I just streamlined my old website. If you're interested in seeing what remains you can click Ye olde site, and see what's there. I'm considering adding a photo or two, but not much else at this stage. At some point, I may begin to use it as a place to display my sound-art projects. In the spring, I'd like to make a piece by putting a bee hive in the body of a guitar. I'll probably talk about it here and do a lot of proposals and disscussions at michaelbassett.org.
The folks at Escahtone have out done themselves with the Eschatone, what to call it... website, press central, CD store, weblog, general all around place for webriffic insanity.
Up at 4:45AM. Went to sleep at 7PM. So, that's good. Still bouncing from place to place. I haven't been able to shift the sleep schedule around very well yet. Once the work is complete on my place, I can settle into a pattern. Stayed at my friend's place last night. Have to remember to refer to her as Dr. Warr from now on (Congrats Tracey! Well done!).
Wondering how Jed's doing with the plague. For that matter, Lisa too. Sputnick, have you been immune, or have you fallen too?
I've been walking around college singing a little melody and some words Jed put in my head before I left NYC. It's an incredibly delicate and sad chorus, floating in a sea of acid rage. Jed sings "You Sold Me Out." If I recall correctly, the melody goes; Tonic, Tonic, then dropping down to Maj 7, Maj 6, to the 5th. I'm betting you'll be hearing it soon. Sticks like glue, I tell ya...
Plumber completed work on my effing bathroom yesterday. Can't take a shower in it till Sunday. Still using landlord's place for such purposes. And, I have to wait for the electrician to finish things off with the lights etc. However, I have most of my living space back from the tools and construction debris.
Went to college meeting yesterday afternoon. Things are still really weird on campus. Hard to read the mood of people gathered in groups. Seems clear things have been mismanaged. Have to think about appropriate way to approach things.
Have to get in touch with Jax about photos from NYC show. Was nice of Briertone to loan me their camera.
Got some time to work on a new song before dawn. Lotsa coffee, fire, sunrise, guitar, blogging... hey, not so bad eh?
Happy Birthday to Kearns!
Today was our drummer extraordinaire's b'day and we celebrated by Rocking! And Me and Jed added Tartuffo (is that how you spell it?) to the mix. Kearns and Alex both had wings; well, just legs but they were tiny and had sauce on them so we'll call 'em wings. I didn't notice the symmetry in our orders until now: dessert for me and Jed and real food for Alex and Kearns. That's probably indicative of something.
This weekend we'll be appearing on the Checkboard Kids TV show. More details to follow so fucking relax.
What was interesting about tonight's rehearsal was that we had to decide on a set list keeping the context for the performance in mind.
Jed and I did a TV spot when we were doing the Collider thing and what struck me about it at the time was how much like recording the process was. The songs that worked best were the ones that were executed well rather than performed well. You can pour all the energy you want into a take, but if it's sloppy, it's sloppy. No smoke and mirrors on a recording.
As it should be, alot of our appeal live is the energy we put out on stage. I don't think that neccessarily comes through the TV. You hope it does, but I think the execution of the song more than the performance of it is what will register with people.
Good thing we rule hardcore and the execution will be flawless.
We definitely spent some time thinking about the setlist for the show in terms of what will rock tv-style. It'll be interesting to see how it translates.
We'll post the details for everyone so they can try and catch the show; we'll let you know as soon as we do. So back the fuck off.
Date: 20 November 2006 06:42:09 GMT
To: bassett2167@...
Subject: Re: I trust you're home safely...
Hi Scott,
I'm here and fine. Apologies for not letting you know. I kind of assumed you'd be watching my blogs at the Eschatone site, but that's not necessarily a logical assumption. I'm very jet lagged and trying to push my schedule around to a more human time. I slept until around 3PM on Friday night and I managed to hang on last night till around 10:30 PM. I think that's about 31 hours awake (with some naps of about a half-hour here and there). I thought I was tired enough to sleep through to 7 or so, but I've just gotten out of bed at 4.
Things at college are going to be very strange. I have a departmental meeting this morning at 9. I've been getting all kinds of weird news concerning my colleagues and their time with one another while I was away. Apparently, there has been a lot of infighting and scape-goating. Some stuff may be being laid at my door. It can't stick, so I'm not that worried (just niggled).
