* Surfs up! *

Hey Susan -- this is the surf tune I'd been talking about. I'm playing guitars and farfisa organ, with the appropriate "look mom! Never took a lesson!" technique... I would've loved to have made this tune more "Dick Dale" and less "Beach Boys", but the tune needed to be upbeat and positive-sounding, so I stuck them in the blender with some Beatles and some crushed ice, and this is what I came up with.

(FYI: Susan is my chiropractor)

* Vegas, Baby! *

My slew of recording and mixing is done done DONE! And as a treat for you loyal blogophiles, I'm gonna put the links for these tunes here first. And first things first: the big band tune. Eric Pryzby is playing the tenor sax solo. Enjoy!

SHE DID IT!!!

(l-r: my Mum, Anne, me, and my cousin Andrew)

My sister set off this morning at 4:15 AM (I know, because I helped her load up her bike). She started the Chicago Triathlon at 8:15 AM -- 1 mile swim, 25 mile bike, 6.2 mile run. She had hoped to finish in 3 hours and 45 minutes, but ended up obliterating that goal with a smoking 3:07:00! GO ANNE!!!

d-day from HELL

wake up... can't find my palm pilot, oh well -- late for work... check the mix from last night, need to redo the guitars, no time -- call Vince Pontarelli... lays it down in 5 minutes, great stuff... run into game designer, play the rough mixes for him -- he's overjoyed, we're all smiles... run into another game designer, wants to know why I'm not working on his game... Nic calls, gonna hang with her sisters tonight, that's cool? suuuuuuure... more mixing, need to redo a B-3 organ part -- get Rob Berry, fly him a two-mix to overdub... problems with a game from the Vegas studio, flurry of redundant phone calls, everything's back to normal... keep mixing, behind schedule... Anne pulls into town for the Chicago Triathlon, give her apartment keys, tell her how to use the TV remote... double-check the mixes, "heard from Rob yet?" oh yeah, he needs a copy of the chart... need to call Steve Bryant... just won that custom-mod distortion pedal on ebay, need to email the dude... mixes? "where's that B-3 part?"... Landmark keeps calling, gotta call Landmark... hmmm, studio time is getting booked up fast, need get some time for voiceovers -- WOOP another call -- lemme call you back -- yeah Friday at 8:30? Coooool, gotta run!... go check on mixes... gotta call Milt -- good news & bad news... "where's that one sound effect?" -- oh jeez... somewhere they're mixing right now, no idea what's going on with that B-3... post pdf of TranZen score, send a link to the BCM boyz ("whadiya think guys?")... folks leave a message, they are past Gary Indiana, so they're getting close... WHOA -- LOOK AT THE TIME!... "Dude -- where's the B-- oh, you already finished it? Well why didn't you say so!"... check out the mixes, sounding killer... 7 down, 4 to go... anything else before I leave work?... I must be forgetting something...

... oh yeah, I'm all out of toilet paper.

cleaning my apartment

Tomorrow night my family is coming for the weekend, so tonight I am cleaning my apartment.

You may have noticed that I very rarely talk about cleaning my apartment.

That's because I very rarely clean my apartment.

yep, still d-day

Today started with me finishing up my guitar tracks. I used my DeArmond X-155 for alot of the tracks (Jazz, Swing, Rock'n'Roll), and my Steve Morse Music Man (R'n'B, Blues) for the rest. Ran it through the POD and straight into Pro-Tools. We took care of most everything by lunchtime, and then headed to Opart Thai for some Pad Ped Pla Dook (spicy catfish and green beans).

In the afternoon, I did the lead line for one more track, and after a few more editing decisions, I set Steve Weeder loose to mix the stuff down. I'd been really impressed by Steve's work so far, and at lunch I asked him about some of the artists he's engineered with. Check out this list: Madonna, Janet Jackson, Ministry, Guster, Kurt Elling... and next month he's probably going to be recording Elvis Costello. So I was pretty confident that he was going to do good work... the first mix he played me totally blew me away -- the big band track sounded like a classic Count Basie track from the 50's. He totally NAILED that sound. He managed to the swing tune and the country ditty as well, and they sounded really great too. Tomorrow he'll finish up the other 8 tracks...

Oh, and the score for TranZendental Danse of Joi is finished... anybody wanna play it?

d-day - umm... again

The recording sessions continue -- we started the morning with John Rice, who laid down acoustic guitar, dobro, and chicken-pickin' electric guitar tracks on the downtempo western tune, and the uptempo bluegrass/country tune. John was amazing -- he nailed almost everything in one or two takes, improvising all his parts on the spot. Quite the musician! (evidently, he's also famous for being in the band that recorded "The Curly Shuffle").

