C-Sides

Penseur Du Sénégal II (Alternate Portrait)

2008-09-01T21:00:00.001+02:00

Quartier des Artisans, Dakar, Sénégal
January, 2008

Anonymous Emerson College Student at Cambridge Laundromat

2008-08-20T21:00:00.000+02:00

Cambridge, MA
24 April, 2008

Michael, In Shorts, Smoking, Sitting on BMW (Outdoor Portrait)

2008-08-15T21:00:00.000+02:00

*This portrait and Michael's Shoes, Bumper, Muffler were taken during the same shoot.
Cambridge, MA
08 May, 2008

Please Don't Eat Me

2008-08-10T21:00:00.000+02:00

I. View from kitchen

II. View from suite

This is based on a picture of Steve. In real life, it looks best when viewed from far away.

Red, black and white spray paint on door
Cambridge, MA
Summer, 2007

Rue Corniche

2008-08-07T21:00:00.000+02:00

HLM 5, Dakar, Sénégal
January, 2008

Three Boys In Fatigues (From Superior's Vantage)

2008-07-30T21:00:00.000+02:00

Cambridge, MA
22 February, 2008

"Terrain, Thick"

2008-07-24T21:00:00.002+02:00

Fort Devens, MA
19 April, 2008

Yare

2008-07-20T21:00:00.001+02:00

Taken with a pinhole camera

Aurora, IL
Winter, 2006

The Bad Plus at North Sea Jazz Festival, Rotterdam, Netherlands

2008-07-15T21:00:00.002+02:00

Just when you get used to seeing The Bad Plus, they go ahead and try something new. The trio’s maintained its stage presence, replete with Ethan Iverson’s (piano) minimal stage banter, Reid Anderson’s (bass) hunched posture, and David King’s (drums) comical antics. Premiering almost all new and previously-unreleased music at the North Sea Jazz Festival (save for one song), The Bad Plus continue to prove that they are in control of their artistic direction and identity.

The set opened with Anderson's "You Are," King's "My Friend Medotron," and Iverson's thought-provoking and slightly inaccessible tune, "Old Money." Without hesitation the band nailed a loud version of “Big Eater” (the only ‘old’ song of the night), cleverly prepended with a Milton Babbitt cover that segued elegantly. Then Iverson threw the curve ball: he explained that the next record, entitled For All I Care, had been recorded. Not only does it contain new cover songs…but they are sung by vocalist Wendy Lewis.

A grinning Lewis shuffled out from backstage, and grabbed the mic to start singing Nirvana's "Lithium." This was part lounge cover (the verses stripped down to a bassline, sidesticks, and Lewis' husky and pleading voice) and part rock song (Iverson kicked in with thick, dissonant riffs to replace Cobain's refrain of 'Yeah's). The crowd was shocked, but pleasantly so. The quartet continued with Bobby Vinton’s "Blue Velvet and the BeeGees hit, "How Deep Is Your Love". The arrangements proved exciting but still tinged with the Bad Plus’s inclination for chaos and non-traditional harmony. One of the most exciting numbers was a gripping version of U2’s “New Years Day,” featuring Lewis howling as emotionally as Bono. Iverson keyed out the main theme (originally played on a guitar dripping with reverb and other effects), successively transposing it down until it spiraled into another verse sung beautifully by Lewis. King’s presence on the vocal covers was most noticeably changed – he played quieter and saved his embellishment for sections without vocals. Other notable covers included Yes’s “Long Distance Runaround,” Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” (with Reid Anderson on backup vocals), and the Flaming Lips’ “Feeling Yourself Disintegrate,” which brought the dynamic level of venue up to a climax with a key change.

The band received a massive applause, causing Iverson to hesitate speaking into the mic; Anderson began to blush. The band was clearly happy with the response and merited their encore, Heart’s “Barracuda.” Anderson took care of the main riff in this song, replacing the memorable harmonics with a fitting glissando. The Bad Plus will continue touring, but it’s not clear how many other dates they will be joined by Lewis (she has been absent for the majority of shows on this tour, too, and only seems to have appeared once before at the Rochester International Jazz Festival). The Bad Plus is changing within the context of the sound and personality they have created, and have thankfully allowed some room for another talented musician. Some might say that the Bad Plus got away with selling out to cover songs, but that’s not the case at all – when you listen closely the honesty is there, and now it’s four times as strong.

Main Square Festival, Arras, France

2008-07-09T21:00:00.006+02:00

This weekend I went to Main Square Festival in Arras, France. I arrived at 10:45 AM and shortly thereafter made it to the main gates of the venue to wait with other avid Radiohead fans. Doors opened a little after 3:00 PM, at which point said fans and I sprinted for the front row. I had a backpack, which meant I needed a bag check, but I still made it to second/third row, stage left (Jonny's side!).

Vampire Weekend : (B) I like seeing bands live before I hear their record. These guys were fun live - the lyrics are elementary, and the music isn't too complex. French audiences are amazing - they get into every song, and clap on the quarter notes. Good for Vampire Weekend, considering every song had a straight beat, with little variation, and a bass drum supporting the hand-claps. The French audience tried hard to sing along to "One," per the lead singer's request. I faithfully danced to every song because this band had a good beat and good charisma, but they sang way too much about Cape Cod, and mentioned many times how they were from New York. I was a bit put off that the drummer looked like Matt Cameron - but could probably never play like him.

The Wombats : (C-) British Blink-182? Not very fun to watch live. I danced to most songs because the beat was there: same old straight punk drum beats. I don't like genres and generalizations either, but this was essentially an indie-punk band. So strange that a decade ago a rock festival meant rock music. The singer had Robert Smith-esque hair, and the bass player actually did look like a guy from Blink-182, which made the whole show comical. The lyrics were silly, but to their credit, all three members of the band were into it and they all sing, too. In fact, they opened the show with a three-part-harmony tune, which I hear opens their latest record.

