Weekly Song Cycle Update

Wow, well, the Weekly Song Cycle is shaping up very nicely. At this point, I already have five demos recorded (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday #2). About thirteen minutes of music right now.




Gotta get rolling on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Now that I got that demo done, I can get on to making... business cards. Because, everybody's always telling me I should print them, to which I always say: "I should". Just one thing... I never seem to have time to do that.

Serious Day Off

Some things got canceled, so now I have an ENTIRE DAY OFF. What the hell am I supposed to do if I don't have work or some sort of rehearsal?

I know! I'll record.

And check out grad schools, after having been told on Wednesday that a lot of big auditions are in December. I'm not a hundred percent sure if I'll be at the point I want to be at by then. Though I'm working on my E.P diligently, I haven't worked on a new classical piece in a while. I've got some sketches... I'm sure something will come to me soon. I had a busy semester at school, and got a lot done. Speaking of which, I should hopefully have a recording of my piano trio up at the myspace page soon. For now, check out some of the great pieces that are up there already.

Already finished my resume for Sweetest Sounds. Hopefully I get to teach there. I feel like I am doing a great job giving guitar lessons already- I see lots of progress being made in a short period.

So anyway, back to recording... gonna hit "On Mondays I Get The Band Together" right now. I'm tempted to head into the city though... but I do have to record.

Thursday Night Open Mike

The demo is done! But I'm keeping this to myself for a while... family gets an exclusive first look, but I don't want to leak too much of the album now, do I?

But it's a really cool, jazzy track. When it's done, there should be some field recordings of crowds going wild, fun stuff.

In the meantime, I also did a quick demo of Sunday, Sunday Sunrise, but that song's out in the open at this point.

Carmina Burana (again)

Wow, if all goes well, I might get the chance to perform Carmina Burana again. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get to do the Verdi again too... one day. But for now, huzzah for Carmina Burana!

Here's a little commemorative video, for MSU's performance of the work in 2008 with the NJSO.



And this one's just awesome.

clang clang clangclangclang

Recording for my Weekly Song Cycle E.P is underway. Got the guitar track for Sunday, Sunday Sunrise down, despite construction going on outside my window. Though, my friends gave me a great idea, via facebook, about what I should do next time these guys are out there (they seem to be packing up now). Anyway, now is as good a time as any to present the track listing for the tentatively titled E.P. Some of the titles are tentative, but I'm basically decided on them.

1. Sunday, Sunday Sunrise
2. On Mondays I Get The Band Together
3. TV On Tuesday
4. Ways To Spend A Wednesday
5. Thursday Night Open Mike
6. Friday Happy Hour
7. The Hangover (Saturday Coffee Date)
8. Sunday, Sunday Evening

So, I'm liking this time off from work....

Took a few days off to work, so I can just worry about rehearsing and the like. Oh, and it gives me time to get my gaming on. Currently slashing my way through No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle. It's such a fantastic game- even better than the first (with a few drawbacks, but more good things than bad in this sequel). Some boss battles, though, are really, really hard, though. Pick it up and slice up some thugs to ribbons.

Even though this is supposed to be a blog about music, I'm currently working on a script for a small film my friends and I want to make. It's mostly going to be hush-hush, so keep it a secret. I'll more than likely be doing the music for that, too.

As far as music goes- I did a lot of songwriting this weekend. Working more on my weekly song cycle. I only need to write Wednesday and Saturday. Anyway, I'd like to do some recording on that soon... hopefully I can start tomorrow. Got some new Double Vision songs coming, too, so stay tuned.

Shonen Knife is still totally awesome

Check out this brief review of a Shonen Knife show at King Tut's in Glasgow. I'm telling you, next time they're on tour, go check them out. Like the reviewer says: "They're not just some novelty act- they're a first-rate pop group in their own right."

Graduation

Just because I feel it's appropriate:

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head
Amen.

Today, I am finally graduating MSU with a Bachelor's in Music Composition. Pretty exciting stuff! Then I'm going to eat Portuguese food. Even better.

Seriously, though, it's hard to believe that my time at MSU has come to an end. Excuse me for being cliche here, but I've learned a lot about performing, composing, theory, all of that stuff. But that still leaves me with a lot to figure out. I guess I'll figure all this stuff out, though, one composition, one performance, one recording at a time. One vinyl, one CD, one guitar chord, and one lesson at a time. I'll figure it all out in time. Till then, huzzah for graduation!

New Vinyls

The Clash- This is England (Single)
Japanese Piano Music (Masa Kitagawa Fukui)
Musique Francaise du 20 Siecle (Georges Migot)

New Mandolin, Guitar Lesson, Guitar for Sale, $79 bikes!

I purchased an Italian bowlback mandolin from my guitar professor for $150 bucks. It looks like the one on the left here. And, wow, what a fantastic sound! It's so much more open than my F-hole, electric/acoustic mandolin. I can't wait to use it on some recordings. Speaking of which... plans are underway to get more material recorded. But I'll save that for another post.

Since I purchased this mandolin, I'm looking to sell my Carlo Robelli archtop. I consigned with Sweetest Sounds right here in town... they're selling it for $199 with the case. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me. It's a gorgeous guitar, in great shape with fantastic action, so check it out.

Today is my first guitar lesson in a while. I'll actually be heading out in a few to get over there. And maybe, I might be able to get work giving more lessons. So if anyone wants guitar, piano, alto sax, or composition lessons, please let me know!

One more thing- Walmart is selling bikes for $79. No joke. I was going to get a membership at 3rd Ward in Brooklyn just for the bike, but now I guess I don't have to. Unless, of course, I still want free coffee. As if I don't get enough of that already.

The Centuries-Old Struggle to Play in Tune

From Slate.

Spanish Romance

I'm looking to write for guitar and violin. Here's some inspiration.