steam heat

Today the boiler in our condo building overfilled. Piping-hot water was shooting out of all the radiators like water faucets on full-blast. Some stuff got wet. Somebody is coming by tomorrow morning to check it out.

That's it. That's all I've got. Seriously. Other than my recent (inexplicable) obsession with the rhythmic pattern 7/8, 7/8, 7/8, 3/4 -- I don't know what to tell you...

(Is anyone else getting tired of turkey sandwiches for breakfast?)

More Komposition

So Sticks & Stones is finished... does that mean I'm taking a break from writing? Not a chance. MORTAL KOMBAT has needs. A TON of them. It kills me that I can't tell you more about the music for this game, but what I can tell you is that every day I'm writing. This is the seventh game in the series, but the team is tolerant enough to let me leave my own mark on this music.

How am I doing this? Guitar demolition.

Hitting them, beating them, extreme wammy bar weirdness, ebowing, prepared string experiments, slash'n'hack editing, reversing the recording, sliding, scraping, striking, and of course, slamming every stomp-box and plug-in I can come up with against that signal. A lot of the time, it doesn't even sound like a guitar anymore -- but I try to always create sounds that are organic, unheard-of, and more than anything, musically effective.

I don't want to make the guitar a gimmick; I want to come up with sounds that couldn't be made any other way.

Sticks & Stones (pt. 11)

Hello Mountain View High School -

Very soon you will have the first chance to play through Sticks & Stones, from the first note to the last. This moment is as significant or trivial as you make it, but the fact is, you all WILL be the very first to hear it. Aside from what I imagine this piece sounds like, you'll even hear it before me!

At this point, you might think this piece is finished... well, it isn't. I'm finished conceiving this piece, but it's life has only just begun. Until I have the chance to hear it, and compare it to what I'd imagined, and maaaaybe even tweak a note or two to get it closer to what I'd imagined, it isn't finished.

And so, you're now part of this process, part of the life of this music. What I ask of you is to consider that Sticks & Stones is not a stone-cold marble statue in a musical museum; it is a malleable shape of clay, still in the artist's studio, that has yet to take it's final form. I ask that you bring your musical enthusiasm and sensitivity, as artists. Understand that I have considered and reconsidered every single note, dynamic, and articulation -- and consider challenging yourselves to realize them, and to figure out WHY I wrote them that way. When changes come up, rather than being annoyed by them, embrace them, and consider this a chance to be a part of the music as it evolves.

If you have any questions, ideas, or thoughts, I'd be glad to hear them -- you can post them here on the blog, or on the BCM forum, or email me to me directly (jimbonney@aol.com). I can't guarantee I'm going to take every suggestion, but I'll certainly consider them all. (if you just want to tell me you like it, that's OK too)

Thanks so much, and very best of luck with the music!

The Asterisks

My dear nameless, faceless (and questionably-soulless), turtleneck-and-blazer-wearing music administrator,

Recently I had the honor and pleasure of performing at a music educator’s convention in Norfolk, Virginia. I say “honor” because the director could’ve chosen any music he wanted to, and he chose mine. I say “pleasure” because the ensemble played my music beautifully, and all the members were extremely enthusiastic and enjoyable to work with. My apologies if I misled you to believe I might’ve been attributing any “honor” or “pleasure” to your event – if you’ll indulge me for a few paragraphs, I will explain the distinction.

(PLEASE NOTE: the views I am about to lay on you are my views alone, and do not necessarily reflect those of my gracious hosts at VMEA, my fellow BCM composers, other band directors, my wife, my parents, my sister, my in-laws, my friends, my next-door neighbor, my dog Ginger, or anyone else in the known universe – I am an independent thinker. Please also note that this is a blog – a self-indulgent, self-involved account of my experiences, meant primarily for the entertainment of the unwashed masses. Were we ever to speak face-to-face about this issue, I assure you, I would employ a different tone – there’d be a lot more hand gestures and foul language.)