The Do : (B+) This was the first band of the night which employed some good instrumental, stylistic, and rhythmic diversity. They opened with the track that opens their latest record, a juvenile anthem called "Playground Hustle." The Franco-Finnish female vocalist was absolutely gorgeous, and did I mention she plays guitar and piano? Her voice was cute, which stood out on "At Last!" and "The Bridge Is Broken." On the latter, her falsetto soared into the Mariah Carey region - when she prompted the audience to follow along, we all looked at each other, confused whether we should even attempt the note or sing a few octaves below. After a few failed attempts, she shrugged it off and continued to prance around the stage in bare feet and a dress that reminded me of something Bjork would wear. The bass player also played keyboards, flute, and auxiliary percussion instruments (glockenspiel!). On drums was a guy named José, who was clearly a trained funk / prog drummer, which made the dancing all the better. Fantastic show, but I checked out their debut record and she sings much better live.

Sigur Ros : (A-) This was my second time seeing Sigur Ros, and they've changed a lot. Our favorite Icelanders swapped the video display for gigantic light lanterns that line the back of the stage. Now they've made room for more instruments on stage: marimbas, organs, harmoniums, xylophones, guitars, basses, drums, pianos, a horn quartet, and of course the beautiful string quartet, Amiina. Their latest album received little attention at this show, but the songs were performed exceptionally well. Jonsi looked nervous at first, but totally nailed the beautiful opener "Sven-G-Englar." He became more relaxed as the show went on, and even once starting beating his guitar with the violin bow - eventually breaking it and tossing it out into the audience. He had the best costume: a black (with green trim) Spanish army suit, with feathers sticking out the collar, and a touch of glitter on his right cheek. Orri wore a colorful crown throughout the whole show and played extremely well. Jonsi spoke in English mostly, and at one point shyly introduced a song. He then turned in Goggi's direction, shrugging, not knowing what else to say. "Gobbledigook" got the audience clapping which made Jonsi smile. The highlight was near the end, when the stage exploded into confetti, which just confirmed that this might be the most magical band of this current era.

Radiohead : (A) Clearly everyone at this festival was coming to see Radiohead. It wasn't just my familiarity with Radiohead's catalogue, nor the fact that they are still one of my principal musical influences, that made their show incredible. These guys believe in every note they play, and know how to perform. "15 Step" opened the set, and with no hesitation the band plowed through "Airbag," a stunning version of "There, There" (featuring Ed and Jonny on a pair of toms each!) and "All I Need." I was amazed at how each musician was clearly in his own space and had his own responsibilities - though I got there early enough to secure a spot in front of Jonny, Colin Greenwood (bassist, and Jonny's brother) actually became my favorite member to watch. Colin gestures every drum fill and has a really subtle standing groove while he plays. He's also the most directly involved with engaging the audience with his expressions and actions. Jonny just plays his guitars and stares at you creepily. "Where I End And You Begin" got the full-out dance / club treatment and almost sounded like an Underworld track at times - this song has really grown from its much darker and ominous presence on Radiohead's last album. Ed and Jonny's doubled guitar intro to "A Wolf At The Door" locked in beautifully, and Thom took the mic to the edge of the stage, outstretching an arm and jerking his body as he rapped the lyrics like an MC.

"Exit Music" maintained its chilling dynamics found on the record, and proved to be one of the most skillful and authentic performances of the night. Thom opened the first encore with "Cymbal Rush," (a song from The Eraser) a big surprise for everyone there. The second encore kicked off with "House of Cards," at which point we thought the show was over. Colin then began the growly bassline to "National Anthem" and the band ended quietly, calmly, and beautifully with "Street Spirit." Little stage banter left more time for music and experimentation on stage: "Weird Fishes / Arpeggi" benefitted from a longer, droning intro, and "Idioteque" and "The Gloaming" both had extended outros which each evolved into an electronic mess; but a good mess, mind you. We heard every song off In Rainbows, which made me realize that I actually really love Radiohead's most recent effort. Hearing it live confirmed the strengths of "Faust Arp, "Reckoner" and "Videotape," three songs which I wasn't too thrilled about earlier.

Besides the music, the lighting spectacle and video display made this show aesthetically gorgeous and relevant (read more about it here). These guys never looked tired on stage, and humbly accepted the incredible applause they received at the end of every song. The other albums also received pretty generous play (the inclusion of "Dollars And Cents" reminded us that Amnesiac was still an album, too). Because this was a music festival and not uniquely a Radiohead show, I think that affected the setlist a lot (though that's not to say it wasn't varied over twenty-five songs). What prevents me from giving this show an A+ is probably just my bitterness: I really wanted to hear "Planet Telex," "Knives Out," or "Let Down."

Chicago Shrugs Its Big Shoulders (Causing the Lake-Waves)

2008-07-03T21:00:00.000+02:00

Chicago, Illinois
Spring, 2006

Kose II (Alternate Portrait)

2008-06-28T21:00:00.000+02:00

Cambridge, MA
24 April, 2008

Madame Lush

2008-06-20T21:00:00.000+02:00

Fort Devens, MA
19 April, 2008

Slightly Panoramic

2008-06-14T21:00:00.000+02:00

I wrote the main piano parts to this while improvising in a high school rehearsal room. My friend Nobie was there at the time. That was in May 2006. Over the following weekend, I recorded this at home, plugging the synth directly into my hard drive recorder. After improvising for a while, I decided to add that eerie middle section, which still sounds just as scary as it did when I first recorded it. The guitar in this song really stands out in that section.

