Hola desde Peru

Quick Update from the road. Lucia and I left on Monday for Peru. We´ve been in Lima, a city that has been enjoyable, however the weather is really dismal. It´s foggy and cold this time of year. It´s funny to see the Limeños reaction to ¨winter¨ though, as it´s still about 65 degrees. They dress their little dogs in sweaters. So, after exploring fine dining and bars in Miraflors and Barranco, we are heading to Ica, for a quick stay in an oasis, and then taking a long bus ride to Cusco, to explore the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. Then back north on our way to beach paradise in Ecuador! and volunteer work.

He Doesn't Realize there's another Option

Well, I'm long overdue for an update. Somehow, between all my other commitments, I've never really taken to making this the kind of 'blog' that made blogs popular. Oh well.

My tenure at Purchase College is finally coming to an end. Last Friday was Commencement, so the official academic year has now ended, which means my last at Purchase. No more parties in the Olde, early morning rendezvous at Starbucks, no more sleeping in the dorms, no more classes in Humanities, no more VA shows,no more imbibing myself in Alumni, no more walking clumsily across the mall. I know I have done quite enough of this over the last 6 or so years, and it's also not the first time I've left Purchase, but it's sinking in, again.

But, for the best of reasons, and in order. I've accepted a spot in the Department of Art History and Communication Studies at McGill University in Montreal. I will be heading up to the great white north to check out apartments soon. June 5th I will be heading into Charleston, SC, to visit one of my bestfriends, Caitlin (!, who has been studying in Athens since last summer and so I'm quite excited to see her.) I'm then, finally, going to visit Atlanta (airport in 2007 apparently didn't count)en route to Bonnaroo, where I will be working as a volunteer. This is very exciting, for not only is it free since I'm volunteering, and not only will I see Al Green, Phish, MGMT, Mars Volta, BRUCE SPRINGSTEIN, and on and on, but, also, my old roommate and long long friend Ali, whom I haven't seen since leaving San Francisco almost 18 months ago, will be working security!

After Bonnaroo, I'll put in a few more weeks of work, and then... Lucia and I are off to Lima, Peru for the start of a month long backpacking adventure. We will leave Lima quickly, probably visiting somewhere on the coast on the way to Cusco (Ica, maybe Nazca.) After a few days in Cusco, we will hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, maybe throw in some more hiking, and then head north, to Trujillo, and then to Ecuador. We will be staying in Manta, a coastal city, and occasionally exploring other destinations nearby. Before heading home, we will stop by Banos and the Amazon, with our last 3 days in Quito. This is highly subject to Change. It sounds like a lot, but mostly we'll be in Cusco and Manta, with travel days in between. The airfare was dirt cheap, considering we bought it recently (only 600 round trip! from JFK,) and we don't expect to spend much while traveling. We also, hopefully, have a place to stay in Manta.

After this, I'll sadly only have 2 weeks until classes begin in Montreal. But, I am ready! I have a few major themes I'll be exploring (technology and aesthetics, intellectual property law and new media art, the history of art of appropriation, transcultural communication and gov't funding for the arts, collaborative online international learning, blah blah blah.) I've already got my reading lists ready.

So, I know I haven't been writing here, but I haven't been traveling much, just around NY and such (well, and Chicago, and Dominican Republic, and cross country road trip...) I lost my camera, unfortunately, last summer, so I need a new one, but Facebook is my depository for visual records.

Once I get my new computer, I will try to incorporate some video and photos into the blog. In the meanwhile, my main creative outlet has continued to be The Silent Ballet. (www.thesilentballet.com. You can know follow us on twitter, sadly... www.twitter.com/thesilentballet/. Sad because I made and maintain it.) I do have a TSB NY music event in the works. More on that later.

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I'm always struck by what it is people seem to place value on. For some, it may be collecting things, for others it's sex, or drugs, or family, or tinted car windows. But for many, they don't seem to even be aware what it is they value, or why, and haven't the slightest that they, or others, can commit to a different set of values.

I, of course, do palce value aesthetics, but there is a line that is often crosses that goes beyond a judgment of beauty and is rather simply one of shallow impersonation. For these, there lack of taste, or their blind dedication to a style- style not being as empty as it seems, but rather as Nietzsche may use it, as in giving a style or shape to one's life- Sometimes we set goals for ourselves without even realizing it. It's not until actions have been taken, when we have the time to look back and we begin to shape our lives, in retrospect, and we see motivations. Are they real or imagined? I'm not even convinced it matters. Once these goals are met, they can seem completely useless, a waste of time and energy one wasn't even aware one was exerting. Entonces, it is so much more important that we really do take the time to examine carefully our lives, ourselves, our values. Because we do, in fact, posit our values, so do not let yourself be a one-way receptacle of moraes. For example, I noticed today how many CDs I have, and how much music I've accumulated on my external harddrive, how compulsively I organize my iTunes. At some point when I was younger, I decided I wanted to have a lot of CDs, I wanted to be the guy who knew more bands than other people. But, I didn't consciously or insincerely chase this goal. But, here it is. Now that I am moving, I've started sorting through some of my junk (articles, comic books, CDs, vinyl, books, clothes,) and I've realized how much junk I have. It holds me down. This is one reason I love to travel, to have all my possessions on my back, to be mobile.

I'm not thinking of any one person in particular when I say those who take there provincial styles too far. Of course, many of the kids I went to high school come to mind, with there silly, manufactured and replaceable music, lampoonable haircuts, beverages, and cars. A few incidents to come to mind as well. In Chicago recently, Sam introduced me to an acquaintance, who was in turn with a friend. After leaving these two, I remarked that I didn't know guys could be such bimbos. But, here was a gay boy, who couldn't even remember the name of the UNIVERSITY he attended, and could apparently care less. He didn't seem shamed, or embarrassed, but rather continued to futilely flirt. Another: I've had to explain what it is I'll be studying. And interdisciplinary cultural studies department is hard to explain, (though there are good reasons for why this is a good choice, particularly for me, I'll leave that for another time, after school begins most likely.) But I've often had to justify not just my decisions, but academia in general. Some people simply cannot comprehend anything other than salary. "Why waste so much time earning a PhD when you can just do occupation X and make 60k/year right off the bat?" People like this simply don't get it. I think the Hindu conception of souls is a good analogy here. People who think that may are on a lower plane of existence. They cannot see beyond there own selfish interest, beyond material attachment temporary conditions. They will struggle against death with all their might. It's almost not worth trying to explain it to them, I've found, because they are not capable of being made to understand.

