Give me a little movement in the stereo field….

Listen to this.  Drink it in. 

Download them.  Give my friends some love.  Tell me what you think.

A Badge

I Theremined? I’m a Thereminist. I used someone else’s Theremin. Things are quite Thereminy.

A few friends and I recently recorded this (it’s really quiet, so turn up your speakers or, preferably, headphones) for a final project of mine.  We used the studios here at Loyola to record three tracks of drums, two of piano, two of guitar, two of Theremin, three of vocals, one of whistling, and one of chair. Yes, chair.  How does one mic a chair? Yeah, I’m not sure.

Anyway, we used some basic microphone techniques that I think worked out for the best.  I really enjoyed the process of recording it.  We layered each track on, starting with the drums.  We played the drums to a click track, then played some piano, some theremin, guitar, and so on. 

The idea I had while mixing this was to create a full stereo field.  Sounds surround the listener, swelling in and out of the foreground and through an acidic puddle of intense and sloppy reverb (thank you for that analogy, Bhob).  There are still a few improvements to be made, and a lot of volume to be made up for.

In the future, we plan on creating videos or some sort of visual to accompany the music.

Any ideas? Sweet: comment.

Oh, Hello

I know it’s a little early in the week for this, but oh well! I just can’t contain the excitement!

Spring has hit New Orleans–making the grass green again, the weather is warm, and everything is covered in pollen.  I’ve got more work to do now than any other semester-ending since I got to college–though, somehow, I don’t feel very busy.  Perhaps I just notice the free time a lot more now that there is something other than more free time encapsulating it.
It’s all my fault, of course. I could have started these assignments earlier in the semester–perhaps, when I found about them.  Procrastination is a serious disease, and it has been my way since high school.   Very rarely do I simply not complete something, though, and I’m counting on this fact to bring me to the end of this stretch as well!

Lately, my media experience has taken a “return to form” sort of path.

I’ve been rewatching Lost Season 1 on Hulu.com.  I had forgotten how simple the story was in the first few episodes, and I had forgotten how many punches were thrown!  For every five minutes of substantial show, there is one of punching and grunting and slapping and bleeding.  This show brings me back.

I am from the South.  He Is Legend’s album “I Am Hollywood” reminds me greatly of my experience in the American South.
He Is Legend - Much like the typical human life, this band has taken many forms and gone through stresses and disasters.  It started with a very punk tinge, with a heavy hand of southern swagger mixed in–sturdy  riffs soaked by beaming leads provide soaring vocals a place to rest between screams and yelps.  This music isn’t very sophisticated, and it’s not meant to impress the most technical of musicians.  These songs were built for a good time.
The first problems arose with the release of their next album, “Suck Out the Poison.”  The band had ditched much of their punk rock sound for a more distinguished and dirtier sound, and this seemed to anger most of their fans.  “Suck Out The Poison” was a darker mix, but still had enough dirt and energy to keep me interested.  Their next album, “It Hates You” took a completely different direction–it’s definitely metal, and definitely has the riffs that make me think of the South.  A band can take many turns in its lifetime, and I think it’s important that they do.  If music were a cut and paste sort of craft, I think much of its magic would be lost.

There are few things that make me think of the South more than beards and distorted guitars.

No particular topic:

Hello, friends.  The past few weeks have been particularly slow.  For me, with the build up of unfinished and untouched projects and assignments comes a torrent of thoughts and panic-filled, late-night working.  I probably waste equally as much time during the final few days of an assignment as I do when I first learn about it–perhaps, at the beginning of the semester.  How have I wasted my time lately?

Looking at Moog keyboards, guitar pedals, making summer plans, and listening to Zorch!  This is not a crime!

I’ll make a list of guitar effects pedals that I’m interested in:
Electro-Harmonix Micro POG – Polyphonic Octave Generator – A sweet little pedal that can produce sounds up to an octave above and below your signal simultaneously.  I want to make some crazy tones and I think emulating an organ would suit that purpose.
Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man – Again, a suitable tool for creating seriously weird tones.

I can’t help but find this post random and without any direction, so I’ll throw in a youtube video for good measure!

I’ve listened to this band for the past few weeks (Thanks, Nick) and really enjoy it.  Simple, dancy, catchy, Irish.
Sweet.

Good Old War

Hello reader.  It has been a couple of weeks since my last post.  I’m actually overjoyed to report that very little has happened since my last post.  I didn’t do much at all over my Spring Break, which is exactly what I wanted.  Lots of time to think, to read, to listen, and to refocus.  I certainly listened to a lot of music, thought, and watched a lot of bad TV.  Refocusing? Not so much.

Lately I’ve been listening to a band I saw with Circa Survive in Birmingham on March 13th.
Good Old War - The band name comes from the last names of the three members–Goodwin, Arnold, Schwarz.  The music is simple and enjoyable.  I’d venture to call it sweet!  Vocal harmonies are the highlight of this work and they drive the very simple guitar tunes to an overall entrancing sort-of bayou folk rock sound.  These guys also acted as Anthony Green’s backing band on his solo full-length “Avalon.”  I have always been a fan of vocal bands.  I think of several waves moving in the same direction and in the same position.  Waves that move out of sync, and then come together and sync for a very unified and moving effect–an overall picture of movement and meaning that holds my attention and consideration better than any instrument.  The human voice can take so many shapes–as many or even more than a guitar or keyboard.

