abandoned animals, simplemuzik, and complicated music

mon dec 3
I have vanquished the flu, gotten back on the horse, as it were, and now suddenly, tonight the end is upon us! Yes, it is the very last session for Judea Eden's CD! Gary Hobishundertakes his mastering magic and soon oh soon: off it shall go to the plant to be mass produced. Oh mass production...sigh... the goal of us all. Of course with the web and downloading and such the mass is produced virtually and oh so potentially infinitely in iterations. Even better. Less plastique. More discreet. And discrete. Less concrete.

wed dec 5
I take BART down to Hayward & meet Amy Meyers at The Bistro where I am privileged to sit in with her & her supergroup ( the ever majestical Paul Olguin on bass and the groovetastic Joyce Baker) I enjoy the whole evening but ESPECIALLY "January Days" (due to be on Amy's upcoming CD "LUCKY") since I really love my piano part on it.

Meanwhile, up in the city, unbeknownst to us, Russell David plays our tune "Members Only" from SEAWORTHY by True Margrit on his mind-opening and ultra-thought-provoking podcast, simplemuzik

thurs dec 6
Our wayward drummer-boy, Andrew arrives from Tacoma ( yes yes if you are reading for the first time, our drummer lives outta town. Whattayagonnado?) and we practice some tunes. We brush up some oldish, newish, and one brand-new tune "SEA of TRANQUILITY". We are particularly psyched. Will tomorrow never come?

After practice it is time to listen to our new CD ("JUGGLER's PROGRESS") in its current state. ...And the verdict is: not guilty! And: ROCK! We can't wait to finish it for y'all.

Then Andrew & I tramp through the rain over to DOLORES PARK CAFE to check out an art opening by Lynnly Labovitz and some tunes by Julie Wolf& Vickie Randle. Very nice visuals and sounds indeed... and tomorrow we will be back to put our two cents ( or more) in!

friday dec 7
Though it poured all night the new day dawns cold & clear and we feel that the rock gods are sure to shine upon our gig tonight.

We arrive at DOLORES PARK CAFE in plenty of time to set up drums/keys/bass amp etc etc.

When we launch into a spiffy version of our opening tune: "If Heaven Knows" (from SEAWORTHY) it goes just right until the very end when I overzealously leap on the keyboard. When we try to start into the next tune I am unable to get any sound out of the keyboard for a tense moment or three. But it mysteriously rises once again from the rock ashes and we continue onward, forward, and upward, rocking a full hour-long set which includes the debut of the full-band version of our alternative-lifestyle-sci-fi-mini-rock-opera, SEA of TRANQUILITY--it is well received. All in all, a total blast!

After our set, the singular harp-driven act Ospheria plays and then BLUE RABBIT!BLUE RABBIT-- BLUE RABBIT! Five female singers, one drummer, one harp, one bass, many cool songs. You should check them out.

At one point later in the evening, I am approached by a woman who relates to me how much she enjoyed our set--and that she & her partner were conjecturing about what the members of True Margrit do when not playing in True Margrit. She says that they decided Gary is an engineer. (Wow--it's true! ) that Andrew is a contractor in tech (right again!). She says that they pondered and pondered & decided that I must work with abandoned animals. (Wow three for three-- cuz you gotta count metaphorical animals in songs. And the fact that growing up I was--and can still sometimes be, occasionally only of course--a bit of a feral child. Anyway, most impressive guesswork. It's telepathy I suppose.)

Pride, Prejudice, and Perfume

Oh readers, you will be sad to hear that I was sickly last week. I was ever so close to finishing up the mixes for Judea Eden's new CD (out on Jan 12) when I was stricken with vile stomach ( and other parts) flu. Mostly miserable. However, I did prudently take the opportunity to break from music work, park on the couch, and recuperate over some costume dramas. I watched the new --that is, the Keira Knightly--version of "Pride & Prejudice" which is ever so dandy. I love all that repression and longing-- oh so very hot. Then I watched the Gwyneth Paltrow "Emma" which is good -- although not quite as compelling as "P & P". I suppose I like Elizabeth Bennet more as a heroine, and when she's being protrayed by the ever-so- vibrant-alive-glowing-with-health Keira Knightly...well, it works for me, thats all. I told my roommate David Gremard that KK reminds me of my cat Fuschia with their glossy coats, long legs, and sharp teeth...what the?

Anyhoo, then Sarah & David & I watched the movie "Perfume" which is quite something. Some folks don't like it--and I sympathize cuz I love my protaganists to be sympathetic. However, I ended up loving it-- "Perfume" is more of an allegory and less about character, as the film is basically about someone with such a developed sense of smell that this gift/affliction becomes an unusual metaphor for artistic genius which is then taken to a gruesomely absurd extreme.. not for the faint of nose.

And this week I am back off the couch and ready to gig! Look/ listen for us at Dolores Park Cafe this friday!!! wooo=woooo

Smell you later.