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JibJabJune 5, 2007
Sitting in with Respect can be hard (especially for a drummer replacing Ted). For a guest playing with Respect for the first time, there is often a tentativeness--listening and trying to fit in to what other people are doing, rather than being an equal member of the group. But Take took control of the performance right from the beginning and never let go. It was as if he'd been playing with us for many years, but he injected a certain freshness that brought a whole new kind of energy to the concert. Here is the first track from that concert. It is two songs: Ian, by me, and Ivan Island, by Red. I think it rocks. By the way, that is honorary Respect member Matt Clohesy playing bass. All the things I say about Take apply just as much to Matt as well.
Ian/IvanApril 16, 2007I don't know that I can add much to the ongoing discussion about the recent closing of NYC's most premier "new music" venue, Tonic. For people who don't know, Tonic was a concert space on the Lower East Side (LES) that has been THE home for avant-garde, creative, and experimental music for 9 years. It closed April 13th because the rent became unaffordable (rumored to be $10,000/month). Incidentally, an enormous condominium opened up just down the street on that same day. From what I know, the LES is one of the most expensive areas in the City, which is interesting considering that it used to be one of the poorest communities in the City. In fact, most of the residential buildings in that area are former tenement houses. Housing for poorest of people has become housing for the richest among us. One bedrooms go for $2K and up---way up. I could be wrong, but I feel that artists play such a huge part in making otherwise drab neighborhoods into hip spots, creating a higher demand to live there. Think about lofts. Conventional wisdom used to be, "Who wants to live in a loft, other than an artist who needs the space?" Back then, lofts were very cheap. Then it became fashionable and now lofts are totally unaffordable. Greenwich Village was a hot spot for jazz because it was such an inexpensive place to live. Then, it becomes hip and all the artists are priced out. I am sure that there are other factors as well, (such as NYU), but you can't deny that artists and the "culture" that they create contributes to the overall hipness of a community and makes it more desirable to live in, thereby raising the rent. So all I ask is for some way that artists can share in the riches of the community that they helped to build, rather than be priced out. I am all for capitalism, market forces, etc., but we shouldn't sell out the soul of the community for another Starbucks. For the good of this city, there needs to protection for artists and venues that promote their art, particulary "new" art, as that is really the most important, but least funded. In a recent article in the New York Times about a John Zorn concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center, music columnist Ben Ratliff claims that "new jazz" has no need for institutions like J@LC since they have venues like The Stone, Tonic and a record label. Ben---this music is being silenced in New York City and is becoming increasingly difficult to hear. As a musician, is it virtually impossible to make any money in this city playing experimental jazz/improvised music. Musicians can be kicked around only for so long before they decide to pack up and go to a place where they are appreciated. March 26, 2007With all the board games out there, it can be difficult to choose the perfect game. Most board games, particularly the new ones, are simply garbage with dumb rules that don’t make any sense. I was fortunate to grow up in a household that had a wealth of entertaining games to keep me occupied. To name a few, I particularly enjoyed Othello, Life, Monopoly, Scrabble and checkers. As great as those are, there are some others that fall into the ranks of perfection. These ‘perfect’ games must have a timeless quality, never growing old. They must allow skill to play a large part in the game, while still accommodating an element of chance for an excitement that can only come from the thrill of a gamble. Lastly, they must utilize a relatively simple and sturdy concept (a foundation) upon which the rules of play are based. It is my strong conviction that Boggle and Scattergories are among the best games ever made. Boggle was invented in 1972 by Alan Turoff and trademarked by Parker Brothers. A 4x4 grid of 16 random letters is assembled for all players to see. With a time limit of three minutes, players discover words hidden in the grid to score points. However, in scoring, a player only earns points for words that only he found so it pays to be original. The game has two strong points. First, each round only lasts 3 minutes so it is rapid play. You can play many games in just 20 minutes. Second, the number of players is not only flexible, but actually alters the type of game that you will play. In a two-player game, you have to write down everything you see as to cancel out your opponent’s words. But in a five- player game, it pays to be original and skip the obvious three-letter words. One final and important point to remember is that a player need not be able to define any word that he may find, so long as it is in fact a word according to an unabridged dictionary. Players who challenge the words ‘deb,’ ‘ret,’ ‘rit,’ and ‘bap,’ etc, only expose their own ignorance. They are unlikely to ever win a game of Boggle. Scattergories is also a multiplayer game involving wordplay. Invented in 1988 and trademarked by Milton Bradley, it was an instant hit. It even became a TV show hosted by Dick Clark, though it failed miserably. In Scattergories, players are each given lists of 12 categories and an icosahedral die is cast which chooses the communal ‘letter.’ In three minute rounds, players write down appropriate answers to the categories that begin with that letter. So if the category is sandwich and the letter is ‘B,’ a suitable answer might be ‘BLT,’ or ‘breakfast sandwich.’ In scoring, only an original answer counts so it pays to be creative. The thing that I love about this game is that controversial answers lead to discussion and ultimately voting on whether a point should be granted. While each player is encouraged to be creative and original, it is ultimately up to the other players to determine if any answer is acceptable. For instance, take the previous example: category is sandwich and letter is ‘B.’ Would ‘broccoli sandwich’ be an acceptable answer? I say ‘no.’ That is an incredibly stupid answer. There is no such thing as a broccoli sandwich. Subway does not sell it. You can’t go to a deli and order it. I would reject this answer with full force and further, consider admonishing the player for wasting everyone’s time. I hope that you are either already familiar with these games are interested in becoming familiar with them. They can lead to many hours of enjoyment and social bonding (or unbonding as the case may be). February 15, 2007So I was mentioning the projector that John and I got recently in an earlier post. Here are some pictures. The first picture shows how we mounted the projector and rear speakers.  The next pictures are of NCIS, a terrible show, but one that is broadcast in High Definition. HDTV looks GREAT on this projector.   January 29, 2007I have neglected my blog. I am sorry. In the past week, I got a hankering to buy something. I wasn't sure what to buy though. One of my favorite sites is www.gizmodo.com which is a site that reviews gadgets and electronics. Everytime a projector is reviewed, I get real excited, but alas, most are far too expensive and the technology is young. Well---temptation got the best of me and I really did it up, starting with an HP high definition projector. I just moved so I have this great wall that is PERFECT for a projector. Once I bought the projector, I realized that I would need a better sound system to go with the 6.1 receiver that John bought when we moved. So, I bought these nice Yamaha front speakers and moved my smaller JVC's to the back. I was all excited to check out my new 4.1 setup, but realized that most movies output the dialogue through the front-center speaker which I was missing. So---off to Circuit City I went where I bought a Pioneer center speaker. While I was there, I could not pass up the open-box deal on a Sony subwoofer. So--now I have a great sound system. John mounted the rear speakers and they look great. The reason I bought the projector was mostly for movies, but then it occured to me that John and I could have a great Superbowl hang if we could pull in the game (I do not have cable). So, I bought this USB device that plugs into my computer and has a coaxial input on it. You can connect either your cable or an antenna to it. Turns out, HD programming is available for free over the airwaves so I'll pick up the game on the antenna and send it to my computer and send the picture to my projector. Whew! It will be broadcast HD with 5.1 surround sound. The screen diagonal will be 100". After work today, I am off to pick up a screen from some a Craigslist posting. It is 60" x 80". Won't you please come to our Superbowl party? And if you feel inclined to bring some beer, may I suggest cans only? We are going to try and build an enormous Beeramid. N.B. John has a concert at Carnegie Hall that night so he won't be around for the game, but he'll be around after the game. |
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On April 20, 2006, I got to play with Take Toriyama for the first
and last time. In a pinch, when Ted was not available, Josh Rutner asked
Take to play with Respect at the Knitting Factory. Much to my dismay,
we never got a rehearsal in before the gig, but I can honestly now say that
Take is one of the few drummers who really does not need a rehearsal.
Anyone who has played at the Knit knows that sets are short. Fifty
minutes--tops. I recall being annoyed that Take seemed to be taking
10 minutes to set up: tuning drums, assembling cymbals, hanging
noise makers. Ha! I was so amped---I just wanted to start playing!
But patience won out and we (me, Respect, the audience) were rewarded
with a Respect performance that was totally and utterly unique from
any other show we've done.
New PIANO Pics!!!
Pix from the Mansion
New Year's Eve 2005
AWS Carolinaz Tour
Respect at Bop Shop
The Respect Sextet
Peter Hirschfeld
PJ Kelly
Red Wierenga
Jason Price
Josh Rutner
Alarm Will Sound
Caleb Burhans
Ben Gallina
Brady Miller
Dave Rosen