A few nights ago I had the pleasure of enjoying some Live music - the first in long a while - and was inspired this time to PLAY instead of write. The band was Galactic drummer Stanton Moore’s self-titled side project from his latest album 'III'. Stanton is on a nationwide tour promoting his new album while warming up for a 2007 Galactic Tour. Anyway the guy was my age, the band was tight, grooved like hell, and I got to see them in this great small intimate place on the South Side of Pittsburgh called Club Cafe! This really got me thinking- I really need to brush off the dust, get out there, and play again.
One of the neat things about that that night is that they were playing three piece – Drums, Guitar, and Hammond Organ - and you didn’t miss a thing. Simplicity is so beautiful sometimes. The slippery basslines translated wonderfully well to the low register of the of the organ. The guitar was right on. Keys were played by Robert Walter; guitar Will Bernard. Both very talented musicians in their own right. Rob’s latest project is titles ‘Super Heavy Organ’. Make sure to check this one. Yeah, it drew laughter fromt he crowd when they plugged the album at the show - ?
To continue the story and get to the point of my writing, Robert Walter’s label Magna Carta has several talented artists including Steve Morse, but also more interestingly another band - Encores, Legends & Paradox - that recently released of all things a tribute to ELP. Haven’t heard it yet but it has been endorsed by Keith Emerson: “Sometimes music has to be spun completely on its axis until some of it flies off and sticks somewhere. “Progressive rock” with its accessibility severely hampered by its playability has had a hard time forming its own solar system. But thanks to a little `ELP from my friends, the music lives on. They`ve done an incredible job!” - Keith Emerson
Definitely Stuff worth checking out! In the meantime I’m on a mission for cymbals (will work for drums) to complete my kit so I can start getting down to business again. Once the rust flakes off I’m planning on expanding the studio - a bit but more on that later...
Encores, Legends, & Paradox
http://www.magnacarta.net/releases/elpTributeText.html
Robert Walter
http://www.robertwalter.com
Stanton Moore
http://www.stantonmoore.com
We are fast approaching another full moon - waxing - if you will - into another fortuitous period of productivity. For the second month in a row I have found the wells of inpiration again flowing freely. Conincidence? Maybe, but who can argue the effects of our mother's lone satellite? Sure as gravity, this cycle is the clockspring of biological life itself, drawing each organic thing along in it's pendullous path of reciprocal magic.
Tonight's inpriation arrived in pairs. Two fairly descript sketches - "Take it back" and "Again". I will not waste time in this post descibing song in words but will rather wait to post in what I would like to refer to as the 'drafts' section. Ideas, not quite in the rough, glimmering in their own light and waiting desparately to be set ablaze. Let me say this, the ones that materialize by their own will - as these did - stand on far more solid ground that those that have been metaphorically 'pulled from the hat'.
I've lost count but I've got to have close to 10 sketches now, most of which have a nice continuity about them. I will continue on this patient road until the signal is apparent that it is time to leave the grinding stone and break out the polish. I'm sure it will be worth the wait.
Wax on - M