half past two: tara

in the vein of hollywood, let me add the side story of myself, tara, to the half past two story. i do think about its randomness all of the time.

it actually starts a very long time ago. i think i was 10 years old. i was sitting at my grandma and grandpa's breakfast table, exclaiming to both of them that when i grew up, i wanted to be a singer. they told me i wanted to be a teacher.

i thought about being a teacher but i really liked singing. i sang in everything i possibly could in elementary school. snuggles (patrick holder) was especially good friends with my little sister, erin. i can still remember his silly hair cut :) then in middle school i joined choir. middle school choir is funny because its such a hodge-podge of students. you had to be a 7th or 8th grader to join and the older kids always got the good solos.


(musicals!!)

christmas show was coming up and i really wanted to audition with a solo but i really didn't have the guts to do it, being the shy girl i was. my teacher suggested i try out with a duet, but i didnt know anyone well enough to sing a song with them, she tried to set it up for me. MY FIRST MUSICAL EXPERIENCE WITH DAVID PARRIS. she tried to get us to sing "16 going on 17" from the sound of music together, though it never did come to fruition. funny right? i also met curtis in middle school, but we weren't "friends" :)


(all day choir rehearsals... yuck!)

in high school i was THEEEE CHOIR GIRL! (watch GLEE, i was rachel berry...) I LOVED SHOW CHOIR!! the dancing the singing. i could be loud and rowdy, there was brotherhood and sisterhood, competition and it got me out of class a lot. my senior year, i was show choir president... haha!! i can distinctly remember watching free jeff play behind our PAC, thats how i remember tyler and david in high school. i also can remember seeing tyler and curtis (did patrick and david also do jazz band??) eaaaaaaarly in the morning for zero period when they had jazz band and i had concert choir. i didn't hang out with any of my now bandmates in high school, but i knew who all of them were.


(thats shelby. we're not friends anymore, but she talked me into this whole band thing... i joined the band with blonde hair, haha)

i remember jacob green. is that weird? i never listened to them or anything but i remember hearing about their band. after high school i missed singing so much that i still went to high school choir competitions. one day i was sitting in my room at my apartment with my friend shelby, singing hide and seek by imogen heap under my breath, when shelby said to me "you should join a band." my sister overheard and said she knew some guys from our high school that needed a lead singer for their band and that i should try out.



i got the spot in the band. now im the singer for half past two :) AND not only is half past two my first band, it is also my first attempt at singing by myself. even in high school i rarely sang solos, i wasnt fond of my voice alone (thank you grandma and grandpa for telling me i couldnt be a singer...). now im having a great time!! im singing, so IN YOUR FACE STUPID FAMILY!

i kinda do want to be a teacher someday.

The Half Past Two Tree

Hi Internets,

While I normally like to include some sort of visual or video with my blog posts, my topic for today is so old that it predates YouTube presence. I'm going to cover the roots of the current Half Past Two, or HP2.0 for short.

Actually, I think we're on HP2.1 by now.

Half Past Two exists solely because of an ill-fated third wave band from Los Alamitos, CA called Free Jeff. Country Dave and HP1.99 bass player Giant Alex played in a group called Bovine whose sole existence was to cover Blues Brothers tunes. Country Dave combined his original songwriting prowess with an entity known only as Doug Carter, and their love child was known as the previously mentioned Free Jeff. That's where I entered the picture. Country Dave still claims to this day that he doesn't know how to play the "tall" notes on the guitar (I continuously need to remind them that they are 'high' not 'tall') and brought me in on lead guitar.

High school ended and the seeds of Free Jeff were scattered to the winds. Doug started a Shakespeare tribute band called John-A-Dreams, whose achievements included playing at the Next Generation Remix 2007 concert at the Japanese American Cultural & Center (日米文化会館 for short...or JACCC) along with J-Pop sensation Rusika. The drummer, Kevin Ferguson later went on to found the Friendship Hurricane Society and also collaborates on occasion with Paker Koo Ito. Alex formed The Monkey Wrench Collective as a mother's day present while in Santa Cruz and played bass in the previous version of HP2.