Then we tracked our "tuba" for the dixieland tune, which is actually a "contrabass trumpet", invented by Mike Connelly. Mike came up with this technique where you track a trumpet at 192 kHz, then pitch-shift it down two octaves, and down-sample to 44.1 kHz (there are a few more tricks in there, but that's the basic idea). What you get is a pretty believable tuba track!

After that, things got a bit silly -- me, Mike, and Dina Bellini sweetened the beatnik jazz tune with finger-snaps, and some "ooh", "aah", and "yeah" tracks.

Afternoon -- horn section. These guys were AWESOME -- and finished about an hour earlier than I'd anticipated! Rob Parton was truly amazing, adapting his trumpet tone and technique to go from the Memphis Horns, to Count Basie, to Satchmo, to a very coooooool Miles Davis. Paul Mertens was also great at adapting from smooth jazz styles to a rock n roll buzz from minute to minute, and blew a great bari solo on my swing band tune. Tim Coffman was flawless, and took down his lines with no worries. Eric Pryzby was rock-solid and very musical, adding the extra grease and style that the sax section needed, and he switched off between tenor sax, flute, and clarinet without missing a beat. He also played a great tenor solo over the bridge of the big band tune. But my biggest surprise was that there wasn't a single bad chord change or wrong note in any of the scores or parts -- go me!

Another cool trick I've forever locked in the memory banks today -- MULTING POP HORN TRACKS. Its not like I'd never done it before, I'd just never done it on something I'd written -- it had always been for someone else. And while it doesn't work for everything, it makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE on the pop stuff -- gives it that immediately recognizable shine.

Tomorrow we record the last guitar tracks, and start mixing. Can't wait to hear what our engineer, Steve Weeder, comes up with.

d-day

Today was the first day of recording sessions on those 11 tunes I had to write -- I was still making scores and parts a half-hour before it started. But it went down FLAWLESSLY -- the engineer (Steve Weeder) had the whole session running like a top. Larry Beers (drums), Larry Gray (upright and electric bass), Jim Trompeter (piano), Rob Berry (keys), and Dave Rush (percussion) all grooved HARD. Every single tune went down in one or two takes! I was a total blast.

So aside from the guitar tracks (which I guess I'll do tomorrow morning...), the rhythm section is all down -- we'll finish up this assembly-line recording process tomorrow!

copy copy copy copy

more copying... started at 10 AM...

tunes of the day:

- aphex twin "i care because you do" (about 3 tunes was all I could stand)
- Johnny Cash "Super Hits"
- Prince "Musicology"
- Oysterhead "The Grand Pecking Order"
- Tony MacAlpine "Maximum Security"
- John Williams "Catch Me If You Can" soundtrack
- Bob Dylan "Greatest Hits"
- Morphine "Yes"
- Bela Fleck & Edgar Meyer "Music for Two"

... i had to stop at 8:30 when i couldn't tell if my brain felt like gooey mush or mushy goo... but i'm almost finished...

livin' on the edge

got up at 8. ate a bowl of Harvest Crunch. sat down at the computer. big day for copying -- I want to break the back on TranZendental Danse of Joi.

listened to:
- Booker T. and the MG's "Best of..."
- Pat Metheny Group "Quartet"
- Linkin Park "Reanimation"
- Chet Atkins "Mr. Guitar"
- Kelly Joe Phelps "Shine Eyed Mister Zen"
- Adrian Belew "The Guitar as Orchestra pt.1"
- Pat Metheny "One Quiet Night"

all the while copying copying copying...

talked to steve bryant and jerod tate on the phone. steve is in jersey and jerod is in arizona. used hands-free cell phone so i could keep copying. ate some taco bell. copied some more.

copied until i couldn't copy no more. went to bed.

the boys in the band

Another day, and the phone calls begin in earnest.

Trumpet -- Dave Spencer called back and has decided to pass for personal reasons; so I called Rob Parton (CSO, Maynard Ferguson, Doc Severenson, Tony Bennett), and he said if he didn't call me back soon, then he was good to go. Its been several hours, so I assume no news is good news. One more down!

Trombone -- unfortunately, Rob Lustrea left a message -- he can't find a sub for his theater gig, so he's had to pass. I'm now 4-deep in trombone rejections, but I put a call in to Tim Coffman (Frank Sinatra, Natalie Cole, Randy Brecker). Turns out Tim can make the date. I've got a BAND!!!!

