2015-2022 / 2023
2019 was great! I was apparently too busy to write a single blog post. 2020 was...less great. I feel like maybe I'm not alone in my feelings there. 2021...it's still up in the air. I'm not playing live in person a whole lot since the pandemic started, but I've been streaming stuff in the meantime. I'm still doing #DeryksApartment on Facebook (now TWICE a week) as well as streaming on Twitch.tv. I'm teaching guitar lessons and dedicating a lot of time to writing. Below is a video from my Twitch stream of one of my newer songs, "Irrational", as well as links to my streaming shows. Thanks for all of your support these past few years. I hope everyone is warm, healthy, and safe.
#DeryksApartment: Sundays and Wednesdays at 6:30 MST
Twitch: Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:30 MST
Well...it's going on a year since my last blog update. Do people even write blogs anymore? Does anyone care? I care. I'm doing it.
How have you guys been? I'm doing well. 2017 (especially the back half) was really a good experience for me musically. I ran an open mic night for a while, hosted some trivia, met some neat people out in Flying Horse, and played some weddings and parties. 2018 so far (as Winters tend to be) has been a little slower, but I've had some time to write, record, and come up with ideas. One idea that's come to fruition is my #deryksapartment Facebook Live show. Every Monday night at 7:15 MST. Here's the most recent:
It's been getting a pretty good response, so I'm looking into doing it on other outlets as well. My first love has always been performing for people...and this gives me the opportunity to do so from the comfort of my (and my viewers') own home.
Outside of playing music, I'm creating culinary art with canned foods, figuring out the best way to get drunk by eating waffles, and beginning colonization efforts for Venus (Mars is too mainstream).
In actuality, I've been reading Kurt Vonnegut's "Letters". I'm watching "Reign" (a show about a Scottish queen in France...where everyone speaks with an English accent...that's shot in Canada...with a theme song performed by an American band) and "The Expanse" (a rare, truly quality Sci-Fi show on SyFy). I'm playing "Axiom Verge" on my Switch and "Bloodborne" (...again...thanks, Playstation Plus) on my PS4.
As for music I'm listening to...I'm not hearing enough good new stuff. Send me some suggestions!
I AM working on a new record (a full LP this time!), but it's in the early stages.
Blah. Blah. Blah. Me… Anyway...just wanted to show some kind of update and proof of life.
Thanks for reading,
--DerykHey guys. It's been a while.
(Seriously...since December. What the hell am I doing with my life?)
I'm glad you asked, Voice-In-My-Head. I've been doing a few things with my life: experiencing existential crises, putting off cleaning, playing shows, and...recording! Yes. Recording. I am putting the finishing touches on my second solo EP, "Cynic".
The EP is made up of 6 songs from my time living in Billings. These are songs that were first recorded by myself and my friends in the band Cynic Circus (thus the name) back in 2012 and 2013. I wanted to have recordings of the songs that are closer to my "solo" representation of them, so I re-recorded my own versions. Not to mention, I am not near the guitarist or bass player that Rick or David are, respectively.
I haven't come up with a release date yet. It'll likely be in July or August, but I will let you know when it's ready. Here is the album cover:
I'm really looking forward to sharing this with you guys!
Thanks for being patient with and supportive of me. Playing music is my favorite thing and I know I'm lucky to get to do it as a career.
See you soon, I hope.
P.S. Here's a link to the aforementioned Cynic Circus record by Rick, David, and myself:
The Cynic Circus - "The Cynic Circus"
My first EP, "Fool", can still be purchased as well:
--DerykDecember has begun. This obvious news has probably beaten you over the head repeatedly all over social media today, but it's my favorite time of year. The lights, the music, the sweaters, the aesthetic...it's just a cool time. It could be argued that it's become too commercial...or...is it Christmas? Is it the Holidays? Who are you going to piss off by saying one or the other? I'll avoid THAT discussion.
