Monday, March 30, 2015
Oh, the things you find while cleaning!
Dead Media is an idea that has long occupied a corner of my brain (and studio) before Bruce Sterling codified the term at the turn of the last century. One look around the forgotten stereoscopes, pre-midi synthesizers, obsolete computer systems and video game consoles from the 70s that clutter my house is a testament to my interest.
Occasionally my wife feeds that collection by going to auctions and estate sales and bringing home items like this beauty, a late 1950's Heathkit CR-1 Crystal Receiver (along with two separate telegraph keys). Not to get all Doomsday Preppers about it, but the beauty of the crystal radio is they require no power source (handy if the grid goes down). Not that it would survive an EMP (unless shielded in lead), but it's look back at a time when the Civil Defense (CD) station marks were shown on the radio dial (as above on the right at 640 and 1240 AM) and "Duck and Cover" was shown in thousand of schools.
(yes it works, and no, it's not for sale)
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Capo (Diem)
In one of my earliest blog posts I talked about changing up time signatures to break out of creative ruts. It always seems to jump-start ideas for songs. Another thing that I do is to simply add a capo to my guitar and change the key. Songs that sounded familiar in standard E tuning, suddenly sound strange and fresh. Currently I'm mining ideas from the capo on the sixth fret (Bb as shown above) and also on the second fret (F#). It also forces me to re-think bass parts that now require unfamiliar patterns and passing notes.
Playing these songs live is going to require a set list with the capo setting printed in very, very large lettering to avoid a key trainwreck. ;)
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Downtown (Akron)
Made my way out to Highland Square for coffee (from Angel Falls) and to pick up the debut issue of a new print magazine The Devil Strip. As a former ink-stained wretch (in a previous life I worked for the Cleveland Scene), Chris Horne deserves a large round of Kudos to for showing us that print isn't dead (yet).
Already looking forward to issue two!
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Back of the envelope thinking
Thanks to the copious amounts of junk mail delivered to our house each week, I never have to worry about having enough paper to organize my daily "to do" lists. I also use them to capture ideas while driving, so there's always some in my car instead of index cards. Afterward, we recycle them, but at least they get a second use.
Also, yes, that's a standing desk -- we found the lectern at a sale a two years ago, extremely cheap (more recycling).
Standing and having my guitar(s) right next to me (and plugged in to the computer) at all times has been the best thing for my song writing and productivity!
Speaking of which, here some other links to hear/stream/buy our record!
Bandcamp (also t-shirts available), Amazon, CDBaby, iTunes and iHeartRadio.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
SWELL Pre-order available now!
Pre-Orders for our new album SWELL start today! From now until 11/15 you have three pre-order options:
1. You can get the physical CD, digital download AND a limited-edition Frigid Touch T-Shirt (only 48 available).
2. You can get the physical CD and digital download,
3. You can just get the digital download
All pre-orders come with the added bonus of being able to stream & download "All The Hubbub" today!
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Cassette Store Day! September 27th at Music Saves in Cleveland.
So, this is happening on Saturday at Music Saves in Cleveland! Click through for more info on the bands and tracks. Come on down and join us!
(Our track is a cover of The Doors "Strange Days")
(Our track is a cover of The Doors "Strange Days")
Friday, August 15, 2014
Frigid Touch - Girl U Want
Listen up Spuds -- a NEW Frigid Touch release today!!!
We covered Devo's "Girl U Want" for "Not Necessarily Beautiful, But Mutated" Vol. 10 (N.N.B.B.M. V10) which will be available at the DEVOtional 2014 show at The Beachland Ballroom and Tavern 8/15-16.
It's a 2-CD 31-song set put together by our friend Toth Wilder and will be available for sale *ONLY* at the Beachland.
We covered Devo's "Girl U Want" for "Not Necessarily Beautiful, But Mutated" Vol. 10 (N.N.B.B.M. V10) which will be available at the DEVOtional 2014 show at The Beachland Ballroom and Tavern 8/15-16.
It's a 2-CD 31-song set put together by our friend Toth Wilder and will be available for sale *ONLY* at the Beachland.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Tuesday, January 07, 2014
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Friday, November 15, 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
Frigid Touch - Cascade
Chris did a fantastic job putting this new version of Cascade together from a multitude of cameras and resolutions -- nice!
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Ignition performed live at the "Sound Your Engine" show at MOCA
Audio evidence of my Saturday afternoon at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland
This piece was constructed from Field Recordings made earlier in the day in the plaza at the Museum from Tim Willis' Monster Trucks.
Thanks to Chris Auerbach-Brown, Kory Dakin and all the great folks at MOCA, as well as Lisa Miralia and Rob Galo for their help.
As always, DO NOT operate heavy machinery while listening, as the music may cause drowsiness, loss of vision, muscle fatigue, death, or worse.