Let’s start with this premise: an ensemble that is chosen to play at a convention (such as the VMEA) is (supposedly) bestowed an honor – they are an exceptional ensemble, and worthy of the notice of their peers. They are given the opportunity to perform... in a room designed for hosting corporate meetings. There is no stage, low ceilings, LOUD air-handling, and wall-to-wall carpet – I can’t imagine a worse acoustic to perform in (except maybe the Holland Tunnel at rush hour on a Monday morning). There wasn’t even enough space for me, as the guest soloist, to stand on the “stage” (the easy-to-assemble hotel dance-floor used last weekend for Iggy Silverstein’s Bar Mitzvah) – I was actually standing on the carpet, about a foot from the first row of chairs – too far in front of the conductor to make eye-contact.

Before the VMEA performance, I listened to this ensemble run through their sweetened, condensed soundcheck in this space. This is an excellent-sounding high school band, and the adjustments they were having to make to accommodate this space were severe, and not conducive to a positive performance experience.

Since this is not a performance space, there are no dressing rooms to change in. There is no green room in which to relax offstage. No backstage for storing your extra stuff. No wings for musicians to wait in. There’s also no elevation to allow the audience to SEE the conductor or the ensemble, so they can’t tell what’s going on.

Then after the performance, there’s an immediate announcement:

“YOU HAVE FIFTEEN MINUTES TO LEAVE THE HALL BEFORE THE NEXT PERFORMANCE”

You can imagine the pandemonium that ensued. Forget congratulations, forget celebrations -- GET OUT.

Now, I don’t want to be unreasonable – I understand that there are a lot of ensembles being recognized and “honored” with the backside of your banquet room gauntlet, and you have to get the last group off the portable-parquet-wood dance-floor in order to get the next one onto it. But a performance space can accommodate this kind of mass-movement of musicians – exit stage left, enter stage right – much better than a hotel banquet room can.

Why compromise the “honor” and the “pleasure” of those performing at an event sponsored by a music association? My humble suggestion – book a concert venue. Book an auditorium. Book a theatre. Book an amphitheatre. Book a rock club. Shoot, book a cafetorium if that’s all that’s available – but book a space that is designed for musical performance, not one designed for the delivery of profit-and-loss statements for 2005, or to throw Johnny and JoAnn’s “Lord of the Rings”-themed wedding reception.

Aside from the "turtleneck-and-blazer" comment, this was not meant to be a personal attack on you, or your character; it's an attack on the choices you've made in the past. But in the midst of this attack, I must confess that I envy you. All I can do is offer a different perspective (translation: piss and moan). YOU can make a difference. YOU can change the music convention performance experience from here on -- for performers and attendees alike. YOU can make a difference.

This may be one of the biggest performance opportunities in these young musician’s careers – shouldn’t it FEEL and SOUND like it’s a big deal too?!?

Yours, very sincerely,

James Bonney
Composer/musician

P.S. for those band directors who showed up to this concert -- and sat, arms folded, full of judgement and disapproval, saying to yourself "that should've been me and my band up there" -- suck it up. It wasn't you. Get over it, get over yourself, and get back into the music. The music doesn't owe you anything -- you owe everything to the music.

Sticks & Stones (pt. 10)

(the asterisks are coming -- I promise... but I had to get to this first)

In spite of the fact that I am still not totally finished with the orchestration, I sent about three-quarters of the score and parts to Pete Toews and Mountain View High School to read through STICKS & STONES. I was very, very nervous, and rather pre-occupied all morning. I knew at some point, they'd read through it, and after months of deliberating over every note and nuance of this piece, someone else would be deciding if this baby -- my baby, was beautiful or ugly.

Around noon, I received an email from the director:

"THANKS!!  We read it this morning.  COOL.  The kids are really pumped up.  We thought it was great.  Can't wait to hear the end...Dude, you rock.  Thank you so much for doing this for us..."

I tell you, it was like exhaling for the first time in months. THEY ACTUALLY LIKE IT!

Jefferson Forest at VMEA

(waiting for more pictures, but I'll post more as I get 'em)

Friday morning, I woke up in Norfolk, VA. "Woke up" is a bit of a stretch -- that assumes that I was asleep at some point. The truth is, I'd spent the entire night staring at the clock, watching the minutes tick slowly by. It was the first night since Nicki and I got married that we'd slept apart, and the bed just seemed too big without her.

