Gig

Great night at Ron Jon's last night. We had fun trying out a few new old songs (covers) , and got through 'em pretty well. I got to play a few more of my tunes as well, which were well received.

See you next week at Ron Jon's.

Podcast #2

I have posted up a new podcast. Check it out here.

Unholy Sadness

Holy sadness could be considered a lament; unholy sadness a self-righteous chasm of dread. Not a great place to be mired. The quicksand of despair always looks like an easy highway until you are too far into it to turn back. See it for what it is and don't go there. That asphalt is soft and it will hold you fast. If you struggle, you will be pulled in deeper; the weight of your remorse will be your undoing. Enervation is not a vacation. Don't pitch your tent there.

Yale Brothers on MySpace

Check out the MySpace page I made for Rog and I.

Maryannaville

Maryannaville

Check this out. Especially the post entitled Narcissism, Corruption, & Politics

Whoa!

GO

Here's a song. It sums up my mood. I wrote this a few years ago. It's called Go.

Desert Wanderings

I feel like it's my time for another lap around the desert. Parched and thirsty for truth. Hungry for sustenance beyond the mundane. Tired of this emptiness that has been plaguing me of late. Bearings lost. Is the compass faulty, or is it just that I have lost the ability to read it? The jackyl of doubt is gnawing at my bones. I am itchy under my skin, and restless-legged and restless-hearted. I am in need of refreshment of mind, body, and spirit. I am in search of that which would restore me, yet I question my motives. I question everything about myself in the state I am in. I am ill-at-ease and burned out. I need a change, but the changes I am seeking money cannot buy. Does God really engineer circumstances? If so, then I'd better make the best of it. If not, I have wasted a whole lot of time. I have not lived lately; I have been lived. I am aware of the passage of time, and it is starting to make me think. Then again, I think too much.

The Mayor Of The Sunset Strip

I just got through watching The Mayor of Sunset Strip. The film is about Rodney Bingenheimer, one of the most importand DJ's on the planet. He has been influential in the careers of many of rock's most famous people. He has hung with everyone, and has seen it all. Yet he is a quiet, private person. Very humble. The epitome of cool. When I was growing up in Hollywood, the man was everywhere. Whenever I was at a concert or any cool happening in town I almost invariably ran into him. There was a local Denny's that has since been demolished in the heart of Hollywood (Sunset and Fuller) which was nicknamed Rock and Roll Denny's because it was the late-night hang of choice for creative types, rockers, wierdos, and various Hollywood miscreants when the clubs and bars shut down. There was nothing like it. It was the scene for me of many wonderful, crazy times. You could run into anyone there.

I must say I am missing my old stomping grounds very much. Despite the weirdness of it all it was home. In my heart it always will be.

Where To?

Where to from here?
Not so sure
Questioning motives
are they pure?
Man in motion
God knows where
A broken soul
in disrepair

Gig

The Ron Jon's gig went well last night. Rog and I will be bringin' in a new batch of tunes next week. We're gonna keep it fresh. Hope to see you there.

Billy Preston

I just found out that Billy Preston has died. He was a wonderful musician and a very nice guy. I had the pleasure of working in the studio with him once. I was doing some drumming on some demo tracks and A guy walks in with a keyboard under his arm. It was Billy. I was watching this from the tracking room through the glass. I saw him set up in the control room as I was finishing up my tracking. I hung around for a while to meet him and to hear him play a bit. The man was absolutely incredible, and so unassuming and cool.

God bless you Billy Preston.

SUMMER

Yesterday was the last day of school for students in Myrtle Beach. My daughter Katie is enjoying a well deserved sleep in this morning.

My brother Roger and I are playing our second gig at Ron Jon's this evening. I am going to re-arrange the set lists and add a few fun songs to the repertoire. It should prove to be an upbeat night.

It's getting busy at the store again as usual in the summer. Now that the kids are out of school, it will be a zoo! I am pretty much in auto-pilot as far as the retail thing goes. I take it one day at a time.

Sometimes I wonder about how busy we all seem to be. All this activity and so little contentment. I see urgency usurp importance every day. I've got to think there must be a better, simpler way to go about our lives, with less stress and less running around like maniacs. All for a vague future that we squander our present moments for. I'm personally feeling like a change would do me good. A reevaluation from the ground up. Perhaps a retreat is on order, because I certainly would like to contemplate a few things and set my priorities straight. I want to get away for a while, but summer rarely affords me that luxury. I am certain I can find at least a couple of days.

"If You Walk Away" Video

"If You Walk Away" Video
This video was compiled from footage of my former band, Rogue Alley from performance footage at Camp Pendleton in 1991, and outtakes from the filming of another video, City Of Pain. Created and directed by my Rogue Alley bandmate, bass player Richard Klotz. Richard was kind enough to give me permission to post this for your enjoyment. Thanks Rich!
Vocals - Chris Yale
Keyboards/Vocals - Roger Yale
Guitars - Mark Cerneka
Bass - Richard Klotz
Drums - Jim Alden

YO YO

Sometimes I am such a yoyo. If my emotions could have their way, I'd be bouncing all over the place. I am looking for a place within myself where I am not ruled by emotion. I am so easily tempted to fall into a funk for no reason whatsoever. For instance; last night I was watching The Bourne Identity with my wife, having a nice, relaxing eveing, when out of nowhere I was beset by nagging little thoughts that blossomed into low-grade anxieties. I find that if I dwell on them they only get worse. I decided to just let them pass through my mind without focusing on them and ride them out. What a ride. It almost ruined my evening. I realize that thoughts are just thoughts; I have no control over what passes into my mind. I do, however have total control over what I focus on. Unfortunately I don't always focus on the positive. I am bent towards dark imaginings. I don't like it. I am trying to change that fact.

Hope Springs Eternal

I am grateful to be alive today. I all too often overlook the blessings in my life. I tend to be a bit of a pessimist, but am I really, or is that a facade I hide behind? I think it's because of my past failures and shortcomings, disappointments and shattered dreams that I have crafted a tough little shell with a bit of an "I couldn't care less attitude". I have been given much insight in the past several months. I am coming back to myself. I am coming into a place in my life where I am getting out of my own way and letting God take control. My destiny is in his hands. It feels like God is restoring the lost years that the locusts have eaten. Hope has most definitely been restored. I am awake. I am alive. I dwell in the present moment, but I embrace eternity. I will go forward unafraid and excited about the future!

Gig Update

The Yale Brothers show at Ron Jon's went over very well, and Rog and I will be playing there weekly, hopefully all summer. We had a blast, and it was nice running in to some old friends, and meeting new ones. See you there next thursday!