Your writer (Tyler) pretended he was metal for a couple years, foolishly bought some camouflage shorts and started a metalcore band. The results can be found here:

Jacob Greene

This footnote in the history of Half Past Two gets a separate paragraph because it is where Tyler started playing music with Curtis. Curtis is also a member of hotdog enthusiasts Links and has previously played with Jebel and The Scarlet Letter, among others.

Billy has played with a myriad of other groups, but I'll leave that list for him to post. Half Past Two is actually Tara's first band, but she keeps claiming to leave us for a side project called "The Love Handles" with her bff Tess. We're kinda scared.

In conclusion,

..

the process of change
ideal maturation doesn't exist
remember






want a free youtube to mp3 converter? It is more powerful than that:

http://www.dvdvideosoft.com/download/FreeStudio.exe

Plight of the Lyricist

the words must grow up

but kids clamor for same old

no we don't want more

Fans Keep Us Cool

I wanted to give thanks to a couple of fans who really do a lot to show us their support. First is Rudy the Rude Boy (I'm not going to use real names, @RudytheRudeBoy hasn't yet consented) and the video he made for our Bon Jovi cover. It really shows how we could use an updated photo shoot...

Secondly is Jake von Super Fan, aka @IchBinJake who found this awesome site to make us some custom merch. How can you say no to these:

Or a custom tie, design courtesy of Bhakti.

The more you guys give, the more it makes us want to give. And trust me, we have archives full of covers just waiting for the light of day.

Until next time (hopefully not as belated),

busy busy busy

lately i feel like there is way too much on my plate. my job as manager now requires all of the extra attention i promised to devote to the band, with all of the new paperwork and meetings every week, and threats of loosing out jobs if we dont comply, i have no choice. and i dont have time for my voice lessons on mondays anymore because of it.

then with the band we have two practices instead of one, so my days off usually have a practice in them and since its new music there isnt anything for me to do. i cants bring my work to band practice, that is rude and its really loud. i might start taking voice lessons ever other monday with my teacher and then wednesdays during the day with another teacher... eesh...

also i got a part in a movie so i have to make time to memorize my scripts. rehearsal for that is every sunday, so i have to go to band practice in the day and to movie rehearsal at night. im so tired.

working 40+ hours a week, while trying to have a career in music and movies is so scetchy. JANKY even.

but as greg says, "got to make that scrilla!!"

plus, its a lot of fun :)

presocratic Thought

Greater _ _ _ _ _ _ win greater destinies - Clement

What do you think the answer is? Reply.


On a lighter note: HP2 has a front woman, this band has 5

I can't believe no one has posted these here yet:

In other news I can't stop listening to Bayside and Owl City, this now officially makes me a 15 year old girl.

Metal on Metal

STOP! Before baking Tara's delicious cookies.. run to Blockbuster and pick up the story of Anvil. It's one of the best rock doc's I've ever seen! Now Go, get baked, and watch Anvil.

glub glub glub

this is all i want to blog about:

Absolutely the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter flavored shortening
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons Mexican vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter flavored shortening, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla .Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until light brown. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.



YUM!!!!!!!!!! quick, make me some cookies... pweeeeeeeeze?!

Belated Tyler Tuesday

Internet,

So I had this totally cool post idea in mind involving the intro drum beat to "Radio Song" and remapping the beat to fart noises...but I'm still a novice with iMovie and couldn't get the snare just right. That will have to wait for next week. Until then I decided to share with you a very important google search!

Googling Tyler Moore

Yes, googling my own name comes up with mostly references to the comedienne Mary Tyler Moore. I have suffered through jokes since kindergarden involving Ms. Moore and have since developed rather thick skin towards all insults comparing me to a celebrity.

Uncanny resemblance? I thought not.

Checkered Past

Spin Magazine put out a 2 Tone article this month... heres a playlist of the videos for the section "you already know the hits. Now hear these eight other classic tracks.":


How did they know HP2 Covered The Bodysnatchers?

Wow, how do you follow a post like Holder's.

Only one way I guess.

Prove that he's right.

I can't draw my way out of a paper bag.

>

The Economics of Half Past Two: Consumer Theory and "It's About Time": Part I

Oh hi, internet, Patrick here!

As you may have read last week, we here at Half Past Two have decided to step up the blogging duties...a lot. In fact, you will be hearing from each of us once a day, everyday of the week. And I'm your man for Saturday, so let's get to it!

Now as much as I appreciate everyone else's blog entries, (Bhakti's July 30 entry comes to mind) what have we accomplished through all this blogging? How is this veritable goldmine of musical-cyber-tiddlybits known as a "blog" really benefiting the world?

Glad you asked, because today I am going to tell you how YOU can improve the state of the US Economy in One Easy Step:

1) Buy the Half Past Two album, "It's About Time"

Now you're probably thinking to yourself, "Self, how in the hell is buying a CD going to possibly help us out of this economic mess we have created, and even if it COULD, why is Half Past Two so darn special?!"

Once again, I'm glad you asked. Without any further ado I present to you, the internet:

"The Economics of Half Past Two: Consumer Theory and 'It's About Time'"
by Patrick Holder

Now the first, and many would argue, most important Macroeconomic implication of Consumer Theory is how the Marginal Propensity to Consume affects the aggregate wealth of a nation. Though it may seem contradictory to assert that spendthrift nations have greater aggregate wealth, the higher MPCs for many nations result in higher aggregate demand, and thus lower inflation and unemployment rates, and provide a stronger push towards technological innovation on the supply side of things.

But what in the world does any of this have to do with Half Past Two? Well, countless studies have shown that middle class consumers in the age range of HP2 members typically have the highest MPCs, meaning that every dollar you put into the pockets of Half Past Two is going to work much harder to bolster our economy than those hot-shot major label bands, who consume at far more conservative percentages than us folks. Secondarily, unlike CDs you buy in those pesky stores, Half Past Two album sales are completely under the table, and are, thus, completely tax free, raising our consumption multiplier by another 8% or so.

For the next element of our discussion, we will have to recall the lessons of the late great David Ricardo, and his revolutionary developments in the theory of Absolute and Comparative Advantage. Now, many musicians are multitalented, dabbling into fields far outside of music and still making impressive achievements. Brian Eno, for instance, is not only a musician, but a visual artist, speaker, and businessman, and has been fairly successful in all these endeavors. Not so with us Half Past Twos!! Seriously, have you ever seen David try to draw something? I have (ah "Barreling Along" album art). It's painful. Outside of our musical element, we are the most talentless folks you'd ever meet. But, and this is important, we are MASTERS of our musical realm. We're talking unheard of levels of Absolute Advantage. That Bhakti kid alone can shred on more musical instruments than I can name. If David Ricardo has taught us anything, all of society has benefits to reap from the awesome Comparative Advantage of our employment in music.

Now at this point I know you're all saying to yourselves, "But Patrick! The Ricardian Model assumes perfect competition, and doesn't take into account competitive monopolies, such as yourselves!!" And this is a very valid point. Unfortunately, my response, and the exciting conclusion to this analysis will have to wait 'til next week, as I'm out of time.

I'm sure you all THOROUGHLY enjoyed the time we have spent together, and closely followed along with every word. So be sure to come back next week for "The Economics of Half Past Two: Consumer Theory and 'It's About Time': Part II"; same bat-time same bat-channel.

Seeya kids,
Patrick

cupcakes.

i totally forgot to blog yesterday on my day (wednesday)! well, actually i remembered but then on my way home from band practice last night, i pulled out of the parking lot and noticed that my car felt funny. i pulled over and discovered a flat tire... YUCK! no one was picking up their phones so i called AAA to come help me change it. i would have attempted to change it myself but i was in a bad neighborhood at midnight; didn't think it was a good idea... now i have to buy some new tires (its about time for a whole new set) with money that i definitely do not have. oh life!

so my friend and i tried to see kylie minogue the other night. i spent a pretty penny on tickets (i deserved them!) and got dressed up cute to go. but after that part, i really had some bad luck. first i could not find StubHub in downtown LA! we were so lost. i think we passed it like 5 times before we made it into the parking structure. then we forgot to print out directions from where we were in LA to the Hollywood Bowl (...idiots). when we finally got there i couldn't find an open parking lot. we drove around for 15 minutes when i finally waved down one of the lot guys.

