Ableist notions and excuses

Poetry distracted me from my studies

Guitars distracted me from poetry

Drums distracted me from guitars

Fatherhood distracted me from drums

Women and drugs distracted me from all of it

She distracted me from me

I distracted no one

And when I was finally alone

I was no longer distracted

Words and picture by BCFL

Harold Budd - Rest In Peace

 

As we all know now our patron saint of heavenly music is now departed under heinous circumstances. Harold Budd passed away alone on December 8, 2020 due to complications from Covid-19 as I understand it. It's a truly awful end to what has been an awful year. 

The picture you see here is of Hal and I at the Kitchen in NYC on December 15, 2015. I was fortunate to be in attendance that night then was able to stick around for a reception where I had the good fortune to get a signature in my copy of Colorful Fortune and to chat and laugh briefly with my hero. A wonderful moment I will always cherish. 

The many tributes from Hal's fans and collaborators alike have been poignant and touching, each one shining a light on the brightness and joy Hal has brought into so many lives during his long, fruitful career. 

One such tribute I found particularly touching was that from Bill Nelson, legendary guitarist and frequent collaborator with Hal. Reading it I felt closer to Hal, like I knew him, too. Like I was able to laugh and share in fine food and good drink with him, enjoying the present moment in all it's madness and absurdity. 

Find that here: https://www.billnelson.com/post/for-harold?fbclid=IwAR21nz8kgFxkYjABU6W1VBGe1_6FHddOexqoZ2R7OgFJUrcVZlXQYl9UGjU

Harold Budd helped me from a tender age in my early teens to access a safe space within myself. He helped me to focus my mind's eye, to cultivate calm deep within my own spirit. At many times in my life when the crashing waves of circumstance were threatening to swallow me whole I have called upon this skill, upon this music to see me through. I had discovered through this man's beautiful art a state of being that has helped me to remain centered and provided me with a modicum control in a world of chaos. I am forever grateful to him. May his rest be as beautiful and complete as the music he left us with. 

Experiments In Relaxation

Back in March of this year I ran into Tristan Whitehill(Euglossine), one half of the art collective/label Hatchery based in Gainesville, FL. He had asked if I was interested in releasing something on Hatchery. I had a backlog of songs that were mostly complete that had a similar vibe and made for a cohesive listen so I gladly accepted the offer. It was good motivation to finish these tracks. Then, the Covid-19 pandemic hit and I had ample time to spend at home finishing this set of songs. 

Experiments In Relaxation was released on Thanksgiving, November 26th, 2020. You can listen and buy here at Hatchery's bandcamp: 

https://hatchery.bandcamp.com/album/experiments-in-relaxation

All proceeds will be donated to GRACE Marketplace whose mission is to end homelessness in Gainesville. If you live in this community you have no doubt noticed the homelessness problem our community faces so I felt this was a worthy cause to donate any sales to, especially considering the release on Thanksgiving.

Aaron O'Laughlin made a gorgeous video for the song 'Harmonics for Syzygean Perigees'. See that below:

ESP Summer

 Two of my musical heroes, Ian Masters and Warren DeFever, have a new release out from their legendary  project, ESP Summer. Their one LP, the remix 10", and the ESP Neighborhood 7" made a huge impression on me. Today's release is well in line with the quality of their past output and sees the duo combining the modalities from their respective solo and collaborative releases into a brief, but very satisfying listen. Check it out here:

https://hisnameisalive.bandcamp.com/album/-

Where I'm calling from

I made a mix today to celebrate and accompany an upcoming ep of new material I'll be releasing relatively soon. I'm pleased to announce it will be available on the hatchery label. It's exciting to release new music into the world despite the oppressive conditions we're living through due to the pandemic and ongoing social challenges. Music is a big part of my therapeutic regimen as I'm sure it is for you, too. It's my hope that what I've made can serve in that role for you. I'll post more about the ep, that I'm calling Experiments in Relaxation, in the coming weeks. There's also a lovely video made by Aaron O'Laughlin (from which the still above is taken from) that will be available soon. For now though, you can enjoy this mix on Apple Music if you use that service: Where I'm calling from

Find it on Spotify, too: Where I'm calling from

Been so long since I posted here

 

It's been some time since I've posted anything here. This seems like an appropriate song to share and a fitting segue considering the content of my last post about D.C. Berman. You may be thinking: what is the connection? Well, keep going and you'll see. I got into the Pastels, the Scottish indie pop group, somewhere around the turn of the century. I used to mine Soulseek for obscure indie pop/rock and electronic music around that time. Searching for the Pastels there I came across the American doowop group of the same name from the late 50's. I found I liked them, too! 

Recently, I have departed social media (mainly Facebook) for the sake of my own sanity. I am unable to deal with the methodical way people are being turned against one another as the disinformation machine kicks into high gear ahead the election. Facebook has become the boomers' echo chamber and I have no interest in being bombarded with willful ignorance, racism, hateful rhetoric, and the constant stream of bad news. Having said that, in lieu of Facebok, maybe I'll post here more often. And now I come to the Pastels/D.C. Berman connection: The Pastels covered 'Advice to the graduate' from the Silver Jews' 1994 record, Starlite Walker, during a Peel session at Maida Vale in 1997. Again, it was something I found by mining the esoteric in the days of Soulseek. It was a version of that song that made it onto many mixes from those days. What could be better than the crossing of wires from two of my favorite groups? I was super excited when it was announced that the song would be issued as a 7" single for Record Store Day. Sadly, it was not released stateside, but being as I am, I ordered it from Rough Trade UK. It has arrived and sits safely in one of my 7" bins. 

The only thing I'll really miss about Facebook is getting to flex my music collection and knowledge as I did in a group called Present Listening where people post whatever they are listening to, as the name suggests, presently. It's a group where music and record store nerds could congregate and commiserate. So maybe I'll use this space to that. Now, without further ado, The Pastels covering Silver Jews: