In a cold room, in a cedar castle, Peck writes to you. With warm hands, a blanket around my shoulders, and a contorted face, let me welcome you to SEMINA MUSIC, my new blogg.

I'm not the first to use this name. Back in the 1950's, there was a 'Zine in the Bay Area with the same name. Started by Wallace Berman, SEMINA was a hand-collaged collection of visual art, poetry and invective from artists like Robert Duncan, Cameron, Jess, Bruce Conner, Joan Brown, Allen Ginsburg. Lots of other wonderful people contributed to this proto-punk journal. Most of them knew each other, many lived together at various points. In honor of the spirit of the SEMINA crew, I've stolen their name for this blogg and for my crew. Here's some of their work and info:
http://realitystudio.org/bibliographic-bunker/semina-culture/
http://www.nyu.edu/greyart/exhibits/semina/semina.html

For my purposes, "Semina" means that which is seminal, seedlike, starting something from which something else may spring.

Now some differences:
My starting point for this blogg will be music. Most people I know either make or listen desperately to music. "Espere" is French for hope, so I mean we listen hopefully. We hope that the hope we hear is really there, and not imagined.

As some of you already know, I have a band: The Crymuscles. We are named after the muscles involved in crying. You have Crymuscles. I'll write about us, but also about anything. Nothing, (not even poo!), is off limits in this blogg.

So, As my friends on Redtube might say, ENOUGH PRE-FACIAL:

Lots of g-merde (g-shit in French) has been stirring round the town lately. A week ago, I interviewed Matt Montgomery of VS.THEM about their new album, "A Sunny Day" which will be released Sunday Dec.7th (AKA tonight!!) The release party is at Sweetwater Station in Larkspur, 500 Mgnolia ave, 94903.

On my way to the interview, I got a ticket for not wearing my seatbelt on the way to Matt's home/studio off Novato blvd. It was a motorcycle cop. I begged him to let me off, telling him that I am an experimental performance artist and that my work is virtually un-salable. He responded that being a policeman is a form of performance art, and that I should try it. Touché, mon pere. He tore the ticket off and said "Take Care, Man." I liked that he called me "man", and my potential rage was stemmed.

In Montgomery's home studio, I listened to the first four tracks of the album, which are actually one continuous piece of music, called "Zombie Serenade". A Serenade, Matt informed me, is a multi-movement piece, both vocal and instrumental, that is lighter in character than a symphony, more focused on tunefulness than thematic development.
But this piece does have plenty of both tunefulness and thematic development. Opening a rock album with such a piece is bold, and in this case, riveting. I wrote a bit more about the record in a little piece that hit the racks in this past Wednesday's North Bay BOHEMIAN, a local paper, whose jock I am on.

On the CRYMUSCLES tip, a lot is cooking. We've got three shows this month, and each of them are new experiences for us. First on DEC17th, we'll be playing a FREE show at 19 Broadway in Fairfax. The bill is pretty sick: Crymuscles @ 9, Vs.Them @ 10 (myspace.com/vsthem), & Judgement Day (myspace.com/stringmusic) @ 11. I spent way too long making a discoball out of construction paper for the flyer. Check it out on my pagina. All the Muscles are pretty excited about playing with these two bands, who are so powerful and original.

The next morning, we're headed to Santa Barbara to play a supreme party at ROY. My brother Austin, and his girlfriend Anneliese, are throwing this party as a benefit in support of a trip they are making to Nairobi, Kenya. There, they plan to work with those affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, in hospitals, classrooms, and elsewhere. They've begun a blog, called the "INDESTRUCTIBLE BEAT", which will chronicle their experience there. You can read what's going on there at www.indestructiblebeat.blogspot.com
The party'll feature Austin's exotic DJ selections and the Crymuscles, playing two sets, (which means playing every song we know so far!). If you are in striking range of Santa Barbara, I highly recommend that you make it to this unforgettable night. 7pm, 7 West Carillo St, Santa Barbara CA, 93101

When we get home from Santa Barbara, we're gonna start working right away on combining two bands together. On New Year's Eve, the Crymuscles and the Greg Scott Band (www.myspace.com/thegregscottband) will be playing two extra long sets as one band, merging our setlists and styles together. The party is happening at Sugar Lounge, 377 Hayes st., SF, CA 94102. More allure to come soon about this.

On the "Le Chronique" tip, our new album is sounding more and more like an album. The first mix day is happening Dec.13th. We're hoping to have four new songs up on the myspace in the days to follow.

OK, I GOTTA RUN OUT THE DOOR. Peace out, humans, thank you for reading Semina Music.

Hey y'all. I'm very excited to tell you that the Crymuscles are recording a new joint right now! We've finished tracking for twelve songs, and it's going to be called "Le Chronique".

This joint will hit the streets somewhere between January and March of '09, and it features compositions by ALL of our full-time band members: Angeline Saris, Paulo Presotto, Chris Dietrich, John Rogers, Brian Wilkerson, & Peck the Town Crier.

So, to backtrack a little, the Crymuscles are my main project right now. You could think of it as the sequel to "Groundhog's Day". We're "the Crymuscles" now, (instead of Peck the Town Crier), because this album is such a collaborative effort.

All the members of this band have spent the last year performing the material from "Groundhog's Day" with me. During the process of spreading the love for the last album, another sound began to emerge. It was improvisational, and involved more instrumental music, less rhymes, more singing, and definately more windchimes.

"Le Chronique" will be the studio distillation of what started on stage in the past year. Three of the songs on the Town Crier myspace page are sneak peaks at "Le Chronique": "Le Chronique, pt. 1" , "Star Sign", & "Velodrome". They're not entirely mixed yet, but all the parts are there. I hope you guys are feeling the new music. It's definately a departure from the last record, but we gotta keep you guessing, you know? Two of the three songs up right now are instrumental, but the record is probably 70% made of singing songs. Only one song is rapped, but it's a doosie.

We've been recording mostly at Ex'pression, a really amazing media school in the East Bay. The students there have been really cool with us, helping us cultivate this crop of mind-altering music. A couple of them, (lindsey & kate) are actually ON the album now, doing bird calls and singing, respectively. Other tunes were recorded at Tiny Telephone in Potrero Hill, including "Velodrome".

When this joint is released, the download edition will be FREE FREE FREE. There will be a sooper dooper limited batch of hard copies, available through human contact with the Crymuscles crew. We feel like an expectant mother in her third trimester, and our baby is going to be dope! Our hope is that it will play through your boombox as you hang on a hill, on top of a rock. It's a wavelength for you and your crew to build your hang upon. But headphones aren't a bad idea either, because some of it will send you for a mental travel. More news, pictures, and video to come soon on this joint "Le Chronique". The Crymuscles will make our return to performing on November 22nd, at the Mishap Science Fair, happening at might in SF. We're really excited to roll out this new material and see you again.
Until then, HOLD IT DOWN, KEEP IT REAL, AND SHAKE IT UP!
Peck

wow. it's a time of change right now. Moving, recovering my health. man, i was buggin for a few months, couldn't figure out why i was so tired all the time. now i think i was breathing some funky mold is the old lovely house i was living in. it culminated in me canceling my olympia and portland shows, which bummed me out a ton.



BUT, I played my sacto show last night, with POOR, from the Tribe of Levi. Dude was really heavy. A real MC. It's always lovely for me in Sacto.
So, some new doors seem to have opened for me lately. Saw a pshychic energy healer the other day. she told me to make more time, and reclaim the musical adventure. Wow, what a relief to hear that. Perfect timing. Been checkin out a lot of dance music lately, and accidentally ending up at some outdoors dance parties. Exactly the foggy gust I'd like to ride into the fall. Leaving my car behind as I remove me from Marin, back to fog citay. Leaving my phone off more often, because I'm going to RUN INTO PEOPLE I know on the STREET again! Ahh burbs, be gone from me!

6/20/08-
Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

Tomorrow's the summer soltsice. Ain't that exciting!? Nothing like that extended love from the skies above. Been drinkin a lot of acai juice lately, and less fernet. This misty picture you see in the background here is expressive of the mood in my veins lately. "Brreeeawh!" would be a good onomatopaea to express my vibe now.

