Momentum

An update:


Psych!

Gabrielle, Paul, and I have been tightening up some of our tunes. Some of this stuff is sounding pretty darn strange, I have to say -- odd time signatures, key changes, touches of different musical styles, Spanish and English lyrics, and it's a bit psychedelic, sonically speaking. Though one of your eyebrows is probably arching dangerously close to your hairline as you read this, I actually think our music is fairly accessible. (My old roommate said it sounds like "Johnny Marr on peyote in Juarez" -- probably the coolest compliment I've ever heard.)


Score!

A good friend of mine is earning her MFA at UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television, and I've been working on music for her films. A while ago, we tried recording music for one of them "silent film-style": I improvised some guitar as it played on the big screen of the school's soundstage. This approach didn't really satisfy us, though it was a blast. Revisiting it now, I've been recording short tracks of stuff and sending them to her -- just me doing some overdubbed guitar and percussion. She's been digging it, which is a relief to me because she's very picky about music. Her film looks amazing, so I'm glad she's deemed my music as fitting accompaniment so far. I'll be hammering away at that for the next week or two. I've been drawing inspiration from Carl Orff's Gassenhauer (which she suggested, as it was used in Terrence Malick's Badlands), some soukous, and Lhasa. If things go well in the next few days (and if my ideas turn out not to be as ridiculous as they seem) I'll also be channeling Sigur Ros (also her suggestion), The Sundays, and Erik Satie to wrap this up.


Noise!

For this project (and future ones, no doubt), I bought a tambourine, mini-bongos, and claves. It's my first percussion purchase since I quit playing drums in 2004. Friends who remember me as a drummer ask if I miss it. I do, but I think my voice is in the guitar. You may ask, "What are you doing with your drums?" If you read Eric's blog, you'll notice he's taking good care of my old kit in Chicago.

Speaking of which, there's a new EP from Brain Vacation on the way. It'll include "Battle Damage" (from Dark Side of the Brain) plus a couple new tracks, which will be Eric's debut on drums.

* * * * * * * *

More thoughts on the way once I get this stuff recorded.

Back from Vacation

So last month's screening of Dark Side of the Brain was well received. Imagine a roomful of twenty-somethings eating pizza, drinking beer, and watching Terminator 2 on mute while the most godawful noise accompanies it. It was pretty awesome. Eric had played me most of the music before, but he'd also done a lot of layering and collage-like production throughout, Teo Macero-style (not that I'm comparing myself to Miles). Guitarist Adam Munns is also featured frequently throughout. So it still held some surprises for me, too.

The DVD player went on the fritz just before the most important scene of the film -- where Sarah Connor dreams of the nuclear holocaust to come -- which terminated (groan) the screening prematurely. People seemed to dig it, though.

Eric's releasing the album on Saturday, August 29th (Judgment Day), at which time you can download it for free at brainvacation.info. He just sent me an advance copy with the digital liner notes, which look great. In the meantime, you can preview some of the tracks on the Brain Vacation Myspace as well as my own.

While you await Judgment Day, perhaps you'd like to acquire your own copy of a DVD with the original theatrical release via Amazon. (Note that Netflix carries the Extreme DVD version, which requires a special way to access the theatrical release which we'll mention in the album's liner notes.)

By the way, you can contact us through OurSpace to purchase Brain Vacation-related merch (like t-shirts!). Also, Eric has even more great art for sale.

Recent Happenings

It's been forever since I've updated this thing. What's new -- or, rather, what's not too old to mention here?:

Banding Together

Back in January, I began playing with a vocalist/guitarist/flutist named Gabrielle and drummer named Paul (who doesn't have a website but a bit of internet sleuthing will confirm his most recent regular gig was touring with the up-and-coming indie-alt-folk phenom Robert Francis). We've been writing some songs and are busy recording them.
Back in May, we finished something resembling a residency at Liquid Zoo, a bar on Sherman Way and Sepulveda Blvd. in Van Nuys. It's your classic neighborhood dive bar, which only had a handful of open mics amidst karaoke and comedy nights. They were cool enough to let us take over the room from ten to midnight for several Thursdays in April and May. Not having two hours of original material, we threw together some covers with odd arrangements in incongruous styles. It was a lot of fun – for us, at least.

What's our style? I don't want to be sleazily grandiose or self-promoting and say, "You just have to hear it," but I also don't want to list a bunch of niche genres in an attempt to appear hip. Since I can't point you to a website yet, though, I have to do the latter: we draw inspiration from Latin music (Argentine tango and various Brazilian sounds), Americana, jazz, trip-hop, funk, and psychedelia. For the curious, our set of cover tunes included our takes on Bebel Gilberto, Lhasa, Tom Waits, Marisa Monte, Maria McKee, Fleetwood Mac, Madeleine Peyroux, and Gotan Project.