I can see the dynamic: I've been away. As a result of the disastrous handling of the dismantling of my department, there is too much work to be done with present staffing allocation. People are being pushed. Stress levels are through the roof. So, when I'm fighting to maintain a schedule which fits to my contractual agreements and pay scale things are bound to get uncomfortable. There are people who are laboring with a view toward establishing themselves in the new paradigm, in the hope or assumption that things will continue into the future. I have made no such assumptions concerning the viability of the situation. I'm not inclined to the belief that things are going to last, nor am I sure I want to stay around if things do continue. As a result conditions created by the present managers, the quality of provision for students has dropped precipitously. I'm doing what I can to keep things steady for the rest of my time, but things are likely to continue to deteriorate. After the way things were handled last spring with my department, I have no illusions. No matter what promises are made, nobody is being taken care of but the upper management.
My sticking to my contractual obligations means that those making different assumptions have to pull that much more weight in attempting to smooth over emerging problems (which, to be honest, is extremely unlikely given the staffing allocation, budgeting and negligent/inept management from the top).
Tensions have been building since before I left for the tour. I guess things have started boiling over. I've heard rumors of screaming matches between staff members in the Gallery building, studios and corridors between offices.
It's going to be charming, I'm sure.
The official announcement concerning the possible merger/dismantling of the entire college came last week. This may shift people's perspective a bit and lessen the tendency to seek scape goats and the need to blame. I guess it could go the other way and people might be prone to lashing out at others, but that would be stupid (and it would be silly of me to take it personally).
In some respects, due to the closure of my department and my subsequent reduction in contract, I have already been through what people are now facing on a large scale. I don't know if I've been softened up, or battle hardened. Maybe its silly to think in those terms.
I don't know what people's attitudes will be at the meeting this morning. I suspect there will be some denial (as in, "I'm sure there will be a job for me if the college moves." etc.). Then, I know there will be those who interpret the scrawling on the wall more in line with my take (The jig is up. Where am I, and how do I get to Moonbase Alpha from here?).
So, we'll see what happens. It's good to write this down. It helps me think things through a bit before hand.
I think I have to try to keep my heart-rate down and take things in stride. Everybody's going to be screwed up today.
Please tell Momoe I said hi. It was great that you guys were at the show in NYC,
I wasn't sure about this Moises Alou signing at first—and it's not official yet so I probably shouldn't think too much about it—but the idea of it has started to grow on me. I have a some trepidation about his age, but even at 40 Alou is a significant upgrade over Cliff Floyd (provided he stays healthy, which Floyd couldn't anyway).
It's fun to watch Omar Minaya build a baseball team. He moves aggressively and unpredictably, and he doesn't let free agents or other teams dictate his timetable. He knows which players compliment what he's got and if somebody keeps him waiting, he always seems to have an alternative up his sleeve. Like last winter, when he made take-it-or-leave-it offers to two catchers, Molina and Hernandez, on the same day. Both of them took too long to decide, so he turned around and swiped Paul Lo Duca from the Marlins instead. KA-POW!
Now he's shoring up the holes in the roster as fast as he can, before this absurd free-agent market sends player values soaring (see the Alfonso Soriano deal that just hit the wires—absolutely ridiculous). When it's time to engage the big-name FAs, or talk trade, Omar will be able to deal from a position of strength.
You'll have to forgive my title, by the way... I'm at ESPN tonight. They've laid out a delicious Thanksgiving spread including a stuffing with so many mushrooms I can't pick 'em out. I usually can't stand mushrooms but I've got no choice but to eat them here (ere I forfeit my stuffing) and they're actually not bothering me that much. I must be growing up!
After editing this a bit, and considering what it means (and potential risks involved), I thought it should be here on its own. I kind of figured that if I was going to say this, it should be stand alone in broad daylight, where its easily found.
Don't wanna go out like a sucker.
Warning about the following: I think I'm just about done being diplomatic where this topic is concerned. I don't intend to let rip in my blog all the time, but in this instance, I'm so disappointed and enraged I'm skpping all niceties.
From the road, I've been getting very nasty news concerning the place where I've been working. I knew things could get worse, but didn't expect it to go so completely wrong. Now, I'm going back into that heart of darkness. It’s unfortunate but true; no figure there is remotely as interesting, or even morally distorted as Mr. Kurts. Mediocrity is at the core of this shadow and nothing more.
I haven't described much of my work, but things have been really awful for my colleagues and I for about eight months (particularly in my department). Now, the situation is turning black for the entire college. It's the same stuff from the upper echelons: secretive, overly controlling, muddled, non-consultative, inept, totally uncreative management. It's an approach to handling things, which we teaching arts and cultural management refer to as "Fucking Stupid."
