Anthony Fasolo Ambient Electronica and Digital Sound Compositions

Bob Dylan and what nots....

2010-02-18T10:45:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how time gets by...

So I've been spending time working on some new pieces and also considering playing around with other's work. I'm not one to think much about covering things - but I did start tinkering about with an old Bob Dylan tune. Knocking on Heavens Door. It is an amazing short song but haunting. I never could listen to Guns & Roses cover it back when... but I did hear an interesting version in random recently. However, I have no idea who it was who did it LOL!

Anywho... off to oatmeal land....

Peace,

Anthony

Release of, The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter (A. Fasolo Remix)

2010-01-07T19:50:00.000-05:00

So all day I've got an old Carpenter's tune running about my head and it won't stop... Help!

I've uploaded and released both my version of the German pop group New Concept's, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter and their reinterpretation of my release, Dreamer's Guardian today. I had a lot of fun doing this for them and I am in total awe of what they did with Dreamer's Guardian. They rocked out with it and I couldn't have asked for anything better! Both of these songs are available to listen to through my Facebook, Myspace and through www.AnthonyFasolo.com.

My version is quite a bit different from the original as I chose purposely to not listen more than once to their original. I didn't want to be swayed or overly inspired by it. I wanted to simply take their vocal tracks which they provided and build and alternate melody and feel to the arrangement. There is nothing uniquely new to this approach, but it was important for me.

One thing that I knew was that I was not going to be making a standard remix as is, dance, techno what have you. There is a lot of this already and I don't believe that was was they were looking for as they had asked me to do it because they liked my style and sound. So far, my sound is anything but dance and techno. So I stayed true to my own ear and even tried to incorporate some elements of their 80's pop influence into it as well. I handled my sound creation and arrangements much the same way I imagined it would have been done during the later 80's while not letting it become overtly 80'sish.

This remix was a bit of a beast at first. I had somehow managed to create almost forty tracks! But so it is in the beginning. So many ideas, but many have to be cut away or else it's too much. In the end it was 27 tracks and I believe that to be modest.

I'm considering releasing a purely instrumental version as well, without the vocals but not immediately. This remix is supposed to be released on an upcoming ten year annivarsary compilation album that New Concept is putting out in the next few months. That is very nice! They are a great group of fellows and I wish them many many more years!

What next? Well that is always a very good question and the answer? Well, I'm back in my studio fleshing out ideas for a cd of some kind. Which direction I will take with this is up in the air at the moment. I do believe it may be a bit minimalist in comparison to the remix. I'm thinking of incorporating narratives in some fashion. So hold unto your hats... I may actually throw my own voice on something. Scary thought tain't it?

The Myth of Music Ownership - O'Reilly Broadcast

2010-01-02T11:13:00.001-05:00

The Myth of Music Ownership - O'Reilly Broadcast

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No Need To Come Up With Original Quotes... Someone Else Probably Already Has.

2009-11-04T08:41:00.000-05:00

"There is _no_ theory. You have only to listen. Pleasure is the law. I love music passionately. And because l love it, I try to free it from barren traditions that stifle it. It is a free art gushing forth, an open-air art boundless as the elements, the wind, the sky, the sea. It must never be shut in and become an academic art."

Claude Debussy

The Gossip Band

2009-10-24T20:23:00.001-04:00

So I was reading the online version of Seattle's, The Stranger when I saw a mention of the Portland, Oregon band The Gossip and fell in love with their sound and attitude! Give them a listen and rock a bit.

BBC The Great Bleep Forward

2009-10-23T13:46:00.000-04:00

Oh a wonderful BBC audio program on the rise and influence of electrconic music and synths in contemporary music! A must listen :) Go here if you wish!

World of Noise Anniversary Show Up For Streaming

2009-10-13T03:24:00.002-04:00

Yes dear friends, Doug Lynner's 1rst Anniversary Show is now available for streaming in it's entirety. You can hear one of my compositions, Dreamer's Guardian in the first half of the show. Doug's theme for his first anniversary was to celebrate music and musicians of today whose current works are influenced by 80's synthpop as well as to explore the evolution of the genre.

The link to the stream is:

http://neatnetnoise.com/radio-show/category/radio-show/show-14-first-anniversary-show/

It was an honor to be featured amongst such talented people, please stop by and give a listen. If you like 80's influenced music you will certainly be in heaven!

Peace,

Anthony

Join Me Tonight On Doug Lynner's, World of Noise Radio Show

2009-10-08T20:08:00.005-04:00

Dear Friends;

I will be amongst other chosen artists on tonight's, Doug Lynner's of World of Noise Radio Show. My track, Dreamer's Guardian has been selected to be featured with other artists on his 1st Anniversary Show on http://www.flashbackalternatives.com.

There will be an online chat as well and you can tune in via the website at the following url: http://www.flashbackalternatives.com

The show Airs tonight October 8th, 2009 at 9pm Eastern time (US) and again at midnight.

I hope you can tune in to listen and maybe drop a line as well!

Peace,

Anthony

I Will be Featured Amongst Other Artists on Doug Lynner’s World of Noise 1st Anniversary Show

2009-09-27T17:11:00.005-04:00

Dear Friends;

I've just been contacted by Doug Lynner of World of Noise Radio Show to inform me that my piece Dreamer's Guardian has been selected to be featured with other artists on his 1st Anniversary Show on http://www.flashbackalternatives.com, an Internet radio station based in New Jersey, USA.

There will be an online chat taking place with Doug Lynner hosting, which will include many of the artists featured. I intend to be online to take part during both October 8th shows.

If you wish to listen to the show as it airs, you can visit the site http://www.flashbackalternatives.com and listen to the stream from there and if you wish to take part in the chat all you need do is login/register as well.

The show Airs on October 8th, 2009 at 6pm Pacific time/9pm Eastern time (US) and 9pm Pacific time/ October 9th, 12am Eastern (US).

The show will also air again on October 11th, 2009 at 6am Pacific time/9am Eastern (US)

After these original three broadcasts on the station the show will be made available for on-demand streaming at the show’s blog located on http://neatnetnoise.com/

I hope you can tune in to listen and maybe drop a line as well!

Peace,

Anthony

30th Year Anniversary Edition of the Fairlight CMI

2009-09-16T13:42:00.002-04:00

Wow 30 years! I so very much wanted one of these machines way way back when, but that was the equivalent of wishing for bottled sunshine. Now it is thirty years later and Fairlight is talking of releasing the Fairlight CMI 30A Edition to mark the machines anniversary. Check it out at their page here!

New Concept Remix Arrangement Complete An I Am Happy

2009-09-04T03:31:00.002-04:00

One thing I can honestly admit about myself and my work is that I am seldom happy with it but tonight is different. I spent a mass of time this evening after full moon working out the final details in the arrangement for my version of New Concept's, The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter and I am very very happy with it. Of course there are things that could be different if I had a lot of time to work with it, but then that is always the case with our work. I go back sometimes and listen to previous things I've done and hear "missing" elements that I would love to add to them, but I stop myself. I let them be, what they are - no sense dwelling on the past. If I waiting until something was "perfect", it would never see the light of day. As I work very slowly...well you might begin to see the dilemma.

I wish I could share with you some of what I've done with this remix, but since it would be highly inappropriate to do so until New Concept is ready to do what they need to do with it. I will wait until next month. I am excited about it, and am even more excited about your feedback.

Until the next time,

Peace,

Anthony

New Concept Remix Update

2009-09-02T16:38:00.002-04:00

I've just heard from the fella's across the pond in Germany having just submitted the pre-mixed version of The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter remix and they love it. I'm so happy. I'll be mixing and ironing out some details with it over the next two weeks and off it goes for inclusion on their October cd release.

