This news —-> “John Frusciante to release new EP this Summer!”

And the fact that I headed on over to the Record Collection Records website to see if they had more details and saw the following image made me a very happy person.

Can’t wait. Happy Friday!

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

With Love / John Frusciante / From The Sounds Inside

John Frusciante

There’s a group of people here on tumblr that I’ve followed for 3+ years and I’ve seen them go through a lot. It’s a selective few that with a simple click of that heart in the corner or a Reblog they try to show that “hey, I’m still here…I’m still listening.” I do the same to them. Sounds funny, but it’s become somewhat of an online friendship that I’d like to believe we hold our own value to. I haven’t had time to blog in detail all that’s been going on with me (like I normally like to do) but we try to let people know we’re still here, kindly “stalking” each other to what everyone is up to. So to all of you, I hope you know who I’m talking to (I’ve seen all your “likes”), have a great Happy New Year and be safe. I want updates of la cruda tomorrow. In 2012, I’ll be debuting a picture of my first baby boy, Kenneth Alexander. That post, when it comes, better get 20 likes…just kidding. At least 10 :)

“With Love,”

Alex

thenewrecord:

The New Record Newsletter for November 30th (if you haven’t figured it out yet, we’re going to be shooting these out every Wednesday). 

A new post filled with intro by Bill talking about 00:02:59 Records (which Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem is a fan of) & Sugar Hill Records, a new editorial piece by Alex, a playlist from Alex as well, Just Added tracks featuring Nick 13, a Deep Cut by Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings and tons of more stuff. You know, the usual. 

The New Records Newsletter

The New Record on Facebook - Twitter - Tumblr

Make sure you’re following us on any or all sites. Whenever we have new tunes, great news and awesome contests, we post it all on there. 

My Editorial in this week’s newsletter for The New Record featuring my Brother, El Big Jim ( one of his latest posts were about sopes so consider yourself warned if you’re currently hungry). 

——

It’s that time of year again when everyone is assembling their Top Albums of the Year list. It’s such a great time to snoop around people’s list and see if they are either cool or lame. Right? I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by it’s cover, but if one of your friends, who you hold high regards for musically, adds the new Selena Gomez record as their top favorites, is it acceptable to criticize him/her? Some might say that it’s absolutely okay… but it’s not.

My brother, Jimmy, grew up listening to Top 40 radio throughout his teenage and adult life. Rick Dees in the Morning on KISS FM was all we heard in the morning because it was his “get ready for school/work” music (we shared a room for a long time). So knowing what my brother’s musical taste was, I never hesitated to raid his 150 CD Case Logic wallet (wow, remember those?) to see what I might be missing out on…you know, just in case?  In being your standard nosey little brother, low and behold I made a huge discovery. The kind of discovery that if measured musically, it could be considered a gold mine now for me. If it wasn’t for my brother, I would have never got into Outkast or The Red Hot Chili Peppers which later led me to find my favorite artist of ALL TIME, John Frusciante.

So you see, never be ashamed of what you listen to and what music defines you. Some people may not approve of some of your choices or give you a hard time but it’s who you are. You can’t help but let music do to you what it’s meant to do: make you enjoy it. Always be willing to open up and let people know what you’re jamming to because you never know what kind of gem you’re going to introduce someone to.

In a world where we’re ambushed with greed at least share music…legally, of course.

Share your musical tastes by submitting your Top Records of 2011 as well as your New Record playlists on twitter - @thenewrecord

-Alex

“I’m trying, Ringo. I’m trying real hard” to get into this but sadly, I know, that I won’t. It’s damn near impossible to get into anything RHCP without John Frusciante around. I know one man don’t make up the band but John pumped so much life into every song he was a part of in the studio and on stage. I’d normally be all over this but this time I’m passing and probably will unless John rejoins someday.

One of my favorite Chili Peppers moments. I was there for this.

Let me tell you why I like this picture. It’s nothing super amazing but it is a great picture of Jeff Tweedy at the Sasquatch festival 2011. What I like about it is that it almost seems like my two of my all-time favorite musicians have fused together to almost form a super musician. I see elements of John Frusciante in this picture that puts a smile on my face. Imagine these two making music together? I’m not sure if that would work but it’d be interesting. In the meantime, listen to Wilco’s Sasquatch festival set on NPR, hope that Frusciante puts new music out soon and that the new Chili Peppers isn’t horrible. I’m still a fan of that band even if it had a lot to do with Frusciante.