Now all I have to do is finish the charts...

puttin' the band back together...

OK -- first things first -- get an engineer. Matt Prock (Josh Groban, Tonic, Richard Marx) and David Axelbaum (Johnny Winter, Stevie Ray Vaughn) are still not available, but Steve Weeder is, so I've got an engineer!!!

Drums -- Larry Beers, the swiss army knife of drummers, is on board.

Bass -- I need upright and electric, so I called Larry Gray (Joe Pass, Clark Terry, Ramsey Lewis Trio). He's good to go (my backup was gonna be Steve Rodby, if he wasn't on tour with Pat Metheny).

Keyboards -- Jim Trompeter is going to work the morning shift, and Rob Berry is going to bat cleanup in the afternoon.

Saxophones -- Eric Pryzby is ready to go, and fortunately Paul Mertens (Poi Dog Pondering, Brian Wilson) has time to come in too.

Trumpet -- Carey Deadman can't make it, so I've left a message with Dave Spencer...

Trombone -- Tom Garling (a.k.a. The Slide God) is out of town. Mike Halpin (Chuck Mangione, Styx) is already booked solid. Put a call in to Robert Lustrea, he's in the orchestra for "Ain't Misbehavin'", but is going to see if he can get a sub for the show so he can make the date...

Percussionist just called me back -- I considered a lot of guys and finally went with Dave Rush -- he's all set to bring a battery of instruments and lay down some hip Latin grooves.

And multi-instrumentalist John Rice is gonna lay down some Western swing and some uptempo Country on Tele, Dobro, and acoustic guitar (why fake it when you can get one of the masters?)

So I'm very close to having my recording sessions ready to go! 12 tunes (we've added a Dixieland tune) in two days... should be a hoot!

[as a cool side note, I got a call from a rock band that's looking to add string arrangements to two of their tunes for their upcoming album... it'd be fun to do if it all works out!]

Elmer Bernstein R.I.P.

I'm very sad to report that the legendary film composer, Elmer Bernstein, died in his sleep yesterday afternoon at the age of 82.

Elmer Bernstein had an extraordinary career as an innovative and dynamic film composer. In an age when Eastern European composers ruled Hollywood, he was the first composer to introduce the jazz ensemble to film scoring, in the Frank Sinatra film "The Man with the Golden Arm". He created eclectic chamber textures with a child-like approach in "To Kill A Mockingbird". He passed through periods of genres and styles when most film composers remained typecast -- from epics like "The Ten Commandments"; to the legendary Americana of "The Magnificent Seven" and "The Great Escape"; to slapstick comedy like "Meatballs", "Caddyshack", and "Airplane"; to art eclectism like "My Left Foot", "Cape Fear", and "Being John Malkovich".

I was fortunate enough to study with him for a year, and he was without a doubt my favorite professor at USC. Unlike many of the elder statesman of the film industry, he wasn't jaded, and he wasn't cynical. Unlike many of teachers, he talked very little about "the business", and almost entirely about the creative process. He was the epitome of a gentleman, and treated every student like a developing artist worthy of respect. And he was humble -- he would bring the latest projects he'd finished in to class and ask us to sketch musical ideas for them... and he would admit when he liked our approach better than his own! (I scored some points with him that way with a minimalist approach I took on the film "Chinese Coffee" with Al Pacino -- one of my proudest moments that year)

He was an admirable man -- not just for his many accomplishments, and for the gentle way he treated other people, but also for the light of his artistic optimism, which served as an inspiration to everyone who enjoyed his presence and his work. He will be missed.

Aaron Freeman

Had to do a voiceover session yesterday. We needed a DJ voice -- kinda in the style of Wolfman Jack. So we checked out the local talent agencies, and settled on a guy who came in and did a bang-up job. His name is Aaron Freeman.

You're probably saying "Oh! You mean THE Aaron Freeman?!?", because EVERYBODY else I've mentioned him to has responded like that. (Seriously!) But if you haven't heard of him, don't feel bad -- the truth is, I hadn't heard of him before either. Don't get me wrong -- he was a talented professional, a sincere gentleman, a true mensch (in many senses of the word!), and an extremely nice guy -- and he did have the vibe of someone... distinctive. But I really didn't think too much about it -- he's an actor, right? Well, after seeing all these surprised looks on everyone's faces, I needed to check this guy out. I've now been to his website (see link above), and he's really a Renaissance man -- actor, comedian, writer, entrepreneur, father, athlete, and probably several other titles I've failed to mention. Features on NPR. Articles in the Chicago Tribune. Owner of an art gallery. Trainer for his twin daughters, Artemis and Diana (a.k.a. "the goddesses"), in their junior triathlons (I met the girls too -- really great personalities).