Also, the song you hear, "Velodrome", is a good mussical representation of the State of My Onion. This is a new single by the Crymuscles. It features the piano, organ, and synths of Dan Paul, an old friend who lives in Philly and plays in a fusion band called "The Half Of It". It also features the ever-present drumistic musings of John Rogers. It's actuallly John Rogers "+" John Rogers this time, 'cause he played another track of drum kit right on top of the first one he layed down. The guitar playing is me! I've added an exclamation point because I love playing guitar, and I went through a period of five years where I couldn't play very well because of pain in my wrists.
But I've been imagining these blasts of waterfall mist from Bridal Veil Falls. Picturing them going through my veins, and through the parts of me that were blocked somehow. I went there last summer and snapped this picture. It's one of the smaller waterfalls at Niagara, and you can walk up a little wooden stairway and stand right up against it, get soaked and breath in lots of water that's riding the air.
So, It's been about a year since I went there, but you can take good experiences with you, and keep them in a little chest, like a classic book on your shelf. I pull that experience off the shelf, and I ride the air that it sends through me, sometimes causing me to dance.(Smiley Face Icon.)

So, all this talk of seasons, water, wind and change. The Crymuscles are undergoing a transformation now. We're rapping a little less, and doing more song music and instrumental music again. Also, we're adding some more singers to the mix, who'll be singing said songs. We're also becoming more of a "We" by shortening the name to "the Crymuscles", instead of "Peck the Town Crier & the Crymuscles".

Our one show for the summer will be on Sunday July 7th at Cafe Du Nord. It's going to be a really beautiful night. Oona Garthwaite and her band will bring their unique powers at 7:30, followed by the oiginal funk/soul juggernaut The Greg Scott Band. (both these bands are in me top friends, so check'm if you ain't heard'm before!) Greg's got an earth- shaking new EP out, called "Extended Play". Huh! It's especially earth-shaking if you call your bootie "earth". Don't we all?
There will also be a cornucopia of guest vocalists sitting in with the Crymuscles that night, ushering in our new pupa song band vibe. This show should be a good preview of where we're headed as a band. It's billed under my name, but after this show, when you see "Peck the Town Crier" on a flyer, it means I'll be solo, doing my quixotic witch doctor vibe.
Witch doctors have always needed to travel. But especially now, we must. So me and Blipvert are doing the "Butter & Wine Tour". I'm booking it now, because doing things at the last minute is part of my voodoo hex. Some of these shows will be without Blip, billing with locals where I go, others will be with him. Stay posted, and if you live remotely near one of these towns, come out and get blessed/cursed by me! I'll play alot of music from "Groundhog's Day", my newest album (witch you can hear fo free at www.cdbaby.com/cd/peckthetowncrier). There, you can download the album for $4.99, or get the lavish loving CD for $12.21, all told.
So, okay, me thinks I've washed myself in the waters of myspace enough for today. If you're doing something amazing for the solstice, hit me up, 'cause "it's friday, and I ain't got shit to do".
Also, if you read this today, friday the 20th, me n' Greg Scott are playing/chatting on Pirate Cat Radio, 87.9 fm in San Francisco, and streamable all over your booty, (if you call your booty "Earth") at www.piratecatradio.com. We'll be on from 4 to 6, hosted by the garrulous and brilliant poet Charlie Getter, of 16th & Mission infame. Charlie informs me that lots of badass guests will be there today, so it's gonna be a party. I'll be naked.

Very well, that's all. Peace Mortals.
Qris Pek

CD review: Peck The Town Crier, Groundhog’s Day (Self-released)

Rating: 4 out of 5 geetars

To 19-year-olds submerged in the indie rock world, Boogie Woogie isn’t a popular sound, but Chris Peck, AKA Peck The Town Crier, is bringing it, jazz and funk back to life in a hip way on Groundhog’s Day.

A few years back, while studying Jazz and Composition at NYU, Peck was diagnosed with tendonitis and forced to leave the guitar playing behind. But that allowed him to focus more on his spoken word/rap abilities. "I don’t have tendonitis of the tongue," Peck said. "So it made me into an old-fashioned huckster."