Here's the awkward thing: we played all these gigs without a band name, demo, or MySpace page. We still haven't gotten around to picking a name, but when we do, a MySpace page with some tracks will follow.

Dark Side of the Brain

I began contributing to a project masterminded by Eric Baskauskas, an accomplished artist and sludge metal/noise/punk aficionado. I met him through Akemi, a mutual artist friend.
Brain Vacation is his musical brainchild (pun intended). Through creating an alternate soundtrack to Terminator 2: Judgment Day (a la Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon with The Wizard of Oz), the goal is to explore themes of cultural apathy and awareness through the lens of James Cameron's LA-based masterpiece from 1991. Another goal is to have fun recording and producing lots of chaotic noise and have a screening party with pizza and beer.

I enjoy some fairly raw music now and again, but I haven't consciously tried to inject that into my own playing till now. Before starting on this project, Eric loaded me up with tons of noisy, aggressive listening material, ranging from droning to desperate: Boris, Fucked Up, Torche, Pissed Jeans, Melt Banana, Locust, Lords, and Pelican to name a few. I've been trying to access those sonic areas of my own playing. I know they're in there, but I've always repressed them in an effort to make things I play sound "attractive" or "pretty," even if they're loud or distorted.

There's more Brain Vacation information here. And, unlike me, Eric blogs regularly. We're screening the film with our soundtrack tonight. I only worked on certain segments with him, and he's the producer, so I haven't seen the thing in its entirety. Should be interesting!

In Closing

Sorry if you've been expecting regular updates here. I don't normally talk about my projects until they're totally realized and polished, but I'm trying to get over that, so I'll try keeping this thing current. This is more of a place for intense prose, but I'm finding Twitter is nice for the random thoughts I have (which are many) that can fit in 140 characters (which are few).

Grammar Rant

I can't pretend I'm not one of these people. It's probably because of my English major (or according to that article, some approval-seeking, perfectionist need to control everything around me), but poor spelling and grammar bug me more than the average person.

Minor grammatical gaffes or typos are forgivable, of course. What I hate, though, are rampant errors that confuse others. In a previous job, a supervisor e-mailed me and mentioned that a certain task "couldn't be harder" to do. Unless I'm mistaken, that phrase suggests that the task is very difficult, as opposed to something which "couldn't be easier." I asked him what he meant and got a slightly indignant response, as though I were pretending to misunderstand so I could nitpick. I'm sure this phrase made sense in his head (and it sort of does, if you over-think it), but I thought it was more reasonable for him simply to try to write more clearly than to attempt to color his writing with mangled expressions and requiring his colleagues to decipher his own muddled linguistic universe.

We see proper spelling, grammar, and structure as secondary to the actual meaning of our communication. (I think "efficiency" in electronic communication has influenced this, but that's a story for another time.) What we overlook, though, is that some people aren't capable of communicating their messages without these "secondary" concerns. I'm not asking for expertly penned epistles. I just don't want people thinking (successful) proofreading is an activity only for the obsessive.

Here are some of the "greatest hits" of e-mails I've received in past jobs. Yes, I save them when they're this funny. Specific references have been removed to protect identities, entities, and my ass. Snide, italicized commentary is mine.

At the top of the letter, put create you lines as an "or" statement (better explained on the phone). (No kidding.)

We have also printed promo in this item. ("We have also grammar-checker in this our e-mail program.")

I recommending is one much specific schedule of this event. ("I recommending is one much closer proofread before clicking 'Send.'")

Please change this so when you look the sheet those obsessed, those include might actually hang it up! (...and those obsessed with trying to figure out what the hell you're saying might look at this and actually hang themselves.)

Now, before you accuse me of taking these statements out of context to make them look absurd or even more baffling, trust me: in these cases, the context is irrelevant, and, in fact, since many of them were surrounded by other errors, their compounded effect was much worse.

I would never have guessed some people habitually "communicate" like this. Of course, I wouldn't boycott a restaurant based on menu misspellings, but who dares to claim they're professional when they routinely ruin their native, and often only, language? It boggles my mind that this inattention to detail is even passable in the workplace.

That article acknowledges correcting someone's language in preparation for an interview is acceptable. Not that we always need to be interview-ready, but why should we be allowed to speak and write abysmally the rest of the time? Nonchalantly butchering one's first language is the equivalent of dressing sloppily: it gets the job done, but you look like you don't care about your appearance.

Cars and Stars

This commercial is hardly new, and the music's even older (from 1995), but I was thrilled to hear it on TV.



