cartesian nostalgia

from a performers point of view this weekend’s RealNewMusic 2008 festival was one one of those rare events that was a joy to participate in from start to finish. no backstage drama, rivalries, one-upmanship or back handed compliments. walking in to soundcheck and seeing scott mcintosh (pbe partner in crime) playing in john mahr’s group (brother mallard) brought back a wave of nostalgia from when the three of us used to play in csuf’s diverse instrument ensemble (d.i.e.)

also performing sat night was steve moshier’s liquid skin ensemble. both steve and janine livingston (who were members of the original cartesian reunion memorial orchestra ((crmo)) and have been playing together for close to 25 years). this was the first show that we ever played together and i was happy to finally hang out with steve and have a chat longer than a handshake or a online exchange.

thanks again to shane cadman for bringing in another successful year of producing the RNM festival. i also need to thank shane for pushing me to apply for the redcat spring studio. i usually don't have pieces (new and unperformed) that fit those more "official" festivals and thought it would be an interesting experience to write something on a pretty quick deadline for a change. (like many of my movie brethern)

its also worth pointing out (and getting back to the nostalgia) that before becoming the new music impressario that he is today, back in the 80's shane (as well as scott and john) used to play in the illustrious theatre orchestra (ito) that was playing gig’s at royce hall and getting regular airplay on kcrw and kusc (which used to have a great alt-classical radio show hosted by bonnie grice). although i really miss the crmo and the ito, on saturday night it was easy to see and hear that the "carteisan school" is alive and well in all of our groups.

requiem for a high homicide enclave

requeim for a homicide crime enclave from paul bailey on Vimeo.
(trailer)

Requiem for a High Crime Enclave is a deconstruction of Purcell's Funeral Music for Queen Mary (1694) based on excerpts from the from the LA Times Homicide Report which documents every murder that takes place in Los Angeles County using blog posts, comments, and Google Maps.

(this version is probably best viewed full screen)

Saturday May 17th and Sunday May 18th, 8:30pm
Roy and Edna Disney/Calarts Theater (REDCAT)
631 W 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA

la times homicide report

assorted selections

tonight
april 23 2008, 8pm
csuf recital hall
d.i.e (diverse instrument ensemble)
cello, keyboard, clarinet and electric bass
lloyd rodgers director

selections:

assorted madrigals
caccini
nicole baker, mezzo-soprano soloist

assorted counterpoints
costanzo festa

chaconne in g minor
henry purcell

learning a new instrument

this spring continues to be a steady progression of ups and downs. the flu was a 5 week body blow to start the year and this past week (welcome spring!) allergies have been kicking my ass.

that all being said, i'm finally back to my routine of transcribing, writing and arranging except this time (instead of pencil and paper) i'm using my laptop (ableton live/macbook pro/midi keyboard) as my primary instrument. the purpose of putting aside the pencil and paper and transcribing music by ear (using the keyboard and recording directly into the software) i'm forcing myself to figure out how to recreate the sounds i'm hearing (and in the process figure out its strengths and weaknesses of the software). its interesting that this process of transcription is a a much more tactile experience you would think (instead figuring out a passage by playing it and then writing it down), by performing (while recording and then looping) each element of a piece, its a more viseral process that feels quite different and opens up my ears in some new ways. it also gives me an idea of how i can use this technology in a live performance.



what initially has got me so excited about this setup is the ability to perform modular pieces like Terry Riley's Rainbow Over Curved Air, Rweski's Les Moutons de Panurge or my Prinicple of Sufficient Irritation, looping live performances from a laptop and midi keyboard (instead of the racks of pedals) the end result is an electronic instrument that functions as a very flexible continuo.

another problem with performing electronically is that the instrument choices are limiting also. right now there are really two main choices... either a keyboard (which is not especially bad, but doesn't give you all the options that the technology implies) or a midi pad controllers.



i'm really intereted in korg's new kaossilator "dyanmic phase synthesizer" which is basically an x/y graph style melodic sound generator. i'm (and others i think) are still searching for a simple and intuitive interface so that you can perform live. some recent examples are the monome and yamaha's tenori-on.

obviously some of the issues that comes up with using any looping instrument is its ability to be performed with other instruments. by seeing some local bands using pedals and laptops i finally think the technology has caught up to what was in the air in the late 60's and 70's. ninja academy is a good example of a two-person rock band that has one of the most virtuosic examples of looping live instruments that i have seen. i'll be going into rehearsal with this new setup and should get a better idea of what works for me by trial and error. i've setup a twitter feed on the right to post impressions and snippets along the way.

the pbe is we!

pbe l-r (matt menaged, pb, ryan nunes, bruce gallego, john mahr, scott mcintosh)

is was a year since we played at mr. t's and was really happy to see many of the "regulars" again.

no new shows to announce right now, but for the next few months i'm going to be editing and mixing on the life's too short cd. i'm also going to be working on a few side projects that will embrace my electronic tendencies, i'll give more details after a few rehearsals.

also, i also just talked to martin perlich and our radio interview has been rescheduled to next wed from 4:00-4:30 pm. we are going to talk about the retrace our steps cd and this whole alt/garage band philosophy.