Peace,

Anthony Fasolo

Almost There With New Concept's Remix

2009-08-27T03:02:00.002-04:00

Yes, I am almost there, rounding the bend, jumping the cliff... close. It's been an interesting experiment working with someone else's vocald. I've been reinventing, restructuring, re-everything. I can say that the remix does not sound anything at all like their original release of Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. From the beginning I purposely avoided listening to the original so as not to be too influenced by it. I honestly haven't listened to it since I first started working on it about a month ago. I can't say I remember what it sounds like - is that awful? How ironic would it be if I were to listen to it right now and find that it's not that far from it a I think? Oh the trauma! Anywho... I won't listen to it, until I am finished. It was a promise I made to my muses :)

Ironically, all I did use that was provided was some of the vocals, both lead and background vocals. I had intended merging some of their original instrumentation into it, but it just never came to be. I found a melody line and chord progression within their vocals that originated with the backing vocals initially and went from there. Heavens and hurricanes by the time I was two thirds through composing and arranging I had managed to have almost 40 tracks! I've since pared it down considerably and I'm hovering at 2o somethingish. at the moment.

I've developed some issues with the Alesis Fusion as of late and I am not happy with it at all. As wonderful as it can be, I have to have it looked at because their appears to be a short in the volume rotary knob, not to mention some unresolved OS issues that are driving me to the brink. Needless to say, it's become one huge and heavy midi board and that's it. I also found out that Alesis has ceased production of it and that is a shame. Nuff said.

I am awaiting with gleeful anticipation for the updated Mac OS, Snow Leopard and also the recently released upgrade, Logic 9. I shall have both delivered to my door Friday and I will sit waiting in anticipation to meet the delivery man at the door in my fuzzy night robe and bunny slippers.

Logic may help me resolve some time stretching issues I have with some of the vocals. Yes, they work with the tempo relatively well, but I would like to change the stress of certain lyrics or syllables and currently I haven't been able to do that - Logic 9 will allow me to do that. Yes Yes Yes!

Until next time!

New Concept Remix Taking Shape

2009-08-10T13:07:00.002-04:00

I'm working on the remix and it is beginning to take shape. It spoke and said, "let me be down tempo retro 80's influenced ethereal." So, I sat and thought about it for a tad and agreed. I'm using one of my favorite sound styles which I've managed to incorporate in many pieces in some form or another - phasing and flanging. But in this case, a more retro traditional string synth phasing - it just drips for me.

The piece is in a roughed out composition point and has a definite melodic structure, yet it differs quite drastically from the original composition by it's creator New Concept.

More as more becomes.....

A Work Day

2009-08-09T12:54:00.002-04:00

Not too much going on today that requires massive details LOL. I'll be working on the dub/remix for New Concept this afternoon as soon as my coffee kicks in then off to see Julia and Juliet with some friends. It's a rainy, thunderboomer kind of day and the perfect one for concentrating on production.

Working on Remix for German Pop Group - New Concept

2009-08-04T12:12:00.005-04:00

Hullo and greetings on this fine (is it summer?) day!

I was recently contacted by New Concept, a German electro pop group about remixing one of their releases, The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter. They had heard my release Dreamer's Guardian recently and liked the feel of it.

The song is a great pop song, very tight and well produced and here I'll be dissecting it and piecing back little by little something a little less poppy (perhaps). I love pop and I can easily go down that direction, but since the song already exists originally in that manner, I will instead be toning it down somewhat and finding a middle ground between the obscure and the accessible.

I received all the tracks for it the day before yesterday and I am now spending time getting to know them as they exist divorced from the original recording. I decided that I would only listen to the original once or twice and then not listen to it again until I rough out a concept of my own based on what they have given me. I don't want to be to heavily influenced by the original song structure, or overall sound. As it is, I am only currently using some of the vocals and backing guitar lines to arrive at a different feel and then creating new instrumentals separate (or layered with originals) as I move along.

It is such a flattering thing to have someone hear your work and then ask if you would do something with one of their own pieces. Thank you Marcel and New Concept for letting me have that honor.

Games Without Frontiers Remix

2009-07-22T17:25:00.002-04:00

Well I'm nearing the end of remixing Peter Gabriels 1980 release of "Games Without Frontiers". It was a great educational process as well as joy to work with one of my favorite songs by PG. I won't say that I'll have it ready for uploading to the RealWorld site for access in the next week or two. It's usually at this stage I set things aside for a bit and then go back to them to fine tune, mix and master, so I hope to have it up there within the month.

Games Without Frontiers Remix

2009-07-14T01:21:00.002-04:00

Sadly I missed the deadline for the remix competition of Peter Gabriel's song Games Without Frontiers (only one of my many faves from him). Unfortunately for me, I found out less than a week before the deadline and as it turned out, the deadline was earlier than I realized as the judging portion of the competition was included in the final date. I am going to pick it up again and continue to finish it. I had been a bit reticent about it since I have so many other pieces of my own I would like to complete and I was afraid that missing the deadline would mean I would not be able to make it available for listening (as that IS the point isn't it? LOL! Well I found out that despite the competition has passed, I will still be able to upload a remix to the Real World site and then embed a link to it so others can stream it if they wish.

I would never make it available otherwise for fear of infringing on copyright and I have oogles amount of respect and admiration for Peter Gabriel to ignore that.

So, when it is finished I will keep all posted and provide a link so you can listen to my interpretation.

Peace,

Anthony

Peter Gabriel "Games Without Frontiers" Remix Attempt

2009-07-08T15:33:00.004-04:00

Peter Gabriel through his organization "RealWorld" is offering his song "Games Without Frontiers" to be remixed in honor of this Summer's X Games.

PG has been a tremendous influence on many artists, in many genres. He has been a major influence of mine since I was a young teenager. I can honestly say it was a direct result of his experimental and unique approach to music that introduced me to more eclectic tastes in music.

Real Word has made the individual tracks of the original recording available for download to be used in remixing. Everything from PG's vocals to the individual lead lines and bass parts.

So I've taken the challenge and have begun working on my own rendition of his song as of last night. Unfortunately the contest deadline is July 15th, and I only found out two days ago that it began in early June! I cannot say I may make the deadline in time, but at the very least I'm going to give me best to honor the song and pay tribute to one of my all time artistic hero's.

I have never really considered doing a remix of an existing work aside from perhaps recreating some songs to play for my own enjoyment. So my approach to this is part experiment and part bliss! This was the first Gabriel song I ever heard. I fell in love with it the first time I listened to it while waiting in my mom's car as she ran into the grocery store.

I am purposely staying away from remixing this song into a high tempo drum and bass type trance mix because that isn't the type of work I do. However, I do wish to stay pretty true to the original melody structure and rhythm but in my own style.

Well that is all on that for now. I made serious headway late last night (until 4am) and I hope to have as productive a day or evening today as well.

Wish me well!

Peace,

Anthony Fasolo

Hmmm Technology

2009-07-04T04:05:00.003-04:00

So, I'm trying to figure out how to get this very nice music player from ILike to work on my website, but I'm having a terror of a time with it. It seems to work lovely with Blogger, but not liking IWeb all that much. I must be doing something wrong. I will fuss some more tomorrow, and maybe - just maybe finish remixing an older piece that . . .well. . . needed remixing. Ahh, I'm sooooo behind.

Untitled

2009-07-03T04:28:00.000-04:00

Finding herself amongst murky dense thickets, Lilly is bewildered. A gentle mist rises from the earth enveloping her body, it's moist nothingness causing her gauzy gown of silk to cling oh so tightly to her young tender flesh.

On the horizon the final glow of dusk fades to black. Lilly is alone.

