02005-09-24 | Uncategorized
I have never been to Portugal, but I have often wanted to visit the country, and especially Lisbon. I found this beautiful photo on Flickr this morning. I want to record some guitar pieces in the lighthouse!
Will visit the Counter Culture cafe on Baca Street this morning. They are showing some photos my brother took.
I will leave on Thursday for a few weeks in Italy. In fact I am going to have to pack – have I mentioned I hate packing – this weekend because I will ship a guitar and luggage via FedEx on Monday. No rushing through endless hallways with luggage to make the connection for me this time. Travel very light – and ship the rest…
I don’t know how often I will be able to post from Italy. I might end up using MARS (What? still no title-support for Blogger in MARS!?!?) to write and will post when I can get a connection, but no later than the last weekend of October.
02005-09-24 | Uncategorized
From an email regarding Tears in the Rain:
In this music there are pauses that are very poetic and at the same time very emotional.
Thank you, that’s one of my favorite compliments. A pause in music is the same as white space on a canvas. Japanese music more than any other music utilizes that space. Most traditional Japanese music does not have a specific meter or pulse running through it. Spaces are notated as such and do not have a specific length. Space or silence is considered just as creative an expression as sound. Actually, I think space is harder to create – it seems to require more experience.
I listened to the six pieces in the Tears in the Rain album this morning and I love what I hear. It sounds bare, exposed, personal, tender, but also strong and confident. I have wanted to do improvisations like this for a long time, but something was missing before and so it remained private until now. I feel that there is more about me in these six pieces than in all my previous albums combined. Or maybe I should say that it is a very different POV of that arbitrary collection of experience and preference that makes up OL.
In case you are new to this Diary – Tears in the Rain is a work in progress, a collection of solo guitar pieces available only from our ListeningLounge. I have recorded six pieces so far and upload them as they are created, without EQ or compression.
02005-09-23 | Uncategorized
Winter Solstice Traditions
Roman masters feasted with slaves, who were given the freedom to do and say what they liked (the medieval custom of all the inhabitants of the manor, including servants and lords alike, sitting down together for a great Christmas feast, came from this tradition). A Mock King was appointed to take charge of the revels (the Lord of Misrule of medieval Christmas festivities had his origin here).
02005-09-23 | Uncategorized
From Matt Callahan:
I had originally thought about adding the Mindbell between tracks to provide some room for a breath or two before moving to the next song. Now I think the sound of rain or even running water would be nice to go along with the title concept. Something faint enough that you really need to listen to hear it.
Each person could add the sounds independently. Some may not care for it at all and some may only want the addition between certain tracks. To me, this sort of flows with the idea of creating your own CD case or storage box. Any thoughts? Do you have sound files similar to this already on hand that could be added to the Lounge?
Interesting concept. Garnish or condiment??
No matter, I shall rummage through my files and look for more bells, rain and water. More building blocks for a very unique CD you can make yourself, if you like.
This would make a great gift for a friend, I think. There is the basic music I have recorded, the field sounds I will also supply, and then there are the precious ingredients of your own thought, creativity and care – downloading the music, possibly adding some field sounds here and there, burning a CD, creating a container. That’s not just a store-bought CD in a wrapper with a post-it note that says Happy Birthday…
02005-09-23 | Uncategorized
Thanks to a certain supermodel, cocaine is a hot topic this week. Here one of Britain’s leading artists explains why she, for one, can’t stand the stuff.
Yes, well put. I never enjoyed the vibe of people who did cocaine, therefore never tried it myself.