FMTM interview Finally Finished!

"Joseph Sannicandro hosts a discussion on politics, technology, and activism through music with From Monument To Masses, finding out why they love Mandy Moore and pick fights with Metallica. Part 1 of a 2 part feature."

Long in the works, though not quite as long as On Little Known Frequencies, themy article on/interview with From Monument to Masses is finally completed. The first installment is on TSB now! Let me know what you think. And check out FMTM's latest album, On Little Known Frequencies www.monument-masses.com

Madoff Continues to be a Disgusting and Unrepentant Human Being

"Lawyers for Bernard L. Madoff have asked that prosecutors be barred from seizing the New York City apartment of the Madoffs and $62 million in bonds and cash that they say belong to Mr. Madoff’s wife, Ruth, and “are unrelated to the alleged Madoff fraud.”

The request was acknowledged, but not granted, in court documents filed on Monday both by federal prosecutors and the trustee overseeing the liquidation of Mr. Madoff’s estate for the benefit of his former customers." -NY Times
-http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/business/03madoff.html?_r=1


"Secretary of State William Galvin said Ruth Madoff, 67, withdrew $5.5 million on Nov. 25 and $10 million on Dec. 10 _ the day before Bernard Madoff was arrested _ from Cohmad Securities Corp., a New York firm co-owned by her husband.

..They also appeared to follow what authorities consider a disturbing trend on the part of the Madoffs to hide money that could be used to reimburse burned investors.

Prosecutors have already said investigators found 100 signed checks worth $173 million that Madoff was ready to send out to his closest family and friends at the time of his arrest in December. Two weeks later, during the Christmas holidays, Madoff sent more than $1 million in jewelry and heirlooms to family and friends." -Huff Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/11/ruth-madoff-withdrew-155_n_166019.html

I seem to have a slightly different opinion about the Madoff scandal than my friends and peers, so let me quickly share my opinion. I feel for those who lost money, of course, though I do think they share some of the blame. If you are investing money, particularly large sums of money, it is your responsibility to know where and how your money is being invested. Madoff's clients were always making money, at least on paper, and because of that they never looked closely enough. And they are paying for it.

Now, Madoff himself. He and his entire operation personify the worst of American business at the turn of the century. He is clearly unrepentant. He acted for himself and his family, with no regard for others. He's likely covered his tracks enough to protect his sons, who I have no doubt were involved, or at least greatly benefited. I'm an advocate for compassion, and though I think compassion should not be let go, Madoff and his family should all be in jail, or at least forced to live destitute. If our society is unable to offer this sort of justice, than something is deeply off balance. He is hardly on death's door, but he is still old enough that he can justify his actions to himself as having made a good run of it. Don't let him get away with it! When so many people are suffering, how are we letting this greedy man and his wife retain their assets and apartments? I don't care if he posted 100 million dollars for bail, that is dirty money, and he can't be allowed to buy his way out. He belongs in a cell. Let's hope the judges act justly.


http://wcbstv.com/business/bernard.madoff.ruth.2.948636.html


http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a2_7qBYOay6w&refer=home

SFMOMA and Waltz with Bashir

On my first day back in San Francisco, my first full day anyhow, I woke up, walked around my old neighborhood (the Tenderloin, for those who are familiar,) and spent a significant chunk of my day at the SFMOMA.

I spent a good amount of time sitting in Yerba Buena park, reading, watching the old-folks practicing tai chi, other people working out and running around the small circular path, the young children playing. The weather was unseasonably warm, the sy clear, and I was quite happy to be in America sharing public space with so many people from various backgrounds and of various ages. The exhibit I was about to participate in was made all the more interesting by this mindset.

I spent several hours exploring the entire museum, which I had not visited since my first time there in October of 2007 for Olafur Eliasson's solo show. I spent most of this time viewing "The Art of Participation, 1950-now," though I also briefly took in Martin Puryear's retrospective, which was pleasant, but I won't discuss here.

The Art of Participation covers many different styles and movements, but the temporal distance is never jarring, and even the oldest works still seem fresh and relevant. The curator has more or less resisted the urge to organize works by decade, instead organizing them by theme; "Utopia Revisited," "Testing Authority," "Instructions for Use," "Calls to Action," "The Open Work of Art," and "Public Dialogue." I was pleased to see that much of the work was rooted in the philosophy of John Cage and the Fluxus movement, both of which began to orient our understanding of the work of art as involving not only the artist and the artobject, but also the viewer. It is important that I stress, for me at least, it is necessary to remember that only great art is capable of opening a space for community to be sustained, and much of this 'postmodern' art is incapable of being raised beyond the category of Thing, a site of temporary gathering. Nonetheless, many great pieces certainly were included, and not all from the big names like Abromovic and Rauschenberg.

I won't bother to explain each and every piece, but here is a stream of consciousness recap of my highlights. Upon first entering the exhibit, I saw a printer and mounds of paper, part of the Open Work of Art section. I cannot recall the artists name, but the piece actually made an impression on me. The printer was printing news headlines from around the world, and had apparently been doing this since the exhibit opened, creating a long steady stream of text and paper. A grand piano was in the middle of the room, and the score to John Cage's 4'33" was on a wall nearby. Apparently regular performances of the work are given.

I noticed on the sign that SFMOMA has createda rather ingenious alternative to carrying around those silly audioguides. Each work has a unique number on it. By pulling out your cellphone and dialing 415-294-3609, and then keying in the work number, you can have access toa free audiotour, from home or in the museum.