She reaches through the darkness grasping for anything to guide her through the scratchy brambles only to clutch emptiness.

A desperate but inaudible cry escapes her trembling lips as she pushes on.

From below, deep within the bowels of the muddy soggy earth her utterance is heard

I've Been Selected as July's Featured Experimental Artist on MyStage!

2009-07-02T14:19:00.002-04:00

This is real nice. I struggle constantly with the direction I take with my work, and which direction it will go and this was a nice surprise for me.

Thank you MyStage!

Anthony

THIS IS A TEST

2009-06-27T17:36:00.001-04:00

THIS IS A TEST AND ONLY A TEST OF THE EMERGENCY BLODCASTING SYSTEM!

Hmmm A Thought

2009-06-25T15:58:00.002-04:00

I was just listening to some work I've done, particularly some of the pieces on the site and it hit me that they all would benefit from a percussive rhythm of sorts. A thought. I have an aversion to "beats", so that concept hardly enters into the mix, but maybe something else.

Beautiful Storm

2009-06-25T15:53:00.002-04:00

So I'm sitting in my living room and there is this huge and wonderful thunder storm taking place. I love it, and hopefully it will rain enough that I won't have to water my garden tomorrow :).

I'm working on a few different compositions at the moment, one that is a bit complex in production which always seems to take much longer. I never have one single way of putting these pieces together and this one is no different from any of the others in that respect. I work from the outside in, or inside out, or end to beginning or beginning to end etc.,

I hope to finish one of these soon.

Hartmann - Neuron

2009-04-02T13:21:00.003-04:00

Oh my stars! I received this post today from SwitchedonSynthesizer today from Thalassa who posted a demonstration on the Hartmann - Neuron and oh my stars!!!! I love this machine! Well... it's no longer in production and very expensive if you're lucky to find a used one. There is no way I can describe the raunchy crunchiness of this thing - you must listen for yourself! The link is here.

It Is Finished

2009-02-03T19:23:00.002-05:00

I've finished a project I had been spending too much time on. It is called The Dreamer's Guardian. I've posted it to my Myspace band site in full rather than a short snippet on here. It may take awhile to appear there as Myspace processes things rather slowly.

I am immensely relieved that it is finished. It is the first fully complete piece I've done in quite awhile. It was an exercise in frustration at times, fear at others and down right panic as well. This was a rather heavy piece and I would walk away from it from time to time to clear my head which is one of the reasons it took longer than I had hoped.

I struggled with its title for quite some time. I had wanted to work with drum programming hand drums and creating a more indigenous sound. As it progressed the mood seemed like warriors marching off to battle - but what battle? Yet with that in mind it's repetitious nature would on occasion induce a mild trance like state of mind. My mind would enter into a lull of sorts as if skirting the edges of sleep and I would have to shake myself awake to pay attention to what I was doing. With it's marching rhythm and deep resonating bass line I decided on the title as it is.

I hope you enjoy and please send your observations!

Anthony

Musings

2009-01-20T14:38:00.004-05:00

I'm standing in front of the bathroom mirror, shaving and applying my daily moisturizer to ensure that all remains smooth and creviceless and the mind starts pondering things.

Although I am still in the final stages of one piece, I had to move onto something else for a break. I began a somewhat hypnotic piece that began with a fairly tight delayed repeating arpeggiated line running over a rumbling drone I had recorded some time ago. I was wondering throughout this how to apply what is created in a static and controlled comfy studio like environment to a more improvisational on the fly performance circumstance. There are so many directions to take with that idea and this is something I need to seriously consider.

For instance, how much is meticulously learned ver batim and then played exactly as recorded or how much is simply pre-programmed backings as so many Live PA's do? I am unable to answer this for myself as of yet. I do spend a great deal of time constructing pieces that are meant to be pretty static works on their own. How to apply them to live performance is a completely different task that I am a bit perplexed about.

Ok Finally a Small Sample!

2008-12-31T13:10:00.006-05:00

Well, I've finally arrived at a point were I am pretty much satisfied with the arrangement of this piece. I'll mostly be spending time adding a little embellishments and texture (maybe) and then do a final mix. But here is a 35 second sample of it.

To sample click the image or here.

So a little behind it all. When I began this months ago, I had been thinking about how heavily influenced many artists had been by tribal drumming and indigenous peoples music. Personally, I was always excited about Peter Gabriel's work along this vein. The largest obstacle to date has been the inclusion of drumming and rhythms. Of course I have no drums, nor anyone to record and I had to rely on some loops (which I dislike) as well as create layers of drum tracks using Logic's Ultrabeat drum machine audio unit. I learned much about this in the process. There is still work to be done with some of the drumming on this piece, as I need to make it less static (thus, only a sample for now). Any looping I've used is minimal and relegated to the background to lend some fill and a sense of more drumming then there actually is. Layering, layering layering! This is primarily how I approach things anyway. I layer and layer and layer.

Droning instruments such as the Indian, tanpura as well as Scottish bagpipes are what I was aiming for regarding the evolving pads in the background. I have no interest in recreating those instruments, only the sense of what those instruments lend to a piece. This is what I love about synths - creating or editing sounds to bring them in line with exists in the real world, but not exactly replicating them.

Lately, I've been very attracted to how early analog synths were used in popular music. By todays standards their arrangements might be considered very simple and primitive. However, I really apprecate the lead sounds used by ELP, or Tony Banks (Genesis) and of course Pink Floyd's, Dark Side of the Moon. There is a bit of those elements within this piece regarding the lead parts.

That is it for now regarding the concepts. I hope you like the sample. Please let me know what you feel.

Gosh I Am Sloooooooooooow!

2008-12-30T18:38:00.003-05:00

Gosh I am slow. I've been working on this one piece forever and three days! Holidays and a minor neck injury are not helping none. I spent a few hours this afternoon and fought with some midi issues and then reworked some small parts that I wasn't originally happy with. I'm wondering just how long it will be before I finally make it to the final mix. I'm prettty much settled on the arrangement, but of course I've come up with some more details that I may add. Hmmmmmffffffff. I so frustrate myself.

I'm beginning another total rework of my main site as the one that exists now at www.anthonyfasolo.com reflects the three pieces that were done for a final project and are in my opinion very dated. I will still include them on the new site as audio record of my past work.

I am seriously thinking of incorporating spoken vocals in the future. That means a mic and a voice - neither of which I have. We shall see.

Rearrangine and the folly Logic.

2008-12-18T19:12:00.003-05:00

Well I've struggled with this one piece for months. Simply because I couldn't stand to listen to it anymore LOL, but I committed myself to finishing it because I've put so much time into it already. Well, I've been arranging some parts in Logic all afternoon - and Logic flakes out. It is having issues with midi data on one of the tracks and is missing notes strangely. Soooooooooo I've got to shelve this project for a bit until I can sit an go through all the midi data and sift out the problem. Just when I thought I was so close....

Updated Artist Site

2008-12-17T14:03:00.001-05:00

Just a quick note to let all know that I've updated my artist site to better reflect my current direction into sound work and ambient electronic music. Please visit - I'll be back.

Thank you

Many Many Tracks

2008-09-17T16:35:00.000-04:00

I have been working on this one piece and it is evolving as they all do. It difficult to conceive but it is entirely possible that I might have twenty tracks to this one. I'm finding that they may consist mainly of isolated drum and rhythm pieces that contribute to a more tribal feeling that I am hearing in the piece. I am hoping to have it finished and ready for uploading in the next few weeks. I would like it to be sooner, but I know their are many changes that might occur the longer I work with it.