Hum's "Stars" was played on my hometown's modern rock radio station with some regularity, and I always cranked it when it was on. Those chords sounded incredibly huge and heavy, and the bridge had a catchy, crunchy 16th note-riff that stuck with me somehow. And I think the washy, phasing noise of You'd Prefer an Astronaut -- and later, the essential Downward Is Heavenward -- primed me for the likes of My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. (Ironically, those acts preceded Hum by several years, but I blame my reverse-chronological discoveries on the fact that most nine-year-olds aren't listening to Loveless.)

I usually feel commercial music is pretty forced, but I thought this was awesome.

Speaking of which, an even more alarming coupling than Ms. Walsh with Champaign, IL's native sons is Gisele Bündchen with the Mingus Big Band's "Moanin'" here. (I really want to dislike her and all her supermodel aloofness, but there's a moment where the corners of her mouth get pushed into a smile and she looks sublime.)

Formative Harmonic Revelations

This post may sound a bit sentimental or nerdy, but at the very least, it shouldn't be confused with mere nostalgia. I've been thinking about where I had my first memorable encounters with a few harmonic ideas in non-jazz music.

In my defense, I'd like to mention the following:

1) I had hardly any exposure to jazz before playing in the high school jazz band, so my early awareness of these devices happened when playing much simpler music.

2) I was a drummer and trombonist at the time, and with no background in theory, it was perhaps unfortunate that I couldn't identify these devices until later. I didn't play guitar or really know any music theory until high school.

3) These might not be my true first encounters with these ideas but merely the ones that made the earliest impressions as my listening habits shifted from "liking" music to "learning" music.

maj7 chord:
Stone Temple Pilots: "Plush," Core: There was something magical about this song's chorus. I realized it was only two chords, but it was hard to tell why they were so different. (Please also see "bVII chord" below.)
Foo Fighters: "Floaty," Foo Fighters: This song's verse contained several maj7 chords in succession. That -- combined with the jangly acoustic guitars, the hazy-sounding production, that odd phasing effect, and Dave Grohl's phantasmal, almost unintelligible, voice -- kept it on repeat on my stereo for a while as I tried to decipher what made this special. (Please also see "bVII chord" below.)

maj9 chord:
Sleater-Kinney: "Things You Say," Dig Me Out: I picked this album up randomly in a used record store when I was much too young to understand its rebellious significance. It sounded special to me because I didn't have any other music like it -- the obtuse, quirky guitar lines, the lack of bass, the surf-rock drums, the cutting, jittery vocals. As you may know, I tend to like music with complex or interesting harmony yet this band was all about melodies and energy -- a more linear approach. Those lines could intersect to create some great harmonic moments, though, and this chorus was one of them. I admit it's odd that I remember them when I think of maj9 chords. In fact, I know it's odd to my friends that I enjoy them at all. (Note: For a brief moment, that first maj9 chord turns into a maj9#11 chord, but since it's due to the guitar melody, I count it as more of a passing tone.)
Smashing Pumpkins: "Mayonaise," Siamese Dream: Pumpkins are famous for their huge sound, particularly on this album, but while everyone talks about the thirty-something tracks of guitar, I think the most important ingredients of this track's depth are those thick chords. They could make even one acoustic guitar sound enormous.

maj9#11 chord:
The Sundays: "Here's Where the Story Ends," Reading, Writing and Arithmetic: I think this song drips of nostalgia even for people who don't remember it. Maybe it's the wistful vocals and lyrics or the tons of reverb and chorus. Again, with me, it's almost always the chords. The first chord, Gmaj7, is already beautiful. The second, Cmaj9#11, was pretty mysterious to me then. The two combined truly did something to rewire my nascent musical mind. I don't believe I was aware how unusual the melodies are until recently, though.

bVII chord (e.g., a Bbmaj chord in a song in the key of C major):
Smashing Pumpkins: "Hummer," Siamese Dream: The verse to this song hypnotized me not only because of the chorus effect but I kept wondering why that second (A7sus4) and third (Cadd9) chord sounded so melancholy or poignant. I should add that, in this instance, the A7sus4 contributes as much to that feeling as the add9 chord does.
Stone Temple Pilots: "Plush," Core: Though in the key of G major, the chorus consisted of Ebmaj7 and Fmaj7, the bVI and bVII of G. (Please also see "maj7 chord" above.) I don't think I'm lamenting overly much to wish today's mainstream music audience could tolerate something like that.
Foo Fighters: "Floaty," Foo Fighters: I admit the descending maj7 chords, E to D to C (please also see "maj7 chord" above) sound a bit amateurish to me now because it's the same fingering shifted down twice. But the overall harmonic and sonic qualities of this were strange to someone who thought this band might be Nirvana, Part II.

Eventually, I got into jazz and other kinds of music, not to mention studying music in academia, so these ideas were no longer as fresh. Particularly in jazz, using chord extensions like these are so common, and they're just one fundamental piece of a complex galaxy of musical choices one makes every moment. I don’t wish I could "go back" and experience these ideas for the first time again, though. I think it's even more rewarding to know exactly what I'm listening to now. And just because I know what a maj9#11 chord is certainly doesn't mean I love the Sundays any less.