I wandered down in a daze to meet director Dave Webb, and the other guest conductor, Harold Ford, in the lobby. I'd only met Dave for the first time last night when he picked me up at the airport, and was psyched to see how excited he was about the concert we were performing. We talked about Chaos Theory, and other music on the program (notably, "Uncle Sid" and "Bayou Breakdown"), as well as the band and the rockin' time they'd just had at a restaurant/dance club downtown. Anyway... I grab a bottle of orange juice and I'm chugging it down when the other two directors arrive -- Jennifer Wilson and Harry Farmer. We pile into the Webb Family Truckster (evidently, the wife had the Porsche this weekend) and head over to the rehearsal.

As soon as I arrive, I'm greeted by excited, switched-on musicians, and before rehearsal starts, I get a chance to talk to a few and learn some names. Soon rehearsal starts, and I'm AMAZED at what a great sound this band has -- especially considering we're in the banquet room of a hotel. (When I mention this to Dave later, he claims that a lot of this has to do with his killer contras -- Cameron on string bass, and Meris on contrabass clarinet -- who hold down a rock-solid foundation for the entire ensemble) The whole band sounds really great, and some of this is tough music! There are quite a few solos, and some really isolated writing, but the band is very well rehearsed and everyone is handling their parts quite capably.

Soon it's my turn to conduct Reflections in a Tidal Pool. I'm following some very capable conductors here (Jennifer Wilson's piece is especially locked down and super-tight), and I'm rather sheepish as I take the makeshift podium. The ensemble has already been prepared for my rather unorthodox style of left-handed conducting, by forcing Dave Webb to do it in previous rehearsals (an awkward juggling act he does not look forward to repeating in the future). The band sounds really, really great -- they're playing with great nuance, the balance is beautiful, their dynamics are extraordinarily expressive... I could go on and on. Everyone is watching me closely (a rare treat for any conductor!), and I do my best not to screw them up. Even the percussionist who doesn't have the orchestral bells for rehearsal, is "air-glocking" her part, so she's ready for the performance! Everyone is putting so much into the music, and as the composer, it's so gratifying to see such care and thoughtfulness applied to one's "musical baby".

Soon after, it's time for the first Chaos Theory rehearsal, and again, the band is extraordinarily well-rehearsed, and sounds great. Unfortunately, I'm having some strange electrical problems -- at one point, my distortion pedal just turns off by itself. At another point, the whole pedalboard shuts off. Fluctuating AC in the hotel? A ghost in the machine? Who knows -- but we press on, and no matter what, I'm sure of one thing -- this band is ROCKING and if there's anyone who was trying to sleep in late in this hotel, THEY'RE AWAKE NOW.

Rehearsal ends and I get a chance to meet more students. I sign rubber ducks for a few musicians, and I have some time to talk more with some others. The roto-tom basher, Ben, hangs out, and Dave points out that he's a pretty slammin' drummer... a future soloist for STICKS & STONES...? Time will tell...

We break for the afternoon. I call Nicki to tell her how much I miss her, eat a ham sandwich, continue orchestrating STICKS & STONES, and try to chill out and relax. I finish the book I've been reading, "The Alchemist". I come across a line that really resonates with me -- "Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time." I find myself hoping that the next rehearsal goes well... then it's time to change for the concert. I change in my room and head down to soundcheck.

Everyone is PUMPED. There are a million things to coordinate, and as Mr. Webb directs traffic, the problems start to arise. Broken music stands. Brian (the lone frosh bassoon-slinger) has a busted bocal. One of the tubas has broke-down. Eventually, things get straightened out, and rehearsal commences. We only have a limited time in the hall*, so everyone is just testing out a few bars of this and a few bars of that. I'm fortunate that the ensemble wants to run through Reflections with me again, so I get to go through the whole piece. I'm pretty nervous, but just as I'm about to start, I look over at the French horns, and Josh busts out this big devil-may-care grin, and I can't help but feel at-ease. We check the balances on spots in Chaos Theory -- the gear is back on track, and sounds like there'll be no worries for the performance. We find levels for my guitar and Luke's bass guitar (the dude is DEAD ON during the heavy chord sections -- it sounds super-tight and BIG when we hit chords together), and then people are coming in and it's time to get out of the way. I look for a backstage area -- no backstage*. I look for a place to get out of the way -- there isn't one. So I plop down in the front row of the audience* and await my turn.

