How in the hell have I not heard of this band before. Totally slipped under my radar until now. Well thanks to them opening up for Dredg here in Montreal on August 2nd I know them know. I was totally surprised. The Foufs was packed with people singing along and dancing to their songs. They put on such an energetic performance, at times with 3 of the band members playing some really crazy beats in unison on 3 separate drum setups. I was impressed with every facet of this band. Super solid drummer, smooth and liquid bass lines, vocalist/vocalist, and guitarist/keyboard player. All excellent players.
Meanwhile I'm standing there thinking who the hell are these guys, and why does everyone here but me know them? Regardless, I'm glad discovered them.
For some real detailed 411 on these guys go here
Enjoy
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
Dredg In Montreal
It was at times a crappy Sunday in
The Foufs provides a very intimate setting, Gavin commented that he'd never been so close to a drum kit before. He was practically sitting on the kick drum. None the less, his vocal performance and stage presence were stellar. Always intriguing to watch him perform. The lap steel guitar now a Dredg staple, made it through the whole show until Gavin smashed it with a drum stick during a climatic ending rendering the string useless. Speaking of drums it's always inspiring seeing Dino beat that drum kit. Sometimes I wonder if the kit will make it to the end of the show. Mark on guitar is really just something to watch, this guy must have had 2 shoulder replacement surgeries. I've never seen such intensity, and energy. The sounds and tones he creates just captivate you. They hug you and make you feel nice and cozy. Something that must be seen & heard to be understood. Bassist Drew is always the solid backbone of the band, keeping it low and super melodic, and his keyboard technique includes literally playing with his face, while keeping the bass notes pumping.
Seriously if you're looking for something fresh and original you owe it to yourself to check out Dredg.
Friday, July 31, 2009
The Reverse Graffiti Project
I'm always amazed at what artists, or creative people can do with what has been in front of our eyes. We can stare at it all day long staring back at us but we just don't see it.
I found this cool little page It's a year old, but cool none the less. Paul Curtis reverse graffiti cleans San Francisco's Braodway tunnel.We should have more of these guys around cleaning up the city but in a different way. Maybe even make us snap out of our bubbles and steal a moment of our time to observe something new.
Peace
I found this cool little page It's a year old, but cool none the less. Paul Curtis reverse graffiti cleans San Francisco's Braodway tunnel.We should have more of these guys around cleaning up the city but in a different way. Maybe even make us snap out of our bubbles and steal a moment of our time to observe something new.
Peace
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Check your bags
Yesterday I went to work like I always do. Get a lift to the subway, kiss my wife & daughter goodbye, then 40 min subway commute, where i listen to music on my phone/walkman, while reading a book, or the newspaper, and finally a 10 min walk to work. This morning though , it was different. I was going to a concert in town, and I decided not to take my back pack with me, so i don't have to lug it around all day and night. Instantly I noticed something was different, felt better, lighter, and the nice weather certainly didn't hurt. You see my back pack, is full of papers, a book or 2, some magazines, an umbrella, a bottle of water(you never know when you'll get in too a coughing fit and need that bottle) not to mention my lunch.
I came to the realization that the back pack was more than just a back pack, it was also a representation of all the baggage we carry around with us. Be it stress, grudges, jealousy, hatred, regret etc etc. Mine happens to be stress.
Things eventually dawn on me, either too late or just in time. Only recently have I been paying attention to certain things. like fatigue, stress, etc. Basically listening to what my body has to say, and accepting my limits. Stress is not something I'm really familiar with. I never really worried to much about anything, I went through school the same way, jobs, same thing. I kind of just go with things, but things are different now. Being a father, owning a house, trying to get 2 music projects off the ground, the car, work, the people and & drama at work. Heck just paying mundane bills is becoming a real bitch. Projects fall behind schedule, trying to keep sites like Myspace, Facebook, Blogger, You tube, Twitter (Man there is to many) up to date. Learning how to use all this amazing stuff, and how to do it right. Trying to book interviews, get reviews, and get people to add your song to their podcast. The internet is a great tool, and great for artists & musicians, but it takes so much of your time to figure stuff out, and learn how to do it well, get friends, get views, get plays, tweets... Meanwhile repairs on the car go undone, work around the house never gets completed, and that's just to name a few. I prefer to play with my daughter than wash the dishes, or pass the vacuum, or install spot lights that never seem to work, or clean out the garage.
The Garage, oh don't get me started on that one. It's only been 3 years we've lived in this house and already the garage is crammed with stuff. I now believe what George Carlin said, 'that's what your house is, a place to keep your stuff while you go out and buy more... stuff'' It's been a few years that I only go shopping when I need something. Instead of just go shopping,for shopping's sake. I used to get restless at home just itching to go buy something, anything. Clothes, cd's, music gear, whatever. I have shirts I never wore, that still have the price tag on them. That's when I realized I don't need all this stuff. Less truly is more.
Vacations start next week, and guess what I'll be doing. Painting the bathroom, removing all the dead wood from my front yard, cleaning out the garage (OMG I can't wait for this one, oh i said that already). I can't wait to get this virtual baggage off of me.
I came to the realization that the back pack was more than just a back pack, it was also a representation of all the baggage we carry around with us. Be it stress, grudges, jealousy, hatred, regret etc etc. Mine happens to be stress.
