos, just click on the alligator -- if you dare!

What is happening to me?

Honestly, this is what I brought home from the store tonight:

• 1 package Kikkoman instant tofu miso soup
• 2 Thai Kitchen rice noodle bowls
• 1 300ml bottle Aji-Mirin sweet cooking rice wine
• 1 bag Beneful dog food. The kind with salmon and rice

What kind of yuppie list is that?

P.S. I planned on posting some photos tonight, but instead my wife and I watched "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." Because "that TV remote is a crack pipe!"

UPDATE: The Thai rice noodles were delicious!

Really rough 'River'

Well, I finally did it. I recorded a song with (shudder) vocals and have posted it online. So you can hear it.

You can go to my MySpace page to hear "River," my newest song. The lyrics are slightly rough in a couple of places, but you can hear the song with what I think is the right emotional timbre.

And don't forget my next gig, coming up at The Anchor Room. Get the details.

'Busco gig on Saturday

Come check out the new coffeehouse in Churubusco and hear me play and sing! La la!

It's called the Mountaintop Coffeehouse. I believe the mountaintop refers to the coffee, not to the location.

I'll begin at 6:30 p.m. Hope you can make it.

Gig tonight in Auburn

Here's your reminder: I'm in Auburn, Ind., tonight, playing at the Cupbearer Coffee House. (Strange... some of the links on their web site, like More Upcoming Events and Special Drink of the Month, don't work. Hm.)

The directions are easy peasy: Get off the interstate, drive toward Auburn, turn left on Grandstaff, find said coffeehouse on left.

If you don't show up, you won't get to hear my new song, "River," with lyrics right below this post.

For more information, you know the drill: Go to my engagements page on my web site.

New song: 'River'

Here are the lyrics of the song I wrote this afternoon and performed this evening at the Concert at the Campground in Fremont, Ind., sponsored by Lake Area Christian Church.

River
By Jon Swerens

River, you carve the valleys in two
River, you bring new life into view
River, you prove His promises true
River, o river

River, you smooth the rocks and rough planks
River, and so I stand on your banks
River, I offer my humble thanks
River, o river

CHORUS:
Flood my walls and flood my ceilings
Flood my reckless thoughts and feelings
Soak me through like laundry in the rain
Flood my cellars, flood my rafters
Flood all my befores and afters
Leave no place where dryness can remain

River, bleach me whiter than snow
River, until my heart overflows
River, take me wherever you go
River, o river

CHORUS

River, sweep me far from this place
River, to an ocean of grace
River, where I can look on His face
River, o river

©2006 Jon Swerens

Concert in Churubusco

I'm happy to announce I have yet another gig to put on the schedule. I received a phone call from the folks at Mountaintop Coffeehouse in Churubusco. 'Busco is northwest of Fort Wayne in the next county.

So, a roundup of my out-of-town gigs:

• August 20, Fremont, Ind.
• August 26, Auburn, Ind.
• September 9, Churubusco, Ind.
• November 4, Angola, Ind.

Plus all of my gigs here in Fort Wayne at The Anchor Room Cafe, including my next gig on Friday, August 18.

Check out my engagements page for all the details!

New gig in Aubun

Hi! There's now a new gig for me at the Cupbearer Coffee House in Auburn (not Angola). It'll be Saturday, August 26, starting at 7:30 p.m.

More details are on my engagements page.

If you're in the neighborhood, be sure to stop by.

Auburn gig canceled

Hey, everyone. My gig that was scheduled for this Saturday at the Cupbearer Coffee House in Angola Auburn has been canceled. I'll be working on rescheduling sometime later this year.

A quick thanks

I just wanted to publicly thank Mitch Harper of Fort Wayne Observed for his link to my blog. He speaks about my CD and baklava video here.