new york in august

here i am in manhattan last month
near the 'flatiron" building
holding my 3rd or 4th starbuck's of the day. -r2

happy b-day livi

my daughter got her ears pierced for her b-day
as you can see, it very emotional.
that little girl can scream,......she's all better now. -r2

sometimes i play music

here's a picture of my band at the cascades 2 weeks ago.
i really like this shot, not just because i'm in the front either.
looks like we are playing in a club,
when we were actually outside in front of 3,000+ people
cascades was an awesome venue to play,
the pinnacle of my musical career so far.
we hope to be back playing the cascades next,
i'll save you a seat. -r2

tonecasters video

we have some videos posted of our show at cascades in jackson mi.

this clip is me singing green river
http://gallery.mac.com/gregoryhurley#100024

this link will take you to some of the other clips.
http://www.tonecasters.com/livefootage

(you will get prompted to select a browser,.........use your existing)

i will also be posting some pics and stuff of our last 4 or 5 shows.

we have been busy.

-r2

for zoe

i'm glad to hear that you got something useful from my blog.

if we don't believe in ourselves,............ no one else will either.

take care

-r2

it is written, therefore it is true

You can't force someone to love you;
all you can do is become someone who can be loved;
the rest is up the them.

--Unknown

through my eyes.........

both of my boys are now teenagers
and recently i made an observation
when they were growing up, i was the coolest guy on the planet
now i'm the coolest DAD they know.

ouch!

not really........... that's a great compliment
i'm not here to be cool
i'm here to be a good father and raise those 2 boys to be good men.
i've learned a few things in my travels that i want to pass that
wisdom on to them.

i know they love me and they know how proud i am of them both.

it was fun being the coolest guy on the planet
maybe it's just time to pass the torch on to them.

i leave you with this...........

People creep into childhood, bound into youth, sober in adulthood, and soften into old age.-- Henry Giles

-r2

me as a simpson

check this website out

http://simpsonizeme.com/#

funny stuff

-r2

lance and rachel's wedding

my brother got married last weekend.



it was an outdoor wedding at it was HOT......

it was 95 degrees with 90% humidity (felt like it anyway).

my boys working hard. they were in charge of parking.




this lilly was part of the ceremony.

it was my mom's favorite flower.




here's our transportation. it was olivia's first limo ride, she loved it

she told me we should ride in limos more often,.....i agree.



here's a picture of me and liv dancing.



it may have been his wedding but i was the luckiest man there.

-r2

nomad bookhouse jun2k7

here's a picture of;

megan's band
(she rocks)

and a collage of

bob, greg, and me

playing at nomad

bookhouse in jackson

last month.

because this is a small

venue, me lose the

drums for a stripped-

down sound.

unplugged if you will.

very cool.

-r2

the band

i'm getting closer to
that big update i've
promised.

here's the reason
i haven't had much
spare time.

i'm playing guitar
and doing a little singing.
check the band website
for upcoming gigs.
it's a good time, you
should check us out.

www.tonecasters.com

update coming

i've been super busy the last 4 weeks.

lots of new stuff to report, pics to post, etc.

i will be doing an extensive update this weekend

..........stay tuned.

-r2

bands i've seen

(this is a guitar i built)

here is a partial list of bands i have
seen and the number of times
i've seen them. later i'll get into
where and when.

tesla (6x)
jackyl (4x, 3 in the same year)
great white (4x)
night ranger
skid row (2x...and i got to meet rachel bolan!!)
trixter
slaughter
cinderella
scorpions
dokken
vince neil
kiss
candlebox
sponge
george thorogood (my first concert, 1985)
ted nugent
bon jovi
def leppard (3x)
queensryche
souls at zero
warrant
aerosmith
kenny wayne shepherd
willie nelson

these are the ones i could remember off the


top of my head. i'm sure there are a couple i missed.

-r2

fyi

in case you didn't notice

i've added a link to my flickr photo gallery

and a link to my new deviantart gallery.

check them out if you get a chance.

-r2

bilder kraftwagen

here are a couple of fotos
that i took during car rides this week.
i kinda liked them
so i thought i'd share them.
i used a little bit of photoshop magic
to "enhance" the color.

