March 2012
32 posts
3 tags
91/100: #change
1991 was the year that, in popular music, everything changed.
In the fall of 1991, I spent my Saturday mornings on the debate circuit. Lincoln-Douglas debate was a style of dialogue that required philosophy, logic, and eloquence. I was new to it and struggling. Walking into a room and having your opponent sling deontological and teleological analyses at you seemed baffling for a time. That is,...
3 tags
90/100: #ninety
Ninety is…
…the atomic number of thorium.
…the distance, in feet, between bases in Major League Baseball.
…an interstate than runs across the northern US, from Washington to Massachusetts.
…the number of minutes in a regulation soccer game.
…the age that Clara Barton, organizer of the Red Cross, lived to.
…a target shot in soccer, the “upper...
3 tags
89/100: #walks
With high temperatures in the low 70’s, when 4 pm rolls around, it sure is nice in these parts. We haven’t had much of a Spring this year. Yesterday was a pleasant time for an afternoon walk.
I was able to complete mix revisions on the new album yesterday. Four of the eleven songs required no changes. I made unnecessary changes to three of the remaining seven—I’ll use...
88/100: #piano
There are 88 keys on a full size, modern piano.
It’s the only instrument that has the range of a full orchestra. A symphony rests at one’s fingertips.
I enjoy recording piano. There are so many ways to do it, from straight up acoustic miking to weighted midi substitution. Whenever I work in a studio that has one of those nice old stereo ribbon mics, it’s difficult to not just...
4 tags
87/100: #catnaps
Fatigue caught up with me yesterday. After lunch, with a cup of coffee, I sat in a comfortable chair and listened to Trope (a generative music app on the iPhone). The next thing I knew, 15 minutes had gone by. I had taken an unexpected cat nap.
“Why am I so tired?,” I thought. Duh. That’s what working through the weekend does to Mondays.
Cat naps aside, I made some progress on...
5 tags
86/100: #sore
Yesterday’s basketball game was a real nail biter. Carolina vs. Kansas seemed evenly matched. The game was neck and neck up until the last 3 minutes or so. Carolina just ran out of steam. It was a great game. The better team won.
My quads are sore today, probably because I was standing and rocking back and forth for the two hour game. It was difficult to sit still.
Maybe I’m also...
5 tags
85/100: #flow
“Flow” is a mental state in which one is completely immersed in a given activity. Time stops. Attention is undivided. Purpose is evident.
When all of a sudden it was 8:30 pm after our 2 pm lunch break, I made note that I had been in a flow state for the better part of the day yesterday. Mixing audio does that to me.
The mixing session with Nikki Meets the Hibachi was a...
2 tags
84/100: #sports
As the basketball game (Carolina vs. Ohio) went into overtime, my heart was racing.
I am a Carolina basketball fan. I can’t deny it. I have physical reactions to the outcomes of games. Regional semi-finals are big games.
I usually like to go to bed early. I was up an hour later than usual, just unable to relax. The game was close.
No matter how poorly a game is executed, there is...
5 tags
83/100: #rollwithit
The last thing I expected from Lord Smithfield’s eye check-up yesterday was another surgery. That, unfortunately, was what we got.
Parenthood and pet ownership has been a journey into the unexpected. In my experience, the best thing to do in surprise situations is to roll with it as best you can and hope for the best.
Smitty eye procedure was successful. He goes in for a day long...
4 tags
82/100: #windows
‘round here, it’s a good time to drive with the windows down.
This morning, as I drove the short trip to the gym, brisk air filled the station wagon. Dew was everywhere. It wasn’t a tough day to be up before sunrise.
On Thursday mornings, I get a bit of a chuckle. According to my workout scheduler, the regimen of the day is “Arms & Back.” I can’t help but...
4 tags
81/100: #song
A song begins in the mind.
Perhaps there’s an idea, a chord, a riff, or a feeling that needs to be expressed. A song is, in my opinion, a physical expression of an abstract idea.
I guess that’s why there are so many love songs. Love is a powerful force. Self-sacrifice, interpersonal relationships, and reproduction are all lumped into the umbrella of our word “love.” The...
1 tag
80/100: #eighty
Eighty is…
…the atomic number of mercury.
…the number of days taken to travel around the world in a Jules Verne novel.
…an interstate highway in the US that runs from New York to San Francisco.
…the percentage of effects produced by causes, according to the Pareto Principle.
…a type of rectifier vacuum tube.
…the age at which Winston Churchill...
2 tags
79/100: #basketball
I have basketball fever.
I usually take a casual position with sporting events. I rarely get excited about the Super Bowl, BCS standings, or the World Series. However, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is a different matter.
I am proud to be a Tar Heel. I’ll never forget the winter of 1994 when I went to my first string of basketball games as a freshman at the University of North...
2 tags
78/100: #daytrip
In 1844, Lydia Maria Child wrote the poem which begins “Over the river and through the woods,…” The ode, originally titled “A Boy’s Thanksgiving Day,” was later turned into a popular song.
Yesterday, as I drove to see my parents (and Ivy’s grandparents) I couldn’t help but notice driving over a river. I also rode through the woods. The Sandhills of...
1 tag
77/100: #ill
Just after I posted my blog yesterday, I felt a bit uneasy.
I got up early as usual, but this particular fatigue felt different. I had a headache and my bones hurt. Hours before that, my elliptical workout was a tremendous challenge at half speed. I didn’t feel like eating anything.
I thought that maybe with a cup of coffee and just getting going it would pass. I went about my day for as...
2 tags
76/100: #prudence
Thursdays have been times for me to prepare for my weekly lecture series on the Beatles. The Creative Center is a nice facility for the class.
