Dear Breakfast,
This morning I ate you... you were an extraordinary bowl of grape nuts which I drowned under 2% milk and topped with rice chex. It was a really nice combination, and got along dashingly with the banana I had eaten in two bites thirty minutes earlier. As I recall the peal had come off remarkably easily, not like the little yellow raincoats of doom that eventually break somewhere on the side oozing bruised banana pudding... but not this morning.
Dedicated to my nephew Kole, because one can do anything they feel like.
Speculations on the Development of Music and Language
We follow the leads of crudely drawn cave paintings documenting instruments as early and 3500 BC but this doesn't even touch on a vocal tradition. So how did music develop? Why would it develop? There have been many theories of the evolution of musical behavior in human beings. The article "is music an evolutionary adaptation?" by David Huron poses several theories for possible evolutionary reasons for music: mate selection, social cohesion, Group effort, perceptual development, motor skill development, conflict resolution, and safe time passing Trans-generational communication. Darwin would have us believe that because musicians possessed these traits that they were more more fit and therefore had better chances of survival. I think all may have assisted but find the last one (Trans-generational communication) particularly interesting. Music might have developed separately from speech or it may have developed in unison. Perhaps music was speech. Instances of the Nigerian talking drum or the importance of pitch material in some Asian speech point towards grouping the two into the larger category of communication. I personally found the Peter Marler article "Origins of music: Insights from Animals" to be much more useful than the evolution spill. Origins of music are difficult again because music itself is hard to define. John Cage would say that the sound of the world surrounding us is music and that there could never be a moment of life without a musical accompaniment in which case God would be the originator of the first never ending composition. In Mythology, Humans received songs from the gods. I would like to keep this in mind as I take my stance on the idea that music developed along the same lines as any other communication, however it it is a higher form of communication. I had a guitar teacher several years ago say the first musicians were gods, then they were kings, and now look at us barely scraping by. I have heard of some tribes blinding there musician because he was the recorder of time and history and was to valuable have him wondering off. Musicians often played the role of shamans and music itself was often the direct link to the Gods. Where oxytocin and NAPS plays into that, I don't want to get into. Music itself has been used in so many cross cultural religious activities that it must be either a really catchy idea or maybe it is innate, may be it is a communication link between humans and God.
Peregrinations into Sound Art
Digital concréte is an adaptation of a classical composition style fathered by Pierre Schaeffer in the 1940s it marks the division between the French and German schools of electronic music. The Germans making sound by electronic means (oscilators, etc) and the french manipulation of found sound(tape, records,etc). I do both, but lean towards Concréte...digitally.
Dream Travel: Available
Give it a Listen
DREAM TRAVEL
West to East and worlds unknown,
every step through haze
the distance crossed to reach you
tip toeing on stars
tight rope walking between neurons
a box of memories
to hold me through
to the place I'm headed
your eyes are up ahead.
this is me coming back to you
Time Zones
THE FUTURE LIVES IN LONDON
disappearing acts of the world
spinning round cradle songs sung in sunlight and in time for time
minutes turned hours while days slowly count down
i say good morning and you say goodnight
life carries on outside our overlapping cocoon
unavoidable industry demanding attendance now
locked in cycles and random outbursts
rearranging shadows through the blinds and tugging at my mind
we are still coinciding
Los Angeles Experimental Music and Arts
Los Angeles certainly reveals secrets at times, motion comes quickly back in water and I found myself recording an entire evening at the Steve Allen Theater where music,and performance art sculpted into a wonderfully successful eventwith an amazing turnout. Two bands and a circus came towards me through a stereo pair of Rode NT5s, two XLRs, a Motu 828 Traveler, and Logic Pro last night(a most fortunate Gig).
The Audience was littered with people I have worked with, and others I have played music with, interesting strangers and many old friends. It was Like a time warp back to 2006 and 2007 and all the components were polished and working better than ever. The experimental scene in LA seems a tight knit group with two degrees of separation at any point from CalArts.
The night of experimental music called ResBox is currated once every month By Hans Fjellestad. This week the line up was: FEEDBACK WAVE RIDERs who opened with Two long ambient and rising soundscapes, "ZNAYU aka 3HAIO" followed with a tribute to the talk show innovator who's name graced the Theatre housing the night. This performance featured such oddities as an escape artist, sign language, and a burlesque dancer, live projection mixed with Steve Allen footage, a comedian, and superb music. At the End of the night the duo "nOT iN tHE hOUSE"(who was having their CD release)took the stage and played a stretching set of music that kept the audience bobbing there heads through morphing musical environments and finished with cake. (it doesn't get much better than that.)