Have a listen:

I’ll end this with a photo section:

Above: The raptors of central Alabama are speedy creatures. 
Below: This is an arena just outside Munich, Germany.  This was a large convention space where Adolf Hitler would parade his Nazi forces and make speeches to the people of germany.  A friend of mine from high school wrote a paper on Nazi architecture.  It’s a very interesting subject.  It’s a very imperial style with many hard edges. There are many large structures made of clean concrete and stone some of which can still be seen around Germany today. 

Interesting!
Later!

Noah Baumbach, Greenberg, Limited Release Movies

When I hear of an upcoming limited release film, my immediate reaction is “I guess I could drive to Atlanta.”

It pains me to live so far from a limited relase theater.  Birmingham would receive a few major musical acts every few months, and there were plenty of theaters, festivals, bowling allies, many things to keep the teenage mind busy.  Very rarely, though, did we get the indie movies, the lower budget films, the documentaries, or anything beyond major hollywood releases.  Moving to New Orleans changed that a bit.  Theaters like Canal Place, Zeitgeist, and The Prytania receive some indie films every so often–some more than others, of course.  I saw Waltz with Bashir at Canal Place, as well as Synecdoche, New York.  However, my access to limited release films has yet again been relegated to “very low.” Curse you Renovation Gods!

The reason I am complaining about this right now is the upcoming release of a Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale, Margot at the Wedding) film entitled Greenberg starring Ben Stiller.

Because this movie hasn’t been released, I want to talk about why I like Noah Baumbach instead of giving a review.
When I think of Baumbach’s films, I think of sad stories depicting average, though sometimes fantastic, people.  I think of movies that make me feel strongly in some way–similar to Wes Anderson’s affect on me.  I feel the best movies are those that make you feel the strongest.  Happiness, sadness, hatred, confusion, all tools to depict beauty or ugliness in the mundane.  Baumbach’s The Squid and the Whale is the perfect example.  This film depicts a family breaking apart and poor parental decisions reflecting through the kids.  In the end, the viewer is hoping for some sort of reunion or resolution–something that says these kids will be okay.  But, really, you never get that.  The movie ends on a note amounting, essentially, to “That’s life.” It’s upsetting, and that’s why I find it to be the best possible ending to the film.

Thanks for reading. Now go watch some good movies this weekend, listen to some good music or go to a good show. Do something! Just be sure to tip your waitress.

I Really Like Bad Television Shows

This weekend, I returned home to Birmingham, Alabama to hang out with a few friends, and to see Circa Survive at Workplay Theatre.  I spoke about this band a few posts back, and soon after found the opportunity to see them live!

The other acts included:

Terrible Things – entertaining, but not my thing(s). Fred Mascherino’s new band.
Christmas Lights – awesome, fun, experimental electronic music.
Good Old War – simple music, great vocals from all three members.

My favorite moment of the night was Anthony Green of Circa Survive stopping the show mid-song to break up a fight. He told the fighters to leave and said “This isn’t about anger. This is about the expression of love.” He went on between songs to an audience member, “You can do whatever you want. This has nothing to do with any of that. You can be happy, you can all be happy.” After the initial surprise, I really enjoyed it because I think that Circa Survive doesn’t construct a hierarchy, putting themselves above fans.  Instead, they realize that we’re all people, and we all own the music, and the music is about feelings–and he hopes positive feelings, though I suppose that’s not always the case.  At least, this is what their music and Anthony’s word meant to me.  And now, I’ll stop rambling about feelings. This was a killer concert, and a band that really enjoys playing and making music.

“This is the closest thing I’ve ever had to a spiritual experience–and it’s always f*&$king here.” – Anthony Green

On another note, I’ve started watching two new television series recently.

FlashForward – This show, I’m pretty sure, was projected to be a replacement for one of my favorite series ever, ABC’s LOST. Though, I don’t accredit LOST for being a show full of wonderful actors, FlashForward is bad. Really, really bad. I speak mainly, of course, of the lead actor Joseph Fiennes (who I best remember from, shoot me for saying it, Shakespeare in Love). His character has a constant “Max Payne” expression and a tone of voice stuck in a state of attempted intimidation–all of which creates, at times, a very silly vibe. However, after all this bashing, I still really enjoy this show! Please check it out! Really interesting and creative plot–it’s interesting to watch how a story unfolds, or how a storyteller will spin it.

V – Yes, a bad show about aliens starring another character from LOST. It’s an addiction, I can’t help it! All the same issues stated above apply to this show too–however, this one comes with the bonus of a few very attractive women. Looking past the horrendous acting, the story is quite good.  I’m always very interested in apocalyptic stories. Stories where people function outside the boundaries of society and revert to a primal state of survival–it’s always interesting to think about how you would act in these extreme situations, how you would function. Again, bad acting, fun show. Check it out.