Flamenco Sketches

ok, i thought about posting Flamenco Sketches by Miles Davis here (because i'm posting SKETCHES from the last two weeks [get the wordplay? {yeah!}]), but i decided that it was far too slow for me to put here.  so here's another Miles Davis tune for your listening enjoyment while you disinterestedly skim over this post.






i'm not going to even try to remember every day since my last post.  so here is a bullet point summary of things that stood out over the course of the last 20 days  (edit:  i decided that i don't feel like making bullet points, so i opted for short, disjointed paragraphs):

my aunt died, one of my favorite family members.  we'd been preparing for it since april, but we still weren't ready.  a few days after her funeral, one of my cousins had a baby and named it Abigail Jayne, after Aunt Jayne.

been on a songwriting spree lately.  written around 7 full sets of lyrics in the past two weeks, probably as many melodies.  only one full song has come out of it so far, but since it involves comparing a person to a time machine, i'm ok with that low writing-to-completion ratio.  some of the songs that have been tabled for now include a surf/jazz/reggae monstrosity and a flamenco-sounding, overly-dramatic, should-be-used-in-a-bullfight-scene song.

i got my guitar speaker cabinet back from being repaired.  this whole thing has been like some weird greek tragedy.  in late july, i found this amp and cabinet in a guitar center for $200 less than it should have been.  a week later, the amp started acting up and needed repaired.  then the speaker cabinet started acting up and needed repaired.  long story short, i finally had both my amp and cab fully repaired on sunday, november 28.  at which time, i had to leave all my electric guitar equipment in ohio so i can move the rest of my earthly possessions in a single mazda protege

ok, i googled "mazda protege matchbox," hoping to find a toy car version of my car.  this image showed up five pages into the results, and i felt obligated to post it.  this is ty cobb, one of the meanest guys to ever wield a bat, and the list of dangerous bat-wielders includes mafia members and loan sharks.  notorious for sharpening his spikes to inflict maximum damage, he once bunted down the first base line, knocked the pitcher down while he was trying to field the ball, and spiked him in the chest.  then he made it to first base.

anyway, my mazda is a small car and i couldn't fit all my material possessions in it when i move back from chicago, so i left my electric guitar equipment in ohio.  which means, after waiting for 4 months to use the amp and cab that i bought and love so dearly, i have to wait another two weeks to play gloriously loud music, despite the fact that they're both finally repaired.  just like oedipus, right?

i experienced the first of the chicago winter.  instead of starting off with snow for its first wintry precipitation, the chicago weather gods decided to rain tiny pellets of jagged ice on the unsuspecting populace.  as you may suspect, this put a damper on my lunch break to Sultan's.  i want to take this time to comment that Sultan's has the most delicious falafel sandwich i have ever encountered, and if you are ever in or near chicago, you need to eat there.  plus it's like 4 bucks for a falafel sandwich.  i thought about it yesterday, and i think i have eaten there at least once a week since august 30.

i've been on a sci fi movie binge.  not just any kind of sci fi movies, though.  only ones i haven't seen before.  last night i saw a polish/japanese film called Avalon, about an illegal, addictive video game that takes hold of the populace.  pretty good, as far as low-budget sci fi romps go.  i think i've seen 10 sci fi movies in the last two weeks.  i also saw The Shawshank Redemption for the first time, i highly recommend it as a prison film.  however, Cool Hand Luke is still my favorite when it comes to the prison film genre.






i have established a rapport with a cta bus driver.  he's a cool guy.  i should probably ask his name sometime soon.  maybe we can be pen pals.

had thanksgiving at Grandma Bradney's house in Amanda and at Aunt Susie's house in Marietta.  good times.  lots of food.  i can still taste grandma's egg noodles.

today's my last day at JMA.  still working at Eventric through dec 8.  i had a confrontation with my boss at JMA over ethics, and won out in the end.  i guess either way my boss would've lost out, i probably would've quit if he gave me an ultimatum.  he wanted me to do research for a paper that his daughter was supposed to write.  he really does love his daughters, and i guess that i can accept that as the root of asking me to commit academic misconduct, but it still bothers me that he asked.

going to see Tommy Johnagin on dec 9.  excited about it.  he's a great comic, all three of you reading this should check him out.

