"Welcome to my little corner of the world. For a long time, I have thought about what goes well with music-wether it be activities, social events, tangible items, and so forth. After convincing myself that I wasn't losing my mind for thinking that deep into something we normally experience as a soundtrack to our drive to work- or a road trip mix tape, I thought of a few things that I do while I listen to great music-and decided to share my own tips, tricks, and self-taught advice on those subjects. One that is close to my heart (and my stomach) is cooking- so I've gathered a few of my favorite recipes that I always make during the summer months (in other words, ya'll won't be finding my soup recipes on here until October). Another thing that I know a little about comes from my love of automobiles-so I've got some cleaning tips for all the do-it-yourself folks like myself. I hope that you like what I've put together. I'm starting out small, and we'll see where that leads us. At first I was concerned that people would think I was trying to "branch out", or become something other than a musician. Then a friend of mine told me something that I'll tell you-just because you are known for one thing, doesn't mean you can't share what you enjoy and what you know about other things. I'm not trying to fake ya'll out, or be something I'm not. What's here, are things I include in my daily life , and thought that I'd share it with you."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See you in the fall. More to come. Have a great summer!

 

 

If I baby anything, it's my rides. They get weekly washes, just as my pets get weekly baths. But as the seasons change, so do my car care routines-and so should yours. Here are some great tips that I've learned, and discovered, over the course of trying to get the perfect looking automobile for those summer weekends.

There are do's and don'ts to prepping your car for a wash and wax. The first thing you should do is park your car in the shade and give it at least twenty minutes to cool to the touch before beginning to wash it. Ignore this rule and wash your car in direct sunlight-you're going to have severe soap stains and spotting, and possible damage to your paint. You also want to park, if possible, on a graveled location. This provides water drainage from the car that won't leave mud or grime to drive through once you're finished. The gravel also act as an anti-splash device. If you've ever gotten

trigger-happy with the hose and accidentally sprayed the ground at full force around the car that you've spent an hour washing, you're going to know what I'm about to say-everything on the ground and pavement will end up right back on your car. A properly graveled driveway(medium sized gravel, at least three inches deep) won't "splatter" all that you've exoricised from your car back on it.

Next-stop believing the websites, newspapers, and magazines that are telling you "cash friendly" ways to wash your car by using a mild dish soap. The paint shops in your city probably paid them to say that. Using dish soap is the best way to damage your car's paint. Automobile paint has oils in it that paints used on dishware do not. Dish soap is designed to "eat" oil and grease. Your car's paint needs its oils to stay shiny and have a longer life on the car. If you're going to spend an average of $35,000 on your car, the least you could do is spend more than ninety-eight cents on something to protect it. I use Meguire's Gold Class Car Wash & Conditioner, as well as their Ultimate Wash & Wax with carnuba wax already in the soap.




Go strictly by the directions on the bottle. Don't pour half the bottle in your bucket thinking it's going to make your car bling. It won't, trust me. Usually a cap full of soap will do. One thing that I do that could be considered petty by some is that I make a fresh bucket of soap for each side of the car(think of dividing your car in half down the center). Also-start the washing process at the top of your car and work your way down. DO use a professional grade mitt or spongue. DON'T use your old bath towels, hand towels, or that ragged out oven mitt you use in the garden. Wash one section at a time(i.e. fender, door, hood, trunk, etc), and before dipping your mitt back in the soap for the next section, rinse it off with the hose. You don't want to use the dirt from your roof to scratch up the hood, and so forth. After completing each section of the car(wash, then rinse each section), I always save the wheels for last. Use a different towel or mitt to clean your wheels than the rest of the car.


As soon as you've completed washing the entire car, rinse it again completely. When you think you're finished rinsing, rinse it again. Then head for your chamois. I recommend The Absorber brand. It's not going to cost you a week without Star Bucks, and it lasts quite a while. I have several that are nursing-home aged, but still look and perform fashion-model worthy. You want to dry your car as quickly as possible. Take a five minute break, then pull out the wax.

The same rule for not going cheap on the car wash soap applies on wax as well. I'm not saying you have to spend hundreds on a bottle of wax(live and learn, I did), however, you're not going to get the same end result with a wax you bought at the local Big Lots for a dollar than with the wax you spend about ten bucks for. On my Wrangler, I use Meguire's. If I'm in a hurry, I use the Gold Class wax, it's basically a one step job. If I'm really into the cleaning routine and know that a new season is upon us, I go full throttle and use the Meguire's five step system. Again, it's not rocket science-do one section of the car at a time. It's not fun trying to get wax off an entire car before it turns into clay and you spend the next week with both your arms in slangs. Remember Karate Kid? Wax on, wax off. Also-to all that own black cars, such as my black Camaro-I have found the most wonderful kit from Turtle Wax called "The Black Box". Use the Black Box before applying a Meguire's pure carnuba wax, and you'll be thanking me for it later.



The final step is to apply a detailer spray. Mist it on after removing all the wax residue. Use an extra soft terry cloth or micro fiber towel to do the final buff. After a few minor detailing tasks such as shining the tires and cleaning the windows, you're set to look sharp on your weekend cruising, your daily drive in to work, or just showing off your ride at the local drive-in. Have fun!