Sometimes he rhymes slow, sometimes he rhymes quick, either way, Peck’s rap is staccato and precise. On the same tip, he’s just as good when firing out songs concerning social issues ("Shout!") as he is when singing about bitches’ booty ("Underwear"). It’s an appreciated juxtaposition that makes Peck come across as a well-rounded individual who takes in all types of stimuli to make his music as interesting and tantalizing as possible. And, as mentioned, the insertion of Boogie Woogie ("The Widow & The Wasp") adds an element of maturity and a knowledge of music that is light years beyond Top 40 B.S.

 

-(pitchperfectreviews.com)

 

 

 

. ..TR>

	.. (hey all--- here’s a story that the North Bay Bohemian ran  about me in their 3/26 issue.  I just hope none of my middle school guitar students find this.  I read this paper all the time, so i was stoked to be in it.)    ..TR> .. --> 03.26.08 . home | north bay bohemian index | music & nightlife | band review Da line: Just call him Chris. Hist-Hop Peck the Town Crier a mystical soldier of writing new shit By David Sason W ith his shaggy hair and white-rimmed glasses, Chris Peck seems just another indie rock kid subscribing to the Weezer school of geek chic. Upon meeting him, it’s hard to believe he’s Peck the Town Crier, the local musician whose innovative hip-hop, jazz and funk fusion invades Bedrock Records on March 30 and Sweetwater Station on April 16. But when Peck opens his mouth, his enthusiastic and unpretentious mix of California and b-boy colloquialisms leaveno doubt of his artistic eccentricities. "I’m not really efficient at, like, spreading the word or marketing myself," he tells me, sipping his java, "but I am a mystical soldier of writing new shit." As he speaks, I can’t stop hearing his song "Coffee," where rhymes and plastic-soul croons are buoyed by a marching band drumbeat. "It turns my world around / Keeps me from sinking down / It turns from black to brown / You add a little cream / It’s a whole new scene." While this tongue-in-cheek offering may recall Beck or Har Mar Superstar, Peck is less schticky and more organic. On his new album, Groundhog’s Day , he brings a sincere, scholarly reverence to every style explored, from the be-bop of "Jump for Joy" and the soulful p-funk of "Underwear," to the honky-tonk of "The Widow and the Wasp" and cheerleader stomp of "Shout!" "I call it hist-hop," he says of his music, "because we’re pulling from all kinds of roots of weird old American music." His lyrics are just as eclectic, combining refreshingly positive affirmations with quaint stories. "Some songs are colorful little jokes that happen through hangin’," he says. "The fabric of ’the hang’ ends up in my raps." Peck the Town Crier is a phenomenon that could only have come from Marin, and it began with Peck learning guitar at the Saint Mark’s School’s fertile music curriculum, which was rife with rock-star parents. "I remember the drummer from Journey, Steve Smith, played with us in fifth grade," he says. "It was a face-melting experience." By the time he graduated from the Branson School, he’d already completed Your Tape Machine’s Not Broken, recorded on a four-track reel-to-reel. Through school shows and sitting in at the short-lived San Rafael club Jazzed, Peck became hooked on performing. "It was a way to shine and have an alter ego," he says. His current brand of eccentric theatricality features tear-away trousers and even a wall of clapping hands. "It was somewhat of a disaster onstage," he admits with a laugh, "but a charming disaster." As a student at NYU, he was part of the jazz department, but a bout of severe tendonitis made him unable to play any instruments at all for weeks at a time. It proved serendipitous in the end. "I used to make my guitar sound good, and everything else was an afterthought," he says. "But when I couldn’t play, I started turning into more of a composer, playing with all these musical Lego’s instead of playing just one." Nevertheless, California was calling him back, especially after one spring back home. "I met energy healers and people who grew weed and people who were into weird local music that I couldn’t have heard in NewYork," he says, still sounding excited. "I got more music written here than I had in years. I went back to New York and said, ’As soon as I graduate, I’m moving back, and it’s gonna be, like, on !’" And it has been "on" ever since, with endless projects like "Le Chronique," an upcoming concert series in San Francisco that will utilize his improvisational jazz training to blend looping with live instrumentation. "I need to stay connected to the old ways, not something that is trumped up by the machine," Peck says. "I need to be part of the continuum of the really raging, aesthetically sharp shit." Peck the Town Crier performs on Sunday, March 30, in a ’parking lot hoedown’ at Bedrock Records, 2226 Fourth St., San Rafael. 