KCSN-FM
ARTS & ROOTS RADIO
listen online

the pbe is we!

duck

"If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands."

-douglas adams

today
radio interview with martin perlich
today 4pm (pacific)
rebroadcast thursday evening at 6:30pm
KCSN-FM
ARTS & ROOTS RADIO
listen online

tomorrow
pbe with unpopable
mr. t's bowl
9pm show (pbe @10pm)
5621 1/2 figueroa blvd.
highland park 90042
(between ave 56 and ave 57; parking and entrance in the back)

setlist
bonedance, rodgers
myinnersatan, bailey
chaconne, brenner
fearless leader, bailey
cheap admiration, bailey
principle of sufficient irritation, bailey
the national anthem, radiohead

pbe

scott mcintosh, clarinet
paul bailey, trombone
john mahr, keyboard
ryan nunes, vibes
bruce gallego, electric guitar
matt menaged, bass

fearless leader

pbe live at csuf 092507
scott mcintosh, clarinet
bruce gallego, electric guitar
matt menaged, electric bass
eric hendrickson, piano
paul bailey, tbone

latest mp3's from the csuf show and lacc show:

lacc, 100207 cheap admiration, fearless leader, eye for optical theory, principal of sufficient irritation, sweater song

csuf, 092507

fearless leader, eye for optical theory, principal of sufficient irritation (with real quiet), les moutons de panurge(with real quiet)

principal of sufficient irritation

pbe with real quiet
meng hall
csuf
september, 25th 2007

download the mp3.

more coming soon...

how wonderful is brian ferneyhough?

so this is the post where i'm supposed to give you some special reason to come to our next show on tuesday september 25th. i just got back from a really great rehearsal and ready to start spreading the propaganda.

with the traffic in southern cal i know it takes a special kind of person to drive anywhere after a long day of work. the real question is why is this concert worth attending? first off we are sharing the concert with the new kids on the block of new music (NKOTBNM or as they liked to be called real quiet) the nyc based chamber group is making its first los angeles/oc appearance the just released their new album tight sweater (featuring the music of marc mellits)which is pretty frakkin' great. besides mellits music they are playing music of phil kline, and annie gosfield.

as for the pbe. i'm kinda surprised that we are even playing this show. last may it looked like curtains for the us, carl, ryan and bruce would all be leaving the pbe after graduation. thankfully bruce decided to stay for the time being and our original bass player matt menaged moved back into town this summer. this lineup is a powerhouse and has gelled quite nicely. i'd say its pbe 3.o.

so what about the show? or as they used to say "where's the beef?"our goals are very consistent and simple. we want to entertain you, we want to make you think and we want to have a great time performing music that we wouldn't get to play anywhere else. entertainment wise, its the strongest set we have yet played. as a show its got something for everybody; garage band jam's, covers, vocal fun and some modular improvisation. so go ahead see for yourself...

cheap admiration-
its technically a harmonic deconstruction of johann pezel's sonata ciacona in B. its a great introduction to what we do and always lets the audience know we are more garage band than chamber group.

fearless leader-
this tune has had more versions than a cat has lives. it started very unsuccessfully as an ambitious modular experiment that failed miserably in a live reviewed performance at whittier college (thanks again to the oc register's tim mangan for a really polite review of that debacle). over time it became more of an orchestration study. its not a perfect piece, but at the time i think i was creatively blocked and i looked at finishing it as a challenge to overcome. i keep asking the group if they want to take it out of the set, but they seem to like it more than me.

eye for optical theory
this probably has to be one of my favorite michael nyman tunes. i have never been able to find a score of it, so one summer i decided to write it down. its based on a repeated ground bass (kind of like fearless leader) and about halfway through i realized his "trick" is that he only was using combination of about 8-9 repeated melodies. my version plays on this and i just started with my sheet of melodies and hooked them together like lego's to make my own version. in last nights rehearsal i added a call and response introduction where our keyboard player eric plays one of the antecedent licks and we play its consequent answer. we play this game until he wants to start the piece and then plays the first line in octaves to let us know to go on. its fun way to bring a little life to one of our fluffier pieces. i also strongly feel that a night of any one composers music can be pretty exhausting. a little nyman along the way sets up the rest of the show really well.