I admire people who set off and create their own path through life; as unique and ambitious and wide-spread as it may turn out to be. I'm glad to have met Mr. Freeman, and to have gotten to know him a bit (personally, as well as through his website). He's laid a very positive impression and example on me.

who you callin' "chittery"?!?

One of my sister's ex-boyfriends once described her as being "chittery". Anne's not chittery. This is chittery.

stymied

Well, all the musicians called me back over the weekend and they were all available, but I've had to postpone the recording sessions for this week because I simply cannot find a good engineer that is not already booked. So I'm going to have to call everyone, cancel, and reschedule for the following week. Grrrrrr....

And on top of that, I'm finding myself blocked from getting things rolling on that Lounge tune. Part of the trouble is that I HATE Lounge music, and the other part of the trouble is tht I HATE THE IDEA OF LOUNGE MUSIC. Soulless, expressionless, pap. The most homogenized, unoriginal, and uninspired style of music ever stolen by capitalists, repackaged as "retro-chic", and foisted on consumer's ears... it smells like bad cologne and mothballed polyester; and aside from it's gooey, sticky, oversweetened flavor, it leaves the bad taste of bitter sarcasm in my mouth when its over.

And the "in-crowd" says they actually "dig it"... buncha lemmings...

Will Work for Good Karma

Sunday -- in much of the western world, a day of rest. For me? Nooooooooooooo... I offered to help a friend of mine with his animation project. He had done a 2 minute animatic on spec for a video game company and wanted to turn it in with a full soundtrack. So in 8 hours I whipped up a temp score (extracted mostly from "The Last Samurai" and "The Cell"), sound effects, and basic voiceover (mostly me screaming at the top of my lungs). It sounds pretty good, but of course I can't use it for anything myself... but it was fun to do anyways.

Big day ahead tomorrow... and I'm not ready for it...

TranZendental Boredom

Today I'm doing more work on "TranZendental Danse of Joi". I'm in the process of taking all my little pencil dots from sheet after sheet of orchestral paper and entering them into the computer. For anyone who hasn't had the pleasure, let me just say that it is a SOUL-CRUSHINGLY LAME PROCESS. Extremely nit-picky, and seemingly endless. I've been at it hardcore all day and I'm only about 25% through... the only thing I can say that's positive is that after years of using Finale, I've switched over to Sibelius, and I'm liking it much better. That, and I'm looking forward to going out for some Ethiopian food tonight...

phreek progress

You know what's a freaky feeling? Scheduling musicians to record tunes you haven't written yet. The big band tune finally got rolling this morning, and I've been harmonizing my brains out all day. It's about 75% finished. That just leaves the lounge tune, the Latin tune, and making up the lead sheets for the other 4 tunes...

You know what's even freakier? Scheduling musicians before you've got a recording engineer set up to record them! My first choice, David Axelbaum is out. My very-close second call, Matt Prock, is out too. So I'm trying to track down two guys who come highly recommended -- Steve Weeder or Danny Leake. We'll see who calls first, and who's available for at least three days in a row...

But I've got to start getting musicians... so I called Jimmy Sutton -- great swingin' bass player for a band called the Four Charms. I've been wanting to record with him for years now, and I've finally got the excuse! Unfortunately, he'll be on tour in Italy and is then headed for L.A. to record the next album. Next call, Larry Gray -- AWESOME jazz bassist (bassist with Ramsey Lewis Trio). I was going to call him anyway for some of the other tunes... he's free, SWEET! So maybe I'll just have him play all the bass parts for everything, and just switch instruments.

Drums -- Larry Beers. He's pretty sure he's available, so we'll try to confirm this weekend.

Percussion -- called Alejo Poveda. He's going on the road on Wednesday, so unless I can record him on Tuesday afternoon, I'm out of luck. Called Jose Rendon just in case.

Piano -- called Chris Cameron -- he's on tour with Sonya Dada. Called Ed Tossing and left a message. Hopefully Rob Berry will be available for a few of the tunes, so I can mix up their styles.

Saxophone -- Steve Zoloto just had twins, so it looks like Eric Pryzby is gonna have to mult alot of my parts. That's fine -- he's a monstrous player. Just to ease the burden a bit, and to get a buzzier, Clarence Clemmons kinda sound on a few tracks, I put a call in to Paul Mertens.

