Recording at Capitol Studios

Since I arrived in Los Angeles, I have mostly performed music. I haven't spent much time in the studio since Cheap & Sunny was released in April. Anyway, in the past couple of weeks I have done a few sessions. Each have been pretty darn awesome so far from recording with the Facets, the Watts Ensemble (new tracks are up) and with Tommy Rickard at Red Hill Studio (eng. Rich McCulley). But for several reasons, tonight's session might be a tough one to beat in a while, I am thinking.

So, tonight, I went to Hollywood and Vine to the historic Capitol Tower, home of Capitol Records and the place where some of the most amazing contemporary music has been recorded by such artists as The Beach Boys (thanks Seb), Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Judy Garland, to name a few.

Anyway, so, I ventured over for a recording session. I had no pass and had to do nothing at the gate but say whom I was there to record with and the gates floated open, and I entered the little back parking lot. I unloaded my upright bass and headed to the building where a security guard had me sign in and gave me a stick on badge, but I am pretty sure it is either magnetic or has a microchip in it because it feels more like a hospital arm band than one of those "Hello, My Name is" badges.

Anyway, I was a little overcome with emotions as I guided my bass down the hall, past large black and white photos of sessions that took place some 50 years ago. It was magical and I felt like a kid on Christmas morning, full of wonderment.

The session itself was painless and fairly simple in the end. But when I arrived in front of my black music stand, I continued to wonder what it is we were going to play. I calmly asked my fellow bassists and one said, "I don't know", the other said, "scales, or something like that." I relaxed and then noticed that some of the smaller strings were having a mild moment of desperation because there weren't enough music stands in their section. At that exact moment, the conductor stepped up to the podium which was raised a bit and surrounded by gigantic boom stands. He announced that no stands would be needed tonight (I let out a silent sigh of relief) and that we were going to celebrate birthdays for whomever has one in the next couple weeks. We found one person in the orchestra to play to and the maestro counted off. As he was counting off he was bombarded with musicians shouting, "What key?"

After Happy Birthday, the conductor announced we would play the patriotic tune he would hum to us. It was the Star Spangled Banner. Again, he quickly counted off without noting the key, and again, we frantically shouted for more information. He announced proudly, "F, starting on C" and seconds later, we were improvising perhaps our nation's most well known song.

I played the hell out of that tune that night and was having a ball because I love to play by ear. However, when we finished, I realized that we had just done something that many classical musicians don't do much of. We improvised. In classical settings, we are accustomed to having notes on a page, right in front of us, with very few exceptions. It was a treat to me, I was weaving in and out of harmonies, jumping octaves, playing little fills. I could hear every note coming out of my instrument, and felt each one floating into the microphone. This was merely a sound check for the booth, but it was pure fun for me.

After our little warm up, we learned that we were doing variations of bowed notes in order to capture samples for an electronic library of sounds for composer Nick Phoenix. The three basses stood around a very old looking Neumann microphone that had one of those big metal emblems soldered to it that read Capitol Records, very cool. And as you can see in the photos, the wiring on the mic is definitely not something you find at your local music store these days. I would venture to guess that the value of that one microphone is more than all the microphones combined in many home studio. And it sure was pretty too.

During our break, I got to venture into the control booth where they had a Neve console and many preamps, a huge mixing board, a fruit bowl, and huge windows looking out onto the big room. I got to hear some play backs and I thought they sounded incredible, better than I'd remembered it sounding live.

After our break, we came back and played through a few more sequences, and that was it. I was so interested in my surroundings that I forgot to get water or coffee (you know that's serious) during the break. I was just trying to take it all in because I knew my trip there would not be as long as I would like. And if any of you have ever been with me on a beach, you might know that I like to search for and look at shells, fossils, rocks, etc. for hours and hours. In fact, people have just dropped me off in the past, then scooped me up if more than two meals have passed before I request a pick up. Tonight was no exception, I think I could have stayed a week if they'd let me...

Well, I am just elated from tonight's adventure, and it may take an act of herbal tea to get this brain shut down tonight. It was absolutely incredible, just to be there. It was like visiting the Montmartre, where Dali, Picasso and Van Gogh once had studios. It is a piece of our history, a very rich piece of our American history. And I cannot believe that I just got to visit that place, and actually do a recording there. Wow!

-Good night, and pass me a bottle of sleep if you've got an extra.

Mondays, does anyone read these freakin posts?

I have no feedback as of yet, but I see the page views going up, so, perhaps someone is out there reading my ramblings.

Alas, today is Monday, and I have to remind myself of this because, as usual, I worked on Saturday and Sunday. And though I had a great evening on Saturday, making music, Sunday is much more interesting for sharing.