These people are apparently so inept, they’re not qualified to run a popsicle stand, let alone an institute of higher learning. You know who you are. If you're reading this, EFF YOU. If you don't like it, fire me. See me in court. I don't think you can weather much more bad press. Come on: Try me.
A few people at the top haven't been able to do their jobs. Now, people at the bottom suffer (aka: students, administrative and teaching staff - not to mention the people depending on the local economy).
These people are about to destroy something with a great history and lot of potential. It's bad management of epic proportions, followed by dumbest plan B ever conceived. "The Big Plan" being proposed is a total disaster. There will be nothing left but a name, free floating and disconnected from anything - and even that will fester and die. Just to be totally unsubtle about things, if you'd like a clear sense of what I'm harping about: YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN THIS.
It appears to me that the whole thing will be run aground or dismantled. The spin of the people in charge is so badly conceived, it is just short of outright lying. The unavoidable truth is that, after having botched one of their biggest responsibilities, they've come up with a "Big Plan," which draws attention from the main issue. Mainly, they’ve thrown up a last-ditch attempt to appear to be doing something (as in "Quick... do anything!"). Jobs, educations, communities, circles of friends, be damned.
I know it’s a cliché, but it is generally true that managers can totally screw things up and go on to a nice cushy job somewhere new. Hey, look at George Bush. He couldn't even run a baseball team, and he got made president (and won’t be unmade soon enough). Have no worry if you're born or ascend into privilege, you'll be given all the latitude you'll need to lay other people's lives to ruin - and laugh all the way to your next gig.
It is not right. Saving one's own ass should not include demolishing the lives of others. It is time for some resignations.
Articles like this break my heart. There's a curse, all right, but it ain't the Curse of Metroland. It's the Curse of Mediocrity.
And it's why nothing will ever become of the Capital District. Yes, the reason none of you "made it" isn't your tepid music, your negligible following or your general commercial inviability. It's because you were cursed by a local magazine.
Albany is truly the capital of denial.
The region's best artists don't stand still long enough to pose for Metroland (or write for it). They get the fuck out of town.
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I'm sick and tired of music spin, and the industry is so desperate and depressed these days that you can't read a press release or a band bio without having to wipe the bullshit out of your eyes afterwards. Every unsigned band now claims to be avoiding major labels, which is funny because just six months ago they were begging their friends to come out and help fill a room 'cause someone from the Atlantic promotions department said they might show up.
Just be honest: you couldn't get a deal, or your deal didn't work out and you can't get another, and now you're making the best of it. So what if you don't come off like a rock star? At least you'd sound sincere.
HEY! IT WORKS! And, it only took like nine hours to figure it out! Now, the reference I made in this blog entry is closer to making sense and being slightly amusing.
So, its twenty after three in the morning and I just had a coffee. Why? Well, because its become abundantly clear that I'm not going back to sleep anytime soon. In that case, I want to avoid the caffine withdrawal headache which is scheduled to wash over and kill me in about twenty seconds.
Stuff to do before dawn:
A) Scribble stuff for blog as I putter around.
B) Clear up as much of my one room apartment as possible in the face of the remodeling of my bathroom:
C) Make fire incredibly hot, so as to melt iron stove.
D) Write a draft letter to the immigration lawyer in London concerning an application to stay in the UK under "Highly Skilled Migrant" category.
E) Go running.
F) Consider growing first beard (because I haven't shaved in like seven thousand hours, and I've never attempted a full beard - however, since I don't appear to have completely passed through puberty [here, I cite a voice sometimes disturbingly reminiscent of castroti fun, as practiced by everyone's favorite Vatican deep into the twentieth century], I may not be able to grow anything beyond my wee little caterpillar chinny-chin-chin-thing).
G) Listen to takes from Chicago session on my new(ish) Genelec monitors (cause, they're like, Genelec monitors, and they sound really, really, really, really, really, really, no honestly, really sweet).
H) Unpack suitcases.
I) Count CDs which I successfully smuggled through customs (eh,hem...).
J) Figure out what I'm doing with my life.
K) Kill that mosquito flying around my fucking apartment because some plumber left my fucking door wide open all fucking day.
L) Consider what is implied about global warming in the face of a mosquito flying around my apartment in the goddamned middle of November in England.
