It’s gonna be a day of burgers, beer and fireworks. But lets not forget how great it can be to be an American. I’m gonna read the Declaration of Independence, too, for good measure. I actually have a framed copy hanging in my apartment! Happy 4th, everyone!

What a crazy summer! But first, long overdue pics from Seattle! The whole experience was awesome from the amazing people I met to walking around the city. Some cool pics I took from my droid:

Monorail! Anyone remember that episode on the Simpsons? Well this monorail goes about a mile and that’s it. My hotel was nearby and I took the rail just for the hell of it all the way to the Seattle Center where I was performing. Fun times.

This is my favorite pic from the trip. I was walking around Pike Place the morning before the show and I found this silver bass just sitting there all by itself. I really wished I could have taken it home, how awesome would that be! I call this pic: Bass:Caution.

Seattle is famous for its EPM Museum. I took this pic after my performance next door at the Seattle Center. I don’t know why but I really like this picture. I’m not a romantic or anything, but there’s something nice about it. Just saying.

After the performances I had quite some time and my hosts showed me around the city. This is a view from the Seattle Art Museum. You can see the Space Needle in the background.

Bruce Lee and Brandon Lee’s tombstones. Visiting their graves was an incredible cap to one of the best trips I’ve ever had. I’m a huge fan of Bruce Lee and I had no idea that he was buried here in Seattle.  Their graves are not easy to find. Although there is a prominent stone for each of them, there is no sign that directs you to it. You have to figure out the location on your own.  Special thanks to Peter and Al for providing such a memorable experience.

** Seattle was the last city of my Mid/Northwest tour. I’ll be here in SoCal for the rest of summer doing shows here and there and working on new music. Next up: Kollaboration Acoustic 4 where I’m competing in on August 27th! Get your tickets now as it’s gonna sell out!

I really should have put these up earlier (sorry) but I’m doing it now! My first time to Eugene (and the state of Oregon for that matter) was a phenomenal experience! Interestingly, my parents lived here in Eugene years before I was born, how cool is that? From seeing the landscape, to meeting all the wonderful people,  the DisOrient Film Festival is going down as one of the highlights of my year!

DisOrient and my first time in Eugene, Oregon!

At the Bijou Cinema, where we watched the opening film ‘Mr. Sadman‘ by Patrick Epino. I played at the opening reception following the movie.

Oregon license plate! Not for the pollen sufferer! Trees, trees, and more trees!

See what I mean?

Hanging out with Patrick, director of Mr. Sadman. Go see his film! It’s dark, funny, and and oddly poignant. Patrick also runs a site called cinemasucks.com. Check it out for his no BS-style reviews of APA films.

And lastly, here’s a pic of my host family whose amazing hospitality made my trip unforgettable. DisOrient is all about community and I left completely inspired by all the love and support I felt here in Eugene. Big shoutouts to Pam, and a special thanks to Jason Mak, director of the festival. I love you guys!

Aside from all the pictures of amazing Chicago architecture I wanted to share some pics from Declare INDIE 3, the music showcase that I produced last month.

The Abbey Pub, our venue for the showcase!

My drummer Lamar in the green room. South Side, what up!

Our awesome Declare INDIE t-shirts. Designed by David Wycoco. Also thanks to Blacklava for making them.

Me and my bassist Leo in the green room. Leo flew in Chicago that morning and left for O’Hare Airport a few hours after the show. Barely 24 hours!

Me with IBU hanging out backstage.

Me and the whole band. Special thanks to Sue Jin for being an honorary band member and to Ray ‘Swayy’ Oh and George Wang for making the whole evening come together! For more pics, check out the Declare INDIE facebook page.

So I’ve finally gotten a chance to settle back into the LA swing of it and wanted to put up a few pictures from my tour in April. The whole month seems like a blur with all the cities, shows, and amazing people that I met along the way. Here are a few pics from Purdue, IN and Chicago, IL during the Midwest leg.

Purdue, West Lafayette, IN

Flew from LAX to Indianapolis and then took a shuttle to West Lafayette a few hours away. My first time in Indiana. Exciting stuff.

This is ‘The Triple XXX‘, a local joint that some of the students at Purdue recommended as we were walking around campus. I didn’t have time to try the food but apparently they have killer burgers.

This was where the symposium was held all day and where I later performed. You can see the baby grand on the right. I was glad that I didn’t need to bring my keyboard. Who needs keys when you have a piano to play with!

Chicago, IL

So I was at Purdue for less than 24 hours in total. Had a great time but it seemed super fast. The next stop was Chicago for Declare INDIE 3 and I was lucky to get a ride with some visiting professors from Northwestern and U of I who had attended the symposium. Thanks, Prof. Su and Prof Kim! This was where I got dropped off: near Halsted, just west of the Sears Tower. I ended up walking into the loop to crash at a buddy’s apartment. The walk took about a half hour and felt nostalgic as I recounted sights and memories from my years of living in Chicago.

View of downtown from the north, coming down Lake Shore Drive.  You can see the Hancock Tower in the right.

Walking around River North, looking south. I lived in this neighborhood for a few years near Loyola law school. When I moved away in 2008, the Trump Tower hadn’t finished construction.

More pics to follow!