Jun 01 2010
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May 26 2010
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[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
Visti and Meyland. What a team! I am sorting through music for my gig tomorrow, and I dug up this recent 8+ minute gem of a jam, “Stars,” out now on Bear Funk. I like the patient development and the theatrical vocal climax. Not sure I’ll drop it, but it makes me happy listening to it, and I’m excited for when the moment’s ripe to drop it. (‘Twould be an epic set closer!)
Oh yah, and if you’re in Montreal, come by Velvet tomorrow! So excited to play!
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Footage from a streetcar making its way down Market Street in San Francisco in 1906, just days before the great earthquake on April 18th and resulting fire that destroyed much of what you see here (but not the film itself, as it was shipped by train to New York for processing). This film was originally thought to be from 1905 until David Kiehn with the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum figured out exactly when it was shot using New York trade papers announcing the film’s showing, weather conditions on historical record and the street’s wetness from recent heavy rainfall, shadows indicating the time of year, and when the cars were registered. (Apparently, he now knows who owned them and when the plates were issued. This reminds me of when I went to research the previous owners of my parents’ house, built in 1882, and was able to find out what many of them had done for a living.) Pretty neat look into the past.
And that last sentence means more than one thing, as I am now back in Montreal after a two-week period in San Francisco in which I moved out of my old apartment, gave away so much of my old life, dealt with an annoyingly cloying cold (and the annoyingly cloying cold), and tried to spend good time with so many people. I wasn’t able to accomplish everything I’d wanted, but the most important task of getting my records and cats to my parents’ for safekeeping was done, and I got in a fun gig, two recording sessions, and some amazing hugs from friends and family. My mom can’t stand the thought of my missing another Christmas, so I’ll happily return for a while during the holidays and hopefully get much more sorting and friend- and family-time in while there.
The immensity of my move and this period of shedding started to hit me on the plane, when lack of sleep had brought my emotions so to the surface that I found myself crying at the Sex and the City movie, thinking of my best friends I’d just left behind again. Sure, they’re not going anywhere, meaning that they’re always near to me in spirit, but nothing beats that in-person hug and chuckle and deep understanding.
Nothing beats the experience of severe change and actually doing what you’ve always dreamed of, either. So here I am, back “on the road,” excited for my upcoming shows. Can’t complain at all, but San Francisco and my loves there and thereabouts? I’ve got big loves and misses for you!
May 24 2010
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May 21 2010
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May 19 2010
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My homegirl Christen just sent me notice of her debut music video, which you can watch above. She’s a fantastic violist, using loops and what-not to play over herself and create an impressive live performance. You can check her out at itsnotaviolin.com. Always loved her for that snarky site name. About the video, from the woman herself:
We are pleased to present to you my debut music video, featuring the song Unabi, the Detroit Industry mural by Diego Rivera and the abandoned auto factories of Detroit, Michigan.
This 4-min video was shot in hi-definition, and produced entirely in Michigan. It is directed by Geoffrey S. George, edited by Derek Swanson, and the director of photography is Katie Barkel. I would like to especially thank these three fine talents, as well as the support of the Detroit Industry of Arts for this incredible collaboration.
May 13 2010
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Wow. I haven’t updated in a while, as my life’s been in a weird time-space warp the last week: 5 cities, 4 countries, 3 languages, 2 continents.
I traveled to play in another city in Argentina (Córdoba) the Thursday before leaving Saturday before leaving Argentina, missed my original flight back to Buenos Aires Friday but still managed to get back in time to be ready and drunk enough that I went out to my favorite club (Levitar) one last time. My time in Córdoba was incredible, spent in a simple paradise outside of the city with fellow music-makers, relaxing, vibing, making the most incredible farewell asado ever! Mmmmmmmmeat. My, how much has changed about me?
When the taxista rang my doorbell at my home in Baires at ten to 8am Saturday morning, I felt the strangest ever. I felt kind of ripped away but also a bizarre calm, as the anxiety had been with me heavily up until a few days before departure, then I just felt in a strange purgatory… enjoying the relaxed isolation of Córdoba, fully rocking the club that night, back in time for the last-minute errands, being surrounded by friends at my house for my last night of wine and empanadas, no sleep, straight to the airport and off I go… no time to consider what was really happening.
Arriving in Mexico City was another level of strange: still in a Spanish-speaking country, but the accent and slang’s all different. I was only there for 12 hours, and I have to say, it was the best it could’ve possibly been. After a shower and quick internet check, it was all Negro Modelos (sweet darling, beer), tacos (zomg spice!), micheladas (salted, limey beer!), the club (music!), and tequila (!)! I played about three hours, then literally got off the decks to go to the airport. The weather had been amazing, and I was dressed in shorts, boots, and a t-shirt when I landed in Montreal, where it had snowed that morning, and I had to switch my brain to French, something that had proved difficult while in Buenos Aires learning Spanish, but perhaps due to the familiarity of the environment, I was able to carry on a conversation with my cab driver just fine, save the most instant responses of “Sí, sí, claro, bueno, dale” etc and a few random things that came out in Spanish with a French accent.
My host in Montreal is a dear old friend, and I fell right at home, enjoying the company of his kitty and some great food, while the cold brought me back to my days there as a student and a marveled at all the “first-world” amenities. I took a trip to the local pharmacy type place (think Walgreens, Duane Reade, Jean Coutu) to get some nail polish remover, and the oddly familiar selection of colors, scents, flavors, and products around the store made my six months in Buenos Aires feel like some long, bizarre dream, yet when I was asked if I needed help and could only remember how to say “I’m just looking” in Spanish, I was like, well, there it is… this ghost inside me. Then I overheard a young woman ask for Plan B (morning-after pill) at the pharmacy counter, and I thought of all the young mothers in Argentina, where it is illegal to have an abortion, though I believe you can get that pill, although I wouldn’t be surprised if the availability of/education about it is poor. Women’s rights just have a long way to go there, despite their having a female president.
In any case, I had a wonderful few days in Montreal, playing tennis for the first time since high school despite the cold, discussing how to create an electronic musical instrument based on a drawing neither of us understand, watching the Canadiens win over the Penguins (hockey!) to the delight of all of Québec, and generally feeling quite at home in my elected city, reeling a bit while trying to digest my last half a year in the southern hemisphere.
Wednesday, it was finally not freezing in Montreal, but I had to leave at 10am for my flight to San Francisco. I was scheduled to arrive in the afternoon, get picked up by my best girlfriend and head to the birthday party of another best friend, a most fantastic arrival back home. However, the weather gods were not with me today. I was delayed in Montreal until 7pm, re-routed through Washington DC, where my flight was delayed two hours (plus the hour layover) while awaiting a crew, meaning I didn’t get in until 3am last night. I think hell must be an airport, but this is compounded by the fact that I checked my computer charger by accident, got sick from the cold there (and maybe playing tennis in it?), and am terribly sore from the aforementioned sportiness. Congestions + plane travel = suckage.
All told, however, it’s simply bizarre to be back in San Francisco, but I’m looking forward to hugging so many good friends and playing on the ultimate soundsystem at 222 Hyde tonight for my gig with Darkroom. It’s sunny out, and nothing beats the San Francisco vibe.
May 05 2010
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Fantastic use of space: a tiny apartment in Hong Kong transforms using a system of tracks and wheels and moving wall panels.
May 04 2010
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“ Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.
— Soren Kierkegaard
