WHAT A NICE YOUNG MAN...
Someone named Hugh Jazz signed up on my mailing list.
Well played sir.
THE SAD DEATH OF KIM'S
Kim's Video in the West Village is closing today. We've been renting our movies there ever since we moved here. It was our favorite place to find obscure films that few others carried. Apparently its closure is the result of rising rents and the economy and so forth - whatever the reason is, this sucks.
I wish the owners and employees all the best with their future endeavors. Thanks for all the great movies.
SOUNDS FROM THE STUDIO
Below are a handful of tracks that I've been working on lately for the new EP. Even though everything isn't completely in its right place yet, these will give you an idea of some of the sounds we've been getting.
ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES
My friend Willie Gammell came over to the studio this past Tuesday to record some solos for four different songs. I think we recorded around 80 takes total, so that will certainly take some time to comb through. Willie is half of The Galt Line (complimented by the equally talented Blythe Crawford), an outstanding duo that you can find right here. I met them both last year at an open mike in the West Village and have since performed with The Galt Line numerous times over the past few months.
And sadly for me (but happily for them), they are moving to Maryland this month to prepare for being on the road full-time. Needless to say (but I'm saying it anyway), I'm very excited for them and wish them all the best with their upcoming endeavors.
Thanks for everything Blythe and Willie!
ON THE VERGE OF THE VLTAVA
Here's a photo I took from Strelecky ostrov in Prague last week. It's an island in the middle of the river where I used to go see outdoors films in the summertime. The first thing I saw there was "Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!" with my friend Chris Syvertsen. Ah, good times. 'Twas nice to be back...
FREEDOM THROUGH FEEDBACK
Here are four videos of me creating feedback during a recent sessions at the Gallery. I've been told by several people that listening to feedback ranks among the worst things ever in the history of the universe. But creating it, to me, is very cathartic.
LOOK AT THIS STRAWBERRY!
It was at the very bottom of a box of them we brought to a picnic last week with the Syvertsens. I mean, just look at it! This is the Andre the Giant of strawberries. I couldn't even bring myself to eat it - not because I was afraid of how grotesquely huge it was, perhaps as a result of some added stimulant, but just because it was simply amazing. I laid it next to the trash can for someone else to witness, or maybe for a dog to stumble upon and chomp. On the whole, I'm just thrilled I got to see it in person.
RESTORATION
It's been a few weeks since I've posted anything more than an image or a video. I actually do have things to say (or type) sometimes. I just returned from a much-needed trip back to Prague for 10 days to see some old friends, drink some beer, and partake of a good bit of nothing at all. And now I feel refreshed. I've been so focused on work lately that I haven't had much time for the things that make me happy. But, at the moment, I'm feeling fairly at ease, appreciative of my surroundings, and reasonably optimistic.
STUDIO UPDATE
Recording is coming along very well over at The Gallery. We started tracking acoustic guitars on Monday after we finished editing the bass takes Dan recorded last week. I've been using an old 1970s Guild for the most the part. I have some video from those sessions that I'll be posting soon.
Everything is coming along according to plan. But I think it's time to step away and take stock of what we've accomplished thus far. As much as I'd love to have the finished product in hand, there's no use in rushing the process, right?
Right.
POSTCRYPT
A couple weeks ago, I played a show at Postcrypt Coffeehouse in the basement of St. Paul's Chapel on the Columbia University campus. It's been open since the 1960s and has hosted artists such as Suzanne Vega and Jeff Buckley over the years. Aside from the fact that it only seats around 30 people, there is also no sound system, which makes the setting especially intimate.
Here's a photo I took of the chapel upstairs:
IN BLOOM
It's refreshing to see some green on the trees in our neighborhood. Here's a very crude picture I took on my phone of a tree down the street close to the Hudson River. This has been a particularly long winter it seems. But now things are finally waking up again - and that feels good.
DRUM SESSIONS
This past Monday and Tuesday, I went to Brooklyn for a recording session with drummer Aaron Steele. The head engineer at The Gallery, Brian Forbes, recommended Aaron as a good fit for what I was hoping to achieve on this new EP. Not only did we get some marvelous sounds, Aaron was super-easy to work with in the studio. I took a some video of a few takes that I've included below. It seems like things are headed in the right direction so far...
RADICAL SHREDDING
One of my songs was recently featured on Shralp!, a video podcast that covers snowboarding, surfing, and other sporting activities. A couple weeks ago I signed up for a service called the Podsafe Music Network; artists can upload their songs for free and allow any podcaster in the world to download and use them for whatever purpose they see fit. And now you can see people snowboarding along with my music. Ah, technology.
Here's a link to the podcast if you're interested: LINK
My song comes on around the 3:00 mark or so.
FROM UNDER SAINT MARKS
Here's a photo Joe Yoga took of me during a recent performance at Under St. Mark's Theatre. If you haven't checked out his music yet, please do so. He's an amazing songwriter.
Thanks Joe!
THINGS ARE GOING TO START HAPPENING TO ME NOW
I've arranged for some studio time in Brooklyn at a place called The Gallery. I took the L train over to Williamsburg last week for a tour, during which I had a great meeting with the engineer there. And this coming Monday we're going to talk about our plan for recording. I'll keep you apprised of how things progress...
MASTER THESPIAN
A friend from Prague asked me to act in an independent film he's directing. I've never acted before. Ever. But who cares? It looked like something fun and new. They're hoping to have it finished by the end of the month, so I'll let you know when you can tune in to view my horrible acting skills.
ATELIER SAFARI
I've been going to different studios here in New York to find out where I want to record. It's fun talking to different engineers about the new project and hearing what they think of the ideas. Some of them sit and listen to each track; others listen for a few seconds and then skip to the next song. Regardless, I'm continually astounded/overwhelmed by all their equipment. I guess I just like being in any type of studio, to be in a space where an artist works and creates; and getting to see so many different ones over the past couple weeks has been very entertaining.
SOUNDMAN DUSTIN
When I arrived last night for the showcase at Under St. Mark's Theatre, I was told that there was no one running sound because the person who usually does it was sick. So I volunteered to do it until my slot came up. Running sound is a mixture of excitement and dread - it's great to hold the reins of power, tweaking a level here, raising a spotlight there; but it also comes with the horrific phobia of screwing things up - which I definitely did. So I basically learned that I'm a shitty soundman. I’m sorry everyone! But it gave me renewed respect for those people who are patient and skilled enough to do such a meticulous and potentially irksome job all the time. It was fun while it lasted though.