Minor Set Back

2008-09-15T16:35:00.000-04:00

Well having been sick with some weird inner ear infection has set me back a few weeks on my current project :( I had intended on having a new piece up within this week but that unfortunately is not going to be. However I should be in shape in the next few days to begin work again. Hmmmmm. maybe I'll finally receive my Novation X that has been on backorder since.... well the dawn of humanity.

Woot

2008-09-13T16:34:00.000-04:00

I've just gotten my MB back yesterday after having issues with wifi. They're not quite resolved (things are a bit flakey still). I've resolved a timing issue I've had with one of the pieces that I've been working. I'll be working solely on this one piece until it's finished. I won't speculate to say when that might be, but the timing issue was a big stumbling block. I have random s/h in a multilayered pad that defines the background of the piece, which was causing major issues with the the tempo perceived for other tracks in the piece. I won't go into long explanations on what happened so......

Typical Typical

2008-09-04T16:34:00.000-04:00

It's typical of me. I've countless projects started in various levels of completion and I've just begun a new one the other night. I do a lot of compositional sketching - much of which never sees the light of day. However, sometimes I do something that takes me down an other route from what I was working on previously. So, now I have approximately six different pieces I'm working on and none nowhere near being completed. Woe to the Geminis!

Oh The Necessary Tools

2008-09-01T16:33:00.000-04:00

Oh the necessary tools.

After much investigation and some chance stumblings upon information I have confirmed that my dilemma with recording audio feeds directly into the MBP is due to a lack of necessary tools. No surprise there. Which makes this need for the Novation X more important to me now than it did before. It will act as the audio hub between the Fusion and the MBP and thusly solve my sound issues (fingers crossed). It is still back ordered and not due for shipping until after the third. I so wish it would arrive - I'm just salivating to get my fingers on all those twisty knobs and slippy sliders yum!

Ahhh the weekend!

2008-08-24T03:34:00.005-04:00

I've been mulling ideas all week regarding a piece I'm working on. I've had to set aside since last tuesday but I'll be back at it again I hope no later than Monday night. I'm pretty excited about it, so I'm taking time with this one and letting it evolve on its own.

I'm home from work and tired, but can't sleep yet. I wish I was the type that could focus on a project at this time, but the mind is feeble and can't grasp subtleties at the moment.

Recording Some Improvisation

2008-08-19T03:26:00.002-04:00

I finally got my studio set up in a way that makes it much easier to do things!!!! Yay! I began recording an improvisational piece using only the Fusion tonight. It is a total sound out really. I've done a lot of internal synth work using Logic's AU, but I've not done much audio recording into it. I need to do some investigating on sound levels and what not. The new controller will have a preamp and be an audio hub so I am hoping I will be able to use that to cut down on hiss - I don't like unintentional hiss.

Things that make one go hmmmmm.

2008-08-18T13:14:00.003-04:00

I've isolated an old sound sketch that I had been working on and completely forgot about. I had started it before the last semester I graduated and it had been tucked away since then. It is remininscent of early 70's psychodelic mood pieces. It has an interesting Moog like lead riff that repeats with variations and I am really in need of working on this.

Up until I had graduated most of what I had been working on was formless in the sense that they were more like soundscapes (environments) or montages to an extent. As time went on, I wanted more to make them more musically oriented. Electronica has incredible potential, however I often hear certain things happening in Electronica these days that directly reflect both the incredible power at our hands due to technological advances and also the wide availability of this technology to an ever increasing amount of people. Now these are both wonderful things as well as not such wonderful things. The wonderful things need no further comment. The not so wonderful thing is that when it comes to commercial application (read popular music), everything sounds the same. It may be the sound usage, or the production style, or the mixing and mastering. It may be a mix of those things or all of those things together, but everything begins to sound the same. It begins to sound more about "hey look with this VST does now"! Or this trend in major over compression or or or...

Much of the way I try to use technology is to make it somewhat transparent, while at the same time not forcing it to emulate or sound like real instruments. This almost the same way I approach digital imagery (photographic) - I wanted my work to look as if it was processed traditionally - not as if it were created in photoshop. The same doesn't apply exactly with Electronica, because electronica is, well.... Electronica. However, it is a palette in itself and their comes a fine line between a piece becoming about blips and bleeps only, or a concept. We all straddle that line. I want to develop more into using Electronica not so much about complex technological processes, but creating interesting musical pieces (musical or otherwise - have I confused you yet?). Although I may use familiar sounding instrumentations that may remind one of a piano or an violin or flute, I am not necessarily striving or concerned that it mimic the actual instruments. For that it would be prudent to have someone who plays those instruments do just that. Also, I am not at all interested in playing these things like traditional instruments - pianos, guitars, etc. Much like digital photography and traditional photography, computer music and analog music are two very different mediums. Rather than argue about which is better, most real, less important etc., I look at both as apples and oranges or two different mediums.

Most often I straddle fine lines between these worlds. Each piece dictates it's end result.

Phewwww!

2008-08-13T03:59:00.003-04:00

All is well now. I've powered up the Fusion and all is peachy. I've got a small issue with the way it won't keep my banks in the order I want them - but I'll get it straitened out soon. I cannot begin to tell you just how powerful a machine this thing is. I've been a bit reticent about it for a bit, especially since I've been concentrating on Logic 8 for the past few months. My biggest issue has been that I prefer buttons and sliders and very physical means of manipulation with a keyboard and much has changed especially with software driven machines. This of course makes them capable of much much more than I could have dreamed of affording 20 years ago, but it also means that user interface suffers. Now of course there are menus, rotary wheels etc.,. In actuality getting around the menus on the Fusion is pretty easy and quick - an in real time. It will never be the same as having everything at your fingertips simultaneously, but it is pretty dame good.

The Fusion had suffered pretty bad press due to bad software bugs in it's initial release, but they seem to be fixed. Aside from that the initial sound sets were pretty lacking - but I wasn't interested in a rompler, I wanted manipulation and creation. I get flabbergasted at the moronic comments left on some forums about (it has sucky sounds blah blah blah). Look if you're going to spend the money to buy such equipment, you had better learn your way around an oscillator or two and not rely on the presets the factory provides - and this machine is powerful. If you can't tweak a sound to your liking or better yet, create something fabulous of your own - well maybe stick with playing a piano.

Oh, one last wish - I'd love to mess around with a Virus C someday (do you hear me Santa?)

2008-08-13T03:47:00.002-04:00

It's almost 4 am and spent the better part of two hours reorganizing and updating the Fusion 6HD. Oh my stars! What a complete headache. I backed up the entire volume after getting most of the organization done only to discover that for some screwing reason, the entire volume (the guts) on the Fusion just plain dissappeared! I've recopied them over from the Macbook but I've not restarted the Fusion yet to see if anything major is screwed up. Well... if you hear a bloodcurdling scream from anywhere in the world - it may well be mine. :)

Oh No Spending Money LOL

2008-08-12T01:18:00.002-04:00

I done dit it agin! Well I've ordered a new midi controller that I desperately needed. I'm buying the Novation X Station 61. At first I was interested in it solely because I needed something that would allow for better real time manipulation of VST's in Logic. I really liked the fact that it had all the nobs and sliders necessary and that they where labeled in real world ways (osc 1, Lfo 1 etc.,) Then upon further investigation I found that it has templates for virtually every VST and DAW so that I wouldn't have to map them myself. This is a current headache with the Radium I found. Logic is buggy in that it seems to dump mapped vsts periodically therefore it's unreliable. Although it may be user error, but I haven't found out why it does this.

Aside from the fact that it has rave reviews, and I was hard pressed to find anyone who really didn't like it - I discovered it has a pretty powerful virtual analogue synth onboard. This is truly unique in a midi controller. Upon hearing demos I found it to be pretty impressive - similar to earlier analogue synths of the 70's and 80's. It was totally unexpected, but it is going to be nice to have something to physically manipulate after all this time working with a mouse.

