Mel Washington

on.the.road.

2009-07-04T22:17:00.000-07:00

I had an interesting conversation with a friend the other night.

We were doing an overnight drive from Russellville, AR to Topeka, KS.

My friend was telling me about how his life seemed uncertain.

I gave him some advice that my friend, Andy, gave me some time ago.

"It's all about faith."

I told him that I was somewhere in the Ozarks of Arkansas and really didn't know where and that somewhere ahead of me was Topeka. I didn't know where exactly it was, but it was somewhere ahead of me. It's all about faith and trust.

As much uncertainty is ahead of us in our lives, somehow we must discover to keep faith and trust that we'll make it - whatever our destination is.

and i am complete

2009-06-27T01:53:00.000-07:00

Tour season is always trying for me. I'm always wondering how the shows are going to go, if our van and trailer are gonna make it there safely, if our band is going to make enough money to sustain itself, if we're going to be able to eat that day, if I'm going to run out of personal money, if someone in the band is going to get sick, if someone back home is going to get ill or even die. I also begin to miss my friends, my family, my loved ones, everyone back home.

And then there are those moments where I realize that I am a very blessed individual to have what I have and to do what I do. My job sometimes brings a heavy workload, but I am privileged to travel the country and meet some really cool people who sometimes have a huge impact on my life. This current tour has been just that for me. I've had interactions with people in every city that we've been in that I've walked away with some very deep impressions. From an amazing send off dinner with our friends in Macon, GA after a packed afternoon acoustic show to a late night conversation and listening to Dane Cook with my friend, Andy, in Atlanta, to an amazing time with my friend Steven and his girlfriend Emily after our Douglasville show, to seeing an old friend that I'm very concerned about in Columbus, to awesome bro time with some friends in Jackson, MS, to a talk with a really cool worship leader on a porch in Shreveport, LA at 5:00am, to great talks with my good friend and our merch guy on a balcony in Plano, TX, to meeting some really appreciative fans outside of our Ft. Worth, TX show, to meeting some of the coolest, most genuine people, and even a very 'stoned neighbor' who had some very thought-provoking, interesting, life-changing things to say in Abilene, TX to a conversation with a drunk cowboy in Midland, TX, to a conversation outside of our venue in Waco, TX with some folks in the opening band, to porchside conversations with our good friend Alex in Waxahachie or something that someone says as encouragement at our Dallas, TX show, all of these things have given me a new found appreciation for touring.

Sure, I find it intriguing that people actually pay money to come and see us play. And I'm giving it 100% every night. But, at the same time, I'm fully aware that some of the folks I will never talk to, and its those that I do and the interactions that I have with them that stretch far beyond any experience I can ever ask for in this life.

Some of these conversations have really made me think deeply about a lot of things in my life. And as my friend, Max, and I were talking about earlier today, I am finally feeling comfortable with who I am as a person. And, I'm so thankful that God has brought the people into my life that He has, that He has allowed me to come in contact with some amazingly beautiful people, all over this country.

I feel like the rest of this tour is going to be great. Bed now? Maybe. I'm thirsty.

lent.day 3.sanai

2009-03-04T11:29:00.000-08:00

In Exodus 19, God brings the children of Israel to a mountain called Sanai.

Its this place where they camp out for a little bit. Moses, their leader, goes to the mountain top to talk with God.

God speaks to Moses and gives him direction for the children of Israel. But more than direction, He gives them a calling. He tells Moses to the tell the people to be for Him, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. In essence, its as if God gives them a mission, a calling that day.

The interest thing is that they haven't arrived at this point (to the Promised Land).

God gives a CALLING to a group of people who are being brought out of bondage but haven't reached the Promised Land yet. I was reminded of that today. I feel like I'm at a place of Sanai over the past couple of days. I definitely haven't arrived. But I feel like I'm receiving a new calling with my life. Maybe I'll write more about it later. Eh?

lent.reflections.questions

2009-03-04T01:46:00.001-08:00

And here's another question:

Do I really look like T-Pain?

lent.reflections.my world

2009-03-03T15:01:00.000-08:00

I'm having a conversation with a friend right now on Facebook chat and he says these words, "My faith has been reduced to some form of soup in the past year. Not anything concrete by any means. But still there. And a part of me wants to pour the bowl out."

This is completely unnerving for me. I'm not sure how to deal with this. Because when I hear that question, my mind races in thousands of directions. I want to start asking questions like, "when?", "why?", "how?". All questions whose answers will lead to other questions.

