As I said last time there will be a new record next year, which I teased about, called The Solid State Siren. As the title implies it will be a 100% electronic production. After spending 3 years focusing completely on “acoustic” instruments, ie. writing for an orchestra, I wanted to do something of a 180. This is not as easy as it sounds.

I am not by nature an “electronica” kind of guy. As you know, I do not like much of the music that is created by computers and synthesizers these days simply because it is so mechanical and shallow. Part of my distaste is because I am frightened that such music accurately reflects the state of the world or rather the state of people in the world.

So my first attempts at writing after Detroit sounded very much like the stuff I have always written—just done with MORE SYNTHS! Oy. This is suspiciously like what happened when I started working on Detroit. Different bread; same sandwich. Worse than boring. […]

So it’s been a while since I checked in. As per usual, apologies all round. And as per usual, the reason being, the ongoing health issues. It’s not that I’m doing poorly, it’s just that getting back to the traveling has predictably taken some getting used to. If you ordered spots at the remaining shows you’ll be glad to know that things are going smoothly and I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy what we have cooked up.

Next…

Now, regarding a quick post I made a few months back. Next year there should be a new record. Actually there should be two new records. The first will actually be a video compendium. I’m finally getting around to editing the live performance footage from back when the band was together (2007) and also the full orchestra performance of Open Your Eyes from 2006. And to top it off I’ll have some footage of solo concerts from both then and now that are not exactly ‘professional’ quality but I […]

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/jan-june13/artists_06-27.html

Watch Performing Artists Compete, Move, Adapt in Tough Economy on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

See this? Do you wanna know what this is? Do you like what you see? 😀 I’ll tell ya what it is. It’s the look of real commitment, baby. Writ large and in the flesh. (Well, at least the flesh of my left pinky; but still.)

It also means that I’ve actually been practicing hard enough to break something… which in the good ol’ days always used to be a good sign. Currently I choose to believe it’s not a sign that I’ve become totally accident prone and that everything is gonna go smoother than teflon.

Practice is a heck of a thing. I rant quite a lot about education and I’ve had my share of students who think I’m too hard. But it’s my belief that no matter what anyone tells ya, mind-numbing repetitive practice is an important part of mastery. So you better like it. Or learn to like it. As Pete Rose liked running out ground balls.

We Make Learning […]

Had a chance to add one more show to the traveling circus and I’m goin’ for it! I have to confess that I have a hidden agenda. In addition to having a really beautiful venue in the hills, I see it as a once in a lifetime chance to see the America’s Cup. 😀 As I write this, I think we have room for about fifteen more intrepid souls.

So… go to the Come To My Town page or Contact Me to sign up now!