Things eventually dawn on me, either too late or just in time. Only recently have I been paying attention to certain things. like fatigue, stress, etc. Basically listening to what my body has to say, and accepting my limits. Stress is not something I'm really familiar with. I never really worried to much about anything, I went through school the same way, jobs, same thing. I kind of just go with things, but things are different now. Being a father, owning a house, trying to get 2 music projects off the ground, the car, work, the people and & drama at work. Heck just paying mundane bills is becoming a real bitch. Projects fall behind schedule, trying to keep sites like Myspace, Facebook, Blogger, You tube, Twitter (Man there is to many) up to date. Learning how to use all this amazing stuff, and how to do it right. Trying to book interviews, get reviews, and get people to add your song to their podcast. The internet is a great tool, and great for artists & musicians, but it takes so much of your time to figure stuff out, and learn how to do it well, get friends, get views, get plays, tweets... Meanwhile repairs on the car go undone, work around the house never gets completed, and that's just to name a few. I prefer to play with my daughter than wash the dishes, or pass the vacuum, or install spot lights that never seem to work, or clean out the garage.
The Garage, oh don't get me started on that one. It's only been 3 years we've lived in this house and already the garage is crammed with stuff. I now believe what George Carlin said, 'that's what your house is, a place to keep your stuff while you go out and buy more... stuff'' It's been a few years that I only go shopping when I need something. Instead of just go shopping,for shopping's sake. I used to get restless at home just itching to go buy something, anything. Clothes, cd's, music gear, whatever. I have shirts I never wore, that still have the price tag on them. That's when I realized I don't need all this stuff. Less truly is more.
Vacations start next week, and guess what I'll be doing. Painting the bathroom, removing all the dead wood from my front yard, cleaning out the garage (OMG I can't wait for this one, oh i said that already). I can't wait to get this virtual baggage off of me.
Monday, July 20, 2009
You Tube
Yeah YouTube, I'm 3 years late. I've been meaning to make use of this crazy site for the longest time. I just never have time. I tried making a video for Chasing The Clouds, one of the tracks on the Path to Reality album, back in November of 2008. Dedicated an entire Saturday to doing it, but as usual i hated it, and scrapped it. I tired something again in May of 2009, and once again, that ever so familiar feeling of nausea was lingering around, and i quit, totally disgusted with myself.
The weird things is I love what I've seen from other people, and most of the time it's so simple. I've also noticed we (artists) tend to like what other people do automatically, and second guess ourselves.
It seems to take me an eternity to do the the simplest things, and actually enjoy it. It never lives up to the image in my mind's eye. I've narrowed it down to focus and organization. I need time to get the creative juices flowing, and flowing in the right direction. I happen to be one of those happy go lucky types when it comes to creative projects, especially music, but video, photography and graphic design is a totally different ballgame for me.
Anyhow I've managed to through my hangups and post something to You Tube. You can check it out here. Check it out, leave me a comment, and join my channel if you like.
The weird things is I love what I've seen from other people, and most of the time it's so simple. I've also noticed we (artists) tend to like what other people do automatically, and second guess ourselves.
It seems to take me an eternity to do the the simplest things, and actually enjoy it. It never lives up to the image in my mind's eye. I've narrowed it down to focus and organization. I need time to get the creative juices flowing, and flowing in the right direction. I happen to be one of those happy go lucky types when it comes to creative projects, especially music, but video, photography and graphic design is a totally different ballgame for me.
Anyhow I've managed to through my hangups and post something to You Tube. You can check it out here. Check it out, leave me a comment, and join my channel if you like.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Letter from Moby
This is my response to a letter from Moby sent to Bob Lefsetz
Hey Bob, thanks for this letter from Moby ! It makes me really happy to hear that someone who has had such success in the recent past, is so humble.
I think along the same lines as Moby, in that I just want to be happy, and tapping into creativity makes me happy.
Even if I sell 1000 copies of my cd. Which is a failure in most eyes. Just knowing that people would slip into my world for and hour or so and enjoy it makes me feel good.
I've had an Ipod, and at work I use I tunes all day for music while working, and I still need to listen to albums. I tried making playlists and when a certain song ends, I need to hear the next one, and am disappointed when it's a random song, kinda kills the flow for me. I grew up in the 80's an 90's an the album was king then, and for me it still is.
Even having worked on my album on and off for over 2 years, writing, editing, mixing. You can lose sight of the album's cohesiveness, and you have this feeling that the songs are separate entities and don't really sound like an album. Then it came back from mastering, and I listened to it from beginning to end, all of a sudden it sounded like an album, all the parts where there as a whole, glued together sort of.
anyhow I hope artists continue to make albums, cause that's the way uh huh uh huh I like it!
peace
Joe
www.myspace.com/innerlightmusic
www.reverbnation.com/innerlightspectrum
Hey Bob, thanks for this letter from Moby ! It makes me really happy to hear that someone who has had such success in the recent past, is so humble.
I think along the same lines as Moby, in that I just want to be happy, and tapping into creativity makes me happy.
Even if I sell 1000 copies of my cd. Which is a failure in most eyes. Just knowing that people would slip into my world for and hour or so and enjoy it makes me feel good.
I've had an Ipod, and at work I use I tunes all day for music while working, and I still need to listen to albums. I tried making playlists and when a certain song ends, I need to hear the next one, and am disappointed when it's a random song, kinda kills the flow for me. I grew up in the 80's an 90's an the album was king then, and for me it still is.
Even having worked on my album on and off for over 2 years, writing, editing, mixing. You can lose sight of the album's cohesiveness, and you have this feeling that the songs are separate entities and don't really sound like an album. Then it came back from mastering, and I listened to it from beginning to end, all of a sudden it sounded like an album, all the parts where there as a whole, glued together sort of.
anyhow I hope artists continue to make albums, cause that's the way uh huh uh huh I like it!
peace
Joe
www.myspace.com/innerlightmusic
www.reverbnation.com/innerlightspectrum
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
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