Everything my friend said in that paragraph was preceded by him telling me about all of the death that he's seeing so close to him. It affects his friends and the people connected to them, which in turn affects him and the people connected to him. It's like his whole world is being turned upside down and he says, "It just makes you question the world and God when things like this happen."

But what is even more unnerving for me is that just moments before this, I was watching this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4NlyZqJhwk&feature=channel_page

Which of course had me questioning everything about MY world.

My reflections this evening in this season of Lent: my world - how do I interact with it?

faceless.pause

2009-02-22T20:05:00.000-08:00

I had a really cool opportunity to speak to some folks this morning at a gathering in Beaumont, TX.

Talked to them about my life. How I've been realizing how God has brought me out of some sort of Egypt [a place of bondage], just as He did the Children of Israel. He has brought me into a wilderness [and oh it feels like that more times than not]. But, I must acknowledge that He has given me manna for every day.

I'm learning what my manna is. I'm learning that God has given me strong friends, family, communities, co-workers, to help get me through the season of life that I've come into.

I have no clue how God works it all out, but He does. He gives a dirty, dirty person like me, manna every day. I have these moments where God is whispering to me saying, "Hey, I'm taking care of you."

I have to take a moment of pause. Look at my manna, thank God for my manna, and share my manna with those around me if need be.

faceless.learning

2009-02-02T01:26:00.000-08:00

It's 4:30 am. I'm sitting in a hotel in Raleigh, NC.

Got done replying to many emails and taking many phone calls after a very late show at The Brewery here in Raleigh, which ironically doesn't brew beer. Just your normal, run of the mill music venue.

I'm learning a lot right now -- about my friends, about my life, about my job, about my world, about my God.

It's difficult to digest it all at one time. Somewhat overwhelming.

I'm learning to become more and more understanding of the world around me, the world I live in, and it's beautiful.

Tomorrow will be full of many lessons I'm sure.

Excited about seeing the ocean for the first time in a while.

faceless.lonely

2009-01-07T21:56:00.000-08:00

who am i?

am i name? am i person?

a lot of people know "mel washington". but they don't know who Mel Washington is.

I am a 24 year old man. Sometimes I feel like a 6 year old boy.

I am an adult with tons of responsibilities. Sometimes I feel like I am the most irresponsible person in the world.

I am a follower of Christ. Sometimes I feel the like the vilest sinner alive.

I have been told I have good ideas. Sometimes, my ideas are what get the best of me and cause me lifelong problems.

I have lots of good things to say. Sometimes I sound like a fool.

I am a humble person. Sometimes I come across arrogant.

I am a confident person. Sometimes I'm the most insecure person you'll meet.

I have lots of friends. 1,047 according to Facebook. 1564 according to my phone. But some nights, when I pillow my head, according to my heart, zero.

I have a family. Sometimes I feel like an orphan.

I have name. But nothing more than a name.

I have no heart. I am faceless.

faceless.memories

2009-01-04T07:20:00.000-08:00

This will be a rough day for me.

This date is full of terrible memories.

But those memories remind me of where God has brought me from.

It doesn't make the pain go away.

But, God will bring me peace today.

I'm sure.

Wrote a song about this day 2 years ago. Released on an electronica album called ".red" and am getting ready to release it on "faceless".

Here are the words,

Could it be that I was the one

Who hurt your daughters and your sons

I'm ashamed of the pain I've caused

And now its running back to me

Could it be that You were the One

Who showed Your mercy to Your son

You're not ashamed of all I've done

And now You're running after me

So, I'm making decisions today to try my best to be optimistic, to let God bring me some sort of peace and rest in today.

My friend, Nick, wrote a song called Voices, and I'm making its words my anthem for the day.

I am satisfied

with what the world brings

And I have my mind

To make my bed inside

Peace

faceless.accomplished.nastalgic

2008-12-31T06:04:00.001-08:00

Last day to work on the "Faceless" record.

About 5 more hours of work.

I am so glad to see the end in sight. My body is begging me to quit pulling these crazy hours. Up at 9am, in bed at 4am.

This morning, I am coughing uncontrollably for some reason. My head is pounding. I am missing my friend, Mark, back home, but at the same time, I want nothing more than to be with my dad right now.

Alas, this record calls. Going to finish up these mixes and then drive a couple of hours over to Lexington. Mix the Friends EP, and then drive home to see family and friends for new years eve.

It's sad to be leaving Charlotte. I've made so many new friends here. People that I will legitimately miss. I hope these relationships last. They're good ones right now.

Time to pound these mixes out.

More later.

faceless.anxious

2008-12-30T07:30:00.000-08:00

Woke up this morning not wanting to do another thing on this record. It is kicking my butt royally.

