Updates

I just wanted to write a short entry to let people know that I'm still alive and well and that I plan to write even more in the near future in this blog. This past month has not been particularly eventful. The one event that stands out is that I went to the LA A Capella Festival this past weekend. The LA/AF is a day long event for people who want to be in A Capella groups or are fans of A Capella. All day there are different classes that can be attended to help teach people more about A Capella and how to be in a successful group. I didn't attend the classes, but I went with my dad to the concert they had that night featuring different A Capella groups. The event took place on the UCLA campus, and it ended up being really fun to visit. The was one of my dad's Christmas gifts to me, and I had absolutely no idea what to expect.

It ended up being rather incredible. First a local group from UCLA opened the show and they performed two songs. The first was an original, and then they did a Backstreet Boys medley that was a lot of fun. Second was the group, The Backbeats, who placed third on The Sing-Off. They performed every song they performed on the Sing-Off plus a fun rendition of California Girls by Katy Perry, which they were not able to perform on the show. They were excellent, I particularly enjoyed their heartfelt take on Landslide by Fleetwood Mac.

Next up was one of the most interesting acts, it was actually one man who did some incredible beatboxing that sounded like an actual drum kit. Then, he played around with a loop machine so that he was able to sing over his own beats. It was really awesome, he must be one of the best at what he does. The final act was the amazing Mosaic. They played a very diverse set of songs that included Jazz, R&B, Pop and even Opera. They were tons of fun and played off the audience. Their voices blended together perfectly. There were moments were the harmonies gave me goosebumps. They were extremely awesome and I wouldn't mind seeing them again. Besides that concert, nothing much eventful has happened in the past month.

I suppose a big thing is that I've made significant progress writing in my book. I passed the halfway mark and am well on my way to reaching my goal of finishing the first draft of my novel. I really think it is coming along nicely. I love the four main characters and am having a ton of fun writing for all of them. Their interactions are a lot of fun, and I think they are all really different. I think there is a good blend of action and humor in this book. It never stops moving, the characters continually are finding themselves in difficult situations. I can't wait to finish the book and start planning a sequel.

The other news that I can think of is that I've heard a lot of new music recently that I love. I wrote a review of "The King Is Dead" by The Decemberists. I plan to write several more reviews in the upcoming week. I have albums by Pallas, Magic Pie, and Hotel of the Laughing Tree that I should review soon. I've also come across a magical new discovery. The band is named Reign of Kindo and they are completely amazing. They are very different from the music I typically like. They lean more towards Jazz and Pop than they do Prog. But, there is just something really special in the band and they have created some really beautiful music. I may do an entry about their music where I review their albums, including their most recent album, which I think is a masterpiece, perhaps one of my top 20 favorite all-time records.

So, that is pretty much the updates for right now. I hope to write a lot more in the coming days!