The way out of the middle section is with that post-rock start / stop buildup. I like to call this part 'the ladder', for obvious reasons. I'd always wanted to insert a section like this into a song. I love how heavy this part gets. It reminds me of the louder, more aggressive guitar music I heard throughout the 90s. I'm talking about bands like Filter, Stone Temple Pilots, and (the heavy songs of) The Smashing Pumpkins.

Some people think the guitar part in this song is dull, and I only half agree. It's not supposed to be soloing wildly. It's merely adding texture by droning above the piano. The main point here is what the left hand is playing on the piano, which is those alternating chords. Listen closely, because the mood changes significantly from the first 'verse' to the second 'verse' when the left hand chords move up an octave. The drums are all produced by synthesizer / MIDI controller, which I played live by hand for the whole song, keying out each beat in real time. I love the timing of the 'chorus', and the way the drums hit real hard during those parts when the piano is rolling on those neighboring notes.

I'm taking a huge risk posting this song here, because the ending is part gag, part real. It's just residual improv that I played after the song 'ended'. I decided to keep it in the final mix, though, because I thought it was humorous. Over time, I actually started to like it, even though the drums are not tight for the first half. So, enjoy the song, but if you dislike the ending, then you can disregard it.

Impromptu (Kerouac-ian) Haiku

2008-06-11T21:00:00.002+02:00

parcels and parcels of metatarsals
stacks and stacks of paperbacks
morsels and cracks in my genealogy.

Dakar, Sénégal
9 January, 2008

Pinto's Groove

2008-06-07T12:52:00.000+02:00

'Pinto's Groove' is one of the strangest songs I've ever composed / recorded. I can't even remember exactly when the recording took place - all I know is that it happened somewhere between October 2004 and maybe February 2005. The funny thing is that this song is a complete accident - it was never intended to happen, but I've always liked it. It was discovered recently upon searching an old computer of mine in a folder full of other older recorded material that might show up here someday.

I had just bought an octave pedal, and was trying out some of the sounds. My recording device was a Tascam Porta02mkII analog cassette 4-track. I had an SM58 pointed at my guitar amp, running directly into the machine, recording everything onto tape.

Anyways, I started playing that main theme over and over, occasionally changing the riff. I wanted to just have a record of what the octave pedal sounded like on different string groups. After a couple minutes, when I had naturally cycled through every possible pentatonic riff, I stopped playing and stopped the tape. When reviewing the tape, I loved it so much, that I pointed my SM58 at the drumkit (back then a Premier Olympic 5-piece kit with 1 crash cymbal!) and laid down a one-take drum track. There are tempo issues in the beginning, and late fills, but this song always makes me laugh because it just showed up.

When I played the tape back, with the drums and guitar tracks playing simultaneously, the song reminded me of an old Ford Pinto, or maybe some leather-jacket-wearing punks riding in one, cruising down the street with that awful engine coughing and spitting all the while.

Michael's Shoes, Bumper, Muffler

2008-06-03T21:00:00.000+02:00

Cambridge, MA
08 May, 2008

élépha

2008-05-25T06:08:00.001+02:00

I. Display

II. Full view

III. Elephant detail

"élépha? un éléphant est...élépha-it's-gerald"

Black and light blue spray paint on found album art on canvas
Cambridge, MA
12 October, 2007

Seed Haiku

2008-05-24T02:48:00.000+02:00

only certainty
of lasting preservation
is kept in your bones

Dakar, Sénégal
27 January, 2008

The Quintessential (Dark)

2008-05-22T22:28:00.000+02:00

*Another version (at a lighter exposure) of this photo appeared in an earlier post

Cambridge, MA
June, 2007

Kose (Smoking Portrait)

2008-05-15T22:20:00.001+02:00

*Thanks to B.D. Colen for suggestions on editing this photograph

Cambridge, MA
24, April 2008

(Portrait of) Michael, Smoking

2008-05-10T21:37:00.003+02:00

Cambridge, MA
08 May, 2008

Lunette(s)

2008-05-07T02:52:00.000+02:00

Cambridge, MA
24 April, 2008

Harvard Square T Stop, Aerial View

2008-05-05T00:44:00.001+02:00

Taken from a Black Hawk helicopter

Cambridge, MA
18 April, 2008

On Celibacy

2008-05-03T05:44:00.001+02:00

Kerouac's celibacy is funny - he has to grit his teeth and close his eyes to shove sex and women out of his mind. Morrissey, on the other hand, is pretty lax and doesn't have to try so hard.

It was Kerouac who said "pretty girls make graves," meaning that beauty leads to lust, which leads to sex, which leads to birth, which of course leads to death. Morrissey lifted the quote and used it to title a Smiths song, giving us more proof that Morrissey really likes the idea of celibacy.

Both, however, have gone back and forth defining celibacy as not marrying and not having sex, and both have gone through 'un-celibate' periods. Especially Kerouac. For more on this, refer to his 'wild sexballs' in the short novel Satori In Paris.

Further, check out the Morrissey track "November Spawned A Monster," where he sings about a crippled child who goes through life suffering in a wheelchair. He then calls the child a "symbol of where mad, mad lovers must pause and draw the line." Mad lovers gave birth to the child, who now has to suffer due to their uncontrollable lust.

Moz and Ti Jean were serious weirdos. Celibacy isn't that cool.

Shirtsleeves

2008-05-02T03:15:00.000+02:00

Cambridge, MA
10 March, 2008

Woman Hiding In Collar

2008-04-28T07:06:00.011+02:00

I. View from bottom of staircase

II. Close-up view

III. Detail

There's also a version of this stencil somewhere on a canvas. This was the very first one I made using a real face, so it's definitely not great. But, I put it up here to show what one of these designs could potentially look like on a wall. The obvious fault here is that the woman's head is cut off by the frame of the stencil, which is further exposed by the black ring around the image. However, I think the streak of red really fortifies the whole frame, and provides some extension of the image beyond the subject herself. While I sprayed this one, I used a really old adhesive, which left some streaking and residue on the paint. I've since switched to a different adhesive spray.

