Archive shot and musings.

 

Last night there appeared in a dream of mine Max Sidman, last bass player of Ovipositor. He played in that band from mid-2008 until 2010 as I recall. We also did a studio-only band, Silencer Assembly, from 2010 until 2012 or so. Max wanted to call the band Tuned Mass Damper. I wanted SA. Max accepted my proposed name. Probably should have argued his side a bit more ardently, but who cares at this point anyway. Justin Martin was in a dream about a week ago. It was odd because the feeling in the dream was that we kind of knew each other but kind of didn't. People talk sometimes about alternate timelines, and that particular dream had me pondering the notion pretty big-ly. I am listening to Wooden Shhips right now. A San Francisco band that definitely made me wonder "what's their secret?" as I watched their ascent to the heights of cool in my general stomping grounds and beyond. Hello! It's because they sound great!

OK, so this photo was a selfie, snapped in the garage of my residence in Richmond CA. I had the place from 2017 until 2021. What a great spot. That carpet was given to me by Brian Strang. Had to give it away during the move out of Cali. That Zildjian cymbal, I bought in 1990 or so. Still have it. It sucks, hahahaha. The t-shirt says Hawi, which is a lovely town in rural Hawaii. The shirt was much loved by me. This photo was one of an occasional sent to Moe Staiano to let him know that I was practicing his music for gigs or the occasional recording session. If memory serves correctly this particular day's practice time was put in for an upcoming show in Oakland.  Moe's music warranted concerted rehearsal in my estimation. That's not a happy look, but practicing Moe's music gave a lot of satisfaction as compared with happiness. I always wanted to do a good job for the man. Moe continues his musical quest, and that's awesome. I still think he should move to Berlin and just compose full time. 

Probably a good place to stop here. Keep your brain alive, wherever you are and whatever you're doing.

More music up at Archive.org!

 

https://archive.org/details/lug_str_011515_Ryan_Pino_Marshall

One last gig with Jim before he left the Oakland for his renewed romance with Millie in Washington, D.C. Aside from speaking with him on the phone and the occasional email, this was the last time that I had contact with him. I saw Eric in 2019 at the Bottom the Hill and we chatted for a few minutes. The canvas hanging behind the group appears to be work by San Francisco legend Twist. It's all twisted in varied ways now.  I just want music that I was involved with to be accessed at some point. Please understand that I think that it's a not unreasonable aspiration.

Some shots from Ensemble By Lottery Night at Golden Saguaro, Tucson.

 

Eleven improvisors showed up for the Ensemble By Lottery Night at Golden Saguaro on the evening of 9/25/2024. Random trios and then quartets were assembled via spun wheel lottery. The wheel was contact mic'd for additional sound. One wag described it as having the same sound as his kitchen sink disposal unit. As Mark Ferguson declaimed, "...trust the Wheel!" Loteria cards were also utilized as number assignments for spots upon the wheel. And so it was. Great fun participating with sound and also as an active listener. Great fun talking about music with other music people. I see no harm in that. Community still appears to be possible and I am grateful/thankful for that. Ess macht doch spass. 

Below: The Wheel, manufactured by Steev Hise.

 

Above: weirdo music guy, a guy that installs home protection systems, and David Jones of London. Oh yeah the Dude is in there, too. It's all very Meta in some sense. Also a fine Loteria card courtesy of a young Hise.

Tucson improvising community event this Wednesday! Plus bonus shot!

 

This Wednesday, 9/25, I will be involved with a very special "Ensemble By Lottery" event at the fabulous Golden Saguaro. Small groups will be selected via a spun wheel lottery system before playing short sets of improvised music and sound art statements! I've seen the wheel that Steev Hise has designed, and it's really cool. I am certain that the ensembles will be equally so! 

9/25/2024

7PM

Golden Saguaro

609 E. 6th St.

Tucson 85705

Below: shot of Moe Staiano and me in Tucson, 9/15/24. Moe was here to learn vinyl pressing techniques. If there's one guy who should be involved in the vinyl side of the music industry, it's Moe. 

 

Romus/Sordahl/Pino live trio improvisations up at Archive.org!

 

https://archive.org/details/rent-romus-trio

This set was performed at VAMP! Records in Oakland, Winter 2015. Billed as Rent Romus Trio, but at this point it seems best to change the name a bit. A fun time at a cool shop that supported local musicians. 

Some piano music up at Archive.org!

 

https://archive.org/details/subtonal-seraphim-1

Trancing out at home with piano.

Archive shot and musings.

 

A place for everything and everything in its place. That was the vibe in my garage studio on Henderson St. in Richmond CA, 2017-2021. I mean, look at that! So ordered and organized. Some of that art I still have, some of it was given to a dude from El Sobrante when my wife and I sold that house and exited California. A lot of that gear was just given away during a couple of pre-move yard sales. Lately I have been thinking about the studio. It certainly was well utilized. Tons of hours practicing Surplus 1980 songs, instructional videos, warming up for gigs with various people. Take for example Josh Allen. Josh and those in his orbit are sticklers about practicing. Within their musical world, it's very obvious to them who in putting in time versus who is not. That bug got to me and I spent tons of time, as much as I possibly could what with work and domestic life, shedding. Sometimes this studio would get messy and more disorganized, but it would get cleaned up, even vacuumed on occasion. These days my drums are stored away and I grab items as needed. One current music with other people situation has me playing electronic drums, which are quite interesting to play. The attack of stick on pad is so very different from that of stick on drum or cymbal. The nice thing about the former is that they keep your stroke honest. One can't really slack on time with the electronic drums. It's proven to be a nice, interesting challenge. Challenge is the order of this time in my life. A lot of emotional challenges, but it's like "join the club" on that, of course. Realizations about what life in Tucson means for me. Realizations about how important it is to let go of the past and move with as much grace within each present moment. Realizations about how people are all different and how people grow apart. Even the "magic" of social media cannot change that fact. It's all ok. I bathe in Sonoran sunshine and do breath exercises. I wake before dawn, sip tea and try to read. A place for everything and everything in its place. The place is not the same, but the principle guides me within the physical realm. Stay kooky but remember to stay smart also. Much love to anyone that reads these words.