Anyway...I love playing shows this time of year. Since I was a little 7th grade Alto in the Great Falls Young Peoples' choir, it's been among my favorite things. People seem to react warmer, they are more generous with their smiles. It's just a good feeling.
You obviously can't see the slideshow I'm running in my head, so I'll just mention that my first show of December is at 3.14 Sweet and Savory Pi Bar tomorrow (Friday, December 2nd) at 7 (following Dennis Puckett at 6) and I'm finishing the month with New Years Eve Eve and New Years Eve (Friday and Saturday, December 30th and 31st) at The Brass Tap. My schedule obviously has its own page, but I am very excited about playing this month. I hope you guys can make it.
Tomorrow night is an all-original show (most of my favorite Christmas songs are still copyrighted), so here is one of my originals that you'll hear there:
I hope this home-stretch of 2016 is good to you and yours...we've earned it. It's about "peace, love, and goodwill toward men (...or...something more gender neutral)". I hope your season maintains that sentiment.
See you at some shows.
-DerykThere are plenty of reasons to count 2016 among the most brutal and unpredictable years of my life, but I'll stick to musical stuff here. I wrote earlier about the ones that hit me hard.
A couple big ones left us this past week: Leonard Cohen and Leon Russell.
Leonard Cohen was incredible in many ways, and much has been said about his greatness. While he was quite prolific the first song that comes to mind to cover is "Hallelujah", but there are enough covers of it to last until the end of time. K.D. Lang, Jon Bon Jovi, Rufus Wainwright, (of course) Jeff Buckley...I don't know what I could add.
I went the Leon Russell route. He was notable as well. His songs were performed by The Carpenters, George Benson, Sonic Youth...he played with Elton John, he played with The Wrecking Crew, and he was a respected performer in his own right. He was actually here in the Springs earlier this year, and I'll continue to kick myself for not going. That said, here's my cover:
Rest in peace, Leonard and Leon. Let's hope 2016 is merciful in its final months.
-DerykHey guys. Happy Monday.
It's happy for me because I'm off work, no longer sick, and able to catch up on some things.
My Shows page is updated with most of my upcoming musical endeavors (hooray for The Cynic Circus reunion shows).
Tori Langstraat took some really cool pictures of the lovely and talented Jen Watts and myself a couple weeks ago. Check them and her other very cool (and sort of NSFW) photos out here!
I still have copies of my Fool EP available for a donation of $7 or more. E-mail me or come to a show if you're interested! Here's a little taste of it:
Billings folks: come see Rick, David, and I at our two shows this weekend. I'm excited to see you.
Springs folks: I'll see you soon! I miss you already.
Thanks for putting up with me, guys. I really appreciate it.
-DerykToday's the day!
I've played quite a few shows since my arrival in Colorado in November of 2014. A lot of them have had people asking if I had a CD. Well...now I do.
It's a 5-track EP of songs I wrote as I was gearing up to leave Montana.
I started out with the outlines of a few songs, the instruments to play them on, and some recording software back in February of last year. It's been a long time coming, but I'm really proud of these 5 tunes. I hope you like them as well.
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You can pick up a physical copy at any of my shows for a donation of $7 or more. You can also get a hold of me to get one to you at deryk@cookiesnotcrackers.com.
Thanks for all your support!
-DerykHow's it going? Happy Spring. Of course it's late...it's a blog written by me. I like to keep both of you waiting.
I don't really have anything interesting to say other than I'm alive and that I saw the fattest squirrel in the front yard this afternoon. Like...late era Brando fat. So...I called him Colonel Kuetz (pronounced "Cutes").
Aside from that, I've started playing more frequently...and shows consisting only of my original songs. I'd like to say that was an...original idea of mine, but PRO's (performance rights organizations) are really putting a pinch on small business owners here in the Springs. I hope that things can come to a reasonable resolution, but for now I'm enjoying putting myself out there in a different way.