life's too short
this is the showpiece of the night. its one of the few compositions that i have written that came out effortlessly fully composed and orchestrated. in our first rehearsal we played it head to toe without stopping once. its a pretty damn good piece and i'm still couldn't tell you how i wrote it. what is it about? self actualization through nihilism, nietzsche meet tony robbins. its in english. you will be able to understand the text. its over the top. its funny. its in your face.

in many ways i think its a conceptually a reaction of going to a very well performed master chorale concert in which all the music was by american composers but none of it was in english. everything was well written and orchestrated, but the concept of having your audience sit and listen to some "secret code" was insane. scanning the crowd from the back row of disney hall this performances seemed more dehumanizing as the evening wore on. the audience wanted to like it, and seemed desperate to connect with the music. (it was beautiful) but what kind of conversation goes on for an two hours in a variety of assorted foriegn languages? sitting in the audience felt like a strange ritual listening to an evening of recently composed choral music without theater or narrative.

anytime you add vocalists to anything its like hearding cats. on most nights the energy they add to an instrumental show can be hard to control. when they come on stage its easy for me to forget my job (the cues and conducting) because i really love to hear them sing. over time i realized that once i get them to the middle of most pieces we loosen up and have a lot of fun on the back end.

principle of sufficient irritation (11/25/05)
this is probably or favorite piece. its written in a modular style with a variety pre-composed melodic syncopated and ostinato lines. (terry riley's in C is the most famous example). overall its more similar to the improvisational process used in tv shows like curb your enthusiasm or any of christopher guest's wonderful movies. the piece has a very clear beginning middle and end and we all know our responsibilities in each section. for instance i play some melody in the first section, lead the group into the canon in the middle, and play ostinatos in the third. how and what i'll play i can choose every night. over time there are happy accidents that turn the piece in new directions. each new player that comes in also brings their own personality into the piece. one of the good things about 11/25 is that its got a nice rhythmic/melodic turn when it we start moving from the submediant to the tonic moving from a hard charging 6/8 to 3/4. (and back to the original opening statement) while it serves as a very energetic totem that no matter how the evening is going that once we get rolling towards that 'turn' its a very simple engine that creates quite a lot of energy. some nights we even feel like we can levitate the stage during this section which is the whole reason i got into this racket.

are you sold yet? still skeptical? i know i have been to more bad new music concerts than i count. please don't hold that against me. i hated them also. how about if i sweeten the deal with a guarantee (of course i can't really afford to give you a money back offer... i'm only public employee) if you don't like the show i'll buy you a beer, i just don't want to hear about how wonderful brian ferneyhough is.

pbe and real quiet, 092507, csuf 8pm

California State University Fullerton Tuesday, September 25th 2007 paul bailey ensemble with real quiet meng concert hall 8pm tickets $10 ($5 advance) setlist paul bailey ensemble program to be selected from: cheap admiration, bailey fearless leader, bailey eye for optical theory, nyman life's too short, bailey (libretto) principle of sufficient irritation (11/25/05), bailey (with real quiet) sweater song, weezer bruce gallego, electric guitar, eric hendrickson, keyboards, scott mcintosh, clarinet, matt menaged, electric bass, paul bailey, trombone with nicole baker, mezzo-soprano, sean mcdermott, tenor and paul cummings, bass real quiet Annie Gosfield: Wild Pitch Phil Kline: The Last Buffalo 1 - Fear and Trembling 2 - Loathing 3 - The Last Buffalo Marc Mellits: Tight Sweater 1 - Exposed Zipper 4 - Pickle Trousers 5 - Evil Yellow Penguin 6 - Mechanically Separated Chicken Parts Frederic Rzewski: Les Moutons de Panurge (with pbe) david cossin, percussion, felix fan, cello, andrew russo, piano Real Quiet is a three man band dedicated to creating an exclusive repertoire of hard- edge acoustic and electric music by today's leading composers. The three members- percussionist David Cossin, cellist Felix Fan and pianist Andrew Russo- are each highly accomplished soloists and chamber musicians dedicated to the advancement of contemporary music. Since their debut in 2004 performing Annie Gosfield's 'Wild Pitch' in New York City, RQ has appeared in the U.S., Europe and Asia premiering works by numerous composers. Their first commercial recording, 'Tight Sweater', featured the works of Marc Mellits - NPR Pick of the Week, "Real Quiet, a trio that offers a suprisingly wide range of timbres seemingly ideal for this music. (N.Y. Times)".

that was a great show yesterday, here are some of the highlights:

