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The Stolen Base Rule is Gonna Kill Me.

Hi,

I’m spending a lot of time these days reading for classes.  And studying.  Legitimately studying.  How terribly boring for you.

I spent about 4 hours the other day cutting up some audio for a piece that is going to take absolutely forever to make, but not really forever.  A long time.

I tried to see Mountains the other day, but they cancelled.  One advantage to real mountains over the band Mountains: the geological mountains are more reliable.  It’s not the band’s fault, though, I heard their stuff got stolen.

I have also been enjoying Dirty Projectors, Ke$ha, Veronica Mars, The Commitments, Japandroids, Kalpana, Rites of Spring, The Contours, Emeralds, and a song by Lou Reed.  I’m not sure why, but I always figured I wouldn’t like Lou Reed’s solo work.  But the man is one for one so far

Today’s Phillies/Mets game was cancelled, so I keep reading for classes.  And Studying…

This is an apology

Hey, I totally changed my mission, sorry.

I have been posting over here:

theculturecounter.blogspot.com

But yeah, I have had to reaccess my creative output, and I’m afraid that recording two just-decent songs in a week when I got sick anyway didn’t fit in well with the plan.

The good news is that the new Kalpana album is done, done, done. Totally mastered and everything. We’ll have it in our hands soon and so will you.

Mm

Resolved

By the end of my break from school, I will have two new songs finished, posted shortly after.  That’s the end of March!

Overheard on 2/21

New Phoenix is too totally right on!

(Loud music plays)

Young dancing woman: Your friend is great!

Young dancing man: Why of course he is; He’s MY FRIEND

2/12

I’m making music tonight on my computer.  I’m producing a mini-entry for this year’s RPM challenge, and i’m starting…now!

Music Vs. Art

For the first time in about (yikes) ten years, I made a big messy drawing yesterday. This was for a class in school. I really liked making the drawing and I was very much into staring at it when it was done. A big chunk of it appears below. My instructor asked how the drawing process was different from the movement process (expressive body movements for relaxation, therapy, group cohesion, fun, etc.). I answered that in a movement session I would freely improvise for the entire time, actively going from moment to moment. But in the art process I only spent about 3 minutes drawing totally expressively. I spent the rest of our half hour scanning over the drawing for areas I thought were ugly and improving them. My instructor acknowledged the role of “problem solving” in visual art that cannot exist in movement and in most live music. Until the 1950s, this was true for recorded music as well.

Suddenly it hit me. This problem solving part is totally essential to my creative process, and the relative lack of problem solving is the reason why I am not as engaged in the live music experience as most of the other musicians I know. I can play drums with friends and it’s cool, but mostly because I like being around my friends. I don’t tend to get “lost” in any sort of “groove.” I will always go for a carefully crafted song with a beautiful melody and those just-perfect chords over a musical experience that lacks invention, even if the latter is perfectly executed. This is why I have leaned so heavily on the recording process all my life. I love the idea of going back and crafting those absolutely perfect life-affirming moments in music.

Like the coda of “God Only Knows.” Like the buildup and devastation in “Memorial.” Like the “Get ‘em out of those bodies!!” breakdown in “Pwnd.” Like the “I Think That She Knows” extension of “LoveStoned.” Like the main riff of “A Pillar of Salt.” Like the last one minute of “The Equestrian.” The choruses of “Say It Right,” “Dawn of the Dead,” “Blood (the song),” “Get Ready,” and “The Sweetest Girl.” The way the bass supports so perfectly in “Gobbledigook” and in all the best Notwist songs. The totally lonely guitars ringing out in the periphery of “House Jam.” The floating synth hovering over the chorus of “Breaking It Up,” and the derranged group chant supporting from below. Moments like this are why Liam and Me are solid gold and Vampire Weekend are solid garbage (VW completely lacks them…they don’t come close). Moments like this are why I put so much more time and effort into determining my favorite songs than my favorite albums or my favorite bands.

For a few minutes after I made this realization about problem solving, I wondered if I should have taken a track into art instead of music. But I think I made the right choice. I had a session making music with some kids the other day that turned into one of the most moving experiences of my life. I love interacting with the kids, and helping them draw things out of themselves to make music with. They have the potential to make massive creative leaps and discoveries, all in conjunction with their potential to become more healthy. I’m certain that for some of the kids I work with, the music we make together represents the best and most enjoyable musical experiences they have had; definitely the most empowering.

Really, this is probably the best use of problem solving that I can think of. Of course I will continue with the Glass Animal music (especially over the summer when I finally have a little time to spit out a lot of the ideas I have been coming up with), the Kalpana music (we have a shit hot record almost done…FEELS SO GOOD WHEN THE RECORD COMES OUT) and when Ben has 10 free seconds, we’ll do another record of his stellar new songs. And I’m thinking of doing some art as well.