Christmas Is Coming

Like so many others, I pull out A Charlie Brown Christmas each holiday season. As a jazz fan, I'm usually ambivalent about the music I hear this time of year. On one hand, it's good to have jazz in people's ears. On the other, it reinforces the mainstream view of jazz as background music.

But how can someone feel bitter about music during the holidays? In spite of myself, I'll lean towards optimism: people hearing a good deal of jazz, even for only one month out of the year, is a great thing. And I can't possibly hold a cynical attitude when my holiday stress is broken by hearing Vince Guaraldi. "Christmastime Is Here" and the "Linus and Lucy" theme are familiar to most, but I've always been more excited by "Christmas Is Coming" or "Skating."

A Charlie Brown Christmas (Fantasy)
Vince Guaraldi (piano)
Fred Marshall (bass)
Jerry Granelli (drums)

I wrote a bit more about Mr. Guaraldi's classic soundtrack at the "Talkin' Jazz" blog here last year.

Happy Holidays, whatever you're celebrating.

Pick Your Battles

I recently started looking into Battles. I came across them while reading that one of their members, guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist Tyondai Braxton, is the son of Anthony Braxton. Very cool stuff. In several places, these guys are referred to as "math rock." I'm honestly not deep enough into that scene to know whether this is true, but I hope that title isn't applied just because it sounds like music for nerds. Their music clearly has a series of complex, involved processes, but they still sound organic and unhindered by the process itself. (This isn't to imply math rock's "soul" is inherently stifled by its own characteristics.)

From Mirrored, "Tonto":



I've discussed my feelings on loops in a previous post. These guys definitely have the right idea. Without the advantages of studio production, though, I admit a live looping experience can get drawn out. It's a good thing they're such compelling performers (i.e. they fuckin' rock out and look cool doing it... though the camera work here adds a lot):



TheirSpace.

Feeling Loopy

Something I've been pondering recently: in the non-electronic music world, why does live looping seem to attract guitarists more than other instrumentalists?

A list of my possible yet unsubstantiated answers:

1) Unlike solely melodic musicians (i.e. horn players, vocalists), guitarists can shift easily between harmonic and melodic roles to take greater advantage of looping possibilities.

2) Guitarists like pedals. I try to deny this, but they can be fun.

3) Simple proliferation: guitarists are influenced by other guitarists. The more guitarists use loops, the more other guitarists are awakened to the possibilities.

4) With so many guitarists out there, looping is an intriguing way to differentiate oneself.

5) It's more practical for a guitarist to use loops than a bassist or drummer whose instruments are often inaudible or indistinguishable in live settings.

Generally, I enjoy artists that use technology in clever ways. It can certainly be gimmicky, but I think anything that gets today's musicians to think more about and adjust their approach to music can't be a bad thing. Guitarists using loop pedals are often more conscious of their sound within a group beyond the usual tonal/sonic way. It forces us to focus more on rhythm and structure.

But loops definitely impose limits as well. If the artist isn't using very long loops, their fixed nature allows for very little time elasticity or harmonic or melodic variation. A musician or band has to have enough ideas to accompany the loops to hold a listener's interest in spite of the very obvious repetition. In my view, a looping musician should have (1) an incredibly fertile approach to composition that can be enhanced with looping and/or (2) a good improvisational background that can supplement the loops. (Jazz aficionados often see composition and improvisation as similar and inseparable processes, which I believe is a good way to think.) I can't imagine anything lamer than someone using loops just because they can and it "sounds different."

Perhaps now you're wondering if I use loops. I don't, but I do have a Boss DD-6 Digital Delay that can store and play back up to 5,200 milliseconds. It's definitely not as flexible as dedicated loop stations. I wouldn't mind exploring the possibilities eventually, but I'm one of those people who feel more limited by technology. Maybe I'm paralyzed by all the choices it offers?

I like hearing creative artists who can use technology and still create something organic and personal. Ultimately, though, I'd rather spend more time playing guitar than playing with pedals.

Carnival of Light

Now this is interesting: Sir Paul McCartney hopes to release "Carnival of Light," an extended, experimental piece the Beatles recorded in 1967.

The recording was played as part of a mixed media event at North London's Roundhouse Theatre. This work was entirely improvised and very free -- Sir Paul also calls it "naïve" and "simplistic" in this audio interview -- but it's more or less consistent with their direction at the time as they were in the middle of recording Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The rest of the band objected to releasing it on their mid-'90s Anthology compilations, but I hope it'll find its way to the public somehow in the future (pending permission from Ringo and Lennon's and Harrison's estates).

More here. Be sure to check out the external links.

[image from beatlesbible.com]