-r2

weekend update

june arrived in a foul mood this year.

it was overcast and rainy all weekend
but that didn't keep me down.

i watched movies on friday nite
i made it to the chelsea, michigan art fair on saturday
ate at the common grill in dowtown chelsea
watched the jackson, michigan 2007 rose parade
connected with my tribe at westwinds on sunday.

the chelsea art fair is a small-ish event that showcases
local artists. it's not far from ann arbor, michigan
and features some of the same artists that participate in
the ann arbor art fair.



i met a couple of the artists and bought some art
(they were the $3 postcards, but art nonetheless).



this pastel is titled "red tree" and was painted by teresa freed.

we talked about what motivates and inspires artists.
since i'm a designer and she is an artist, we talked about the
differences between those 2 vocations. she talked about design
being more cerebral and art being more emotive. i didn't agree
at first.

but after thinking about it for a day, i sort of agree.
true design is meant to function, we interact with design phsyically.

art isn't usually something we touch or use, it's a catalyst for emotion.
great art touches us much deeper.

it doesn't make our life easier or
more efficient like design does
great art can change how we see the world.
great design is the perfect marriage between aesthetics and function.

just a few words about the rose parade in jackson.

it rained.
it was fun.
i even caught a glimpse of captain jackson.



i posted some pictures on flickr, check them out.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/exdeadman/

i spent my weekend connecting with the arts, nature, and good food
all this while surrounded by the ones i love.
it was a great weekend.

-r2

may flowers

i took these pictures mother's day weekend.

(no i don't know the names of them).

-r2

fender makes a guitar i can play

i've never really liked stratocasters,

but fender makes a wicked bass guitar. here is mine.

i'm playing a show at goose lake father's day weekend

and had to get it out of the closet and wipe the dust off it.

i think the last time i played bass on stage in front of people

was back in 1997 or 1998 at the flight deck in jackson, mi.

anyway, here are a couple of fotos

it's a fender precision plus bass. i believe it was made 1990

and i purchased it in 1995. it came with a precision and a jazz

pickup. it has a blueburst finish.

-r2

my les paul

here are a few fotos of my 1979 les paul custom.

i bought this guitar used in 1990 (i think).

it was made april 18th in nashville tennessee.

it was the 52nd les paul made that day.

the color is described as "blonde" or " natural"

and gibson only made them in 1979 and 1980.

it still has all original hardware and plays like a dream.

i love this guitar and thought i would share it with you.

-r2

7i3

I Pledge Allegiance
to the flag
of the United States of America
and to the Republic
for which it stands,
one Nation
under God,
indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.

-r2

celebrate the 22nd of every month.........

...i do. here are a few reasons to be happy on the 22nd of every month.

jun22 - in 1772 england outlaws slavery

jul22 - rat catcher's day in germany

aug22 - lead singer of alice in chains, layne staley, was born in 1967

sep22 - independence day in the republic of mali

oct22 - in 1969 led zeppelin II is released,.....oh and i was born
(coincidence?,......i think not)

nov22 - the humane society is formed in 1954

dec22 - winter solstice (toji) begins in japan

jan22 - in 1814 1st Knights Templar grand encampment in U.S.

feb22 - drew barrymore is born in 1975, 1st daytona 500 in 1959

mar22 - in 1457, the gutenberg bible becomes 1st book ever printed

apr22 - in 1991, Intel releases 486SX processor chip

may22 - in 1570, the 1st atlas is published


these are my recommendations for the 22nd

you're on your own the rest of the month

-r2

family tradition

someone recently inquired about my hurley lineage.
i've traced the hurley name through my
maternal grandmother hope katherine hurley
all the way back to darby hurley who
was born in cork county ireland in 1617.
darby left from london in 1635 on a ship named "mathew of london"
this trip was warranted by the earl of carlisle and
the ship was captained by mr. richard goodladd.
this ship sailed on 21 may 1635 and
arrived on st. christopher's (saint kitts) island
in the caribbean sometime that same year.
most of the people on that ship were
wards of the church of england,
which means they were criminals or political exiles
sent to this island to pick tobacco instead of going to prison.
according to wikipedia.org, this island switched to growing
sugar cane sometime around 1640. this happened because
the new colonies in america were growing a better
tobacco crop. i'm just guessing, but i assume
that darby came to new york during this time period
and finally settled in maryland. i am searching for
information on ships that sailed from
st. christopher island to new york and
hoping to see darby's name.
darby was 18 years old when he left on that ship
and he had no hurley relatives with him. this is all i have for now,
hope it helps.

-r2

life in the fast lane

my buddy eric took me for a ride in his dragster this weekend.

that's the fastest i've ever gotten from zero to 120mph.

what a rush. there's nothing like the raw power of a big block.

i've got some specs & video that i will post soon.

