Monday, December 17, 2007

Actual Constant Velocity


Do you remember that album that I made with all of your voices on it? And Colm? Go get it. I'll wait.

Got it? Good. Throw it out. I have a better version of that album in my hand.

I finally had the album professionally mastered. For those of you who aren't in the techie loop, that means it sounds louder and clearer now.

Strange, when I first listened to the new version I thought, "This sounds cheap...no...it sounds old."

True there are many mixing problems which are totally my fault. I overrode Muttonhead's good common sense and ears pursuing some thing in completely the wrong way. I couldn't remix it without losing all of your voices, which is a great deal of the album's charm.

The cobwebs blew away and I slowly began to remember that we were going for a late 60s early 70s era sound. Think Village Green era Kinks. That is what it sounds like. It is weird to succeed at something you attempted so long ago that you forgot what you were trying to do.

It also kind of sounds like Spanish for 100 too. Very surprising at first, but I thought about it and have an explanation:

1. Two guitars playing riff driven melodic rock and roll.

2. Similar gear.

3. Aaron and Chris are sort of similar guitar players.

I think that both Aaron and Chris would both admit that I am a technically superior guitarist in many ways (this they would say while kissing my hand and calling me 'holiness'). But despite my close association with both of them they have something that I have never been able to pick up. A sort of Springfield classic/punk rock grooviness in their playing that is just fucking awesome.

Aaron has actually been on 3 out of 4 Constant Velocity albums. The first one (voice over only), the very lo fi ep (a riff I stole from him and turned into my ode to hapless drunks, 'Dewy Biker') and now he finally pulls out all of the stops playing some mind bending space rock guitar on our 'hit' Truculent.

That is going to be on our next album, 'Muttonhead' (named after our genius producer). I hope to be finishing up mixing this week.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Cisco


Yesterday's walk was in the blizzard. Cisco is from Tennessee so probably never seen so much snow. He looked a bit worried and guilty about the snow. Maybe he had done it? He does a lot of bad stuff. It's hard to keep track.

After Shiva showed him that snow was fun by bouncing and prancing around, he relaxed a little. I even caught him trying to catch the snow flakes in his mouth.

His early life was unsettled and chaotic. You never quite you are being handed with a rescue. He is a difficult young man, but I think he is starting to uncoil a little and not be so worried all the time.

For those of you who have not met him, Cisco is an uncommonly muscled basenji. When we first got him, I could not keep him off the counter. One of my students facetiously suggested that I fatten him up to past the point he could defy gravity.

He was very bony when we first got him, and as he put on weight, instead of getting fat he appeared to add more muscle mass.

I wouldn't mind having that gene switched on in my sequence. "No desert for me. I am accidentally punching through walls."

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Beauty

Still no time to delve deep into the issues of the day. Cleaning like mad.

I know I've had some requests for Shiva pictures, but how about getting to know her handsome new beau?

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Diaspora

For those of you who have forsook the Midwest, a stroll down memory lane.



Tonight's ice storm has been preempted by impenetrable fog.

I was going to start my discussions of reparations, but I had to fix my vacuum with an off-brand Swiss army knife tonight. It wore me out. Maybe tomorrow.

You think I'm kidding about reparations?

Oh ho! We shall see who is kidding about reparations.

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Ice

Blm is covered in ice. Everything may proceed as usual but at 1/10th speed.

One also makes a rediscovery of the muscles one uses to keep oneself upright in a calamitously slippery environment.

Horseback riding, cross country skiing, waxing floors and walking two mad basenjis through an icy park all use the same muscle groups.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

"Shiva, do you have a special Xmas wish this year?"


Punctuation

Whenever I hear the Jay-Z's song 'Big Pimpin' the chorus sounds like this:

"Big pimpin ; spendin cheese..."

I hear a semicolon in there.

Friday, December 7, 2007