wilmington, hoboken, peekskill, and on to philadelphia.
here are some pictures that will say more than any of my ramblings:
Friday, July 3, 2009
empty and marvelous
this past week was a trip.
wilmington, hoboken, peekskill, and on to philadelphia.
here are some pictures that will say more than any of my ramblings:
wilmington, hoboken, peekskill, and on to philadelphia.
here are some pictures that will say more than any of my ramblings:
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
stillness is the move
a couple of things have derailed me from properly updating this blog that i cherish so dearly.
in april, i decided to move out of my old place. i couldn't handle the extreme pressure of feeling like there was no forward motion in my life. as of april '09, i had only amassed a measly 20 gigs. not that i should've had the audacity to compare 2009 to 2008, but imagine the shock: in 2008 we played at least 150 shows, opened up for primus in quebec city, and performed to 150,000 people in russia. that kind of year is almost impossible to replicate.
i felt that i had worked very hard to "make it" in the music business (whatever that means), and i found myself desperately calling musicians and songwriters for opportunities to play shows.
no such luck.
i thought, "well, this is it. 2009 is going to be a weak year for you. go get a real job and fix up your tumultuous relationship with your girlfriend."
at this low point in mid-april, i remembered that i did have a couple of potential shows lined up in may. i contacted those musicians and reassured them that i was ready, willing, and able to do some fun, albeit non-paying gigs. we did a show called shredfest V at the rotunda in may, and my life turned around a bit.
i was spiritually uplifted. and then i understood why i play music in the first place. i had gotten myself into a depression over what? having no constant income? no exposure? none of that matters.
sure enough, the second i had started to question my despicable ego-driven behavior, i get e-mails from project/object and adrian belew: "make sure you clear your schedule, we have a bunch of tour dates coming up." and isn't that how it always goes? we let go, we stop grasping for our desires. that's when they arrive like clockwork.
of course, two weeks later my girlfriend breaks up with me. inevitable and easy, and yet the knife still hurts like a bitch even when it's dull. i will say that i am happy now. well, except when those crippling pains come at 3 am, as i come to the sad realization that i've been spooning with my pillow for hours.
i have a new place, new friends, and i've been writing and painting. i have no reason to complain.
anyway, because non-sequitur is my middle name, here is an excellent youtube:
in april, i decided to move out of my old place. i couldn't handle the extreme pressure of feeling like there was no forward motion in my life. as of april '09, i had only amassed a measly 20 gigs. not that i should've had the audacity to compare 2009 to 2008, but imagine the shock: in 2008 we played at least 150 shows, opened up for primus in quebec city, and performed to 150,000 people in russia. that kind of year is almost impossible to replicate.
i felt that i had worked very hard to "make it" in the music business (whatever that means), and i found myself desperately calling musicians and songwriters for opportunities to play shows.
no such luck.
i thought, "well, this is it. 2009 is going to be a weak year for you. go get a real job and fix up your tumultuous relationship with your girlfriend."
at this low point in mid-april, i remembered that i did have a couple of potential shows lined up in may. i contacted those musicians and reassured them that i was ready, willing, and able to do some fun, albeit non-paying gigs. we did a show called shredfest V at the rotunda in may, and my life turned around a bit.
i was spiritually uplifted. and then i understood why i play music in the first place. i had gotten myself into a depression over what? having no constant income? no exposure? none of that matters.
sure enough, the second i had started to question my despicable ego-driven behavior, i get e-mails from project/object and adrian belew: "make sure you clear your schedule, we have a bunch of tour dates coming up." and isn't that how it always goes? we let go, we stop grasping for our desires. that's when they arrive like clockwork.
of course, two weeks later my girlfriend breaks up with me. inevitable and easy, and yet the knife still hurts like a bitch even when it's dull. i will say that i am happy now. well, except when those crippling pains come at 3 am, as i come to the sad realization that i've been spooning with my pillow for hours.
i have a new place, new friends, and i've been writing and painting. i have no reason to complain.
anyway, because non-sequitur is my middle name, here is an excellent youtube:
Friday, April 17, 2009
schlemeel, schlemazel, hasenpfeffer incorporated
i haven't been this happy in a while. last night we performed to an almost sold out crowd in st. louis. we also started the set with "a" and "b" from "e" (sounds confusing, but it's not!). the power trio has been recharged, much like a rayovac battery.
to counteract my hopeless yearning for knowledge and culture, i've watched a movie and started reading in the past two days. right now i'm reading "darkness at noon" by koestler. something about communism fascinates me, not because i'm interested in becoming a comrade...i just like reading about big ideas that result in big failure. perhaps it makes me feel a bit better about my own failures, which seem irrelevant in comparison.
i watched "stranger than paradise" by jim jarmusch. i like independent films from the 80's and 90's. they're all printed on film. real film is just better. it's forgiving and honest. sort of like the difference between reel to reel and pro tools. they're both magical, but a bad tape edit has so much charm to it.
anyway, we're driving to milwaukee right now. cue "laverne and shirley" theme.
