Holiday

I should think about masks today.  It is Halloween - I should also think about death today.  The season of Halloween is Samhain, a period of time each year when the membrane between the living and the dead is supposed to be very thin.  During this season, it is said that we can talk to our relatives and ancestors and that they can respond.  Its a good idea, during Samhain, to put out photos, paintings and other images of people we have loved as an invitation to their spirits to be with us.
Even if we are not sensitive, even if we do not hear their voices, it is said that during Samhain we can sense their presence around us.
Religious or not, you can celebrate Samhain as a way to remember important people in your life, both living and dead.  You can make a conscious effort to keep them in your mind, examine how their lives intersected yours, examine where they might be now.
Holidays are important.  But it is not always the literal meaning that we should celebrate.  For example, Christmas.  There has been a lot of hubbub about the predominance of the Christian holiday, simply because it is associated with Christian tradition.  But if you look at the way the holiday is celebrated, you can see that it has elements that non-christians can, and should celebrate happily.  The spirit of giving, the reconnection with family and friends, taking time in the midst of winter to count your blessings, taking time to reflect and turn and plan the oncoming new year.  That the holiday has the added meaning to Christian as a commemoration of the birth of their savior is an added benefit - but you can choose, as a non Christian, to remark the spirit of the holiday without remarking its genesis.
How did we become so judgmental - that we cannot appreciate a holiday, or an idea, in the spirit it is offered instead of dwelling on literal meanings that may have nothing to do with the celebrant's intentions?  How is it that saying "Merry Christmas" to someone not of the Christian faith has become insulting, or offensive?  When I say "Merry Christmas" to someone, I'm not demanding that they turn up at midnight mass in their Sunday best with their children in tow, I'm not suggesting that they go out and spend every penny they have on gifts for their children.  I'm merely sharing my own heightened sense of happiness in the heart of a wonderful season, hoping that they will be merry in this season as well. I can as happily say Happy Hanukkah or Good Solstice, or Happy Kwannsa.  If someone says one of those things to me, I'll nod, and wish them the same.  I'm not offended that the Jew or the African American or the Neo-Pagan has offered me a blessing in their own faith!
With so many wars, so much crime, so much outright evil showing its face in the world, why is it that we can't simply be happy when others are celebrating something good - and wish them the best when they do?  

Meditation on Meditation

Religion - or Church?

In my mind it is important that there is a distinction between churches, and religion.
In general, I see religion as a valid and powerful method for studying our place and purpose in the world.
The many scriptural writings we have, coming from all faiths and creeds, are a wealth of information and, sometimes,  just very good art.
Religious thinkers of all persuasions, particularly ones on the cutting edge of inspirational writing, have given us some of the most reliable and credible ethical foundations for building societies, and developing free thought. Spiritual reflection is an incredible wellspring of both creativity and problem solving.
Churches, on the other hand, are often the devil in disguise.
Churches grow up around inspirational and adventurous thinking, but treat such inspiration as doctrine and so miss the point.
They try to create realities out of abstractions and to build power structures for the control of thought, but utilizing and often misrepresenting the product of unbridled thought.
Often the intention of a church on the outset is good (a fine example being the chapel that was built by St. Francis of Assisi, by his own labor) but as they grow, invariably the spiritual/inspirational mandate of the church is eclipsed by its own need to survive.  The same, I might add, holds true for government.
Once that eclipse occurs, the churches serve only themselves. All else is merely a byproduct of the churches self preservation.
An analogue of this in music might be an attempt to try and translate the musical notes composed by Mozart or Beethoven and to transliterate them into English, or German.  Music is a language in itself - it can be described and understood, but it cannot be translated.  Like music, scripture does not translate either.  It is to be read, and understood in its own right.  When we read a lot of it, we begin to understand the world in that language, just as a child learns to understand the world in the languages that are spoken around it.  Scripture is meant to be read and understood in its own context.  It is something that is not of the world - it is of itself, in a way it is its own world.  When used correctly, it teaches us how to look at the world in a new language.  And one's world view can be enriched by reading and learning a multitude of languages.
I take great enjoyment from reading diverse religious scripture and studying or making religious art.  Hindu scripture is dazzling in its magic and complexity.  St. John of the Cross wrote some remarkably moving and emotionally overwhelming poetry.  The Koran and the Torah are stimulating and intoxicatingly wealthy resources. There are some amazing debates about law, society, and intellect to be found in the Kabbalah.
As an artist, I find it all to be stimulating and inspiring.  If I hit a dry spell in my own creativity, reading religious stories and philosophy will recharge my batteries.

