Post-Coffee House post

The Coffee House was a huge success! Above are the poster and the programme for the evening - I will soon post a video and some photos.

What a concept!

That is my English teacher, Gary's favourite phrase.

The concept in question, in this case, is free time! It's a long weekend and my homework is all done. I have now plenty of time to practice the saxophone and re-work my guitar piece. I have also learned, just today, how to assemble a walking bassline - the most useful thing I've learned in months.

I have also retrieved my N64 from the Cosmic Cop, who has been borrowing it for about two years. I can't wait to play Kirby!

Fab and I played our first ever gig last night at Zach's thirteenth birthday party! Utilizing electric guitar, with all my usual effects, and a keyboard-via-PA, we rocked the joint with 'Equinox' and 'Little Sunflower.' Because of the PA, I had my amp much louder than usual, and this caused even more feedback than I employ on even my noisiest days. During one of my clean moments, I quoted The Smiths' "Still Ill," which I've been waiting to do in public for the last week. Though I didn't notice it until someone pointed it out to me, I had my back turned to the fairly sizable audience the entire time we played.
In any case, it was fun, we got plenty of positive feedback (from people, as opposed to amplifiers), and it sort of functioned as a trial run for the coffee house. We also made some sweet cash!

I borrowed John Coltrane's final official album, Interstellar Space from Neill the other day, and have been listening to it madly. I'm always on about 'Calming Mr. Coltrane,' but I had never heard this, his most calming album of all. When I say 'calming,' by the bye, I mean it the same way I say 'hard-partying.' I put it on and did science homework!! After smashing my way (calmly) through this album a couple of times (once on public transit[1]), I decided to get around to listening to all the free jazz-type stuff Neill burned for me a few months back; Eric Dolphy, The Albert Ayler trio and The David Murray trio. I was already familiar with Dolphy -- he's one of my favourite musicians -- but I hadn't yet experienced 'Out There,' which I listened to the other day. It's now one of my favourite albums. My track of preference is 'Serene,' but all of them are good. Turning now to Albert Ayler, I remember Neill advising me, "The first time you hear it, you might just think, 'the guy can't play,' but just try and give him a chance." I listened to Spiritual Unity all the way through today, and it really is unlike anything else I've heard, in a good way. He certainly can play, but his stylings would definitely turn many people off. I still haven't listened to all of David Murray's Live '93 Octfunk, but I've liked all that I've heard. One of the bass solos knocked my damn toupee right off!!

I've also been obsessed with George and Ira Gershwin's "Summertime" of late. I always thought the Zombies' version was amazing -- and it is -- but it's clown music compared to Happy Apple Green's version. (I don't remember where I got this strange disfigurement of Al Green's name, but I've been using it since I was a tiny child, and I'm not stopping now.) Bird's version is also mind-bending. He incorporates a huge volume of turns, and his vibrato is frikkin astounding.

1: Other great 'transit' music, I've found, would include anything by T. Rex, and Youth Group's Skeleton Jar. Your thoughts on transit music?

The RCTV IDS Club!

I'm writing this in the middle of a planning class, as I've paid all my debt.

The coffee house is fast approaching, two weeks from this thursday. We (Tamlyn and I) have drawn up our entire program and it's looking as though the whole thing will be close to three hours long. Alone, I'm playing one original guitar composition. The Fab and I will be playing Equinox, Little Sunflower, Cousin Mary and Misterioso. I'll also be playing an acoustic rendition of Frances Farmer will have her revenge on Seattle with a young man named Victor. Next block, we have to head to the office and make sure the room we need to use isn't double-booked.

On 'Day 2s,' Tamlyn, Claire and I are renovating the latter's treehouse for school (we were sick of drama). How are we being graded on this? We're inviting our teacher over for tea and crumpets! (O yeah, as Tamlyn just corrected me while she was rudely reading over my shoulder, we're also making a documentary about the process.) By the way, this project allows us to leave school like two-and-a-half hours early. I also get to practice the saxomophone every other day this way!

Nothing will stand in my way!!

Oh, and Eureka seveN is over in two weeks! I'm preparing for post-cartoon land depression.

Where am I?

Why have I not written ene-thing in two months, you may ask. Well, that's not a valid question, because I have been writing outside of this blog. I have a life outside of you demanding leeches!!

I have been attending a school in the west end, City School, which is located within the King George school building. I am actually taking classes for pretty much the first time ever, English among them. This is where my writing has been going. Each week we are required to write a journal, usually on a topic that is chosen for us. The best ones so far have been 'A social outcast' (which I wrote about Prickle from Gumby Adventures), 'Musical hooks' (my choice), and 'My imaginary friend.' I will post all of these here.

