Aaaaaaaaaand I’m back. I really needed to take a little breather from this project. I did not anticipate how difficult it would be to transcribe at least two calls every day and I found myself, well, not looking forward to the calls, which is the point of this whole thing. So a break was definitely in order. 

1. Marie Rockett

The Last Time We Spoke: Marie and I are cousins, we last spoke in March, the week of SXSW. I knew Marie would be in Austin for the event, and we tried to meet up while I was there, but she ended up having to split the morning I got there.

When I Called Today: I called Marie on her “recovery day” between jobs. She just got a new job, that starts in a few days, and had worked her final day at the previous job the day before our call. At some point, I asked how she is enjoying having the last name Rockett, (she married into that one in the last year I think) and she told me that she loves it… we both came to the conclusion that her name now makes her sound like a super hero of some sort. 

2. Anita Grieco

The Last Time We Spoke: 6 - 12 months ago.

When I Called Today: Anita and I mostly reminisced. She is one of three sisters who are approximately the same age as my brother and I, and they are our cousins. However, they grew up in Massachusetts, and we only visited them twice over the years, and they only visited us about… twice as well, i think. However, due to our age proximity, we ended up having some little bond. During our conversation Anita mentioned being on the beach a day or two previously, which led us back to talking about the last time I was on that very same beach, at the age of 7, when a small shark started circling me while I was in the water, and they had to close the beach down. True story. 

3. Dana Grieco 

The Last Time We Spoke: 6 - 12 months ago.

When I Called Today: For some background… Dana is my cousin from the Boston area who I haven’t seen in a long time, she is sisters with Anita and Marie who are also covered in this entry and I explained more thoroughly on those. During our conversation, we were talking about memories from when we were kids and trying to determine which things actually happened, and which were exaggerated over the years in our own heads. This is a topic I am always fascinated by, and I often wonder how much it occurs to others, because frankly… I have some totally insane memories from when I was a kid that I’m certain cannot be true. For one, I remember being at Sesame Place (the Sesame Street amusement park) and each “ride” is themed after a character. One of my favorites as a kid was the Count, but, in my memory, his ride was a series of soap bubble water filled tubes that kids had to swim thru. That CANT be real can it? Children would’ve drowned constantly right?

Today marks the first time that I made my calls, with no voicemails being left. Hooray! I dont have much else to say about it, please enjoy my candid discussions as always. Also, if ANYONE knows how to add the “ask a question” box to a tumblr blog, please email me at adammockingbird@gmail.com 

THE CALLS

1. Jesse Cannon

The Last Time We Spoke: Jesse and I haven’t spoken in a few months, I’m going to guess sometime around the holidays was the last time. Jesse and I were very close for many years, as he was the producer for everything Perfuma (my old band) ever did, and because we lived near each other, we hung out a lot. He was one of the first people to believe in me as a musician, and I used to hang on his every word due to that. Over time, this very factor is what deteriorated our relationship, because as I grew, and he did, we often butted heads on many topics, and it took me a long time to learn to be myself around him, not who i thought he wanted me to be.

When I Called Today: Jesse answered and sounded happy to hear from me, but mentioned he only had a minute or two because he was doing some sort of construction in his studio. Jesse asked how SXSW was and I gave him the gist of it, and then moved onto discussing the demise of Washington Square Park, a band Those Mockingbirds has played countless shows with, and he used to manage… We didn’t go into any details, but its always a bum out to see friends decide to hang it up. Musicians struggle so much, just to be able to play music and express themselves, and the breaks are SO few and far between that its ridiculous. Seeing a band who does well, writes good music, and has created a fan base but still decides to quit is unnerving. We can pay sports players tens of millions of dollars to play a game, but we cant find chump change to support the arts? Fucking blasphemy if you ask me. Anyway, Jesse mentioned that he was going on vacation tomorrow and would have more time to talk this week so I should call back then… I shall.