Things have been so up and down with production. We've had days where we've gotten lots done and other days where it seems like we're moving at the speed of a tortoise.

I don't have a good feeling about today. I'm hoping I'll be proven wrong.

I'm just ready to have this thing finished with. It's burning my head to pieces.

faceless.humbled

2008-12-29T22:49:00.000-08:00

Got so much done today. Learned a lot today. I've learned so much about myself over the last week. I've learned many of my strengths. I've learned many of my weaknesses. I've learned that I'm not as weak in areas that I thought I was. I've also learned that I'm not as strong in areas that I thought I was.

I've always questioned my musical ability and my ability to produce good sounding music. But, for the first time, I am happy with something I've done.

At the same time, I've become increasingly aware that I am not doing so well in my battle with depression and loneliness. That I had been lying to myself about how much better I am.

But what that even led to was my appreciating things I haven't appreciated in a while. Times with friends becomes more and more special.

Cameron came to Charlotte today. It meant the absolute world to me. It was incredible. We hung out. Cameron listened to the mixes and was very supportive. We ate Cook-Out - my new favorite restaurant. He was even gracious enough to do background vocals on one song and he did a killer job on them.

I am humbled to have friends that good. At the same time, my heart is heavy for others of my friends.

Sleep time for now. Another day of mixing tomorrow. My heart needs rest. My head needs rest. My ears need rest.

I am a sleepy boy.

faceless.recording

2008-12-28T10:22:00.000-08:00

I have spent the last week in Charlotte, NC recording a new record.

I've always given myself a hard time about my recordings. After recording roughly 7 records to date, I have never been happy with anything I've done. When the project is done, I feel like it is sub-par.

For the first time, before the record has even been mixed I am happy! For the first time I'm proud of something I've done.

Finishing tracking today. And then move on to mixing tomorrow and Tuesday. Head home on Wednesday. Take my brother out for his birthday, hopefully, and then go to Atlanta for two weeks to write the new All Get Out record. Busy times right now, but I'm occassionally getting to connect with good friends and it does my heavy heart a lot of good.

i dream of a world

2008-11-03T21:46:00.000-08:00

Today was bittersweet. Woke up in the mountains of North Carolina. Got some great work done. Had a very late breakfast - yes, 2pm, with Flip. Got some more work done this afternoon. Went over to our venue here in Asheville for load in. Loaded in, soundchecked, got 1/2 way through our set and yes, the police walked in because of a noise complaint and shut our show down.

Fortunately, the folks in Asheville are very supportive of music and they bought heaps of albums tonight.

But, I am ending this day with some unbelievable realizations.

It ends with a dream...

I dream of a world where you can be honest with people. I dream of a world where your faults become your crutches. Where your weaknesses become your strengths.

Where the things you share with people become the things they see in you that become beauty to them. The fact that you are human, just like them. That you are flawed, just like they are.

I dream of a world where people who have questions ask them...to the right people...if they have questions about you, they ask them to YOU.

Gossip is killing me. It's verbal pornography. Think about it. Pornography is rooted in people who want to get off with no love or commitment. Gossip is rooted in people who want to blow off steam without the love or commitment of confrontation or even just questioning.

My world has been turned upside down tonight. I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring. But i'm pillowing my head tonight knowing that my tears will become my pillow before too long. I'm sick to my stomach and can barely breathe. This is not fun at all.

"We've got our beliefs, but we don't want our peace. God of peace, we want you."

time to catch up

2008-11-03T01:14:00.000-08:00

just realized that i haven't really written since this tour started.

been out for about 2 months. toured by ourselves for a while. then did a couple of weeks worth of shows with The Rise of Science from Atlanta.

Did a little over a week worth of shows with label-mates, Winston Audio, and then did a little over a week with label-mates, O'Brother. Last night of that tour was a fun show in Atlanta, GA. We took 4 days off in Atlanta to catch up. Not really days off though. The days were full, but the nights were fun. Also recorded a split with O'Brother. We covered their song, "Oh, Charitable Thief" and they covered our song, "Wasting All My Breath".

Just started our final leg of this tour. Played in Nashville Saturday night and Knoxville last night. Drove to Asheville. Just got in and took a shower and now on the couch catching up on some emails before bed. Show here tonight. Looking forward though, to waking up and seeing an amazing mountain view. Waffle House is in order for sure.

I'm going to try to discipline myself to write a little more often.

Looking forward to home. Not too long though!

Excited.

i've been wondering for a long time

2008-10-23T22:32:00.000-07:00

Am I the only one in this boat?

