The Way It Is

30/04/2022

31/03/2022

I have talked about the making of new Cenozoic music for several years, and behind the bright lights of the internet it has been being made. Just no releases (aside from an ambient guitar single, now on Bandcamp)! Things take a little longer when you're the whole band, but who cares? And, that's not what I wanted to talk about.

I wanted to talk about being an older punk and indie rock musician, and trying to write "soft rock," or at least something that is more approachable for more people. Because the whole point of making music is doing something nice for others, ornamenting their experience of this world, and enlivening their chemicals and humors.

I would like to do more of that for more people. I have to like what I'm playing, but many, many others have to like it first. That's the rule, and the cascading style sheet whence flows a shared experience of joy. It's like a rule made of gold. A golden rule.

I have always been a bit of a rocker, and my inclination is to rock. I seem to get the most out of my voice when I sing fairly heavy hard rock. I guess I have an aptitude for rocking, which brings us to the point of this post.

I know that plenty of people love to rock out, but I sort of want my parents to like some of my music, and they just aren't rockers. I think ZZ Top is the limit for my dad, and probably the Eagles for my mom. I have tried to make music that is Rock, but which they and more others can more readily tolerate. Slower tempos, less distortion, more atmospherics.

So I will start a sketch with a vibey electric piano and drums. The formula is then to add sparse, clean, tempo sync-delayed guitar, and eventually I start sketching vocals. The first part of the attached video demonstrates this flavor. The guitar is slightly out of tune and the mix is a little off, but this is just to show-n-share something, not for keeps. So chill, yo.

In the midst of sketching lead guitar for something like that, a crushing riff or a shredded passage will come out of nowhere. Actually, that's not true. It comes out of me.

And then I spin that out in a new section, and the next part of the song ends up being heavy AF. I just can't not rock. 😆

26/03/2022

I've re-created a dark, lonely, blurry moment from Quarantine 2020. I call it "Dances With Chickens."

I didn't know you could go live on Instagram with fewer than 25,000 followers. Wow. Maybe I will begin livestreaming there. Would anyone care to see that? Leave your comments below.

15/03/2022

I had a nice morning chat with my neighbor before he headed upstairs. He works nights too, so I see him when he's coming home sometimes. My neighbors are

14/03/2022

I literally don't hardly have nothing to say about nothing no more, but I will say that I'm craving strong brain food for some reason and decided to smoke an oversaturated Norway mackerel for the Sunday supper.

The mackerel is such a pretty that I have shot photos every time I've prepared it, since 2006. I could do a sizable gallery installation of just mackerel photos.

I don't usually smoke fish with hickory, but I am tonight because I don't feel like collecting twigs from the sidewalk. I'm sure it'll work out fine.

I know that no one asked, but that's what's going on around here tonight. I might make ceviche de s'rimp too. Just checking in, yo. Hi. New podcast launching soon.

26/02/2022

It's a stay in, make pizza and hammer away at work kind of night. Writing has been fairly difficult for the last several months, but the clouds have lifted and I'm back in the spirit of making web pages about things for people and companies.

I happen to be one of the people I'm writing for, which means I'm blogging at my own domain again. I also have the first episode of a new podcast in the can, and expect to roll that out on Sunday. I'm excited about these new things.

You know where the link is.

22/02/2022

I hereby thank Donald Williams for stopping by the studio to talk with me about "Breathe You Up & Breathe You In," the latest from Super Hero Killer. The rest of you should sn**ch up this beautiful recording, then listen to it at high volume. It's quite an achievement.

I'll have the podcast up this week.

https://superherokiller.bandcamp.com/album/breathe-you-up-breathe-you-in-5

13/02/2022

When life gives you new lights, with them.

11/02/2022

I'm sorry, Robert.

23/01/2022

New hair-do-not, gorilla mode selfies in the key of Fantastic.

21/12/2021

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17/12/2021

They got me out here on paper towel inspection today. This one's good.

29/11/2021

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27/11/2021

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27/11/2021

I didn't feel like getting up out of my to the mode, so I just made and waved my around.

26/11/2021

I forgot to this here the other day. I for

22/11/2021

In this town we watch when doing the .

22/11/2021

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17/11/2021

Pinto bean and spinach dhal with and caramelized Ancho . A.K.A.

17/11/2021

14/11/2021

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