1. my apologies for sending bruce gallego (pbe guitar) on unexpected tour of east-la trying to find the gallery
2. i was surprised that kathy hargraves (dangerous curve gallery owner) was able to kick a film shoot off her street because they didn't have the proper permits (especially on a sunday in downtown la). later we paid the price when the rent-a-cops and production trucks continually circled the gallery trying to disrupt the show. only in la
3. its been real fun having nicole baker (mezzo-diva/musicologist) premier both retrace our steps and life's too short. if you are to study music history you might as well make it also.
4. david borden should send john marr and norm weston a case of beer for all the hard work they have done performing his music. its hard to believe that this was only their 3rd show.
5. we have good recordings and videos from the show, give me a few weeks for them to find their way online.
6. the life's too short premier felt like a 3rd or 4th performance. i was able to make quite a few small edits that cleaned up much of the piece.

i know i mentioned that we are going on hiatus because the possible departures of carl and/or bruce. i was surprised and encouraged by the immediate concerned reactions about when we will perform life's too short again. don't worry, i'm really happy with it and hope to perform it again soon (maybe july and/or sept) i can see keeping things going if for a few more shows to tie things up, but adding new members is a lot like dating. i have enjoyed playing with this group so much (carl, bruce, eric, and scott) that i can't see replacing anybody.

i'm not done with this performing thing, i still plan to perform and put a group out there, just not called the pbe. who knows maybe it will be laptop and cowbell, but one way or another this is what i do. i can't survive without it.

the next two weeks i'm locking carl and bruce in the studio to record our playlist from the last two years. then back into the studio for the final cleanup mixing and mastering of retrace our steps. the graphic libretto for retrace is also coming along fine and jared and i should be able to finish it this summer. its been a busy year and there is just is not enough time to get everything done. now its time to finish these recording projects. it will be great when we everybody can hear the results of the last two years.

Do you like artsy experimental but are tired of John Zorn wannabes?

its a show week, final exams and student teacher fun at csuf so not much time for blogging.

btw... we just got a nice plug in whitehot magazine for sunday's show at dangerous curve in downtown la . i especially like the log-line.

Tired of going to the opera house? Tired of the concert hall setting? Don’t like to dress up nice and act pretentious? Do you like artsy experimental but are tired of John Zorn wannabes?

jump

monday morning quarterback

csuf's d.i.e. had a pretty good show last wed night in which we premiered david toub's piece this piece intentionally left blank. i thought it was a very effective composition and pretty good first performance. enjoy the mp3.

this performance represented the best of social networking and was made possible by david having a well designed website with scores and mp3's. he also is very smart by having some pieces in open c score that are easily adapted to any instrumentation (most pbe music is written this way) which is the point of the diverse instrument ensemble.

anyway ,it was a challenging but fun piece to play and great example of the exchange of ideas by making your music public. i look forward to playing more of music like this and encourage others to follow.

d.i.e. (diverse instrument ensemble) 050907

diverse instrument ensemble
california state university, fullerton
wednesday may 9th, recital hall 8pm

this piece intentionally left blank
david toub

bon jour, bon mois
flos florum
resvellies vous et faites chiere lye
guillaume dufay

gnossienne nos. 1-3
erik satie

piano concerto in f minor (bwv 1056)
j.s. bach

veronica paez-oboe, michael lassarre-alto sax, dora skidmore, french horn, paul bailey-trombone, brian madigan-bass guitar, ryan nunes-vibraphone, carl stronach-vibraphone, nicole baker, alto soloist (dufay), lloyd rodgers, conductor

principle of sufficient irritation @csuf 04/11/07

as time allows i'm going to start posting videos from our concerts.
the first one up is from our recent march concert at csuf.



next show is this saturday with dorian wood at the studio of known aim.
we will be workshopping our new piece life's too short as well as playing a the new version of fearless leader.


SATURDAY, APRIL 21
PBE and DORIAN WOOD

www.dorianwood.com
myspace.com/dorianwood

LIVE at the Studio With Known Aim
2522 Sunset Blvd. (corner of Sunset & Rampart in Echo Park)
Doors open at 8pm
Shows from 9pm-Midnight
Google Map

$5 donation
DRINKS! SNACKS!
Pillows recommended for sitting.