Makes me do the the laughing thing. I'm especially prone to it with less sleep than necessary. People think I'm nuts laughing out-loud like that. Thanks Jed. Like I need help convincing people I've lost my mind. :)
I like the way the instrumental bit following the band singing "U R Boring the Shit Out of Me" creates a refrain of "Shit Out of Me." That alone is enough to convulse me with laughter. Then, today as I left my office, I saw the head of a particular support department at the college, who is always pestering me about something or other, and the opening of the chorus came to mind: "Jesus Fucking Christ, Fuck Off..." I proceeded to laugh like an fool and stumble out the door. I'm sure I'll never see a contract for extra work again...
I wasn't able to hang out with Jed prior to splitting for the airport, but it would have been nice. I got right up to Penn Station after the show. I really enjoyed the entire night and it was great to see the bands. Kinda tempts me to move back to the states, ask friends to store my stuff, buy a car and go on tour for a while (like a year or two). The more I traveled, the more tempting this idea became. If my situation here in the UK gets too screwed up, I just may do it.
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After a delayed flight and an overnight train journey from London, I had to catch a cab from a nearby town to my place in Totnes. I shared a cab with a Hungarian woman who needed to go to a different town. Therefore, my cab ride was twice as long.
I got in at six AM.
I got home to find that my landlord decided to remodel my bathroom while I was away. Needless to say, it's not done... no shower or toilet in my place right now. I Have to use my landlord's bathroom for the time being. I was looking forward to having a self-contained space of my own again for a time. Sleeping on people's couches and occupying people's spaces makes me feel like an intruder. It doesn't matter how polite and inviting my hosts behave. I have the sense that I'm impinging on their space.
I got up around 1:30 PM, and tried to make my way to college to give tutorials. My car wouldn't start, so I got a hand pushing it onto to hill outside my place. I was able to pop start the engine, but it stalled again when I went through town. I think there was probably very little gasoline in the tank, and that during the month I was away, water condensed in the tank. I needed to get fresh stuff. I walked to the gas station in town and bought a gas can and a couple of liters of gas. I had to leave the car in a loading area in front of a store, and take a taxi to college. I was late, so no students were there for tutorials. I'm sure they think I've been abducted by aliens at this point.
I left college. Luckily, another tutor was leaving for town and I got a ride into town. I was surprised to find that I had no parking ticket and the damn car actually started.
From there, I went to my friend Adele's place. I entertained Adele's daughter while diner was made, ate, washed the dishes, played monster for Maya by putting a blanket on my head and crawling around the floor, said good night and came home to sleep.
It is raining and cold in Devon. Surprise. However, I have a woodstove in my place and that's great. When it gets rolling, my place is like an oven. It's nice and dry in here. Then, I can go running, get soaking wet and come back to the fire. Well, I dig it anyway.
Last night rocked.
It was amazing to see Basset play live again. The guy makes me rethink what a guitar does everytime I listen to him. To see him live and actually watch him do it is a real treat.
And that voice . . .
Everything about our set rocked. Espescially Alex catching his guitar in his lap when his strap broke yet still managing to kick out the jams.
Regrettably I had to dash off to my lair after our set and I missed the rest of the fun. "Escha-nite" at Sin-e was a rousing success and if you weren't there, then you fucking die.
Hey, I'm still alive! And I even feel slightly less ill today.
How sweet to be back on a stage—even though I spent most of the set coughing up a lung and my throat felt like a balloon about to pop. Adrenaline and endorphins got me through it, and I was even able to find a second wind to play a couple numbers with The Visitors at the end of the night.
Michael Bassett kicked off the night with an intense but warm set—it's been seven years since I've seen MB live and his presentation has gotten so much more inviting. His intros were loose and often hilarious ("This song is called 'She Hope You Under', and the premise of the song is that I should stay as far away as possible from this human being."), and the new material is classic Bassett but with the spectrum taffy-pulled way out in either direction, from delicately-picked polyrhythms to feral howling.
The Rebellion started limp... we probably shouldn't open with "Make My Heart Stop" again. But "Big Hot Monday" and "Photograph" provided a quick turnaround and we boomeranged into our stride. We were determined to do all six of the new tunes, even though a couple don't really lend themselves to live performance (did I really say that about Hanslick Rebellion songs?!), and I think the audience was most surprised by "Pop". We didn't spoil that one on MySpace and unless we play live again, you won't hear it until the iTunes EP comes out. It's as nasty a song as I've ever written and I think the crowd was a bit stunned. I was also out of singing voice by the time we got to it and pretty much screamed my way through. Mike came up with a great bit of vaudeville for "You Are Boring The Shit Out Of Me", and we managed to squeeze in a few oldies too. Our banter mostly revolved around making fun of my illness, but it was clear that all four of us were thrilled to be rockin out again.