-r2

what i'm reading

i've finished reading "dry".

the content is mature and very graphic in spots,

but overall it's a good story about addiction and recovery.

augusten puts a funny spin on some tragic events in his life,

and in the process illuminates the perils addicts will face on

the road to recovery.

speaking of roads.........

i just started reading "the road" by cormac mccarthy.

it's a book about postapocalyptic america and the story is

told from a fathers perspective as he and his son travel

through burned america.

i figured if it was good enough for oprah,

it's good enough for me. i will keep you posted.

-r2

......she can sing and dance too.

i love this picture

of livi. her hands

are still a little too

small for my guitar,

but she tries.

-r2

speaking of family............

here's a picture i found

it's a picture of my mom

and i. these school pictures

were taken when each of

us were about 7 yrs old.

kinda neat

livi's piano recital

my daughter had a piano recital this last friday.

she did an awesome job,

especially considering

she was the youngest there.

she recieved 2 national recognition

awards for her recital

at spring arbor college

2 months ago.

i'm very proud.

as you can see, i also got into the act

(though not by choice). the parents

were asked to get on stage and try

to keep a beat.

in the future,

i'm gonna stick to guitar only.

-r2

HAPPY B-DAY

spam

(the quasi-meat, not the digital junk-mail)

is 70 years old.

every couple of years i relive my childhood

and fry up a slice or 2.

my kids won't eat it

because it scares the crap out of them.

anyway, help them celebrate 70 glorious years

as america's favorite pseudo-meat

by mailing a pound or two to your favorite uncle.

http://www.spam.com/seventy/

-r2

empire state building at nite

i don't remember exactly where i was when i took this

but i loved the view

-r2

sometimes i get bored

this was me at laguardia in march, waiting to come home.

grace church - 10th & broadway - manhattan

here's a picture i took when i was in ny march of this year.

i took this picture late at nite.

i was on my way north from houston st. heading to union square.

this church was designed by james renwick jr

architecture style - gothic revival

grace church was opened in 1846

-r2

10 recent songs on my iPod

miles away - winger

black and blue - van halen

breakin' down - skid row

wake up - mad season

i don't wanna be - gavin degraw

growing up - fall out boy

purple haze - covered by the cure (really cool)

time bomb - godsmack

are you that somebody - aaliyah

someday - project rocket

for my daughter

don't dance near cameras

...........nothing good can come from it.

-r2

mood swings

i quit drinking because i got full........

here's a recovering alcoholic that i met at the fuse conference in nyc who went on to become quite an author after his moment of clarity. he signed a couple of books for me, and i've just started reading the one titled "dry" which deals with his recovery...........pretty good so far (80 pgs in). he also wrote the bestseller "running with scissors" that was made into a movie. like a lot of recovering addicts i've met who have went thru a good treatment program, he is excruciatingly honest about himself, but quite funny at the same time. after hearing him speak about his life as an alcoholic, his life as a creative, and his recovery, i realized that i shared a lot of the same highs & lows (no-pun). thought i would share in case you were looking for a good read.

-r2

The Oracle of Bacon

i found recently that i have a

bacon number of 3 (sorta).

so anyone who knows

me automatically has a

bacon number of 4.

-

although i was never

in a movie (that i know of),

-

i met rusty wallace in 1999,

-

rusty wallace was in

Days of Thunder (1990)

with j.c. quinn,

-

j.c. quinn was in

Digging to China (1998)

with kevin bacon.

.

http://oracleofbacon.org/

-r2

i heard you missed me..........

..........i'm back. well, maybe you didn't miss me, but i'm back anyway. i spent this week in new york at fuse, which is a brand identity and packaging conference. it was a really cool setting, located at chelsea pier #60 right on the hudson river.

i met some

really cool

designers/architects/authors

at this conference.

i met daniel libeskind, who is a brilliant architect & a true visionary who has done some really inspirational designs including the jewish museum in berlin and the ground zero memorial gardens where the twin towers used to stand. he was the keynote speaker who opened the conference on monday nite (4/16). after daniel gave his presentation and shared some stories, he did the "rockstar" thank you and escaped from the conference hall. i happened to be leaving at the same time and crossed paths with him while we were waiting for rides in the parking garage at pier 60. we talked for less than a minute, but it was still cool. check out some of his work.
http://www.daniel-libeskind.com/

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more nyc stories to follow

-r2