PBE:
paul bailey-trombone
bruce gallego-electric guitar
eric hendrickson-keyboard
scott mcintosh-clarinet
carl stronach-electric bass

the cartesian reunion "school" (a short history of a long tradition 1979-present)

Although I have decided to at least temporarily continue to make my music available, I am entirely finished with the music establishment. No mainstream American music institution will be permitted to perform my work (Not that there's much chance of it anyway). Why? Because it's a rigged game and because it's run by the elite; the same people who profit from dead Iraqi women and children. Some of the same people who stage terror attacks. Am I saying that, for instance, Esa-Pekka Solonen is a terrorist? No, but I am saying he works for terrorists, among others. I don't want that job.Publish

william houston- socal composer/music director/bomb thrower

the above statement could sound like sour grapes from a bitter artist who has not been 'anointed' by the mainstream. knowing a little about our little antisocial 'club' can put this bomb-throwing statement into a proper context.

in any type of music making, being an independent/alternative artist means that we don't accept the status quo. "the content of the media (composition/creation) is irrelevant, the form of the medium is what changes our consciousness." marshall mcluhan's statement that the medium is the message means as much today as when it was first thrown (1964) into the public discourse. technology makes it possible to freely bypass the 'official' delivery systems of art music (through bittorrent, youtube, myspace, and blogs like this), while we freely compose, perform and distribute our compositions and performances however we like.

unlike some students who sit in the back of the class quietly waiting to be called on, we do not wait. our current situation hearkens back to an outdated patronage system based on control and that expects everybody to know their place. today, for most composers, getting music performed means that the music is submitted for approval by committee. in this world musicians are expected to audition for the privilege to perform. some of us have chosen the alternate path, the path less traveled (and of course less profitable).

everybody knows where the 'money' (though not easy money) is. if you play by their rules you can be in their club. we have chosen to bypass the 'approved' media of the art music delivery system (concert hall and orchestra). we have chosen to form our own institutions, and perform in our own venues. i'm proud to be a member of this loose collective of southern californians that have been composing and performing an alternative/art music that has been largely undocumented for almost 30 years.

as you can see below, our little 'club' has grown over the years to make music for our own ensembles on our own terms. now it should be easy to see the teeth behind Bill Houston's words. Starting in 1979 the founding members of the Cartesian Reunion Memorial Orchestra (Michael Bayer, Chuck Estes, Douglas Hein, William Houston, Steve Moshier, Frank Riddick, and Lloyd Rodgers) have blazed a trail through many actions and few words, lending force to the credo: "say little, do much." when every once in a while one of them pops into the zeitgeist with something to say, we might want to listen.

a short history of southern california new music ensemble-based composer collectives

Cartesian Reunion Memorial Orchestra (1979-1992)
this groundbreaking group featured compositions by Michael Bayer, Chuck Estes, Douglas Hein, William Houston, Steve Moshier, Frank Riddick, and Lloyd Rodgers. at various times, the orchestra featured musicians Jannine Livingston, harpsichord; John Glenn, bass; Lloyd Rodgers, clarinet and keyboard; Douglas Hein, acoustic guitar; Diana Halpern, violin; Joeseph Goodman, violin; and Michael Baer, violincello

Domes (1987-1990)

performance orchestra featuring the works of Jeff Fairbanks, Mary Thompson, Michael Coleman, Alysse Sanner, Chris Tardif, Martin Tardif, and Stuart Miller. featuring performers William Houston, vocals; Martin Tardif, electric bass; Dave Black, string bass; Steve LaCoste, flute; Jeff Fairbanks and Steve LaCoste, percussion; Joe Bouchard, guitars; Brian Beshore, violin; Eric Berkqvist, bass trombone; Diane Barkauskas, accordion/keyboard; and William Houston, keyboard.

William Houston Ensemble (1988)
Alan Lechusza, saxes; Diane Barkauskas, accordion; and William Houston, keyboard.

Illustrious Theatre Orchestra (1992-1999)
Shane Cadman, Paul Greenhaw, John Hoover (composers); Shane Cadman, tenor saxophone, keyboard; Christine Dietrich, vocals; Paul Greenhaw, keyboard; John Hoover, baritone sax; Scott Mcintosh, clarinet; Douglas Fairbanks, keyboard; and others.

Liquid Skin Ensemble/Steve Moshier (1998-present)
Steve Moshier, vibes; John Glenn, bass; Jannine Livingston, keyboard; and others

Lloyd Rodgers Group (1993-present)

Lloyd Rodgers, keyboard; John Glenn, bass guitar; Bruno Cilloniz, vibes and percussion; Gary Hung, violin; Mellisa Rodgers, trumpet; and Luigi Cilloniz, marimba and percussion. other members have included Sean Ferguson, electric guitar; and Paul Greenhaw, vibes

Music Action Corps (2001-2003)
composer collective featuring the music of Sean Ferguson, electric guitar; Matt Menaged, bass guitar; Bruno Cilloniz, vibes and percussion; Jeremy Reinbolt, vibes and percussion; and Eric Hendrickson, keyboard

paulbaileyensemble (2002-present)
featuring works by Paul Bailey and other composers, living and dead, performed by Scott Mcintosh, clarinet; Carl Stronach, bass guitar/vibes; Bruce Gallegos, electric guitar; Ryan Nunes, vibes; Eric Hendrickson, keyboard. other members include Sean Ferguson, electric guitar; Matt Menaged, bass guitar; Nelson Ojeda, keyboard; Bruno Cilloniz, vibes; Sam Formicola, violin; Sam Fisher, violin; Shalini Vijayan, violin; Feranado Vela, viola; and Christopher Searight, bari sax. vocalists include Nicole Baker, Nike St. Clair, Susan Taylor Mills, Karen Hogle, Sean Mcdermott, and Paul Cummings.