Most people ask why this is called "Woman Hiding...", and it's because she's pulling her collar to hide her face. Someone thought this looked like Bob Dylan. My favorite part about this stencil is the hair, which I just cut all by hand instead of using the hair from the original transfer image.

Black and red spray paint on wall
Cambridge, MA
Summer, 2007

Organisms

2008-04-26T05:20:00.000+02:00

Nat'l Geographic Museum, Washington, D.C.
February, 2006

Done Dried Up

2008-04-21T18:30:00.000+02:00

Cambridge, MA
22 February, 2008

Rid of Rimsky

2008-04-17T06:12:00.007+02:00

Red and green acrylic and binder clips

Cambridge, MA
16 April, 2008

Penseur Du Sénégal

2008-04-10T06:13:00.000+02:00

*La Conversation:

MOI
Ça va?

PENSEUR
(en baissant la tête)
Ça ne va pas.

Quartier des Artisans, Dakar, Sénégal
January, 2008

Esbjorn In The U.S.A.

2008-04-07T00:11:00.004+02:00

This review appeared in an edition of The Tech, MIT's student newspaper

E.S.T.
Sculler’s Jazz Club
September 26 2007

Upright bass solo. I grab the nearest seat while Dan Berglund evokes the voice of a soft-spoken woman from his instrument. I’m sitting in the worst seat in the house – behind a large ceiling support pole (every club’s got at least one). I can’t see Dan, but I’m so absorbed already. Fast runs down the high strings are nestled in between long sustained notes down low. Seamlessly, he switches between his fingers and his bow, carefully selecting which intervals warrant the slight pluck of his index and thumb and which do not. Esbjorn Svensson (piano) and Magnus Ostrom (drums), the only two members of the band I can actually see, sit still and patiently as Berglund continues through his solo.

After another handful of measures, Ostrom emerges with polyrhthyms ensconced within the sporadic bass notes. Svensson breaks his solemn pose with a jerk of the left hand. In one climatic sweep, the band comes together and navigates through the piece tightly. The song concludes in one large hit on the downbeat, and the crowd applauds immediately afterwards. Before Svensson stands up to banter with the audience, I run to an open seat near the front row, right in front of Ostrom’s kit, and remain there through the end of the show.

“E.S.T. is not jazz. We’re not bebop nor swing. We’re inspired by rock and roll, classical, and jazz music. But then again what is jazz?” Svensson makes his claim looking me straight in the eyes, sitting across from me at a round table twenty minutes after the crowd had dispersed. It was hard to get him to sit down, what with the whole audience lining up to shake his hand. One woman wouldn’t let go of his grip, reiterating that “[his] music was transcendent.” The members of E.S.T., whom all speak and understand English extremely well, in addition to their native Swedish tongue, smile humbly and agree to sign CDs.

I probe Svensson once again to reveal to me the meaning of genres in music. He’s more certain this time around: “If jazz is improvising, then yes, E.S.T. is jazz.” True, E.S.T. may be difficult to classify – their instrumentation almost pigeon-holes them as a ‘jazz trio’ – but their 2003 album Seven Days of Falling debuted on the Pop charts in three different countries. Further, just take a look at the demographic of a typical E.S.T. audience: jazz students, white-collar Monk fans, and electronica junkies.

It’s E.S.T.’s expansive landscaping of the sonic space that has gained them such a fanbase. Not only do they pay homage do the late greats of jazz and swing, but they enhance their live show with clever uses of natural and digital effects. Seated in front of the drumkit, I marveled at the selection of pedals skirting Ostrom’s feet. Many of his drums were fitted with acoustic triggers, each routed to one of six pedals, and then to a small mixer. In the middle of the second set, Ostrom resorted to tapping the snare with his knuckles, while modulating the pedals with his other hand and his feet. The sounds achieved weren’t gimmicky or forced in any way – just simply a reinforcement of the acoustic and natural possibilities of the snare.

“So would E.S.T. play a straight acoustic show, with no electronics?” Svensson eyes drifted upwards, recalling a recent memory. He crossed his legs and replied, “Well yeah – this tour we were late for our show in Germany. We didn’t have time to set up the sound. We played a set completely acoustic, no effects.” He later adds that the effects are merely a “complement to the acoustic trio. It’s about finding new sounds.” At this point Berglund and Ostrum join us, placing themselves at an adjacent table. I was curious to find out when they started using effects. “Around 1993. Dan was the first to use a distortion pedal.”

In addition to Dan’s distortion pedals and Orstrum’s delay units, Svensson captures his piano playing through two condenser mics, which run into a Line 6 Pod. He primarily uses the unit is for amplifier modeling and subtle backing support to his chord arrangements. Svensson likens using the Pod to “adding a little perfume” to the music. What struck me most, though, was Svensson’s daring move to play the piano while running a glass guitar slide over the piano strings. “I think I once saw Keith Jarrett do it. Or maybe heard of him doing it. Or maybe I just started doing it.” His inspiration might be unclear, but the sound is ambitious nonetheless.

The E.S.T. live experience, as is the case with most bands who improvise, is riddled with surprises. A personal highlight for me during the second set was a stellar, almost eleven minute, performance of the song ‘Mingle In The Mincing Machine’. The set opened with a title from the new album, Tuesday Wonderland, which included an improvised ambient section towards the end. Somewhere in the middle of the ambience and structured noise, Berglund's bass could be heard pulsating in and out of the opening to ‘Mingle’. I immediately recognized it and started cheering. With no delay, the whole band plowed through the song.