Before coming to this floor to see the exhibit, I had first gone to view a short documentary about the composer, adding to the secondary literature and films I've already absorbed about Cage's life and work. Somehow, it is still striking to see an original annotated score of a work that was so transformative in American music. On the wall across from the piano was one of Rauschenberg's White Paintings, (1951,) which Cage sighted as an influence on his creation of 4'33". Instructions for Use included pieces that tell the viewer to do something. This could include using your body to hold 6 objects against the wall (with your feet, knees, waste, stomach, chest, and forehead,) or to bat another object around the floor with a broom. Another exhibit asks your to merely take a print, which are stacked in a 2-foot-tall pile on the floor. As I grabbed my copy, which was a bird in the sky, a young man with a thick accent asked, are you sure you can do that?, to which I replied, after removing my headphones, yes, look at the instructions on the sign. "Take One." The piece which really stuck out however was an installation by Tom Marioni, made from the remnants of a performance piece he's been doing since the '70s called "The Act of Drinking Beer with Friends is the Highest Form of Art." Marioni would invite friends, and museum goers, to drink beer with him. The installation on view is a document of one of these performances, made of a shelf filed with hundreds of empty Anchor Steam bottles (a great beer brewed in SF,) a refrigerator, and a chair.

The next room, Utopia Revisited, consists mainly of digital/new-media/internet based pieces, some of which were pretty groundbreaking. Lyn Hershman Leeson's work in particular has stayed with me. Entitled "Life Squared," she uses Second Life as a way to explore her back catalog and to interact with her work in a way the traditional gallery space does not allow. Check out http://slurl.com/secondlife/NEWare/128/128/0 for more on her project. Along those lines, I was also impressed by Warren Sack's "Conversation Map," a work from 2000 which you can read more about at http://people.ucsc.edu/~wsack/conversationmap. I really enjoy seeing artist experiment with the internet as a medium, and have some ideas I'd like to try out on my own in this regard.

Another piece which was interesting, though I've forgotten who the artist was, was in the next room, a giant lattice of rubberbands. The spectator is invited to grab a rubberband and extend the grid, and then to do weird things with others with the rubberbands, stretching them out and whatever. The museum apparently hires folks to encourage the viewers to actually participate, and explain the works to the museum going public. The etiquette here is quite different than we have been trained to expect, and this is actually a bit discomforting, though ultimately it should be liberating. In the next section, Testing Authority, is a video piece by Francis Alys, a Belgian living and working in Mexico City whose work I was first exposed to in a Neuberger Show last year called "Person in the Crowd," which was also about performance art and sometime included participatory actions. Alys' work can be described as psychogepgraphic. (See his piece walking around Mexico City with a dripping paint can, something he's done in other cities as well. Also, here is a link to a web project he did for Dia, http://www.diaart.org/alys/intro.html.) His video in the SFMOMA consists of two shots projected side by side, in which Francis walks into a shop in Mexico City, buys a pistol, loads it, and then walks down the street until the police arrest him. One is of the actual event/walk, which lasted for almost 12 minutes, and the other is of a recreation of the event, in which the police agreed to take part. The recreation is heavily stylized to be reminiscent of a police/crime drama, with close ups of the gun and so on. In both case, particularly the 'real' walk, the attitude of the passerbys is astounding. It says a lot about Mexico City, but would be interesting in any city.

I should mention the pieces by Yoko Ono, Andy Warhol, Marina Abromovic, and Vito Acconci, but I won't. As much as I like all their work, they seemed more there for historical reasons, and I wasn't particularly enthralled, tho Yoko's "Cut Piece" was very interesting. Oh, that reminds me, of another film dramatization by Pierre Huyghe, called Third Memory, showing the reenactment of a crime on which the film Dog Day Afternoon was based, led by one of the actual participants... Lygia Clark's wearable objects bring to mind Charles LaBelle's similar work, and Joseph Beuys' piece was fantastic as well. An image of his signed by the artist, letting us know, in italian, that we are the revolution. Another was a cheap replicated box, empty, ready to be posited with meaning. The last is a TV address he made by satellite in the '70s, as a teacher, explaining his concept of social sculpture, that art has a social implication, and that art and politics coexist. The works themselves do not stand out in my memory, but his ideas do, and I think he'd be pleased by this.

Another interesting aspect of the exhibit was "Freecell," which was in th museums "D-Space." Modular cardboard which is intended to be folded and stacked to create tables, chairs, and other environmental components.

But the absolute highlight, easily my favorite, was an audio-video walking tour by Janet Cardiff. I took her audio walk of Central Park back in 2004 (?) and also had the chance to see 40-part Motet when it was at MoMA in NY. This piece is easily my favorite of the three. I would like to see more of her work, both av guides and installation, which are frequently collaborations with her partner George Miller. http://www.cardiffmiller.com/ So, she created this piece back in 2001 or so for SFMOMA. I checked out a video camera, but on my headphones, and began the tour. Her pieces instruct you to begin in a specific spot, and follow her instructions, letting her guide you on a narrative tour. In some ways, this piece was incredibly disorienting and at times uncomfortable. She lead me through a staff only door and up the stairs, while the sound of footsteps chased us. Where they real or in my headphones? She pauses in front of a window that is no longer there, musing about the beauty of the peaks in the distance, peaks I can only see through her lense. As we ascended the final stair case, I follow my camera in place with hers, paused on a large women singing soulfully. In front of me, I see a man wondering why I am 'filming' him, giving me a dirty look, while on the little screen of my camera I see the woman belting out the blues. These awkward moments make me love her work all the more, as they create real human emotions and interactions, often misunderstanding and disorientation. In this case, she is engaging with the museum setting as a space and imagining the lives of it's patrons.

Last spring, I took a course entitled "Aesthetics and Politics," and one of the texts we read was Nicolas Bourriaud's "Relational Aesthetics," a collection of critical pieces and curatorial explanations contextualizing a non-movement of '90s artists known as 'relational.' I later wrote a piece on pyschogeography and contemporary/performance/conceptual art, and Bourriaud's work was important in my understanding of the aesthetics behind these types of works. Lucia and I recently attended the "anyspacewhatever" exhibit at Guggenheim NY, and there was some overlap in the types of work presented in SF, though the scope and tone were completely distinct.