Counterpoint Culture/Jon Brenner (2005-present)
Yemila Alvarez, flute; Xico Castaño, clarinet; Mike Lasserre, saxophone; Dave Kurutz, guitar; Carl Stronach, percussion; and Jon Brenner, electric bass.

Paul Greenhaw Duo (2006-present, nyc)
Paul Greenhaw and Sean Ferguson, keyboards

Diverse Instrument Ensemble (D.I.E, 1992-present)

A California State University Fullerton chamber ensemble (the barbarians are at the gates) founded by Lloyd Rodgers to serve as an alternative outlet for all of the university's musicians to receive chamber ensemble training through exposure to a wide variety of great music by (mostly) dead composers. over the years the d.i.e has become a de facto training ground for many of these composers and ensembles. d.i.e alumni include:

Yemila Alvarez, Paul Bailey, Jon Brenner, Bruno Cilloniz, Luigi Cilloniz, Sean Ferguson, Paul Greenhaw, Eric Hendrickson, Gary Hung, Mike Lasserre, Scott McInstosh, Ryan Nunes, Veronica Paez, Melissa Rodgers, Carl Stronach, and Nicole Baker (faculty guest soloist)

my apologies to any who have been omitted. please feel free to send your corrections and comments along

piano seat failure

bravo to all lrg and pbe. great show last night.

the performance covered all the things that you want to have on a good night. we had a stress free soundcheck, great dinner hang and pre-show group text message to pbe alum (srf in the nyc), that was topped off with a great show. its nice that a few small distractions don't bother us anymore (my music disappeared between the soundcheck and performance). its usually something that pops up and after a while you start to worry that if nothing happens before the show tonight its going to happen in the show (exploding bass strings, piano seat failure). its not that we played error free, but with these musicians when problems started to creep up, all it took was a little eye contact to get the car back onto the road.

now we go back and finish the recording. over spring break i'm going to give retrace our steps one final push and will complete it hell or high water. if all goes well we will play another show with the lloyd rodgers group at the dangerous curve gallery and play with the cat hair ensemble and dorian wood at mr. t's bowl before june 1st.

friends and family

just got back from playing our first private party/wedding reception for the illustrious trumpet player andrew duncan (cat hair ensemble, the wedding's off). playing shows for other musicians and their families is always fun, and this night didn't disappoint. parking was hilarious, once we dropped of the equipment it was a few shuttle trips up and down the hill to assemble the band and after a few beers we got our energy back and were ready to go. its nice to be playing again after spending the spring recording. as promised a few of the tunes (cheap admiration, myinnersatan) are now online in their premix demo form. we have never played any tighter and this is the best lineup of the pbe. i'm not going to give you that sob story about how hard it is to run a group. that is part of the game, the vig you pay to get on stage and if it were easy everybody could do it. there have been far more accomplished players that have played in every chair in my group, but it took me a long time to realize that technique is overrated compared to the chemistry between players.

i think i'm a performance junkie. getting back on stage makes me start planning when and where we can perform again. i sometimes wonder if i write music just to get on stage. no, its not a "look at me thing", but a desire to be a part of that energy that only comes playing live. i know it fills a hole somewhere, watching other great bands performing live does the same. the new cat hair tune "company time" also filled that hole tonight. unfortunately tomorrow the glass is turned over and we start again. right now i'll take being a glass is half full guy. life is meant to be endured (to make us appreciate the small moments of happiness)

anyway... our next show is at csuf this thursday night at 8pm with the lloyd rodgers group.

program notes are up.

sprint to the finish

yesterday i hit burnout.

it was the first day since last summer that i did nothing. no writing, lesson plans, or practicing... it's probably a week too early, but i need to get in the right frame of mind so the thanksgiving break isn't a waste. i need to finish up the retrace cd, start recording the next cd and catch up on some research. thinking about all these projects makes stressed. i gotta get some mental rest so i can be productive.

teaching wise, next week isn't a big deal, i'm tying up loose ends or giving the last exams of the semester before finals. i'm sorry this blog has been mostly silent this fall. you probably cannot tell but i have been very fulfilled creatively and professionally. even writing this i know i have many other things i should be doing. hopefully over break i can pause enough to write more.

