An Absolution update from Djinji

Absolution, Churchill's Pub, Miami FL, 5/30/08, Photo: Zac Wolf

I caught up with Djinji on Tuesday night to get a little pre-show game plan from him, and I thought I'd share it here. We had already talked a little bit about the Miami show after it went down and I knew he was psyched about it. He's pretty humble and hush-hush about New York but it sounds like it is all systems go and he's pumped. See everyone there.

-Gordo DCXX

The Miami gig was great, just a lot of fun, so much fun and so real. A lot of kids didn't even know why we even there in the first place, which was perfect because it gave us the ability to win some heads and hearts over. It was a great way to get ready for New York. To be back on the mic singing those songs, I can't articulate it. It was like riding a bike, being back up on stage. Physically it was demanding, but it's supposed to be. In the middle of it, it just felt right. It didn't feel like old times, we weren't concerned with doing it like we did in the past. We just wanted to enjoy it in the now.

We all have this bond of physical discipline, Doug and Gavin train people for a living, I work out to really take my body to the highest level I can. So we had to bring it and we have to do that in New York. I'm also still used to performing in front of people, so it's not like I'm getting on a stage and doing it live for the first time in 20 years. It was just like wearing a different pair of clothes. But my heart was into it man.

We are rehearsing this week (Wednesday) for the first time as a full band for the NY show. Doug, our drummer, and I have been down here. Gavin and Sergio are up there. Me and Doug have been doing our thing, Sergio and Gavin been doing their thing. We're gonna bring it all together. It's been really fun since the Miami gig, just stripping the songs down, reworking them, kinda relearning them. I'm really excited. Doug and I have had a great time getting the songs down and reconnecting with the lyrical content of the songs. Unknowingly, we left a body of work we have been able to come back to as adults that we don't have to be ashamed of. And we get to bring it up to date because we are grown men now with more behind us. I can approach the lyrics with more concern for performing them properly.


Absolution, Churchill's Pub, Miami FL, 5/30/08, Photo: Zac Wolf

With us rehearsing just drums and vocals, it's locked up like some hip hop shit. All I'm saying is that rhythmically we have been practicing just very tightly. It's demanding, we are eating right, drinking a lot of water, just taking it seriously, it's like a work out, that's how we approach it. I bring a gallon of water for each of us to practice, we have some fruit and light food, and then we approach it like a sparring session or like training. We don't fuck around and waste time. Doug has a lot of discipline and is dedicated to this. So we have both approached it very seriously, and we respect the demands of it. You have to.

It's like James Brown just having to and needing to be tight with his funky drummer, he has to be comfortable with him, that's his man. So I'm proud of having this rhythmic attack, and being able to develop it. I have been making beats for so long, so to have Doug on this, who knows it, it's like having the right band member with me. To know Doug is on board, it's a great feeling, he knows what it's all about. I don't have to worry about Sergio and Gavin, I know they will bring it. To get back on the stage with Sergio, I don't even have words for that. Everybody's excited.

At the same time, I don't want people to expect anything in New York. It's a world of pre-information. I'm not gonna say publicly what the set list is or what is gonna do down. That's for a few people to know. It's not a big deal, we aren't like rock stars with pyrotechnics or anything, but we want the set list to be more than just a set list. We want it to be a story that unfolds without knowing what's gonna happen. When I look at the lyrics together, it's like a story book, it takes you on a journey. I want to tell it, I don't want people to know what's coming. I'd say the lyrics mean more to me now than they did then. Because they are relevant today, it's more than just nostalgia.

It will be cool to see the family, to see the Sick Of It All guys and everyone, it will bring back those old feelings. It will be great to see what my peers are doing. The stars seem to be aligned and everyone seems to be excited, that's all I can say. Of course there are some butterflies, but that's natural. It will be good old fashioned sweat. And we are doing it from our hearts.


Absolution, Churchill's Pub, Miami FL, 5/30/08, Photo: Zac Wolf