I sat down in the computer lab at work, and shortly thereafter the school's head maintenence man sat down next to me. Letting out a deep sigh, he kicked his feet up on the computer table (with shoes still on, and a little muddy), stretched his hands back and cradled his head, and put on a set of headphones. Within a few seconds, I could hear Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" being cranked. And by cranked, I mean very very loud. Either the man already has hearing loss, or he is well on his way.
He hummed along, trying to sing, but in a way that came out more as mumbling. The only lyrics he really knew,
"More than a feeling, it's Sexual Healing,"
came out loud and clear. So clear, in fact, that the librarian poked her head inthe door. Perhaps she's a bit shy, though, because she didn't question his behavior. I always thought loud singing about intercourse and muddy shoes on tables were against library rules. Maybe the official library rules don't deal with this specific a situation, but I imagine this must've been in violation of at least a rule or two.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
quick India thoughts
I was just standing above a sewage dump, watching a man burn plastic bags for no apparent reason.
Other things I have seen:
a cow eating a shoe, pig eating cow shit, cows everywhere, cows in the middle of the freeway, dogs with two legs, camels pulling tractors, tractors pulling trees, naked people by the roadside, people shitting by the roadside, a truck frame (no panels of any kind) with engine attached and a man suspended by rope, driving the truck; flaming piles of garbage in the middle of the road, insane washes of color and beauty, deformed people of every type, lepers begging for money, piles of rubble with tents set up all around, degraded landscapes, tshirt designs in very bad taste, massive statues to the Hindu elephant god and monkey god and vishnu the destroyer (his statue was 5 or so stories tall, next to the freeway, bright blue, holding a sword and a snake).
I really love India, far more than any other place I've ever been. It's the insane wash of humanity, the crosscut of 4,000 years of culture, that floors me -- the temples, the buildings, the food (which, despite nagging stomach twitches and pains, blows away any Indian food ever previously sampled), the rich odors (both good and bad), the vibrant colors, and the massive piles of garbage everywhere.
Other things I have seen:
a cow eating a shoe, pig eating cow shit, cows everywhere, cows in the middle of the freeway, dogs with two legs, camels pulling tractors, tractors pulling trees, naked people by the roadside, people shitting by the roadside, a truck frame (no panels of any kind) with engine attached and a man suspended by rope, driving the truck; flaming piles of garbage in the middle of the road, insane washes of color and beauty, deformed people of every type, lepers begging for money, piles of rubble with tents set up all around, degraded landscapes, tshirt designs in very bad taste, massive statues to the Hindu elephant god and monkey god and vishnu the destroyer (his statue was 5 or so stories tall, next to the freeway, bright blue, holding a sword and a snake).
I really love India, far more than any other place I've ever been. It's the insane wash of humanity, the crosscut of 4,000 years of culture, that floors me -- the temples, the buildings, the food (which, despite nagging stomach twitches and pains, blows away any Indian food ever previously sampled), the rich odors (both good and bad), the vibrant colors, and the massive piles of garbage everywhere.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
gone to India
I am attending a friend's wedding and visiting several ashrams in the Uttar Pradesh region. I will attempt to write updates on here if I get the chance.
The trip promises great things.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Moving into the new studio, part 1
A crazy crackhead walked into Baby Blue and told me for twenty minutes about a prostitute who stole 400 of his dollars by shoving it "up there." So he told me about his plans to cut her apart with a box cutter, put her in a garbage bag, and bleach the carpet of the hotel room so nobody would ever know. After telling me this, the man asked me for a beer or food. I said no beer, but you can have an apple. Man, fuck that, he said. Buy me some chips. I need nutrition. At least chips got potato in it.
I still said no, so he told me about a murderer who is wandering the neighborhood who looks "exactly like me." I guess he meant that he was the murderer? Then he pulled up his shirt and showed me his murder weapon, a large screwdriver. Just drive that shit in somebody's skull, he said. They gone, they dead.
He lamented the fact that the free clinic was closed. I was supposed to see my brain doctor, he said. I ain't right in the head. I feelin weird, man. Fuck. I a crazy man, I ain't right. Can I have a beer? Come on man, I give you fifty cents for a beer. I need me a goddamn beer. One fucking beer, man. I starting to get angry. We getting off on the wrong foot. When I get mad, I start hurting people. But I can get you some quarters for a beer, man.
He fished 2 damp quarters from his jeans pocket. I gave him the beer but didn't take the money. His scare tactics worked, I guess.
