Blog

With the home purchase and wedding planning going on, there’s been little time left for anything else. I’ve been doing my best to keep up with my reading projects and making sure I hit the gym 3x a week, but anything else has pretty much been ignored. As things have settled down and with the year half-over, it’s time to reboot and replan. I have a hard time feeling like I’m making any progress without some structure. So this week has been spent with pile of books, a yellow legal pad and things.app. I have a pretty good idea of how the rest of the year should work out in terms of goals. ...

I just finished rereading “The Checklist Manifesto” which seems to have become one of my “give it the once-over every year” books. The last section is an overview of the US Airways Flight 1549 which landed in the Hudson River. The phrase “my aircraft” really hit me in a good way. When things went south and Captain Sullenberger realized that both engines had lost power he look over the flight from the co-pilot Jeffrey Skiles. The book details several of the reasons why he took over (for example, the amount of flight time with that particular aircraft) but reading that single phrase encapsulates an enormous amount of discipline and ownership. The ability for someone to rely on their training without panic and to take on responsibility in the moment is tremendously impressive to me. ...

I was thinking about a few more concerts that I did the sound for. George Winston may have been the most uncomfortable performance that I ever personally witnessed. Winston plays sleepy/new-agey piano music that I can tolerate for maybe 2-3 tunes, but after that it just makes me tired. I was responsible for setting up microphones and running sound reinforcement for the show. I met briefly with his manager prior to the performance to ensure that things were set to his specifications. I’ll never forget the look in his face when he assured me that, “George will play an encore.” ...

I spent the summer of 1999 working sound for the Interlochen Center for the arts. It was a great opportunity to see how professional artists tour. I was amazed by how quick a touring staff is able to set up and tear down within a day. Two of the artist that made the most impression (for very different reasons) were Lyle Lovett and Dwight Yoakam. I’ve been a fan of Mr. Lovett for a number of years. His album “Joshua Judges Ruth” is still one of my favorites. Tremendous song writing and an amazing group of musicians. This staff and group were exactly what I expected, totally professional and ready to go. They set up full lights, sound and instruments like navy seals. When the show was ready, Lyle stepped off the bus, hot lady on his arm, both dressed like they were going to an opera. ...

I’ve been on a big David Simon kick since I’ve been re-watching ‘The Wire’ with Jen. Although it took me a few episodes to dig in when I watched it the first time, I (like many folks) became enamored without the show. Critical acclaim naming the best TV Series ever is not to be dismissed. The side affect of “The Wire” (for myself) is being unable to watch any other cop-related programming without a fair amount of teeth gritting at the low quality writing and ridiculous plot lines. ...

I just read about Milton Babbitt passing away. When I was in school, Babbitt was often brought up as an quintessential 20th Century composer. While much of his music didn’t appeal to me, his idea and concepts of music have stuck in my craw. He may be best know for a well-referenced essay, “Who Cares If You Listen”. For some reason, his thoughts on how series music need not appeal to the general public didn’t seem to register with many composer that I met in school. They were often embittered at how little acclaim they received for their efforts and were unyielding in their need for approval while rarely giving the audience worthy material. ...

When I was a music student, I read biographies of pretty much any musician I could grab from the library: John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Pablo Casals, etc. The story of Sonny Rollins and The Bridge is one of the few that has stuck with me. In 1959, Sonny Rollins took a break from music. Although he was one of the finest sax players at the time, he felt pressure from other musicians such as John Coltrane (who emerged from working with Thelonius Monk and a second stint with Miles Davis a reinvented musician) and Ornette Colman who were changing jazz in significant ways. ...

After finishing the last music project, I was starting off the year wallowing with a lack of plans. From all the time spent in school, I seem to work better with a plan that involves projects ramping up and down. Without it, it just feels like one endless stream of days and I end up like David Byrne, “My god, how did I get here?”. I need the list of tasks checked off and projects complete to assure myself that I’m not wasting time. ...

I finished DT8 over vacation. It was written in fits and starts over the last three/four months in quick chunks whenever I could grab some time. Mostly written in the early morning hours when I couldn’t sleep (2:30-5am mostly and a few rushed lunch hours at home). This was the first time I spend the cash and starting adding live instruments to the recordings. ...

I didn’t reach my ‘Road to 400 Goals’ but I did end the year with a personal record for deadlift and weighted in 10 lbs lighter by the end of the year. Most of my lifts remained the same or went up, so I’m happy to have retained muscle mass while loosing a bit of extra weight. Since I’ve been doing so much heavy work, I’m going to start off the year with a couple months of high-rep, low-weight work with an emphasis on getting my heart rate up. ...