Thanks to Bell Riots and Amanda Lepre for playing awesome sets at Bernadette's Bar last Thursday!

This Friday, I'll perform at Flipnotics for Capital Zen Night!
 

I have two shows coming up, which I've posted, more details forthcoming.

I'm still waiting to finish recording the first six songs of what will be two dozen or more. For the past few months I've mainly been working and getting personal affairs in order. I should have a few demo recordings posted here before the end of Scorpio.

I'm re-reading The Gay Science by Friedrich Nietzsche. Sticking with my recent literary theme, here is an excerpt, chosen at random:

"The four errors.-- Man has been educated by his errors. First, he always saw himself only incompletely; second, he endowed himself with fictitious attributes; third, he placed himself in a false order of rank in relation to animals and nature; fourth, he invented ever new tables of goods and always accepted them for a time as eternal and unconditional: as a result of this, now one and now another human impulse and state held first place and was ennobled because it was esteemed so highly. If we removed the effects of these four errors, we should also remove humanity, humaneness, and 'human dignity.'"
 

"As for Honda, he could never be quite at ease unless there were books within easy reach. Among those now at hand was a book he had been lent in secret by one of the student houseboys, a book proscribed by the government. Entitled Nationalism and Authentic Socialism, it had been written by a young man named Terujiro Kita, who at twenty-three was looked upon as the Japanese Otto Weininger. However, it was rather too colorful in its presentation of an extremist position, and this aroused caution in Honda's calm and reasonable mind. It was not that he had any particular dislike of radical political thought. But never having been really angry himself, he tended to view violent anger in others as some terrible, infectious disease. To encounter it in their books was intellectually stimulating, but this kind of pleasure gave him a guilty conscience.

In order to be prepared for any further discussions of reincarnation with the princes, he had stopped off at his own home that morning after accompanying Satoko back to Tokyo and had borrowed a book from his father's library, A Summary of Buddhist Thought by Tadanobu Saito. Here for the first time he was treated to a fascinating account of the varied origins of the doctrine of Karma, and he was reminded of the Laws of Manu which had so absorbed him at the beginning of the winter. But at that time his examination ambitions had forced him to postpone a more thorough study of Saito's book."

More on Yukio Mishima here.
 

When I got back to Austin, the wiring shorted out at my temporary residence and my computer exploded. This motivated me to move into my own apartment again, on the east end of Hyde Park. Now I'm getting ready to resume recording in Dallas next month. As soon as I get unpacked and get my bearings I'll set up a show somewhere.

Here are a couple of very short cell phone video snippets Jeanne made of songs that'll be on the new disc, Colorado and Bellwether.
 
 

The US regime already knows, from recent experience, that this strategy (bombardment, occupation, election) does not work to attain its ostensible goal of regime change. So, if they know it doesn't work, but they do it anyway, then one must ask, what is their real intention? Simply to keep oil flowing to the West? Gain a toehold in North Africa in preparation for a broader regional conflict? Protect Israel from its own bad cooking? Prevent the emergence of "sovereign" economies in the Middle East and North Africa? To date, the US has not helped to establish a single democratic government in the world, but more dictatorships than one can easily count. You can't install democracy! The US has zero credibility in the region, and has only proved it cannot be trusted as a "liberator". Case in point: Iraq.

The "flower of democracy" has yet to blossom in Tunisia and Egypt, and the nominal republics in the region have yet to offer the Libyans anything but empty words of "solidarity". Can we offer anything more than empty words, when our government carries out wars in our name, even in the guise of "humanitarian aid", to further the cause of neo-imperialism (or whatever you like to call it)? The Libyans don't want American (and British and French) occupation, just wanted the UN to ground Qaddafi's war planes. It is up to Libyan people to make their own future. Footnote: Since my economics professor makes his students subscribe to the Wall Street Journal, I happened to notice that the stock market inched up as soon as the US sent Marines into the Gulf. War is the health of the State. And the truth is probably worse than we suspect, though our potential (to change) is probably greater than we estimate.
 
 

Today I am studying for my first philosophy exam, reading bits of Aristotle expressing the obvious, passing off tautologies as insight. I need more than three cups of coffee to wade through this crapola. It's no wonder western civilization got off on the wrong track. Medieval Christians picked up Aristotle's catalog and heaped even more garbage on top of it. His was a practical philosophy, in that it doesn't tell you anything that is not readily apparent. The implication of Aristotle's philosophy is that only the apparent is real, whereas with Plato the real is only apparently so. The former seems to lead to realpolitik and end-justifies-means thinking, and latter back to mysticism. My Qabalah and astrology studies tend to fall back on ideal forms, primal forces as I call them, but as a sorting method rather than a belief in pure versions from which everything else is degraded. The need to order reality, not pleasure, is the most basic human need--pattern recognition--especially if one is borderline OCD like yours truly.

I have a show in the works for April, with a couple of fellow odd birds. Stay tuned for details. And I am simplifying tasks and limiting the scope of my half-dozen or more projects so that I can wrap them up and start new ones. I have more ideas than time, but maybe some of the ideas are crap and some of the time is wasted. On the other hand, the purpose of relaxation is not just to rest in preparation for more work, the views of Aristotle, Calvin, Ben Franklin and other complete assholes notwithstanding. Slack can be an end in itself. Give me slack or kill me!
 
