Well, I finally got around to recording a new mix! It’s been a few months, so it’s naturally a little rough around the edges, but at least I got something recorded. It’s kind of symbolic of the transition from summer to fall that we’re in the midst of right now. It starts off pretty hot … [Read more…]
Nothing like having to have a stack of 12′ x 6′ vinyl banners re-printed because of a typo. Doh! Ah well, they did go through a proofreader before being sent to the printer, so it’s not all my fault. I don’t get to see the invoices, so I wonder how much that little err just … [Read more…]
I’ve been endeavoring to practice a bit on my guitar each night in an effort to get my old skills back in shape, and I’ve found I can still play all the things I used to I just can’t play them as cleanly. I’m a bit sloppy and my timing isn’t always so hot either. … [Read more…]
I’m happy to report that I finally got my guitar gear hooked back up last night! I also stopped and got some new strings, which were desperately needed. I decided to experiment a little and buy some heavy-gauge strings so I can play around with a lower tuning, in this case I’ve tuned down to … [Read more…]
I finally got around to uploading some of the photos I took at my weekend retreat to my Flickr account. I've organized them all into one convenient set here: Shambhala Mountain Center There aren't many, as I didn't have much spare time to take any, but these are the best of the ones I did … [Read more…]
I'm actually getting paid to sit here and make music today! How cool is that? Sure, it's cheesy pseudo-trance nonsense and fairly loop-based, but it's making music nonetheless. It's for a promotional movie/animation that we're working on for a client, so I'm putting together a custom music bed to match the ebbs and flows of … [Read more…]
I had sworn to get a new DJ mix recorded at some point over the long holiday weekend, and I gave it a shot this afternoon. But, alas, it seems it was not meant to be. First, the plug kept falling out of the wall socket. This is a common thing in my apartment, where … [Read more…]
I was doing a little research on Anne Waldman, the woman who is hosting/teaching the retreat I’m attending, and I had no idea what I’ve gotten myself into! She was a huge part of the beat poetry scene in NYC back in the 60’s and was close with people like Allen Ginsberg and William S. … [Read more…]
I was killing a little bit of time this evening by watching a bit of Metallica’s “Some Kind Of Monster” documentary, and caught a bit where James Hetfield was talking about how he got into music and the role it played in his younger years. This got me reflecting on why I originally got started … [Read more…]
None of these were really worthy of a post unto themselves, and I haven’t posted anything in several days, so here they go: Thing No.1 I had really wanted to get a new DJ mix done this weekend, but I blew it. I just never got around to doing it, though I did get everything … [Read more…]
I fired up the sequencer and worked on some music today (nothing very good, natch) for the first time in ages. As I checked the date of the last file I worked on, I discovered it’s been over a month. And it’s not a case of working on a bunch of stuff and not saving … [Read more…]
I’ve managed to make the time a couple days this week to sit down and mess around with my MachineDrum this week. I’ve still not entirely re-discovered that creative fuel that I lost, but it’s a start. I’ve challenged myself to write a song using nothing but the MD, try to pull forth some unknown … [Read more…]
So, did I follow through on my plan for the evening yesterday? Finish up work? Check. Go to Trader Joe’s to get some food and some wine? Check. Eat some dinner? Check. As can be seen from the photo last night! Drink some wine? Check. First glass with dinner. Bust out the MachineDrum? Check. Make … [Read more…]
On a day as beautiful as today is, how can a person possibly be expected to concentrate on work? Between IM’ing all morning, and taking a walk every 10 minutes all afternoon, I’ve gotten sod all done today. Talk about the perfect day to finally un-rack my MachineDrum and sit out on the patio making … [Read more…]
I used to get a sense of apprehension from the blank canvas, be it a new document in Photoshop, a new and empty posting for this blog, a blank sheet of paper, an empty song in Ableton Live, or whatever else. It brought out all my insecurities. What if I’m out of ideas? What if … [Read more…]