So, you discover a person that you really believe in. When you cross paths with that person they seem as if they are needing someone to believe in them. In fact, you even have conversations where he/she will say to you, "Wow, you've really helped me a lot and really helped me believe in myself."

You can tell this person needs to be a part of something bigger than themselves. So, you introduce them to a group of people that you know will love them and embrace them.

But then something tragic happens. The person you believed in and invested so much into starts gravitating more towards the people you introduced them to, and they seem to forget that you were the first to lay everything on the line for them.

Some people wouldn't care about that. But for those of us are naturally insecure, for those who are needing to feel appreciated, for those who are needing to know that your love doesn't go in vain, it sucks....you feel abandoned all over again. And the one thing that you want to help people overcome and lead people out of, is the trench you find yourself deep in.

lay your head down and listen

2008-09-10T10:20:00.001-07:00

Got to play an amazing show last night with Dignan, Holmer Hiccolm and the Rocketboys, and Ben Walker.

It was one of those shows where you stand there and realize that you shouldn't be headlining a bill, much last on a bill, with bands like that.

Show was great. I love playing in Columbia. It's great to be in that town again.

We're gonna go do some overdubs and vocals on the new MWB album today. And then off to Ashville tomorrow. Busy, busy. I'm catching up on emails right now. Wanting to eat lunch, but can't make a decision of what I want. The van and trailer need to be washed terribly. And I need to give all these things attention. But, I'm finding everything else to do besides that.

I might write more a bit later tonight about an amazing conversation I had at our show last night.

Life's good right now. Columbia always helps my heart. Now off to a city tomorrow where I know no one.

september.tour.day1.birthday

2008-09-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

September tour with Baumer started yesterday.

Had a great time at the first show last night in Charlotte. Met some really really cool people.

Woke up this morning and got some breakfast with Bryan.

Played an amazing game of disc golf with some friends from here in Charlotte and now am enjoying and afternoon with some other friends.

Show tonight's going to be sick! Josh Moore [ex-Beloved], Person L [starting line], Anthony Greene [Circa Survive]. It's gonna be a HUGE birthday celebration. I don't plan on sleeping at all tonight! Haha.

Gonna jump in the shower for now I think.

And then off to the show! oh boy! I'm tooooo excited!

And home, sweet home!

2008-08-31T19:03:00.000-07:00

Tour with Deas Vail is over. Those guys are awesome and it was awesome to share the stage with them and hang out as well. Met some AMAZING people. Some of my favorite cities became Plano, TX, Denton, TX and Tuscaloosa, AL. Will, John, and Adam in Tuscaloosa are awesome dudes and they have a great band worth, checking out, "The Classic Fame".

Did a TV interview/performance in Macon, GA and then went to BMI in Atlanta and met with Dave Claasen, an amazing BMI rep who we are exciting about working with!

After our last tour date, in Athens, GA, at the 40 Watt with Wild Sweet Orange, I drove to Atlanta to catch a flight to Ft. Lauderdale to be with my good friends at Church By the Glades. Led worship for 5 services down there. 2 yesterday and 3 this morning.

Had a great time down there and some amazing conversations as well. I always learn a lot from the people down there.

Flew back to Atlanta last night and headed back to South Carolina now. I miss home. I miss my family and friends. Home for 4 days before we start our tour with Baumer. One solo show while home to make a little spending money for tour and to promote my new solo acoustic album, the Friends EP.

The road this time was a learning experience, a stretching experience, a great bonding time with the band.

Exciting about seeing mum and dad tomorrow, and hopefully catching a meal with my brother this week.

Gonna catch up on some reading this week as well.

Until next time...

Sent via BlackBerry from SunCom Wireless

Oh God, don't you hear them? Their lips are burning!

2008-08-26T16:08:00.000-07:00

These are lyrics from some friends of ours, Dignan. They are amazing, by the way. You should check them out.

Got to see them play last night in Houston. It was soooo good for my soul.

Those words summate the past week of tour, though. I noticed that in this last week of tour I was coming across so many interesting people, mostly in the state of Texas. I met people whose lives are crying out to something bigger than themselves.

The one that probably sticks out the most, was a guy that I met at our show in Ft. Worth. He invited our band to stay at his house, which was comfortably convenient after staying hotels every night. Some sense of home was much appreciated.

The next night, we played in Plano and he was at that show as well. After our set, he and I stood outside at our van and trailer and talked for about half an hour. He began to share a bit of his life story.

He told me about how he is only 18, but had been in and out of jail, how his mom disowned him when he was 15, how his mom's boyfriend abused him and how his parents turned their backs on him. Consequently, he's been an alcoholic and drug addict for some time.

