Dustin Erhardt

Editing drums today.

Studio day. Drums done.

justinklump:

“I hereby grant you permission to write crap, because crap is the best fertilizer. And the more crap you write, the more likely it is that you’re going to grow something spectacular out of all that crap that you’ve written.” 
- Pat Pattison

This week: Finishing up some co-writes and recording some demo worktapes to send to Robbie Tice, who will help make these songs album-worthy. Pushing the pebble down the hill that will soon be a snowball (stupid analogy).

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the track listing. Track Listing, these are my friends.

Dustin: This Wiley album is reaaaallly good. 

Asher: Don’t tell me. 

Dustin: Don’t tell you it’s good? It actually sucks.

Asher: Thanks. 

Dustin: No worries.

Asher: See, now when I listen to it, it’s gonna be amazing. Because I’m gonna expect it to suck. 

Dustin: Such a brilliant way to life your life. 

Asher: I don’t know if I’ll be able to listen to the whole thing. It’s 22 tracks.

Dustin: I see 14. Listen to this one: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2012/jan/16/wiley-evolve-extinct-album-stream 

He’s getting really good, and unique.

Asher: That’s the same thing, just shorter.

Dustin: Yes I know. Was that not your complaint? How do I please you? 

Asher: Well, I can stop half way through. Giving me only part of it won’t change the amount of songs I’ll listen to. 

Dustin: But now you know what all the non-deluxe tracks are. 

Asher: It’s the first 14. 

Dustin: Yeah, but you wouldn’t have known that.

Asher: Dustin…. It wouldn’t have mattered. I may not even get to 14.

Dustin: It matters to me, Asher. I thought you could respect that. 

Asher: I can’t respect it because it has no basis on logic. It’s just you trying to be helpful again. And we know how that works out. 

Dustin: Why do I leave a path of destruction everywhere I go? 

Asher: I’m not sure. But I forgive you. 

Dustin: Tell me it isn’t my fault. 

Asher: I can’t lie. 

Dustin: Have you ever seen Honey I Blew Up The Kid? Rick Moranis accidentally blows up his kid to like 300 feet tall, and the baby goes on to destroy entire towns. But the whole time he’s hurting people and destroying things, you can’t help but feel sorry for him. 

Asher: But Dustin, that was the 90’s.

Here they are. If the album players aren’t loading right away, try refreshing the page.

Come Gather Round Us - Despair? (Explicit-ish)

Catherine Feeny is one of my favorite female vocalists and songwriters, and she’s in this group. Minimalist production and brilliant songs.

Childish Gambino - Camp (Explicit)

The more you learn about Donald Glover, the more you love him. He was a staff writer for 30 Rock in grad school, star of the recently canceled Community, stand-up comedian, and was almost cast as the next Spiderman. And oh yeah, he raps.

Alison Krauss & Union Station - Paper Airplane

Nobody hates this album. Plus, it features Dan Tyminski, the guy who sings “Man Of Constant Sorrow” in O Brother, Where Art Thou.

Everything Everything- Man Alive

This album will not bore you.

Gotye - Making Mirrors

Australian sensation. Sounds like Sting.

Stevie Nicks - In Your Dreams

There were a lot of comeback albums this year, most of them were disappointing. The Stevie Nicks albums was generally overlooked, but I loved it.

Tinie Tempah - Disc-overy

Brit rap.

Wilco -The Whole Love
Good.

The Lonely Forest - Arrows

Produced by Chris Walla of Death Cab For Cutie.

Hurts - Happiness

This was technically released in 2010, but didn’t get to America until this year. I like it.

Which albums did I miss?

Too much candy.

Walk into a Mormon Temple or Bahai House of Worship and you’ll notice something almost immediately: They are prepared for you. They know you’re coming and they’ve rehearsed their lines. They already know what you’re likely to ask and they are ready with answers.

 
Yeah, I know that everyone is welcome at your church. But when was the last time you were looking for them? Jesus went directly to the people, then the people started coming to him.
 

 
There is a reason homosexuals are not coming to your church. Take a look at the language you use when you talk about “outsiders” and ask yourself how you would feel if you heard someone talking that way about you.