The Audience was littered with people I have worked with, and others I have played music with, interesting strangers and many old friends. It was Like a time warp back to 2006 and 2007 and all the components were polished and working better than ever. The experimental scene in LA seems a tight knit group with two degrees of separation at any point from CalArts.
The night of experimental music called ResBox is currated once every month By Hans Fjellestad. This week the line up was: FEEDBACK WAVE RIDERs who opened with Two long ambient and rising soundscapes, "ZNAYU aka 3HAIO" followed with a tribute to the talk show innovator who's name graced the Theatre housing the night. This performance featured such oddities as an escape artist, sign language, and a burlesque dancer, live projection mixed with Steve Allen footage, a comedian, and superb music. At the End of the night the duo "nOT iN tHE hOUSE"(who was having their CD release)took the stage and played a stretching set of music that kept the audience bobbing there heads through morphing musical environments and finished with cake. (it doesn't get much better than that.)
Texas to LA with London on my Mind
Is not Sunday the day of rest?, As John Denver said "all my bags are packed I'm ready to go" I had stayed up all night some time ago to save on the waking you up to say goodbye...
The last days in Texas and I am hung on the last day in London two months ago. Time is slower here. And its a funny way to lose your head and find your feet: Blowing out the left overs of the lord. Clean again, finally free from the assorted guts of a Case International Harvester Combine. The best of me was futile here. I left it somehow In the United Kingdom. And the return journey was not a straight nor narrow.
West was the battle cry. California or Bust. The Industry of Make Believe. And the Freeways I knew all to well. Theatres, Movie Sets, Studios, All waiting with there ivory capped teeth, smiling a smile that one with the right eyes can see the sinister intention that will take you in and hold you there forever. This would be fine had there not been Europe. In the Golden state, my craft's at least were appreciated, though my direction changed steadily toward an Eagle Scout Mobility Badge. Music Is a tomahawk in the hands of a Moosechaser.
The last days in Texas and I am hung on the last day in London two months ago. Time is slower here. And its a funny way to lose your head and find your feet: Blowing out the left overs of the lord. Clean again, finally free from the assorted guts of a Case International Harvester Combine. The best of me was futile here. I left it somehow In the United Kingdom. And the return journey was not a straight nor narrow.
West was the battle cry. California or Bust. The Industry of Make Believe. And the Freeways I knew all to well. Theatres, Movie Sets, Studios, All waiting with there ivory capped teeth, smiling a smile that one with the right eyes can see the sinister intention that will take you in and hold you there forever. This would be fine had there not been Europe. In the Golden state, my craft's at least were appreciated, though my direction changed steadily toward an Eagle Scout Mobility Badge. Music Is a tomahawk in the hands of a Moosechaser.
Banksy and Hirst Show Us How To Make "Real Art"
I'll go ahead and kick this off with a work by Two of the biggest names in Contemporary Art: Banksy putting a stencil on top of Damien Hirst's patented polka dots. More than likely an outside party was commissioned to paint the exposed canvas frame if not the whole thing.
The work is titled "Keeping it Spotless" and sold for $1, 870, 000.00 at Sotheby’s in New York on Valentine’s Day, 2008. Not a shabby price! Bono and Gagosian Gallery were also involved in The (RED) Auction held for the United Nations Foundation to support HIV/AIDS relief programs in Africa conducted by The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Isn't it cute?
The work is titled "Keeping it Spotless" and sold for $1, 870, 000.00 at Sotheby’s in New York on Valentine’s Day, 2008. Not a shabby price! Bono and Gagosian Gallery were also involved in The (RED) Auction held for the United Nations Foundation to support HIV/AIDS relief programs in Africa conducted by The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Isn't it cute?
Let the adventure begin!
Blah Blah Blanton will cover a wide variety of topics. Sound Art, Max/Msp/Jitter, Audio Engineering, Mixing, Mastering, Noise music, Pop culture, Street Art, High Art, Collaborations on Projects, The Pains of Heritage Texas, Americana, and that of general humanity. There will be videos, music, poetry, stories, the uncommon and oh so common things that appear on a blog...
There are many things I appreciate which I wish to name, I am going to attempt to try to share high music as opposed to what is popular. I may succumb to blabbering about the news. I may even be outdated at times. So any how, here goes throwing the paint at the wall and seeing what chips get eaten.
There are many things I appreciate which I wish to name, I am going to attempt to try to share high music as opposed to what is popular. I may succumb to blabbering about the news. I may even be outdated at times. So any how, here goes throwing the paint at the wall and seeing what chips get eaten.
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