All in all, another impressive show at SFMOMA, one of my favorite art museums, and hopefully a future employer (?).

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Last night, Lucia and I went to the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville. I had decided to take it easy this weekend, so we took the train away from White Plains, had a nice dinner at Bollywood (contemporary indian, i had cocunut curry mahi mahi, which was delicious,) and went to see Waltz With Bashir. I had heard much about this movie, beginning with an interview Ari Folman, the film maker and lead character, on NPR months ago. Almost entirely animated, the film is a documentary of Folman's attempt to regain his memory of the massacres at Sabra and Shatilla in Beirut during the first Lebanon War. Folman was 19 and in the IDF at the time. The score is composed by Max Richter, a German whose work I've written about before, and who I am a big fan of. The movie begins with Folman meeting with a friend at a bar late at night, and listening to his friend's recurring nightmare of being hounded by 26 dogs, the ghosts of 26 dogs he killed to keep from alerting the enemy more than 20 years prior. At this telling, Folman realized he had no memories of his own from his war years, and begins to track down his friends and comrades from the war. We are presented with a diverse and imaginative look at the experience of being at war. Folman doesn't really get into the politics of it all. No attempt to rationalize or justify the otherside is given, nor are any of the enemy combatants ever presented as characters. A clear anti-war message is intended, but Folman focuses only on the actual horror of war as experience by these young boys, and any group of young people really. This is the most striking point, for me, and an important point often missed more generally. After Folman regains his memories, he is describing them to his therapist and friend Ori Sivan. He remembers the nights of the massacre. His unit was shooting flares into the night sky, lighting up the area so that the Phalangists could carry out their massacre. He cannot recall if he launched the flare himself, but he still regards his action as comparable to carrying out the massacre itself. As Sivan mentioned earlier, it was another massacre that has haunted Folman as well, the much more terrible and sustained massacre at Auschwitz. Sivan says to Folman that he "took on the role of a Nazi." He isn't judging him, though, but explaining Folman's own worry. Later, a friend of Folman's, or maybe it was the TV host, describes the scene of the Palestinians leaving the camp as being reminiscent of the line of Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto. They are not comparing the Israeli's to Nazis, however. Many lines of civilians who have been mistreated have looked like this. The point is an important one, however.

It has been argued that the concentration camps are the logical end of industrialization. The development of weapons, bombs, and other technology of death has made killing so much more efficient than in the past, and so it was inevitable that a people would develop a more efficient and industrial way of murdering. The camps, which were this but even more importantly were a means of dehumanization of the victims, were this end. But it's not just the Nazis. It is so easy to take on that role, it is inside all of us. That is the most horrifying thing about them, and about a movie like this. The last bit of the film is actual footage from the refugee camps after the massacre. Some film critics have suggested that the transition from animation to film is too abrupt and disorienting. I though I would agree, but it is actually necessary. Although much of the film can be disturbing, we have been lulled into a fantasy world. When the archival film footage comes on, we see actual dead bodies, murdered children, women crying out to god for help, and we are brought back to the realization that these events really happened. These poor young men were in some way involved in this massacre, though all they did was launch flares. No wonder they may have blocked out their memories of the event.

While I was in London back in 2006, I visited Oxford, and stopped by to a contemporary art museum. There was an exhibit at the time of Lebanese artists. I will never forget one of the pieces which showed a film of fireworks going off over Beirut. Or maybe they were rockets. It is hard to tell, but the point was just that. We often forget what fireworks stand for, but I doubt the citizens of Beirut do. So used to the shellings and falling rockets, the flares that light up the night sky so that their own citizens, Christians, can butcher Palestinians. And many other tragedies that occurred during the war that followed. About a week after I saw this exhibit, I was sitting in a cafe/laundromat doing laundry in Berlin, and my new friend came in to tell me that Israel has begun to bomb Lebanon. It never ends. Just like the line of refugees leaving the Warsaw Ghetto, or the Sabra camp, or Beirut in 06. I can't help but think of Nietzsche. What a crushing weight indeed if this is what we are meant to perpetually repeat. I think it is important that we recognize where we have gone wrong in the modern world, and that we understand that we are all capable of such things. We must therefore take steps to allow for authentic political engagement in society, but it seems naive to write even this after seeing such dreadful reality in this film last night.

Makes an exhibit about participatory art seem a bit hollow.

Family Suicide in LA Reminiscent of Cartier Incident

With no job and 5 kids, 'better to end our lives,' man wrote

"It was described as one of the most grisly scenes Los Angeles police had ever encountered: the bodies of five small children and their parents, all shot to death, in two upstairs rooms of the family's home.
...
But even more incomprehensible to some was the story that emerged after the bodies were found Tuesday: A father who, after he and his wife were fired from their jobs, killed all six family members before turning the gun on himself."

I just came across this article on CNN.com, and was immediately reminded of the Cartier affair in France, back in 2002. I first heard of the Cartier's when I began more seriously studying the work of Bernard Stiegler last year. Stiegler is a French philosopher, who after discovering philosophy while inprisoned for armed robbery, began a serious study of technology called Technics and Time. Stiegler wrote about the Cartiers in Mécréance et Discrédit: Tome 2, Les sociétés incontrolables d'individus désaffectés (2006). An extract was published in English translation as The Disaffected Individual. (according to wikipedia.) The story goes something like this. After returning home from dinner, Patricia and Emmanuel Cartier had decided to end their lives, and the lives of their 5 children. Patricia was working as a caregiver to the elderly, and injected her children, aged 11 months to 13 years, with insulin, telling them they were being vaccinated before going on holiday. She then gave herself the same injection, and her husband attempted to slit his wrists. The dose proved not to be fatal, however, and only 11 year old Alicia would later die from the injection. Coincidently, on the same day that Alicia passed away, the children's grandmother, whose custody they were under, also died in a car accident. The Cartier's claimed that desperation from being over 250,000 Euros in debt led them to wish to end their lives. They claimed that they were caught in an "infernal spiral" of consumer spending and debt, and blamed societies consumerism for their actions. "After 15 years of marriage, the Cartiers, described by a psychiatrist as "immature, emotionally insecure and depressed", had six different bank accounts, 21 distinct consumer loans and 15 credit cards. They earned €1,300 (£900) a month each, with an extra €500 in family allowances." Patricia and Emmanuel were later convicted of attempted murder and murder, and sentenced to 10 and 15 years respectively. I'm not sure why Patricia, who took the insulin from her job and administered the injections, got a lighter sentence than her husband, who was also 7 years her junior (not that that's particularly relevant.)