You’re average trio doesn’t contain such freedom and equality amongst its members. Most piano trios, especially ones named after the piano player himself, are solely directed by the keys. However, E.S.T. operates differently. “If Dan wants to do a song, Dan does a song. We follow. He has that kind of authority in the band,” says Svensson. Though it’s his trio and he composes the music, it’s truly a collaborative.

The experience of a spectacular live show, followed by an extremely comfortable and enlightening conversation with the band afterwards indicates to me that this is a group who truly cares about music. Their attention to the full breadth of their catalog (the second set contained only one new track), coupled with their desire to challenge each other sonically, invites listeners to enjoy what could quite possibly be the strongest working relationship in contemporary music today. While their music subverts all the recipes and formulas of pop music in the current era, E.S.T. continues to gain international notoriety. As Svensson himself put it, with every ounce of humility, “everyone always wants to hears [jazz] standards – but I think good old music will survive.”

***

The Bastards (Haiku)

2008-04-05T17:20:00.004+02:00

Nobody has the
Decency or the Courage
Who will win the war?

Chennai, India
13 June, 2006

Point-Virgule

2008-04-02T06:01:00.000+02:00

(or download the song!)

One of the first real 'synth meditations'. Only a handful of my songs have French titles, and this one is most fitting, I think. It translates to semi-colon in English. Just like the punctuation mark, this song is all about suspension, and interdependence of subunits. I had the synth plugged into my analog cassette 4-track machine. At points, you can definitely tell that this song was recorded on master tape and then later transferred to the computer.

I improvised the 'refrain' of this song while meditating on it. However, since this whole song was improvised, I didn't remember exactly what I played for the 'refrain' when it came time to play it again. So each one is slightly different, which is really what I love about this song.

In case you're wondering, the drum loop was programmed before hand, and triggered by the right hand. The whole song is recorded/performed simultaneously, that is to say the drum loop runs in the background, the left hand does the string parts, and the right hand does the synth soloing.

When I felt the meditation coming to a close, I finished the song and opened my eyes, realizing that almost nine minutes had passed! It didn't feel like it at the time. If you sit through all nine minutes, you win a glass harmonica.

Really though, this song does deserve a listen, if not for its musical and melodic successes, then for the fact that you'll get a true look into what synth meditation means to me (and what it can produce).

The Sort

2008-03-20T18:29:00.000+01:00

Cambridge, MA
13 March, 2008

No More Shoes!

2008-03-18T03:00:00.000+01:00

Cambridge, MA
22 February, 2008

Sponge

2008-03-16T21:16:00.003+01:00

Cambridge, MA
13 March, 2008

Believes In Rapture, Babe

2008-03-14T18:31:00.000+01:00

Cambridge, MA
13 March, 2008

Laundro-Days

2008-03-13T22:56:00.003+01:00

Spent ~2 hours in a laundromat this morning. Photos to come soon. Met three individuals. A mother of one, a classical guitarist, and a Christian.

The Cyclic

2008-03-12T03:29:00.000+01:00

HLM 2, Dakar, Sénégal
January, 2008

Self-Portrait, 2008

2008-03-07T19:17:00.004+01:00

*I used a stack of books and CDs as my 'tripod'. Taken right outside the front entrance of the TATE Modern. An introspective look at my difficulty confronting my terrible posture, and its effect on my ankles.

Tate Modern, London, England
01 February, 2008

Lutteurs!

2008-03-02T21:20:00.005+01:00

HLM 2, Dakar, Sénégal
January, 2008

Don't Give (That Girl A Gun)

2008-02-25T05:39:00.007+01:00

Cambridge, MA
22 February 2008

State Fruit (Featuring Mike Hopkinson)

2008-02-15T22:49:00.001+01:00

On July 4th, 2005 I decided to skip the parades and festivities. I had just bought a lot of recording equipment and my friend Mike Hopkinson proposed that we play music that day. He'd been playing drums for a little less than a year I think, but he was so natural.

We composed this song in a few hours and recorded it immediately to hard drive. I used my friend's Paul Reed Smith guitar on this song, played through a Fender Princeton amp. This was my first experience using a Sennheiser cabinet mic (which I still use to this day), so I achieved a real "studio-esque" guitar track. I played electric guitar with Mike on drums live onto the recording; we had no isolation of instruments in his basement, save for the fact that my amp was turned, facing opposite to his drums on the other side of the basement. I went in later that afternoon to overdub the bass guitar and acoustic guitar parts.

At the time I was listening to a lot of the Gamehendge songs by Phish, and you can definitely tell by listening to the minor sevenths and muted strumming pattern in each part of this song. I truly feel like the only thing this song lacks is a light sax (or other horn) melody. Still, I present the recording to you now in its preserved form, as it was recorded on Independence Day.

On Meditation

2008-02-09T06:21:00.000+01:00

I remember a couple years ago, I told Rachel that if she meditated correctly her head would hurt. That's because when you meditate correctly, your brain tries to exit your head. It wasn't totally false, it's just one way to meditate.

When I first bought my synthesizer and started composing a lot, I began to do what I now call synth meditation. I would create a sound patch, improvise for a few minutes, and compose a short melody. Then, I'd take this melody and play it over and over again, every now and then deviating from it. Sometimes, I'd have the synth plugged into my hard drive, and I'd record these meditations-compositions-improvisations. The first of these synth meditations comprised my first electronic full-length album, recorded in 2005.

