Summer Solstice

Ah, yesterday was truly relaxing.  Spent the day listening to Roberta Flack at Stern Grove in perfect weather, then played with E&E in a version of GoJoGo at Loka Yoga in Oakland.  It was nice, very nice. Makund Subramaniam sang beautiful devotional songs beforehand.  

Double Up

That's funny...after just a handful of posts so far, Friday will be the second fundraiser I've done in less than a month.  I'm also doing 2 sets that night.  Am I some sort of Obamafied musical philanthropist? Using my status to bring stacks of cheddar to the folks in need?  YES.

Friday May 22nd at Pier 23 in SF.  The Cannery opens.  Boxcar Saints closes.

With Gojogo at the Boom Boom Room

I'm joining Gojogo for a set tomorrow night at the Boom Boom Room in the fillmo'.  I love the idea of playing chamber-world music at John Lee Hooker's old blues club.  Yes, the times have changed.  I always like making music with this particular grouping of our vast(?) network of bay area musicians.  The music is a play of opposites: organic/electronic, melodic/textural acoustic/electronic, chill/intense, structured/open.  We have collaborated on live soundtracks (specifically to 60's and 70's Russian Animation) over the years and are going to be doing a series of shows in that vein in August.  Stay tuned!

I Guess I'm Keeping Busy

So, I forgot to mention anything about the show I did last Thursday with The Cannery at Argus. It was a casual affair with Chip and I banging out a few songs for the local crowd.  I joined Dave for a set beforehand and Johnny played a set up front.  It feels good to play and sing as I haven't been doing the songster thing in public much and it takes consistency to sing well (especially with a dicey set of pipes like mine).  The best thing about it was the presence of my brother and his girlfriend in the audience.  They were great fans- singing along with songs and having a great ol' time.  There is no substitute for youth, & no better fan than family or close friends.  Why weren't you there?

Schooled by Wee Rockers

Dave and I went up to Santa Rosa this weekend to play a benefit show for a kid that fell off his skateboard and got hurt pretty badly.  I'll take just about any opportunity to sing a few songs, and had a good time, but the simple fact is that we were the support for a very young band called Yellow Snow.  They are a force of nature and pretty evolved for 12-15 year olds.  We heard several solid originals and plenty of classic covers delivered by a 4' singing drummer. Their parents are really supportive and I think there is a film to be had in the story of their rise...

Tropicalia

Having a lighter student load in the last couple of days has afforded me the opportunity to focus on an upcoming project that I'm really excited about.  The band is called Killbossa and our first show will be on Easter Sunday evening at Amnesia in San Francisco.  The lineup includes fantastic musicians on noise makers such as viola, clarinets, voice, guitar, bass, and percussion.  We have all agreed to transcribe & arrange a couple of songs from the rich and varied world of Brazil's 60's Tropicalistas:  Caetano Veloso, Tom Zé, Os Mutantes, Gilberto Gil, and more.  

As a guitarist with an ear for psychedelic sounds, I wanted to make sure that we had a ripper, so I first set to work on 'O Relogio', a haunting piece by Os Mutantes that eventually breaks down into a classic 60's psych jam.  I can't wait to do this one!  I dropped the Portuguese into a translator and here's what I got:

My clock stopped 

Always be dropped for 
Antimagnético 
Twenty-two rubies 

I gave thought and rope 
The clock would live 
To tell the time 
To reach you 

Not been and I cried 
Two pointers stopped to laugh 
They are waterproof 
Twenty-two rubies 

What I took advantage 
To have a clock 
What is Swiss or English 
Without floor 

What time will you arrive? 
And I shot at sea 
With the clock hands I thought 
It is waterproof 

Twenty two rubies 

Since I've long been a fan of Tom Zé and his Dadaist concoctions, I knew where I needed to go next. When I first heard 'Dor E Dor' from the Album "Todos Os Olhos" I was immediately hooked by it's killer beat and the phrasing of the call and response vocals.  But suddenly it takes a left turn and sounds like the cops are pursuing some mariachis in a Bollywood feature.  You've gotta love it.  Tom starts moaning at one point and I only wish I knew what the words meant!

This transcribing has given me an opportunity to become more adept with Finale - the music notation software.  Although I'm still much faster writing out scores by hand, there are sufficient advantages to make it worth the extra time.  So I will get more proficient.  It is nice to be able to transpose instantly and email drafts off to others. Less paper too.

Here's the jam.

Opening Rant:

There is so much I don't know.  About Blogging:  etiquette, technical issues, what else is out there....but here goes.  RK gave me the final push (unknowingly).  Driving to Pt. Reyes, caffeinated, talking about all that we intend to do but haven't quite gotten around to.  Starting. Finishing. Broadcasting.  There's no time like the present.  I'm not prepared, but here's a running start.  For now, this will be an extension of my ever-present pocket books.  So many of them over the years filled with songs, observations, notes to self.  Sometimes interesting, sometimes not. 

One probably should have a focus with these things, and mine would have to be the world of sound.  I just want to hear it all.  Such a delightful feast for these buddha lobes.  They say your ears never stop growing...well then, these puppies are going to be dragging behind me by the time I get to geezerville.  I might be incapable of staying on topic.  Let's see where this goes.