And then he said a few things that I haven't been able to forget. One of the things he said was, "I have a pretty fucked up life, but I'm one of the happiest people you will ever meet, because I have my health, I'm a decently good looking guy and I have a place to live."

The day before this, my computer was stolen along with my bookbag containing a bunch of my personal belongings and I was totally bent out of shape about it. His statement put so many things in perspective.

He then told me, "I think I'm going to start going back to church, man. I mean, I think it's the least I can do for someone who's blessed me with all of this. And it's not even so much that I owe it to Him, but it's a privilege for me to be able to do this."

I was blown away. Now, many fully devoted followers of Christ would argue that God deserves more than an hour a week. And I would agree. But, man, if a kid is willing to start with an hour a week, we'll take that. That's a step in the right direction. And maybe 6 months from now, he'll be up to two hours a week. And who knows after that.

This kid is one representative of people I've met on the road. And those people are representatives of large numbers of people all over the world.

"Oh God, don't you hear them? Their lips are burning!"

Tulsa.vinyl.zoo.oil change.laundry

2008-08-20T14:53:00.001-07:00

Day off today in Tulsa. Shows the past couple of days have been great. Fort Smith, Arkansas had a great turn out and gained some new fans. Scenic drive to Tulsa and a killer show along with meeting some killer people. I almost fell off the stage 4 times last night. That was beyond scary.

Made an amazing discovery last night: the state of Oklahoma has QuickTrip (QT) gas stations which serve only the best energy drink/frozen energy drink known to man, Rooster Booster. Shocked and amazed. Stocked up on some last night.

Got to sleep in today and get some laundry done. Sent Mike to get the oil changed in the van. And the plan was to go to the zoo. But then, received a phone call from Mike informing me that the van has to go into the shop, because it is "spitting smoke" out of the exhaust pipe.

So, now, no trip to the zoo, no transportation, and no rooster booster (cuz its all in the van with Mike). So, we resort to watching movies and listening to vinyl, but I'm glad this happened on a day off and the fact that I'm with people I love.

~m

Sent via BlackBerry from SunCom Wireless

nas.texas.laundry.deas vail.delirious

2008-08-19T02:40:00.000-07:00

Been a few days since I've written.

Tour has been good. Tuscaloosa was amazing. Had a great show at a weird venue and had a great time hanging with our friend, Will, who was gracious enough to let us crash at his house that night. Loved his southern accent and how every "i" was long". So instead of saying "nice", he said, "nas". That was awesome!

Drove to Port Arthur and played a show and got to hang out with some cool guys/gals at IHOP afterwards. Crashed and burned at the hotel that night. Played in a middle-of-nowhere town the next night called Silsbee, TX. Hotel we stayed in that night was definitely in the middle of the ghetto and we saw tons of drug deals, prostitution deals, etc. right in front of us.

Next morning, played at an awesome church in Beaumont, TX. On our way to the church, 9 a.m., we saw a woman running in the middle of the road, screaming, with her right breast hanging out and flopping around. Weird start to an awesome day.

Sold out of download cards at the church (that's a great problem to have - though, a problem none the least).

Got to revisit an amazing restaurant called Cheddars! Had the hugest hot fudge brownie Sunday one could indulge in.

Drove to Houston and visited a friend of ours. And then randomly decided that he should be on the road with us for the next week selling merch and goofing off. Started a very long drive at about 10 or 11pm. Drove 'til about 5am and got a hotel. Woke up this morning and finished the drive to Fort Smith, AR. No cell phone reception here. That sucks. Had an amazing awareness creep on me that I need to do laundry. My clothes stink and my skinny jeans are no longer skinny.

Looking forward to playing the next few days with Deas Vail. They are a great band, worthy of a listen.

It's nearly 5am, central time, I've been sitting in my bed at our hotel for the last 3 hours catching up on emails that I refuse to read or reply to in the van from my blackberry.

But, I think sleep is in order for now. Get up tomorrow, get the oil changed on the van and drive to Tulsa. Never played that market before, so it should be fun. Hopefully some kids will come out to hear us play and maybe take an album or a tshirt home with them.

Goodnight, world. I'll write more tomorrow, when I can think straight and I'm not delirious.

vinyl

2008-08-13T23:11:00.000-07:00

I have the most amazing privilege of sitting in my buddy John's house in Atlanta tonight, listening to some great 70-90s music on vinyl.

Played at the Masquerade tonight for day 2 of this tour.