music.  lots of musical happenings.  listened to Kanye's new album (wasn't terribly impressed), The Clash's Vanilla Tapes (demos for London Calling), a little of Florence + The Machine (i need to get their full album, really digging their first two singles), tons of The Replacements, tons of The Thermals.  the big revelation has been in Joe Strummer's London Calling, a BBC radio show he did sporadically through 1999 and 2000.  it's what i imagine radio used to be.  completely unpredictable, smile-inducing, and full of foot-tapping tunes.  lots of world music, but that shouldn't turn you off.  it's all good, from mariachi to reggae to Eddie Cochran.  and it's free:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/joe-strummer-london-calling/id285877923

i read American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson.  he is actually a very good writer, i enjoyed it very much.  he's a favorite comedian of mine, and has led a very full life of drugs, rock and roll, tv, film, and late night talk shows.  i loved this one quote from his book, it goes like this:  'i sometimes wonder if fear isn't just God's way of saying, "pay attention, this could be fun"'

i think i've written a sufficient wall of text to describe the past few weeks.  i'll be moving back to ohio on dec 8, moving into my house in columbus on jan 1.

jazz fest

i went to the chicago jazz festival today.  only really saw two acts, but saw two incredibly fluid guitarists.  first was ted sirota's rebel souls.  they played a reggae- and world-infused style of jazz that i thoroughly enjoyed.  drummer played a little too showy for my taste, but the guitarist was simply amazing.  he kept going from dazzling quick solos into strange diminished and augmented chords, making me think he would just start comping for the rest of the band.  instead, he would go into a run of eighth note chordal changes to continue his solo.  not easy chord changes, either.  i honestly didn't think some of his chord progressions were even possible on guitar.  completely blew me away.  he was playing what looked to be an es-335 clone and a 2x10 music man combo, which made me really happy and sad at the same time.  i can't express how much i want to play my music man amp/cab right now... but it does have the distinction of "the loudest clean amp ever made," and i am living in a low-noise environment.  also, +1 for the band playing a charlie mingus tune.

i saw part of zooid, but decided that i would rather listen to jazz that was more palatable than artsy and complex.  so i went to the complete other end of the spectrum:  nick colionne.  pretty smooth jazz, really not my stuff with the exception of his guitar playing.  actually, i probably would've left his set after the first song if it weren't for his guitar.  he wasn't really playing all that interesting of stuff in terms of progressions, but he was doing it with such flair and such ease that i had to watch.  he was quite the showman.  +1 for the ridiculous keyboardist, -1 for doing a really sarcastic and terrible purple rain cover.

on my way back, i walked past a choir.  just as i passed, they sang this song:



one of my absolute favorites from going to church growing up.  i may need to listen to more hymns in the near future, i forgot how much i enjoy them.  there's just an infectious feel about them, right down in the depths of the music itself.  even the lyrics are creative and well-done (like most hymns, it does seem to get a little lazy on the third verse), not terribly preachy but still getting the message across loud and clear.  i think a lot can be gained from secular songwriting with hymn style in mind.  i mean, ray charles made an entire career from doing that.

eating leftover burritos tonight.  the "medium" salsa is more of an authentic salsa, "hot" to a gringo's tongue.  i definitely was not expecting this, and drank a lot of water with my first burrito last night.  two glasses worth at least.  also watched up in the air today.  *sort of spoiler alert*  it was a very good film, but i cannot express how much i wanted it to resolve in the end.  so many loose ends, so many questions... however, it has kept me thinking about the film all day, so i suppose it ended in a successful way.

tomorrow's labor day.  i have the day off.  might go to a neighborhood festival sort of thing.  we'll see.  i also may actually finish the Alien Orders in The Shed mix, which i've been threatening to do for about three weeks running now.

listening to simon and garfunkel's bookends on the turntable.

running and lounging

i've been either running or lounging these past three days. running around chicago, finding new places, or lounging on my bed, watching arrested development, the lion king, and the simpsons (in that order). not entirely sure why i chose to watch the lion king. not really my favorite disney movie. it is a good movie, though. a lot deeper than i remember it.

played guitar for about 45 minutes each day, though. that's been nice. wrote a new riff, need to go through my lyrics to find something that matches up with it or write new lyrics.

listening to the replacements right now. wonder where paul westerberg was when he wrote i will dare. mentally and physically. i can't find anything about it. i'll probably read a biography i found, though. i heard they were lured with promises of coke to get their picture taken for Let It Be. gotta love the good ol' rock bands.



it's 5:18 am now. just spent about 7 hours investigating tube screamers. hopefully all the research will pay off in the form of a bitchin guitar pedal.

probably going to the jazz festival tomorrow. that is, if i can wake up in time after all this time spent awake. i have some ridiculous coffee from stauf's that should be able to do the trick...

little hungry right now. see ya.