NP: Guided By Voices, Universal Truths and Cycles (MP3)

Everything happens at once over here at Command and Control. All of a sudden, I have a whole bunch of things on my plate. It's an opportunity buffett!

I would be remiss, though, if I didn't point out that I PLAYED SOLDIER FIELD ON FRIDAY! Sure, I actually played on a small stage in the concourse, to people on their way to their seats for the soccer game, and I was mercilessly mocked by Sparky, the Fire's mascot, but hey, this is the price of fame. My favorite wise-assed comment from the stage, so amusing to me that I repeated it about eight times during a seventy-five minute set: "All the chicago-fire.com columnists will be performing tonight, with Chris Doran and Kenny Stern planning a lovely duet for halftime."

Afterwards, would you guess I didn't need my drums at Joe's? I knew that would happen, but I couldn't count on it. The Foxide set, possibly our last in a long, long time, was fun, even if we didn't really end with the bang that a rock and roll set should end with.

So now, after an awfully low-key weekend, I'm faced with about five or seven different musical projects, as every single group I was with a month ago is either over or taking a break or ramped down to playing once a year. Obviously, right at this exact moment, the hunt for a day job is heating up as well. Because anything else would be, well not easy, but easier. Options abound, pretty much across the board. It's almost overwhelming, and as much as it's a welcome and much-needed break from the doldrums of the last couple of weeks, I need to avoid getting swept up in it.

Because they're all still just opportunities. Nothing I can hang my hat on. Or buy my hat with. I'd like a nice hat.