*This is a mirror of this post. Some of this information was covered here previously.

Well my dears, it's been awhile since I've talked about my music here, and oh so much has happened that I need to step into the way back machine to recap. Last July I ended Banter/3.1 as I reported here. Soon after I began working on a new live show entitled Horses Changed My Life which was to be part music, part storytelling, with some sort of film in the background. Then, as many of you know, in November my Mac crashed, leaving me with access to none of the work I had done for that show. As of this writing the data issue is still unresolved (anyone got a spare two grand for recovery?) Then along came xxxmas, and despite always striving to be naughty, santa brought me the new version of Pro Tools that I asked for. However. It requires 1gb of memory and my old pc only had 512mb. At that point I had a bit of extra scratch from working my ass off over the hollandaise, so I bought a barebones kit and built a new computer. And just in time, because February is going to be a busy month.

First, I am taking the Recording Project Month Challenge. The idea is to write and record an entire album in the month of February. I ain't scared. After all, I did record Beyond Beautiful Mountain in only three weeks. My plan is to write a new song every day for the first ten days, and then edit the shit out of them for the remaining 18 days. A tease of the new sound can be heard here. It's the last song in the player, appropriately called A taste of what's to come. The resulting work will be the first album by Something Like Banter & the Cybernetic Inevitable All-Stars.

In CockSlap news, we have a show coming up at AS220 on March 4th. Be there. Trust me. We are currently building The Chicken which is an interative beast controlled by you the audience! You won't want to miss this exciting opportunity to be a part of the CockSlap experience.

"Well, what about the horses?" you may ask. Horses Changed My Life is now going to become a feature length silent film with an all original soundtrack. In many ways it is going to be the sequel to Sweeping up the Popcorn only this time set in a record store. Pre-production will begin in March after I get past the enourmous amount of work I mentioned above.

So, as you can see, I've got quite a bit of work ahead of me. But, that's the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, I like it.

Inspired by da Twoop, here's a list of what's been happening, complete with appropriate (or maybe even inappropriate) links.

For starters, most of my blogging has been here. There's thoughts on shows, life stuff, and even an article on the death of Banter/3.1.

So, with that phase of the Banter Cycle done, what's next? Something Like Banter & the Cybernetic Inevitable All-Stars. I began work on a show called Horses changed my life, which was/is a fully integrated performance (music, film, theatre) based on a found object. However..

My Mac crashed. Hard drive failure. As of this writing, I'm still not sure what percentage of that show, and oh, the last year's worth of work, might only exist on that hard drive. I stand to lose a lot of work, but..

...the fact that this has forced me to use my old pc as a music machine has had some benefits.

First is the fact that this machine has a very nice sound system on it. Which, although awkward, I consider portable. Meaning that not only is my studio listening environment improved, but that will be used live as well. To that end, CockSlap has been having virtual rehersals, building an interactive machine to be played* by the audience. *details available at performance**, **details to follow

Another benefit is that I'm in the mode of teaching Pro Tools, so this is forcing me to deal with the tool in the pc environment. Plus, 8's coming out in time for the hollandaise, and while it may not be wise to put all my eggs in this basket, I think there's a fair chance that Santa's gonna bring me Pro Tools 8 for xxxmas.

Alright, well I seem to have drifted from news to musings so I'll bid you farewell..

After much thought I have decided to press the pause button on the 114 Song Box Set. This is not to say that I am abandoning the project, but rather taking some time away from it. Lemme ’splain. Factor number one is the new album. I want to take the time to promote Medicinal Reverb properly, and part of that means presenting those songs. Along with that, I’m not really developing any new b/3.1 material right now, and for that same reason. Upcoming live shows will be focussed on the MedRev songs, with only a few other treats to round things out. Most of the new work I’ve been doing has been making glitch machines, some of which will be for use in CockSlap, some for as yet unknown purposes. And while I probably have almost enough pieces laying around that I could post, some of it is obscure for a reason. And finally, I’m turning at least some of my creative time and energies towards adding a visual element to my performances, which again, is part of promoting the new album.

