Hello fans. A new feature has been added to the blog...like I don't have enough to do.
A "song of the day" MP3 download has been implemented at the top of the days page with song info, lyrics and explanation at the bottom. I figured I'd start using some of this new vast and glorious server space. For the full effect of the blog, please feel free to download and listen to the song while reading for your listening pleasure. Click on icon to play MP3, but please, no bootlegging - Thank You

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wednesday - 4/26/06 
10:12 am
Los Angeles, CA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Over the weekend, for the last few days. Let me start again. This past weekend I stayed with friends of friends in West Lake Village, CA. My good friend from back east "introduced" the couple to me via the wonders of high tech telecommunications. He called them and arranged over the phone and I'm sure email, for us to meet, saying he had a friend who had just moved into the LA area who'd like to be shown around. Initially we were to meet on Easter, but I had the chest cold that inevitably wound up affecting a few of the guests at their house as well, I'm glad to say they couldn't have gotten it from me. The Wednesday after Easter I met up with Jack, the friend of my friend's father for many years. He lives with his wife Connie in West Lake Village which is about 35 miles from my apartment.

The drive takes about 40 minutes and longer if traversed during rush hour, which is forthcoming. We met in Santa Monica and he drove us up the pacific coast highway for lunch and insisted on paying, and even refused my attempt to at least pay the tip. We had a really nice lunch overlooking the ocean in Malibu at Paradise Cove restaurant.

The establishment was right on the beach, and apparently frequented by celebrities but I have yet to see one on my quest. There were tables set up outside which gradually blended into the beach and many sunbathers. We sat down and ate while we conversed and watched the sailboats and windsurfers. Afterwards he took me sightseeing around Malibu.

and Thousand Oaks

Both areas were extremely luxurious. Much more than I had experienced before. There were mansions on the beach barely visible from the road, but unmistakably present. Many celebrities live or own property in the area. Jack said that one time when he was out boating he ran into Heather Locklear who wanted him to take pictures of her. He agreed as I imagine any sensible guy would have, and got his picture taken with her as well. The properties are incredible in the area. In Thousand Oaks there are ranches in the hills with horses and cattle. We drove by a ranch that Sylvester Stallone had recently sold. Unfortunately I don't have pictures as I forgot to bring my camera the first day I went up. After seeing the area for a couple hours we went by the lake near his house. He informed me that Andy Rooney lived on the lake which had sailboats and battery powered cruise boats but didn't allow gas motors.

We drove up onto a terrace where his beautiful townhouse was located

Their home has cathedral ceilings at least 25 feet high
andwas quite nice perched in the Santa Monica mountains.

After Jack and I sat down to get further acquainted, his wife Connie came home from some errands. She immediately struck me, like Jack, as a really down to earth person. We went out to dinner and again they insisted on paying. Afterwards they took me to the home of a lighting engineer who worked for Disney for several years. He left Disney to pursue his own endeavors and travels the world doing huge expos. Jack wanted to introduce me to him and his wife to get some feedback and input regarding the much talked about VSO project. Both Jack and Connie have turned out to be an invaluable resource to me already. Although they don't know me from Adam (Fields) they are anxious for me to make the right connections to further my career. Jack wants to set up a business plan to firm up my goals and strategies needed to reach them. I'm sure he will come up with a lot of good ideas and insight as he has already provided great insight and inspiration. Jack worked for Xerox for many years and was the first to come up with the laser printer. He worked his way into a project manager position where he carried out his career before retiring despite many fellow employees being laid off over the years. He was also in the service, and told me tales from the 101st airborne division where he served for nearly two years. He was drafted during the Korean war and told me of an adventure he had jumping during training. One time he and many of his squad landed in trees as the jump leader froze in the doorway of the plane, delaying the jump, causing many to miss the drop zone. Apparently as an airborne jumper you can be court marshaled and spend 6 months in the brig if you refuse to jump once you're in the air. Jack has been very entertaining, really accommodating, and seems to be a firm believer in "following your dream". He has reminded me of this on many occasions. He has done as much if not more than I have to forward the VSO project lately. I ended up staying Saturday night through Monday in the luxurious townhouse in the Santa Monica mountains.

(click here or on image to see panoramic view from the guest bedroom balcony)

This is a much different than the urban view outside my window.