Trumpet -- Carey Deadman. Left a message.

Trombone -- the legendary (at least is in my mind) Tom Garling. This guy is one of the most musical cats I know, and has toured and written charts for everyone from Woody Herman to Maynard Ferguson(so no pressure there!). Left a message.

Chicken-pickin' guitar and dobro -- the multi-talented John Rice. He's free for Friday and ready to rock.

So I've got most of the tunes, half of the band, no engineer, its getting dark, and I have a Chiropractor's appointment.

HIT IT!

progress no progress

Well, the morning started out great -- I extended the R'n'B/Soul tune and wrote and arranged a really cool blues shuffle before lunch. Then I went to get some Indian food... and I seemed to have lost my mojo somewhere between the Sag Paneer and the Aloo Mater, because I've been stuck all afternoon. I started the big band chart -- no go. Switched over to the lounge thing -- dead end. Decided to try the Latin -- uh-uh. Nothing. Just not inspired. Everything I'm coming up with sounds really lame. And while it might be acceptable to other people, the stuff just wasn't working for me.

So I think I'm gonna bag it for the day, go grab some Chinese food and watch a movie with Ginger (the dog) and Cody (a foster shitsu) and Laslo (a foster mutt) and Sam (the cat) and Penny (the other cat) and Golum and Nosferatu (the guinea pigs). Oh, and Nicki (the girlfriend).

Tomorrow I have GOT to start scheduling recording sessions and musicians...

Vocal Kombat

As a quick distraction, I recorded some voiceover tracks with Herman Sanchez, the voice from the video game MORTAL KOMBAT (y'know, "Ready - FIGHT!" and "Scorpion wins.", and "Fatality", etc. etc. etc.). The guy has a HUGE voice. I used him for that Houdini game -- the producer wanted a "dark mysterious voice" and this was immediately who came to my mind. Compressed his voice a little, and ran it through a tap-tempo delay, and they LOVED it.

And now back to writing tunes...

progression progress

Things are going well -- I was able to dedicate most of the day to writing, and was able to crank out a lot of music. The soul/R'n'B chart is finished, but I like it so much, I'm going to extend it. I also sketched changes for the uptempo country hoedown, the western swing tune, the rockabilly tune, AND the beatnik jam (its very Miles Davis meets Jack Kerouac). So tomorrow I'll make lead sheets for those 4 tunes, extend the R'n'B chart, and probably start writing the big band tune -- that'll definitely be the most complicated chart.

Things are going smoothly... so far. Not too many interruptions and very few creative roadblocks. I think I'll be ready by Tuesday of next week, so I need to start booking musicians ASAP...

this rake's progress

So I mentioned a few days back that I had to write and record 11 tunes by August 18th. Didja notice I haven't been talking much about that? That's because I haven't been able to work on them -- I've been busy finishing up four (!) other projects. But I had a chance to write today, and made some good progress.

I finished charts for the surf-rock tune (it sounds like Dick Dale on Prozac), and I also tracked most of the lead guitar parts. I also finished charts for the jump band tune -- I'm pretty happy with the horn writing, so that one should be really fun to record. But I decided to scrap the soul/blues tune I'd started the other day... frankly, it was way to soulful and deep for the application. So I went back to the drawing board, and managed to get about halfway through more upbeat, funky soul/R'n'B tune, with the same instrumentation as before (think Booker T and the MG's with a 4-piece horn section).

I haven't even started the other charts yet, but I'll need to start booking musicians soon...

I've got really bad G.A.S.

I've got a problem. A big problem.

Here's how it all started -- I'm gearing up for Chaos Theory performances this fall, and I've been trying to find the right instrument. For the last few concerts I'd been using a Steve Morse model Music Man guitar, which is a beautiful instrument, but it doesn't have a wammy bar, and its bridge pickup is a little shrill...

So I figured out what I needed -- something simple and stripped-down. A whammy bar, two pickups, and a volume knob. That's it. And lo and behold, today I found it.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Hamer Californian Deluxe. Its fast, its dangerous, and its also dead-sexy!

So that's it -- end of story.

Or so I thought.

At lunch, my friend Vince wants to go hit a guitar store. That's cool, I'll go look -- I'm in no danger. I know what I want, and I'm not going to be swayed. Until she came along.

The 100 year anniversary Fender American Stratocaster Deluxe (except the one I saw had a humbucker in the bridge position and you could see the mahogany woodgrain through that deep burgundy finish... drop dead gorgeous).

This guitar sounds like art. Seriously. Its amazing. I love it.