I'm nearly finished with my EP. I have only the packaging and promotional material to finish. It'll find its way to Bandcamp and things as well, but I like the idea of having a real physical thing to put out there. I'd love to put it out on vinyl, but I am just not that trendy or cool. It's something I've come to accept.
On the subject of original music, here's a live recording of "Movin' On" from Peak Place Coffeehouse on 3/27:
Thanks for reading (and listening).
- DerykHappy (very belated) New Year!
Though...I'm not sure how "happy" we're talking. I don't want to go all "Kylo Ren" sad here, but so far 2016 hasn't been kind to aging icons.
Some people come into your life (or into your distant view) with a sort of "fatalism" about them. They aren't long for this world. You can feel it. Others...you just assume will live forever.
David Bowie seemed ageless. For almost 50 years, he was consistently influential. He was a phoenix...a being of a near Galifreyan level of change. His passing didn't seem real. It still has me ringing, but he was who he was and he did what he lived for until nearly his last breath...as life should be lived.
Glenn Frey seemed out of death's cold reach as well. His laid back voice and cool demeanor seemed enough to save him. With warm harmonies and smooth musicianship, he and The Eagles were something amazing and unique. I learned a lot about music from the music they made. It just...sucks.
A more politically inclined man might say that their passing is punishment from an angry God that Donald Trump actually has a chance of being president, but I don't know anyone like that. Just...if theres an influential rock star in your life...hug them. You might not get another chance.
Thanks for reading my drivel.
- DerykHappy Christmas Eve Eve. (Happy Holidays to all you super PC folks.)
The week of Christmas can be a rough one. Everyone is hustling to get last minute gifts or other items for their holiday celebration. People leave town to meet up with loved ones elsewhere. With those things in mind, my hopes were fairly low for a turn-out last night at Peak Place.
I was surprised. Not by the crowd size, per se, but by the way people reacted. The guy singing along and playing drums to "Interstate Love Song", the whistling from the kitchen after "Elenore", and people moving up from the couches to the bar when I started "Say It Ain't So"...you all made for a cool experience. Attention was paid so well, it was to the point that my assumed mostly-ignored sarcasm was replaced with spotlight-induced awkwardness.
In a "bring your friends and family if you want a crowd" industry during a difficult week, I'm grateful for the response and interaction I received for being there. Thank you.
Shout out to Chloe and Andrew (and obviously Vinnie, Brien, Angela, and Dad). You guys were great.
Last night was my final show of 2015, but mark your calendars for my return to Peak Place on Friday, January 8th.
- DerykHow's it going? Me? I'm good.
I wanted to see if I could make it a whole six months without updating this. It was rough, but...*whew*...I did it.
Honestly, though, I get distracted. Seriously...I got distracted by a video of a man performing a magic trick for a monkey 2 hours ago and I'm just getting back to this.
I just wanted to say that I'm alive and still working on what was once an EP, but now a full-on record. Also, Happy Holidays and all that. I hope to be performing for you soon.
EDIT: The video of the man performing the magic trick features an orangutan: a member of the ape family. It is not a monkey.
- DerykTo say that I haven't written here in a while is certainly the understatement of the past 47 days. I've been pretty busy practicing, writing, recording (I swear the EP is coming soon!), and performing (check out my Shows page!). I'll try to update this more often, though, Mom.
Today I want to talk about the "moment".
The ultimate high of playing live music, for me, is that aforementioned "moment": you preface a song, usually a ballad, and everyone's engaged. When you start it, the lights all but lower themselves...and everyone's kind of sharing this portion of your soul. Somehow we're all sharing a little non-corporeal peace.
I could be on glue. Maybe everyone thought they left the oven all at once, but it FELT like they were engaged. It was like a spiritual suspension of time where we were all connected, and that was something I had never really felt with my own composition. My audience was great and I had a blast, but that "moment" was something else entirely.