The Verdict: I still respect Jesse quite a bit, but our relationship has never been the same since the old days. Maybe it’ll change again someday, but for now, every time we speak sounds nervous from both ends and im not sure why. He and I almost sound like ex’s when we talk now, in that, we are happy to hear from each other, and hope the other is doing well, but so much has changed that it is impossible to escape the awkwardness.

2. Evan Campbell

The Last Time We Spoke: I see/speak to Evan at least once a week, as he is in The Nico Blues, and I spend a lot of time hanging out with those guys. 

When I Called Today: Evan had just gotten off work and mentioned that his feet were killing him, so he was simply sitting down for awhile, recharging the batteries. Evan asked how Texas was, and we got onto a discussion about the differences between CMJ in NYC and SXSW. The best way I was able to put it is that, while both are big deals, New York still functions as New York during CMJ, whereas Austin goes all in during SXSW and it seems that the city only exists as a festival ground for that week. I then recited to Evan a great story I heard on the trip, about Sebastian Bach, who, upon hearing his latest record for the first time, as it blasted in a rental car coming from the airport, he was so elated and overcome with emotions that he started demolishing the cars interior the way a child will throw its toys around in joy. Evan had a good laugh at this, and we hung up after stating that we would see each other tonite.

The Verdict: This was a normal call between two friends who hang out regularly, catching up about a trip. 

I am home from SXSW, and after a week of absolutely no internet connection, I can finally make a post again. I did make at least 2 calls a day, as per my own rules with this blog, but as luck would have it (referring to my having to transcribe them later) many were voicemails and todays post isn’t as overwhelmingly large as I feared it would be. Saturday, we left  Austin, Texas at 8pm, and drove straight, only stopping for gas and food, until we arrived in NJ at 5am this morning. I’m telling you this because my brain is TOTALLY fried right now, and my grammar may be a bit below par. I apologize, but wanted to get this entry up. 

THE CALLS

1. Gary Brolsma

The Last Time We Spoke: I don’t think I’ve spoken to Gary in about a year or so. We used to share a rehearsal space when Those Mockingbirds first started, and he collaborated with us on a promotional effort for our first EP. Though i’m now remembering we each wished each other a happy birthday this past year.

When I Called Today: Gary didn’t answer at first, which is common for him, so I texted him and he replied with “the last time you called I ended up with a sheet over my head”, I guess I should explain… Gary is one of the most famous internet memes ever, he is The Numa Numa Guy. The guy has been in commercials, a Weezer video and a South Park episode, just to name a small few. When Those Mockingbirds put out our first EP, we had already been friends with Gary due to sharing the rehearsal space, and we came up with a plan together to promote the record, culminating in us kidnapping him. Now that the text is in context, Gary did eventually call me back and he said he didn’t answer cos he assumed I was drunk dialing him due to it being St Patrick’s day when I called, I assured him that no, I was simply driving from Texas to NJ, which might be worse. Gary is a big fan of Mega Man, so I told him that I had recently been browsing the Mega Man wiki page for no apparent reason, and it reminded me of him, to which he was pleased to hear. Gary then caught me up on his band, Nonetheless, who is recording right now, and I made him promise to invite me to the next show they play. I had to wrap up our call at this point because I was beginning to lose service somewhere between Waco and Dallas.

The Verdict: Gary is one of the quietest and shiest guys I know, which is pretty ironic because of how famous he became. I always think he doesn’t want to talk to me due to this, but whenever we do speak, I’m happily surprised to hear from him, and I remember all over again that its just the way he is.

2. Jaclyn Bronzo

Number Disconnected (I just saw Jackie last week, I’m gonna give her a friendly heap of shit next time I see her for not giving me her new number)

3. Ashley Brown *

Left Voicemail *(This is a call I will be remaking, Ashley was one of my best friends from 6th grade until just a few years ago, when she chose to take me out of her life due to a misunderstanding she has yet to let me explain that involved me being in the middle of her and an ex. I’m still upset about this, hence the note…)

4. Meijin Bruttomesso

Left Voicemail (ran into her like 25 times at SXSW though!)

5. Buck

The Last Time We Spoke: Buck works with my band, Those Mockingbirds. Before this conversation, I had seen him the previous day.