There’s so much music online, you guys. Man, no wonder people don’t buy records anymore. NPR always delivers.

My obsession with death started when I was in middle school. I think it’s odd to call it an “obsession” because it sounds like I’m obsessed with the idea of dying so much so that I enjoy the concept of dying.  But I don’t. Believe me, nothing about it is cool to me. I don’t think all people feel that way. Some people out there embrace it and feel comfortable about it. I don’t think that I ever will. That shit bugs the hell out of me.

It all started in one of our family’s many many trips to Las Vegas back in the days. My Tio Rodolfo was moving to Las Vegas so our family (around 12 people) would cram ourselves into the two best working minivans and head on down there for the weekend. As we neared the Calico/Ghost Town/Death Valley area, my little 12-13 year old brain started thinking about death and ghosts and what happens after we die. From that day till now, I’ve come up with the conclusion that absolutely NOTHING happens when we die. In coming up with this all by my little self, I remember distinctively bringing it up to my cousin Antonio at the time while we drove past Ghost Town. To my recollection, the dialogue went something like this:

Me: Dude, don’t you think that’s crazy?
Antonio: What?
Me: Death.
Antonio: What about it?
Me: That we all die and then what?
Antonio: I guess. Why do you say that?
Me: Cause we’re in Ghost Town near Death Valley.
Antonio: Yeah, well we all die.
Me: Doesn’t that scare you?
Antonio: Sorta.
Me: It’s just that…never mind.

Having been in a minivan full of cranky cousins and cranky parents for hours, he wasn’t as insightful as I wanted him to be that night. And a part of me feels that, since I found him to be one of the funniest people I know, I was looking for some kind of comfort from him hoping that he’d shed some light on death in a humorous way. And deep down in my scared little terrified soul I guess I was hoping to hear him say, “Dude, death isn’t real.” Psssh…silly little kid I was.

From that day on, I can honestly say that 98% of the time I think about death at least once a day. What is it about death that makes you feel so alone? Makes you feel like you’re the only one that’s gonna go through it. That no one understands you yet everyone is subconsciously or openly dealing with it. It’s such a “I don’t wanna talk about it” type of topic. Granted I’ve had conversations about death with people and I think it’s conclusive that we all scared up in this bitch.

It scares me to think of ceasing to exist. To know that there’s nothing more after your last breath. Eyes closed and darkness. Not a sleep darkness but a nothing darkness. When we fall asleep at least we still dream, wake up to piss, roll over, cover your cold feet but this darkness is a not feeling and then some, it’s dark and done. Not even darkness is an option because that would mean you’d be able to see blackness but you will feel nothing. Just typing this gives me the creeps. But everyone will face this one day. Such a lonely feeling when you think of when you’ll be face to face with your one and only disappearing act of your life.

I guess the one thing people look for in dealing with death is comfort, religion being the number one way in doing so. The whole concept of heaven and being an angel and reunited with passed loved ones and all that jazz sounds awesome to me. Believe me, I’ve thought about all that and it sounds great to one day be up there and get to experience this holy place where love and peace reigns all. I’ve wished this for family members that we’ve buried 6 feet in the ground and for that one intense moment you really hope it’s legit. But, I also recognize that that is all bullshit. I know the possibility of that being true is false. At times it sounds silly. I never really was heavy on religion and was accustomed to going to church as a child to feed these ideas in my head (and heart) which is something I don’t blame my parents for. I’m a grown ass man, if I wanted to get all Jesus by now I could have all on my own. I feel like such a prick having God and Jesus and the idea of heaven as my safety net. It’s harsh to say so but I think it’s true with a lot of people. The idea of the afterlife might sound silly to you but have the plane you’re sitting in start experiencing some gnarly ass turbulence and see if you don’t start thinking in your head, “Uh God? Ummm…I know a nigga don’t hit you up as often but ummm…can you hook a brotha up this one time? I appreciate that one time you made sure there was still some birria leftover after that party. You always knew how much I love that shit. So pretty please…” Am I right?