Briertone managed to get a thumbs-up from Sputnik, which is not an easy thing to do. I happen to like them a lot—Jax played their EP for me months ago—and I was excited to finally see them live. I don't usually like bands that switch instruments in mid-set; I find it cheesy. But Briertone's shift from banjo and violin to guitars felt so necessary for their crafty, moody arrangements that I didn't mind at all. They're also not afraid to throw a little calypso rhythm under their tunes, though I'm sure they understand it as more of a bluegrass or train beat (which is essentially what it becomes when played by white people). I love to hear that under rock music—it is an irresistable groove.
The Visitors weren't thrilled with their set, but I thought it was fuckin incredible. They were so scorchingly loud, they blew out Alex's guitar amp (sorry, Alex). But then Bradley borrowed MB's acoustic, Brian whipped out a harmonica, and the set took a screaming left turn into Zeppelin III country-stomp. They even got a goofy dance party going (like at a B------- show, but minus the braces, puppy fat and moms) with a bunch of hot hipster girls spinning around Mike Kearns like he was a maypole. Holy shit, go Kearns!
The very idea of Mike Bassett's Taylor being used in a Visitors set gives me a chill. Could you find two acts more different than MB and The Visitors? Anything, anything is possible.
I was encouraged by the turnout, which was surprisingly robust with a lot of unfamiliar faces. I'm long over begging friends to come to shows, and it's a relief to reach the point where we can fill a room with folks who are there because they enjoy the music, not because they're doing someone in the band a favor. Makes it easier to stay friends with your friends.
So now MB is on his way back to England and Jax heads home tomorrow morning, bringing this whirlwind month to a close. Having everyone around was at times exhausting but it made my condition much more bearable. Thanks, guys!
I’m at the airport, about an hour from boarding my flight. I managed to catch the last NJ transit train from Penn Station to Newark airport. There’ s been some sort of delay and I’m not going get to the UK for a scheduled appointment.
A lot of things happened on the trip. I’m still trying to catch up the details in the blog.
The show last night was really fun to play and the bands all sounded strong to me. I felt as though I started off very strong, but had some minor difficulties toward the end of my set.
Mainly though, it was great to see The Rebellion again, and to have a chance to see The Visitors live for the first time. Briertone played some great material and loaned me their video camera. There was an issue with the Amp Brian from the visitors was using, so he used my acoustic guitar. Briertone guys had a video camera and I was able get a few shots of it. Great! Keep your eyes peeled. I’ll get those up as soon as Jax is able to pass them along!
Anyway, just about to fly. Wish me luck. It was great to be in the states and see people again. I hope I’m back soon.
Just back from Woodstock. I'll fill in the details but here's a quick sketch of my time there:
Came into town and hung out with KB Friday afternoon. Played an open rehearsal at Joshua's on Friday evening. The people there were fantastic. Bumped into an acquaintance (and fantastic pool player), Roland, at Joshua's. I was glad he got a chance to hear me play.
On Saturday, I saw a fantastic jazz trio at Joshua's, who were so damn good that Tony Levin came out to see them! Wow! Honestly, this band did everything from Billy Strayhorn's Take the A Train, to a really sublime and moving instrumental version of Kurt Cobain's Smells Like Teen Spirit. All of this stuff was played beautifully and with an unmistakeable voice all the band's own. I was very impressed and taken by their work. Great stuff guys!
Also, I played a few songs at The Bearsville Theatre, opening for Daevid Allen . The musician responsible for booking the show, Rich Goodhart , was kind enough to have me join him for a few songs. Rich and his friend Nick (on Theremin) accompanied me for two songs, and I joined them for an improvisation based on one of Rich’s pieces. The audience was very attentive and I had a great time. Thanks to Rich for having me. Thanks to KB for helping to make it happen.
I don't have a GG Allin deathwish. Sure, the prospect of kicking off during a show resonates with some degree of romance, but holy shit, not yet.
Having said that... I am genuinely worried about making it through tomorrow night's gig. I still have pneumonia. The pulled muscles on my right side have me doubling over in agony every time I cough, which is like every five minutes. I slept through the weekend in hopes of getting over some of this, but no improvement.
I'm determined to play tomorrow. It's a big night for Eschatone and for The Rebellion, doing a set mostly comprised of new material for the first time in ten years. But dear friends and enemies alike, you might want to attend for other reasons. This could be my GG moment.
I just did an impromptu rehearsal at a Café in Woodstock called Joshua’s. It went well. There were a few customers there and they turned out to be a really nice audience.