So ultimately what it comes down to is Medicinal Reverb. I want to give it some time to stand on its own feet and not be crowded by either tons of new material spewing forth or by older work that is not really relevant to the current sound and situation.

Wow. Disc six already. Over the last couple of months the music has made some dramatic developments as I delved further into Reason. Having just returned from NYC and needing to step back a bit in order to assess and digest these changes I will be posting primarily older material for the next few weeks. There will be some newer surprises, some rarities, and some forgotten children along the way as well.

Week 39 (3/24/8)
This week I decided to contrast my longest offering with my shortest.

Beyond Beautiful Mountain, Opus 1 (excerpt)
BBM was originally created as forty-four short pieces intended to be listened to as one whole. Each of those individual pieces was sequentially based on Josef Matthias Hauer’s Trope Chart I. I then took it a step further and mixed the works such that it then was just one long song. This excerpt represents tropes twelve through twenty-three.

If 60 is the new 50, let’s make bacon the new tofu
This recently created work was made specifically for a call for entry looking for sixty-second long songs. I talk about it in a bit more detail on my "real" blog. I have a dirtier version of the title, but really, who doesn’t want a hot dog made entirely from bacon?

Week 38 (3/19/08)
Oops. I’m two days late. Does that mean I’m pregnant?
Blue Board Blues
I think this b/3.1 classic is due for an update. Currently it’s the alarm on my cell phone.

Anton is missing
This was the very first twelve tone piece I wrote. The lead sticks with it’s tone row throughout, with variations in octave and note duration. And while this goes back to the Yamaha days, it is one of, if not the, first songs of that era to use the four track instead of the on-board recorder.

Week 37 (3/10/8)
This week will be similar to the very first week of the 114 Song Box Set, in that I will present two very different versions of Cosmonoddin’

Cosmonoddin’ for Five Hands
This version, from 14 New Songs, is somewhat reminiscent of a BST style in that it has no fixed (or attempt at fixed) rhythm. It is called "for Five Hands" because it was recorded in three passes, one of which was done using only one hand.

Cosmo.08
Like Simple.08 a few weeks ago, this is a Reason update on a b/3.1 classic. And like much of what I’ve been working on lately, this can be performed 100% live, so the version I play at Open Mic this week may be quite different than this one.

Week 36 (3/3/8)
Tonight we’re gonna party like it’s 1394!
This studio-only piece has become something of a live classic. As it is a song that I don’t play a live part to, and it has a lot going on in it, it has been used as an opening/sound-check song at most of my live appearances.

The Wise One’s on Line Two, he says, "There is no easy way."
What can I say about this elixir? Four references, and free b/3.1 discs to anyone who can name all four.

Welcome to disc five! We are now officailly half-way through the 114 Song Box Set.

Disc 5 tack list
1) This week in history
2) Dear Bird
3) Chaos at the Picnic!
4) Chaos & Rhymes ~ the Banter Solo Trio
5) The other side of grace
6) But Mom, all the cool kids are writing atonal music!
7) The Field at Monkey Springs
8) Turning Away
9) Disenchanted ~ Banter
10) Because of you
11) Forget what the angel told you
12) Advice
13) Twenty-five steps closer to the truth
14) Simple.08

Week 35 (2/25/8)
This week, which closes out disc five, continues the old/new theme in a different way, and continues with the Oblique Stategy aided songs.

Twenty-five steps closer to the truth
OS: Mechanicalise something idiosyncratic The phrase "Improvised dance music for intellectual wall flowers" is becoming more accurate all the time.

Simple.08
OS: How would you have done it? At the point when I drew this card I had already been toying with the idea of making this a new version of "Simple," which was first a BST song, then became "Simple Complex B" on Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. The card not only cemented the idea to turn this into a new version, but to use a vibraphone voice for the lead, and give it a bit of swing in the lead.

Week 34 (2/18/8)
Once again we present the new/old combo. Both songs this week are not only directly influenced by Mr. Eno, but both were aided by Oblique Strategies.

