Pinned

  • by Drew

Back when I got that futon in Boston, I had a visit from my Mom, Grandma and Aunt. They were the little trio of ladies that would come up from time to time. They were all 5 feet ad under, so they’d sleep sideways on the futon. All three of them on the mattress. It was kind of hilarious, but really pretty practical. I had another, much smaller and crappier futon I would usually have folded up as a chair that I’d use when they visited.

The first time they visited, when I wasn’t paying attention, my Grandma pinned a Sainte Anne de Beaupre medal to the mattress. Some people wear a St Christopher Necklace. Grandma went with the French Canadian hunk of wood from a cross that didn’t burn. And that was supposed to keep me safe. What with my dirty little rock and roll lifestyle and all…

Anywhere I lay my head

  • by Drew

I remember calling mattress stores Boston style back in the day when I got my first studio all those years ago. I ended up buying a queen sized futon, mostly because I already had a queen sized futon frame I’d pulled form an Amherst dumpster with a broken slat. It was an easy fix and gave me a great place to lay my head. I even got a deal on a thicker mattress than planned because it was the only one left on the truck by the time they got to me. It was like 2 inches thicker than I’d planned on but I only paid a teenie markup. It was like I got an inch and a half for free.

Is there a that’s what she said joke in there somewhere?

Strings that last forever

  • by Drew

I was never a big fan of high end strings. At least. not until I bought my Taylor 214. Like all Taylors, it came with elixir strings. And man, I love me them things. I will say this – if you want strings that last like three times longer than the norm, try these guys. But go with the nanoweb ones if possible. The original, polyweb strings feel a little heavy and gunky. So yeah. Go with the nanowebs. I can’t feel the difference between those and plain strings, but man… they just seem to last forever with a ring a ding ding.

Skin down

  • by Drew

When I got my elliptical and started exercising daily, I tried a few different footwear options. First I wore the best sneakers I owned. I thought the support was probably key. But given the number of times I’ve messed up my feet and ankles, maybe it wasn’t the best. I put checkerboard grip tape on the foot pedals of my elliptical  particularly bitchin’ if I do say so myself, but it was really tearing up the soles of my sneakers. And honestly I didn’t love wearing them.

I moved on to socks after considering other more conventional footwear options. Non Conventional too. Yogitoes, for example, have always held more than a passing interest. Ultimately, though, I went with socks. I’ve seen so much about going barefoot when it comes to walking or jogging or similar exercise. Who knew how rough the griptape would be, though. After a couple of weeks I needed a new bag of socks to replace all my holey failures.

Now I do it barefoot. Totally barefoot. And without griptape, because the first couple of days before I removed it ut calluses on my calluses.

Take a deep one…

  • by Drew

One fo my favorite topics, particularly when talking about singing, is breathing. I’ve said it many times, but the reality is that most people don’t know how to breathe. Hepa home filter or not, do you really know how to breathe? Let’s take a look. Stand up, put your palms on your belly and take a deep breath. Do your hands press in or move away?

Here’s the thing – if you take a deep breath, your lungs and related internal workings should expand. But in my experience, most people “taking a deep breath” actually compress their lungs and suck it in. Not so good. Certainly not so “expansive.” Can you dig it?

It’s all part…

  • by Drew

When I was younger I wanted to be a rock star. I mean, I said I didn’t. I pretended to be an artist, that all I cared about was pushing the limits of creativity. But let’s be honest… I wanted to be a rockstar. I didn’t need to be the Beatles, I didn’t want the contemporary clothing line/fragrance line/sneaker line/B-movie tie-in required of contemporary mdeia properties… I mean artists. Artists seeking services… drug rehab California type services.

No. But I did want to be successful. Successful enought to pay the mortgage without a day job. Successful enough to write and practice and play every day. Sheesh. What a selfish jerk, right?

Parking the Pups

  • by Drew

Not to get too ahead of myself, but you can look for an update to the Parks and Pastimes website pretty soon. Not sure what I’m talking about? Well, this is a site I’ve been maintaining for a friend and associate for several years now. If you are into a big barker or little nipper, you may want to know more. Among other things, Parks and Pastimes is the home of a leading dog park expert and consultant. Love your four pawed friend? So do they!

Spamalamalam

  • by Drew

Got a great spam message this morning with this subject: New Pope Announcement Has Major Impact On Your Auto Rates!

Who knew? This guy has been Pope for like half a day and he’s already saving me money? I love this guy!

Ellipticalishious

  • by Drew

When I committed to massive regular exercise to keep from, well, dying from the reality of my less than stellar genetic profile, I decided I should get an elliptical. I mean, I knew that a public gym or health club wasn’t my thing, so buying my own equipment was more or less a requirement. There was a good deal on a nice machine at Sports Authority and I bought. So, I guess in an indirect way I can thank Martin Hanaka.

Bling a ding ding

  • by Drew

I recently saw one of those bridal supplements in the paper. You know, where they get a bunch of caterers and DJs and banquet halls to advertise amidst editorialish content about trends in the wedding business. There was an interesting short piece about alternatives to traditional rings. Apparently engagement necklaces or bracelets are becoming more common. Increasing in popularity, as well, though at a slightly slower rate is the engagement tattoo. Why say it with jewelry when you can commit your love in ink that an only be removed with lasers. Unless you cleverly choose a tat with maximum future editing potential.

I admit that I’m a bit of a traditionalist on this one. It’s one thing to hire a planner or consultant to help you find a cocktail hour performer or the perfect cake or great deals on bridesmaid gown. It’s a whole other story when your supreme challenge is where to find pandora charms that really say “til death do us part.”

© 2026 Drew Bancroft. All rights reserved. Totally.