Last night, I played at the Colburn School of Music's Zipper Hall, a very nice concert hall in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. I suppose that may have been my first visit to another music school since I enrolled in one myself, and this was no comparison. It was like a fancy spa compared to the one I attended, which more resembles a 70's era middle school cafeteria (all except the concert halls, of course). Anyway, I later learned that I was in the "old" part of the school, the conservatory in the next building was where it was really nice, I can only imagine...

So, I performed on double bass (as it's called in orchestral settings) or "upright bass", which seems to get into people's ears much easier and cause a lot less confusion. Anyway, I performed with the Multi Ethnic Star Orchestra with special guest and awesome singer Dalal Abu-Amneh. We performed mostly Arabic and Egyptian music and some pop selections with singer Anna-Suzette Eblen. We also did a piece called Jasmine composed by our conductor Dr. Nabil Azzam which featured soloist virtuoso kanun player Lilit Khojayan. She is such a rock star, a badass if you will, and if she ever reads this, I hope she gets the fact that I have much respect.

Anyway, I sight read over half of the concert, and anyone who has seen me attempt this, well, let's just say, I am getting much better. It was pretty awesome, and I discovered that I missed performing with large ensembles. I hadn't been onstage with an orchestra in over a year! It's an experience that is so far removed in most ways from other situations in which I perform, but it's still making music, and it's a very different kinda cool. I realize, I can't put it into words right now.

Anyway, the concert was great and there will be YouTube Videos up soon, which I will add links for. In the meantime, enjoy my little photos from the bowels of the music school. There were various visual art collections on the walls, and the two with me in them are actually holograms. there were a bunch of them, some containing as many as four images, so cool.
Peace.
-Occasional Napper

it's early, but what the hey...

Greetings,

I'd like to start off by thanking the sensory gods who have blessed me with not only some decent ears, but more importantly a keen sense of smell.  And I give thanks because I have developed this crazy habit of burning toast lately.  I said it, burning toast. 

Recently, I left my home, my furniture and many of my possessions in my beloved home to do some work out in California.  Well, in my current dwelling, there is no toaster, and I like bread.  Specifically, I like whole grain sprouted "Jesus Bread", aka Ezekial Bread.  And...I also try and try to do ten things at once while at home.  So, in the past few months, I have burned some bread.  Much of it was salvageable, but tonight's finish product's contrast was like brown me standing next to the beans that I put in my press every morning.

Well, I am not writing to bore anyone with details of sacrificial bread, but to also note that I recorded vocal tracks with the Facets tonight.  We sat in the studio, or rather layed on the bed in the studio, sang to our hearts' desires and then each recorded our respective parts.  It was a fruitful evening of making recorded accounts of music making, and of sharing a tiny space with good people.  The album will be released hopefully around the new year and I am betting it's gonna be darn good, if not amazing. 

Also, the Ryan Bradley Affair played last night, in full effect.  Mario Montes, drummer extraordinaire blessed us with his beats and though it was our first time ever playing as a trio, I'd say it went very well, but it's going to get even better and better.  These guys are so good, and such awesome people.  When I met them, I had known them for only two weeks before we spent a ton of time together on a short tour to San Francisco.  I felt like I'd known them for years, and to any outside, I am sure it seemed so.

One more note on the musical front.  The final cut of the short film "The Tower's Cellar" was just completed.  I composed and performed the music for the film.  I do have a copy, but, much like my attempt at stalling/crappy story telling before my stage singing debut last night, I have yet to watch it.  Anyway, I can't wait to do more visual/musical projects.  I love the collaborative process, it's pretty amazing when it is true, kinda like love.

On to my next adventure,

-sleep seeking sinner

It's Monday, which is a little like Friday for me.

Greetings kind people,
It is Monday and I am doing my office work today, so to speak. I won't get into that, but what I will write about is my recent happenings, musically speaking.

On Friday, I performed an hour long set on the 3rd St Promenade in Santa Monica with the Ryan Bradley Affair. It was ultimately an incredible hour of my life, but I struggled initially to find my groove and also to warm up. I had not played all day, so, my hands were like leather work gloves until I put them into use on my upright beauty. What happened onstage was magical, it went from mild struggle to catching the most beautiful wind in our sail, and took us carving along nicely in and out of beautiful harmonies, riding the rhythms, as if we were on the ocean itself. The audience was amazing, joining in on the exchange and showing their appreciation openly and kindly.

I must also note that my friend and amazing filmmaker Marie-Michele from Montreal and Albuquerque made it to the performance, which made it even more amazing. She took some snapshots on her phone, please do enjoy.