The rest of vacation was great. Spent some great times with people I love. A flat tire on the way to Charleston for a solo show sucked! Next morning, though, my good friend, Dan was gracious enough to go and help me. We discovered that the side step on my van doesn't support the full weight of the van, and that you shouldn't put the jack underneath it, or it might break. Waited on the side of the road for 2 hours listening to Jay-Z, Brand New, Nas, Immortal Technique, and Manchester Orchestra, while AAA took their time getting to us.

Finally, got back on the road. Made it home in time enough to say goodbye to my family and get on the road to Columbia, where we played last night. Weird show, but had a good time.

Got to spend some good time with my best friend, Josiah last night. Gordon and I stayed at his house. It was a lot of fun. This morning, was able to see some good friends over in Lexington for breakfast before heading over to Atlanta. Played a cool show, at a cool venue, for some cool kids.

Some lunch with our friend, Matt, at RuSan's tomorrow, and then to a meeting at my favorite coffee shop, Octane, with Jeremiah and Brian. After that, off to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to play there tomorrow night.

I can already tell that this tour is going to be challenging. It's only day 2, and I'm feeling it. I hope I stay sane.

vacation.day.2

2008-08-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

Slept 'til 2 today. Lied in bed til 4. Turned my phone on and got 93 emails. Caught up on those for the most part. Went to a chinese buffet....bad idea. Went to a friend's house for a wee bit.

Trip to Destin, FL got cancelled because of the weather. Plane couldn't fly in the bad weather or something like that.

Today's been a challenging day emotionally for some reason. But I'm inspired. I had a conversation with a kid down in Florida a couple of days ago about how he moved away for the whole summer, worked and would send his mom his paycheck every week, just so they could keep his house. I am coming in contact with more and more selfless people and it's inspiring, encouraging, and challenging to me.

I think Seth and I are either going either caving or to the mountains tomorrow.

Tonight's going to be good. I'm currently sitting in the Huddle House parking lot stealing wireless.

I think I'm going to start blogging from my phone soon so I don't have to do sketchy things like this.

Columbia/Greenwood, here I come.

2008-08-07T08:08:00.000-07:00

And its vacation time. I've been waiting for this for so long.

I'm going to stop into Columbia and check in with a band that I manage. They are recording vocals today for their new album. And then I'm having coffee with some really cool people in Lexington. From their I'll head to Greenwood. Hang out with some people there. Some plans to see Batman again tonight for the 3rd time. I'm not even upset about that, though. That movie is sick! I can already tell this is going to be a great start to an amazing vacation. I'm so overwhelmed with stress that I know it will be a challenge do emailing and calling about shows/tours/albums, etc., but I'm going to do my best to stay away from it. We'll see how disciplined I am.

Good, ummm, morning?

2008-08-07T03:17:00.000-07:00

It's 6:19am and I haven't been to bed. I did however get some photos uploaded to my computer from my camera, a great cup of coffee and a sandwich with Jess at Waffle House and got my FlickR account working. So, I'm excited about all of those things. Got some shows booked tonight/this morning as well. Vacation starts today. So, I'm going to start it by, sleeping for the next few hours. Way after the sun comes out which will be here in about 10 minutes.

Goodnight, cyberspace. Goodmorning, eyelids.

a.day.to.remember

2008-08-06T23:26:00.001-07:00

Had a fairly good day.

Woke up and hung out with my brother today. We went to lunch. Wild Wing Cafe's all you can eat chicken wing buffet is a black man's heaven!

Got to hang out with my mum for a few hours this afternoon.

Coffee downtown with Sean. Sat undernearth a staircase while it poured rain and hailed. We watched MuteMath's DVD on my laptop during the hail storm.

Dinner with Jess, Laney, and Gordon. AMAZING. Ratituni pasta with in alfredo/pesto sauce with sauteed shrimp. Sauteed vegetables (eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, squash) covered in parmesan cheese and then baked.

Took Jess to a friends restaurant to hang out for a bit after that and then we went to see "Pineapple Express". Well, I feel asleep during the previews and then woke up during the credits.

I'm now sitting on this couch, wrapping up a few items of business and thinking about going to Waffle House.

Vacation starts tomorrow. I'm stoked.

And we'll go again!

2008-08-06T23:23:00.000-07:00

I'm going to give this blogging thing yet ANOTHER go.

Hopefully, I can write thoughts from every day here.

New Season

2007-11-04T00:07:00.000-07:00

I am back in blogging world and it feels weird.

It's 3 in the morning, or is it 2? I don't know. This whole Daylight Savings Time thing weirds me out.

Anyways, I'm back home for a wee bit and Jimmy just came over. I think we're gonna hit up the Waffle House. Cuz that's how we roll.