When I Called Today: I was looking thru my phonebook to see who I was going to call on this day and saw that Buck was up… however, I was standing right next to him. I turned to Buck and told him that I would be calling him shortly and that the conversation needed to be on the phone, because I have OCD and it would ruin the whole blog for me if i knew one of the conversations wasnt. So a few minutes later, I left the room to place my call, and he didn’t answer. Fast forward a day, Buck, myself and a number of our other friends were walking back to downtown Austin from a Brick + Mortar show outside of the city. My phone rang, it was Buck. 

He asked “Hey did someone call me from this number?” I told him, “yea dude, its Adam” I was legitimately wondering if he didn’t have my phone number in his phone. Buck goes on “Oh hey man, how ya been? Where are you right now?” Now I see what he’s doing and play along… “Ah I’m in Austin right now” Buck says “Oh Im in Houston, too bad, we could’ve been hanging out”. This exchange went on for another minute or so, basically outlining how long our walk was back to downtown Austin, and then we hung up the phone, and continued talking, but I wont be transcribing that talk because it wasn’t on the phone!

The Verdict: I have Buck to thank for helping create an oddball entry. 

6. Lauren Burdey

The Last Time We Spoke: I haven’t spoken to Lauren in quite awhile, the last time was at a Those Mockingbirds show at Maxwells, probably about a year ago.

When I Called Today: Lauren was psyched to hear from me, and she asked what was up with me lately, I started to tell her about the blog and she was bummed that I wasn’t just calling for the hell of it, which is always a slight concern of mine when doing these calls, but I explained further and she decided that she was okay with it. Lauren informed me that over the last few months she has lived in Florida, NYC, NJ and now Philadelphia. When she mentioned Florida I remembered that she used to work at Disney World, so asked what her last role was before she left, turns out she was the villain at the Haunted Mansion, in her words “i loved it cos i got to scare children and seduce old men.” classy. 

The Verdict: Lauren is a sweet girl, and someone who I wished I would stay in better touch with. Either way though, whenever we do talk, its quite pleasant. 

7. Alex Burton

Left Voicemail

8. Melissa Burtts

Left Voicemail

9. Dez Cadena

Left Voicemail

10. Kyle Cadena

The Last Time We Spoke: While I couldn’t put my finger on an exact date, Kyle and I spoke at some point in the last few months because a friend was looking for a guitarist, and Kyle is an excellent one, so I called him to inquire. 

When I Called Today: Kyle only had a minute to speak because he was in between giving guitar lessons, but during that brief time we just caught each other up on our musical lives, mine just coming back from SXSW and his playing in the Bernie Worrell Orchestra, and playing with his uncle, Dez Cadena’s band. 

The Verdict: Not much of one, this conversation was probably only about a minute but Kyle is a cool dude, and I’m glad we stay in touch with each other. 

11. Lee Cahill

The Last Time We Spoke: Lee and I used to work together at the Independent Music Awards, and since I left, she has attended a few shows of mine with her boyfriend, Dorian. Lee keeps in much better touch with my bandmate, Tory, but every once in a while I leave stupid comments on her Facebook page. 

When I Called Today: Lee answered on a break from work, she is still at the IMAs, and she informed me that the staff has shrunk quite a bit. I asked Lee if she was still dating her boyfriend, Dorian, and she informed me that they are, and now live together…I was very pleased to hear that, they are a great couple.  Lee asked me about SXSW and Those Mockingbirds, to which I filled her in on our plans for upcoming releases and things like that. Before we wrapped up the call, Lee remembered that she had some kind of furniture or something of the sort for Tory, so I told Lee to bring it to work one day so Tory can pick it up, and I would put it into this entry so we didn’t forget about it again.

The Verdict: I like Lee even though we had a very “heckling” nature when we worked together. I wish my brain wasn’t so friend from the trip back from Texas, otherwise I could’ve had a more interesting conversation with her. 