2pm. Free. 415.258.9745. On Wednesday, April 16, he appears as part of the Comcast Battle of the Bands at the Sweetwater Station, 500 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur. 7pm. Free. 415.388.7769. ..   ..TR>  ..DIV>..TABLE>..TABLE> 7:35 AM  0 Comments (Add Comment) | 0 Kudos Translate Powered by English Albanian Arabic Bulgarian Catalan Chinese Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician German Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Maltese Norwegian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese
Sunday, January 06, 2008  In the Press-Yyyaaay! Groundhog's Day, my new record is getting some attention in the press, hooray! Here's a few things the print press and some bloggers have said: Paul Liberatore, Marin Independant Jouurnal "When I first heard Peck, I felt a little like Mister Jones in Bob Dylan's 'Ballad of a Thin Man.' I knew something was happening, but I didn't know what. The enigmatic Marin musician - who calls himself Peck the Town Crier - has a new independent album, "Groundhog's Day," his second CD…. I remained dumbfounded after watching one of his videos on YouTube. With a percussive harmonica soundtrack, he does a strange dance with a spear of pampas grass at the progressive Blue Rock School in New York. In the comments section of the video, one viewer had the same reaction I did, writing: "I have never seen anything quite like this. I liked it." I'm also intrigued by "Groundhog's Day," the new CD, even though I've never heard anything quite like it, either. It showcases Peck's story raps - on topics like James Brown, his grandfather, coffee, underwear, the joy of living - over eclectic musical tracks melding Brazilian percussion, P-Funk-era party jams, old school rock, boogie woogie, jazz, even marching band drumming - by some of Marin and the Bay Area's finest young musicians." SFist.com "Recorded at the famed Hyde St Studios in San Francisco, Groundhog's Day blends Peck's unique story-raps and verbiage with hand played instrumental arrangements that pull from the gambit of American music... It's a bit weird, a bit eccentric, but hey, it's what San Francisco is all about!" (ain't it?) avproductionworld.com "Hip hop, jazz, marching band, funk, blues –just some of the influences that come through on Groundhog's Day, the new CD released by Peck the Town Crier. This album is overflowing with attitude arising from the mind of Chris Peck, whose lyrics are full of truth and humor. Eleven tracks that will open your mind and get your body moving are all connected through Peck's engaging storytelling and rhythms. Peck celebrates the voice as instrument and explores new avenues of rhythmic counterpoint. Every track shines forth with originality..." Tom Hallett, "Round the Dial" music blog "Kicking off with "Shout!", Groundhog's Day immediately establishes itself as a record jam-packed with positive, sometimes poignant, sometimes humorous lyrics, pounding, dedicated rhythm, and a backing outfit that creates the perfect aural setting for Peck's unique, mile-a-minute delivery: "Shout! Let it out! Let it go, let it go! I'm tellin' you just to let you know!!" Nate Seltenrich, East Bay Express "Peck the Town Crier has waged war against predictability. Slowish raps tend toward spoken word and performance art, while low-key backing tracks tap into jazz, funk, bluegrass, marches, and more. Not everything works, but at least nothing is expected." (i love it. see how i left it all in?) Very stoked to be making a ripple. Keep an eye out for some reviews in national publications for January. Also, the record's been getting a little airplay, too. KALX, KDIE, KZSU, KCSB and some others I can't remember have been giving it some loving spins. Beautiful. I'll keep y'all posted of further thrills. So again, if you haven't heard it yet, go and check it out at www.cdbaby.com/cd/pecktowncrier, where you can stream the whole thing and see what YOU think! Onward---> Chris 2:32 AM  0 Comments (Add Comment) | 0 Kudos Translate Powered by English Albanian Arabic Bulgarian Catalan Chinese Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician German Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Maltese Norwegian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese
Wednesday, September 12, 2007  Rest in Peace, Joe Zawinul 9-11-07 Today, my biggest musical hero, Joe Zawinul has died at age 75. I first got to know him through the music of WEATHER REPORT, which Mr.Zawinul co-founded with Wayne Shorter. But before starting Weather Report, Joe played on several legendary records as a side man. Among those are "mercy, mercy, mercy" by Cannonball Adderly and Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew". For along time, I've thought about how bummed I'd be when this fella passed away. He's probably the only musician whom I wouldn't mind being a complete rip-off of. He never stopped progressing, and filled his band with a new generation of innovators every decade or so. Among those young players (whom he symbiotically fed and fed off) were: Jaco Pastorius, Carlos Santana, Omar Hakim, Victor Bailey, Richard Bona, and countless others who either started or re-juventaed their musical life in his band. Somebody told me he named his band Weather Report because he wanted the music to be constantly changing, fresh. After Weather Report recorded their final record, "This Is This", (a real slammin', urban kind of record with Carlos Santana as a guest member), Joe started the ZAWINUL SYNDICATE, which was the incarnation I was able to catch him in 4 or 5 times. The first time I saw them, it was at Yoshi's in 1997, and they rocked me and my buddy David out of our skulls with their force and delicacy. The Zawinul Syndicate's final few records sound like some kind of joyful Afro-Asian house music. The sound palate mashes accoustic, electric and synthetic instruments together in a way that obscures which is which. That was kind of always Zawinul's trademark ever since he played on "Bitches Brew" in his youth: He found ways to meld accoustic and synthetic instruments together into a very earthy but futuristic sound. An Afro-Alien Intelligence moves through my two favorite records by Weather Report: "Mysterious Traveler" and "Black Market". If you can cop those two on vinyl or cassette, prepare your mind for some evolution. All the Weather Report and Zawinul Syndicate records are dope, though. The most famous one is "Heavy Weather", which was the first one with Jaco Pastorius playing bass on all the tracks. I'm listening right now to "A Remark You Made", a shining ballad from that record. If you haven't heard any Weather Report, type their name in on You Tube, and see if they suit your taste. Without Joe Zawinul, the goal is to make joyfull, innovative, hard-grooving music in the same spirit that he infused his recordings and performances with. The other goal is to be an ill boxer at age 75, like Zawinul was. (Check out the Zawinul Syndicate Tour documentary for some gnarly footage of him on the heavy bag.) Peace and Rest To You Joe, the torch has been passed; lions young and old will miss your presence. Other recent events: -Played with the very interesting Kids and Hearts at Boom Boom Room last thursday...Thanks to all y'all old friends who were there that night. -Scored a dope weight lifting anatomy poster on Hyde St. on a break from recording. -Have pushed back the release date of GROUNDHOG'S DAY until tuesday, December 4th. We're closer and closer all the time, but we're also deepening this album. Adding more instrumentation, thinking harder about the soundscape, and (maybe, maybe) having a surprise artist make the album cover. Gosh, me cyant wait to release this thing into the wild. But, in the weeks leading up to December 4th, I'll be playing some of this new music at my shows. Sometimes in solo incarnation, and very soon, in band form. Oooo-Kay. Much Love, everybody. Go out and get some Weather Report if you haven't got any. (I recommend it on used Vinyl. Theirs is about $2 a piece, usually.) -peck 1:54 AM  1 Comments (Add Comment) | 2 Kudos Translate Powered by English Albanian Arabic Bulgarian Catalan Chinese Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician German Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Maltese Norwegian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese
Tuesday, August 21, 2007  sociogram of the beats 8-20-07 I am an old man, living in a 27 year old body. That happiness is mine. I am subject to all priviledges and burdons which may ride piggy back with such a condition. I am pre-senile. Like all pre-seniles, I prepare ready-made opinions on a variety of topics. Somebody mentions Manhattan, and I give them my Manhattan spiel. However, "am" has never meant "always will be", and I'm undergoing a young-ing of the brain, a limbering of the mind. No white russians were involved in the trigger of my young-ing. (Actually, t'was lemon juice, grade B maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water, to the exclusion of anything else.) Now my pre-made spiels are open to contradictions and updates. I HAD a myspace spiel. It went "Myspace is revolutionary. When you use it