Hopefully, I'll have some interesting thoughts to write here in the future. But maybe not.

If nothing else, I can keep you all up on what's happening in my life.

So yea.

Thanks for all your prayers, by the way.

They mean a lot.

Mel Washington Band

2006-08-01T22:20:00.000-07:00


Here I am To Worship

MOVING

2005-11-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

hey guys....i'm movingmy blog to www.myspace.com/melwashington for now....and then it will be hosted on my site - melwashington.com beginning 01.01.06

Getting Away

2005-11-02T10:24:00.000-08:00

So, we're on the way back to Charleston from Walterboro. At first, I wasn't forward to this early morning commute. But, it actually turned out to be a very good thing to go. My dad and I were able to spend some quality time together, and it's been quite some time since we've done that.

It almost appeared to be something straight out of a movie based in 1964....two negros, father & son in a pickup truck going down a country road while dad is inspiring the son.

This morning's trip was full of my dad's childhood stories, which I have grown to appreciate.

But, now, it's back to modern civilization. However, it was good to get away from the hustle and bustle of Charleston,

~m

Let's give this another go!

2005-11-02T07:14:00.000-08:00

Well...i'm gonna give this blogging thing another go!!

Here's an update on what's been happening:

Saturday night's concert was a huge success!!! after an extremely tough afternoon and a rough sound check, we made it through. Thanks to the band, crew, and other staff for their patience and persistance. It made for a very pleasant worship experience!!

We've got some more events coming up pretty soon. be sure to keep checking http://www.myspace.com/melwashington to keep up with the calendar. There's also some new mp3s up there.

Now, many of you have written and asked about the web site. We ran into some issues with the domain. But, January 1st, 2006, melwashington.org and melwashington.com will be live. So, be sure to check that out.

As for the CD, we have hit a wall with the finances. Please continue to pray that God will continue to provide to complete this project.

Well, that's all for now. I'm in the car with dad right now, and we're on the way to Walterboro!! Yay!! (I'm actually secretly scared, but don't tell anyone).

~m

Site

2005-09-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

Be on the lookout for melwashington.com. It goes live next Saturday!

~m

TONITE!

2005-09-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

So, I'm closing out a coffee-house tonight with an hour of worship. It's gonna be great. I can't wait. I've been doing this coffee-house every two weeks for about 6 weeks now. God's gonna do some AWESOME things tonite, cuz He's awesome. I can't wait.

Be praying for me.

Long-Time Friends

2005-09-18T17:44:00.000-07:00

Got together with a long-time friend of mine this weekend and reminisced over good times. I've known Jared since the 2nd grade, and wow, did we have a lot to talk about.

But, tomorrow, it's back to the grind. And, wow, can't wait for the adventures of Tuesday to come along.

I've been battling some depression and loneliness this week, so it was good to get together with an old friend and chill.

Yes...It's True!

2005-09-17T18:08:00.000-07:00

So..the cat's out of the bag...there's a new CD coming out this winter.

Be on the lookout for it.

BACK 'N BLACK!!!

2005-09-15T20:42:00.000-07:00

Haha...did u get it? "Back 'N Black"??

Nevermind.

Well, here I am. I haven't blogged in some time.

Last week was insane. Friday night I played a coffee house which was unbelievable. Saturday I went to a wonderful CSU vs. PC football game...wow! Then, of course, was the S. Carolina vs. Georgia game (what a let-down). Sunday, I visited a pretty cool church and then did some work in the studio 'til ungodly times in the morning. Monday night, Tuesday night, Wednesday night, and tonite have been the same thing. But we've got some pretty good stuff down.

This weekend is going to be quite refreshing. I'm going shag-dancing tomorrow nite and then going hook up with a childhood friend from. Saturday, I'm going away on a song-writing retreat. I'm gonna get out of this town and take in God's creation and write for two days. I'm also gonna see some family while I'm away. Then, Monday, it's back to the grind. And I get to go to court on Tuesday for that wonderful speeding ticket. YAY!!!

And then, it's back in the studio for more recording!

21st Birthdizzle

2005-09-07T12:17:00.000-07:00

I got to spend my twenty-first birthday with Grandaddy for most of the day. Then Adam and I did some work in the studio. We then went out to Wild Wing Cafe and grabbed some grub. That was about it. But it was nice to just take it easy.

So..it's back to the studio tonight for some writing time. Can't wait.

~m

Birthdizzle Surprizzle

2005-09-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

So a couple of my friends threw a surprise birthday party for me last night. That was cool. I also got a wonderful present from the City of Gooose Creek Police Department. It was an invitation to court and a request to pay $128.00. Yep!!! Mel got a speeding ticket on Labor Day!! What a birthday present.

~m

Does Mel Cry??

2005-09-04T20:03:00.000-07:00

So...I watched a movie tonite that made me cry...I should know better than watching a chick-flick. I dunno what I was thinking.

It was "A Lot Like Love". Waste of time and emotional energy.

I've GOT to find better things to do with my time.

~m

2 new friends!

2005-09-03T14:42:00.000-07:00

So here are two new friends. Irene

is here on the left and Deb is below. Irene is a great friend! Her love for Christ is so freakin' amazing!!!! I met Deb at Irene's beach house. We all went out to eat with Larry and Nick at TGIF's and after a 1 hour and 1/2 we were laughing our tails off. We played a prank of one of their friends who didn't know me. So, I just walked over to the table and sat down and started talking. It was absolutely hilarious. We then walked outside after being inside for an hour and a half and talked for probably another hour. It was unbelievable. There were 5 Christ-followers, having good, clean fun. All of kinda sat there thinking that this was too good to be true. We shouldn't be allowed to have this much fun and not get in trouble. I think God may have been giving us a glimpse of what it means to have FREEDOM in him. Both this chicks are awesome and a definite inspiration. Occassionally, we get together and share what God's showing us in our times with Him, and we will worship and sings songs to our Creator. It's almost MAGIC....(tribute to Steve Fiore)!

HERE IT IS!!! - Grandaddy Pic

2005-09-03T14:38:00.000-07:00

Here it is!!! This is my grandfather here. I call him Grandaddy!!! Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Grandaddy's getting any better, but he's still very strong and I believe God is sustaining Him to enjoy a little more time here on this earth. It's been awesome getting to spend a little time with him since he's living in the house.

After looking at him and I in this picture, though, I am convinced I have got to find a way to lighten my skin, cause I am one black negro!!! I wonder if Michael Jackson's folks can offer any help in that department. JK!!!

I love my grandfather. I'm glad he's here in the house with us.

Don't Worry About Me!!

2005-08-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

So, I need to give some clarification on one thing. It has been brought to my attention that in my post "2 Negros", I sounded like I was INFATUATED with Larry. Mel is NOT a homosexual, and is NOT INFATUATED with Larry. The point was just that I'm so thankful to God for the connections He's brought into my life.

Sorry for ANY confusion.

~m

Grandaddy Pic Coming!

2005-08-30T19:30:00.000-07:00

So I took some pics with Grandaddy yesterday. I hope to have them up within the next day. For those of you that have been praying for him, thanks. He's coming along alright.

~m

2 Negros!

2005-08-28T19:06:00.000-07:00

It's absolutely amazing the people that God brings into your life.

This is a picture with my best friend, Larry. I met Larry through a former co-worker and friend.

Larry has been a Godsend fo sho! I've been going through BY FAR the hardest, dryest, most difficult season in my life thus far. Larry has been there to keep me in line and has supported me like no one else has!!!

Larry's birthday part was last night and it was amazing. It was a total surprise. I was responsible for getting Larry there. When we got there, he was totally surprised.

Afterwards, we went to this totally absolutely remote place on the harbor (about 4 of us) to sing some worship tunes. the funniest thing happened!!! These two girls came walking by and asked if they could sit down with us. It was surreal! We were sitting out on the harbor where it was absolutely quiet, under a clear sky, about 6 Christ-Followers just worshipping our Creator.

As we were worshipping, God showed me something about this girl that walked up. I didn't know how to tell her. All of a sudden, Larry suggests that we pray. And God opened the door for me to share with her. She starts crying! God was doing something amazing in her heart.

We all stood there amazed at the wonders of God in His creation and the fact that he loves even us.

God keeps blowing me away...every day...even in the valley of the shadow of death (at least that's where it feels like i am)...God's still there and He brings people in our lives to remind us of that!

Thanks, Larry!

Awesome!!!!

~m

WEIRD CONNECTION

2005-08-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

So, this chick, Aimee, sends me a message on MySpace a few months back and said she saw me preach in Greenville about 4 or 5 years ago. Didn't remember her or her friend from Adam. But, funny enough, she goes to CSU and is friends with my best friend, Larry. So, I got to meet her at Larry's party. Funny, huh?

~m

Grandaddy

2005-08-24T18:11:00.000-07:00

My grandfather was diagnosed with bone cancer this week (multiple myeloma). My dad has been taking it pretty hard. 2 of my 4 grandparents have passed on, both from cancer. It's difficult knowing that the 3rd will pass from the same thing.

God is STILL teaching me to trust in Him.

~m