Usual Pets

19/02/2024

My band Vektur (Grant Crawford, Gabe Landry, Jeff Cairns ) has re-united after 45 years, and here is one piece that will be included on our upcoming album Eclipse Move (vinyl and streaming.) Please have a listen to Be Yourself, and comment if it moves you.

A soft, alternative rock piece with uplifting vocals and lyrics. Grant Crawford - lead guitar, bass Gabe Landry - rhythm guitar Jeff Cairns - lead vocals, back vocals, lyrics, shakuhachi, drum program

07/11/2021

Today, we are honored to be speaking with musician and professor Dong-Won Kim. Our discussion begins with his formative days, forged from the turmoil of 20th century Korea, onward to his realization of the depth of meaning found at the heart of traditional commoner's music; and entryways to his creative space. We also discuss the chemistry of creation, intention, emptiness, the act of re-booting oneself, and the serendipity found in the flow of time and events. The twists and turns of this uncommon path blazed by Dong-Won Kim leave us with no other way to sum up this inspiring personage than alchemical. Join us on an adventure of transmutation.

If you like what we do, please support your Usual Pets on Patreon: https://patreon.com/usualpets

Here is the link to the episode:

https://usualpets.com/episode/ep-7-alchemical-listening-with-dong-won-kim/

17/10/2021

We are working hard at bringing an enlightening interview with Korean traditional drummer extraordinaire Dong-Won Kim to you. It won’t be long now.

22/09/2021

We hope our upcoming episode on Happiness wont be too boring!

https://usualpets.com/episodes/

02/09/2021

Check out the pod!
Episode 6: Rounding off the Angular, with Grandmaster Don Baird (American School of Martial Arts; Chang Moo Kwan Kung fu).
Though martial arts are rarely thought of as being imbued with artistic process, our discussion sheds light on the more refined realm of the practice, as developed though several decades in Don's advanced levels of Black Belt training. "Rounding off the angular" refers to an expansion of being through engagement with the arts. This process is traditionally known as "The Five Excellences": fighting, healing, musicianship, painting, and writing. In contemporary life, the five excellencies may refer to any number of art forms, though with the personal challenge to develop one's craft, in at least five different arts, to a high degree of skill. This interdependence with creative practices in everyday life facilitates a "rounding off," which deepens one's life experience, and is reflected in all things attempted in life ..."

https://usualpets.com/

29/08/2021

Only a couple more days left until Usual Pets Podcast Episode #6 is published. Hosts Richard Gilbert and Jeff Cairns will be soaring through their interview with Korean Kung Fu Grand Master and polymath, Don Baird. Get the wind under your wings and fly with us.
usualpets.com

kung fu

26/08/2021

Stay tuned for a new podcast episode, an interview with martial arts Grandmaster Don Baird. Curious fish want to know!
https://usualpets.com/

16/08/2021

The Usual Pets are horsing around in Episode 5: Test Pattern! Jamming on the never-ending fullness of zeros, entryways to artful process through tension and release, how to write a first word, creative spaces in virtual worlds... and, does capitalism foster creativity? To kick it off, Richard offers the four-minute “Test Pattern,” a poem set to music, the WTF (wonderous-transmogrified-filament) for the episode. Check it out at the link here, or in your podcast app (search for "usual pets")!

https://usualpets.com/episode/usual-pets-episode-5-test-pattern/

Today, we at Usual Pets will be horsing around! We'll jam on the never-ending fullness of zeros, entryways to artful process through tension and release, how to write a first word, creative spaces in virtual worlds--and, does capitalism foster creativity? To kick it off, Richard offers the four-minu...

16/08/2021

It's up! Jump on in: Episode 5 Test Pattern
usualpets.com

14/08/2021

Usual Pets, episode #5 drops in 2 days!

12/08/2021

What are your triggers to creativity? This question and many others are discussed in our discussion with Okinawan musician Aragaki Mutsumi. We welcome you to listen. https://usualpets.com/

Art in Everyday Life

11/08/2021

09/08/2021

We are an arty pod. We just released a cool interview with a great musician. Listen to what she has to say about another world, here:

https://usualpets.com/episode/episode-04-another-world-with-aragaki-mutsumi/

We at Usual Pets are very pleased to talk with Okinawan singer, sanshin player and creative being, Aragaki Mutsumi. Following the paths of Okinawan music maestros Fukuhara Chōki and Fukuhara Kyōko, she is noted for transferring the soul of Okinawan music into a modern milieu, incorporating eletron...

09/08/2021

It's the wondrous transmogrified filaments of - Usual Pets!

https://usualpets.com/episodes/

Posted on July 31, 2021August 1, 2021 Episode 04: Another World, with Aragaki Mutsumi https://usualpets.com/episode-player/325/episode-04-another-world-with-aragaki-mutsumi.mp3 We at Usual Pets are very pleased to talk with Okinawan singer, sanshin player and creative being, Aragaki Mutsumi. Followi...

11/07/2021

Hi folks! Please have a look at our newest project, the Usual Pets podcast. We've been working on it this year and three episodes have been released. You can listen or subscribe from our webpage:

https:/usualpets.com

Art in Everyday Life

25/06/2021

Welcome to our first Episode of the Usual Pets Podcast. If you enjoy what you hear, please like, subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and support us at https://www.patreon.com/usualpets

TweetShareSharePin0 Shares In our inaugural podcast, Usual Pets takes a leap into new landscapes and territory. What is Usual Pets? Your hosts Richard Gilbert and Jeff Cairns delve into the mysteries and potential benefits of art process in everyday life – often in non-linear and creative ways.  ...