The family in LA, who also had 5 children, claimed to be driven to despair by economic causes, being terminated from their jobs, though they didn't directly blame consumerism, and their method of carrying out their task was far more pragmatic, and effective. The things that struck me, aside from the superficial similarities, is the immaturity of the acts. I suppose things like this have always occurred, but it seems to me that there is something about modern life that not only creates citizens who are unable to take care of themselves, but also drives them to such deep despair that they see murdering their own family as the only way out.

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On a lighter note, I spent two weeks in San Francisco (with brief trips to Davis, Los Angeles and Lake Tahoe,) seeing friends, visiting museums and galleries, and meeting with professors at the graduate programs I've applied to. I saw an excellent show at SFMOMA called the art of participation, in which I was blessed to yet again experience a Janet Cardiff piece. I also saw a wonderful show on Afghanistan at the Asian Arts Museum. I will try and post my reviews of these shows shortly. The Art of Participation in particular, which was a retrospective of works from the 1950s to the present, had many recent new media pieces with online components, so I think it will be quite fun for those who read it.

End of Year Wrap Up

Top Albums of the Year, 2008

Over at the silent ballet, we recently posted out top 50 albums, top 30 tracks, top 30 electronic records, etc. Please check it out.

www.thesilentballet.com


Although it seems the years go by faster and faster as we get older (yet another thing our elders warned us about,) and usually I agree, something about 2008 has seemed to drag for me. Since returning to NY, on one hand it seems that the time has flown by, yet I’ve also been fairly busy, and when I think back to what I was doing at this time last year, it seems like ages ago. I’ve spent a lot of time this year playing music with friends, listening to music made decades ago, ohttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifr longer.

I realized that certain records just don’t do it for me, not because of any deficit on the composition or energy or virtuosity or fidelity, but because certain tones, certain sonorities, just don’t communicate anything to me. This isn’t necessarily a pure analog v. digital debate, although it is much harder for a record entirely made of digital sounds to speak to me. There needs to be something organic. Quantized dance music is great for it’s utility, of making a body dance, keeping a perfect time, but I’ve been much more impressed with fusions of the organic with the electronic.

I hate lists. I don’t have time to get drawn into message boards to discuss things that basically have no real world consequences. I’m more than happy to write about music all year and discuss in person, but the whole *this is better than this* stuff that goes on this time of year is silly. But, there are a good bunch of artists whom I’ve really enjoyed this year, and who I think should be shared. They don’t get enough attention, and they really do deserve it. Like others I’ve seen, I’m making no attempt at ranking. Instead, these are records released in 2008 that I enjoyed.

There were a slew of mainstream records that we all know are pretty great; Santogold, The Roots, TV on the Radio, MGMT, Eryka Badu, Death Cab, Wolf Parade, Fleet Foxes, Portishead, Bon Iver, Andrew Bird. These all got tons of attention in mainstream publications, so I will just basically ignore them. So, most of you, hopefully, will discover some lesser known artists..

Albums

A Silver Mt. Zion- 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons- I love Godspeed. I’m sure you do too. And I love all of ASMZ’s records too. This is a bit more controversial, apparently. He Has Left us Alone… has it’s own magic. Born of Trouble… is just downright beautiful. Pretty Little Lightning Paw EP sounds pretty shitty, but the songs are solid, and are some of my favorites live. This is our punk rock thee… seems to be the band at their most pretentious. However, people who say that don’t get their humor, just like those that accuse Morrissey of being depressing. (I really love the Smiths by the way.) Horses in the Sky has some great full songs. 13 Moons features a new drummer, and tons more energy and much better production. I have a full review of it in my blog here: http://thenewobjective.blogspot.com/2008/01/13-blues-for-thirteen-moons.html

Earth- The Bees made Honey in the Lions Skull This album was a huge shock. I remember being 16 or 17 and discovering Sunn 0)). (I still laugh when I think of the description of Sunn as “baby pleasing sounds” from initial records back then.) Anyway, I knew Earth in the context of Sunn, who formed to fill a void left by their decline. (The main figure behind Earth was a heroin addict, and is infamous for being the dude who bought Kurt Cobain his shotgun.) I was never a huge fan of Earth, although I do appreciate the occasional drone album. This record is surprisingly beautiful and majestic. The main reason this record is so much better than all their previous output combined is the addition of the lap steel.

Bersarin Quartett- s/t- I know nothing about this band. Except they are one of my best new things I’ve heard this year. New to me anyway. I guess they’re German. Or Austrian. Or maybe German-Swiss? In anycase, it’s… chill, electronicky horn piano music whtvr.
http://www.myspace.com/bersarinquartett


Emmanuele Errante- Humus What can I say? Italy is a strange country. So many amazingly talented musicians, and yet, the scene there sucks, and their artists (Port-Royal, Giuseppe Ielasi, Nicola Ratti, Giardino di Miro, etc) get more respect in other countries. Errante’s Somnia debut is a stunning. Check it out.

Mogwai- The Hawk is Howling- I love Mogwai. Have since high school. Have even more since I started to smoke weed. People like to give them a hard time, but they are fucking awesome. If you like any of their old material, I can’t see you not liking this too. They continue to evolve (The Sun Smells too Loud is a new direction) but they continue to be heavy and amusing.


