Bedtime
When it's late but I just want to play.
Flow
Driving on the BQE with my family yesterday, I heard the end of a TED Radio hour on NPR and some quotes from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, which I found very intriguing. He is a psychologist who has written extensively on a concept he refers to as "Flow"; describing it as losing oneself in an activity through complete focus and intrinsic motivation. I found it fascinating because I know exactly what he means and I feel it regularly when I compose music. Whenever I am able to fully concentrate on creating music, I have no other cares or desires; it is everything…
Indiana
Trump is mean. He is a racist, sexist bully and he is now the Republican candidate for President. I have been horrified to watch his ascent and I am truly sad and scared that so many people in this country that I love support him. Please, America, don't let fear and hate scare you into voting for this character. Make America Great Again? We are now and have always been so much greater than this disgusting persona. Choose Compassion. Embrace Love. Be Good.
My Kind of Friday
I love babysitting. Alaina is seeing The Crucible tonight, so I had the pleasure of putting the kids to bed by 8, then enjoying a quiet house for a few hours, spent making music and watching David Ortiz blast a Game-Winning HR against the Yankees. A perfect Friday night for the old man. This is tonight's production, which I truly loved creating.
Rock Stars
I snuck away for two great music events recently, both "reunion" shows after prolonged absences for LCD Soundsystem at Webster Hall and Ween at Terminal 5. LCD put on a grandiose farewell tour 5 years ago and Ween quit out-of-the-blue in 2012; I was sad to see them disappear, but they have returned as good as ever. Seeing them now is no different than in the first iteration, but my life has changed considerably with the birth of two kids! I took Ivy to Prospect Park to see my political hero, Bernie Sanders on Sunday. She is a huge Bernie…
Squirrels
One guitar as many.
Podcast
Over the past year, my music production has evolved from my typical process of recording, editing and arranging to spontaneous compositions, completely improvised and recorded live. Several factors have contributed to this shift: First, my family now consumes most of my free time, and my potential window for music creation has been reduced significantly. Not that I am complaining: as I've said before their presence in my life is the greatest joy that I could ever imagine, but it is amazing to think about the abundant time I spent making music in the evenings before they arrived. Spontaneous compositions offer…
Three From Tonight
Siblings.