I’ve got a gig coming up on Tuesday. A two-hour set at Michi, an upscale sushi bar in Manhattan Beach.

Two hours means we need to work up some cover songs.

So Tim came over and we had a scramble session, frantically looking for songs we (both) knew. Here’s our cover song list thus far:

Poor Taylor (J. Johnson)
Listen to the Music (Doobie Brothers)
Smooth (Santana w/ R. Thomas)
Santaria (Sublime)
Thrill is Gone (BB King)
Grace’s Amazing Hands (D. Barnes)
I Just Called to Say I Love You (S. Wonder)
Sucker (J. Mayer)
When Doves Cry (Prince)
Sittin, Waitin, Wishin (J. Johnson)
Life by the Drop (S. R. Vaughan)

Anybody got more ideas for us?

I slept in a little today. OK, I slept in a lot today.

I got back from Mandi’s house just after 4am and crashed harder than I remember crashing in a while, determined to stay unconscious for a solid 8 hours. Noon rolled around, and I thanked myself for going to the effort to pull the curtains closed to block out the sunlight as long as possible.

Still groggy, I sat bleary-eyed watching college football, casually looking around at my house, slowly realizing most of it was in disarray.

Dishes in the sink. Clothes on the floor. Mail piling up. Receipts galore. Ugh, time to clean again…

…But I was saved by the phone!

“Dude, are you guys coming?” It was my soon-to-be-married friend Levis calling.

“Coming to what?” I asked.

“To our wedding shower! Everybody’s here. We sent you invitations in the mail and everything. What happened to you guys?”

Uh oh. He asked about the mail. I was busted.

“Ahhh! That was today? I, um, thought it was next month. Sorry brother. We’re on our way. Where is it again?”

How embarrassing. I’ve got too much stuff going on to keep up with it all. That or the ADD is really kickin in. I need a maid.

I love Friday commutes. Especially in rush hour. In L.A.

I sat in a parking lot called 405 for the better part of rush hour, traveling a good 2 or 3 miles in just under an hour today, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Don’t get me wrong — I love sitting in traffic as much as the next car (or the 50,000 others I hung out with this afternoon). But I wasn’t commuting home from work.

Oh no, my work was just beginning.

Had my first pre-production meeting with Mandi tonight up in Woodland Hills, CA.

No time limits. No rush. Just hanging out, having some sushi and trying to catch each others’ vibe. (Did I really just say that? I’m so L.A. now! Will Texas even recognize me anymore?)

We started with about 8 tunes, going through them meticulously at a rate of 1 per hour. Do the math. It was a long night, but totally worth it. Mandi has this uncanny ability to listen to a song once and totally dissect it into little pieces. “That bridge is too long. You didn’t play the hook enough. Don’t settle for those lyrics. You can write better ones.”

I think every single song took some punishment constructive criticism, and that’s great. I’d much rather her tell me than the fans. But I realized tonight that we’re not even close to ready to start recording yet. Nick has some homework to do.

Oh yeah, the drive back was much easier.

Keb Mo’
Elton John
Fiona Apple
Jessica Simpson
Jennifer Lopez
Ozzy Osbourne
Ginuwine
Jamiroquai
Destiny’s Child
Kenny Loggins (…and there’s more)

Their gold and platinum albums are on the wall. I’m in the studio where they recorded. Hanging out with the engineers at Threshold Sound, listening in on their next big project, Amy Kuney.

You have to crawl before you walk. Listen before you speak. Wait on before being waited on. Spend some time paying your dues.

And these are the easiest dues I’ve ever paid.

Even if I’m not recording, just hanging out in the studio with these guys has been amazing. Mandi’s in the production booth, doing her thing. Peter’s manning the ProTools rig. Amy’s in and out of the booth, directing musicians and listening ever-so-carefully. I’m just wondering what I did to become part of the family so soon.

Welcome, 26. It’s gonna be a great year. Who cares if I’m on the slippery slope toward 30.