At Work

2008-08-05T01:20:00.003-04:00

I'm at work again. I've begun constructing a fairly melodic ambient piece that has a bit of a melancholic mood to it. But the fabulous part to it is that I found a simulated version of the old Crumar String synth from the seventies. It would be hard to describe, but if you heard it you would recognize it. It was big on phase shifting and I've always loved that particular type of modulation. I use it in some way most all of the time - somewhere in my work. What direction this piece goes is uncertain. It depends on how long and how repetitive I make it. I'm tickling with it for the moment.

It Has Been A Very Long Time

2008-08-02T16:09:00.002-04:00

It has been a terribly long time since posting. Life has been busy, graduated and got married to my love of my life - an art has taken a turn or more or less a down turn. I've moved a bit away from visual work and have been working on audio and sound. Music concrete and ambient work along the vein of Eno perhaps. I'm listening to "Not Yet Remembered' of Plateaux of Mirrors by him and it is captivating and minimalist in it's composition.

My problem (and their always is) is my own insecurities and not really knowing how to proceed. Graduation has flung me out into the world with no structure. Being terribly shy and pretty much a recluse I don't get out much. I suppose this piece by Eno has me thinking a bit about that.

Art is a struggle and it is work - I know that. What I need is to be more disciplined and perhaps a little good fortune to help me along.

I'll be working tonight, but I intend to do some work during the next three days off.

Tink Tink

2006-06-14T13:05:00.000-04:00

Yepper, still tink tinking away at the Fusion. I've been trying to figure out the basics of MIDI and utilizing a computer as a sequencer but hit a roadblock. In typical PC fashion my computer refuses to recognize the MIDI/USB hub no matter what I do. I managed to get it to connect to Shawn's four year old G4 Mac but I knew it would. I did it just to make sure there wasn't an issue with the keyboard MIDI ports. I so hate PC's and want to get a Mac but I have to wait a bit. Money money money. PC's are the Devils spawn and need to be melted down into scrap. . . nuff said.

I spent so much time over the past week trying to make this work that I forgot about what I bought the damn keyboard for in the first place, so after another 4 hours of not getting anywhere last night, I stopped and went back to doing some composing. I used the onboard sequencer on the Fusion which is very powerful and did a few ambient tracks. However, wading through submenus on a tiny blue screen is not conducive to really editing things so I've got to get this computer issue straightened out. Until then, I'll be recording sonic ideas in to the Fusion.

Keyboarding Away. . .

2006-06-06T12:26:00.000-04:00

Well I'm in total OC mode right now. I've read the entire manual for the keyboard and now things make more sense. I'm in elementary composition mode... making up 8 measure phrases of multiple timbres or layers and recording them into the sequencer. I listen to alot of contemporary music more closely now, particularly electronica, dance and alternative stuff and realize that there is nothing all that complicated about what is being put out there - especially club music. It's not really my area of interest, but I would like to venture into the more avante garde experimental areas of trance music.

Anywho... again coffee has not kicked in yet. . .

Total Backtracking This Past Year

2006-05-31T19:00:00.000-04:00

Well this past year has been a revisting of things past for me. First going back to school and finishing my degree in Photographic Fine Art and now electronic music. It's been twenty years since I've touched one. I've always regretted getting rid of my equipment when I first went away to school (needed the money). I've told myself that someday I would get back into it, but someday never came, until recently. It all started with some fussing around with GarageBand on my baby's G4. I did some playing around and made up my mind. So much has changed and progressed. I've just ordered an Alesis Fusion 6HD Workstation. If anyone remembers the old Fairlight CMI's that were hovering around 30 to 60 grand back in the mid 80's, this is kind of like that to a degree, only much much much less expensive. It ain't quite a Korg Triton, but it's a start. It's heavy on the synthesis side and that's what I'm looking for. Also it's an open ended system with hopefully continous upgraded as time goes on. Anywho, where I'm going with this "new" revisit remains to be seen. I've got an incredible learning curve to hurdle :).

Panaramic Experiments

2006-05-17T12:20:00.000-04:00

This is my first experiment of hand held panoramic images. I was turned on to this by a friend who is a professor at R.I.T. His name is Joe and he is a real nice guy. He would send me some images of his own usually of him and his father every once and while in an email. There was something about those images that always left me with a feeling of anticipation.

This particular image leaves much to be desired. I like the general subject and composition, but technically it sucks. I went back and looked at one of the images belonging to Joe and noticed that when he does his, he tends to take many shots and then lines them up. One in particular that I looked at seems to have as many as seven shots. This one is only three.

I'm not to concerned about the crazy converging perspectives that are off, I like it actually. It is a collection of individual images taken from the same viewpoint to make one image. It is as if the mind can not fool itself into piecing together what we see through the eye regarding our field of vision any long, because a flat image will not allow it.

I like these panoramas. Up until now every image was a static image that was assumed to stand on it's own. An entire story or emotion conveyed in one image. Then I was introduced to the concept of sequencing and artist books by Professor Pilcher during my last semester. I've really been turned on to the concept of sequencing as well. I intend to take a workshop by the godfather of sequencing, Nathan Lyons. He is the founder of the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, NY and rumor has it that he may not be doing many more workshops due to his advanced age.

I am not interested in cinematography by any means, but there is something about the panoramas that is reminiscent of the wide frame of a motion picture. The inclusion of more field of vision might be one of the elements. There is less isolation of subjects in the composition as well. I intend to continue to pursue this experiment a bit more over the summer months. I've hit a wall since the semester ended and have begun to feel extremely bored by my style and images.

Going through countless images in the preparation of my final project made me very aware of how similar my images have been. I now recognize that when I shoot. I don't suppose I'm any less likely to shoot the image if I'm captured by it, but I don't approach it as if it's the first time I've ever seen it's elements anymore - LOL! I may just be taking my tenebristic style into the realm of panoramas - who know.

Done for now...

Semester if Over :)

2006-05-13T16:41:00.000-04:00

Well I made it through my first semester back to college and me very very happy! As best I can tell I believe I've got all A's but finaly grades won't be available for another week or so. Now I need to keep the momentum up. Let's see what the summer brings :)

Grumpy Frumpy and Mean. . .

2006-03-19T23:29:00.000-05:00

LOL, that is how I feel right now. I've been in my bathrobe and fuzzy bunnies since I woke up this afternoon (don't ask). I've been working on images since 3:00 pm then with an occaisional break to munch and do some dishes. Whahhha whahhha whahhh whiney slimey poopey head!

I did too many images today to even remember them - and that bothers me. It is as I said in an earlier post, I'm not about cranking out images for the sank of quantity, but I've got "projects" due. That's how it is. I don't like feeling like images are just temporary incidents to be sniffed at and left to be forgotten as we head for the next quick fix of imeadiate gratification (stab at sardonic observation of contemporary consumeristic society).

Anywho... amongst the minions cranked out today I did play a bit and did this one in a style inspired Robert Frank and Atonie d'Agata (notice the grain and contrasty crappiness hint hint).

Anywho... just pasted up my teeth with some o' that nasty crest tooth whitner stuff and headed to bed... grumpy grumpy piss and moan grump grrrrrrrr argh!

MY HUBBY IS GOING TO R.I.T.!

2006-03-17T12:58:00.000-05:00

Wooooohooooo my hubby was accepted to Rochester Institute of Technology today!!! I'm soooo proud of him. He's been waiting to hear back from them after sending his portfolio in a month ago. He was all nervous and doubtful... silly boy! Everything he does is amazing (dat's why he's my hubby)!!! Click his image to visit his blog!