I later saw him walking through the yard holding half an apple pie. I'm trying to eat right and get healthy, he said. Well dude, I said, you're gonna wann stop eating half an apple pie for lunch then, probably. Doesn't seem too healthy.
He told me he's an angel and sprinkles good luck on people. I an angel, man, he said. I used to go by that place, the Mohawk. You know that music place, The Mohawk? I sprinkled the good luck on that place like fucking fairy dust, man. Now they pretend like the don't even know me.
He paused.
God comes in all forms, man. He takes all forms. I could be God, you know? What if God be asking you for some-teeng?
I had always assumed that if I met God, he wouldn't be asking me for a beer, but who knows?
I still said no, so he told me about a murderer who is wandering the neighborhood who looks "exactly like me." I guess he meant that he was the murderer? Then he pulled up his shirt and showed me his murder weapon, a large screwdriver. Just drive that shit in somebody's skull, he said. They gone, they dead.
He lamented the fact that the free clinic was closed. I was supposed to see my brain doctor, he said. I ain't right in the head. I feelin weird, man. Fuck. I a crazy man, I ain't right. Can I have a beer? Come on man, I give you fifty cents for a beer. I need me a goddamn beer. One fucking beer, man. I starting to get angry. We getting off on the wrong foot. When I get mad, I start hurting people. But I can get you some quarters for a beer, man.
He fished 2 damp quarters from his jeans pocket. I gave him the beer but didn't take the money. His scare tactics worked, I guess.
I later saw him walking through the yard holding half an apple pie. I'm trying to eat right and get healthy, he said. Well dude, I said, you're gonna wann stop eating half an apple pie for lunch then, probably. Doesn't seem too healthy.
He told me he's an angel and sprinkles good luck on people. I an angel, man, he said. I used to go by that place, the Mohawk. You know that music place, The Mohawk? I sprinkled the good luck on that place like fucking fairy dust, man. Now they pretend like the don't even know me.
He paused.
God comes in all forms, man. He takes all forms. I could be God, you know? What if God be asking you for some-teeng?
I had always assumed that if I met God, he wouldn't be asking me for a beer, but who knows?
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
two sides of funky
Not exactly a news flash, but I just spent the morning having my mind blown by Stevie Wonder. Man. Thing is, he records all the instruments on his seminal albums -- drums, keys, guitar, bass, everything. Some footage from back in the day:
I like the way he plays the clavinet.
And now, to even out this overdose of funkiness,
I really like Colin Blunstone's slow motion dancing and his almost disdainful demeanor.
I like the way he plays the clavinet.
And now, to even out this overdose of funkiness,
I really like Colin Blunstone's slow motion dancing and his almost disdainful demeanor.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Friday, January 09, 2009
potrero chico
I just went rock climbing here, near Monterrey, Mexico. I was really high above the ground. It was a "multi-pitch" climb, which means you go to the end of your rope, then set up another anchor system while clipped into the side of the cliff. I was climbing with my brother-in-law-in-law, Jesse McGahey, who is the climbing ranger at Yosemite. And Maia, a friend from Yosemite.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
$1 IOU towards McDonald's purchase, written on the back of a Taco Bell receipt, found inside Dan Quayle's autobiography.
I was in Goodwill the other day, looking through their used books.
I found the autobiography of Dan Quayle (see cover below):
I found the autobiography of Dan Quayle (see cover below):
================
While flipping through the photos in the middle of Dan's childhood, I found this:
==============
It's an IOU for $1 to make a purchase at McDonald's, and it's written on the back of a Taco Bell receipt.
In sum, a $1 IOU towards McDonald's purchase, written on the back of a Taco Bell receipt, found inside Dan Quayle's autobiography.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
2008, great ... 2009, fine
2008, great:
-- Found gainful employment at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, an amazing school full of great teachers and inspiring kids.
-- Toured in my veggie oil car with Willis and Will in a glorious, disastrous tour up and down the West coast... played on KEXP in Seattle, smoked the medicine in Humboldt, played in Chris' backyard, tested the limits of my endurance and sanity.
-- Put out 2 albums and 2 tapes with SUNSET to some alright reviews and some good play on college radio; put out a covers album / book containing my poetry and photography... under my own name... on Tired Trails.
-- Made video for every song on "Bright Blue Dream," initiating my own version of the "video album," to be hopefully expanded in the future.
-- Re-started the S.W.A.K. zine, putting out #2 : "The Exquisite Corpse Issue."
-- Started an excellent compost pile and laid out plans for a chicken coop. Fresh eggs from the farmer's market every Saturday morning will be hard to beat, but I'll try.