Sparkle in Grey- A Quiet Place- Another talented group from Italy, this record was produced by Giuseppe Ielasi. Originally a solo project of Hue, this is their first release as a proper band. Not that that means much. A Quiet Place is a mix of found sound, field recordings, conventional instrumentation, electronics, and downright noise. Somehow, something beautiful has emerged.

Sigur Ros- Me_ su_ í eyrum vi_ spilum endalaust- Fuck you if you don’t think they are the best band in the world. You are wrong. That’s all. I see their shortcoming, I do, but it doesn’t matter. If this were a church, I’d be a preacher.
http://www.sigurros.com/main/home/

Max Richter- 24 Postcards in Full Color- This is a collection of 24 tracks. An experiment to see if meaningful music can be written for use as ringtones. I love the concept. I love the results.
http://www.maxrichter.com/

Sumner McKane-What A Great Place To Be – I think, more than any other artist, I want people to know Sumner. He sells himself, really, if people could just hear this stuff. Honestly, he blows me away. Please check this out, and see my reviews on TSB. Just, beautiful, talented, wonderful production, and full of soul and love.
http://www.sumnermckane.com/howdy_yall.html

Kayo Dot- Blue Lambency Downward- This is not an easy record to absorb, but with repeat listens, and close attention, it pays off. Most people will hate it. They’ve been on Tzadik, Robotic Empire, and Hydra Head, but that alone will not give you a hint of what they sound like. On tour 2 years ago, all the members but Toby and Mia quit, leaving the band a chance to reinvent themselves. Finally pulling out of the metal shadow of Maudlin of the Well, BLD marks a milestone for the group.

MGMT- Oracular Spectacular- You all know this shit. They’re huge, they’re played all over the place, everyone loves them. It’s silly, they’re having fun, we’re having fun. Sometimes we don’t need serious. There is still something sincere about what they are doing, though, not in the lyrics, or the sound, but just the energy. Fun fun fun.


Grails – Doomsdayer’s Holiday, Take Refuge in Clean Living- Many of us at TSB loved their last 2 records, particularly Burning Off Impurities which was our #1 last year. I first saw Grails at CMJ in 06, at Sin-e, and they blew me away. I loved their EP this year, and the new lp is pretty good. A bit different, doesn’t really top BOI, but still classic.

The Drift-Memory Drawings- Again, see my review for more on this. If you miss old DMST, you’ll probably love this. Organic, jazz infused post-rock from the Bay. http://www.thesilentballet.com/dnn/Reviews/2008/April/tabid/127/ctl/Details/mid/548/ItemID/1383/Default.aspx

Neil on Impression- ...l'oceano delle onde che restano onde per sempre- Yes, another Italian band. Yes, they are really great too. The thing I love is that each of these three groups are entirely distinct from each other. The Perfect Tango (2006) was pretty impressive, but they’ve really solidified their identity here.
http://www.neilonimpression.org/

This is Your Captain Speaking- The Eternal Return- Name checking Nietzsche in the title in a subtle way? They win. Glad to see Australia is still putting out great records too.

Samuel Jackson 5-Goodbye Melody-- Nice followup to 2005’s whtvr it was called. Good solid instrumental rock. Goes beyond the loud/soft dynamic, doesn’t rip off mono/eits/gybe/mogwai. Scandinavia ftw!


Beneva v. Clark Nova- Sombunal- I don’t know much about these guys, but another great electronic record. The cover of the album has a bunch of naked baby dolls all over it. Kinda creepy. But they turn what should be a bizarre inaccessible record into surprisingly catchy pop glitch.

Akira Kosamura- Tiny Music- Another TSB favorite. Japanese, very pretty. As opposed to last years collaboration with Haruka Nakamura, Aftetglow, which was composed of 2 long tracks, Tiny Music consists of many shorter tracks. Mostly Akira’s piano, and some classical and acoustic guitar.

Juxta Phone v. offtheky- !escape kit!- Wow. This was a great year for electronic artists collaborating to create amazing records. Offthesky releases a good deal of music, but we don’t seem to know anything about this ‘Juxta Phona’ cat. In anycase, it shows that these guys must have put an incredible amount of time into making this record. Slight tweaks, hundreds of filters and effects. The result is hard to define, but dense and smoky electrojazz comes close.

Kira Kira- Our Map to the Monster Olympics- Finally a female electronic/sound artist! Another original group from Iceland. She weaves together various toy instruments and recordings with guitar, glockenspiel, and laptop. http://this.is/kirakira

Autistici- Volume Objects- You know the drill. Italian. Careful electronic collage. Organic development of electronic sounds. Check TSB for the review.

Gang Gang Dance- Saint Dymphna - I won’t even try. Pretty original stuff. Out there. Lots have been written about this Manhattan it-band, and they deserve it.

DJ Spooky- Sound Unbound- Following Rhythm Science, his book on remix culture on MIT Press, and last years Africa mixtape for the Venice Bienniale, Sound Unbound is a collection of essays Paul D. Miller edited. The book comes with an accompanying CD, a collage mix culled mainly from the archives of Sub Rosa. Where else can you hear Iggy Pop reading Burroughs, and Dada mixed with Sonic Youth, etc.
http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=11401


Nico Muhly- Mothertongue - I’d like to hate him. 27 year old polymath prodigy. It’s hard not to be envious. But, he’s too talented. This album has some missteps, and is nowhere near as pretty as his last, but I think that’s the point. Everything shouldn’t be conventionally pretty. The album has three movements, each exploring a different idea. The eponymous piece is sung by Abigail Fischer, and was performed early this year at a Wordless Music show. Nico was trying to capture the incredible array of information crowding our brains, and succeeds by programming a sampler with all the numbers and addresses Abigail could remember, and creating an electronic backdrop of monotonous numbers that she then sings over. I’m a sucker for conceptual art. The piece with Sam Amidan is also very striking, a reworking of an old folk song whose mood had been altered to better suit the lyrical content.