I'm almost finished with a photo project for M.O.C.H.A and I am really happy with a lot of the shots of some of the kids that were there. They were incredibly photogenic! The experience peaked an interest in portriature. There is something in capturing a person's essence. I just wonder how much of what we think that essence is, really isn't us reading into the images our own projections. Unfortunately I can't provide examples of some of the shots due to the confidential nature of the organization.

Another topic. . . Falling in love with an image. What a strange occurance which leaves me feeling empty an sad. I've fallen in love with this image that I'm hoping to include in my final project. I guess it's the issue of images being a dime a dozen these days. We are an oversaturated society of image consumers and thus, images can sometimes feel so disposable. I suppose I treat a lot of my images as if they are people. I find it hard to be dismissive about them. Yes, photography is a ceaseless activity of shooting and processing and of course one will accrue countless numbers of images. I suppose that is what saddens me sometimes. I don't want any of my little "people" to become lost amongst the crowd.

Sunshine!

2006-03-16T13:25:00.000-05:00

Hehehe, the sun is out today yeah!!!

I've been busy this week doing some volunteer work for M.O.C.H.A.
a local non profit H.I.V. educational organization that helps focus on the needs of the Latino and African American community. I've been helping them out with some in house photographic work for their use. I like doing that. So far I've been spending time post processing images at home, color correcting, cropping etc. I suppose by the end of the week I'll have quite a bit to give them. Even though I'm only there for this week because I'm on spring break, I would like to be able to do this for them whenever I can fit it in. Thank god for summer break. I've definately decided that I'm taking the summer off (not that there is any classes available for me to take anywho. . .).

I've got my monthly flu/cold. Part of my ever teetering state of burning out due to my grueling work out routines. I really need to force myself to take every sixth week off for my own good. Bartending doesn't help much either when your always kissing people with colds LOL - not to mention handling glasses and bottles. Thank the Gods for Sudafed and Theraflu!

I've created a galler link to my gallery using a cool free program called JALBUM and uploaded it to Photoblogs.org and linked it from my blog and back. Seems to make it easier for me to publish images all at once rather than piecemeal like.

Gotta run, not much time and I have to head back down to M.O.C.H.A in an hour.

Ciao!

Antonie d'Agata

2006-03-11T15:33:00.000-05:00

I came across this photographer a few days ago and felt compelled to mention him. His work. . . raw, unadultered, and hard. There is a body of his work at Magnumphotos but you need to be a member to view them, so I've included one here for your enjoyment. There is some of his work here although not much Agencevu.com

I personally am rarely awed or inspired by nudes or the human form in photgraphy, however I was dumbstruck by some of d'Agata's work. His images reflect the unglorified reality of human existance. No airbrush, soft lens, perfect abs and scrawny beauties here. Just survival and the undeniably animalistic nature of humans in it's rawness. In many cases I was amazed how he could make the human form appear lifeless and cadaver like - even in the many highly graphic sexual images of men and women having intercourse.

Aside from the incredible technical rawness of his images (heavy grain, high contrast, blurr etc.,) his work portrays "us" as we are. Not the sanitized unhuman objects we hold ourselves up to be. I like that - I have no heros and no illusions of life and tend to be existential. I will be doing more investigating into the why of d'Agata's work as time moves along.

Out Out Damn Spot!

2006-03-11T00:56:00.000-05:00

LOL, I spent three hours yesterday scanning neg's tedious as that was. . . now I'm spending hours spoting the scans. You might think you got all the dust off a negative before you scan it, but oh nooooo - they are there in all their minions! I used a Nikon Coolscan and it's truly a great machine. It does have ICE but unfortunately it is completely uneffective with black and white neg's. . . go figure. So I'm taking a break right now to blog a bit about nothing... back to spotting.

Gallery

2006-03-09T19:12:00.000-05:00

Click An Image To See It Larger

Exhausted. . .

2006-03-06T20:03:00.000-05:00

This is my long day of the week. Been up since 7:30 for school and gettin ready for work at the Pub. I should be gettin home hopefully no later than 3 am. I ain't got much energy to write anything elaborate... Must ... get... coffee. . ...

Messing Around with Matt Black on the Epson 2400

2006-03-04T16:14:00.000-05:00

My brief introduction into the world of matt paper via fiber based left me very very non-plussed. I did a test to see just how black the Ilford matt would go and discovered that it was not pleasing to me. However, I've just begun experimenting with the Epson K3 inks and epson matt paper and found out that what they've been claiming seems to be true. The dmax or black is visually darker. I don't even need a special dmax meter or whatever to verify this... I can see it! I did some contact printing today on a few prints on the matt and at first I wasn't all that tickled about it. It was because of the the non reflective nature of matt and not the inks. I've been so used to the richness of glossy that matt has me visually confused. It's as if I'm looking for something in the images and can't find it and I know it's there. So I hung the contact sheet up, away from all the glossy prints I've tacked up to let it stand on it's own. I came back a few hours later with a fresh pair of eyes and I have to say that ! I do like them. The black is black, the white is white. Of course there is little reflective light coming from the paper itself but I'm beginning to see the medium for what it is and appreciating it. I haven't decided in what manner I'll print the final prints in a few weeks, but it's too soon to think about it anyway.

I am very very pleased with this printer. The next deal of course is figuring out a way around the expensive 13ml ink carts that constantly need to be replaced. At about $12 or more a pop, that's alot of mulah!!! I'm checking into refillable carts and using ink drained from the 2400 hundreds bigger sisters ink cartridges that hold 110 or 220 ml respectively. I know Epson doesn't make it's money off of the printers. It makes it off the inks, papers and other stuff. but come on - we do need a bulk ink alternative for the 2400.

Work Posting

2006-03-03T15:26:00.000-05:00

I thought I might try posting a sample of some stuff I'm working on at the moment. Firstly to see if it works and secondly to give you an idea of what I've been talking off. . .

Notes on above.

Memories in the dark, not always what they seem or what they were, the essence of who I was or thought I may have been. Not in this life perhaps, genetic memory? Those olden days, those golden days. . . Mobsters, fedoras, cigars and tatered clothes... Newspaper boys on the corner.. I remember Atget's prostitute in a doorway. . . THAT LIGHT! Something is going on inside... in a back room.. smoke filled, dice and moonshine.. . A description, a story, a memory that never specifically was...a collection of many possibles having taken place. . .over and over and over... scenes from movies glorified, isolate, crisp and dark. . .

For each lit object there must be a shadow. . . For each shadow there must be a light. The balance, the balance the balance. . . where is that to be found? Nighttime is heavy in shadow.. it isn't for me to change that or make it fit into something more pretty. Accentuate the negative and forget the positive. . . . No wandering people, aimless or meaningless... just because they're a human presence. . . for a vieweres speculation or input. . . They weren't there for any other reason then they just happened by. . . they weren't or are not part of the memory, the story... the ongoing story.

It's the light. . . it's always the light. But it's the shadow... it's always the shadow. I need them both.

In that light there is such cleanliness... pinesol... Gain laundry detergent... bleach... clothes hanging on the line. . . wind... newness for me. I'm just a boy. . . I remember a little. A fruit stand next to the car wash, just a few block from Aunt Roe's house... I dont' know those politics of family squabble, I just go where I'm led. Amy and Terry's house, Aunt Roe always lived above Nonnie's and nonnie smelled of garlic and gave me things to eat. Soup, chicken soup and coffee with cheerios in it. It's all in that light and it makes me want to heave, sob I miss it and got different.. . .very different.

I'm mixed with what I never experienced and what I have in this image. Stories and movie stills of what was and wasnt' true about where I come from and family. What was and wasn't true about family. What is the difference?