My friend Max Cross posted this video today. Thats me folks, playing out in Harvard Square on a bald head, no beard day.  That was one of my favorite daytime pitches - the Harvard Coop.  At night, there was usually someone much louder than me across the street, so it wasn't much good after dark, but on a good Sunday morning, with a few puffy clouds and busloads of tourists getting dropped off right there, and light traffic, and the smell of hotdogs cooking in The Tasty just around the corner, it was close to heaven.  Thanks Max, for posting a terrific memory.  It never ceases to amaze me how much a good photo or video can bring back to mind!  Sheesh! Now I'm homesick. If you are in Boston or Cambridge today, please feel free to drop a buck or two in a street singer's basket - and just tell them I sent ya!  In fact, if you see Unca Scam, drop him a buck and tell him I sent ya.  Don't forget to stop and watch his show. He's the only guy in Cambridge who'll tell you the truth about politics!  

Music

So yeah - the one hour recording session was interesting.  Although I didn't get the album finished in one sitting as I'd planned, I did manage to record a few songs.  I need to dig in and learn a bit more about the software, then try again in a week or two.  In any event, I will make a new album soon.
Yesterday I played a bit with overdubbing and multi-tracking, and realized that it has become a lot easier over the past few years.  Garageband was always a good program, but its been streamlined and designed to be much more intuitive.
I'm trying to un-clutter my music desktop.  I'm putting aside the multiple microphones and mixer, and have gotten rid of my guitar and voice pedals.  I'm working strictly with software now, the only physical input being a Blue Snowball microphone.  The fidelity is good, and with a little tweaking in GB it produces ample sound for acoustic recording.
My idea is that recording an album should be as simple as playing the instrument.  As much as possible, I want to record live in the studio.  You hear what I hear when I'm playing.  Enhancement should be kept to a minimum.  Its fun adding the occasional harmony, and working with plug-ins, but I think one of the reasons my voice has been so problematic is that when I performed I was relying on tools too heavily.  Not hearing my own voice, I started singing unnaturally to try and recreate my natural sound through electronics.  When I sing in a bare room, no amplification applied, the voice seems to even out and regain a lot of its potential.  Its only when I have to start thinking about pitching to the mic that I start to have problems.
Of course, this is just woolgathering.
I want to do a lot more.  

Try New Things

 

Today I am going to try some new things.  First, I’m going to try to sing a few songs, which I haven’t been able to do since I left Boston several years ago.  My voice is feeling pretty good today.  I’m hoping that will last into the evening tonight, because my goal in singing the songs is to quickly record a new album in one short sitting, live in my computer room.  I’m aiming for a one-hour recording, with between twelve and fifteen songs.  I’ve asked for requests from people for numbers they know I have sung in the past, and I’m compiling my song list while I work on this blog entry. So far, I’ve decided on the following:  Lady Franklin’s Lament, The Streets of London, And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda.  I’m considering Mercy Street, but I don’t know if I’ll be warm enough to sing it.  If it goes well, I may do some more adventurous singing, but right now I’m planning to do mostly quieter folk numbers in my lower voice register because they are a bit easier.  Regardless of whether the session goes well, or ill, I’m going to post it online as a free download.  There will probably be both audio only, and HD video versions, though the video will take a few days to edit. 

If this works, I’ll plan on recording several more one hour albums over the next few months.  It will help me warm back into performing again, give me a good online demo reel, and allow me to talk to friends to get their feedback and assistance. 

I’m going to put up the new website within the next few weeks, and the musical component will be called “The Online Streetsinger”, and voice permitting, I’m going to start trying to put up a few tunes a week in addition to the albums. And I will leave a prominent link for donations! If I can find a way to do it, and if there is an audience for it, I may also start to stream performances. 

The recording setup will be pretty basic – I’m going to use a single desktop mike (the Blue Snowball) and do some minor post production in Garageband, mostly a bit of compression, and perhaps a slight eeque revision.  The recordings are going to be pretty raw, but I hope still enjoyable. 

I’ve already devised a few cover designs in Photoshop – had a bit of fun with them.  Perhaps tomorrow, before I upload the audio, I’ll post a few on facebook and let people vote for the best design.

So – today its fun time. ]

Wish me luck.