This piece was constructed from Field Recordings made earlier in the day in the plaza at the Museum from Tim Willis' Monster Trucks.
Thanks to Chris Auerbach-Brown, Kory Dakin and all the great folks at MOCA, as well as Lisa Miralia and Rob Galo for their help.
As always, DO NOT operate heavy machinery while listening, as the music may cause drowsiness, loss of vision, muscle fatigue, death, or worse.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Nudge nudge, Snap snap, Grin grin, wink wink, say no more?
All of the pictures from the Frigid Touch gig at the 21 Lounge from Darlene Beiter, set to our song "Take Flight"
Saturday, June 08, 2013
Tuesday, June 04, 2013
Take Flight
From our upcoming EP, here's some new #music: "Take Flight"
We'll be playing this song (and many other new tracks) on Thursday night at 21 Lounge in Cleveland
If you're in the area, come on down and say hello -- and bonus! -- the show is free.
We'll be playing this song (and many other new tracks) on Thursday night at 21 Lounge in Cleveland
If you're in the area, come on down and say hello -- and bonus! -- the show is free.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
once more into the breach
Writing the new songs was the easy part -- playing them live in front of people -- that's scary stuff ;)
Tuesday, May 07, 2013
Frigid Touch
So... I've been away from the blog for a few months -- that's because I joined a band with my good friends Chris Foldi & Michelle Strong.
We're called Frigid Touch and you can stream/buy our first single "Cascade" on Bandcamp as well as iTunes and CDBaby.
Also available to stream on Soundcloud and ReverbNation.
We're called Frigid Touch and you can stream/buy our first single "Cascade" on Bandcamp as well as iTunes and CDBaby.
Also available to stream on Soundcloud and ReverbNation.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
60x60 East Coast Mix
Apologies for the short notice, but I just received notification of this last night.
A short piece of mine ("Ghosts on the Rails") will be included in the 60x60 East Coast Mix premiering Friday night in the Boston/Cambridge area.
Composer’s Voice concert
Friday, March 1st, 2013 8:00PM
Common Room in Lehman Hall (Dudley House)
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138
$10 Suggested Donation
https://www.facebook.com/events/118547721661885/
-----
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Composer’s Voice debuts in Cambridge with Fifteen Minutes of Fame and 60x60
March 1, 2013 (Boston, Massachusetts) Composer’s Voice concert series will not pull punches for its debut performance at Dudley House in Harvard University. The concert will premiere Fifteen Minutes of Fame Re-Imagining Debussy with Stephen Porter and follow up with a premiere of the first 60x60 East Coast Mix.
Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame: Re-Imagining Debussy is 15 one-minute pieces by 15 composers from around the world, writing specifically for Stephen Porter on the theme of Debussy in celebration of his 150th birthday. This international collection of composers include: Anna Aidinian, Erik Branch, Remigio Coco, Cindi Hsu,Giuseppe Lupis, Steven Markowitz, Serban Nichifor, James Soe Nyun, D. Peters; P. M. Reilich, Juan Maria Solare, Aurelio Scotto, Jose Jesus de Azevedo Souza, Anne-Marie Turcotte, and Darren Wirth.
American pianist Stephen Porter was named artist-resident of the Cité Internationale Des Arts in Paris, and invited to give recitals of the music of Claude Debussy during the composer’s 150th birthday year. (BOSTON MUSICAL INTELLIGENCER) "Stephen Porter has a thorough knowledge of and clear affinity for Claude Debussy’s Préludes...masterful" (BERKSHIRE REVIEW) Praises Porter’s performance of Schubert’s B Flat Sonata,”...the slow movement, broad, grave, and not without its despairing moments, was especially moving... his sense of timing in the coda was perfect, bringing the monumental sonata to a close appropriate to its scale, nobility, and emotional depth...a compelling and moving performance.”