Also, it looks like I’m going to be playing at the Bearsville Theatre on Sunday night.
I’m desperately trying to call Jed right now. I’ve left NYC with no CDs. But, the act I will be opening for on Sunday is playing at the Bowery Poetry House tonight. If I can get hold of Jed, he might be able to get over there and drop five discs to the Theremin player. Her name is Nick. She’s Playing with Daevid Allen (Ex Gong member).
Last night's rehearsal was grand but I'm feeling it today. Wow. I aggravated a muscle I'd pulled from coughing and now it feels like a hole's been torn in my left side. The coughing was bad enough before it was accompanied by screaming agony.
I've been working on these three new songs for the Rebellion—"Whatever", "Let's Talk Like We're Black" and "She Loves You (NO NO NO)"—and they're all coming to a head. I like to brainstorm lyrics in the shower and the choruses for all three have come together over the past couple of days. But right now, so much as humming in the shower sends me into nasty spasms of coughing, which in turn set that pulled muscle on fire. These have been some painful lyrics to write!
Jax is coming to town tonight and will be staying with us for about a week. I hope she's amenable to my weekend plans, which involve not leaving the apartment while I try to remember how to take deep enough breaths for singing. Action-packed! I tell you what, though: it'll be a good weekend for restaurants that deliver to my neighborhood. Curry Mahal, fire up that Tandoori oven and await my call...
Add Delsym to the list of over-the-counter snake oils that don't do shit, along with Robitussin DM, NyQuil, DayQuil and pretty much any tablet that claims to supress a cough.
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I have a phone interview in about an hour and a half concerning Collider's participation in the New York Electroclash movement. I'm not sure if I have anything appropriate to offer; we did most of our electronic work three to five years before Electroclash peaked in NYC. "Electroclash" hadn't even been coined when we started; we referred to what we were making as "electropunk". And we never played at Luxx or any of the signature Electroclash venues... we stuck to the straight-up rock clubs. It wasn't until Collider morphed into a four-piece rock band that I began to notice we were playing with a ton of acts that were doing what we'd just stopped doing: performing with sequences, mixing dance, New Wave and electronica with rock and roll, incorporating video into their shows.
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Hanslick Rebellion rehearsal tonight - gotta get cookin so we can serve it up hot on the 14th!
I had difficulties on the road from Chicago to Cincinnati. First, the rental car company took over three quarters of an hour to get me on the road. Then, there was roadwork sprawling out form the outskirts of Chicago, which slowed things down considerably. The last hurdle was the killer – and it was entirely my fault. I hadn’t considered the change in time zone. A person travelling East from Chicago to Cincinnati looses an hour, due to crossing from the Central to the Eastern zone. This combination of factors got me to the venue at about 10:45 PM. I was able to play a few songs, but those who had showed up for my performance had already (understandably) made their way to other things. I did, however, meet some very nice people, who lent me their ears. Here’s a photo of Anna and Vito:
Thanks to you both, and I'm very glad that you're enjoying the tunes! Right on!
Later, I stayed with Josh of Pizza Infinity. We went to the waffle house in the morning and had the sweetest, gooiest waffles you can find. Fantastic! Thanks Josh! Keep on filming!
As I've said before: I love it when the good guys win. I hope that's what happened in yesterday's elections. As of now, all that's clear is the bad guys lost—I'll gladly take that. Let's see what the Democrats deliver.
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Work is exhausting. Shit, everything is exhausting when your lung capacity is cut in half. I got home last night and crapped right out. Part of it is this: when I went for a check-up on Monday, the doctors insisted I get a flu shot. Apparently this is kosher even if you have pneumonia. What they forgot to mention is that the flu shot makes you a tiny bit sick. Factor in the current state of my immune system and you get one really shitty night's sleep.
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The Visitors disc is off to press. We're going for a fifth color on the packaging—a metallic silver. Each design gets a little more adventurous as I warm up to the parameters, limits and advantages of the Digipak. We've got something in the works for early next year that will blow your mind. All's I'm gonna say is... white ink.
I love designing album packaging. Especially across genres, trying to tailor the experience to the music. We've chosen the Digipak as the Eschatone standard because the cardboard packaging is closest in feel to a vinyl LP gatefold. A six-panel Digipak provides all the room you could want (in the case of The Visitors, who were not interested in liner notes, we traded down to a four-panel but added the fifth ink color), it's self-contained and feels so much more organic than a jewel case. It's also infinitely more customizable and versatile, as you'll see in our 2007 releases. If you're going to commit to pressing CDs in the age of file-sharing, you should do as much as you can to make hard copies worth owning.