to counteract my hopeless yearning for knowledge and culture, i've watched a movie and started reading in the past two days. right now i'm reading "darkness at noon" by koestler. something about communism fascinates me, not because i'm interested in becoming a comrade...i just like reading about big ideas that result in big failure. perhaps it makes me feel a bit better about my own failures, which seem irrelevant in comparison.
i watched "stranger than paradise" by jim jarmusch. i like independent films from the 80's and 90's. they're all printed on film. real film is just better. it's forgiving and honest. sort of like the difference between reel to reel and pro tools. they're both magical, but a bad tape edit has so much charm to it.
anyway, we're driving to milwaukee right now. cue "laverne and shirley" theme.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
have i mentioned i like music?
april has been a very active month.
two weekends ago i managed to catch some great concerts. the first was dan deacon + ensemble. i didn't think i'd be able to get in - it was sold out. i waited in line for a good 3 hours, and for the most part it was worth it. dan deacon continues to utilize a vocal processor, a dr. sample, and a bevy of guitar pedals...but he has expanded his one man show with a 15 piece ensemble (with two drummers and xylophonist!). this means that the typical ear shattering DD show has increased by a solid 15 decibels. still, an entertaining show. if anything, it was further proof that my generation is truly influenced by the minimalism of the 60's and 70's. there were times when i felt like i was at a rave curated by philip glass.
the next night i played with dragonzord in west philly, and then dragonzord's bassist andy black (he was also my equipment handler) had to play a show at the north star with his balls-to-the-wall metal group action park.
a tight, excellent band.
it was quite the scene. they were opening up for dirty diamond, the vulgar neil diamond tribute project! after action park played, a bus of middle-aged swingers got dropped off at the venue for reasons i could never explain or comprehend. we got out of there as soon as humanly possible.
we decided to drive around west philly for a bit to grab some drinks, and we stumbled upon what looked like "animal house". sure enough, it was the pi lam fraternity. they were having a BBQ/rock festival that was headlined by the dead milkmen and make a rising. we missed the milkmen, but make a rising was stellar. they've been one of my favorite bands since high school. they premiered an entire set of new material that was complex, raw, and beautiful. well done boys.
after that, i spent the entire week preparing for the drummers quartet show that i've been organizing along with pavel fajt (dunaj), mike pride (dynamite club, mdc), and jim meneses (chris cutler collaborator and prog-punk enthusiast). i can't believe it, but we somehow pulled it off. i'll post some clips of it when i get the footage and audio.
i feel boring though. i need to read a book or watch a movie. too much music makes you a robot. then again, too much anything does that. diversity is key.
right now i'm driving to the southgate house with adrian belew and julie. we're about to premiere the first 20 minutes of "e". wish me luck!
two weekends ago i managed to catch some great concerts. the first was dan deacon + ensemble. i didn't think i'd be able to get in - it was sold out. i waited in line for a good 3 hours, and for the most part it was worth it. dan deacon continues to utilize a vocal processor, a dr. sample, and a bevy of guitar pedals...but he has expanded his one man show with a 15 piece ensemble (with two drummers and xylophonist!). this means that the typical ear shattering DD show has increased by a solid 15 decibels. still, an entertaining show. if anything, it was further proof that my generation is truly influenced by the minimalism of the 60's and 70's. there were times when i felt like i was at a rave curated by philip glass.
the next night i played with dragonzord in west philly, and then dragonzord's bassist andy black (he was also my equipment handler) had to play a show at the north star with his balls-to-the-wall metal group action park.
a tight, excellent band.
it was quite the scene. they were opening up for dirty diamond, the vulgar neil diamond tribute project! after action park played, a bus of middle-aged swingers got dropped off at the venue for reasons i could never explain or comprehend. we got out of there as soon as humanly possible.
we decided to drive around west philly for a bit to grab some drinks, and we stumbled upon what looked like "animal house". sure enough, it was the pi lam fraternity. they were having a BBQ/rock festival that was headlined by the dead milkmen and make a rising. we missed the milkmen, but make a rising was stellar. they've been one of my favorite bands since high school. they premiered an entire set of new material that was complex, raw, and beautiful. well done boys.
after that, i spent the entire week preparing for the drummers quartet show that i've been organizing along with pavel fajt (dunaj), mike pride (dynamite club, mdc), and jim meneses (chris cutler collaborator and prog-punk enthusiast). i can't believe it, but we somehow pulled it off. i'll post some clips of it when i get the footage and audio.
i feel boring though. i need to read a book or watch a movie. too much music makes you a robot. then again, too much anything does that. diversity is key.
right now i'm driving to the southgate house with adrian belew and julie. we're about to premiere the first 20 minutes of "e". wish me luck!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
metamorphosis
has anyone read "thus spoke zarathustra" by nietzsche?
in the beginning of the book, zarathustra bloviates that he must come down from his mountain in the forest - where he had been living a solitary life for ten years - to unleash his overflowing wisdom upon the local populace. he arrives at the downtown area and a small crowd is being entertained by a ropewalker. zarathustra decides to interrupt the entertainer and speak to the spectators. when he sputters off his mammoth concepts to them, they are bewildered. he decides to leave, feeling empty and depressed.