And now I can't think. I can't concentrate on anything. I look at a picture of the blonde, and I'm thinking about the fun we could have -- the fast runs, the excitement, and those dangerous curves. Then I remember playing the redhead and I'm lost in the music we could make together... those moments we'd create would be so meaningful...

(Note to girlfriend: don't worry, I'm still talking about guitars!)

I've fallen in love with TWO guitars in the same day... how could this happen?!?

There is a name for this -- Guitar Addiction Syndrome (or G.A.S.) There must be a support group somewhere for people with my condition...

Karim Rashid

Karim Rashid is a brilliant industrial designer. I once read a list of 50 of his core beliefs, and found many to be very inspiring. Here are some of them:

+ Don't Specialize.

+ Treat [everyone] the way you would like to be treated.

+ Before birthing anything physical, ask yourself if you have created an original idea or if there is any value in what you plan to disseminate.

+ Know everything about your current project - then forget it all when you design something new.

+ Never say "I could have done that," because you didn't.

+ Observe everything, everyone, and every moment.

+ Don't work with someone if you sense different views just because you believe there is potential, because there probably isn't.

+ There is not potential in everything or every project.

+ Don't work on your weaknesses, work on your strengths.

+ If you don't like your job, quit.

+ If you aren't good at what you do, do something else.

+ For everything you buy, give away another thing so you stay at an equilibrium and never accumulate more than you need.

+ Consume experiences, not things.

+ Do six things at once - multitask. That way you'll never be bored.

+ Don't use words like "taste", "class", "boredom", "ugly" or "mass".

+ Pleasure is more psychological than physical.

+ Minimalism is boring; sensual minimalism is friendly.

+ More is more.

+ Don't dream it, be it.

+ Celebrate technology.

+ Normal is not good.

+ Never be satisfied with your work.

+ Perseverance, consistency, and rigor constitute success.

+ Being famous should not be a priority - work should be.

+ Pay your dues; learn from others.

+ Think extensively, not intensively.

+ Think relaxed, not rigid.

+ Be the change you want to see in the world (Gandhi).

+ Experience is the most important part of living; the exchange of ideas and human contact is what life is. Space and objects can encourage increased experience or distract from your experiences.

+ Edit your life.

+ Accomplish addition by subtraction.

+ The past is pointless.

+ Here and now is all we've got.

From the BCM Forum:

godsmcktma2 wrote:
"In my opinion, using electronics just doesn't fit the style of a concert band in any situation. Sorry, Jim, but even electric guitar seems unfitting. Though it is a modern instrument, it calls agianst the old ritual of arcane instrumentation."

to which I responded:

godsmcktma2,

I want to thank you for posting -- I appreciate you expressing yourself and your opinion, and you certainly didn't need to apologize to me for that. I've long suspected that some people, like yourself, would find Chaos Theory offensive. I'm very pleased to finally hear it from one of you on this forum!

Y'see, in all my music, my aesthetic is based as much in concept as it is in actual music. I have lots of things I want to express, so the concepts, and the music, will change (drastically or subtly) with what I want to say.

Chaos Theory's skeletons are obviously well-hung in the Closet of Rock'n'Roll -- the soundtrack of rebellion. In my opinion, what makes Chaos Theory a "true" statement of this aesthetic (rather than a cheap novelty) is my conviction to rebel against the established concepts of high culture and high art, and (hopefully) do it with a unique voice. And its more than just the use of an electric guitar -- I tried to use different orchestrational techniques than those of the established "concert band" idiom. I tried to bastardize classical forms and structures, and cross-breed musical languages (serialism, bi-tonality, modalism, etc.), while still being musically effective. In short, I tried to create a rebellion for the entire ensemble. But what good is a rebellion if there's no one to rebel against? That's where you come into the picture. For while I am grateful for the people who appreciate Chaos Theory, it really was for you, and people like you, that I wrote this piece.

Again, thank you so much for posting -- I'm overjoyed that I have offended your sensibilities. Should we ever meet, I will welcome you with open arms, and probably give you a big fat kiss on the mouth. Stay true to your convictions, and in the coming years, I promise I will offer you more and more work to stimulate the dark passion of your dissent.

Very sincerely,

Jim Bonney

Neil Rocks

Actions speak louder than words.
See Neil Peart's drum solo.

Lightning strikes twice

[Wow -- all I can say is I must be truly blessed -- I win the Australian Lottery on Sunday, and today I get this!]
Dear Bonney, [brief and to-the-point -- I like that.]

