Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Tenori-on
I have a dream, and that dream is to one day own a Tenori-on . Then spend a year trying to figure out how to play it.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Broken Dreams Bands
There is a creature that frequently inhabits local bars on Friday and Saturday nights. These strange animals have several distinguishing characteristics, and are quite unfortunately no where near the brink of extinction.
The animal of which I speak is, of course, the Broken Dreams band. A Broken Dreams band is a group of normally middle-aged guys with careers, all of whom are now living out there long abandoned fantasies of rock and roll stardom by playing (poorly) old rehashed covers at dive bars on weekend nights. You can tell right away when you are dealing with a Broken Dreams band - they traditionally have top level professional equipment, but do not possess the skills necessary to validate the amount of money sunk in to said equipment. They all play the same songs, and the invariably take themselves way to seriously.
My feelings towards these bands is a strange mix of derision and pity. They piss me off because they obviously earn more money than they need in their real job, which is why they are playing American made Stratocasters through Marshall half-stacks and Yamaha Stage Custom drums, all of which cost thousands and thousands of dollars. They also obviously have always wanted to be a musician. However, they were never willing to put in the time, dedication, and sacrifice necessary to actually make a career out of music. Instead they got themselves a respectable, "normal" career, and just brought out music as a way through their midlife crisis. In and of itself that wouldn't be too bad, but they stereotypically act like they are the cat's fucking ass, as though somehow being on stage lent them a grandeur that only money can buy. Also, I can say from experience that the writing of music is the absolute hardest aspect of the art. Anybody under the sun can practice something that another person has already played - if you aren't writing it yourself, you don't have a whole lot to brag about. At the same time, though, I do feel sorry for these fools. Not everyone can make their living from music, and I understand that. Also, there is a kind of desperate melancholy in the way they so ardently play music written by other people.
So, next time you see one of these groups, feel free to make fun of them. Just, you know, quietly. To yourself.
The animal of which I speak is, of course, the Broken Dreams band. A Broken Dreams band is a group of normally middle-aged guys with careers, all of whom are now living out there long abandoned fantasies of rock and roll stardom by playing (poorly) old rehashed covers at dive bars on weekend nights. You can tell right away when you are dealing with a Broken Dreams band - they traditionally have top level professional equipment, but do not possess the skills necessary to validate the amount of money sunk in to said equipment. They all play the same songs, and the invariably take themselves way to seriously.
My feelings towards these bands is a strange mix of derision and pity. They piss me off because they obviously earn more money than they need in their real job, which is why they are playing American made Stratocasters through Marshall half-stacks and Yamaha Stage Custom drums, all of which cost thousands and thousands of dollars. They also obviously have always wanted to be a musician. However, they were never willing to put in the time, dedication, and sacrifice necessary to actually make a career out of music. Instead they got themselves a respectable, "normal" career, and just brought out music as a way through their midlife crisis. In and of itself that wouldn't be too bad, but they stereotypically act like they are the cat's fucking ass, as though somehow being on stage lent them a grandeur that only money can buy. Also, I can say from experience that the writing of music is the absolute hardest aspect of the art. Anybody under the sun can practice something that another person has already played - if you aren't writing it yourself, you don't have a whole lot to brag about. At the same time, though, I do feel sorry for these fools. Not everyone can make their living from music, and I understand that. Also, there is a kind of desperate melancholy in the way they so ardently play music written by other people.
So, next time you see one of these groups, feel free to make fun of them. Just, you know, quietly. To yourself.
Webcomics
I am a nerd.
I say this without shame or hesitation. Nowadays there seems to be much less denigration associated with the word - perhaps it is because there are simply so many of us, the word no longer symbolizes an outcast.
To be more specific, I am an internet nerd. The more time one spends perusing the world wide web, the more one becomes aware of a distinct internet culture. This goes beyond the cliched AIM abbreviations and L337speak - there is a brand of humor that is consistent amongst the things favored by internet nerds. I would liken it to an accent - a particular style of expression that is common amongst people with a similar background. Also, there is an astonishingly close communal feel amongst participants of these favored tracts of internet, the speed of which seemingly defies all logic.
