mercurial being

A bit of a longer demo. Rough mix.

Fri, 25 May 2012 14:44:51 -0400

A bit of a longer demo. Rough mix.

"I wanted only to try to live in accord with the promptings which came from my true self. Why was..."

Tue, 22 May 2012 21:27:28 -0400

“I wanted only to try to live in accord with the promptings which came from my true self. Why was that so very difficult?”

- Herman Hesse

Just because I haven’t uploaded anything in a...

Wed, 16 May 2012 15:15:30 -0400

Just because I haven’t uploaded anything in a while….I’m working on some longer songs, tho.

I think I've hit a rut in my playing...

Tue, 01 May 2012 19:01:58 -0400

…because I need to learn something new. So I’m actually going to work on a V.O.M. song and put it on video. Hello… “Vicious Circles”.

I’ve been inspired by the soulful melodies of Jakub...

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 04:35:00 -0400

I’ve been inspired by the soulful melodies of Jakub Żytecki lately and this stuff came to me as I was about to doze off

“Over My Dead Body”. Played 13 April 2012 at the Grace Epiphany...

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:41:56 -0400

“Over My Dead Body”. Played 13 April 2012 at the Grace Epiphany Episcopal Church in Mt. Airy/Germantown, Phila.

“This is My Story”. Played 13 April 2012 at the...

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:27:00 -0400

“This is My Story”. Played 13 April 2012 at the Grace Epiphany Episcopal Church in Mt. Airy/Germantown, Phila.

Another original “Unending Sleep” played 13 April...

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:11:31 -0400

Another original “Unending Sleep” played 13 April 2012 at the Grace Epiphany Episcopal Church in the Mt. Airy/Germantown area of Phila.

The first in a series of clips from a short show I did April 13,...

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:56:00 -0400

The first in a series of clips from a short show I did April 13, 2012 at the Grace Epiphany Episcopal Church in Philadelphia.

This song (“Transreal”) serves as an introduction to the concept behind Given The World Earth.

Actual poster from the mid-50’s issued by Senator Joseph...

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:09:15 -0400

Actual poster from the mid-50’s issued by Senator Joseph McCarthy at the height of the Red Scare and anti communist witch hunt in Washington. All artists were suspect.

a priori et a posteriori

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 05:46:00 -0400

Having dreams is different from actually doing work…if this wasn’t apparent already. I’ve started to work more professionally—as in showing up consistently despite being tired or moody. To my unsurprise, my output and feelings about the work when I’m doing it are not always the same. To put it more plainly: just the act of working generates its own motivation and satisfaction.

Speaking of that reminds me of something I read in the Bhagavad Gita. Krishna said that one has the rights to one’s labor, but not the fruits of those labor. I think this means that just doing the work should be one’s focus and source of satisfaction. What other people think, whether it sucks, etc. are secondary concerns. I think these factors take care of themselves when you actually focus on putting 100% into the work.

Working on new material for the show I have on April 13 has been really exciting. I was stressing out for the longest time about lyrics and finding a way to do vocals over the new stuff, but I’m really happy with how things turned out.

I actually experienced a weird shift in how I make music. I stopped limiting my creativity in some ways, realizing that I will have many new ideas as I continue to grow. I’ve been focused on the doing and the process more than the results, which-oddly enough has led to better results. And since I’m less attached to things turning out a certain way, I can surprise myself.

I notice a lot-well, okay, some-of these guys in metal can’t sing. If I can learn to scream and growl in a way that doesn’t sound like a wounded camel whispering in pain, I think I can accomplish my goal of becoming the male Patti LaBelle of progressive metal who can also play guitar like a beast….or just excellent, but not even limited in that way really. I like to play all sorts of music, but certain forms and stories are demanding my attention at the moment.

I did hear from one guy that screaming does significantly limit your vocal range, tho…so I might just look for someone who can scream well. That might be cool because I could focus on doing more intricate things on guitar while this person does that.

I feel good about the show because I’m really just playing it for myself and being able to express some of these ideas that have been inside my head for so long. I realize that if I don’t try to control what comes out and just create as much as possible that I’m a veritable font of energy and ideas.

Getting more out of yourself is golden.

Somehow video footage of this show will happen. There is a lot to improve on, of course, and I want to reflect on this in detail when I feel like I have something that’s working….because taking action is the most inspiring thing.

free will astrology horoscope

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:51:24 -0400

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Not bad for a few weeks’ work, or play, or
whatever it is you want to call this tormented, inspired outburst. Would it
be too forward of me to suggest that you’ve gone a long way toward
outgrowing the dark fairy tale that had been haunting your dreams for so
long? And yet all this may just be a warm-up for your next
metamorphosis, in which you make an audacious new commitment to
becoming what you *really* want to be when you grow up.

A brief vocal demo! My mixing skills need work, but I’m...

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:30:03 -0500

A brief vocal demo! My mixing skills need work, but I’m going to study up. It was fun to make this. ^_^

linearbbq: YEARS. It’s important not to forget this...

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 09:33:00 -0500

linearbbq:

YEARS.

It’s important not to forget this right now. I hope my stuff won’t suck too much longer, but I’m also putting in my time. ^_^

Give yourself permission to be a beginner for a while and enjoy the ride. ;-)

This idea was inspired by a story of a person who transformed...

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:11:42 -0500

This idea was inspired by a story of a person who transformed zirself into a virtual dragon. Transreal.

This is another very rough mix, expanding on the earlier...

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:09:08 -0500

This is another very rough mix, expanding on the earlier R.Y.M.N. demo.

Some melodic ideas and a test some new chord ideas. Emotional.

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:07:26 -0500

Some melodic ideas and a test some new chord ideas. Emotional.

Rough demo of some guitar riffs I’ve been working...

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 23:52:41 -0500

Rough demo of some guitar riffs I’ve been working on…ready to dive into experimenting with vocals. ^_^!

"Your passage through time and space is not at random. You cannot but be in the right place at the..."

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 09:56:21 -0500

““Your passage through time and space is not at random. You cannot but be in the right place at the right time.””

- A Course in Miracles

Embracing our infinite potential & living abundantly...

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 19:22:00 -0500

Embracing our infinite potential & living abundantly everyday

- a bit long, but an excellent video about choosing to live from a new perspective done by the wonderful and insightful Lilou Mace