Let’s say there is an afterlife and maybe the idea of reincarnation does exist. Ok, I come back as horse. Or maybe something more badass like a an eagle. One of those rad eagles that can scoop up fish out of rivers and just eat like a king. So I come back as an eagle and nothing in this lifetime (this current one) exists to me. All my family and my children and my wife and my nieces and nephews and so on mean nothing. So I spend, 60-70, hopefully 100 years (even though my girlfriend promises me that I’m never going to die) knowing and loving all these people and next thing you know, none of it matters. You start from scratch. That’s scary right? That’s another thing that scares me about death, not seeing people anymore. Haven’t you ever felt alone and wondered, “what am I doing here?” and eventually come up with the answer that you’re here because you are someone’s son, someone’s uncle, someone’s husband, etc? Once you realize that, you begin to realize what is your purpose here. At least I do. I remember one time, Dennis from Flogging Molly asked me what I want to do with my life? I think he was hoping I’d have a long thought out plan of my future from a career stand point. My answer was to be a great husband and great father to my kids. I honestly did feel like that was the most important thing to me and it still is. I figure this much, if I’m going to die one day then I want to live on by being one of the raddest people ever to the people who know/love me. I know that my kids will be told how great their grandparents were and great great grandparents were. Ideally they’ll find out on their own by getting to enjoy their presence for as long as they can. I want people to pause when they hear my name when they tell stories about me. That good “Ahh… where do I begin” pause before you start speaking such great things/memories about someone.

There’s really no consolation to the idea of death. You deal with it alone and no matter how many people are around you when you’re about to bail, it’s just you and only you. I am curious as to what happens that moment. I’m in no rush to find out though. The only comfort I get about death are when I hear certain lyrics to songs about death. Usually anything with regards to religion never really appeals to me. Maybe that’ll change as I get older, who knows. I can’t say that I’m 100% set on that idea. But I do find some comfort in ideas of death and how certain people interpret it. One of my favorite people to talk about death in a very comforting/interesing way is John Frusciante (solo artist and ex-guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers). I’ll leave you with some of my favorite passages by him regarding death.

“Although death is transforming
There is nothing after the ending
Everything is eternal
Nothingness does not exist
No thing has ever become nothing
And nothing has never become something
What is has always been and will always be”

That’s some deep shit right there.

 What’s gone will never come back
But it exists when you think of it
And what is anything, anyway
But a series of things running through your brain
All of the fucked things you do
Are the product of what’s happened to you
Whatever you create from love
Is a gift from the place which some call above

May you all have a long and gratifying life.

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

Song To Sing When I'm Lonely1 / John Frusciante / Shadows Collide With People (demos)

John Frusciante - Song to Sing When I’m Lonely (Acoustic)

No one’s afraid to be called by another name
No one dares to be put down where they don’t belong
Nowhere’s anyone’s reason
Everything dying and leaving
Out with these faults and you make me a baby
Faking a movement by no ones seeing it

Original

John Frusciante - Maybe (The Channels Cover)

I never get tired of this.

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

After the Ending / John Frusciante / The Empyrean

Frusciante Friday (yeah it’s been a while)

John Frusciante - After The Ending

Pain runs through life
Pleasures’ other side
Fear, some say, gives us such long lives
Leads us where we drive
Time will soon be born
It is starting all the dawn
And the world is moving towards
Things like opposites and wars
And one knows to hear birds sing
There was nothing till the beginning
And the water from my eyes
Is because I care who dies
Although death is transforming
There is nothing after the ending
Everything is eternal
Nothingness does not exist
No thing has ever become nothing
And nothing has never become something
What is has always been and will always be

Probably my favorite of John’s lyrics.

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

Goals1 / John Frusciante / Dc EP

John Frusciante - Goals

Simply beautiful.

–

John Frusciante - Goals

This song has never sounded so good to me like it does now.

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

Far Away1 / John Frusciante / The Will To Death

John Frusciante - Far Away

I can’t disguise the things I do
And things I say have a way of hurting you
I’m over there
These dreams are all I have left I’ve nothing to spare
They’re all I have

The world needs new Frusciante material.

I just read that John Frusciante has left The Red Hot Chili Peppers. I’m bummed because they will NEVER be a beast anymore. Frusciante was a huge asset to that band and whoever replaces him will never satisfy my heart and ears. However, I’m not bummed cause he’s left to focus on his own musical projects. This man is a monster and we are set for a landslide of great music coming from this man, I just know it.

– John Frusciante