Instagon #862; Golden Saguaro, Tucson AZ 1/17/2024

 

Having spent many minutes over the last several hours mentally processing my first live performance experience since Spring 2020, I figured it's time to write about that experience before it fades away from memory completely. Not that it was forgettable to me, because it wasn't. It's just become probably way too complicated within my perception of it to make much sense to anyone "out in the world" (plus, those "out in the world" are too busy and involved with their things for my thing to matter much, which is fine), and it will also be supplanted by other experiences as the days move on.  As regards my perceptions of Instagon #862 and more specifically my role in it, they're a jumble of emotions, objective observations, questions, realizations, and probably many more unnamed as yet mental tics. Don't want it to sound as if I didn't have a wonderful fun time at the very bitchin Golden Saguaro, because I certainly did have a great time on Landmark (for me) evening of January 17th, 2024. That being said, it was, again, an experience filled with many emotions, after years of waiting to be involved within activities that had been denied to me. 

As for the actual playing within Instagon #862, I can say that it was a blast to play a really nice drum kit, belonging to Dactyls drummer Asa. Sharing a stage with Lob, woodwinds player Chad Bush (awesome flute solos!) and guitarist Leland Vandermulen had me highly excited, and my playing probably reflected that. I was really inspired to include a small gong and China cymbal as integral pieces of the kit, along with drums and suspended cymbals. These were struck with mallets, sticks, brushes, and knitting needles. It's my hope that there was some kind of musical value within that playing for the other participants, on stage and off of it as well. Admission must be made that at times I had no idea what I was doing at all. After such a long break, it seems as though certain confidences will have to be rebuilt somehow. It'll be interesting to see if and how that transpires. 

Again, January 17th, 2024 was and will remain a very special date for me. Many thanks to Lob Instagon for asking me to participate, and also to the good people at Golden Saguaro for opening their space to us. 

Below: Lob tuning his pedals, so happy to see that again, I can't even tell you

Above: very nice drums 

Below: Lob and I, prepping for another Instagon set! 

Playing with Instagon this Wednesday in Tucson!

 

A very interesting turn of events. Lob Instagon moved to Arizona a few months before I did, in 2021. He's based in Miami, about an hour away from Tucson. Lob will be bringing Instagon here on Wednesday, 1/17. I will play drums for the set! 

Details: 

Instagon

Dactyls

Cultural Detox Syndicate

Golden Saguaro 609 East 6thSt. Tucscon 85705

I have no idea who will be at this show, and will probably only know Lob. That said, I'm looking forward to actually playing in public again. It will be fun.

New Infinite Plastic Internal music up at Archive.org!

 

https://archive.org/details/february-23-mastered-1-7-24-6.18-pm/february+23+mastered+-+1+7+24%2C+6.18+PM.mp3

Recent musical work done "out in the world". I had intended to put these three Infinite Plastic Internal tracks up at Bandcamp, but that platform is getting more and more annoying to me. So, a kind of rough version of it at Archive.org will have to suffice. I'm happy with the writing that I did for these three pieces, along with their recitations. Ruminations about loss, that's what's up with them. 

Many thanks to Fuzzy, a very talented Tucson-based musician, who opened his home studio to me for the realization of these tracks. It's cool to know you, dude.

More music up at Archive.org!

 

https://archive.org/details/cosmists-kosmischer-eissturm

While going through files the other day, I came upon this early Cosmists piece. It, and a lot of other ones, are up at Bandcamp but I won't be reloading much, if any, more of them to Archive.org. Just put this one up there because it's a cool glimpse into an enthusiastic time in my, and I think also Andrew's, musical life. 

Archive shot and musings.

 A shot of Eli Pontecorvo and me at the Berkeley Arts Festival Building. Extensive blogging was done here during three or four years' of events hosted by Mika Pontecorvo at the place. Fun times were had within that building and its nearby environs. Such a nice little corner of the realm. It's probably very different now, and that's what happens.

Currently I find myself in Tucson. It's been raining pretty steadily for over one full day now. The sights of the surrounding mountains swathed in clouds, a kind of slightly shimmery green (from the saguaro) reflection tinting them, is really lovely. Rain washed rocks glimmer in the muted light of day and from car headlights of evening. Drops hit puddles and reverberate for moments. There are such sights here. Don't even get me started on the sunsets and the way that they sometimes illuminate some of the grasses in our yard. 

This year is almost ended now. I still haven't played music in public. I have established one situation that has managed to last over one year now. It remains compelling to me; some of the sounds that this particular grouping gets are inspiring and very cool to me. Can't say if they'll ever be presented to some sort of public. Lately I've been shrugging, Tony Soprano style, and muttering "...what are you gonna do....". That verbal trope applies here. Situations that are organic must develop organically. A second musical situation that involves other people is brand new, and I can't tell what to make of it just yet. That sorting of thinking, is it really even relevant anymore? Cue Gandolfini's main character here...

Piano is still a priority here. Just today I found fingerings that could achieve some pretty good Reggae type voices from the instrument. I have a witness, too! 

Just finished Thurston Moore's current autobiography. Really fascinating, the way he finished it with Sonic Youth's demise as a touring, working group. So many connections that man has made! Impressive. 

Anyway, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and here's to hoping for many Blessings to all. Over and out for now. 

More music up at Archive.org!

 

https://archive.org/details/hare-and-arrow-3-11-17

Hare And Arrow live at Sung Kim's warehouse in Richmond CA. My only gig with this group. Sung and Dan Gottwald had a bottle of whiskey and a bag of mushrooms before the set. Things got weird. Weird and good. In Richmond CA, over by the Chevron refinery. 

Cartoon Justice live in Providence RI up at Archive.org!

 

https://archive.org/details/cartoon-justice-6-5-18-b-providence

This second set is worth listening to just for Adriane Pontecorvo's cello solo, truly a thing of beauty.