Forget what the angel told you
As of this writing, this is my newest completed song. That will probablly change before the end of the day. It is also a really good example of a whole new direction I'm taking. I've been getting into some real tweaky back-of-the-rack shit in Reason. For starters, I've been working alot with the Combinator, which is essentially a rack within the rack. One of the many things it allows me to do is to map multiple devices across the keyboard. For example, the lower keys can be set to trigger the arpeggiator, the top-most keys can be mapped to switch patterns on the drum machine, and the middle octaves can have yet another sound which is for the "lead." This also gives me the ability to perform songs completely live, whereas before only the "lead" would have been live and the rest of the tracks pre-recorded. The other thing I've discovered is that I can basically do circuit bending within Reason. By patching things around in funny ways I can cause a device to start to glitch out and make sound on its own.

I had been working on this song for a few days and there was something not quite right about it. Then the other day just before starting to work on it I heard All Saints by Bowie and realized this piece needed distorted guitars. I then consulted my Oblique Strategies widget and was asked What mistakes did you make last time?

Advice
This is an odd choice for the old/rare song since it is technically on the Has its own wrench album. However, I have yet to release an "official" pressing of that disc, and this is a studio only track that has never been played live.

This song stared after getting the following Oblique Strategy card: Lowest Common Denominator check ~ single beat ~ single note ~ single riff. Single=1=Eno! Although I didn't follow the "advice" to the letter. I did use two different Alesis voices, one called Eno Pad, and the other called Joshua Tree. And if you really want to get technical, one voice is in C maj and the other is in A min ;-)

Week 33 (2/11/8)
This week we get the oldest song I've put up so far, and one of my newest. Although you're just going to have to wait for the new super-bitchin' version of Cosmonoddin' that I made yesterday.

Disenchanted ~ Banter
Yup, that's right, Banter. Not Solo Trio, not /3.1, just Banter. This song is most likely from '96 or '97. There exists another version with a spoken word part that I would have posted had I had it here with me. But as is, I think it serves as an interesting example of the fact that certain ideas and sounds have been present all along. If I recall correctly the squeal is just a metronome fed into a feedback loop.

Because of you
This song is a portrait of city life.

Week 32 (2/4/8)
Continuing with the new song, old/rare song theme once again.

The Field at Monkey Springs
Last weekend I spent a lovely day wandering around Central Park with a friend who was in town. We saw the Strawberry Fields Memorial and I almost cried. Since then I've had the sound of 'tron flutes in my head. The "monkey" and "springs" parts of the title should be fairly obvious upon listening to the song.

Turning Away
This is yet another trope-based piece recorded last summer during a particularly productive period. Sometimes the poor forgotten children deserve love too.

Week 31* (1/28/8) *(or three point one, if you prefer ;-)
Last week I so enjoyed the combination of a new song with an old/rare song that I think I'll continue that for a few weeks.

The other side of grace
The fun with Reason continues. This is another piece which uses a non-drum sound in the drum machine. However this time it is a sound that I created from scratch using the Thor synthesizer. The title is an oblique reference to my current geography. (wow that sounds nerdy)

But Mom, all the cool kids are writing atonal music!
This unreleased song is one of the earliest examples of using Hauer's trope system in the b/3.1 setting. The astute/nerdy among you might be thinking "Ah-ha, what about Beyond Beautiful Mountain!!??" I shall remind you that BBM is technically the only release by Banter2.007 (pronounced Banter two point double oh seven)

Week 30 (1/21/8)
This week juxtaposes one of my newest songs with one of my oldest.

Chaos at the Picnic!
This song is a really good example of the direction my music is taking right now. Not only does it feature my new favorite toy, but it also showcases the added production values picked up from taking the Pro Tools courses.

Chaos & Rhymes ~ the Banter Solo Trio
This song is the title track off the second BST album. The first half is one of the earliest examples of a BST song that is entirely keyboard based, and the second half represents the predominantly sax-based sound I was working with at the time.

Week 29 (1/14/8)
After spending over a month exploring the new software we turn once again to some older material.