I'm listening to 'Midnite Vultures' by Beck. I discovered that there are two other fellow-fans of this album at City School among the thirty or so students in attendance.

For art class, or rather in place of it, I am organizing a Coffee House with my new business partner, Tamlyn. It will feature music, poetry reading and, of course, COFFEE! I am planning on performing solo guitar pieces, which I will have to write, and jazz. I actually wrote one the guitar pieces yesterday - the whole thing. This is like a miracle for me! I used a riff I created a few months ago, and the ending is quite Yes-ish. It will appear either here or on glissando as soon as it's recorded. I have already performed it for The Fab and Sarrah, who both enjoyed it, in all its mercurial glory.

If you boil it right down, I only do about four or five different things every week.

On sunday the twelfth, I was the only one attending jazz. After the second set, Jason advised me, "Get The Jazz Theory Book by Mark Levine, and you won't have to go to university for jazz education." Stella financed this, and it's one dense book. It has revealed that the melodic minor scale isn't completely pointless, and that I should be practicing roughly a hundred and sixty-eight scales a day. I also now know that a fine way of notating E7#9sus would simply be Esus#9. I'm slowly learning.

I recently read 1984, which should be read aloud when there's a lull at a party, and am now reading The Crystal World by J.G. Ballard. I attempted to read The Atrocity Exhibition about a year and a half ago, and was lucky to make it over halfway through. I was thinking of taking another stab at it, but O'brien told me, 'Read some of his older stuff first.'

Now, onto the most important of topics. I've begun playing plenty of Pokemon Red again. I was searching high and low for my old strategy guide, when it occurred to me that I may have sold it to Cosima along with my cards and blue version some years ago. I headed over there and asked her. "Nope." Then Nils said, "But you lent it to her, didn't you?" Why he would remember that is beyond me. Cosima went into her room and fetched it within ten seconds. I've since been obsessively making lists of pokemon I don't have, lists of pokemon that I need Cosima to trade to me, etc. I beat Erika last night.

A list of everything I do everyday that I carry with me.

I love her, but she kills me.

Last wednesday, Liam, Melissa and I all gathered at Fab's place, with Fab in attendance, to jam. Liam brought his djembe(hand drum), and I brought my sax and guitar effects. Our first effort was recorded onto a small walkman with a condenser mic, and included me on sax, Liam on djembe, and Fab and Melissa on two separate keyboards. The walkman, however, decided it wanted a solo of its own all the way through. A noise solo. We then decided to just head for park and tilford plaza--an hour-long walk--to get wedge fries. Park and tilford (PT) is a ten-minute walk from the old Windsor House, so we would usually buy wedge fries every day. We now go there at least once a year.

Anyhow, Liam and I had both left our instruments at Fab's, so we decided to pick them up the next day. Luckily, we ended up there at the same time, allowing us to jam some more. It was all very atmospheric and meditative, and we even employed a basic polyrhythm in one piece. Fab, with his riches, treated us to lunch at Belgian Fries, where we split a deep-fried mars bar before returning to jam more. We'll need a better recording device next time, maybe the portastudio.

Sam, Melissa and I convened once again at Fab's place on monday, but unfortunately it went nowhere except Belgian Fries again. This time, we tried the deep-fried ice cream. Better not tempt a third visit for at least six weeks. My arteries are already having a party.

And one more time, I went to Fab's yesterday to record our reverb-soaked rendition of Equinox by John Coltrane, available on the latest Glissando entry. I was more than impressed with Fab's ability to play the bassline and the chords at the same time, and then play a solo over the chords. As for my own playing, I think the second chorus of my opening solo just may be my finest hour.

Arranging and Woody Allen

So, why have I refrained from writing for so long? Well, I was busy with band camp for the first three weeks, but I have no excuse beyond that.