I have also become a great fan of his blog. It is the most interesting mash up of intelligent fragments on pop culture, linguistics, classical and pop music, food, etc. www.nicomuhly.com

My Education-Bad Vibration- They are from Texas? I dunno. Mad chill though. These guys pull off the folksy-postrock aesthetic amazingly. Recommended.

Flying Lotus- Los Angeles- Phat intrumental hip hop beats!!!!!!!!!!! Did a great remix of Radiohead this year too. Signed to Warp last year, and his debut for them didn’t disappoint. Looking forward to future work.

Silian Rail- And I You, To Pieces I saw Silian Rail open for FMTM out in SF last year, and was very impressed by this duo, enough that I reviewed their debut EP of my own volition. Their proper debut was recently released, and was just what I thought it’d be. Amazing. Has some of my favorite tracks of the year. Just guitar and drums, with occasional glockenspiel, they manage to craft a really distinct sound. There is something honest and sincere about their music that is lacking is a lot of instrumental music.


Colin Stetson- I love jazz, but most of what I love was made from 1950-1976 or so. Obviously there are great players still playing, but most of them either had their hayday in those years (Wayne Shorter, Sonny Rollins, Freddie Hubbard, Mccoy Tyner, Anthony Braxton, Ornette Coleman, etc) or are young lions who don’t really know their history or are rather just trying to mime the same forms that have already been made. Stetson is in the jazz tradition, but is one of these young cats who is busting out doing something totally new. This record is pretty much unclassifiable. There is little I can say that would describe what it actually sounds like. Sometimes it’s hard to believe it is a single take with no effects of one guy playing horns. Stetson makes use of circular breathing, plays various horns at once, and has a great sense of composition, at times sounding akin to electronic artists. And it’s good too.

Bohren & Der Glub of Gore- Dolores These Germans used to be way heavier. Apparently they’ve been around since the ‘90s, influenced by Gore. Now they play beautiful chill music with horns and shit. TSB ranked them as album of the year. I wish I’d discovered them sooner.

Gifts from Enola/ y/m/d/i/t/d- Harmonic Motion. Hell yea. Best post-rock record of the year.


Peter Broderick- Homes Efterklang did not release any full length records or Eps this year, so I had to put Peter Broderick on the list. Honestly though, great record.


Ghostland Observatory- Robotique Majestique- I liked last years Lightning Paparazzi better, but I didn’t hear them until this year anyway, courtesy of my man Lee.

Machinefabriek- This dude puts out so many records, I’m sure one of them should be on this list. But I can’t remember.

The Very Best- Esau Mwamwam + Radioclit = the very best This record is really good. A singer from Mali fusing Malinese music with European dance beats and pop remixes. I do not hate Vampire Weekend. But their vague references to early ‘90s Paul Simon does not count as African. They are Ivy league white preppy boys. Which is fine, I aspire to be such a thing. Doesn’t make their music authentic. Anycase, why am I talking about them? Because THE VERY BEST (esau + radioclit) is way better. Download their record/mix tape here for free. http://www.myspace.com/theverybestmyspace

And some others that I’ve run out of momentum to write about.

Le Chat Blanc Orchestra
The Alps
ARP
White Denim
Helios
Te’
Sgt.
En Plein Air
Lykke Li
Haushka

Label

Somnia seems to be the stand out label this year, releasing fantastic records by Juxta Phona vs. offthesky, Evan Barthalomew, Evan Marc +Steve Hillage, Bluetech, and Emmanuele Errante, all just in 2008. Check them out. Some of the best chill out, ambient, psycbient, glitch, etc going out.
http://somniasound.com

Stand Alone Single

Redhooker- "Telling Time"- This is a group I discovered a few years ago after receiving their EP to review. Basically the sideproject of the guitar player from Slow Six, I really connected with their music, and had the chance to see a wonderful performance in a special place called Monkey Town in Williamsburg during CMJ. The Silent Ballet released a new song on our 9th compilation with Lost Children earlier this year. The track is called Telling Time. Download it here. www.archive.org/details/LostChildren051




Singles

Coco Tea- Barack Obama – What with Obama winning the election and all, this tune got a huge boost. The fact that it has been played all over the world makes it relevant enough, but it is also catchy as hell on it’s own.

N.E.R.D- All the girls waiting in the line for the bathroom- This single and accompanying video is pretty funny. Stand out pop song for me this year.


And Past Stuff

Max L. introduced me to a band called Kneebody. They are amazing. No proper releases this year, but their improvised electronic jazz blows pretty much everyone else out of the water. Mostly because they are compositionally mature and can play their instruments amazingly well.

I love the Smiths.

Music for 18 by Steve Reich is still one of my favorite pieces of music.

I really love Brazilian music. After getting some mix tapes from my friend Matt last year, I’ve continued my exploration of Brazilian music. Some of the best stuff I’ve heard ever, combining music with traditional roots, community, musical virtuosity and experimentation.



Reissues

Sonny Rollins- Freedom Suite

Nina Simone

Stars of the Lid, "Music for Nitrous Oxide"

Gavin Bryars “The Sinking of the Titanic”



Things to keep an eye out for in 2009


Saxon Shore

Bob Ostertag

From Monument to Masses

Moving Mountains- This is kind of out, but not really, so I’ll wait till next year. It’s awesome. I hope they don’t dilly dally on the next lp. Guys?

Looking Glass Wars

I took part in Rhys Chatham’s Crimson Grail this summer, but our actual performance got rained out. So, look for that this year.

The Watchmen movie- not music, but hey.

If I've seen a bit out of it lately...

I sort of have been. I feel as though I haven't updated the world on
my happenings lately, so here's a quick recap...

After returning from the Dominican Republic this summer, I began
working full-time at uPurchase College as study abroad advisor/int'l
student assistant, a position I've held since moving back to NY in
January as a part-time employee. I decided to stay put and take this
position so I could save money and get caught up on paying off my debt (which
after all the traveling and moving I did last year, was adding up.) This turned out to be a responsible move, as the economy then continued it's downward spiral. I think this will be a good thing, creating lots of potential for change, and also for investment. And wealth re-distribution. (But that's another note.) I bought a Vespa and the rest is history... Sometime in October, they also appointed me as the inaugural Fellowship coordinator, to which the entire campus was notified, and for which many folks offered congratulations. I think most people thought that a) I got a raise (I didn't, part of my study abroad workload was redistributed, but that's fine because it is all clerical stuff) and/or b) that I can help them get funding.