as for the pbe, we are consistently playing at a high level every show, i'm really proud how everybody has grown into their new roles. a year ago going to rehearsal used to be like herding cats, but this lineup has matured far beyond their individual experience or musical backgrounds. i also am excited about the new piece life's too short, more on that to come later...

we also have a show this sunday night. keyboardist hans fjellestad ( solo moog synth & vacuum tubes ), is opening the evening and the matt margucci duo will close the night. i really feel lucky to have hans opening the show. you can read more about him in this wiki .

past and future (good times)

thanks again to all who came out to last night. its great to play for such a big and enthusiastic crowd. where else can you see somebody serenade a ikea lamp, alt-classical garage band and band with balloon bass? thanks again to dorian wood and unpopable for their unique and wonderful performances.

because of the success of last nights show, i'm probably going to start hosting an early show on 2nd sundays of each month. we just have a few details to work out, but if all goes well the next night would be october 8th. the goal is to promote other bands like us who don't really fit in on "rock nite". kind of the 'bad news bears' musical cabaret.

we also have a good recording and video of the show. look for parts of it to be posted online over the next week or two.

our next show is sept 14th with ninja academy at midnite. on sept. 17th i'm going to be sitting in with the cat hair ensemble at safari sams. show starts around 7pm. we also are looking playing a few other clubs starting in oct and i'll also be sharing a faculty recital at csuf on march 15th.

the retrace cd is picking up steam...
i'm just starting work on creating a graphic novel illustrated libretto. we also recently rerecorded some vibe and bass clarinet parts because of mic bleed in the original recording session. the first two movements need one more mixing pass and i need to finish comping the vibe and bcl parts in mvt. 3 and 4. right now i would say we are about 85% done with the whole project.

we also have started laying down tracks of all the new music we are playing. i hope to have most of it recorded by jan. this cd will be much less complex and will feature the smaller six-piece ensemble that has been playing in the clubs. if all goes well we could have the demo's out by summer.

besides all of this, its great to be back in school. classes are going well and i have started out on an ambitious project by overhauling how i teach my musicianship classes this fall. i spent all summer reading all the research that was out there and emailing some of the experts. the final result is an interesting cross that brings my jazz training and current music education research, with my secondary school classroom experience.

i have a much longer post on this to come, but basically i have brought instruments into eartraining class. in past semesters i found that most my time was spent encouraging students work on eartraining at home with their primary instrument. i also know that the level we expect most students to come in at is probably never going to happen (especially at a state school). i could put my head in the sand and complain about how my students cannot hear anything or adjust my methods to teach the class that is in front of me. so far i think they are hanging on (its still very early), but anything i can do to lower the stress level and give them tools to develop great ears is probably the most important thing i could do.

notes and updates

added a new blog to the blogroll today. "notes from the kelp" from my the malibu based composer alex shapiro

we are in rehearsals for our next big show on sunday, feb 12th 7pm at beyond baroque in venice. its our first gig on the "westside" in a space larger than a living room. $5 students and seniors, $7 adults.

the evening will feature mezzo soprano soloist nicole baker performing my vocal spectacle retrace our steps

opening the concert will be daniel gall's composer/performer collective synchromy

and

to put this in perspective

my dog javier is getting all the hits on the websitefor the past few weeks. if you search not a bad day in google images his picture comes up. i'm not really sure why this happens, but its good to know there is a rising star in the family.

why isn't this more common?

diverse instrument ensemble(d.i.e)
california state universtity fullerton 12/07/05

sopra la chiccona tarquinio merula (1635)
sinfonia iv allesandro scarlatti (1715)
passacaglia johann fredrich meister (1691)

intermission

jacqui (transcribed solo) clifford brown (1955)
tread on the trail (dedicated to sonny rollins) terry riley
(1965, rev. 2000)

brian madigan, bass
pam gadaire, guitar
xico castano, clarinets
veronica paez, oboe
marissa peshkepia, clarinet
ryan nunes, vibraphone
carl stronach, vibraphone
michael lassarre, alto saxophone
lloyd rodgers, conductor

music shouldn't be preserved in an airtight glass display case
why isn't this more common?

set it free

thanksgiving came early

thanksgiving to came early last night at t's. those of you who made it, great frakkin show!!!!

after a good show that probably shouldn't have come off we should give thanks. so round the horn here it goes:

thanks to all the great bands. when i grow up i want to be all of you! pour gasoline in my ass? i cannot wait!!

thanks to ing who closed the place down, you are the first guys to sound check a typewriter at t's. the first!!! great show!!!

thanks to the evangenitals (see you soon!) who write such great lyrics that make smile, laugh and sing all night!