60x60 East Coast Mix is 60 one-minute electronic works by 60 composers synchronized by an analog clock. Each work is performed without pause to total exactly one hour; with the passing of each minute brings a new work by a living composer. Coordinated by Bert Van Herck, this concert will present the world premiere performance of the first 60x60 East Coast Mix. Containing 60 composers who work on the Eastern Seaboard, the 60x60 East Coast Mix was created in celebration of the 60x60’s 10th year. 60x60’s various incarnations have received critical acclaim:
“...60 new pieces of music, each lasting no more than 60 seconds - is quite
mad. But it's this kind of madness that makes the cultural world go round…” - New York Times
"60 short pieces uninterrupted, for an hour total of some very weird and wonderful music"- Fresno Beehive
"sure to delight; or at least some of the pieces will tickle your fancy" - Classical Voice of North Carolina
Composers selected for the 60x60 East Coast Mix include: N. B. Aldrich, David N. Berlin, James Bohn, Michael Boyd, Julius Bucsis, Anne Elyse Burson, David Charles Calabrese, Joel Chadabe, Alison Conard, Christopher Cook, Mike Crooker, David Crowe, Douglas DaSilva, Thomas Dempster, Robert Dick, David Z Durant, Louise Fristensky, Josh Goldman, Melissa Grey, Joshua Groffman, Nathan Halverson, Jaclyn Heyen, TJ Hospodar, Charles Jowett, C.R. Kasprzyk, Benjamin Klein, Joan La Barbara, Michael Bartholomew Laurello, HyeKyung Lee, Elainie Lillios, John Link, Matt Marble, Alex Edward Marse, Charles Norman, Mason, Zack Merritt, Daniel Morel, David Morneau, Tim Mukherjee, Casey Mullen, Kala Pierson, Derek Piotr, Nora Ponte, Tim R Risher, James Ross, Edward G Ruchalski, Judith Shatin, Andrew Smith, Jerod Sommerfeldt, Laurie Spiegel, Eli Stine, Mike Swinchoski, Hans Tammen, Peter Elyakim Taussig, Jeremy Van Buskirk, Bert Van Herck, Robert Voisey, Andrew Walters, Jane Wang, Rodney Waschka, and John S Wiggins.
Balancing the evening with longer works Composer’s Voice will present the chamber works of Jason Huffman, John Harbison, Marti Epstein, and Chris Coughlin.
John Harbison's music is distinguished by its exceptional resourcefulness and expressive range. He is considered to be "original, varied, and absorbing — relatively easy for audiences to grasp and yet formal and complex enough to hold our interest through repeated hearings — his style boasts both lucidity and logic" (Fanfare).
Having been hailed as “engaging,” “dramatic,” “epic,” and occasionally “truly odd,” Christopher Coughlin’s music is best characterized by an extreme attentiveness to melodic contour and emotional depth.
Composer's Voice Concert Series is an opportunity for contemporary composers to express their musical aesthetic and personal "voice" created in their compositions. Started in 2001, the “Composer’s Voice” concert series is presenting its 100th of concert scheduled in NYC for 2013.
Composer’s Voice presents its first Boston, Massachusetts concert 8:00PM Friday, March 1, 2013. Information on the Composer's Voice can be found at the following
link: http://www.voxnovus.com/composersvoice/
Composer’s Voice concert
Friday, March 1st, 2013 8:00PM
Common Room in Lehman Hall (Dudley House)
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138
$10 Suggested Donation
For more information, contact: support@voxnovus.com
A short piece of mine ("Ghosts on the Rails") will be included in the 60x60 East Coast Mix premiering Friday night in the Boston/Cambridge area.
Composer’s Voice concert
Friday, March 1st, 2013 8:00PM
Common Room in Lehman Hall (Dudley House)
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138
$10 Suggested Donation
https://www.facebook.com/events/118547721661885/
-----
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Composer’s Voice debuts in Cambridge with Fifteen Minutes of Fame and 60x60
March 1, 2013 (Boston, Massachusetts) Composer’s Voice concert series will not pull punches for its debut performance at Dudley House in Harvard University. The concert will premiere Fifteen Minutes of Fame Re-Imagining Debussy with Stephen Porter and follow up with a premiere of the first 60x60 East Coast Mix.
Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame: Re-Imagining Debussy is 15 one-minute pieces by 15 composers from around the world, writing specifically for Stephen Porter on the theme of Debussy in celebration of his 150th birthday. This international collection of composers include: Anna Aidinian, Erik Branch, Remigio Coco, Cindi Hsu,Giuseppe Lupis, Steven Markowitz, Serban Nichifor, James Soe Nyun, D. Peters; P. M. Reilich, Juan Maria Solare, Aurelio Scotto, Jose Jesus de Azevedo Souza, Anne-Marie Turcotte, and Darren Wirth.
American pianist Stephen Porter was named artist-resident of the Cité Internationale Des Arts in Paris, and invited to give recitals of the music of Claude Debussy during the composer’s 150th birthday year. (BOSTON MUSICAL INTELLIGENCER) "Stephen Porter has a thorough knowledge of and clear affinity for Claude Debussy’s Préludes...masterful" (BERKSHIRE REVIEW) Praises Porter’s performance of Schubert’s B Flat Sonata,”...the slow movement, broad, grave, and not without its despairing moments, was especially moving... his sense of timing in the coda was perfect, bringing the monumental sonata to a close appropriate to its scale, nobility, and emotional depth...a compelling and moving performance.”