Recently I found an old journal which described my discovery of a new type of meditation. I'll paraphrase the entry:

Today I discovered a new meditation. I took my new Brad Mehldau Trio CD to the cedar bench, and stretched out on my back. Listening to the record, I took a short nap. It was December, and when I woke up, a thin layer of snow had collected over my face and body. When I opened my eyes, I stared straight up at the tree that hangs over the cedar bench. Without moving my body or my eyes, I focused closely on the tree branches, then at the glowing moon behind it. I became completely in control of what I saw - I could at will remove the tree from my view, and just look at the moon. I did this repeatedly, removing then replacing the tree back into my view. And it was meditation.

Austin City Limits

2008-01-05T03:52:00.000+01:00

If you are the executive producer of Austin City Limits, and a man with Pocahontas braids and a kid in a white cloak in an electro-rock duo named Ghostland Observatory approach you promising good music, do not trust that band. Or put them on your show.

A.G.D.

2008-01-03T16:12:00.001+01:00

East Peoria, Illinois
Summer 2003

Occam's Razor

2007-12-28T22:21:00.000+01:00

Written and recorded in Summer 2005. This song is another synth meditation, applying heavy layers of strings in chorus. Occasionally, the string section will peak into a tinny hard-synth sound, evocative of club sequences.

The drums are not an honest loop - well, yes it's a programmed drum sequence, but it was recorded simultaneously with the synth part. While playing, I occasionally hit keys that were programmed to either re-start the sequence (thus causing uneven 'loops') or to diverge from the sequence into a drum roll (listen for it when the guitar dies down in the middle) or other fills.

There is a live guitar part on this song...two in fact! The main electric guitar part, which comes in after 45 seconds of intro, was rehearsed many times but recorded in one take as usual. Somewhere in the middle, comes in a clean guitar part to echo one of the electric guitar riffs, and it remains through to the end of the song. The interplay between the two guitar parts is interesting, and one of the first real successes I've had in combining two very different guitar melodies.

Enjoy the song. Listen with headphones.

right-click here to download song

South Of The Border, West Of The Sun

2007-12-26T19:46:00.001+01:00

In the past year, since Thanksgiving 2006 to be exact, I've been reading many books by Haruki Murakami. MIT gave him the title Artist-In-Residence a couple years back - I wish I was attending MIT back then to hear to him speak. This weekend I finished Murakami's novel South of the Border, West of the Sun and I can assure you that it's one of the worst books I've ever read. Maybe it's because I read so much Murakami that he became too predictable, but his other novels are so much better. If you like trippy, surreal stuff read Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. If you like music and love triangles read Norwegian Wood. The description on the back of the book says that South of the Border is 'mesmerizing', but instead Murakami drags out the plot over one hundred extra pages of filler. The one thing I loved about Murakami was his cultural awareness, especially to music, and how he intelligently laced his works with references to all kinds of artists and composers. However, in this work, it is overdone and forced - it only subtracts from the story. Maybe I burned myself out on Murakami, but to his credit he's written some awesome books. For now, I'm going to take a Murakami hiatus.

In other book news, I recently finished Rosshalde by Hermann Hesse. Fantastic. It's a quick read. I related a lot to the main character (at least back when I was reading it). A really fresh book if you're into the 'individual' or 'Self'.

Right now I'm reading Diary by Chuck Palahniuk. Really, really horrific and eerie but exciting nonetheless.

At home, I found a roll of Ilford HP5 400 film that I probably took in high school. I'm planning on developing it once I get back to MIT, in addition to (hopefully several) rolls of film from my forthcoming trip to Sénégal.

Malt Easy

2007-12-11T06:09:00.000+01:00

Hinsdale, IL
February 2006

Pearl Jam (United Center, Chicago, May 2006)

2007-11-17T20:06:00.001+01:00

From left, Jeff Ament (Bass), Eddie Vedder (Guitar, Vocals)

Chicago, IL
May, 2006

Perhaps, Maths Haikus

2007-11-07T00:25:00.000+01:00

I.

this is this is this
is NOT a haiku per se.
And there is no rhyme.

II.

All I did was
Simply subtract one
To create this.

Cambridge, MA
04 November, 2007

Google Analytics

2007-10-27T02:32:00.001+02:00

My friends at Google say that significantly more than a handful of people read this blog, which makes me really happy. Interestingly, the most visitors are referred from meta.twosense.org, Amanda's blog. Some of you are pretty frequent visitors, too. It makes me think that I should post more often. Hopefully you think my photographs are nice, and maybe you listened my songs once or twice. Once I develop two more rolls of film and maybe photograph some stencils I'll have plenty of stuff to post. Anyways, this blog is only a couple months old, and I'm pretty glad there is a strong amount of people interested in it. Thanks.

(Such A) Dharma Bum

2007-10-14T19:31:00.000+02:00

Montreux, Switzerland
July 2006

They Fit Together

2007-10-13T21:10:00.001+02:00

Cambridge, MA
August 2007

Nutella

2007-10-06T18:04:00.001+02:00

Paris, France
July 2006

Dupont Circle

2007-09-21T23:31:00.000+02:00

A couple days ago, I purchased "Song X" By Ornette Coleman and Pat Metheny. Though it's not smooth jazz (it's quite free and frenetic really), it reminded me of a smooth jazz track I wrote two years ago. I know people downloaded the Pearl Jam cover I posted last week, so I'm excited by the prospect of people downloading, listening, and hopefully sharing some of my music.

This track has one repeating synth/string part which I recorded in one take, with no section counts or breaks prepared. The solo is primarily improvised, but based on an eight measure theme I transcribed the weekend before I recorded this song. There is an underlying keyboard part, mostly doubling the synth chords, and only occasionally adding flourishes. You'd be real hip if you caught on to the horn parts (all layered samples from my synthesizer); the song was really incomplete until that brass section surfaced. In case you're wondering, I titled this song after an area in Washington, D.C. I frequented when I worked there during the Summer of 2004. I would always pass by this large banner: 'Smooth Jazz Brunch - Every Sunday'. Sadly, I never attended said brunch and only have this song to represent my recollection of what is, in my opinion, a pretty swank corner of D.C.