I’m leaving for SXSW tonite, and will be making my calls as I go, however, my posting will rely on internet connectivity. So there is a chance that I will be making posts that cover numerous days at a time. Who knows? It’s a wild world we live in…

THE CALLS

1. Amanda H.

The Last Time We Spoke: I don’t really remember, but its been months. We’ve always been casual friends so we don’t talk very regularly. 

When I Called Today: Amanda was locked out of her car, and asked if we can talk another time because she doesn’t want to take her irritation at the situation out on me. Fine by me!

The Verdict: Very kind of her to protect me from the wrath that locking your keys in your car can muster.

2. Eric Moeller

The Last Time We Spoke: At the Tiny Giant Artist Collective’s first meeting a few months ago.

When I Called Today: Eric didn’t have my number saved, which has happened a few times now, and is always interesting to find out, but we started talking about his real estate company that he’s been working on since he was 17 or 18. I did not know he did this, pretty neat. Next we got onto the topic of the Brick City Sound Riot, which was a festival that he put together in 2011, which Those Mockingbirds played. He said he is currently working on getting another one going, which will be even bigger than the inaugural. Sounds exciting, I hope we play it again!

The Verdict: Nice chat. I only know Eric as a show promoter, and have only interacted with him a few times, so it was a new experience to find out anything at all about his life. 

3. Jen Schwartz

Left Voicemail

4. Brandon Asraf

Left Voicemail

5. John Tacon

Left Voicemail

6. Bridgette F.

The Last Time We Spoke: I don’t remember the last time I actually spoke to Bridgette, we have known each other for years now because we had a mutual MySpace friend and just kept in touch, mostly via text, or nowadays, Instagram.

When I Called Today: Bridgette’s Georgia accent greeted me, and I immediately told her I was glad that it hasn’t faded. She then denied having an accent, which EVERYONE who has one does. (FUN FACT: if you’re not me, you probably have an accent too, get it checked out if you don’t believe me). Bridgette informed me that she recently moved to Atlanta, and is currently babysitting THREE girls, all under the age of 4, and that the experience has shaken her desire to have children. Which is a shame because I think Bridgette would be one of those awesome southern belle moms, oh well. I then told Bridgette that I was leaving for SXSW in a little bit, and she told me to watch out for a guy she knows who will be spending the entire week as a character. We both said it was a pleasure as always to talk and hung up.

The Verdict: I like that Bridgette and I keep in touch. She’s a great example of why I wanted to call everyone in my phone in the first place. I hope to finally see her in person again soon!

Welcome to the last day of the first week of March. I finished calling the Bird clan today and got a cool offer for Those Mockingbirds that wouldnt have happened without this blog. Enjoy your weekend, and see ya Monday! WIthout further adieu…

THE CALLS

1. Rusty Bird

The Last Time We Spoke: The nite of the NFC Championship game this past football season. I was picking up my Dad from Russ’s house, as they were watching the game together. For the record, the 10 minutes I was there waiting for my Dad to be ready to leave, was the extent of my football knowledge this year. Topping last year’s knowledge.

When I Called Today: We had a brief talk about my Dad and how he’s doing. Then when I tried to make small talk, Russ told me that he had sold his house, which is great for he and his wife, but kinda sad because I really loved that house. He was just arriving home from work so I told him I would talk to him soon.

The Verdict: I felt oddly nervous telling my uncle Russ about the blog, and what I was doing, for fear that he would find it stupid or something like that. It’s not that he is a jerk or anything, I just respect him a lot and even though we joke around a lot, he’s “that relative” who Im always worried about them taking me seriously. I’m only realizing this right now for the first time because of writing about this call. 

2. Stephanie Bird

The Last Time We Spoke: When I visited my brother’s house last week. Stephanie was on the couch drinking tea. She is his wife, and proudly, my sister-in-law.

When I Called Today: We too had a brief talk about my Dad’s health, obviously this is big news in our family right now, as it should be. Once we finished talking about my Dad, Steph asked me about my personal life, because she and I are close and often talk about such things. I caught her up, and we said we would talk more later this evening, at my brother’s record release show at Clash Bar in Clifton.