thanks to artichoke who somehow lost the female part of their group during the evening and on an inspired male testosterone fueled show that had everybody dancing!

thanks to the sirens who made us remember what it was like to be young and fun!!! (really their combined ages equaled 21)

thanks to the cat-hair ensemble for showing the softer, ironic and non car burning side of franco-american inspired salon music.

thanks to my own pbe for sticking around afterwards to plan world domination over the ever growing alternative classical garage band consumer market.

thanks to arlo for being the best sound guy i know who always finds something exciting about each evening and letting me leave early to take my drunk sister home

thanks to the artists, members and arroyo arts artists collective tour participants who braved all the gossip and actually came down the hill and found our club. it was great seeing so many of you who live in nela come by and enjoy a great night of music!

lloyd rodgers group at occca, fri nov 18th-arroyo arts collective music festival and discovery tour, sunday nov 20th

the lloyd rodgers group is performing their new video/music theater spectacle this friday at the orange county center for contemporary art (occca) at 9pm.

guns into mexico is a reworking of catastrophe of meaning, (2001) a collaboration of lloyd rodgers and video artist paul greenhaw. mp3s can be found on the website.

the pbe is playing (and hosting) the first annual arroyo arts collective music festival this sunday at mr. t's bowl. show starts at 6pm. each bands is scheduled to perform on the hour.

6pm start

paul bailey ensemble
cat hair ensemble
the sirens
artichoke
the evangenitals
ing

the show part of the collective's highly successful artists discovery tour/open house in highland park (northeast los angeles)
this year over 100 artists open up their studios to show their paintings and sculptures, ceramics, collage, computer graphics, screen-printed clothing, photography, letterpress, printmaking, installation pieces, fiber arts, gourd art, plein air painting, spray can art, interactive sound and visual performances, and a woman blacksmith.

The music festival is free (it serves as a wrap party for all the artists to hang after the tour)

Advance tickets for the discovery tour are $12 (day of tour $17): Order online at www.arroyoartscollective.org, or in person at Galco's Soda Pop Stop (5702 York Boulevard, Highland Park).

Tour day check-in at the Lummis Home (200 E. Avenue 43, Highland Park). See examples of artists' work, pick up a map with detailed information

mr. t's bowl 080705

sunday was family day at mr. t's bowl. the day started with a group/spouse/girlfriend dinner at our local thai dinner spot before the sound check. we don't get to hang enough, so anytime we all can get together is real special.

one of the great benefits of playing in a club is that all you have to worry about is the soundcheck. i didn't have to worry about selling tickets, icing the beer, setting up chairs, etc... damn its so easy just to show up and plug in. sunday afternoon we decided to mic the clarinet, trombone and vibes because on friday night i realized that the pa system would make it impossible for scott to be heard. so we used the string mics and they worked pretty well. i need a better device to attach to the mic to the clarinet, but scott's life was so much better. he didn't have to push and we ended up taking down a few parts because of the amplification. i still have to work on a simple micing solution for the vibes. most stage mics aren't really designed for that. i know that some people are kinda freaked when we are all "electric", we do lose many of the great overtones in an acoustic performance, but the main reason we mic the group is that when the volume level gets really high we don't want the vibes and winds (and strings) to disappear. having the ability to get to that high energy level (through electricity) is the whole point of having an amplified keyboard, electric and bass guitars.

the show was a blast. as i walked off the stage the clubs owner had a six-pack of corona's w/limes in her hand. "could we play another set... please!" damn, i wish we had more music. but the hour we played was almost too much to learn this summer. we really had no idea how playing in a club would turn out. until then i was very stressed, and i think it rubbed off on everybody else. its easy to feel like the bad news bears coming into a new situation, but we had a good turnout of many friends and family. playing at the t's was so much fun. the vibe much different than the concert hall and it reminded me of playing in jazz and blues bands.
it also doesn't suck that you can sit back and order a drink during the show. i don't even mind if you run for a refill. most importantly, we are going to play there again soon, i just need to work out the details. for now, i'm content to develop the at a single club like mrt's before taking the show around town.

enjoy the show mp3's

palimpsest (new version)

cheap admiration

seven (eric hendrickson)

sweater song (weezer/bailey)

on a side note yesterday was recovery, sleep and lesson plans (school starts in two weeks). as a special reward i had been wanting to go to the renowned pie and burger in pasadena. i was enjoying myself having lunch and catching up on the local alternative news. i even had a "la" moment and noticed john c. reilly (he is the best thing in magnolia, one my favorite but hugely flawed guilty pleasures) having lunch with his kids on the way out. that moment ended quickly when i hit a trash bin on the way out of the parking lot. anybody know a good body shop?