One of my many dreams is to own & operate my own restaurant(although I know I'd never have the time nor the patience). I really enjoy cooking and creating new recipes, or just putting a new spin on an old favorite. So for the Summer Edition of The Bungalow, I've put together a few of my favorite summer dishes, most of which you could eat just any time you want!

Things I dig, from my bungalow to yours!

Add some easy blissful bling to your kitchen...The drain holes in these 3-cup Chef's Planet Measuring Colanders double as measuring lines for one-step draining and measuring. $15 each at chefsplanet.com or 877-703-8889


Some of my friends have nicknamed my bedroom, "The Nest", and here's one of many reasons why. Lounging On The Beach Table Lamp is one of several decor accents I have in a rather casual beach house themed look for my bedroom. Well, there's that and a plus is it was a gift. $120 RonJonSurfShop.com


I can not stress enough how important it is to have earphones that is capable of reproducing the music that your favorite artists have spent their lives making for you as they intended it to sound. "Studio" headphones by Beats By Dre are awesome. $349 BeatsByDre.com

Let's Play Q & A....with Brien Travis
(reprinted from Underground Sound)

What song do you wish you would've written?
Star Spangled Banner, or maybe You Are My Sunshine. Something that will be sang forever.


Where do you write your songs?
Usually, I drive down to the falls at Rock Island and finish the lyrics. Lyrics come to me at any location, any time of the day. But they are usually finished at Great Falls. The music is written virtually in my head and then finalized when I lock myself in my bedroom and write on the piano.


What's your favorite food?
I'm a southerner, so anything that's bad for you. Actually, I love all kinds of food, but my favorite would have to be fried green tomatoes and fish. My downfalls are Pepsi and iced coffee.


What are you working on now?
I'm always working on something in my head. Kooky, I know. But it's there. That's why I can't function in my daily life because I'm off somewhere in my head working on my art. I'm currently writing a lot for the next album.

What else are you into other than music?
I enjoy photography. I actually begin writing my music visually, so it makes a lot of sense to be into photography. I'm a big foodie and I'm always attempting to create a new take on a recipe or combine certain foods to make a new dish. I'm not an expert in it, to say the least.


Who are your major influences?
In music, there are too many to talk about. I listen to every style of music. Anyone that plays piano, I share a passion with them, so I'm really into fellow piano players. But generally speaking, I'd like to become the male version of Oprah or Martha Stewart. I'd like having my own empire.

Where do you live, and where would you like to live?
I live in a very rural, small community in Tennessee. It's about forty five minutes from Nashville. If I ever move from here, it would be out of the country. I've always been a fan of Italy. But the naturalist in me would end up in Nova Scotia.

What would you do if you were not a musician?
I would have probably been dead by now. Music is my escape. And if you have no escape, then you make your own. A lot of my friends have suggested acting or becoming a stand-up comedienne if the music thing doesn't pan out.

You announced recently that you are fighting chronic depression-why go public with that?
Why hide it? If I can say something positive to someone else that is fighting this, if I can connect with someone and they know where I'm coming from and I know where they're coming from-why not share that? Depression is deadly to begin with. You do crazy shit when you're depressed. I noticed I stayed really angry all the time. I tried to alienate all my friends. I ripped up my high school year books and threw them out. I went on shopping sprees for the most random things. I have two cases of toothpaste. That's why I'm going public with it. Once I realized that I had a real problem, that was the first step to recovery. I'm not out of the woods just yet, but I can see the light beyond the forest again.

What will your next album be about?
If I told you, I'd have to kill you-however, I can not keep secrets very well when it comes to music. The basis is that the songs are mirrors into your past and into your future. There are lots of hidden paths and dark hallways that I'm exploring on this record. It has a lot to do with how we reflect on memories or places or people from our lives. You may see a person's role in your past as something entirely different than they see it as. It's about letting that other person in. So, the album is kind of like a love letter, but to a lot of people.

There is some confusion on the internet as to if you are married or not. We spotted one site that someone assumed you were married to an actress. Are you married?
Unfortunately, I'm single. I came close once to being married, but fate had a different card to play. I don't think I'm the marrying kind anymore. I like variety. The idea of spending the rest of your life with one woman doesn't appeal to me anymore. It's a nice thought though, isn't it?

What's next beyond the music for you?
I am unsure. I know that I will eventually have said everything musically that I could say, and it will become ugly if I began to grasp for straws. I've always entertained the idea of writing a novel.Plus, I don't want to be one of those people that after a certain age, if you've not "made it", you become a big joke. That's still a long ways away for me. I'm not old!(Laughs)

Any advice for the next generation of indie singer-songwriters?
I always feel uncomfortable giving advice on something that I've not officially made it in yet. Make your dream a reality no matter what the cost may appear to be in the beginning. And do it while you're still young. Don't listen to people that tell you that you're wasting your time. If you are trying to achieve something that you love, you're not wasting anything. And sadly, you have to be a ball-busting mo-fo to get anything accomplished for yourself. Let people know that if need be, you could eat babies for breakfast to get what you want. People aren't in it for you, their in it for themselves no matter how nice they seem to be. And most importantly, good luck on making any money from your music. The industry is over with. Think fresh and be a first timer. First timers are the ones that make history. They don't call 'em cover bands for nothing.