Today I return to work after spending three weeks smacked flat by pneumonia. I'm nowhere near 100% but enough is enough already.
With Bassett in town, our apartment is bursting at the seams—four people in three rooms (five when Jax arrives!). But having a home loaded with friends is what's made these few weeks of illness bearable, especially over the past couple of days as I've begun to recover. Hanging out, ordering in, trading ideas, making music... pneumonia aside, this is a beautiful time.
Last night we were talking about "contractual obligation albums"—the greatest-hits or live collections that bands would quick-release at the end of their deals so they could move on to more lucrative pastures. Artists actually used to be able to 1. record albums until the end of their contract term without getting dropped and 2. smell free-agent money from other labels when they neared their last contractually-obliged collection.
Can you imagine that? When was the last time a band even made it all the way through a major-label deal without falling out of favor with its fickle fanbase and getting shitcanned? Or even scored enough hits to fill a "greatest hits" album? OR played well enough in concert (if they really played at all) to warrant a live compilation?
The days of Aerosmith or REM completing a contract term and stepping into the sunshine of a $90-million payday are long gone. The only way to experience longevity in 2006 is to already be old. (At which point you record a "duets" album with a bunch of relevant contemporary acts and mooch a few sales off their fans while they've still got 'em.)
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Bassett came to NYC with a disc of material he recorded on the road. He popped into a studio on his way across-country, James Brown-style (except without abusing a band). The stuff sounds fantastic and the songs are the strongest he's written (my humble opinion). MB used to do this thing where he would get stream-of-consciousness with his vocal melodies—just run right off the track and go wherever. I could appreciate that, as his voice is gorgeous, but the songs weren't necessarily built for it so they kind of meandered. The new material is constructed to accommodate that sort of vocal performance and it blows my mind. It's like hearing a chrysalis split open and this crazy iridescent butterfly-thing comes a-blazing out, distributing awesome presents to everyone it sees and crapping solid-gold nuggets that are not only edible, but delicious! WOW!
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I understand there is a documentary being filmed that will blow the doors off this CBGB cover-up. That's what I like to hear.
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With elections on tap, I wish I didn't live in New York State but someplace where my blue vote could be put to better use. It is a little-known fact (um, not anymore I guess, though who actually reads this?) that I am actually a registered Republican—this allows me to vote in Republican primaries. I think more Democrats should do this; there are no penalties for voting your way come Election Day, and in the meantime you can try to affect either a moderating change or a weakening of the Republican party from within. Most Republicans are too pigheaded to try something like this—they would never lower themselves to registering Democrat. They'd rather puff out their chests and march back and forth across the deck as the ship goes down.
Speaking of which, where's my apology from all these dipshit voters who saddled us with the Bush administration and now agree that he's the worst president we've ever had? Two years ago I was considered a filthy Commie liberal who should get out of this country if I wasn't gonna get in line behind our "commander-in-chief"... now 2/3 of the jerks who voted for him feel the same way I do. So are they all "anti-American" now, or was I just right all along? I demand a blowjob from anybody who voted for Bush and is now upset with his administration. You're to blame. Line up, suckers!
From Milwaukee, it was on to Chicago. While I had no show in the windy city, I did have ample time and room to stretch out, rehearse and prepare for a recording session.
I had a very rewarding experience at Electrical Audio. The sound quality was fantastic. My engineer was Greg Norman. Greg was an absolute pleasure to work as well as being completely on top of his game where recording is concerned. I’d work with him again any time he’d grace my stuff with his presence. No kidding. The guy is fantastic.
The equipment and facilities at Electrical were... oh, how shall I put it? UN-FUCKING-BELIEVABLE!
We recorded directly to two track tape on the Ampex ATR 102, which takes half-inch two-track tape (Ampex ATR 102). As back up, each mic was captured individually with Digital Performer.
Greg got a great sound right away and we basically spent the entire day laying down take after take. All the takes were done live. The performances won't be doctored in any way, other than mixing and mastering.
I’m now in the midst of choosing amongst the takes for the new release.
If you click here, you can listen to a studio out-take. The take you're hearing is a song of mine called Amy's Song. This is a take I won't be putting on the recording. I've got a take in the can which I feel better represnts the song. There is no mixing or mastering here. It's totally raw. Even in this form, transfered to an MP3 format, you can hear what a pristine sound Greg got for guitar and voice. I can't wait to do the mixing and mastering of this material and release the new CD! It should be Amazing!
