I. New Music Video "In A Good Place"

Hi all, got a new music video today. I've been wanting to do a video featuring some of my more melodic music with some simple footage of the mountains. I'm not playing any instruments in this one, live music wasn't part of the conceptual idea. I've reused some past video clips but figured no one is paying serious enough attention to care:

The video features the names and work of fellow Newgrounds users Ketyri and Xinxinix, both were sampled.

In an episode of Off The Wall with ThatJohnnyGuy I was unintentionally reminded that I'm known for super obnoxious noise music. The piano I played on BleakCreep's Us cartoon series surprised some people that were expecting some other shit. It can be really hard to get out of a box when people expect your work to sound a certain way. Over the years I've tried balancing different styles and sounds to have depth but when you make a lot of obnoxious noise music people will tend to forget that you studied music in college or can play music for real. Eventually I want to bring all my music and video experience together to do something similar to what FKJ does:

II. My Old Band (Highschool)

I've been learning guitar, bass, and banjo (at 33) to round out what instruments I can play with and have been loving the new hobby. My current life situation is giving me the opportunity to sit around and play guitar like I'm back in highschool without the need to go to school everyday. I'm not sure how kids find the time to get good at anything but they do. Looking back on my youth there wasn't any time to do stuff between afterschool sports, dinner, homework, and sleep but I still found the time to learn how to play the drums for bands, write music, draw for a college portfolio, make animations, and do parkour with a few other willing idiots. I'm not quick to share old footage because it can feel embarrassing but someone I used to play with in Highschool (Jody) has footage of the old band and a few of our old gigs. For anyone curious, I played the drums in Lune which is the first 37 minutes of this video:

Kids are amazing when they aren't wasting their energy on people like Andrew Tate, Alex Jones, or Joe Rogan. The concept of role models continues to influence my behavior online but I'm a piss poor role model most of the time and have embarrassed myself trying to be funny. Regardless, I just want to encourage those on Newgrounds to be creative conduits first and foremost. This generation has too many "influencers" and not enough bonafide artists. We have a surplus of fascination with idiots but not enough motivation to be better people than them.

Being an artist revolves around a lot of solitary moments with your craft. It can be very lonely and depressing, especially if you avoid answering messages from your friends. I don't charge my phone anymore because the majority of messages are spam. It's much easier to tune out from the hustle and enjoy life right now which is probably why I despise sitting at my computer screen so much. When I can force myself to sit in front of a screen, sometimes I come across some great people. Earlier in this blog I shared a video of FKJ but I've also fallen in love with Tim Henson's style of guitar fusion. I want a fraction of this guys skills and am posting two of his videos here for your enjoyment:

That second video is so much fun to watch because it takes me back to highschool and reminds me of what it was like to play with young creative conduits. I'm currently bending the pitch on every guitar note much like he was at 12 and my scales sound about as off key. It's obvious he focused and progressed very quickly, his skill at 17 is already better than most. Young people will do things so quickly in an attempt to find value in themselves but will consistently fail to see that same struggle in others. At 33 years old, my best advice for younger artists is to take plenty of time to look around at what others are doing and elevate them because doing so might also elevate you. Try to put out positive feelings and ideas if only to make the world around yourself a little warmer.

III. Removing Free Downloads

This idea has been percolating for a while but I don't really have an income anymore. I've jokingly changed my about info to say "retired" instead of "horticulture" to reflect a growing acceptance of the life I've got going on right now. There has never been an intention to sell out or change my core philosophies but I'm getting older and I need some kind of revenue in case things go bad. I was surprised the other day by the chunk of change I have in my paypal account and realized that the only income I'm making right now is coming from my bandcamp page. If you want to download my music for free I'd recommend checking out my Playlists for old EPs. Songs from albums on bandcamp will be the first to have downloads removed. I'll still keep tracks up for free if they're not currently on an EP but I've been wanting to gather up my tracks for a new one so download my music today or this weekend if you haven't already. I'll be making it harder to do so in the next few days. If you'd rather skip free downloads and start supporting me today, stop by my bandcamp page and listen to a few things: https://quarl.bandcamp.com/

IV. Discord Dance Party

Some of you may recognize my derpy drawings from Discord or Facebook. I usually just draw stupid shit for personal entertainment in the hope that maybe someone laughs at them? Some of those drawings find their way into my blog but most of them get tossed into a large folder of crap and disappear. I don't know why but about a year or two ago I tried drawing as many personas as I could from the old Newgrounds festivals Discord channel. These drawings have never seen the light of day away from that random instance but I wanted to buff up my post with some additional content so let me know if you recognize anyone:

For anyone wondering, the little blue creature wearing a hat holding a bong is my last braincell working over time to be social at the club. Shamefully my last brain cell gets out more than I do. I think I'll end the post on that note, thanks for stopping by this weird blog and hopefully you watched one or two videos or a few minutes there within. Have a wonderful day and stay creative <3