Roman Edirisinghe

My buddy Ryan made this, in anticipation of my eventual audition for a cruise ship job. With all of these people rooting for me, I hope I pass the audition.

Roman will perform at Luc Vanier’s “e’s of water,” an interactive dance performance fusing water, sound, movement and technology.

Where: UWM Kenilworth Square, 1925 E. Kenilworth Place

When: 9 p.m. start, with last tour departing at 9:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday

How much: $19 ($10 for students, seniors and UWM alumni), at the door or in advance from the UWM Peck School of the Arts box office, (414) 229-4308

Roman will perform at Luc Vanier’s “e’s of water,” an interactive dance performance fusing water, sound, movement and technology.

Where: UWM Kenilworth Square, 1925 E. Kenilworth Place

When: 9 p.m. start, with last tour departing at 9:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday

How much: $19 ($10 for students, seniors and UWM alumni), at the door or in advance from the UWM Peck School of the Arts box office, (414) 229-4308

Roman will perform at Luc Vanier’s “e’s of water,” an interactive dance performance fusing water, sound, movement and technology.

Where: UWM Kenilworth Square, 1925 E. Kenilworth Place

When: 9 p.m. start, with last tour departing at 9:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday

How much: $19 ($10 for students, seniors and UWM alumni), at the door or in advance from the UWM Peck School of the Arts box office, (414) 229-4308

Captain Beefheart’s Ten Commandments For Guitarists:

1. LISTEN TO THE BIRDS…That’s where all the music comes from. Birds know everything about how it should sound and where that sound should come from. And watch hummingbirds. They fly really fast, but a lot of times they aren’t going anywhere.

2. YOUR GUITAR IS NOT REALLY A GUITAR…Your guitar is a divining rod. Use it to find spirits in the other world and bring them over. A guitar is also a fishing rod. If you’re good, you’ll land a big one.

3. PRACTICE IN FRONT OF A BUSH…Wait until the moon is out, then go outside, eat a multi-grained bread and play your guitar to a bush. If the bush doesn’t shake, eat another piece of bread.

4. WALK WITH THE DEVIL…Old delta blues players referred to amplifiers as the “devil box.” And they were right. You have to be an equal opportunity employer in terms of who you’re bringing over from the other side. Electricity attracts demons and devils. Other instruments attract other spirits. An acoustic guitar attracts Casper. A mandolin attracts Wendy. But an electric guitar attracts Beelzebub.

5. IF YOU’RE GUILTY OF THINKING, YOU’RE OUT…If your brain is part of the process, you’re missing it. You should play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. If you can trap that feeling, then you have something that is fur bearing.

6. NEVER POINT YOUR GUITAR AT ANYONE…Your instrument has more power than lightning. Just hit a big chord, then run outside to hear it. But make sure you are not standing in an open field.

7. ALWAYS CARRY YOUR CHURCH KEY…You must carry your key and use it when called upon. That’s your part of the bargain. Like One String Sam. He was a Detroit street musician in the fifties who played a homemade instrument. His song “I Need A Hundred Dollars” is warm pie. Another church key holder is Hubert Sumlin, Howlin’ Wolf’s guitar player. He just stands there like the Statue of Liberty making you want to look up her dress to see how he’s doing it.

8. DON’T WIPE THE SWEAT OFF YOUR INSTRUMENT…You need that stink on there. Then you have to get that stink onto your music.

9. KEEP YOUR GUITAR IN A DARK PLACE…When you’re not playing your guitar, cover it and keep it in a dark place. If you don’t play your guitar for more than a day, be sure to put a saucer of water in with it.

10. YOU GOTTA HAVE A HOOD FOR YOUR ENGINE…Wear a hat when you play and keep that hat on. A hat is a pressure cooker. If you have a roof on your house the hot air can’t escape. Even a lima bean has to have a wet paper towel around it to make it grow.

Via MusicThing and Analog Industries

OK. That was fun. I just got back from sailing! A student of mine is trading me guitar lessons for sailing lessons. We took out his 27 foot sailboat, and he showed me the ropes. He apparently thinks I’m a natural, but considering that was my first time, I’ve got a long way to go.

I really liked it.

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.

Please join Roman Edirisinghe as he sits in with Reggae Fire, featuring J.D. Rankin, FundaMental, Divelle Yarbrough, Ras Amerlock, and others. 9:30pm – ? $5 cover charge.

Location:
Club Timbuktu
520 East Center Street,
Milwaukee WI 53212 (map)
Tel : (414) 265 7000
clubtimbuktu.us

Roman Edirisinghe performs with the Sindoolaa African music ensemble, featuring Oumar Sagna, Jeff Green, Omar Phillips, Donnie Mac, Jean Sene, and Yaya Kumbaye. 12:00pm at the Montessori School at 95th and Bluemound Road.