 

I have not recorded the new songs (three dozen), like I said I was going to have done by now. I was all set to begin, then realized I was missing the power adapter to my four track. Now I am considering making a proper recording in a studio, again, but in a more economical, less time-consuming fashion than before. Which means it will involve more help from friends and/or be more acoustic than rock songs. In either case, I'm going to get the ball rolling on this by booking studio time! Also, I am ready to reproduce my codex of arcane diagrams in some kind of less scribbled form. I just have to redraw everything more neatly, and finish distilling my notes into thirteen chapters. Progress is slow when one has so many interests.
 
 

I'm back in school, taking three classes this semester, Philosophy and Economics right now, and Texas Government later. I'm also working full-time as an internet support technician. This does not mean music is taking a backseat! Nor are my spiritual/literary pursuits, for that matter. To mix metaphors badly, I've got all four pots simmering simultaneously. All of these interests co-mingle. My lyrics draw on my studies, which are never-ending, whether I'm enrolled in classes or not. I might as well get credit for reading philosophy--with the modest goal in mind of becoming a high school history teacher. But that's a long way off, yet.

It occurred to me recently that I seem to be shifting to a more "performance" based set, and thus playing more at "art" or "experimental" showcases than coffee shops and bars. I suppose that is as it should be; I've long lamented being stuck in what I call the "songwriter ghetto". But I am not altogether comfortable with the pretensions which may be attached (rightly or wrongly) to these kinds of events. My music is somewhat unusual, in the sense of structure or lyrics or chord voicings or whatever--subtle details--and yet also conventional, in the sense of instrumentation, song length, and the fact that it is lyrical. But there is certainly a lot of current music that is called "experimental" but that is unqualified for that descriptor. Electronic rock, in particular, is still rock music, in 4/4 time with verse and chorus, in diatonic mode, etc. A "surreal" music video does not confer experimentalism to a song. And synthesizers have been around a long time, now.

Not that I would discourage its exponents from dressing strangely (if a bit too much like each other), projecting video on stage, using cumbersome band names, or being generally obscure. But I would like to pose a few challenges to my peers (if I can pretend to use that term).

One: Consider the subtle differences in music that might otherwise appear conventional because of common instrumentation, the fact of being lyrical, etc. (My own music would fall under this heading most of the time).

Two: Try using a time signature besides 4/4. Dance music and rock music have trapped us in this box.

Three: Resist the urge to (for example) drop the beat out at the moment when it seems like you are supposed to.

Four: Write shorter songs. Instead of repeating bars just because it seems like you are supposed to, or just to fill up set time or tape (or hard disks), try cutting the phrases down, or going somewhere unexpected or into an entirely different movement. I am not addressing improvisers and jazz players here because I have little experience with that music though I am sure it is plagued by the same sorts of problems.

Five: Write good lyrics or don't bother. Think about the musicality of the syllables as well as the meaning of the words.
 
 

I am going to be more aggressive about setting up shows in the Spring. I've just gotten lazy about it. And I'll post Quinotaur recordings as soon as I have them. I'll be focusing on getting that project (which involves extra sounds and images) off the boards in the Spring, but I will continue recording and playing under my name as well. As always, I will not be playing south by southwest, but I will try to play somewhere that week. And please don't hesitate to ask me to perform anytime, anywhere, as I will most likely say, "yes."

After being somewhat disengaged (for me, anyway) from politics for so long, on principle as well as in the interest of not bursting a neck vein, I have recently been distracted by government threats to the already far-less-than-ideal, corporate-controlled internet. Instead of whining about it, I've decided to work on alternate ways-of-doing-things. I've pledged to help my friend Jon Riehl re-boot his long dormant Wild Idea Preserve, as well as another (top secret) project. In order to do this, I'm going to have to teach myself Python and catch up with the new trends in web design. Someday soon Jon and I will collaborate on music again as well. It's been eleven years since Dada2k...
 
 

Made lots of new friends this month. Howdy, y'all! Shout-outs to CRUNK and Children of the Feather.
 
 

I missed a lot of great shows and parties, to be sure, but I made the most of what free time I had left working on songs, sounds and images for my new project Quinotaur, which shall make its debut Thursday, March 18 at Noon as part of the Leisure Tourniquet Equinox Mish-Mash 2010 at Hot Mama's Espresso on East Sixth.

I'm also performing Friday, March 19 at 5 PM at Genuine by Genuine Joe. So far, Quinotaur uses cassette tape loops of found sounds and live samples, acoustic and electric guitars, a drum, and voice, combined in a series of "sound scenes" with set decoration (thanks, Henna). There's not much more I can say, come see for yourself if you're curious.
 
 

Sackcloth Standard, an album of twelve songs recorded on two-inch tape in 2007 and 2008 at Hot Tracks!!!, produced by Matt Smith and featuring artwork by A.H.B. Jones and guest appearances by H. Chou, B. DiPietro and C. Swietek, has been finished since March, and will be officially available as soon as I can come up with the rest of the money to press it. If there is a label, distro, curator or angel out there that would like to help, please write to me.

After a short northwestern tour (Portland, Olympia, and Seattle) followed by a two-month stay at an intentional community, I am back in Austin, working temporary jobs and playing casual coffee house gigs. I'm looking for interesting bands and soloists to set up bigger shows with. If you happen to be one, please write to me.

I am also looking for a drummer and bassist/keyboardist to learn a pile of songs and play a string of shows in Austin and around Texas in the fall. If you are interested and available, please write to me.

I have shelved my solo imprint Distress Signal for lack of funding, but you can still order my old discs from this site until they run out.