The concert starts*, and the band sounds GREAT. Seriously, I've heard them for two rehearsals, and they're sounding even better in front of an audience! And everyone is playing really well -- from Emily and Brian's exposed parts (whoo! that came out wrong!) in the Sparke arrangement, to Carly's klesmer-esque clarinet solo at the beginning of Uncle Sid -- it is locked down solid. I take the podium* for Reflections in a Tidal Pool, and the band plays without dropping a note, despite my sometimes-bizarre left-handed interpretive dance! The first trumpet player, Abby, plays her solo line beautifully and the whole band rises and falls with every musical wave I've intended in the score.

Harold Ford conducts a rousing Sousa march, and then it's onto the coup de grace, Chaos Theory.

What can I say? When something happens twice (like two rock-solid, kickass rehearsals), it will surely happen a third time.

The audience is on it's feet, and well they should be. This band just pulled off a very diverse, challenging concert program. And no sooner has the applause died down, than announcement is made over the PA system.

"YOU HAVE 15 MINUTES TO LEAVE BEFORE THE NEXT PERFORMANCE"

That's it. No time to congratulate each other or anything -- the next band is coming on, get out of the the way! I'm frantically pulling together my gear and coiling cables while trying to shake a few hands and say a few things to a few people (Patrick -- I am SO SORRY we didn't have more time to talk!) and I've got my stuff together and I turn around and I don't recognize anyone because the next band is already taking the stage and I get out of the banquet hall and the other musicians are nowhere to be seen. I make my way up to my hotel room, call Nicki to tell her about the concert, call Newman to tell him about Uncle Sid, change clothes, and head back down to a reception to fetch up with the other conductors.

I'm sitting there in this hotel lounge, and there's a buffet of food, and an open bar, and everyone is chatting, and it just doesn't feel right. I came here for the music -- to share the experience with the musicians -- and I got a whole triumphant day of that, but there's no closure. At the very least, I want to thank the musicians who made all those quiet little black dots sound so fantastic. The entire ensemble has loaded the buses and taken off for home. I call Newman again on my cell, he talks to Dave about the performance, and that's cool, but I'm still not feeling right.

And then something rather strange happens.

One of the low brass players -- one of the first musicians I met when I first showed up that day -- comes walking through the lounge. In a sweatshirt, and shorts, and his concert shoes and black socks (great look, dude). He comes blowing by me and says something totally inappropriate like "Hello, Mr. Bonney" and without stopping, continues off and out of the room.

THEY MIGHT STILL BE HERE!

I ask Dave Webb, and he's immediately on his cell phone. THEY'RE DOWN IN THE LOBBY.

We both head downstairs, and frankly, I think it's what both of us wanted -- to be with the musicians who made that day and that music happen. And it was awesome. I got to say goodbye to a lot of really cool people, mug for a few more pictures, and get my closure. By the time they had to load up the buses, I was feeling a lot better about the whole experience, and I'm so glad we got a chance to hang out.

My sincerest thanks to Luke, Ben, Meris, Nikki (duck!), Emily, Rachel and bonus Rachel, Keenan, Adam, Trevor, Tyler, Abby, Pamela, Brian and the other Brian, Amanda and bonus Amanda, the multiple Joshes (seriously -- you can't swing a dead cat in that band without hitting a Josh!), Dan (7 strings, baby!), Ye Eun Son (get him to sit you up front!), Greg, Christie, Paula (try the damper pedal next time -- it's cool!), Peter (I finally remembered your name!), Stephanie, the multiple Tylers, Matt, Michelle, Meredith (no myspace yet...), Jesse (good laugh!), Jessica, Caroline, Matt -- and all the talented and considerate musicians whose names didn't deserve the fate of my sieve-like brain (like Tim and Eric and Kim!). An extra-special thanks to Mr. David Webb -- for having the raw nerve to program Chaos Theory, and the dedication and perseverance to lead this ensemble to a unique and amazing performance.

(as a small side-note, the next day didn't go so smoothly. After another VERY rough night of sleep without Nic, my 6:30 AM direct flight was cancelled at the last minute, and I spent the next 13 hours on planes and in airports... that's life on the road!)

* curious about the asterisks? Stay tuned this week...

Link Wray R.I.P.

The inventor of the power chord...

VMEA-bound

Today I'm hopping a flight to Virginia, to join the forces of the Jefferson Forest High School in a full frontal assault on the 2005 Virginia Music Educator's Convention. That's right -- we're gonna play Chaos Theory, and it's gonna be LOUD. Mad props to director David Webb for having the rocks to play this piece on such an "educational" occasion. I'm also going to be conducting "Reflections in a Tidal Pool". I'm definitely excited about this performance.

So apologies in advance if I don't manage to blog tomorrow... me and JFHS gotta make some NOIZE!!!!!

Sticks & Stones (pt.9)

I am SO CLOSE to finishing this piece, I can't hardly stand it. The entire piece is totally sketched, and I'm well past halfway done with the orchestration (I write using only a piano patch on a keyboard first, then orchestrate the whole thing afterwards). This past weekend, Newman was cool enough to take a look over the score, and help me with some of the more challenging notation techniques in Sibelius -- like the part where the low brass sustains this low pedal tone (in time), while the woodwinds all play in free time from their lowest note to their highest note, while the drumset soloist is gradually grinding his heavy fusion/funk/rock groove to a deconstructed halt...

Metropolitan

Newman and famed Better Half at Orchestra Hall, Chicago

Sunday saw the world premiere of Jonathan Newman's orchestral work, Metropolitan. The conductor, Allen Tinkham, did an extraordinary job leading the CYSO through this exciting, challenging work. The audience was extremely responsive and the piece was very well received. (FYI: there will be another opportunity to witness this piece at the Midwest Convention in December...)

What I found most interesting about the performance was that for the first time, I recognized the development of Newman's artistic voice. You can trace Newman's explorations in cell-stacked contrapuntal density back as early as the original setting of OK Feel Good, then follow it chronologically through pieces like Chunk, through Avenue X, and now on to works like The Rivers of Bowery and Metropolitan...

Where he goes from here... who could say? But in an age of commercial overhype and relentless trend-chasing, this is a rare and fascinating opportunity to witness an artist persistently hone their unique form of expression.

(oh, and yes - we did all hang out, and yes - there were pictures taken, and NO - you cannot see them)

Newman in the Hizzie

Jonathan Newman is in Chicago for the next four days, staying at our place. He's in town for the CYSO's world premiere of his orchestral work, Metropolitan. You can learn more about this piece if you CLICK HERE.

Quite coincidentally, my friend Jim Trompeter (who I've mentioned before once or twice) is playing this weekend at Chicago's premiere jazz club, the former Al Capone speakeasy The Green Mill...

And to top it off, Eric Whitacre is in Evanston (a nearby suburb of Chicago), presumably making plans for the upcoming performances of Paradise Lost at Northwestern University...

Plans have been made to converge... festivities will commence... photos are highly likely...

Speechless

Ever wonder what happened to 9-time Olympic gold medal winner, Carl Lewis?

CLICK HERE

I double-dog dare you to watch the whole thing...

Sticks & Stones (pt. 8)

My orchestration is going well, but -- while I reserve the right to change my mind at a moment's notice, I'm beginning to think this piece is going to be for Wind Ensemble and drumset instead of Concert Band (also referred to as "Wind Orchestra"). What does this mean? An excellent question, since neither "Wind Ensemble" nor "Concert Band" really have an exact instrumentation. Suffice to say that wind ensembles are typically a smaller number of instruments, and only one player to a part. In this case, I'm not that worried about multiple players on a part (in fact, it may sound better if there ARE more players on a part!), but I can't justify writing parts that the piece doesn't need. AGAIN -- I reserve the right to change my mind at a moment's notice, but the instrumentation is looking like:

2 flute (no piccolo, possibly no 3rd flute either)
1 oboe (not 2)
1 bassoon (not 2)
2 clarinet (may not have a 3rd, DEFINITELY no E-flat or A-flat)
1-2 bass clarinet (we'll see...)
2 alto sax
1 tenor sax
1 baritone sax
2 trumpet (no 3rd trumpet!)
1 horn (maybe 2, but definitely not 4!)
2 trombone
1 bass trombone
2 baritone/euphonium
1 tuba
1 timpani
3 percussion
(probably an alternate contrabass clarinet/contrabassoon/double bass part)

And of course, DRUMSET.