The Verdict: Steph and I usually talk a lot more, but she was trying to get a few chores done before heading out for the nit so I didn’t want to keep her. Plus, in the light of the good news about my Dad’s health, there wasn’t much else to discuss.

3. Tara Bird

Left Voicemail

4. Peira Brooklyn Music Factory

Left Voicemail

5. Bill Bodkin 

The Last Time We Spoke: Bill has a site called Pop Break which has featured Those Mockingbirds a few times. I last spoke with him when we played the debut Pop Break Showcase in Asbury Park NJ in early February.

When I Called Today: I asked Bill whats been going on and he told me that he did another Pop Break show last nite and also just got a new dog. He asked me about Those Mockingbirds, so I told him we were heading down to SXSW next week, which led him to ask me to keep a journal of our trip for his site. He went on to say that he had been following this blog and enjoyed my writing, so he would be delighted to have us featured in such a manner.

The Verdict: It’s pretty cool that a random call turned into writing something for a website I enjoy reading. The offer might not have happened if I wasn’t doing this experiment. 

Monday MEGA-POST! So, I made calls this weekend but didn’t post the blog because I feel like most blogs don’t post on the weekends. Am I right about that? I’m thinking this is how I’ll be doing it from now on, though having serious OCD, I can’t decide if I’m breaking my own rules or not. If I am, someone call me out on it and I’ll do right by you! I will also be adding one of those “Ask a question” things as soon as I figure out how to do so. Here are the calls from Saturday, Sunday & Today (Monday).

1. John Agnello 

The Last Time We Spoke: Two summers ago, Sonic Youth put out ‘The Eternal’, which, after being a fan for 15 years, was my new favorite release by them…oh and John produced it. Over the last few months we have become good friends, and much to my humbled delight, John has become an avid supporter of my band. We hung out a few nites ago to discuss some new demos I sent over to him that I am working on.

When I Called Today: John and I talked about what you’d expect when on the phone with a rock producer…an American Girl Doll Party obviously. (Dont worry, I’ve Googled it for you folks who dont have the mental image in your heads). John hosted one for his 6 year old daughter, Bella, and 3 of her friends, the afternoon following the nite out I described above in the ‘last time we spoke’ section. I purposefully left out the details of our very cliche’d rock n roll evening to protect his reputation on the American Girl Doll circuits, but, I will say, this man is a trooper, and quite obviously a great dad. This example may be enough for some of you, but to drive the point home, John and I spend just as much time talking about awesome records and guitars as we do about his kids. Its pretty awesome.

The Verdict: John inspires me musically, but also in the way that he is able to balance his musical life and family life. 

2. Doug Artist

The Last Time We Spoke: I don’t know if we ever have. Don’t know where I know him from, I simply can guess that he is an artist of some sort from how I entered him in my phone.

When I Called Today: He couldn’t help me with how we met… neither of us had any clue. Nonetheless we talked for a few minutes about his artwork and Philadelphia, where he resides. Doug sent over a link for me to check out, and it turns out he does some really awesome design work. 

The Verdict: I asked Doug to design a new t-shirt for Those Mockingbirds after seeing his website! So, when that happens, it can be credited to this random phone call. 

3. Danny Lavagna

The Last Time We Spoke: It’s been at least 4 or 5 years since I’ve spoken to Danny. His old band shared a rehearsal room with my old band (Perfuma) and our bands did not part ways on the best of terms, to be honest. However, Danny was always a nice dude, so I was looking forward to calling him.

When I Called Today: Danny was understandably confused as to why I was calling him, and said he was racking his brain to remember whether or not his old band still owed me rent money from the days when we shared a room, and maybe I was calling to collect. (Not the case). Once I told him about the blog, we started catching up, and he let me know he’s engaged! Congrats to Danny! Then a funny thing happened when he asked about my band. Upon hearing our name, he realized that he used to play with our drummer, Kevin, years ago, and he had been keeping tabs on Kevin, not realizing it was me in the band with him all this time. We spent the next 10 minutes discussing how great Kevin is at just about everything and how he is the opposite of most drummers. What I mean is, most drummers slowly lose brain cells because all they do is hit stuff, think about it, thats why Animal is the drummer in the Muppets, because drummers are usually insane. Kevin has somehow avoided these stereotypes and is easily the most well adjusted person in Those Mockingbirds…but more on that another time.