sometimes i feel that way when i teach drum lessons! hah, did i just take all the piss out of nietzsche?
don't get me wrong, i love to teach. it's just a job that requires patience. it also requires intense organization. it's hard to get a student to find point A, and it's even harder to have them make the connection to point B. this brain addled generation seems to have difficulty making logical connections between two points.
of course, i have trouble with it too. but i'd like to think that i'm curious.
i'd like to think that the modern teenager would be immensely curious and thirsty for knowledge, considering that the internet is an infinite sort-of free library. however, in my experiences, they just aren't. they are generally concerned with social networking - and that is about it.
yeah. i am a hypocrite. i use all the networking tools.
i've contemplated facebook suicide many times, but it's just too easy to promote my rock shows on there.
oh well. hopefully it'll end soon.
wait, i do like twitter. it's a nice way of networking without wasting your life. unless you do it obsessively, of course.
let's end this post on a positive note.
here's a list of "things i know right now":
i love art
i love my dog
i love my friends
i love my family
oh, and i'm also an endorser of ludwig drums now. i couldn't be happier about that!
in the beginning of the book, zarathustra bloviates that he must come down from his mountain in the forest - where he had been living a solitary life for ten years - to unleash his overflowing wisdom upon the local populace. he arrives at the downtown area and a small crowd is being entertained by a ropewalker. zarathustra decides to interrupt the entertainer and speak to the spectators. when he sputters off his mammoth concepts to them, they are bewildered. he decides to leave, feeling empty and depressed.
sometimes i feel that way when i teach drum lessons! hah, did i just take all the piss out of nietzsche?
don't get me wrong, i love to teach. it's just a job that requires patience. it also requires intense organization. it's hard to get a student to find point A, and it's even harder to have them make the connection to point B. this brain addled generation seems to have difficulty making logical connections between two points.
of course, i have trouble with it too. but i'd like to think that i'm curious.
i'd like to think that the modern teenager would be immensely curious and thirsty for knowledge, considering that the internet is an infinite sort-of free library. however, in my experiences, they just aren't. they are generally concerned with social networking - and that is about it.
yeah. i am a hypocrite. i use all the networking tools.
i've contemplated facebook suicide many times, but it's just too easy to promote my rock shows on there.
oh well. hopefully it'll end soon.
wait, i do like twitter. it's a nice way of networking without wasting your life. unless you do it obsessively, of course.
let's end this post on a positive note.
here's a list of "things i know right now":
i love art
i love my dog
i love my friends
i love my family
oh, and i'm also an endorser of ludwig drums now. i couldn't be happier about that!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
coffee and vitamin e
right now, i'm typing to you from the "robert fripp suite" of adrian belew's basement. it's our temporary housing. we've been here all week making a brand new record.
our working schedule gave us only 5 days to complete 50 minutes of demanding instrumental music, and yet it didn't phase us one bit. i haven't felt this stress-free in quite some time...perhaps it's because our diet has consisted of mexican food and julie's gourmet cooking. for our final day of recording, julie made a show-stopping indian meal. let's just say the "fripp suite" has now been poisioned by some brown malodorous gases. gross.
for inspiration i've been listening to:
stravinsky's "rite of spring"
pierre schaeffer
henry cow's "unrest"
konono no.1
nat baldwin's "mvp"
alice coltrane
frank zappa's "lumpy money"
i've also been reading voraciously:
william kotzwinkle's "the fan man"
chuck klosterman's "downtown owl" (i keep getting negative responses about this from my friends, but i liked it for it's lonely charm anyway)
and right now i am in the middle of stephen hawking's "brief history of time". i've always found modern science to be fascinating, but high school was never stimulating enough to make me think about it (at least when i wasn't in school).
call me a nerd, but i'm having fun reading about quantum mechanics!
i will leave you with my favorite internet video of 2009 thus far:
our working schedule gave us only 5 days to complete 50 minutes of demanding instrumental music, and yet it didn't phase us one bit. i haven't felt this stress-free in quite some time...perhaps it's because our diet has consisted of mexican food and julie's gourmet cooking. for our final day of recording, julie made a show-stopping indian meal. let's just say the "fripp suite" has now been poisioned by some brown malodorous gases. gross.
for inspiration i've been listening to:
stravinsky's "rite of spring"
pierre schaeffer
henry cow's "unrest"
konono no.1
nat baldwin's "mvp"
alice coltrane
frank zappa's "lumpy money"
i've also been reading voraciously:
william kotzwinkle's "the fan man"
chuck klosterman's "downtown owl" (i keep getting negative responses about this from my friends, but i liked it for it's lonely charm anyway)
and right now i am in the middle of stephen hawking's "brief history of time". i've always found modern science to be fascinating, but high school was never stimulating enough to make me think about it (at least when i wasn't in school).
call me a nerd, but i'm having fun reading about quantum mechanics!
i will leave you with my favorite internet video of 2009 thus far:
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