I miss what never was.

Photo photo photo

2006-03-03T12:22:00.000-05:00

Officially passed the half semester mark and heading into the final half. This has been an adjustment on many levels considereing I haven't been in school since 1991. So far so good. As for my photographic work, we've been handed free reins the rest of semester. I'm returning back to the digital world for my final project with Kirby's blessings (my proff). I'm glad and happy he has a accepting and validating stance on digital. There seems to be so much childish posturing and debate amongst the "traditionalists' and digiheads these days. It's a useless and unproductive argument. They're different mediums and two different ways to approaching a result, with a lot of space for hyrbriding if one chooses. I think traditionalists feel threatened in some way... the defensiveness hurts my ears LOL. Hell, if we reacted the same way to every technological change that came along, we would still be using daguerreatype or grinding botanical pigments and still painting on cave wa! lls. As for my final project this semester, it seems I will be focusing (no pun intended) on the relationships of light and shadow and line. I need to investigate it more. Kirby seems it is something I have a strong handle on and should investigate further, especially in cases where the light source is not seen yet it's result is a major element of the image composition and mood. So I'm returning to digital as of this week. I'll probably continue to shoot in filma nd scan negatives (love it) and work them in PS. Oh by the way. . .I splurged and bought the Epson 2400 and I am very much happy with it. Inks can be expsnesive, but then so is film and it seems to be evening out in many respects when it comes to cost analysis. Taking into consideration the convenience of having and electronic darkroom in my own home as opposed to renting space continually, it actuallay seems much cheaper over the long run.

Quikie Entry

2006-01-14T14:19:00.000-05:00

It's a complete change from the past few weeks, with the snow finally falling. It's very pretty and I like to sit here and watch it from my desk. The Pub was unusually busy last night. I hadn't seen it like that since maybe the holidays. It was a strange crowd though. Full moon makes things a bit batty and like riding a rollercoaster with the ever changing sea of emotional crap that people can aim at you. Especially if they been drinking or stars know what else. I took some shots today. There was a very calm gray light coming through the bathroom window hitting the mirrow on the medicine cabinet. The mirror is beveled and I discovered that a tight zoom on that bevel really alters what one normally sees in this world. I will have to experiment more with that. I gotsta work at the Muthers tonight. I'm a bit tired, so I'm hoping to wake up by then LOL. My mood is a pensive one at the moment. That will definately have to change before I go in and dance around in my skivies LOL!

Coffee Coffee Coffee

2006-01-12T13:59:00.000-05:00

It turned out to be a pretty good night last night. I just got up an half hour ago, coffee not in my system totally yet. . . It's unusally warm out for this time of year. It's 51 degrees :) and the sun is shining right through my window as I type this. I'm in a bit of a strange mood. A little melencholia I guess. Shawn's been working late shifts yesterday and today so I haven't seen him much at all. I miss him when that happens. My mind is filled with strange and non-connected thoughts so I'll make this short cuz it won't make sense to go on LOL. I NEED TO WAKE UP!

Mary Tyler Moore

2006-01-12T07:46:00.000-05:00

I got home from work about an hour ago. I worked the Avenue Pub tonight. It was a pretty good night considering January. I had a lot of fun. Unusual amounts of beer got spilled all over me tonight. Never had that happen before in the 7 years I've been doing this LOL. Last week everyone else was spilling beer on themeselves, tonight they spilled it on me :) I'm watching the first season of Mary Tyler Moore on DVD right now. I never watched it when it was on tv, but I kinda like it now. It seems so much more gentler than some of the stuff on tv these days. I downed my dish of penee and pork sauce and will be heading off to bed shortly. Tomorrow is my day off! Yippee! But I'll spend most of the afternon at the gym. I'm just babbeling now, blah blah ROFLOL

OOoooooh It's Late.

2006-01-09T02:41:00.000-05:00

It's a real late night. I've rearranged my office to make it more suitable for use when I go back to school in two weeks. Nervous, excited, tired LOL. I've got my ol' smooth 70's music playing on my ITunes. I like my office now... It feels nice and comfortable. I haven't worked on an image yet cuz I spent most of my time downloading Widgets for my 'puter. I'm good at wasting time. . .

Hasn't been much snow here in Rochester since a week before Christmas. Kinda blows, but I know we will see more than our share in a few weeks. I just hope we have as great as a summer as we did last year.

I've had to give up my Thursday nights at the Bachelor Forum until May. One of my photo classes is on that night. Ooooh it sucks. It's been a good night for me. I'm hoping that I can awaken Wednesdays to something comperable. I really would like to make it Classic Rock night. I did it impromtu last week and it seemed as if everyone rather liked it better.

Oh well... soo tired. Gotta sleeep now...

I Dumped Myspace

2006-01-03T23:06:00.000-05:00

Oh well, I dumped my MySpace account. I found out the other day that it was owned by Rupert Murduch. I wont' go into much on that, 'cept he's a media mogul and greedy beyond beliefe. I was always annoyed that everytime I went to the site I was bombarded by cookie requests for ad tracking and stuff. Now I know why. The site poses as a community building effort when in reality it's nothing more than an ad tracking dust bin. No more for me.

Anywho. I start school in three weeks. I have 36 credits left for my BA in Studio Art/Photography, then I'm on to my Masters. I'll be dropping my Thursdays at the Bachelor Forum as a result. I have a class that night. But it's only for the semester.

Workin' At Muthers Starting Saturday :)

2005-02-24T12:35:00.000-05:00

So much, so much LOL. . .

Well first off, I gotta note a little bitty thing that was so nice that happened while I was working at The Avenue Pub this Monday. Three young guys came in and of course I had to proof them. I hate doing that, but I have no choice. They stayed for a few cocktails and seemed to enjoy themselves for a bit. But the nicest thing was when one of them (Johnny was his name), thanked me for my hospitality just before they left. A lot of people thank me from time to time, but it was just so nice to hear it in that way. I almost was speechless, it made me all glowy inside :)

Anywho... It's official, I'll be working at Muthers starting this Saturday nite. Three bars at once is going to be a hoot. I'll see how well I can handle this six night a week thing. I've bartended for six years and have never done more than four nights a week, or two bars at once. The bar it'self is simple beyond beliefe. The cash register is something new to me altogether. It's one of those touch screen thingys. I hate them... but I'll have to adjust :)

I'm going to be doing "OZ" nights at the Forum starting Wednesday, March 23. I've never seen the show myself, but I've had a lot of people express interests in it. I'll run 3 episodes a night from 9:00 PM and run $2.25 well cocktail specials as well. I'm hoping we can rent a digital projecter and show the dvds off a large screen, but even if we can't we have the four tv's which will work.

Then there's St. Patricks day. I couldn't all the things I wanted to do, but I got some things. $1.00 green jello shots, $2.25 well, domestics, Labatts and Molsons. I can do the green beer thing too if I want and I just might. No draft so I'll have to be pouring it from bottles into pint glasses.

Gotta run...

Tony

Snowy Snowy

2005-02-17T15:53:00.000-05:00

I just got back from the gym. . .I'm a bit woozy :) I got some chicken and some potatoes frying with a little oregano and black pepper and I'm starving.

Last night was a real good night, there was about 12 to 15 people in the bar at any givin time. I managed to stay in my clothes until rougly 10:00 PM LOL. Then it was done to my boxers and doing boxer shots. It's an interesting thing - running about in nothing but your boxers and a pair of boots. It really means nothing to me, It's all for the sake of fun. I love giving people a good time if I can. Even though I can be up on the bar having someone with their head between my legs grasping for the shot glass thats on the bar, it's probably the least sexual thing for me. I think it's a hoot. Sometimes I feel like Mae West or Madonna. Nope I'm not comparing myself to them (there is no comparison LOL). It's just that my attitudes about sex are pretty laid back. I know what my boundaries are. I've never nor do I ever plan on "exposing" myself. But I've learned that many people apporach sexuality with some taboos still in thier heads - even us homo's :) Go figure.