The Verdict: Totally cool, but odd that Danny had been unknowingly keeping up with me for a bit. He’s a sweet dude and I wish him the best with his coming wedding. 

4. Pete August

Left Voicemail

5. Azarja

The Last Time We Spoke: I really have no idea. Azarja is someone I know thru a few mutual friends, and always say hi to when I run into her, but thats about it. I actually only have her phone number because one of our mutual friends asked me to save it in my phone one day when his phone was dying, and she was going to pick him up somewhere.

When I Called Today: I first wished her a happy birthday, because it had recently passed, and then we quickly got onto the topic of putting our careers in front of our personal lives, and the amount of havoc this causes. We traded a few stories, and without spoiling it or jinxing her, I’ll say she has some really cool stuff coming up soon! 

The Verdict: Last week I was invited to Azarja’s birthday party, but did not go. After this phone call I regret it. She’s someone I think I have more in common with than I realize. Very cool woman!

6. Skylar Adler

The Last Time We Spoke: Skylar plays in the Nico Blues with his brother Reed, who was on my blog on day 1. I saw Skylar a few times this weekend because Those Mockingbirds and The Nico Blues teamed up for a few shows.

When I Called Today: Skylar is a man of few words, but the ones he chooses are effective ones. Skylar was on campus at Purchase College for some classes, but mentioned that he hasn’t been there much lately due to being in NJ working on the recently released Nico Blues album ‘Die Happy’. He told me he really likes the school however, to which I agreed, though I never went there, I spent many months there while dating a girl living on campus. Skylar summed Purchase up perfectly to wrap up our conversation, by saying “It’s like scholastic heaven for anyone who got picked on a lot in high school”. Well said sir. 

The Verdict: Cool chat with Skylar. Im much closer with his brother, Reed, so while I do see Skylar a lot, we never really get into conversations. Maybe this is the start of a new favorite Adler? ahhh, I’m such a bastard. 

7. Scott Barman

Number Disconnected - (Scott and I met on, and mostly stay in touch on Facebook, if you read this Scott, hit me up dude!)

8. Rob Bass

Left Message

9. Michael Batelli

Left Message

10. Tom Beaujour

The Last Time We Spoke: Tom is the biggest fan of pop music to ever run a metal magazine. He also produced two of the songs on the first Those Mockingbirds EP, and we have stayed buddies since. I last spoke to Tom about 3 weeks ago when I wrote an incredible song, sent it to him to cheek out, only to have him reply by telling me it was “Heart of Glass” by Blondie. I hate when that happens. 

When I Called Today: Tom answered as he was getting packed and ready to leave for SXSW, as he is touring his way there and back with a friends band. We made loose plans to hang out when I get to Austin for the festival and then I gave him a few reading suggestions for his trip, all written by Philip K Dick of course.

The Verdict: Tom and I always have colorful conversations, but this was greyer than Gandalf’s beard (bonus points if you get the double meaning there). No sweat though, dude was packing, and he even apologized! What else could I expect? Looking forward to seeing him next week!

11. Aaron Beckstead

The Last Time We Spoke: I haven’t spoken to Aaron since October, when he was in NYC for CMJ. Aaron is from Georgia and was Perfuma’s tour manager/merch guy/navigator/token southern dude. 

When I Called Today: I caught Aaron as he was leaving work and we talked for a few minutes about the book he wrote about his wild life, (you can check it out at: www.facebook.com/goddamnpieceofwork ). That was it.

The Verdict: Aaron and I have logged countless hours talking during overnite drives on tour. I think we may have actually talked about everything there is to talk about. That, or he’s still not over the time we bathed together in a river in Wisconsin.