Balaji Mani - Dupont Circle
(right click > Save Link As...)

Lea

2007-09-19T16:21:00.000+02:00

Here's a list of highly recommended books I read this summer:

Goodbye Lemon, Adam Davies
Norwegian Wood, Haruki Murakami
Sputnik Sweetheart, Haruki Murakami
Dance, Dance, Dance, Haruki Murakami
Amerika, Franz Kafka
plus various short stories by Haruki Murakami

Appa

2007-09-17T01:34:00.001+02:00

Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France
July 2006

"Who Moved My Wine?" Triptych

2007-09-15T22:00:00.001+02:00

Trafalgar Square, London, England
July 2006

Jeremy [Pearl Jam Cover]

2007-09-14T15:56:00.000+02:00

The first band I ever loved is probably Pearl Jam. I've waited in line to buy Pearl Jam records on the release date. I've joined the fan club. I own almost every album of theirs in three different formats. Borderline obsession, but for good reason.

Somewhere in 2006, I was playing around with some drum samples on my synth, and sequenced a pretty basic jazz loop. While the loop was running, I switched to an upright bass sample and played some pretty standard arpeggios over the beat. I liked how the drum sequence was so far back and light, and the bass was really raw and meaty. For whatever reason, I was compelled to just start playing that infamous bass intro of 'Jeremy' by Pearl Jam (of course the notes were severely swung this time around).

I recorded it immediately, and decided to keep it as a purely minimal track. However, the irony (but how not ironic, considering Pearl Jam might be the reason I play music today) of doing a jazz cover of an old Pearl Jam classic took hold of me. There is actually no live guitar on this at all - I used yet another sample and keyed out the whole song. I threw vocals down in two takes, and my first attempt at jazzifying Pearl Jam surfaced.

I've decided to showcase it here at C-Sides as my first song up for download. More to come soon, certainly; but for now, enjoy this little gem of an almost hypocritical reaction to a faux-grunge fantasy.

http://web.mit.edu/sbmani/Public/Balaji%20Mani%20-%20Jeremy.mp3

Drool In Sepia, Dream In Technicolor

2007-08-17T17:19:00.001+02:00

Chicago, Illinois
Spring 2006
[tone resulting from impurities in chemicals during development]

Illuminate Me, Corporate America

2007-08-03T22:47:00.001+02:00

Pennsylvania
February, 2006

The Quintessential

2007-08-03T02:40:00.001+02:00

Cambridge, MA
June, 2007

Coffee Haiku

2007-07-30T19:17:00.000+02:00

All one needs is a
coffee break to renew his
faith in the system.

Chicago, Illinois
Spring, 2006

Impromptu Haikus Written at 10.47 North, 79.10 East (Spiritually, Anyways)

2007-07-25T22:06:00.000+02:00

My latitude shirt,
My longitudinal shoe,
Deliver Freedom

During my return,
Does Mind compromise the scene?
Must it be this way?

Spiritual life,
Is not coniferous risk,
But Decidious.

The Planet is stacked,
(That includes America)
Ignorance is Dead.

East Tambaram, India
10 June, 2006

The Beat of a Different Drum, Part 3

2007-07-24T02:34:00.001+02:00

Jack Irons: No Code (1996), Yield (1998)

At the time Jack Irons joined the group Pearl Jam gravitated away from the spotlight (a conscious effort, mind you) and retreated into their niche. Older age and a fresh perspective on the cynicisms surrounding major record labels shaped their recording and performance policies. Jirons (a self-imposed moniker found in the liner notes of Yield) came to the group with a compositional mindset. His principal composition credits on No Code belong to the songs 'Who You Are', and 'In My Tree', the former featuring a Max Roach-esque tribal beat, dripping with eastern influences. Pearl Jam heavily explored rhythmic boundaries, and Jirons’ drums sounded much more raw and expansive. These sounds are indicative of Jirons’ signature drum tuning and cymbal selection. The snares are very husky and thick, resulting in a consistent and confident splat on the downbeats. Jirons also used much darker cymbals, and relied on generous use of the ride, completely evading the splash cymbal. He officially left the band for health and family reasons, and the rest of the guys were sad to see him depart. As much as I hate to pick on him, though, even the remarkable Jirons copied himself between albums. He just made it too easy: the intro fills for 'Lukin' and 'Brain of J' are identical. Too soon, Jirons; too soon.

Matt Cameron: Binaural (2000), Riot Act (2002), Pearl Jam (2006)

Back in the early 90’s, when under media-driven motives Pearl Jam was swept into the ‘grunge’ category, the band was flanked by several other Seattle-based groups including Alice in Chains and Soundgarden (I don’t even want to talk about Nirvana at this point…). Although it was Chris Cornell fronting Soundgarden, drummer Matt Cameron composed a generous amount of the songs on all of their albums. He slid easily into the Pearl Jam lineup in 1998, immediately taking over after Jirons’ departure. On his first release with the band, he contributed to ‘Evacuation’, a vigorous and frenetic anthem, appended with a multi-party call and answer section. Eager to start composing, Cameron was also unabashed to accept a microphone and start singing backing vocals. Not only did Pearl Jam now have an extra voice to enhance live performances, but Cameron’s drumming combined the driving force of Dave A., but the heart of Jirons. Currently, Pearl Jam’s songs have headed towards more complex structures, due likely to Cameron’s penchant for odd time signatures and compositional wit for phasing guitars and drums in and out of each other. His attention to dynamic and melodic space, coupled with his mastery of the drums leaves no room for weak songs in the future of Pearl Jam’s ever-growing catalogue.