"where can i park?" i asked
"there are all full," he said, "and the show is over in 15 minutes so there isnt really any time for you to park and get to the Bowl."

WHAT?! we totally missed the show... there goes $135... instead we went bar hopping in Hollywood. it ended up being a lot of fun!! way to turn the situation around.

i want a cupcake.

Ode To Sound Guys

One of the less appreciated members of any musical group is the sound guy. After doing JavaSka for just short of a year, I really started to develop an appreciation for all the abuse sound engineers get put through. People will spill all sorts of drinks on your cables and equipment, spit in your microphones, complain about the mix, and demand to know why everything is taking so long.

But the funny thing is, after not doing sound JavaSka for a while...I kinda miss it. Weird, but there is certain satisfaction in knowing that without your contribution the band would sound like a really loud amp and lots of buried horns.

So please sincerely thank the sound guy after your next show and no, I don't have any updates on the JavaSka Live compilations.

New Videos...

New Videos are coming eventually. New gear is gonna take some playing with. New Half Past Two Songs. New directions? Wait and see.

Everyday is Sunday!

Well it's Sunday, which means of course it's Country Dave day! Woo! Blogging! Good times!

It's October again which means it's time for me to start getting super depressed. It's not the cold weather, it's not the clouds rolling in, nope, a bunch of my favorite bands are throwing a huge party in Gainesville and I can't go. Oh well, maybe I'll save up and head that way next year (I say this every year and it has yet to happen, stupid awesome fest!). I could just pretend and throw my own one man fest, but something tells me throwing on a Jawbreaker shirt, getting really drunk and bumping "Bastards of Young" just isn't the same, damn.

We're writing again, which is getting kind of hectic. Where is the halfway point between Minus the Bear, Def Leppard, Chicago, and the entire Lookout! catalog, TUNE IN AND FIND OUT!

Alright I'm going to go write some words to the aforementioned songs, toodles.

xoxo,

Dave

Keeping The Scene Alive + New Bloggage

Hello, Internet! We're starting this new thing where each of the band members have a specific day to Blog, and MYDAY is FRIDAY, ha.
Last night I was out in Canoga Park @ the scotland yard, checkin out my buddies band, called the Simple Citizens, they're a sick Reggea / hip-hop band. Then I wake up about 20 minutes ago to find out that Thom Yorke and Flea are playing a show tonight at the Echoplex, which is right down the street from my house. Ofcourse it sold out in 30 seconds and tix are now going for 3,000$ on Ebay. Now getin' tix to see Minus the Bear in Nov.

I think everyone should start going to more shows and supporting Local bands. We could help stimulate the music scene, and help more new bands get off the ground. There are a lot of free shows these days if you look. Detroit Bar or La Cave down in OC, and Spaceland, Silverlake lounge, and the Echo always have great bands in LA. If you're in a band go support your friends bands. Everyone will start seeing a full house more often! My 2 cents..
Everyone Have a Great Weekend! Peace, CurtyTron

October 1st, 2009 - Tara

I want to live my dreams so badly that I refuse to get enough sleep, hoping that being awake will somehow instantly become a walking sleep. I love singing. I get so much joy out of singing! I'm very much a music idiot; I don't feel like I know a thing about it, but I like that other people feel so attached to it. I like hearing others say that that music is what makes them tick, it's what gets them up, puts them to sleep, makes them dance, etc. I truly appreciate that about musicians, I'm supremely jealous of that! All I know to do is READ about what being/becoming a musician is about. Maybe I need some music lessons. Something besides my vocal lessons. *le sigh*

Currently Listening to: The Noisettes - Don't Upset the Rhythm

and currently leaving for work. bah...