-- Brewed my own successful batch of Kombucha tea. No more getting ripped off by G.T.
-- Visited Mike in Germany, went to Verdun (site of the deadliest single battle in recorded human history), the Hermann Hesse museum / home in Calw... also Strasbourg and Swabia.
-- Went to New Orleans for 3 days and went out to the barrier islands and Lake Pontchatrain and finally grasped what a fucked situation New Orleans is in...
-- Moved out of Big Orange, closing the chapter on a turbulent, creative, joyous, and painful period of my life.
-- Toured the East Coast with SUNSET: hung with Elizabeth in Brooklyn, played a Quaker school in North Carolina, stayed on the beach at Cape Cod for 2 glorious days.
-- Lots of awesome local shows, especially with the Weird Weeds at the Cactus, playing the skate video opening at the Broken Neck, and the stripped down set at Progress Coffee with Brazos.
-- All-night recording sessions at Wire Recorders... elation and group dynamics... more recording at Premium and some at Big Orange too, before I moved out. Some really amazing productive days with my bestest friends.
-- Camped 10 days with John in Mexico, writing nearly 60 pages on my typewriter, most of which is crap and unusable... my hesitant first step towards the book I've always carried inside.
-- Read and/or re-read many great books, including amazing works by Aldo Leopold, Howard Zinn, Jack London, Andre Gide, George Orwell, Kurt Vonnegut, John Cage, Walt Whitman, Arthur Rimbaud, Knut Hamsun, Henry David Thoreau, and Jim Woodring. Amazing books hit me hard this year.
-- Scored music for two short films and contributed songs to 2 other films.
===============
===============
===============
2009, fine:
-- More working with the awesome kids at the School for the Blind.
-- Lots more amazing books to read... I have them piled up. Looking forward to some Balzac... that's next on my list.
-- Recording my Dad's song that's a tribute to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and making a video of the footage I shot when we visited.
-- 34 minute long drone album... finally finishing the piece initially commissioned for Sam Sanford's "Long Distance Relationship" art show.
-- SUNSET's 1st 7" record and lots more rock shows, and hopefully getting back to the craziness and theatricality and quiet lush rocking-ness. If the 7" does well, maybe another.
-- East Coast tour with Oh Be Joyful.
-- Running the half-marathon on February 15th.
-- More paintings and collages and photography.
-- Another album under my own name, and hopefully some solo shows doing folk songs and stranger stuff and maybe some drone shows too.
-- Finishing the pile of SUNSET songs now staring me in the face and finding a label to put them out.
-- Ballroom dancing lessons. Yes, for real, I'm doing this.
-- Travelling to India and visiting some ashrams in the foothills. Maybe some volunteer work if I can line it up.
-- Full U.S. tour in the veggie oil wagon, with the full band !
-- More poetry to fill out the first volume of self-published poetry to come out 2009 or 2010 or maybe never.
-- S.W.A.K. #3
-- Another edition of "Candle-lit Television Eyes," my ongoing DVD-r series.
-- Sort through these 30 or so un-transferred mini-DV tapes. Something good might be in there.
-- More procrastinating thoughts on further education. Who needs school anyhow?
Here are some of my favorite photos of the year:
Hope your year was as fantastic as mine. See you next time.
-- Found gainful employment at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, an amazing school full of great teachers and inspiring kids.
-- Toured in my veggie oil car with Willis and Will in a glorious, disastrous tour up and down the West coast... played on KEXP in Seattle, smoked the medicine in Humboldt, played in Chris' backyard, tested the limits of my endurance and sanity.
-- Put out 2 albums and 2 tapes with SUNSET to some alright reviews and some good play on college radio; put out a covers album / book containing my poetry and photography... under my own name... on Tired Trails.
-- Made video for every song on "Bright Blue Dream," initiating my own version of the "video album," to be hopefully expanded in the future.
-- Re-started the S.W.A.K. zine, putting out #2 : "The Exquisite Corpse Issue."
-- Started an excellent compost pile and laid out plans for a chicken coop. Fresh eggs from the farmer's market every Saturday morning will be hard to beat, but I'll try.
-- Brewed my own successful batch of Kombucha tea. No more getting ripped off by G.T.
-- Visited Mike in Germany, went to Verdun (site of the deadliest single battle in recorded human history), the Hermann Hesse museum / home in Calw... also Strasbourg and Swabia.
-- Went to New Orleans for 3 days and went out to the barrier islands and Lake Pontchatrain and finally grasped what a fucked situation New Orleans is in...