Thank you, Peak Place, for making me feel that way. I'm anxious to come back your way in July.
- DerykI had never really listened to "Into the Mystic" until a few years ago when it was suggested by my friend Gary that I play some Van Morrison. "Not 'Brown Eyed Girl'!" was part of that conversation as I recall.
"Moondance" was my favorite of his tunes up to that point (I play that one too!), but I found "Into the Mystic" to have this laid back approach while maintaining passionate delivery. It floats along and envelopes you...in a very short time. It hooked me and it's been one of my favorites ever since.
I played it this past Saturday night:
And here's the original:
Hope you enjoy! Maybe I'll see you Friday!
- DerykMy Dad played in bands throughout my childhood. I loved that. I was always singing, banging out melodies by ear on the piano and playing saxophone...but I hadn't taken to guitar. That, of course, changed in 1994.
My little brother and cousins were given bat bags that year by the Easter Bunny. I, the only non-Little Leaguer, was given a copy of Counting Crows' "August and Everything After". I had heard "Mr. Jones" and liked it pretty well, but it wasn't until I heard "Round Here" and subsequently waited by the radio to record it (don't tell!) that awakened my desire to have the CD.
That night, "Round Here" was the first song I learned on my Dad's (no longer manufactured :-( ) Robin electric guitar. Just the little intro part at first, but it set me on a path. It led to my getting my first Fender Acoustic for my birthday that year...and my first Seagull for Christmas when I got to high school. The rest is history.
"Round Here" is still one of my favorites to play. Here's my cover from a few years ago:
And here's the original:
Happy Easter!
- DerykI was playing around while recording last night and recorded a version of Air's "Playground Love" for my friend. "The Virgin Suicides" is a really good movie with fantastic soundtrack. This tune is definitely a highlight. My take is, obviously, a stripped-down version (THAT SAX!) but I hope you like it. There's more stuff to come.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, here is the original:
(11:25pm Update: I got it working! I'm either a magician or...yeah! Let's leave it at that. I'm a magician. I got a little bit recorded, so stay tuned. I might post something soon. Thanks!)
It looks like whatever I'm recording is really loud and in aggressive stereo, right? Nope. There is nothing going through it. I'm not sure what that's about. It could be a problem with hardware, software, the wrong moon phase, demonic possession, self-awareness brought on by a dislike of what's being recorded, or human error. I'm leaning toward "demonic possession" because it's more metal and it makes it not my fault.
I put a ticket in with Presonus, so I'll get it up and running later. I'll be an optimist.
Do you have any recording woes?
- DerykYesterday was lovely. I don't often use that word, but it's a great description for the day. I printed and taped up my posters and I tracked down additional gigs. I drove down the highway while the sun shone brightly, the wind in my hair, and other cliches about the open road on a nice day. It was just...satisfying
Cut to today: I wake up, grab my laptop, and head outside to keep with that aforementioned progress on the porch...in the sun. NOPE. Like an ex-girlfriend showing up with a pregnancy scare after a drunken one-night-stand you knew you shouldn't have had, there's snow. Not slow-falling pretty snow but wind-driven horizontal devil snow.
Suffice it to say, I'm working indoors today.
What do you think? Tell me your feelings on snow.
- DerykWelcome to cookiesnotcrackers.com, a site for the (mostly) musical escapades of me, Deryk Cunningham. I'm still not sure what to expect by having built this site with all the social media and blogs sites (please check out my links at the top right ;-) ) available that are streamlined for this sort of thing.
That said, I like the feeling of creating something and I had a pretty good time creating this page. I'll also frequently be updating this as I am working on recording my first solo EP.
I'd like to hear from you, so be sure to e-mail me about bookings, thoughts, suggestions, music I should hear, music I should play, gear or instruments I use, musings, etc.
Thanks for reading and checking out my page (I love you, Mom) and I hope you keep following along. Tell your friends.
- Deryk