The band camp took place at a highschool way out in new westminster. It involved an hour of traveling both ways each day. The day would commence with the beginner band, during which people were encouraged to try taking up a new instrument. My choice was the oboe, which does a real number on your face. One has to suck one's face in while blowing out into a very small space. I think I'll wind up taking it up in the future, but not the near future. This portion of the day would last from nine til ten. The songs were kind of what one would expect from a beginner band. Just marching band music. Advanced band would then proceed from ten til eleven, during which I played the (only) alto sax. Pretty much everything we played during this section was music from movie soundtracks, but not music you remembered from same. However, I will admit the music from 'Jurassic Park' is somewhat interesting, in that it sounds like a giant accordion (there was no accordion in the band), and the theme from 'The Incredibles' at least rocks out a bit and has a section in 5/4. The final third of the day was the jazz band, which had everyone split into groups, given lead sheets, and told to create an arrangement of the song of their choice. My group was fricken way too big, because the six of us were all too lazy to approach anyone in the time envelope provided for us to do so. I was the only alto, and with me were two tenors, a bass guitar, a flute, and a clarinet. Our song of choice was 'Tenor Madness' by Sonny Rollins, as everyone learned it by like day three anyway. The first night after we were put in our group, I was up late thinking about our arrangement, but nothing I thought of panned out. We had virtually no chemistry, and it sure as hell didn't help that one of the tenors was in a perpetual daze and literally refused to believe that I was homeschooled. I might as well have said I was from saturn. Anyhow, after vast amounts of help from Colin(you remember Colin, right?) and the teacher's aids, we wound up with an arrangement. On the last day, there was a perfrormance from each group (the beginner, advanced, and jazz bands). Fab was even in attendance! Our small group's performance went alright, except the ending of it really didn't. Oh, and my saxophone decided not to cooperate entirely during my one-chorus solo. But it was still a very good day. Fab, Stella and I went the End afterwards.

The last two weeks of live jazz at the End have been very different from usual. Two weeks ago, both Jason and Steve were sitting out, so there was an entirely new band besides Ian. Also, Liam wasn't there. There was an altoist, a trumpeter, and a guitarist. It was almost eerie without the drums, and during their first tune, I was thinking, "This is poor! They're hardly tight at all". But by their third tune, they were improving vastly. A second guitarist arrived for their second set, and he brought them together like hell. It certainly shows how even remotely different combinations of people yield entirely different music. He resembled Woody Allen, so he's become known to us as Woody Allen, although I believe his name is Oscar. He's quite amazing. Last week had a similar lineup, but Steve was back. Our group was also quite large. It included me, Fab, Melissa, Liam, Sam, and even Graham was there for the first three songs. Liam remarked, "I can see what you mean about Woody Allen. He's really good, and he mopped the floor with the other guitarist!".

I love rain as long as I'm not in it

I really should write more.

I saw ze White Stripes on sunday at dear lake park with Bailey and Fab. I insisted on arriving an hour before the gates opened, cuz what kind of moron pays like sixty bucks to stare at a crowd of backs? We talked to the people in line with us-- a family of four from Washington. After a while we could hear really loud thunder. And then there was rain. Rain rain rain rain rain rain rain rain rain rain....The worst rain I've ever been in for an extended period of time. With vast amounts of hail. The gates opened like forty minutes late, and then we initiated our plan of attack: get right to the front. And we did. The opening band carried on the tradition of the White Stripes having lame opening bands, and they were so professional that they didn't even tell us their name. The 'Stripes came on at eight. Meg was wearing a beret and a black and white scarf, carrying two baguettes. Nearly the whole time they played, it was like being on a boat on a very angry sea, as Fab said. At one point, some guy flew right over my head. Anyways, they opened with Dead leaves and the dirty ground, When I hear my name and Icky Thump. The entire time, I was trying to beam the vibes into them (Rockinitis-style) to get them to play Black math, and it worked. They finished their regular set with it. Other highlights of same were Jolene (the Dolly Parton cover), Catch hell blues, Effect and cause and Hotel Yorba. In their encore they played Seven nation army, naturally, Screwdriver, and the best performance of the night by far, We're going to be friends. Aside from the fact that it was the only song during which I wasn't being smashed up, it was just sweet to hear everyone singing it. They also played their Burt Bacharach cover, I just don't know what to do with myself and ended the night with the Leadbelly (Huddie Ledbetter is a way cooler name, isn't it?) tune Bo Weevil. We ran into Sarrah and her unknown friend afterwards, not even knowing she was there. Lucky us, we got a ride home with her Fahzsa.

I had my final formal lesson with Colin on tuesday. Next tuesday, I will begin a band camp of sorts in New Westminster for three weeks. It takes place from nine a.m. til noon every weekday. One of those hours is all jazz-related, but I'll still show up for the rest of each day.

Some truly excellent news, now. I recently got the old 1986 sony walkman working again. If it hadn't stopped working in the first place, Occupant would have more songs than Robert Pollard and Daniel Johnston combined by now, due to its convenience.

MooddooM

Well, I'll tell you all about the recording front this past little while, because unusually, there has been a recording front lately.

