New Year
I think 2019 will be a good year and I look forward to living in the future! These recordings are from the past but they were played in the present.
Music is Fun
I am entertained! I've enjoyed some incredible performances over the past few months! Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Parts 1 and 2. Required a full day and night commitment (with thanks to Grandad for the childcare) but absolutely worth it. A captivating and magical show that establishes a new standard for Broadway. Awesome music by Imogen Heap. Jon Hopkins at Brooklyn Steel. Great sound for an audio wizard. Simple solo set up with great lights and projections. San Holo at Terminal 5: An extensive performance with guitar and vocals. Melodic and emotive. Circus Abyssinia at New Victory Theater: Extraordinary Ethiopian…
The Box
Unfinished, but functional! My basement studio construction project over the past two years has been a journey and I have learned a lot about building and soundproofing while fulfilling my dream of having a working sound-space in my home. I have always had a place to play music everywhere I've lived, but never a separate and dedicated room for the endeavor; today I sit inside it with great satisfaction! Finishing work remains (making a punch list for myself), but it has already become a musical laboratory. I can descend anytime my other obligations allow and let the jams flow! It…
Basement Studio
Ever since Miles moved into the room formerly known as my music room, I have been pushing forward on a plan to build a soundproof studio in the basement. It has taken me about 18 months of very slow progress to construct a floor and walls and I am currently in the drywall phase. With great thanks to Land Bandmates Seth and Erik, I transported 24 sheets of 5/8" drywall (probably 2000 lbs) to my front porch (full sheets won't fit down the basement stairs), where it has been cut and attached to the wood and metal staggered stud…
Summer = Concerts
I have had a delightful run of shows recently that warrant recognition. Prospect Park has been ripe with great offerings and I have seen several bands that really impressed me. Poliça and Yeasayer kicked off my season, Sufjan Stevens assembled a supergroup to perform his audiovisual opus, "Planetarium", Andrew Bird's looping violin entranced (although I was slightly distracted by my children, who were loving the late bedtime and large roaming range on the lawn with kids of all ages), Admiral T from Guadeloupe brought French dancehall and West Indian flavor (with bootleg rum punch making the rounds), while last night…
New Era
Making music because I can.
In the Moment of Truth
I spend a few minutes preparing an Ableton Live set with a variety of sounds then I hit record and start tapping pads on Push. The result is five to twenty minutes of improvised composition. I enjoy listening to the recordings, but not quite as much as I enjoy making them. The process is stream-of-consciousness and meditative; I am listening and responding in the moment, which means I cease to think about anything else and become entranced by my creation. It is a journey and it is, temporarily, the sole focus of my existence. In many ways, these recordings are…
Making Meaningful Music
Despite the many forces I am powerless to, I am still in charge of my music! It is my greatest non-human interaction and every day I continue my quest to produce the best aural art I possibly can. I have certainly enjoyed creating these cathartic and therapeutic spontaneous compositions over the past month and will dedicate myself to making more out of pure love for the process.
Sweetness
Summer is accelerating quickly! We have been Capeside for our annual 4th of July family weekend, bigger and greater than ever with the two newest Taylors, Miles and Julian. We spent a weekend camping in Vermont, had some friends to The Land, and enjoyed some pool and beach time in Bellport. We are headed up to Lake George on Thursday for a reprise of last year's raucous weekend with 20 of our closest friends, then a wedding and a week in Maine. And so soon, in a short paragraph, my Summer is complete. But these few sentences don't really do…
Doing What I Love To Do
These Summer weekends are extraordinarily delightful! Friday night was a rare mommy & daddy date night, seeing a musical we have been anticipating for years, Anais Mitchell's "Hadestown", which delivered a powerful and haunting score to accompany the myth of Orpheus' journey to the Underworld to save his love, Eurydice. Amazing performances and universal themes always make great art. Saturday morning we headed out to Bellport for some high-quality R&R with family and friends. Farm strolling, pool swimming, sailing, beaching, BBQ, and civil discussions about politics and futurism are all excellent ways to while away my weekends and I…