Big in the low register, leaner and meaner on top.

So I guess the new working title is STICKS & STONES: Variations for Drumset and Wind Ensemble!

G.A.S. attack

(G.A.S. = Guitar Addiction Syndrome)

I'm playing at the Virginia Music Educator's Convention in a week and a half and I just had to mess with the guitar rig yet again. The psychosomatic illness de jour: I've never been totally happy with my tone in the second movement. On the CD, I used an electric classical guitar for the first half, but I don't have time to switch instruments live, so I have to compromise and only use one guitar. So I've decided to take drastic action:
Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Eddie Van Halen model MXR-90 Phase Shifter. I'm pretty sure I'm going to use this instead of a chorus pedal (my beloved TC Electronics Chorus -- the only pedal that's been used on every CT performance up to now!) and a chain it into a digital delay (an old Boss DD-5). It should sound a lot more... dramatic.

(For the uber-tweaky, I'm using the MXR-90 with the "script mode" ON (the mids don't seem to bunch up as much), and the speed knob at about 10:00. Both the phaser and the delay aren't true bypass, so I'll run then through a Keeley bypass looper to keep everything as clean as possible... ooh, that WAS interesting, wasn't it?)

Ivy League Masters degree, anyone?

CLICK HERE.

bye bye bike

My bike got stolen last Friday. Right out of my garage. Seems you can't trust anybody in a back alley in Chicago these days... probably should've listened to Newman and gotten a Fahgettaboudit... I had TWO locks on the bike as it was.

The bike holds no real sentimental value, but it is my main source of transportation around the city. I prefer it to driving, it's alot easier to park, and I can usually get through traffic faster on a bike than in a car anyway.

I did a bad, bad thing

Yesterday, I had THIS for breakfast...

... 730 calories. 47 grams of fat. I'm not sure what I was thinking...

... didn't taste half-bad, actually...

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I don't know where I find the time...

THE GOOD
Imogen Heap "Speak for Yourself" - Go. Buy it. Listen. Be thankful God gave you ears.
Shadow of the Colossus - absolutely gorgeous and full of power and grace. Less is so much more.
Indigo Prophecy - a whole new approach to gameplay, very, very well crafted. And Angelo Badalamenti's soundtrack sounds amazing.
Steve Vai - Real Illusions: Reflections - this album is not new, but it's really grown on me. More unbelievable virtuosity from the Paganini of our generation.

THE BAD
CNN headlines - here is a good example...
remote control for human beings - I hate to sound like a broken record, but this one bears repeating.

THE UGLY
The U.S. Senate - It doesn't really matter who's right and who's wrong. Everyone looks bad on this one.
Michael Brown - OK, you've got to take care of your dog, but perhaps your priorities weren't exactly in order when Katrina hit? A quote from one of his emails: "If you'll look at my lovely FEMA attire, you'll really vomit. I am a fashion god."
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland - Maybe I've gotten pickier, but I'm your number one fan, and it seem like a lot of recycling covered in sloppy gameplay, sloppy execution, and a very sloppy look. All I can say is, SHAME ON YOU.

Fred Hamilton and UNT

Tonight the wind orchestra at the University of North Texas is playing my piece, CHAOS THEORY (Dennis Fisher, conducting). This is a huge honor for me to have such an esteemed ensemble and conductor playing my music. Fred Hamilton is playing the solo electric guitar part -- he's an extraordinary musician and I wish I was there to hear what he's doing with the solo/improvised sections. You can learn more about Fred Hamilton if you CLICK HERE... if anyone just happens to be at the performance, and just happens to read this blog, PLEASE write in or email me and tell me how it goes!