selectively, it can give a visual representation of a scene, and all of it's interactions, and all of it's overlapping with other scenes. It's really one of the first things to do that." WRONG, come to find out. Searching through a book about Wallace Berman,(a dude who was a friend, chronicler, host and witness to many of the SF beat painters and poets of the fifties), I found "Sociogram of the beats", a sketch somebody made about their friends on the scene at the time. It's the background of my pagyna now. There's a key at the bottom of the drawing, and it tells you who lived, humped, or worked together, and what craft they did best. (Though they all did all.) Kinda like myspace, huh? Only not published instantly and infinitely, and not linked to possibly millions of other sociograms by one or two degrees of separation. Cooler looking, though, and probably longer lived than our pages will be, unless we back them up and submit them to the smithsonian. In other news, we've just done several marathon days of recording at olde hyde street studios. Involving cats like: John Rogers (drums), Scott McDowell (engineer), both ubiquitous. "You" be quite "us", fellas. Also Mike Passaris (orchestral percussion), Jarret Cherner (piano), Mike Olmos (trumpet), Eric Crystal (reeds), D.U.S.T. (a killin mc), Peoples (a killin mc), and me, voice cracking and neck craned forward. With such dope musicians on this album, you know I gotta put a live band together soon. In Early December, Look out for "Groundhog's Day", the (un?)-renounced fruit of these labors. Today also marks the beginning of my weekly video serial. This first one was filmed in the Marin Headlands one afternoon. The Clash caused me to gyrate. You might have to wear headphones to get the full effect on this one. (have you ever worn headphones while on the internet? it's so much more bangin'.) Peace, Darlings. Peck 12:06 AM  0 Comments (Add Comment) | 0 Kudos Translate Powered by English Albanian Arabic Bulgarian Catalan Chinese Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician German Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Maltese Norwegian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese
Thursday, July 12, 2007  GROUNDHOG NATION ENDORSEMENT Current mood:  thirsty Henrietta, New York is a gentle town near Buffalo, (which was originally called "Beau Fleau", or beautiful river). We'd just finished playing a daylight show at "Taste of Rochester" and were chilling at our hotel, preparing to see Ratatouille (which turned out to be life-changing.) The hotel was situated next to a green farm, with a red barn. I found a picnic table by the field, parked my rump there, and started writing some verses. "Why don't I have any verses about Groundhog's on this record?" , my brain said to my brain. "It's called Groundhog's Day. They need to be represented." So I wrote this verse: At burning man, in the winter of our disco tent/ danced our heads straight in a world so bent/ only to come home after ten days of visions/ and find they've built a gas pump with a television/ when will the Groundhog finally see his shadow again, step to the news crew, and say unto them : "Listen here, I wanna go on Larry King Live, and share the underground knowledge of my Groundhog Tribe..." And about when I finished that line, a real Groundhog, (which I've never seen in person before), stepped out of the bushes and chilled out next to me for a minute. "Hi!", I said to him or her, and he ambled back into the green field, toward the red barn. Not everything happens for a reason, but I interpret this to be an encounter with a diplomat from the GROUNDHOG NATION, who was offering the blessing and endorsement of his kind towards my album, and the use of their day for public human purposes. So, with this mandate, I co-opt their day towards a younger, new-fangled use: We predict hot weather, dinosaur death, and phoenix risings in the coming decades. We predict self-sufficient succulence in small salad farms. It doesn't take a succubus to augur the obvious. After the diplomat left me, I finished the verse like this: My kind is who you pick'd to predict the future/ Whatcha gon' do when the prophecy doesn't suit'cha?/ An inconvienient truth gonna chip your sweet tooth/ Don't shoot the messenger, put'm in the booth! Then we went and saw "Ratatouille", which changed my life with it's message that "ANYONE CAN COOK!" 7:59 AM  0 Comments (Add Comment) | 0 Kudos Translate Powered by English Albanian Arabic Bulgarian Catalan Chinese Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician German Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Maltese Norwegian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese