I have been performing in Baltimore lately. It has been fun and interesting, also a little challenging logistically-- had a flat the other day on the way back, in the rain, in the middle of the night. Played as part of the VALIS collective jam at the Ottobar this past weekend, that was very fun-- clips on the VALIS collective myspace page. Also, here's a pic-- I'm the ghostly figure in the background, in the foreground is Pulsoc, the VALIS organizer...

Black Cat, Washington DC, 5/7/2006

http://www.cafepress.com/utenzilshop

was feeling graphically inclined. This is the first time I've done these through Cafepress, hope they come out OK. It's fun, and the previews look good.

some interesting items.  some thought provoking...

http://www.cafepress.com/utenzilshop.37047308

and others just provoking

http://www.cafepress.com/utenzilshop.37050100

You should really check out Ableton Live http://ableton.com

There is a demo version you can download for free. I've been in bands off and on for years, and while the music was always fun, the group logisitcs were always the most draining aspect. Not "getting along", the people I played with almost always got along-- I mean the equipment lugging and expense, setting up, tearing down, not ever quite getting it to sound right... now my original music, with insrumentation I had only dreamed of fits on a laptop in a backpack, with my guitar and keyboard in the backseat, and Bose PAS http://bose.com in the trunk of my car..I've got everything I need to produce amazing jaw dropping electronic sound, live.

I've written a new song, here are the lyrics. I will post the mp3 somewhere when it's done: I'm thinking of a sort of techno retro punk treatment:

Nobody Reads My Blog

Nobody reads my blog..

Nobody reads my blog

I don't post photos of my cat,

or photos of my dog

Nobody reads my blog

Its boring and it's dreary

I don't have naked pictures there

Or thoughts about quantum theory

I add to it when I feel like it

It doesn't have subscribers or ads

There's no advice for wayward girls

Or solace for their moms and dads

It contains those things that I put in it

No less or more you'll see

But you can't, you see,

You will never see

Because Nobody Reads My Blog.

ok, so i played Jammin' Java tonight. it was a difficult drive this time, because there was paving being done on one route I take, so I took another route. On that one, a bad accident that had taken out a power pole and the police had blocked both lanes, so I had to backtrack around that. I call to say I'm late, I get there, I'm there pretty much in time. I then realize oh no no forgot some adapters that I *need* to play there. bad mistake.

I end up singing, a capella, a song I wrote, called "chaos in control". oddly, the whole thing didn't go as badly as it might've.

All in all, strange but the essence of the song was maybe conveyed a little better-- it was definitely more chaotic that I'd hoped.