I am Barrister Martins Green, a solicitor at law, personal Attorney to Mr Harrison R.Bonney,[I've never heard of the guy, and at this point I'm ready to throw this email out] a national Of your country,who used to work with Shell Development Company in rue,lome Togo [interesting use of capitalization in this sentence -- must be a Togo-thing]. Here in after shall be referred to as my client. [he sounds so, so... legal! This must be official -- color me intrigued]

On the 12st of February 2001, my client, his wife and their only daughter were involved in a car accident along rue,lome Togo. All occupants of the vehicle unfortunately lost their lives. [that's so very sad] Since then I have made several enquiries to your embassy here to locate any of my clients extended relatives, this has also proved unsuccessful. After these several unsuccessful attempts,I decided to trace his last name over the Internet. [interesting... do you know how many "Bonney's" come up if you google my last name?]

Please even if he is not related to you, please indicate your interest and claim the money in your account [in MY account?] as his next of kin as the bank knows me as his personal Attorney and would be happy to receive and attend to any person whom I will present to them as his next of kin. [wow -- that's some kinda serious run-on sentence -- this guy must really be desperate to find his next of kin...]

I have contacted you to assist in retreiving the fund valued at US$18.5 million left behind [whoa -- $18.5 million!!!] by my client before it gets confisicated [I think he means "confiscated"...] or declared unserviceable by the Finance Firm where this huge amount [that's the technical term -- "huge"] were [umm, "is"...] deposited. The said Finance Company has issued
me a notice to provide the next of kin or have his account confisicated [I think he means "confiscated"...] within the next twenty one official working days . [does anyone know the official working days in Togo? How much time do I actually have?]

Since I have been unsuccesfull in locating the relatives for over Three years now, I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin to the deceased since you have the same last names, so that the proceeds of this account can be paid to you. Therefore, on receipt of your positive response, we shall then discuss the sharing ratio and modalities for transfer. [ah, the sharing ratio... so there's the catch -- this guy is figuring he'll skim a little cream off the top, eh?]

I have all necessary information and legal documents needed to back you up for claim. All I require from you is your honest cooperation [honesty among thieves?] to enable us see this transaction through. I guarantee that this will be executed under legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. [riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight...] Please get in touch with me through the above email and indicate
1)your direct telephone and fax numbers for further
clearification.
2)Your birth date
3)Full contact address for mails.

Best Regards.
Barrister Martins Green.
Ivory Associates
Rue 369 Airport Crecsent
Lome-Togo.
Tel:+xxx xxx-xxxx

I can't believe my good fortune! If my luck continues, this blog may never be the same again...

BANZAI

OK -- I know I haven't written much lately about musical goings-on, and I apologize for that.
While its been a busy couple of weeks, there have only been minor musical events going on -- some 2-5 second orchestral flourishes, a slew of big band stingers, some Brazilian guitar-playing for a recording session, but nothing major. Today, all that changed -- I'm in HIGH GEAR now.

I've got 11 tunes to write, record, and mix down before August 18th. And to raise the pucker factor just a little bit, they're all in different styles, with different bands. Right now I've gotta do a Latin/Jazz combo thing (a la Sex in the City), a Rockabilly tune (think Stray Cats), a classic western ditty (git along lil doggies!), a jump band tune (The Cherry Poppin' Daddies comes to mind), a Soul/Blues tune (Kinda like B.B. King), a big band chart (is anyone ELSE getting stressed about all this?!?), a surf rock tune (Dick Dale meets the Beach Boys), a country-rock tune (a-pickin' and a-grinnin')... lessee what else... oh yeah, a classic Motown track, a hipster/beat poet jam, and an Exotica/Lounge tune (the weirder the better).

Is that it? Yep, that's it.

So I started this afternoon around 4:30 -- right after a meeting with the producer (convincing him that "yes, everything is gonna be alright... don't worry..."). I've already got the melody and changes for the Soul/Blues thing down -- that's gonna be lead and rhythm guitar, B-3 organ, bass guitar, drums, and 4-piece horn section, so I'll need to do lead sheets and horn charts ofr this one. I also got the chorus of the jump tune down - that'll be a 7-piece horn section, guitar, upright bass, drums, and piano -- I can probably use alot of the same players on these two tunes. My goal is to write everything this week (in the midst of meetings and other projects and a private life), and do the recording sessions next week, so I can be finished mixing by the middle of the following week. That's the plan, at least...

eat yer hearts out suckers!

