Mizzi

A man with medium-length dark hair and a beard is sitting indoors holding a baby dressed in a white outfit decorated with pizza slice prints. The baby looks directly at the camera with a calm expression and has one arm resting on the man’s chest. In the background, there is a piano with sheet music and a room filled with natural light coming from large windows.

You mess with Chicago, you mess with us.

I am feeling comfortable enough to share some of what I have learned on piano this year. A huge thank you to Irma Svanadze for her guidance. My passion for learning and performing has fully reignited. This is a bit of “June” from The Seasons by Tchaikovsky.

#piano #tchaikovsky #classicalmusic

More details on all my performances: joemizzi.com.

Details on the October 15th show: www.facebook.com/events/12906...

I'm looking forward to seeing my bandmates and discussing our plans for next year. All of my relationships feel more precious than ever, and I am fortunate to know so many incredible humans.

Also, The Bollweevils are the main support for the sold-out Lucky Boys Confusion show at the House of Blues on November 15th.

A man with medium-length brown hair and a short beard smiles at the camera, wearing a green T-shirt. Behind him is a bright blue sky and several tall buildings in downtown Chicago, viewed through a large window.

I am back in Chicago after an extended period in Michigan. I'll be spending more time in Michigan in the coming months, but for now, some cool things are happening here. @theironspiders.bsky.social just announced a show on October 18th at Goat Village in Norridge, IL.

A woman with light gray hair and tattoos plays an acoustic guitar in a rustic wooden room. She wears a patterned tank top and looks intently ahead. The text over the image reads “Long tall lover” in bold white script, with the name “Gina Barcal” below in smaller cursive.

My friend, Gina Barcal has a new song out on Spotify. Completely different than what I know of her past work. It’s really good! Check it out!

distrokid.com/hyperfollow/...

A person holds a book titled Somnium (“The Dream”) by Johannes Kepler. The cover features a detailed black-and-white engraving of Kepler wearing a ruffled collar and dark clothing. The background shows part of a living room with shelves of records.

A quick, fantastic read. Somnium by Johannes Kepler. Considered the first piece of science fiction. Written before Isaac Newton was born and has so many accurate details.

Poster for Liarpaloozer 2025, a punk festival at Liars Club, 1665 W. Fullerton Ave in Chicago. Dates are Friday, September 19 through Sunday, September 21. Lineup: Friday – Cardiel, Service, Jo-Jo and the Clackers. Saturday – Bollweevils, Boybrain, Mary Jam. Sunday – From Parts Unknown, Sweetmelk, Silver Abuse. Artwork shows a comic-style scene of a fierce woman in a patched vest and torn shorts smashing through rubble, with two shocked figures (a punk with a mohawk and a man in glasses) recoiling below.

The Bollweevils are playing Liarpaloozer this year, the only Riot Fest after party that matters. Saturday, September 20th. I love Boybrain and am so excited we are on the bill with them.

A collage of nine cultural icons with the caption: “Thank you for teaching us how to be good, thoughtful, and caring human beings.” Each person is labeled with a quality: Mr. Rogers (Love), a Klingon from Star Trek (Glory), Jim Henson (Friendship), LeVar Burton (Discovery), Steve Irwin (Nature), Bob Ross (Creativity), Alex Trebek (Knowledge), Bill Nye (Science), and Steve from Blue’s Clues (Communication).

Happy Star Trek Day!

A man with dark hair sits on a couch holding a baby on his lap. The baby, dressed in a light blue onesie, reaches toward the man’s face while looking up with curiosity. The man holds a phone in one hand, and another phone rests on the couch beside him.

Daddy, get off your phone and pay attention to me! She’s right, you know.

Band on stage during a live performance. The foreground shows a guitarist taking a selfie, while the bassist and drummer play in the background. Another guitarist stands to the left, with tattoos visible on their arm and legs. The wooden stage floor and dim, moody lighting add to the punk rock atmosphere.

Check one two.

@theironspiders.bsky.social

I have no idea what I’m doing.

The boundary between Xennials and Millennials is Pokémon.

As I sat up from my urologist examining my reproductive organs, he went to the counter to take his gloves off, and, with his back turned to me, said, “The good news is you’re not going to die.”

That is how I found out, in my 40s, that I have cystic fibrosis.

A person holding the book Cosmos by Carl Sagan. The cover is black with an image of a colorful nebula in red, orange, and blue tones. The text reads: ‘The Classic Bestseller, Carl Sagan, Cosmos, with a new foreword by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Introduction by Ann Druyan.’

Sorting out my ADHD has made reading far easier and more enjoyable. I don’t have to reread passages 100 times because I got distracted by something I said to someone 10 years ago, over and over. I’m still surprised this is my first time reading Cosmos by the late, great Carl Sagan.

A computer connected to the internet and a computer not connected to the internet are two very different tools.

The Empire State Building lit up in red, white, and blue against a dusky evening sky, with a bright half-moon visible to the left. The scene is framed by tall city buildings and the leafy canopy of a park below, with warm streetlights beginning to glow.

To quote Andrew W.K.: “I love NYC.”

#nyc

It is strange to think I about my life before and after since I stopped drinking at a time when my life and the whole world were getting turned upside down. With all the change I’ve made, I feel more like myself than ever. Quitting booze is certainly a big part of that positive change.

Today marks 18 months since I last had a drink. I’ve said before I went into this not knowing how long it would last, but honestly, at this point, I don’t think about having a drink ever. It’s something I used to do.

I'm leaving out other matters with AI adoption, such as energy consumption, for now. Separate debate.

Still, please don't think that if you're like me and have near-zero visual artistic ability, you can suddenly become a visual artist or any other kind of artist simply by prompting an AI. The output is not as good as you think it is.

New forms of art will emerge that use AI, but it will still take an artistic sense to use it effectively. And AI will democratize making art to those artists who cannot perform some of the technical skills for whatever reason. Use it to create memes, placeholders, or whatever.

Many people believe that being able to prompt the AI makes them an artist. It does not. Some just understand that they can make money off of being able to say they are an AI artist and then undercut real artists while they are learning to use the tool more effectively.

You had a lot of worry that it would destroy art on some level, and initially, a lot of mediocrity was created. You can still find it out there. Posters and flyers are made by individuals with no artistic sense whatsoever. The same thing is happening with AI.

My issues with AI Art are not the "AI." (I still hate that we call it that). AI as a tool can be very, very useful. My problem is with those who think the AI magically makes them an artist. A similar phenomenon occurred to a lesser degree when tools like Photoshop and Illustrator became available.

Riot Camp VOL 2 · Mizzi Music, Software, Midwest

🕷️ The Iron Spiders are crawling out of the basement to play Riot Camp Vol. 2, an outdoor summer fest just outside Chicago. Bring sunscreen and a wallet chain.

A man with long hair sits in a cozy chair, holding a sleeping baby resting peacefully on his chest. The baby is wearing a dark onesie with red deer and white owl patterns. Behind them, a piano with open sheet music and a large window with city buildings is visible, giving the scene a warm, homey feel.

How am I supposed to do anything else. This is the best.

I have Sugar Ray stuck in my head.