When you ask someone to rank his favorite albums of a particular band, he might reply, “Dude, I can’t…they’re just all so different.” This is really the case with Pearl Jam, a band that dedicates itself to presenting a cohesive concept through each record. In order to convey that message, all the parts need to operate in unison. The core personnel of the group (oh, how I hate saying that these days), has stayed the same, but the drummers have changed. You might think that such high turnover in the rhythm section would destroy a band, but perhaps you aren’t familiar enough with Pearl Jam. The sole fact that this band has survived with so many different drummers is a true testament to each members’ value for musical excellence, freedom and experimentation. Although many departed so soon from the group, Pearl Jam has benefited from a fortunate cycle of fresh ideas and a periodic (yet figurative) ‘renewal of vows’ – those vows they made to music, and each other, seventeen years ago.

Woman Crying

2007-07-22T22:34:00.002+02:00

Spray paint on canvas

Cambridge, MA
22 July, 2007

The Beat of a Different Drum, Part 2

2007-07-19T03:07:00.000+02:00

Why are Pearl Jam’s albums all so different and eclectic? It’s really because they switched the right members at the right time. Pearl Jam’s drummers have always held a powerful position in the band. For a rock band, they’ve had significant songwriting contributions from the majority of their drummers. Each of these musicians brought a new flavor and style to Pearl Jam. What is most intriguing, though, is to look at how some of the Pearl Jam drummers have become victim to their own idiosyncrasies, even in their short stint in the band. To understand this, let’s look at each drummer separately:

Dave Krusen: Ten (1991)

Straightahead rock. Nothing more to this guy, other than he was in Seattle at the right time. Probably the least successful ex-musician from the band, and he knows it. Everything on Ten is pretty straightahead rock anyways (not to say it’s mediocre music…it’s actually quite revolutionary), so Krusen fit in nicely. His beats aren’t too remarkable, but his most notable work is on the song ‘Porch’. He even got a songwriting credit on ‘Release’, although I’m not too certain he contributed too much except for improvising a beat during collaboration in the studio. Ten is probably one of rock’s finest albums (just ask Chicago radio station WXRT), and it’s a staple in every middle-aged man’s record collection (if only to bring him back to his fraternity days). But even though he kept the beat on this momentous release, it was time for the band to move on to more experienced and diverse drummers.

Dave Abbruzzese: Vs. (1993), Vitalogy (1994)

Remember when I was talking about self-renewal? Honestly, it’s a fairly common ‘crime’ of most accomplished musicians. Certain musicians get really good at one technique, or become really proficient in one modal structure, or maybe even really skilled at using the wah-wah; except that they sort of do it on every record. Dave A. had a monstrous arm that could hit things…HARD. His abilities, though, slowly evolved into a tendency to overuse his cymbals. You bet Eddie Vedder had something to say about it – some of the early arguments between Dave A. and the band revolved around the excess luggage of Dave’s drumkit. On the records, he’s only slightly obsessed with the splash and ride cymbals, but when the band played live he went all out. Just watch the end of the SNL performance of 'Daughter', and you’ll see what I mean. He inserted drum fills wherever he could – granted he sounded unbelievable, ever-deft at slipping in that last tom-tom before Eddie cut back into a verse – but he fell into a groove and didn’t stop. Needless to say, Dave A. was kicked out before Vitalogy (the last PJ album he’d play on) was even released.

[Part 3]

The Beat of a Different Drum, Part 1

2007-07-18T03:53:00.000+02:00

For most bands, their life in the music business is always a question of longevity over success. Few bands stay together for more than a decade while experiencing continuous success. Then there are those bands who record a handful of albums to supreme notoriety – all in the span of five years. So what does contribute to a band’s combined longevity and success? Recently I saw Rush perform in Mansfield, MA. I guess they’re the exception – more than thirty years into their career, and they’ve just released a new album, Snakes & Arrows, which debuted relatively high on the rock charts. Seriously, though, they’re the only band I can think of that has lasted this long, has released only a few mediocre albums (the diehards would shoot me at this point…), and hasn’t had too many personnel changes (with exception of drummer Neil Peart who joined only after the first record…so he’s 16 for 17 albums).

So the issue of personnel comes to mind when I think of one of my favorite rock groups, Pearl Jam. Yes, they still write songs, and are actually more successful than you think. Pearl Jam message boards are flooded with crazed fans; you’ll even come across one with so much bravado, he challenges the other members that he has the highest fan club number. There’s another piece of Pearl Jam’s legacy – a functional, well-staffed, and extraordinary fan club. So extraordinary, that fans are still signing up every week. Hey, for only 20 bucks a year, you get a pair of trendy newsletters, access to the best seats during shows, and a collectible 45 RPM single typically featuring two unreleased tracks.

So why is it that Pearl Jam has continued to shake up their repertoire over the years? Yeah they’ve had personnel changes (almost a different drummer every two albums), but so has King Crimson. You can bet that the Crimson fans swear by every record (at this point Adrian Belew could sing about Fig Newtons and PVC but we’d still buy it), but Crimson doesn’t play as many big arenas like Pearl Jam. Nor do the Crimson albums sound all that different – shudder! – it turns out that Robert Fripp recycles his own guitar licks. Admittedly, King Crimson’s catalogue can be divided into significant eras and sub-genres, but Fripp's glaringly arrogant guitar dominates throughout. If most musicians, then, are inclined to the inevitable self-renewal, how did Pearl Jam avoid falling into this trap?

Why are Pearl Jam’s albums all so different and eclectic? It must be because they switched the right members at the right time...

[Part 2]