Later that evening, I made my way over to the Room 5 Lounge, a nice restaurant below, a little lounge above. I had a performance with Tommy Rickard's band, who are also members of the Ryan Bradley Affair, which is a good thing because I obviously love playing with them. Anyway, the show went very well, despite the sound being, well, bad to terrible, I am not entirely sure. But what I do know is that I couldn't hear myself until it was too late. Each note coming out and swirling around the room, then lazily finding it's way back to my ears. It's not good, particularly for playing an instrument with long strings and no frets! Alas, the audience was very attentive and the feedback was great. Despite technical issues, I was making music with awesome people, and I had an awesome time.

My next performance of the weekend was at the Los Angeles AIDS Walk. I had to suspend disbelief in a big way for the fact that my call time was 8am! I am in the music business, not the film business and 8am is much closer to the time I go to bed than the time I get up on any day of the week.

Caffeine fueled and breakfast filled, I drove over with my 2 twelve inch speaker cabinet and 800 watt amplifier, ready to make some people dance, and that we did. I played with a group of talented individuals from as far away as Miami, but mostly from the Bay Area, and we played some Hip Hop, and it was mighty fun, mwahahahaha! I almost never get to play Hip Hop, but I do love to and hope to find more opportunities to do so. We played for thousands of people marching for a great cause and it made 3 hours of working in direct sunlight seem like 3 hours of sunning by the pool with fancy drinks, massage and luxury. It was just delightful, I can say nothing else. The players were great, and the audience was as well. And I must also note that my friends Julie and Rebecca came down and surprised me, and that was awesome, I love them, I do.

My final public appearance of the weekend was at a block party in Santa Monica. I don't have a whole lot of recollection of that event, I think I was so burnt from all of the stimulation I'd experienced in all of the previous shows, and all of the getting about that goes on when you live in a city stretched out end to end like a piece of leather over a drum.

That's about all I've got to spill today. Tonight I perform with Sebastian Clark and the Facets, an indie pop group that is jam packed with strong tunes and a hell of a performance. We play at Obriens on Main in Santa Monica.

Peace and love,
-Sleep Seeker

Watts Ensemble

I have a moment before I have to get out of my pj's.  And yes, it's almost 4pm!  So, yesterday, the Insomniac drove out to Valencia to do a little recording at the Roy E. Disney Hall at California Institute of the Arts, or CalArts for short.

I think the best description of the music is mystery jazz, or fake movie music, or something like that.  Anyway, drummer and composer Brian Watson, whom I met on an Amtrak trip in the Spring, has roped a group of musicians to bring to life some of his compositions, and we recorded the first of the live recordings yesterday.

I haven't heard any of the play backs yet, but according to the composer, they sound great.  I felt like it really came together nicely, which is great for a mid sized ensemble doing live takes (14 piece, maybe?).

I will have to post some clips once they're available.  I got to play a very exposed duet with the other double bassist, I think my pitches were pretty darn good.  But I won't know for sure 'til we hear it.  Either way, it felt pretty good, and I am very excited to see, er, hear the outcome.  Check out the Watts Ensemble (http://www.myspace.com/wattsensemble), the compositions are brief, but much fun to play. And, I met the composer on a train!, which speaks volumes, but that's a whole other story (minds out of the gutter, please...)

okay, time to get moving for the show tonight.

-join me at Camp, won't you?

Joshua Tree

Saturday was a long and incredible day for me. I spent my coffee hours at my nemesis of a music store that I only visit in a pinch because their shelves are packed with all the crap that I find myself needing in a pinch.

So, we had a show, or two at a gallery in J Tree, as it is known to some out there. My musical partner Ryan of the Ryan  Bradley Affair met me at my house, we packed up the car and headed out. I will spare you the details of the drive and such and bring you full speed ahead to the show.

We found ourselves playing outdoors in between a couple of galleries on a stage that was a converted military cargo trailer. It had recently been shown as a work of art itself at the famed Burning Man Festival. The trailer/stage was decorated with sculptures of flowers whose petals stretched out about 5 feet from end to end. The center of each flower had a field of stamen made up of dildo's. Yep, that's right, approximately 30-40 dildo's made up each flower's reproductive parts. I hope to soon post a photo of our performance, but for now, here's a picture of the stage taken at BM. It was a sight to see and a performance that had some extra inspiration.

We played two performances and though I fucked up a plenty, we had some amazing moments, weaving in and out of familiar and new tunes. The audience at both performances were awesome, it was a nice exchange that took everything out of me, and fueled me at the same time.

I sang a very impromptu version of Kiss by Prince, as a special birthday request. I shocked myself by pulling it off while playing a deep grooving bass. It's a simple line, but add the singing by someone who doesn't regularly sing...  It was a blast.

Alright, that's all I've got for now. It's just words, they don't compare to a live performance, but I love to write, so, enjoy.

Until next time...
your friendly Insomniac