I'll just tell you first off that none of these compositions will be appearing here any time soon, so don't get too excited. The first came together from a number of unlikely sources. When I'm trying to sleep, sometimes something will pop into my head. Sometimes music, sometimes something else that I feel inclined to write down for some reason, such as the sentence, "Move it, you fascinating sky." Anyhow, one day something in 3/4 with two guitars popped into my head. I got up and figured it out, wrote it down and forgot about it. A week or two later, I was thinking about generic fucked up circus music in 3/4 and I went to the forte. I figured out this little thing involving really not-so-chord-ish chords that I've since learned are called 'tone clusters'. I realised that the guitar parts would fit over it! Then, I guess not long after, I was listening to the sweet hard-partying sounds of Greed by Swans and enjoying the rhythmic, repetitive nature of it. As soon as it was over, I quickly wrote a sax part and recorded the whole thing. Why isn't it ready? a. I didn't use a click track, which means I will need to retake the whole thing. b. It needs development. Repetition without development, in this case anyway, would bore your brain out. In a live context, however, I'm sure you would find it appealing.

The second is basically two tracks of bass feedback at two different pitches. It's five minutes long. I guess I need to play something over it, but even if I don't, it's pretty soothing.

The third is quite similar to the first. It has a two-note bassline and mid-range forte chords, first executed in a staccato manner, then a sustained manner. A dreamy guitar clothes what we'll call the middle section. And over all this....an electric drill. Maybe I'll find a way of fusing all three pieces together.

O'brien and I took a trip to the anime store at metrotown the other day. There was a hell of a lot of stuff there, despite how small it was. I will be returning soon!

"I hate everything that I don't own" -M. Gira

Not to quote him out of context or anything.
The great thing about not writing a blog entry in over 2 weeks --and I know it's been longer than that-- is that when you finally come back to it, you have tons to write about. Ergo, I've tons to write about.

Last wednesday I went to see Bjork in deer lake park with Stella. I said, "The gates are opening at five, so we should get there at four." Stella told me it would be an old crowd who wouldn't show up until the gates opened. She said, "Remember how we got to Lisa Germano an hour early and had nothing to do?" And granted, that was my idea, but as I told Stella, "Lisa Germano isn't Bjork." We wound up pretty much right at the front. And what can I say about it? It's Bjork. Whenever I go to a concert, I always think it's the best I've been to.

Before jazz on sunday, Stella, Fab and I went to the opening of a little restaurant at 49th and fraser. We met a woman who told us about a place called the Butcher Shop that has an open mic night once a month. She gave us her card and told us to email her for more info. Fab and I then proceeded to the End. The band had a different bassist whose name was Ian. He was certainly something! They played Blues for Alice, which is always a treat, and told us they'd have to start giving us a cut from the tip jar for showing up every week.

That same day, I was going to lend Fab The Perks of being a wallflower, as it is a somewhat Catcher in the rye-esque book. He wound up forgetting it, and this prompted me to read it. I finished it and liked it as much as the first time I read it.

Colin was sick last week, so there was no sax lesson. He was well enough to teach yesterday, though. He told me he'd only be teaching for another month, as "things are getting too hectic." He said he'd recommend someone at the end of the month.

Fab made me promise to write the guitar solo (that I've been supposed to write for over a month) "the next time I pick up the guitar." I wrote it today, finally. I found a way to make dying pig noises using the phaser. I find them much more expressive than dying cat noises. Those are mostly unplanned dissonance.

One day I will cover the entire Man Machine album by Kraftwerk.

It seems monday is the blog day. I just don't feel inclined to write during the rest of week, you understand.

I'm supposed to write a guitar solo for the piece Fab and I have been working on. Well, I've been supposed to write it for a few weeks. Now Fab's cracking down: "I want this bitch recorded by next week!!" He's also always saying that since half of it is written, I may as well improvise the rest. "[Nils] is probably the only one who's ever gonna listen to it. And it's not like he's gonna go, 'Hmm, that sounds like unplanned dissonance!!' or 'That last bar didn't sound like a cat dying!!'". On the other hand, the jazz hand, we've been trying to play better blues than, you know, wanking guitar solo blues. (Even though it's always time for a wanking guitar solo.) I'm slowly improving. My sax homework this week is to steal an idea from Mr. Parker.

We went to the see the live jazz last night, but we were only joined by Luan, and even then, not til halfway through the second set. During the break, Steve (the drummer) sat down at our table. We talked for quite a while. He said he'd been playing drums for twenty years, but jazz for just one. He asked what kind of music we play. I said, "Well, we've been debating what to call it for a while. I say it's called chamber rock," and Fab said, "And I insist that it's prog rock". Steve said, "I love prog rock!", and we got into this long conversation about prog rock, and he gave us his list of Prog Rock Classics.

The last tune was Well You Needn't by Mr. Melodious Thunk, during which Joel (the bassist) quoted my favourite Coltrane tune, Syeeda's Song Flute.

And I met Eliot the other day. She was pretty tiny, but bigger than I expected. You couldn't put her in your lapel or anything.