I'm rich!!! Yeah, that's right, you heard me -- I'm rich! Check out this email I got (I've x'ed out the numbers so you can't steal any of my money!):

AUSTRALIAN LOTTERY
Lottery Headquarters:
Customer Service:
2nd Floor Communication Building,
Henley Road, Auckland Park,
Sydney ACT 0221, Sydney, Australia.
Australian Lottery is an affiliate of Overseas
Subscriber Agents.
Arena Complex Km 18 Route de Rufisque I.P.P Award
Dept. Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Ref. Number: xxx/xxx/xxxx
Batch Number: xxxxxxxxx-xxxx
From: Mr. Charles Blake
e-mail: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(Lottery Coordinator)

Sir/Madam, [in this case, SIR]

CONGRATULATIONS!!! [I think more emails should start like that]

We are pleased to inform you of the result of the Australian Lottery Winners International programs held on the 22nd, July 2004. Your e-mail address attached to ticket number xxxxxxxxxxx-xxxx with serial number xxxx-xxx drew lucky numbers x-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx that consequently won in the 1st category; you have been approved for a lump sum of $1,000,000.00 (One Million US Dollars). [wow -- I don't know where all those numbers came from, but it definitely sounds like I won... and its very progressive of the Australians to offer a prize in American dollars, don't you think?]

Due to mix up of some numbers and names, [uh-oh... a mixup...? I hope this doesn't cause complications later that delay my ckeck for one million US dollars...] we ask that you keep your winning information confidential until your claims has been processed and your money ($1,000,000.00) remitted to you. [well of course I will... whadiya think I'm gonna do, put it in my blog?!?] This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program by other participants. [ah, y'see -- makes perfect sense!]
All participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from over 20,000 companies and 30,000,000 individual e-mail addresses and names all over the world. [how interesting! this must be how I could win without even entering.] This promotional program takes place every two years. This lottery was promoted by the software corporation (GCI Networks) to compensate some few individuals which devoted their time and money surfing the web; [well, I do "devote a lot of time and money to surfing the web"...] with website and email addresses, we hope with part of your winning you will take part in our next year $85million international lottery [oh wow! You mean I can take my one million dollars that was given to ME out of ALL the people who've "surfed the web" for the past TWO YEARS, and try to win ANOTHER lottery for 85 million? Ask for lightning to strike twice?!? Sure, why not!]. Remember, all winning must be claimed not later than 10th, August 2004. [hey reader -- don't even THINK about claiming MY prize money before I do -- you're just jealous because you've "devoted alot of time and money to surfing the web" and you didn't get a million clams for it! Do you really think you've devoted as much time and money as I have?!? Do you really think you deserve this as much as I do?!? Do you?!?!?] After this date all unclaimed funds will be included in the next stake. [oh no!!!] Please note in order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications remember to include your batch and reference numbers with all correspondence. [Gee, I hope there's not alot of lengthy, complicated correspondence where they need my credit card number or my bank account number...] Furthermore, should there be any change of address please inform us as soon as possible. Congratulations once again from all members and staffs of Australia Lottery. [wow -- those Australians are such nice people, aren't they? Kinda makes you forget that they were once a colony made up entirely of criminals...]
Thank you for being part of our promotional program. [no, no -- thank you!]
Kindly contact our pay-point-Agent for your payment advice. [my payment... advice?]
Forward to them the following:
(1). Your full names. [well, I've only got one full name...]
(2) Contact telephone and fax numbers (personal and
official). [I didn't know my my personal number wasn't official...]
(3) Contact Address; Residential and place of work. [just in case they want to visit?]
(4) Your I.D. (personal identification card or number). [is that the bar code number on the back of my neck?
(5) Your reference and Batch Number. [oh yes, you mentioned those before...]
(6) Quote amount won. [don't you know?!? After all, I DID win in the first category!]
Contact of the bank (Pay Point Agent): -
Mrs. Grace Jorgenssen.
Manager: Deutsche Bank De Bary N.V.
Ph: xx.xx.xxx.xxx.xxx.
Fax: xx.xx.xx.xxx.xxx.xxx.
e-mail:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sincerely yours,
Mr. Charles Blake.
(Lottery Coordinator).

Wow, well I guess that's it -- I send them my address and they send me a check for the full amount... one million US dollars. As you can all plainly see, I'm rich -- and all for "devoting my time and money to surfing the web". I'm not sure I'll be continuing to write this blog, as this was meant to chronicle the life and times of a struggling artist, not the jet-setting antics of a wealthy playboy... I just hope this new-found wealth doesn't change me in any way...