Allow me to explain - perhaps the most accessible example of an online community are the millions of readers of webcomics. There are countless webcomics out there, but there are a group of about thirty or so that everyone who is interesting in webcomics is familiar with. These comics rose to the top not because of clever marketing or national syndication - people were drawn to them because of their quality, which prompted them to tell their friends, who told their friends, ad nauseum. It's the ultimate grassroots support, facilitated by instant information exchange. What this eventually creates is a sort of hyper-meme: it's almost as though as soon as one person in the crowd discovers something, or tries something new, everyone else discovers it simultaneously. This is facilitated by the artists of these comics, too. Let's say that a couple guys start making a comic, or podcast, or series of online videos, and it just happens to be hilarious. All it takes is for one person to discover it - they post it on Digg or Stumbleupon or Reddit, then a bunch of other people link it - maybe some of the artists of the top tier comics mention it in their newspost. Overnight, something can leap from obscurity to thousands of hits per day.
It's very interesting as well to see the spiderweb of influences that these things can have. For example, I remember being brought to an article on Cracked.com after seeing it mentioned on Fark.com. Later, I heard that same article being mentioned in Downloadable Content, the podcast that Gabe and Tycho from Penny Arcade make. Who know how many other sites mentioned the article or linked it directly, but it seemed like as soon as it was published, everyone knew about it simultaneously. This particular article was on 7 commandments that should be instituted for video game makers. Several weeks after the fact a friend emailed it to me like it was the greatest thing since sliced bread, and I got the opportunity to act all haughty and condescending for having already read it. I rarely get the opportunity to act like that because I don't own an Apple computer.
Anyways, if you're interested, here are some of the most popular webcomics out there:
http://www.questionablecontent.net/
http://www.penny-arcade.com/
http://www.achewood.com/
http://www.samandfuzzy.com/
http://www.xkcd.com/
http://www.wigu.com/
http://www.pvponline.com/
http://www.cad-comic.com/
http://www.applegeeks.com/
http://www.dominic-deegan.com/
http://www.drmcninja.com/
http://www.starslipcrisis.com/
In addition, the path to true internet nerdom is paved with the following websites:
http://www.digg.com/
http://www.fark.com/
http://www.cracked.com/
http://www.break.com/
http://www.icanhascheezburger.com/
http://www.failblog.org/
http://www.jonathancoulton.com/
And for the truly adventurous:
http://www.hourofknowledge.com/
http://www.thewebcomiclist.com/
http://www.kotaku.com/
I say this without shame or hesitation. Nowadays there seems to be much less denigration associated with the word - perhaps it is because there are simply so many of us, the word no longer symbolizes an outcast.
To be more specific, I am an internet nerd. The more time one spends perusing the world wide web, the more one becomes aware of a distinct internet culture. This goes beyond the cliched AIM abbreviations and L337speak - there is a brand of humor that is consistent amongst the things favored by internet nerds. I would liken it to an accent - a particular style of expression that is common amongst people with a similar background. Also, there is an astonishingly close communal feel amongst participants of these favored tracts of internet, the speed of which seemingly defies all logic.
Allow me to explain - perhaps the most accessible example of an online community are the millions of readers of webcomics. There are countless webcomics out there, but there are a group of about thirty or so that everyone who is interesting in webcomics is familiar with. These comics rose to the top not because of clever marketing or national syndication - people were drawn to them because of their quality, which prompted them to tell their friends, who told their friends, ad nauseum. It's the ultimate grassroots support, facilitated by instant information exchange. What this eventually creates is a sort of hyper-meme: it's almost as though as soon as one person in the crowd discovers something, or tries something new, everyone else discovers it simultaneously. This is facilitated by the artists of these comics, too. Let's say that a couple guys start making a comic, or podcast, or series of online videos, and it just happens to be hilarious. All it takes is for one person to discover it - they post it on Digg or Stumbleupon or Reddit, then a bunch of other people link it - maybe some of the artists of the top tier comics mention it in their newspost. Overnight, something can leap from obscurity to thousands of hits per day.
It's very interesting as well to see the spiderweb of influences that these things can have. For example, I remember being brought to an article on Cracked.com after seeing it mentioned on Fark.com. Later, I heard that same article being mentioned in Downloadable Content, the podcast that Gabe and Tycho from Penny Arcade make. Who know how many other sites mentioned the article or linked it directly, but it seemed like as soon as it was published, everyone knew about it simultaneously. This particular article was on 7 commandments that should be instituted for video game makers. Several weeks after the fact a friend emailed it to me like it was the greatest thing since sliced bread, and I got the opportunity to act all haughty and condescending for having already read it. I rarely get the opportunity to act like that because I don't own an Apple computer.
Anyways, if you're interested, here are some of the most popular webcomics out there:
http://www.questionablecontent.net/
http://www.penny-arcade.com/
http://www.achewood.com/
http://www.samandfuzzy.com/
http://www.xkcd.com/
http://www.wigu.com/
http://www.pvponline.com/
http://www.cad-comic.com/
http://www.applegeeks.com/
http://www.dominic-deegan.com/
http://www.drmcninja.com/
http://www.starslipcrisis.com/
In addition, the path to true internet nerdom is paved with the following websites:
http://www.digg.com/
http://www.fark.com/
http://www.cracked.com/
http://www.break.com/
http://www.icanhascheezburger.com/
http://www.failblog.org/
http://www.jonathancoulton.com/
And for the truly adventurous:
http://www.hourofknowledge.com/
http://www.thewebcomiclist.com/
http://www.kotaku.com/
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Precision Drums!
This is very exciting news for me! I have been endorsed by Precision Drums. I spent forever figuring out what I wanted in a drum set and hashing out the design, then the built it for me and let me tell you - it sounds great. There are pictures of it at http://precisiondrum.com/html/endorsers.html, and I'm reposting the testimonial that I wrote for them here. If you're a drummer I highly recommend thinking about getting a snare drum or a whole drum set made by Precision - they can do anything you can imagine, and playing a drum that is a product of your own imagination is a thoroughly fulfilling experience.
Here's the blurb I wrote for Precision:
Let’s start with a simple statement of fact: Precision Drums are awesome. My set is the most responsive, beautiful sounding, and beautiful looking kit that I have ever played. The finish is striking and masterfully done. In fact, as soon as I have them out of the cases, I have people coming up to ask me who made them.
As to the details of the construction of the drums, I selected a 20 ply maple snare (4x14).This is the first time that I have used such thick wood on a snare, and the extra plys have an interesting effect on the tone. Tuned tightly, it produces a strong, wood-tinged pop with dark edges, and the tone is strong enough that it can clearly cut through other instruments on stage without needing to be cranked to marching-snare level tightness. Hitting near the edge of the head causes the higher frequencies of the wood to respond, so the result is a startlingly different ringing snap. Also, in part due to the thicker shells, rim clicks from this drum are positively deafening.
The toms (9x12, 13x16 – Maple, 8 ply) ring out loud and clear. They can also handle different types of heads and different muffling styles, so you can suit them to the situation easily. The tone is both warm and vibrant, and the wood responds well to even light pressure.
The bass drum (18x22, Maple, 8-ply) is definitely a professional’s instrument. It produces tons of sound, and the there are many options as to how to shape and direct that sound. The shell of the bass is very responsive, so it will ring strongly without having to pound the drum as hard as you can (although I still tend to do that anyways). I use a muffled batter side head to balance the sound with the other instruments, but that does not detract from the satisfying THOOMP you get out of it. It’s basically a made-to-order producer of awesome.
The whole process of designing the kit was greatly facilitated by Gary and the rest of the team at Precision Drum Company. They were able to take my half-baked ideas and turn them into something tangible, and could answer every question I had with an amazing wealth of knowledge. This drum set is going to last years, and is one of the best that you’ll be able to find anywhere.
Here's the blurb I wrote for Precision:
Let’s start with a simple statement of fact: Precision Drums are awesome. My set is the most responsive, beautiful sounding, and beautiful looking kit that I have ever played. The finish is striking and masterfully done. In fact, as soon as I have them out of the cases, I have people coming up to ask me who made them.
As to the details of the construction of the drums, I selected a 20 ply maple snare (4x14).This is the first time that I have used such thick wood on a snare, and the extra plys have an interesting effect on the tone. Tuned tightly, it produces a strong, wood-tinged pop with dark edges, and the tone is strong enough that it can clearly cut through other instruments on stage without needing to be cranked to marching-snare level tightness. Hitting near the edge of the head causes the higher frequencies of the wood to respond, so the result is a startlingly different ringing snap. Also, in part due to the thicker shells, rim clicks from this drum are positively deafening.
The toms (9x12, 13x16 – Maple, 8 ply) ring out loud and clear. They can also handle different types of heads and different muffling styles, so you can suit them to the situation easily. The tone is both warm and vibrant, and the wood responds well to even light pressure.
The bass drum (18x22, Maple, 8-ply) is definitely a professional’s instrument. It produces tons of sound, and the there are many options as to how to shape and direct that sound. The shell of the bass is very responsive, so it will ring strongly without having to pound the drum as hard as you can (although I still tend to do that anyways). I use a muffled batter side head to balance the sound with the other instruments, but that does not detract from the satisfying THOOMP you get out of it. It’s basically a made-to-order producer of awesome.
The whole process of designing the kit was greatly facilitated by Gary and the rest of the team at Precision Drum Company. They were able to take my half-baked ideas and turn them into something tangible, and could answer every question I had with an amazing wealth of knowledge. This drum set is going to last years, and is one of the best that you’ll be able to find anywhere.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Exciting News!
There's nothing quite as exciting as finding out that an independant musician that you really, really like is going to be playing in your hometown.
For example, I just discovered that Jonathan Coulton will be playing at The Crofoot in Pontiac on July 10th. For those of you who don't know who Jonathan Coulton is, I feel extremely sorry for you. Please, for your own health, and the health of those around you, immediately go to http://www.jonathancoulton.com/ and find out what you've been missing.
This man is awesome. Brooklyn represent!
*Edit* - I couldn't go to the show! I had a gig of my own that night. Damn it all!
For example, I just discovered that Jonathan Coulton will be playing at The Crofoot in Pontiac on July 10th. For those of you who don't know who Jonathan Coulton is, I feel extremely sorry for you. Please, for your own health, and the health of those around you, immediately go to http://www.jonathancoulton.com/ and find out what you've been missing.
This man is awesome. Brooklyn represent!
*Edit* - I couldn't go to the show! I had a gig of my own that night. Damn it all!
Monday, April 28, 2008
Good place to find out about new music
I discovered a blog that seems to be an excellent source to find new and upcoming music from all over the country, as well as some bands from overseas. It's at www.wildysworld.blogspot.com. If he just so happens to have good things to say about my cd, well, what of it? It's only nepotism if you're related.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
English - It's your friend!
Ladies and gentleman, allow me to introduce you to the English language. Meet it. Get to know it. Maybe shake it's hand or something. So, it's your friend now, right? Don't shit on it. It isn't nice to shit on your friends.
Most people speak correctly. Or at least, correctly enough that I won't take issue with it. Steve, my keyboard player, has a penchant for using the word "brung", which, of course, does not exist in any parlance known to humankind. I have taken the recourse of direct and immediate intervention to correct this, very much the same way that one trains a retarded puppy. Why, then, do people find it so hard to write properly, when they can speak just fine?
Perhaps the worst transgressor against language as we know it is the bank of abbreviations, made up symbols, and general stupidity that has risen with modern internet culture. The advent of the text message, which I dearly love, has boned proper grammar by making it physically difficult to achieve. It's hard to type complete words and phrases on those tiny keys! However, some technical genius invented T9 word, so I have little to no sympathy for this excuse. Here is a list of things that are not words that are commonly found in text messages and emails.
b4 - Meaning, before. Get it? Ha ha, we are so smart, S-M-R-T.
h8 - Hate. As in, I hate people who use this abomination.
wtf? - I actually like this one. It makes me chuckle.
Where you at? - This positively infuriates me. There is no way I will ever believe that this is easier or faster to type or say than the proper version, "Where are you?" This phrase feels like a deliberate attempt to sound more clueless. Get a job.
UR - Meaning, your. Because on the internet, the letters Y and O are abhorred.
2nite - I can just envision Eric Clapton crooning, "I say yes, you look wonderful 2nite..."
GTG - Representing "Got to Go". Wow, you must have an urgent need to depart, you didn't even have time to write the god damn words! This one is doubly irritating, because it is an acronym for a grammatically incorrect phrase. Why couldn't it be HTG, for "I have to go"?
What if these things slip into mainstream culture? We put kids through years and years of schooling in order to make them functional adults, and a large part of that is the understanding and utilization of written words. I'm not saying I expect a works cited page with every email - I'm just afraid that one day, some employer is going to receive a cover letter that looks like this:
Mr. Joe Whatever
Human Resources Manager
That One Company
Detroit, MI
Dear Joe,
Sup? i needs $$. im good @ work so u should hire me. K?
Well, GTG, c u l8er
Signed,
Some Douche
Won't that be a terrible day? In olden times (10 years ago), you wouldn't be able to get away with drawing a smiley face on an interoffice memo. I'm serious, they would fire a bitch for that, no joke. By allowing ourselves to use these corner-cutting, IQ draining emblems, we are dragging the level of discourse to its lowest state.
If you have used these in the past, don't worry, I don't hate you! All is forgiven. You probably owned Pogs! too. Just quit using 'em.
If you would like to pass this message on, and you have a friend who commits this literary felony, you know what will fix his little red wagon? A punch in the wiener. For-Realzz.
Most people speak correctly. Or at least, correctly enough that I won't take issue with it. Steve, my keyboard player, has a penchant for using the word "brung", which, of course, does not exist in any parlance known to humankind. I have taken the recourse of direct and immediate intervention to correct this, very much the same way that one trains a retarded puppy. Why, then, do people find it so hard to write properly, when they can speak just fine?
Perhaps the worst transgressor against language as we know it is the bank of abbreviations, made up symbols, and general stupidity that has risen with modern internet culture. The advent of the text message, which I dearly love, has boned proper grammar by making it physically difficult to achieve. It's hard to type complete words and phrases on those tiny keys! However, some technical genius invented T9 word, so I have little to no sympathy for this excuse. Here is a list of things that are not words that are commonly found in text messages and emails.
b4 - Meaning, before. Get it? Ha ha, we are so smart, S-M-R-T.
h8 - Hate. As in, I hate people who use this abomination.
wtf? - I actually like this one. It makes me chuckle.
Where you at? - This positively infuriates me. There is no way I will ever believe that this is easier or faster to type or say than the proper version, "Where are you?" This phrase feels like a deliberate attempt to sound more clueless. Get a job.
UR - Meaning, your. Because on the internet, the letters Y and O are abhorred.
2nite - I can just envision Eric Clapton crooning, "I say yes, you look wonderful 2nite..."
GTG - Representing "Got to Go". Wow, you must have an urgent need to depart, you didn't even have time to write the god damn words! This one is doubly irritating, because it is an acronym for a grammatically incorrect phrase. Why couldn't it be HTG, for "I have to go"?
What if these things slip into mainstream culture? We put kids through years and years of schooling in order to make them functional adults, and a large part of that is the understanding and utilization of written words. I'm not saying I expect a works cited page with every email - I'm just afraid that one day, some employer is going to receive a cover letter that looks like this:
Mr. Joe Whatever
Human Resources Manager
That One Company
Detroit, MI
Dear Joe,
Sup? i needs $$. im good @ work so u should hire me. K?
Well, GTG, c u l8er
Signed,
Some Douche
Won't that be a terrible day? In olden times (10 years ago), you wouldn't be able to get away with drawing a smiley face on an interoffice memo. I'm serious, they would fire a bitch for that, no joke. By allowing ourselves to use these corner-cutting, IQ draining emblems, we are dragging the level of discourse to its lowest state.
If you have used these in the past, don't worry, I don't hate you! All is forgiven. You probably owned Pogs! too. Just quit using 'em.
If you would like to pass this message on, and you have a friend who commits this literary felony, you know what will fix his little red wagon? A punch in the wiener. For-Realzz.
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