Complete Static Reset
The short story. Amsterdam and Steim are more than I could have ever expected.
This redirection, complete reset of my life (inspirations, fixations and all), it still an overwhelming but blissful shock.
Taking it in as I go.
One thing strikes me as especially humorous: the business card.
Today I attended a digital music conference filled to the brim with brilliant people. To be specific, brilliant people with business cards. So, despite any number of umpteen-million social networking services; twitter, linkedin, plaxo, facebook, myspace, SMS, laptop computers and smart phones, the business card is still the contact recipe of choice.
My only problem is, starting with this new life, of only two months old, what exactly do I put on the card? I feel like a baby learning to recognize his own name.
Homage to the nights of music and merryment
For the last year me and a producer friend of mine have made it a ritual of getting together every saturday night at his place. Usually we end up rounding a rag-tag bunch of bohemians, musicians, and poker players for a rousing night of drinking, storytelling, and late-night swimming.
My favorite part of these get-togethers has always been near the end of the night, where a small group of survivors would gather in his studio to pour our hearts out musically with whatever we could come up with.. the results were always mixed. Inventive and often sloppy tapestries spattered with everyone’s original blend of herbs and spices. Reflecting on it, I realize that the lack of pretense is what really cinched the whole deal for everyone.
I’m really going to miss these nights now that I’m moving to Amsterdam… I’m going to miss my wonderful friends in Florida.
At our last get together, after a handful of 5-hour energy shots and just a bit too much vodka, the evening found me, rock-drummer/keymaster/vocalist Robb, and producer extraordinaire Jered trading ideas off a pretty simple fingerpicked guitar riff. The whole thing got out of hand pretty quickly!
Here’s the result.
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I’m really hoping that I can organize an event like this in Holland. An all-night music recording romp!
Steim has plenty of studio space.. hopefully Amsterdam has enough 5-hour energy shots to go ’round.
Rummaging through the minidisc archives
Minidiscs are amazing, I don’t care this way or that. Betamax of the digital era? Maybe.. so I’m one of “those guys” who just won’t let a good thing die? So be it. Nothing beats a portable minidisc recorder and an electret condenser microphone to catch stellar recordings on the cheap (I’m seeing portable MD recorders going for under $40 on eBay).
Unfortunately, my last minidisc-driven field recording setup broke down on the way back from a trip to South Korea in 2007. I was so upset.. having caught some amazing audio moments, not the least of which was a group of old women (”ajuma”) sing/chanting Korean folk songs.
Today I finally broke down and bought a new MD walkman.. and I can’t believe some of the stuff I’m finding on these piles of old mini discs.
Here’s one from ‘06 with my friend Elena …
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..it gets really cool around 1:47, I wonder what other gems I’ll find.
PS. Korean folk songs coming soon.
PS. I miss Michael Jackson already
New Piano Music
After much digging around in dungeons of boxes and storage pods I finally dug up the Yamaha FC5 sustain footswitch from my old SY33 synth. Looks like the FC5 is still being sold.. talk about longevity.
Happy as a clam in heat, I hooked up the sustain pedal to my Axiom 49 and fired up Virtual Grand’s stand-alone player to get into some juicy, pillowy piano goodness. Played a few notes.. and I do mean a few notes before.. silence. Not enough ram.
I’m now charged with the task of learning to rock a piano where the max polyphony is 25 notes..
Here’s my first attempt:
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Old Crow Medicine Show @ St Augustine Ampitheater
I’ve been lucky to witness a lot of great performances recently. On the 5th I saw Old Crow Medicine Show. Did you know that they started as a group of buskers who by a chance encounter with Doc Watson found themselves playing at the grand ole opry? The lead singer (if you can say there exists such a thing with these guys) Ketch Secor certainly has the demeanor of a busker, somewhere between a circus ringleader and a used car salesman.
Even if it’s not true, it makes a great story over a bottle of Kentucky bourbon.
These guys really know how to give it to an audience. They played an exhausting 2 1/2 hour set of knee-slapping goodness, to the point where they looked like they were going to keel over.
Now it’s easy to make comparisons between OCMS and Bob Dylan, the influence of the latter on the former is undeniable. But one notable talent shared by OCSM and Dylan is their treatment of cover songs. Yeah, that’s right, cover songs again.
Like I mentioned in one of my older posts, I think the art of covering songs is dying. OCMS is one of the groups that seems to be bucking that trend, makes sense with their old-time American folk roots. Check out the cover of Bob Marley’s Soul Rebel in the video below - it’s got the original’s essence, but a different shade of it (rather than a cheaper shade).
Some more videos from the show…
Down Home Girl (Rolling Stones)
Tom Waits @ the Moran Theater, Jacksonville
Age 17I went out to see Tom Waits the other night in Jacksonville (the J in PEHDTSCKJMBA). It was my first time driving to see a show by myself, but I’ve been a Waits fan for years and felt it was about time I saw him before he stopped touring (Tom is pushing 59). Besides, I was lucky enough to land third row seats through the new anti-scalper ticket policy.
Great googly moogly!
It turns out that Tom Waits isn’t just a gifted songwriter, but also a consummate host and entertainer. Tour de force, man. He must have spent a half hour working the crowd with his wonky vaudevillian wit. And did it damn well. It was like I got a concert, stand-up comedian and lounge act (literally, he sat at the piano and interjected songs between racy anecdotes) all in one.
I managed to snap this clip at the beginning of All the World is Green … apologies for the shakes, I was being assailed by the Moran’s hired muscle to put away my camera - fascists. Note: Although there was no cash-money or free beer, he did play all my favorites
Random quotes from the show
Tom: “Do you know how many omelets you can get out of an ostrich egg?”
Tom: “Fourteen.”
… pause …
Tom: “No but really, I’ve got nothing but good things to say of the ostriches I’ve met”
Guy in the balcony: “Tom, have my babies”
Tom: “JESUS! … you know these days that might actually be possible. Speak to my manager. ”
- He turns back to the piano to play and pauses -
Tom: “I do have to warn you though, my sperm is getting pretty pricey. I’m like a racehorse now”
Girl in the front row: “Welcome to Florida Tom!!”
Tom: “What? Try the orange juice? … Why? Is it spiked?”
- After stopping the band suddenly in the middle of a song -
Tom: “Everyone, everyone. If you’re going to clap along, and if you want to clap go ahead because I can’t go out there and stop you INDIVIDUALLY. But, if you’re going to work on something together, you need to elect some kind of leader … someone with especially good rhythm … once you’ve got an elected official then you can move forward, thats how these things work”
Guy in the audience: “We love you Tom!!”
Tom: “We’ve got a vice president.”
Someone else: “Woo, Tom!!”
Tom: “secretary of relations”
Another guy: “Tom for president!”
Tom: “mmm.. systems analyst. Isn’t this great? Everybody’s got a job”
… pause …
Tom: “by the way I didn’t just stop the song to tell you that.. there was an.. umm.. natural break and.. yeah.. whatever…”