Anyway, the point of this is that, it is never to offend. I've learned early in the game, that despite what you do or how hard you try - your going to offend someone. So, I no longer assume responsibility for anothers level of comfort when it comes to bawdy behaviour or sense of humor. Common' I was raised in an Italian family - we joked about everything and I mean EVERYTHING!

I guess I mention this, cuz a few guys came in a couple nights ago and got "offended" cuz I was doing the boxer shot thing. LOL, it's hilarious. Oh well... there's always the Public Library or Church, but I think they'll have a hard time ordering a martini in those places. . .

But last night was a lot of fun. Some new people, some regulars and I did what I could to make 'em laugh. I think I succeeded, they laughed alot.

Anywho... gotta go. I can smell my chicken burning :)

Tony

Long Time No Postings. . .

2005-02-15T03:14:00.000-05:00

I have to apologize for the long lapses and inconsistencies in my entries. No excuses, just lazy and the last thing on my mind. . .

It's been about five months now, my partner and I having moved here. I'm beginning to see more and more things as I become more familiar with the place, mostly very favorable. I've met so many nice people, especially working in the Pub and the Forum. The two are very different and many myths exist about them both (now isn't the time to go into that). I would say that 9 out of 10 people I meet are genuinely friendly. That is a very high ratio of people and it lightens my heart. But there is something that bothers me terribly. There is some very strong negativity amongst people, particularly about the city itself. I can understand it, but it grates on my nerves. At first I shrugged it off, but lately I've been afraid that it might be contagious. Misery does love company, and thats no lie. But one thing I hate, is comiserating. I've always felt if ya didn't like something, then do what you can to improve it or move on. Complaining is useless. I've grown irritated at the self-loathing - it's aggrevating. I guess it's cuz I'm not from here and I see things here that some take for granted. I've seen worse places and I've seen better. The worse places are worse because the people and culture is, well. . . kinda self loathing, complaining, blah blah blah. The productive places well, the people "do" things. . . And if I hear one more fella say "I'm Bored" on Gay.com I'm gonna scream! If your bored, your boring. Find something to do - ain't no one else gotta entertain ya. Sheeesh already - stop with the whining!

Anywho.... I've done my venting. I had a quiet nite at the bar... did some virus checking on the 'puter there, polished the beer coolers and then had a late night group of people that I know come in and really made my nite. They're lots of fun - Lonnie, Kathy and the guys. I like people who like to have fun. If ya ever read this guys, hear me! THANKS!

Gotta head to bed. My sis is coming out here early in the a.m. so I'm a needing some serious sleep... zzzzzzz

Tony

Catching Some Down Time :(

2004-12-17T21:49:00.000-05:00

The past few nights at the Forum have been real kewl, gettin' busier. I can't tell if it's because of the holiday's or because maybe I'm beginning to get to know more and more people who can tolerate my insanity LOL!

Anywho, I was supposed to work at the Pub tonight, but I came down with a nasty case of the flu. I'm stuck like a pig right now. I worked last night, and it was nuts all nite long - I pulled it off with mega doses of Dristan, Sudafed, and Nyquil but I could feel myself gettin' worse as the night wore on. Anywho... I had a lot of fun just the same. Despite the almost nightly running about in nothing but boxers and boots! A bunch of guys got a couple rounds of christmas songs in late in the night - one fella fell from his stool before I got him into a cab home. . . and some rowdy "young' uns" came in late. They were already a bit trashed from somewhere else. . . 'nuff said.

Anywho... I gotta get back to bed, cuz I'm not feeling all that great ;) Catch ya next time!

Where There's Snow. . .

2004-12-02T13:03:00.000-05:00

Well now I'm working' five nites a week between both bars. I'm having
fun but I gotta admit, it's the first time I've worked so many nites in
a week - I'm becoming a "creature of the night" LOL!

This Thursday night thing has developed into a thing of it's own.
Thursdays at the Forum were my first nights there until about a week
ago. So naturally I tried to make the most of it I could. Stripping
down to my boxers and doing boxer shots on the bar. . . It's a lotta
fun and people seem to have a good time with it. I like it when
everyone is having fun. I've realized over the years that there is only
so much I can do to help someone have a good time and then it's up to
them. I've also realized that there are times that no matter what I do
or say, there are going to be the occasional "nasties" that can't or
won't have a good time, or just be miserable. Maybe years ago, I would
think it was me - but not anymore. There are just some people that are
looking for "pissiness" and won't stop until they get. Oh well. Sad for
them! I'll just have to use my "Nasty-be-gone" spray!

Shawn and I just spent Tuesday shopping for xmas decorations and
things. So we been decking out the place in glitter and bling bling
LOL. We had a lot of fun - he's my babe! I love the boy :) Something
about the way he smiles can light up a whole room and after six years it
still melts my heart :)

We still have to find a tree yet. So we're heading out probably next
Tuesday for that. It will be the first time since we first met that
we'll have a real one. We thought about actually cutting one down, but
we changed our minds. I'd rather spend the day fighting with it to
stand up straight and then throw stuff all over it. I'm trying to get
my sister to come out here for the day for coffee and stuff. But her
schedule is nuts - so I'm not expecting to see her until xmas eve. Nuts
to that!

Anywho... I'm STILL WAITING FOR SNOW!!!! I know, I know! I hear it
every time I say that. I'll get more snow then I'll know what to do
with and regret my words! Yeah, but I want it now!!!!! (see me stamping
my foot and pounding my keyboard).

Hey, ya can't make snow angels in the front yard, if ya ain't got no
snow!!!!!!!

Until next time!

Tony

Hey Hey - What a Day?

2004-11-28T09:10:00.000-05:00

It's raining like hell out there right now and I keep hoping for a bit of snow. I know, I know. . . I hear it all the time. "What are ya crazy"?

Yeah! I am! LOL. It's the holidays and I sure do miss a bit of snow for it. I spent the past few years in Burlington, VT and for some strange reason it really doesn't snow there. So I'm looking for a terrifically WHITE Christmas this year. It can last 'till January and then it's gotta go! I'll be ready for spring by then. :)

I worked at the Pub Friday night. I walked in and the place was hoppin' cuz of the holiday weekend. I love it when I'm busy. Makes things fun :) They had the placed decked out for the holidays, kinda like my mom. She goes nuts every year. Ain't a stretch of wall or floor that don't have some tinsel or garland hanging or laying about. It definately put me in the mood, being as I haven't really been.

Shawn and I just moved here and it's always a bit unsettleing when you relocate. Especially around the holiday time. We don't know many people well yet and so. . . But that has been changing pretty fast. So I expect to be more in the mood as the days pass. Hell, we got some christmas stuff up already, but we're waiting on cutting down a tree.

So far got a bunch of parties lined up over the next couple of weeks. I haven't been to any christmas parties in a few years, so I'm looking forward to them. Party party party. . .sorta :)

I gotta work at the Forum tonight. I've taken over some nights over the past week, and so now I work all nite and sleep all day.... mooo moooo mooooo

My First Blog! Welcome All!

2004-11-20T14:05:00.000-05:00

Hey! This is my first blog, so bare with me while I figure out how it works! I hope to keep ya up to date on things as they occur, for those of ya who are interested.

But even more so, I'm much more interested in hearing from you! Comments, suggestions, whatever. Just play nice, that's all I ask :)

Let's play!!!!

Tony