I arrived in Saint Paul late in the Afternoon on Friday. There was some sort of confusion about the show. Rather than Friday, the show was to be held on Saturday.
I played Saint Paul on Saturday. It was an eclectic array of acts and I had really great time. The order went; ME, MYSELF and EYE, Birthday Suits, The Willowz and Mark Mallman. Thanks Mark, it was great of you to have me along!
Due to the mix-up in Saint Paul, my show in Madison had to be cancelled. I was disappointed, and was even more so when I arrived in Madison to see the club. I stopped by The Café Montmarte the night following the cancellation. The performance space was lovely. I wanted to buy Bessie a drink and apologize in person, but she wasn’t there when I arrived.
I really liked Madison. It had a fantastic series of cafés and bookshops. I also really enjoyed the layout of the city. I hope to play a show there sometime soon.
From Madison, I drove to Milwaukee. When I arrived at the Wild Grove Roastery and Coffee house, I found that the club was closed for the night. The person meant to host the show had some difficulties and cancelled. This in combination with a computer crash, caused all of my contact details to be lost by the club owner. I was quite disappointed because the space at the Wild Grove was exceptional. I’d really like to play that venue sometime. In light of this difficulty, Lee, owner of the Wild Grove, made a couple of calls to her friend Michael, who was able to suggest a place where I might perform. It was called the Bremen Café. This turned out to be a fantastic stroke of luck.
The host at the Bremen was named Christian. He allowed me to go on for an extended set, warming up the show. I played for about fifty minutes. The place was packed and the crowd was fantastic! Also, the acts that followed me were eclectic and very enjoyable. I hope to return again soon. Thanks to Lee, Christian and Michael for finding someplace so great to play on such short notice!
Following the car chase and shoot out near the airport, I had to change the tire… but more on that later.
After San Francisco I flew to Portland (as detailed in my blog entry titled Dear Julia). Writing about the Portland/Seattle/Eugene leg of my journey gives me a chance to thank my friend Jamal and his partner Marilyn, who put me up while I was in the Northwest. I also want to say hi to the kids, Arianna and Hadrian. It was great to meet you and I look forward to seeing you again sometime. I wasn’t fortunate enough to cross paths with Ruben and Remi this time, but I hope to be coming through town again in the next year. Perhaps we can all get together and stare at Mount Hood, which was pretty damn impressive, even from hundreds of miles away. I really enjoyed getting a guided tour of Portland. It is a beautiful city and I’m looking forward to playing there sometime. Thanks again Jamal for your hospitality, kind support and company on the road. It was greatly appreciated! Hope the playing is going well!
Seattle:
Here I met a few people who were very nice. Jamal accompanied me on the ride from Portland and back. It was great to have someone along. I played very early in the evening, so there was hardly a soul in the place. However I did get a great response from those in the room. One very nice woman stopped me mid set to pick up a disc. She apologized at asking me to sell the disc from the stage, but she had to leave in a hurry. I hope she’s doing fine and the FBI is less interested in her whereabouts. I also recall meeting Gavin and Kristen, who were lovely enough to have me sit down for a drink after my set. Kristen’s mom lives in Delmar NY, which is just down the road from my hometown. Please tell your mom I said hello and best wishes, Kristen. Hope you’re well and fine and enjoying the songs!
After my performance and a quick drink with Gavin and Kristen, Jamal and I hit the road and drove back to Portland.
The following day, I drove to Eugene for a show there. During the trip, I wound up with a flat tire. I had to be my own pit crew as you can see in the following photos:
Then, I played at Cosmic Pizza (which was a lovely venue) and had to hit the road back to Portland airport. I slept a few hours, checked into the flight and flew to Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Whatever the case, the drive on Route 5 from LA to San Francisco offered a view of a shocking landscape. I tried to grab a few photos on the fly from the driver seat and during road stops.
This was taken in a small town just off route 5. I was constantly confronted by a contrast between the landscape and things associated with humans. The SUVs, gas stations and tacky stuff for sale couldn't have seemed more pale and sad in the shadow of these mountains (at least to me).
I honestly didn't expect to be so impressed with the California landscape. I'm glad to have driven this route.
My 6AM walk. Concrete, neon against a desert skyline.
My work station in the room.
People in the air...
The time I spent scrambling for gig and waiting to have CDs delivered was difficult to endure. I wanted to be playing while there. A few things fell through, but at least I got some decent sleep and saw some of LA.
CART