This week, we examined The Beatles (commonly known as “The White Album”). Although it is properly an eponymous work, I’ll refer to it as “The White Album.”
Off the heels of their first flop (the Magical Mystery Tour) and a...
1 tag
75/100: #plans
At the end of the day, there are three days that emerge. There’s the day you thought you were going to have. Then, there’s the day you actually had. And then, there’s the day you wish you had.
Yesterday, the day I thought I was going to have included a nice morning with Ivy followed by a wrapping-up session in the studio. The evening would consist of a healthy dinner followed by...
2 tags
74/100: #glimpse
A first look at the final product of a musical work—the one with the artwork, the packaging, and availability—is an exciting event. By contrast, the stuff leading up to that is somewhat mundane.
Multiple takes, mic positioning, drum sounds, reverbs, loudness and vibe are the inches that make up the musical miles.
Every now and then, in the midst of repetition and process, one gets a...
4 tags
73/100: #drops
Caring for a dog with post-op glaucoma has been a lot more work than I had ever imagined. Now that I have a rhythm for it, it’s getting a little easier.
The e-collar, imaginatively known as the “cone of shame” to us Pixar fans, was a hindrance. It did prevent Lord Smithfield from pawing at his healing eye. In that respect it was completely necessary. Now that it is off, caring...
72/100: #passion
Every year, near the week before Easter, I find myself involved in a production of the Gossman Passion.
This Easter pageant of sorts was written nearly 10 years ago. While I wrote the music, the lyrics come directly from a particular translation of St. Matthew’s gospel.
The piece is challenging on many levels. First, it requires a cast of at least 7 (preferably up to 50) to perform....
1 tag
71/100: #dst
Winston Churchill once commented that Daylight Savings Time made greater “the opportunities for the pursuit of health and happiness among millions of people.” Daylight is a commodity to the diurnal.
If we evolved from owls rather than monkeys, I wonder if this morning we’d be observing Night Savings Time and moving our clocks in the opposite direction. Aviation wouldn’t be...
70/100: #seventy
Seventy is…
…the atomic number of ytterbium.
…the distance in meters from the archer to his target in Olympic Archery.
…the national speed limit in miles per hour in the United Kingdom.
…the number of years required to pass before a copyright lapses into the public domain.
…classified as a “weird number” in number theory.
…a platinum...
2 tags
69/100: #bicycle
Whenever I ride a bicycle after having not ridden a bicycle in a while, I intuitively remember how to do it. When I was younger, that wasn’t always the case. Once I learned how, I couldn’t not know.
Playing acoustic shows with Mark Kano is a lot like that. I’m sure we’ve played together in public approaching 1,000 times, whether it has been acoustic duo shows, Athenaeum...
1 tag
68/100: #ring
Last night, I saw a ring around the moon.
Why is there a ring around the moon sometimes?
A little research reveals that at high altitudes, icy vapor crystals reflect light at a 22 degree angle. The reflection/refraction forms what looks like a ring. Their hexagonal shape makes it so the ring is always the same apparent size and distance from the moon. On very clear nights, sometimes a second...
67/100: #pepper
On Friday, June 1, 1967, the Beatles released Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Two days later, at the album release party, Jimi Hendrix performed the title track for the Beatles and everyone else who attended. What a tribute!
Because the album was a complete studio embellishment, Hendrix’s performance is notable for two reasons. First, it was the first time the song had been...
3 tags
66/100: #1's&0's
The snow missed us, leaving a dry, cold air.
The gym might have been expecting a warmer morning today. The fans in the cardio room were on full blast, in spite of what felt like an indoor 50 degree temperature. Everyone was pedaling super fast to stay warm.
Today, I look forward to finishing up the lead vocals for the last of the new songs on this year’s album. Yesterday, I was able to...
3 tags
65/100: #sunrise
Ah, Monday.
Monday has become my favorite day of the week. It’s a return to purpose and, of course, the work that awaits.
I fit into medium t-shirts again. Yay! I’ve worn out my large t-shirts to ribbons. That was a pretty sweet Cheap Trick shirt I’ve had for the past 12 years. It may be approaching retirement.
I stepped on the scale on Sunday morning: 162 lbs. 65 days...
3 tags
64/100: #good
Another day of rest.
I haven’t had two days off in a row since I can remember. For a musician, this is a good problem to have.
The week ahead will be full and busy. I’ll be performing with Mark Kano on Thursday evening at the Blind Tiger in Greensboro, NC. Earlier that night, I’ll be giving a lecture on Beatles’ recording techniques at the Creative Center.
I’m...
3 tags
63/100: #rest
This morning has been quite relaxing.
Musicians work a lot on the weekends. Whether it’s the Saturday night gig, the Saturday afternoon wedding, or the Saturday weekend-warrior recording session, Saturday mornings are usually “go” time.
Not today.
Other than some light chores, I have absolutely nothing to do today. I am grateful for the rest.
I started the day with some...
2 tags
62/100: #5k
74 degrees on an early March day in Greensboro is a bit of a rarity. Yesterday, it felt like full-on spring. A nice day to be outside, for sure.
It was so enticing that I decided to go for my first jog of the year. The three miles was a challenge. I’ll need to work up to that before trying it again. This morning I am sore in ways I recall from previous training seasons. And, being...
3 tags
61/100: #spring
Now that February is over, it is likely that the local weather will trend warmer and nicer. Spring is coming soon.
It’s not that winter is bad. It’s just cold and, at times, bleak and depressing. The trees are bare. The grass is a pale greenish brown. The air is dry.
I look forward to those few spring days when the temperature stays in the mid 60’s. Flowers bloom. The...