This Week In History
This dark little ditty, like all the tracks on Songs of War & Gardening was influenced by watching too much war news on the television.

Dear Bird
This piece, from 14 New Songs was a studio experiment in simultaniously recording the same performance data to an audio track (using an Alesis voice) and a MIDI track, thereby layering the sounds. In this song I went through that process twice, creating four tracks from two takes. (Interesting to note: for me the association of hearing 'Wolf Blitzer has a posse' after this song is so strong that I start singing it as soon as 'Dear Bird' is over.)

Since the mighty and wise overlords of TheeSpace have deemed us mortal musicians worthy of having six songs on our profiles instead of four I am taking a new approach to how I post new songs for the 114 Song Box Set. The new songs will now be in the number 3 & 4 slots on the player. The main reason for this is I'm trying to get gigs in the city and I want the first two slots to consistantly be representative of what I'm doing right now. Since most people only listen to part of the first song, maybe the second, it makes no sense for me to have say an old BST song from '01 in the first slot. That's all. As you were..

I simply couldn't let January go by without announcing another upcoming album. With all this new Reason-based material piling up is anyone really surprised? The disc will feature many of the songs that have been posted here over the last two months, several of which were on the XXXMas '07 disc and the similar but rarer Eight Days in November. I'm still deciding on the running order, but I will tell you that it is 15 songs, totalling one hour. It will be called Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, teach him how to build a spaceship and he'll fly around the universe. Also, I'm going to be spending a good amount of time putting my new Pro Tools skills to use, making sure that all of the songs sound nice and shiny. It may be a few months before this one officially "drops" as it were, but I'll make sure it's worth the wait ;-)

We start disc four with a special announcement. Now usually whenever I start a new disc I have already decided what songs will be posted over those next seven weeks. However, last week I got Reason 4 and was able to spend all weekend in my studio exploring the program and recording new music. So I've decided that disc four will be all songs created using Reason. I did get a decent head start this last weekend, but this means that I'm in for as much of a ride as you, since I still have yet to record most of the songs I'll be posting over the next few weeks. So, without further ado, let's see what this puppy can do!

Track Listing Disc Four
1) Here We Go!
2) Good Night Maria
3) Back in the jungle, deep in the bush
4) Interplanetary Folkways
5) Tropical Snow
6) Oi Oi Do Da Der Noo Na
7) Satan's Swingin' Half-Sextet
8) Somehow the field trip went horribly wrong
9) Sleigh bells phase, are you trippin'?
10) When the time comes
11) Six Lane River
12) Inside the Suit
13) Grape Crush '08
14) Champagne Wishes, Unemployment Dreams

Week 28 (1/7/8)
So here we are at the end of disc four and almost at the halfway point for the entire box set. I stated at the beginning of this disc that it would all be new Reason based material, and here I am somewhat breaking that promise, but with good reason, if you will.

Grape Crush
I had been thinking, and it had been suggested to me, that I use the new software to update some of my older material and give it the more professional sheen that the new songs have. This seemed like a good place to start. Not only does this new version give this song the Reason treatment, but the lead was recorded on an acoustic piano, making it part of the electro-acoustic space I'm looking to explore.

Champagne Wishes, Unemployment Dreams
And here we have an older recording of an older song (from 14 New Songs) This song was recorded just past midnight on Jan. 1st, 2007, less than twenty hours before the meltdown which allowed me to spend all year making music and re-evaluating my life.

So there you have it. Disc four concludes with two songs that both look to the past and the future. May all your electronic dreams come true in '08!

Week 27 (12/31)
Welcome to the last post of the year!

Six Lane River
As with last week, I sat down and recorded this song today. The title refers to the view of the FDR followed by the East River that I kept looking up at as I worked.

Inside the Suit
Here's another Neo-Modernist piece using non drum sounds in the drum machine.

Week 26 (12/24)
The other day I realized two things. First, that I only had one new song to post this week. Now I obviously have tons of older material that has yet to find its way onto the 114 Song Box Set, but as stated above, I'm making disc four be all new Reason based music. I then realized that there was no reason (if you will) that I couldn't just record a brand new song today and post that. So here we have, fresh of the grill..

Sleigh bells phase, are you trippin'?
This song started its life about four hours ago. See previous blog

When the time comes
This pretty little ditty utilizes both the apreggiator (two in fact) and the loop player (also two.) I find it interesting in two ways. One, it is one of my new pieces that is 100% live as opposed to playing along with pre-recorded tracks. Two, it is another representative of the more opened up space I've been playing in as a result of the new software.

Week 25 (12/17)
Before I talk about this week's songs, I should let you know that right after I chose these two particular tracks I noticed that Alex Ross has declared today (12/17) to be Worldwide Atonality Day! Today's tracks can be considered my contribution to the celebration.

Satan's Swingin' Half Sextet
This track is an experiment in running drum sounds through the arpeggiator set to a random pattern. The bass and lead parts are two halfs of a trope for a full chromatic range. Since the title "Jazz From Hell" was already taken, I figured this must be the name of the trio that plays there.

Somehow the field trip went horribly wrong
This represents another experiment, this time in using non-drum sounds in the drum machine. These two songs are also part of my new genre, Neo-Modernism, which is a return to Modernist values.

Neo-Modernism is the new Modernism.

Week 24 (12/10)
Tropical Snow
This can really be considered to be a demo version of this song. In an ideal setting this will become an electro-acoustic piece with the piano part being played on a real piano. It is also a further example of my work with the arpeggiator. The title derives primarily from the first solo. The scale has a vaguely gamelan feel to it, and the voice is a kantele which is a Finnish instrument.

Oi Oi Do Da Der Noo Na
More fun with the new drum machine, this time a little dancey number in 5/4! I realized after I had finished the song that the synth voice I had created sounds like a children's toy I used to have (as an adult, of course) that I used years ago on a Banter recording. The nonsensical title reflects the sound of the synth.

Week 23 (12/3)
Back in the jungle, deep in the bush
This song is about sex.

Interplanetary Folkways
This song is an example of one direction the new software is taking me. Dear Propellerhead, thank you for the arpeggiator. So grab yer laptop and yer dulcimer, we're hitchhikin' our way to Saturn baby!

Week 22 (11/26)
Here We Go!
In addition to the myriad of synthesizers that come with the program, I now have a drum machine. (previously all drum parts were 'played' on the keyboard) While I don't intend to abandon the older style, it's nice to have a new weapon in my arsonal.

Good Night Maria
This one's a bit of a riddle for the true nerds out there. Musically it is based on one of my older songs, which was named after a composer (as many of my songs are.) A little bit of interwebbing should uncover the connection that led to the new name.

Also, don't forget to look for the secret bonus song! It's my new ring-tone!

Disc 3 track list
1) Spread your wings and tap dance
2) Confessions of a Piano Tuner
3) Dance of the Lunatic Wetboxer
4) Gypsy Death March
5) SexyHat
6) Through The Trees
7) The Current Occupant no longer lives here
8) Broken Psychedelic Angels (URI version)
9) Grey Swirls of Clouds
10) Brian's on Line One, he says, "Yo, I want my blues records back, dog."
11) If God's a Boogie Man, then what's that make me?
12) The Danbury Bounce
13) How Many More
14) Are You Deadly?

Here we go with disc three of the 114 song box set!

I wish I could put in multiple categories. Then I could put in Sports! Chips! Booty!

Week 21 (11/19)
And then there were six!! Apparently the great gods of MySpace have deemed us lowly musicians worthy of having six songs on our profiles. This means that you, my dear listeners, get an extra week to enjoy the songs before they are removed!

How Many More
The ep Songs of War & Gardening, which this is from, was recorded last summer. At the time I would listen to the news all morning and then spend time outside working on the yard. I'll leave it up to you to decide if this song is about war or gardening.

Are You Deadly?
Here's a funny coincidence for the tech nerds. Last year I "obtained" a copy of Reason. I never got around to using it until about three months ago and this was the first piece I recorded using it. (ru1=(r)eason (u)ntitled (1)=eno=seven deadly finns) I then tried to "obtain" the newer version and in the process screwed things up. By that point I had gotten enough of a taste for it that I wanted it. Since version 4 just came out this summer, Propellerhead is offering a huge discount to registered users of Reason Adapted, which I am. I just recently came into a small chunk of change that I am dedicating to buying software with, including Reason, Structure LE, and M-Tron. I plan my weekly song choices in advance and knew over a month ago that I would be posting this song today. By coincidence, my full version of Reason 4 shipped this morning. w00t!

Week 20 (11/12)
Wow, week twenty already. My how time flies.
If God's a Boogie Man, then what's that make me?
This is an old Banter Solo Trio track from BST~plays Improvised Music. I had agreed to record the choir at my parents church so I brought my sax with me to a) test the set-up, and b) record a little. I played three separate improvisations, and then later laid them on top of one another. This song was sampled by someone, but unfortunately he has cancelled his account. Perhaps later I will host his song and post a link. The title is a Charles Mingus reference.

The Danbury Bounce
This jaunty little ditty has gone through a lot. It started its life in Garage Band (the backing tracks are bounced over from GB) as BoomBapBang. Last year it was briefly revived with the notion that every time it was played live it would have a different lead voice, and a different name. To that end it made appearances as Republicans will eat your babies and That's what you get for hangin' with despots. While there's nothing particularly Ivesian about the current version, the whistling lead gives it an old-timey feel that reminded me of Charles Ives, who was born in Danbury, CT.

Week 19 (11/6)
Oops. I totally forgot that yesterday was Monday. Here's this week's songs a day late. So Sorry. Also, I wish that the blog editor would let you write in a selection for current listening: A Troop of Echoes ~ The War on November.

Grey Swirls of Clouds
This piece is related to the song When in that it is a more rhythmically free approach which harkens back to the BST style.

Brian's on Line One, he says, "Yo, I want my blues records back, dog."
I consider this to be something of a b/3.1 classic. This is quite possibly the first song I recorded with the Alesis & ProTools set-up. For a full explanation of the title see previous blog Anatomy of a song title.

Week 18 (10/29)
The Current Occupant no longer lives here
This is another song with a trope-based chromatic background and a major key lead. The sounds of the bassoon and the choir seem to give it a somewhat Residential vibe, hence the bizarre title.

Broken Psychedelic Angels
A new version of an old Banter classic. This was recorded live at the URI show I played just a few days ago (10/26) and uses the upright piano they have there. This sort of electro-acoustic work is an area I intend to explore more. I had originally planned on putting up a different song here, but decided just this morning to post this instead.

Week 17 (10/22)
SexyHat
The pun of this title should be fairly easy to figure out. a) My name is Justin, and b) I wear hats. Sometimes it's really not rocket science.

Through The Trees
This is an example of the more atmospheric side of the b/3.1 experience. Pieces like this tend to be studio only works.

Week 16 (10/15)
Dance of the Lunatic Wetboxer
This song first appeared on Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and this is an updated version from The War on Christmas '06. Wetboxing was one of the more absurd tasks at a factory that I worked in many years ago. Around that time I planned to make a mix tape with this name but never got around to it. Years later I decided to re-appropriate this as a song title. It is also my ring tone. Call me sometime, I'll prove it.

Gypsy Death March
This morning I said "Oh shit, it's Monday! I still have to name u29!" This is what I came up with. You like?

Week 15 (10/8)
This weeks' choices are also the two songs that were part of the song naming contest.

Spread Your Wings and Tap Dance (named by Allison)
Is it just me, or does the tap dancer seem a bit drunk?

Confessions of a Piano Tuner (named by Melissa)
The piano tuner must have done something really naughty.

Or rather, two winners. Congratulations to Allison and Melissa, winners of the b/3.1 song naming contest. Allison transformed u28 into Spread Your Wings and Tap Dance, while Melissa heard Confessions of a Piano Tuner in u5. Thanks to all the other entries. It was a tough race to call.