-- Moved out of Big Orange, closing the chapter on a turbulent, creative, joyous, and painful period of my life.
-- Toured the East Coast with SUNSET: hung with Elizabeth in Brooklyn, played a Quaker school in North Carolina, stayed on the beach at Cape Cod for 2 glorious days.
-- Lots of awesome local shows, especially with the Weird Weeds at the Cactus, playing the skate video opening at the Broken Neck, and the stripped down set at Progress Coffee with Brazos.
-- All-night recording sessions at Wire Recorders... elation and group dynamics... more recording at Premium and some at Big Orange too, before I moved out. Some really amazing productive days with my bestest friends.
-- Camped 10 days with John in Mexico, writing nearly 60 pages on my typewriter, most of which is crap and unusable... my hesitant first step towards the book I've always carried inside.
-- Read and/or re-read many great books, including amazing works by Aldo Leopold, Howard Zinn, Jack London, Andre Gide, George Orwell, Kurt Vonnegut, John Cage, Walt Whitman, Arthur Rimbaud, Knut Hamsun, Henry David Thoreau, and Jim Woodring. Amazing books hit me hard this year.
-- Scored music for two short films and contributed songs to 2 other films.
===============
===============
===============
2009, fine:
-- More working with the awesome kids at the School for the Blind.
-- Lots more amazing books to read... I have them piled up. Looking forward to some Balzac... that's next on my list.
-- Recording my Dad's song that's a tribute to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and making a video of the footage I shot when we visited.
-- 34 minute long drone album... finally finishing the piece initially commissioned for Sam Sanford's "Long Distance Relationship" art show.
-- SUNSET's 1st 7" record and lots more rock shows, and hopefully getting back to the craziness and theatricality and quiet lush rocking-ness. If the 7" does well, maybe another.
-- East Coast tour with Oh Be Joyful.
-- Running the half-marathon on February 15th.
-- More paintings and collages and photography.
-- Another album under my own name, and hopefully some solo shows doing folk songs and stranger stuff and maybe some drone shows too.
-- Finishing the pile of SUNSET songs now staring me in the face and finding a label to put them out.
-- Ballroom dancing lessons. Yes, for real, I'm doing this.
-- Travelling to India and visiting some ashrams in the foothills. Maybe some volunteer work if I can line it up.
-- Full U.S. tour in the veggie oil wagon, with the full band !
-- More poetry to fill out the first volume of self-published poetry to come out 2009 or 2010 or maybe never.
-- S.W.A.K. #3
-- Another edition of "Candle-lit Television Eyes," my ongoing DVD-r series.
-- Sort through these 30 or so un-transferred mini-DV tapes. Something good might be in there.
-- More procrastinating thoughts on further education. Who needs school anyhow?
Here are some of my favorite photos of the year:
Hope your year was as fantastic as mine. See you next time.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Cirque de Soleil; Dave Bryant
Cirque de Soleil recently contacted me, searching for musicians to perform in their newest musical based on the life and music of Elvis Presley. This is my audition tape:
I am fairly certain I won't be getting in.
I also made a video for Dave Bryant (on a song I produced and recorded):
Not sure if he'll like it or not. Hi Dave!
Monday, December 15, 2008
SWAK is back. Some updates.
I took a long break for no real reason. Just wanted to disappear for awhile. But I've got lots of good things coming up, so I wanted to start this blog back up and share everything that's going on.
============================
First off, I wrote and recorded a song called "Christmas in Jail" for an Irish record label's Christmas album called "An Indiecater Christmas."
Purchasing info here.
============================
First off, I wrote and recorded a song called "Christmas in Jail" for an Irish record label's Christmas album called "An Indiecater Christmas."
Purchasing info here.
===========================
Secondly, I have just released a new album through NYC's Tired Trails. It's an album of cover songs, stitched together in a beautiful book printed on recycled paper with banana leaf covers. It contains extensive track notes, black and white photography, and 2 poems. You can order them by emailing Jess, here : tiredtrails@gmail.com. They cost $12.50, postage paid with the U.S. Overseas I suppose you will have to pay an extra few bucks.
Here is my cover of Neil Young's "Expecting to Fly":
Expecting to Fly (Neil Young cover)
Full Tracklisting:
The Dirt (Mark David Ashworth)
Sea Song (Robert Wyatt)
Last Fall (Jared Van Fleet)
Shady Grove (Traditional)
The Ballad of Sammy Mudd (Sam Sanford)
I'll Be Here In the Morning (Townes Van Zandt)
Rake and Rambling Boy (Traditional)
Hot Burrito 2 Digit (Flying Burrito Brothers)
Expecting to Fly (Neil Young)
Walking After Midnight (Searching for Me) [Alan Block and Don Hecht c/o Patsy Cline]
Be Not So Fearful (Bill Fay)
Diamond Deserts (Bill Baird)
This Land Is Your Land (Woody Guthrie)
Here are some photos of the beautiful new books.
================================
Lastly, Sunset is putting out a 45 rpm 7" record -- "Loveshines II" // "Not a Perfect Person (Looks Like I Fucked Up Again)" ! It looks awesome and sounds pretty good too. Something about vinyl makes me want to take a big bite out of it. Tactile joy.
==========================
"Loveshines II" was recorded live as a band, then we did a full band live overdub. So it's essentially 2 stacked live performances. This was part of a really great all-night session at Wire Recorders.
"Looks Like I Fucked Up Again" was written and recorded at 5am, later that night.
The record is set to be released February 9th ! And it only costs $4 !
Pre - order here:
North American orders:
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
CANADA IS AWESOME, PART II ///// PETER AND THE WOLF
I've traveled to Canada numerous times, and for numerous reasons. I've found the country expansive, the people warm, and the trees large. My last time up there, I was halfway through a grueling 6 week Sound Team tour. For about 4 straight weeks, I listened to nothing but the album "Lightness," an album by my friend Red, aka Peter and the Wolf. It was gentle and touching and affected me the way music should. I posted a track here that's short, sweet, and completely appropriate to this discussion.
Peter and the Wolf - Canada (off the album Lightness).
He has recorded several albums since "Lightness," although Lightness has gotten the most press.
About a year ago, I got together for an all-night session at Big Orange with Red and Josh Duke (Red's frequent collaborator and the dude who recorded "Lightness"). We recorded three complete songs; I played on two of them.
During this session, I was floored by Red's vocal range and skill at harmonies. I mean, this motherfucker would lay down like 10 tracks of perfect harmony, then come up with another idea and be like, "No, ditch that." And he would re-do the entire thing, without a mistake. Just knocking it out, over and over again, first takes every time. His ability and creativity that night inspired me.
The songs we recorded ended up on his latest disc, "The Ivori Palms."
Here's one of the tracks we made:
Better Days
That's Red on drums and piano, me on bass, and Josh on guitar. Tracked live, except for piano and some vocal overdubs. This track has such a great feel to it. You can tell we were pushing each other and having a lot of fun.
Red's an inspiring guy to record with. He follows the muse.
I encourage any and all folks to head over to Itunes and buy his albums. You will not regret the purchase.
And Red, if you want me to take down the mp3s, please send a shout. Just trying to draw attention to your sweet tunes.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
ZILKER PARK TRAIN RIDE, CONDUCTOR'S VIEW
I tried embedding it in high quality, but doesn't look like it worked. You can see the original here; make sure you choose the "high quality" option.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
"CHAIN OF FOOLS;" MC ROVE
Did anybody else notice the band playing "Chain of Fools" either before or after Bill Clinton's speech at the Democratic National Convention? Seriously. Seemed inappropriate, as most other songs were really uplifting and hinted at the democrats' eventual victory.
Do you think the band was secretly a bunch of republicans? That nutty Karl Rove. What a prankster. I bet he's behind this. We all know he's a very talented musician. Check this out:
I think I'd be laughing if my mouth wasn't filled with vomit.
Do you think the band was secretly a bunch of republicans? That nutty Karl Rove. What a prankster. I bet he's behind this. We all know he's a very talented musician. Check this out:
I think I'd be laughing if my mouth wasn't filled with vomit.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
"TWILIGHT AND GHOST STORIES" PHOTOS AND WRITE-UPS
photo courtesy of nariposa.
I recently played with an ensemble of improv musicians, assembled to realize Chris Schlarb's album, "Twilight and Ghost Stories." We rehearsed and then played a show at Church of the Friendly Ghost.
I was able to collaborate in my humble way and added a different dimension to the largely insrumental performance. These were some of the best musicians I've ever played with... what a joy. Some very very talented people on that stage.
You can read Tiny Mix Tapes review of the show here. They describe my contribution as "wispy." I think that might be referring to my hair, though.
Chris Schlarb's own write-up of the show is here.
Friday, August 01, 2008
George Orwell
Entries from George Orwell's personal journal will be posted in blog form here. I heard some excerpts, and this should be well worth checking out on a daily basis. Blog posts start August 9th.
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