(click here or on image to view panoramic image)

For two days straight they bought me dinner and fed me breakfast, looking after me like a member of the family. Let me just stop for a moment and say how unimaginably accommodating everyone has been during my quest since crossing the Mississippi. From the Stack family, to Garrett and Teresa, Zen, and now Jack and Connie, plus their friends who I will get to in future blogging, everyone has been more than supportive, and I can't imagine how things would be if I didn't have this growing network of friends, both new and old. Even people I have yet to meet, for example the sister of a good friend in Monterey has already agreed, and is looking forward to my visiting the San Francisco area. The many people who have helped guide my journey was something I was hoping for when I set out to follow my dream. All kleenex aside, I have already made sure to be life long friends seemingly sent from above. During the time I spent with Jack and Connie whether it be at the alfresco dining at a fine Italian restaurant, arguable a bit too chilly for alfresco (it was more like El' Fridgido) Before I start ranting we talked about all kinds of things including VSO futures, and other of life's many tales. Connie spoke of an incident where she had unknowingly wandered into a pasture with a bull. She was standing a mere 10 feet from the huge animal which was staring at her intently, when she suddenly realized there was no fence between them. Needless to say she high-tailed it outta there. I thought the story was a bunch of bull but laughed anyway. In our many conversations Jack and Connie have both pointed out the positive and negative aspects they saw in the VSO project. We know the positive aspects of the VSO. Following are the major points which I would like to focus on so far that are "negative" (or "reverse positive" as I like to try and look at it with an alfresco attitude)

1) Setlists

a) Because of the nature of myself and the VSO, which are arguably synonymous, I tend to try and tackle all styles of music which brings up many problems. Because I don't read sheet music I need to be able to remember songs, especially symphonic pieces which I've learned by ear. I will say on my behalf that having sheet music for the multitasking VSO would be a feet in itself. As I use all limbs, and often transpose notes away from their original locations on the fretboard and footpedal, I would have to write my own kind of music or charts which is intruding now that I think about it. Actually I've thought of it many times before, but with the note transposing it would have to be a pattern recognition type setup or it wouldn't work at all, as the notes move around so much due to my incessant tinkering. The aforementioned memorized pieces take up monstrous sections of my memory. My brain has started to have to use the other 80% of gray matter which scientists say goes unused just to remember my phone number. Mozart's symphony #25 is still sitting there idle in my noggin though parts of it have faded and I'm terrified to try to learn them again. I can only remember a limited number of pieces and still perform them to my high standards. Bits and pieces of the works tend to fade if not practiced relentlessly. The newer Rock and Pop tunes lend themselves well to the project and the memory factor. With the same 4/4 drumbeat I can play at least 1/3 of all Rock and Pop songs varying only the hi hat feel to accomodate nuances in the songs. The only challenge here is lyrics. I have memorized a bunch of songs but may need to have cheat sheets or a monitor set up for lyrics and chord changes. This has been evaluated, implemented, and re-evaluated over the years and is still a project which needs resolution. I don't feel like getting into the whole story about teleprompters and overhead projectors right now so we'll move on. In short theoretically I could have a laptop hooked up to the internet and download lyrics on the fly for just about any song, but we'll leave that alone for now. We'll bring that idea back when I make it to Japan, where I plan to implement a new craze of reverse karaoke.

b) I am convinced that the improvisational nature of the VSO would please certain crowds immensely, other than having to rehash the same type of stuff to please certain venues. It is tougher to find an avenue for this type of erroneous musical behavior, but then, maybe it isn't...

2) Costume/stage outfit:

 a) Although I worked with some of the best clothing designers around, who would have gladly helped assemble anything I could imagine for a stage costume, I neglected to put together a final outfit for the VSO, which is something I really need to invest some time and money in.

b) I need at least three types of outfits.

I. Tuxedo or suited attire for symphonic and jazz performances.

II. Hip, easy casual attire for nightclubs, beach parties, etc performing rock and pop sets

III. Futuristic robot wearing a suit of arms with lights, lasers, and midi triggers. Able to be suspended from cables for aerial maneuvers with parachute attachment; not for airdrop, but braking application.

c) Some of these outfits may be available at a Salvation Army, or similar location. I am in no way too proud to buy something at such a place if it is appropriate. I'm expecting to find item III in the previous section more easily than the rest.

Back to Jack and Connie and our adventures. Jack has been brainstorming and scouring the area whenever he goes out looking for potential gigs and contacts for me. He says to make "5 contacts a day" which I will have to try and live up to. Usually when I go out I do make 5 contacts and as many as 10 depending on the nature of the outing as the VSO can traverse ao many musical avenues, but it will be tough to make this a daily routine. As I said Jack has been busying himself trying to find avenues for me when he goes out. For example he went to an art gallery next to the Thousand Oaks library Newbury park branch shortly after we met, and inquired about my playing there while people browsed the artwork.

The fellow didn't call back right away so we went up to the art gallery which is in Thousand Oaks a few exits northwest of West Lake just off highway 101. We went in and talked to the guy who was the better one to talk to according to the man Jack met initially. The fellow we met was named Joe and was very open to my playing in the gallery sometime. In fact after talking for no more than two minutes he suggested I play immediately, and I agreed to retrieve the VSO gear which was a few minutes away at Jack and Connie's house and come back and play for a couple hours.

I unloaded my equipment beforehand into the entrance area and set it up outside as to not disturb the atmosphere inside. I was able to set it up and bring it in 80% assembled, leaving only general placement, and the speaker and power hookups to do inside before performing.

