I mean, seriously. What? A year?

This shit took FOREVER and it seems like it was bad shit sentences punctuated by good shit periods, question marks, and exclamation points.

Chandler and The Bings overall had a truly great year, with fantastic gigs all over Texas. I’m thankful for the band and my bandmates – it keeps my music meter at a reasonable level most of the time, and gets me out of the house.

Notable occurrences for the year? Well, my van was wrecked because of someone else’s stupidity in April. No one was hurt, thankfully, but it took forever for the insurance to work its way through the process. I was not found at fault at all and was able to replace the van with a newer version of the same thing in June thanks to a beloved friend. For May, I did have a decent enough rental to fill the gaps, so it all worked out okay. The car market itself screwed me to no end, though, as my car payment swelled by almost $200 to have a newer version of basically the same van I bought in 2019.

I did get some cool gear this year, the best of which being my Zoom LiveTrak L6 mixer which has become my in-ear monitor mixer for live shows. It is FANTASTIC. I’m excited to use that for a lot more stuff in 2025. I also fixed the lights on a very old piece of gear, my dad’s Sansui RA-500 Reverberation Amplifier, and now that’s a permanent fixture in my studio (the ever-so-cool Tim Pierce has one in his studio, too). And my amazing wife got me a super awesome tool chest/workbench for the garage, so I have a place to do these sorts of projects.

In the summer, was diagnosed with vocal nodules and got voice therapy but didn’t really like my therapist much (and I’m sure she couldn’t stand me), but I got through it. I’m doing better and I hope the work I’m doing heals them up nicely. The whole process kind of ruined my confidence in so many ways, and really made me feel like I don’t know how to do anything. But I’m just going to keep working and improving. So far I’ve learned to breathe better, and I’m going to actually use my singing lessons voucher in 2025. (It’s only a little over five years since I got it…thanks, Alon!)

But I’ve gotten fatter than I’ve ever been. 2025 is going to be a lose fat, build muscle year. I’m tired of feeling like shit all the time. I will find the way to get rid of these extra sacks of potatoes I’m carrying and give my joints a break. And I’m going to work on things to deal with my almost-constant depression. Thankfully it’s not as deep as it’s been in the past, but man, it feels like a constant companion these days. (I can’t imagine why…it’s not like the events since November could contribute or anything.)

I’m going to start a new band in 2025 to fill the gaps in the Bings schedule. I’m hoping to get it going with my buddy Lee Thompson from my old Roman Holiday days. Just want to add a gig a month and maybe even do it as a guitarist fronting a band. Working out material now and will keep y’all updated on that. I also want to do some solo gigs, but I’m still trying to find a good place for that that isn’t in Cedar Park or Leander. I also want to finish up some original music, too, but I want to do that every year and it never happens.

Hoping to travel to FL, NC, CA, MI, and the Northeast this year. But we shall see if any of that is possible.

I am thankful for my dear wife Erin who is fucking fantastic even if she doesn’t always believe it. Going to spend this year doing my best to convince her she’s as great as everyone who knows her thinks she is.

I hope 2025 is much better than 2024. I have a plan for my year now, I just need to execute it.

And I appreciate you taking the time to read my rant here. I’m going to try and write more in 2025, too. Maybe a return to Museday Mumblings on a weekly basis, perhaps with video commentary sometimes instead of writing. We shall see. I hope your 2025 is a fantastic one!

Peace be the journey!
TMS