since my phone has nothing interesting to say...

my brother Andy bought a g3 ibook a few months ago to 'teach himself mac.' needless to say, the g3 isnt the best machine to learn on since its pre-intel and really cant run 80-90% of any contemporary programs - isnt it fun to say contemporary when i am referencing things made only 5 years ago? no. its not. slow down.

ive been wanting to move my main machine down to the basement for recording purposes; the cassette four track i have is toast and i always hated mixing down so far removed from the space i created in. andy doesnt have the time with two kids and an outdated machine to learn programs in order to teach others how to use them for the cheap so i grabbed it (paid him for it) and its on its way. now ive done plenty of research on how to get a solid multitracked signal into really shitty computers, so aside from the mac i will have to purchase (or find in some box somewhere) a simple little mixer and interface. basically i will be doing future recordings direct to the machine while working with two tracks. its classic. its a challenge. its kinda easy. its recording 101. im not a whole band, so i wont have to worry too much about mic placement and the such in a group setting, but i am excited to see what i can do with a solid drum track and all of the ephemeral crap i have collected over the years. building and building and layering and layering.

the last run of any self recording ive done was my ipod plugged directly into my computer, making some fantastically delayed, overdriven, oscillating single tones. its not enough. thats too easy. too minimal for anyone to take seriously, no matter how well the textures translate from low to hi-fi.

ive got to find host for the songs or i'll just start releasing digi-eps until someone tells me to stop. i really really hope that person isnt my wife.

in less creative news i cant bring myself to ruin good paper until i get a good idea. the sketch books are getting dusty and i havent seen anything remotely interesting lately. i need to see some dance, some theater, some action. i want to get back into the figure but who wants to sit and have me make them look ugly? no one. ten years ago this wouldnt have been a problem. i guess thats why some art school kids stay at university for umpteen years: the chicks, maaaaan. whatev.

thin fevers has a new ep out - dont worry, you cant hear the cymbals:
album name
(live) on the Scene
there was an interview that went with it - just us clowning on ourselves and talking about sandwiches. thank god that isnt around. it would have ruined our reputation.

rooms is about to rule the world with a proper press push for our full length. dont seem surprised if you see a crappy write up somewhere. music journalists, and i say this because i knew some in my day and theyre dicks, some music journalists are dicks. they read the one sheet, the copy and paste, they get to track 3 and say they know the sound. thats lazy and not good for music. plus, it makes them dicks.


enough about dicks. i have to practice the ebow now.

preparation makes me a prep? f that.

a weekend spent half-framing screwed up my back. i say half framing because i assembled. i didnt make anything but the pictures. didnt cut wood or joint any corners or glue anything. just made sandwiches of plexi, paper, board and board. being a good sandwich maker doesnt make you a good cook, or anything close to a chef. kinda like how mixing a good color doesnt make you a good painter, or anything close to a good artist.
[thats why i like black and white, sucka!]

Andrea was outta town at a conference she said was educational and helpful, but i wonder how much of what she workshopped will be usefull in the next few months...she needs another job. you know, for more money, respect, benefits, and a chance to convince her to move downtown. maybe just more money. nonetheless, i had time to work and work and smoked and drank and worked. the two days i had made me wish for a house so badly so i just drove around, thinking about what it would really take to you know, get a house.

my mother dropped by and one of our conversations went into my want of a managed property. i know why at my age i still want someone else to cut the grass, fix the sink, landscape the yard: i got other stuff to do, thats why. i have stuff to make, songs to play, places to go check out. im not going to get older just to ride on a lawmower for 20 minutes a week. that time could be better used sleeping for an extra 20 minutes in the morning. now that is meaningful.

more preparations are being made for Peter Freund Sr. to visit our grand nation via Germany. two + weeks of a father in-law i havent seen for years and not once since being married. he is kinda bad ass if you ask me. he is in the hospital about two months out of the year and still travels six more. last i heard he had to go in because he had broken his belly button. how hard it that?!?! good times will be had.

more preparations for the Rooms cd to come out sometime soon. i have to design the cover, again, after matt called me drunk to yell about monochromatic cover fails and how my text looks too tough guy & punk. fun part was that he did it while i was at work so i yelled at him and my callers just laughed and laughed at my upity art talk and grunts. i'll get to it, next week.

ug. blogging at work. makes me want a laptop.

before the music dies

a MUST SEE for musicians and music fans alike. If you've ever felt like there was something wrong with music today,you HAVE to see this. This documentary exposes the problems with the music industry and also explores some solutions. Just watch.

side note: Erykah Badu is giving you "Real Talk" on here. And her performance is awesome too.


via: heavy gun

the junekill ward

this band, the junekill ward, was supposed to be a d-beat 80s cover band at its inception, but when you mix the hippy of jerrys vision, the off kilter fun of the shaloms, and the math of letters in english you get one band that makes little to no sense.

the only lyric i can remember clearly from this song is; if i bring a child 'nto this world/i'll teach 'im how to hate the fist.

well, the guy that wrote that line did in fact bring a child into this world and hes a pretty cool little dude that can totally ride a bike on his first try.

Nolan's first bike ride from Burd Phillips on Vimeo.

i almost wish this band was still around to clear rooms. if anything, we were good at that. brd is busy with making sure people ride bikes in cool ways, and jole is in seattle, programing the robot wars.

guess what, humans lose. they LOSE TO REFUSE!

me want, bad. pt. 2

how awesome is this? well, on a scale of cool to coolest this is around michael jackson's BAD album and meeting Bill Hicks (RIP).

"Aural details that have been lost as MP3 files are compressed for storage and transmission, dramatically re-emerge through this 25 watts RMS per channel, all-tube pre-amp system. Rugged steel chassis finished in gloss piano black includes massive power transformer, and 3 multi-plate vacuum tubes protected in a removable, ventilated cage"

wow.

and its only a grand. what a deal!

is Disintegration by the Cure the best album ever?