 
May I suggest you build your church for non-believers and have a small class for people who are already Christians, instead of the opposite.

 
“Love the sinner, hate the sin” is a phrase that needs to die. It does not work in today’s world. As Christians we have hopefully found our identity in Jesus, but most of the world defines themselves by what they do. Good luck telling someone that you love them but hate their tattoos. Or you love them but hate their sexual preference or the things they say or their political stance.
 
Let’s try loving the sinner for the time being. Once we get that down, maybe we can consider the latter.

 
We are generally afraid of any contact with another religion or belief, perhaps believing it can be caught like a disease. However, we are quite prepared to argue our points and convert others.
 
The principle of tolerance goes like this: When you respect others, they are inclined to respect you back. Take a minute to listen to an opposing world view, and fight the reflexive urge to debate. The truth will always win.

Sad (Taken with instagram)

2am.

I just got back from Taco Bell.

Taco Bell is a funny place. The employees are always very happy to see you and chat for a minute, or else they are very short and disconnected. There’s not really a middle ground.

Next to me, there is a kid in a baggy basketball jersey and all-white Nikes. He’s practicing some dance moves that his friend taught him earlier that day, and his older sister tells him to stop hopping around the restaurant and apologizes to me. I tell the kid not to listen to her, I think he looks great.

I was waiting for my taco. I glanced up and saw another guy standing near me, also waiting for a taco. “What kind of shoes are those?” He asks, and points to my feet.

This is when we start to have a conversation about shoes. He told me how he normally wears really wide shoes, but lately he is really into smaller shoes like TOMS, Lakais, Tigers. That’s why he noticed my Diesels.

I told him that I used to be the same way.

You should have seen his eyes, they actually lit up when we started talking. It was like he was starving for some kind of friendship, a connection, someone with a mutual understanding, and maybe I was too. We got our tacos, and I told him it was cool to meet him. 

I love people, more and more every day that I’m alive. Obsessed. I want to hear their stories, watch their eyes dart back and forth when they talk. I want more friends than I can handle. I want to be the guy who hangs out with every single type of person there is.

I’m trying to start up a business. I’m trying to make good music. But more than anything else, I need people. Whatever I do in my life, it needs to be about people. Helping them, loving them, recognizing them. Maybe even letting them help me sometimes. 

I love humans.

Me. (Taken with instagram)

Taken with instagram

Like most artists, music has always been about expression for me. But nothing is ever that simple, there are usually a lot of reasons people play music for a living.

When I first started playing guitar, it was a way to escape my reality. Later on in life, it was a way to get attention. And eventually, it became a way to define myself as a person. My name is Dustin, I play guitar and I sing.

The truth about art, I think, is that it is defined by the creator. Not vice versa. Art is honest. Art is an extension of the person or people who create it. This is something I discovered last year.

I’ve been playing guitar for 13 years and singing since I could speak, yet I didn’t write my first honest song until a year ago. I wrote a song called Break To Open about the regret I had for the horrible decisions I made, and how my heart needed to break before it could open. Break To Open. Get it?

That song whet an appetite for honest music, and I continued to write difficult songs. As hard as this past year has been for me and as much change I’ve endured, I’ve never been more excited for the future and content with the present.

Another confession: I’ve been recording songs and giving them away for free, one at a time, for over 2 years now. I never had any intentions for them, and never expected to make any money or get any traction from them. However, deep down somewhere I have a fear that if I don’t keep releasing songs every few months, people will forget about me and my music. For the record, that’s a terrible reason to make music.

I’m no longer satisfied with only releasing a free song every month or two. I’m ready for something bigger, something deeper, something even more honest. I’m ready to start recording a new project.

So here we are, Week One. I’m not putting any expectations on myself, I’m not trying to sound like anyone else, and I’m not giving myself a deadline. I’m just making music that is an extension of myself. My music is currently under construction, just like I am. I give it away to you because it was given freely to me.

You are all amazing, and I’m inspired by you all the time. Keep in touch.

Dustin