60x60 East Coast Mix is 60 one-minute electronic works by 60 composers synchronized by an analog clock. Each work is performed without pause to total exactly one hour; with the passing of each minute brings a new work by a living composer. Coordinated by Bert Van Herck, this concert will present the world premiere performance of the first 60x60 East Coast Mix. Containing 60 composers who work on the Eastern Seaboard, the 60x60 East Coast Mix was created in celebration of the 60x60’s 10th year. 60x60’s various incarnations have received critical acclaim:
“...60 new pieces of music, each lasting no more than 60 seconds - is quite
mad. But it's this kind of madness that makes the cultural world go round…” - New York Times
"60 short pieces uninterrupted, for an hour total of some very weird and wonderful music"- Fresno Beehive
"sure to delight; or at least some of the pieces will tickle your fancy" - Classical Voice of North Carolina
Composers selected for the 60x60 East Coast Mix include: N. B. Aldrich, David N. Berlin, James Bohn, Michael Boyd, Julius Bucsis, Anne Elyse Burson, David Charles Calabrese, Joel Chadabe, Alison Conard, Christopher Cook, Mike Crooker, David Crowe, Douglas DaSilva, Thomas Dempster, Robert Dick, David Z Durant, Louise Fristensky, Josh Goldman, Melissa Grey, Joshua Groffman, Nathan Halverson, Jaclyn Heyen, TJ Hospodar, Charles Jowett, C.R. Kasprzyk, Benjamin Klein, Joan La Barbara, Michael Bartholomew Laurello, HyeKyung Lee, Elainie Lillios, John Link, Matt Marble, Alex Edward Marse, Charles Norman, Mason, Zack Merritt, Daniel Morel, David Morneau, Tim Mukherjee, Casey Mullen, Kala Pierson, Derek Piotr, Nora Ponte, Tim R Risher, James Ross, Edward G Ruchalski, Judith Shatin, Andrew Smith, Jerod Sommerfeldt, Laurie Spiegel, Eli Stine, Mike Swinchoski, Hans Tammen, Peter Elyakim Taussig, Jeremy Van Buskirk, Bert Van Herck, Robert Voisey, Andrew Walters, Jane Wang, Rodney Waschka, and John S Wiggins.
Balancing the evening with longer works Composer’s Voice will present the chamber works of Jason Huffman, John Harbison, Marti Epstein, and Chris Coughlin.
John Harbison's music is distinguished by its exceptional resourcefulness and expressive range. He is considered to be "original, varied, and absorbing — relatively easy for audiences to grasp and yet formal and complex enough to hold our interest through repeated hearings — his style boasts both lucidity and logic" (Fanfare).
Having been hailed as “engaging,” “dramatic,” “epic,” and occasionally “truly odd,” Christopher Coughlin’s music is best characterized by an extreme attentiveness to melodic contour and emotional depth.
Composer's Voice Concert Series is an opportunity for contemporary composers to express their musical aesthetic and personal "voice" created in their compositions. Started in 2001, the “Composer’s Voice” concert series is presenting its 100th of concert scheduled in NYC for 2013.
Composer’s Voice presents its first Boston, Massachusetts concert 8:00PM Friday, March 1, 2013. Information on the Composer's Voice can be found at the following
link: http://www.voxnovus.com/composersvoice/
Composer’s Voice concert
Friday, March 1st, 2013 8:00PM
Common Room in Lehman Hall (Dudley House)
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138
$10 Suggested Donation
For more information, contact: support@voxnovus.com
Monday, December 03, 2012
Live @ MOCA 12.01.12
Here's the audio from my three sets at the John Cage Musicircus held at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland on December 1, 2012. There were 24 acts playing different parts of the building at different times, overlapping as you moved from area to area within the many floors of the beautiful new building.
MOCA Cleveland issued a call for musicians located in Northeast Ohio (and beyond) to participate in a Musicircus in their new building, scheduled for Saturday, December 1, 2012, from 1 - 4 pm. This event celebrates MOCA Cleveland’s move to University Circle as well as the centenary of composer John Cage’s birth (Cage was born on September 5, 1912).
Musicircus is a concept developed by John Cage. According to his original notes for his first musicircus, Cage states “The idea of this composition is nothing more than an invitation to a number of musicians, who perform simultaneously anything or in any way they desire.”
All performers are treated with equal weight and importance. The length of each musician’s or ensemble’s set, along with their order of presentation, is predetermined in advance by utilizing chance procedures from the I Ching.
Performers will be stationed in as many spots in MOCA's new building as possible, to evoke the “simultaneity of unrelated intentions” which Cage sought when he conceived of this framework. Audience members are free to roam and focus their attention on one musician or ensemble at a time, but they won’t be able to escape the tapestry of sounds which permeates a musicircus.
Friday, October 19, 2012
x-o
Spooky new music for your next Halloween party -- or to clear the room out after the party, either one works ;)
Labels:
ambient,
halloween,
music,
soundtrack
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