Today I had lunch at the Ethiopian Cottage with Brian Ritchie and his son Silas. Brian is Shakuhachi master, and has musical connections in Japan, so I’ve asked him to connect me with a teacher to study either Shamisen or Koto when I visit Japan in October/November. Silas is pretty heavy into his musical projects. He is a singer-songwriter-guitarist, and is also deeply interested in electronic music. We compared some notes, and agreed that Winter is a great time to get recording done. Brian thinks the most efficient way to record music is to have a rehearsed band go into the studios and record the songs live. I would tend to agree, but the manner in which I’m approaching my own record is different. I’m very anal about it, and I’m painstakingly constructing the songs from ground up. When I’m done, and ready to perform the songs, I will pick the right musicians to play them.
Lunch was good, and was quite different from my initial experience with the Ethiopian Cottage. We had gone on February 14th (Valentine’s Day), and we didn’t get served for over 2 hours, and people who had been there a short amount of time and threatened to leave got served before us. The lamb was undercooked, and we simply found it detestable. However, I’ve regained my faith in the restaurant. The food was amazing, and the service was reasonable.
Today, I had the fortune of recording some tracks for Holly Haebig’s forthcoming CD. The recording took place at producer Mike Hoffmann’s home studio, which is chock full of instruments, equipment and memorabilia. It was like walking into a museum. The bathroom was full of Elvis related stuff, and was appropriately dubbed, “Elvis.” Mike is a really nice guy, and was very accommodating and patient. During the recording of the track, I was moved nearly to the point of tears when I heard the sound of the Bandurria interacting with the other tracks of the song. It was then that I realized how recorded music can effectively capture the emotional expression of the musician. It’s not always about technical proficiency, although it certainly helps. But I digress. I can’t wait to hear the completed song. And neither should anyone reading. Holly is an incredible talent, who writes and performs beautiful music with her voice, guitar, and flute.
Later during the day, I stopped by Oumar Sagna’s house with my portable recording rig, and tracked Pa Bobo Jobarteh, a Gambian Kora player visiting Milwaukee via Seattle. He recorded Oumar’s track in one take, and really knew how to play that Kora! Furthermore, he taught me the best way to mike a Kora - which is to point the mic directly at the face of the instrument, instead of the hole in the gourd. After departing Milwaukee, the fourth generation Kora Jali (musician) will visit the UK for a performance at WOMAD.
This day has really inspired me to record again. After the move, I didn’t have much time to set up my recording equipment, but I hope to do so very soon.
I happen to be one of the lucky few to get one of the last remaining monome 40h open-source MIDI controllers. I just placed my order, and should have it within a week. I will upload more info and pictures when it comes in.
(I’m really excited)
visit monome.org for more details about this hand-built MIDI controller.
Update: I recently received my monome 40h, and I will post pictures and a video soon.
I just sold this item on eBay, and I will never see it again. Although beaten & bruised, it served me faithfully on many a gig, and I owe it much gratitude. In a way, it is part of shedding the One Drum skin, since I used this effects/preamp unit quite extensively for bass and guitar when I was in that band. Farewell, Digitech Studio Tube GSP 2101!
I now have about 8 students signed up, and I’m really enjoying teaching. To share my passion is very fulfilling, and it doesn’t feel like work. At this point, I don’t have enough students to justify quitting my day job. If this keeps up, however, there will come a point at which I will have to make a tough decision.
Today I had lunch at the Ethiopian Cottage with Brian Ritchie and his son Silas. Brian is Shakuhachi master, and has musical connections in Japan, so I’ve asked him to connect me with a teacher to study either Shamisen or Koto when I visit Japan in October/November. Silas is pretty heavy into his musical projects. He is a singer-songwriter-guitarist, and is also deeply interested in electronic music. We compared some notes, and agreed that Winter is a great time to get recording done. Brian thinks the most efficient way to record music is to have a rehearsed band go into the studios and record the songs live. I would tend to agree, but the manner in which I’m approaching my own record is different. I’m very anal about it, and I’m painstakingly constructing the songs from ground up. When I’m done, and ready to perform the songs, I will pick the right musicians to play them.