It took about 1/2 hour to get it set up to be wheeled into the gallery

Below is the equipment I didn't use for this performance

The VSO has become very modular. I decide beforehand what I really need to do a specific show. I pack the system and arrange it to be separate components which can be left behind if not needed. Obviously in this venue I didn't need the lightshow, or even the stage platform to perform as I planned to remain seated for the performance. I left the subwoofer in my truck as the two Mackie's were more than enough to provide ambient music while people walked through admiring the art and sculpture. The only reason I had all my gear is because I left it in the truck in the garage as I got in so late from the knightsbridge theatre gig. I headed up to West Lake the following afternoon and wanted to bring the VSO up to at least play for Jack and Connie as they had yet to see it. It was pointless to load it all twice and Zen has been gracious enough to lend his spot in the garage which we both hope will happen more and more frequently.

I set up and played orchestral and light jazz
timbered music as people strolled through.

There weren't too many people there that day but the fellow Joe said there were usually a lot more people on Saturdays as the town library next door was open. He asked if I'd come back and play next Saturday and I was more than willing.

I went back to talk to him as I forgot to give him a business card, a thing which is getting rarer by the day. He wasn't there so I still have to find out a time slot and will fill it accordingly.

______________________________

Lessons learned from this gig-

I have been having a problem with picks lately

Not only does Fender not make my style of picks anymore. (Extra Heavy), but I have had a problem remembering to bring the stack I have left, which is something I never did in the past. Luckily the plectrum pictured above was in my truck's console as I usually keep them around here and there just in case. I have also put some in my wallet to ensure I have one for performance. Playing with a pick is key for properly triggering the guitar synthesizers. I have found that heavier picks work best, the Fender extra heavy being my favorite, which is of course discontinued. Many of the essential VSO parts I use have been discontinued for one reason or another. Probably because no one was demented enough to use them. Along with improving string tracking on the guitar synth, heavy picks are the best to use in general guitar playing. In my opinion, except in certain acoustic guitar strumming applications, the need for a light pick is unnecessary. The feel should be controlled in your wrist, and holding the pick slightly looser allows for a lighter pick/strumming sound when desired. Leaving the extra heavy pick in hand for speed picking and overall boldness of attack.

__________________________________________

After the gig Jack and Connie inevitably bought dinner for the entire VSO at the Mexican restaurant next to the art galley. Believe it or not I tried my first burrito. You must be think I've led quite the sheltered life, and you're right. Truthfully I am a picky eater. I always have been. It comes from the combination on growing up with canned vegetables, and having an apparently ultra sensitive pallet. Many foods are to my dislike, and the contents of burritos, such as guacamole and sour cream have turned me off in the past. Other then that I would like them besides the beans, meat, fish, vegetables, and corn or flour tortilla with or without bean sprouts involved. The burrito was fabulous. Connie suggested I leave out the beans and things I didn't like, but the BBQ burrito they had was pretty much fine as is. Except for the meat, cheese, fish and or fauna, tortilla, plate and fork I was using I enjoyed the meal very much. We had margarita's that were quite good. I'm not a big drinker so after two of them I was a little happier than usual but fine to drive after devouring half of the football sized burrito. I plan to invite Jack and Connie back on a Monday night where they have 50¢ burrito night with $1.50 margaritas. I am determined to pay them back in some way for what they are doing to help me, and I'm sure my unusual presence is interesting payback much of the time, but I'm not in the habit of freeloading.

After we got back and  they went up to bed I stayed up reflecting on things that have been going on while I looked through a huge coffee table book on the history of American jazz.

I watched a few minutes of the Simpsons on their new high definition TV

and headed off to bed, anxiously awaiting the beautiful
morning view of the mountains lit up in the rising sun

&^%(&%

_________________________________

Song of the day

Radiohead - "Nice Dream"  The Bends - 1996

 

They love me like I was their brother
They protect me, listen to me.
They dug me my very own garden
Gave me sunshine, made me happy
nice dream, nice dream
Nice Dream

I call up my friend the good angel
But she's out with, her answer-phone.
She says she'd love to come help but
The sea would electrocute us all
nice dream, nice dream
nice dream, nice dream

Nice dream, if you think that you're strong enough
Nice dream, if you think that you belong enough
Nice dream, if you think that you're strong enough
Nice dream, if you think that you belong enough

(Now come home, now come home)
(Now come home, now come home)

nice dream, nice dream
nice dream, nice dream

 

The reason I chose this song for today's blog is the lyrical connotations toward the spirit of companionship, and helping others feel included. Along my quest I feel I have had extremely good luck with meeting people who believe in me, and want to help. There is no way to express my gratitude toward everyone who makes me feel welcome, and contributes to my music project. From the overwhelming support from back east, to my new found friends, you are all a part of the VSO.

 

_______________________________

 

Donations welcome
(coming soon)
(I hope)