Anyway, so I was living life as usual for a while, but things have gradual gotten busier and busier. In addition to work, I am still writing for the Silent Ballet (www.thesilentballet.com), volunteering on the Research Committee at the Neuberger Museum, taking a German class, applying to grad school, running the Cultural Immersion club, and trying to get a philosophy journal off the ground with Paula.

My recent countdown (currently 5 down, 7 to go) refers to my graduate school applications. A quick run down; UC Davis, Berkeley, Chicago, NYU, and Brown, with San Francisco State, Stony Brook, McGill, U Buffalo, CUNY, Central European University, and Domus Academy left. They are a mix of PhD and MA programs, mostly in Cultural/Communications/Media/Art History studies. CEU in Budapest is a History MA program. Yes.

So, work has been keeping me busier than I anticipated. In September and October, I did some traveling around the SUNY system doing recruiting for our summer programs. End of October we had a CIE meeting in Oswego, and I'm now part of a sub-committee to redesign the SUNY abroad website. Yay, more on the plate. November was NAFSA and COIL conferences, which were somewhat enjoyable, though time seemed to have accelerated at this point. My first application was due on Dec 1, and since then I've been non-stop. Now, I have a short break to look around.

Things I'm working on:

My favorite albums of 08; I cannot claim to have heard everything (even though I have head A LOT of music this year,) and particularly since I am so busy, there are tons of records I still haven't gotten around to giving a good listen too. So, I've compiled a list of my fav albums released this year, especially some things I think more people should check out. That will be up soon.

Meanwhile, www.thesilentballet.com will be releasing our 3rd annual Top 50 list before the end of the year, so check that out for the best postrock/electronic/instrumental/etc. I also have a long-overdue article/interview with From Monument to Masses and another interview with Italy's Sparkle in Grey coming out soon.

In the new year, I have two artistic projects, at least, that I intend on finishing. A) My paternal Grandfather, Alfonso Sannicandro, recorded a series of tapes in 1988, shortly before he was to have a stroke and ultimately passaway. He tells stories in a compelling style, the narrativ drifting with his mind, as characters come and go while he talks. He relates shining shoes at Yankee Stadium, loosing his wife to cancer, moving a piano, the changes happening in the Bronx, and in the nation. Earlier this year, I tracked down these tapes, and began to transfer them to digital. This project is two fold. One, I will eventually write a book based on his stories, while my family members will receive a copy of the digital transfer. Two, I'm using the tapes as source material for a musical project. It will sound strange. B) Almost one year ago I began saving all of my receipts. I noticed that receipts are ubiquitous, yet most people do not look at them or give them a second thought. Since they are printed, and since i often use my cards to pay for things, I decided to keep them all. As modern trash, as historical documents, as a record of my spending habits and life, of my travel habits. I will soon begin to weave these records into a narrative, which will be presented visually. I am utilizing something that would otherwise be trash, but also materializing a portrait. I don't want to give too much away, but I hope to complete this by May. Additionally, I have some songs I'd like to set down to 'tape' soon, so maybe I'll get around to that. And finally I hope that Lee and I can synchronize our schedules and bring the party this year too.

So, now, before I get back to work, finishing up my applications, studying German, polishing off my TSB assignments, etc, I'd like to catch up with some people I haven't seen often enough recently. I leave for San Francisco on the evening of January 8th, to visit professors/schools, see friends, and ski the West finally. So, let's make plans before then.

Love


j.

ps this post needs a picture, how about....

http://sandvig.mariegaard.net/wp-content/jorn_aelling_90228big.jpg


a detourned duck

and a potentially chilling vision of globalization. We live in financial times, eh?

http://www.stillad.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/ftcityscape.jpg

Just Keeping my Fingers Crossed

I've started to feel a bit powerless here. Regardless of how I feel this moment, things are going well for me, and I hope for the country too. I have been keeping myself very busy, and have many things going on. Aside from work, which has been quiet these last 2 weeks or so, I am primarily focused on applying to grad school, which has been stressing me out in ways I don't feel like going into depth about here at this moment.

Instead, I will drink my chocolate soy milk, read some Cortazar, and maybe do my German hw. I'll probably do some yoga as well, and lord knows I need the energy. This weekend was great, but I need a slow day to recover. in any case, I wanted to drop a line before the election. Maybe tomorrow I will find time between work and class to say a little something about the election and so on. But, I really do hope we get to see a fundamental change in the direction of this country, and one for the better.

David Byrne and Brian Eno's latest record, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today

David Byrne and Brian Eno have teamed up together for the first time since 1981's My Life in the Bush of Ghosts and Eno's work producing and co-writing with Talking Heads. Byrne is a New York based musician, writer, director, artist, and general polymath, best known as the man behind the Talking Heads. Eno is the founding father of ambient music, former member of Roxy Music, and producer extraordinaire, most recently of Coldplay's latest record, as well as classic record by the Talking Heads, U2, and others, as well as his own material. Coincidently, or perhaps not, I just the other day came across their first collaboration, released 3 years before I was born. And today I learned that their new record was released yesterday as well. Check it out at the links below, where you can also download a free track from the album. I am looking forward to getting paid so I can purchase a copy and listen to the whole thing. The record is also available for streaming on the site, though I can't check since I am at work. Speaking of which, back to work.
http://everythingthathappens.com/
http://journal.davidbyrne.com/


Oh, two more things though. David Byrne, who lives in NY, has an installation up at the Battery Maritime Building downtown. I've been trying to see/experience it all summer, and haven't made it down yet. This is the last weekend, and I will certainly be there. Check it out if you can. He has rigged an organ to resonate different parts of the building. For a better explanation, see the official site.


And lastly, keep your eyes out for Byrne's recent bike racks he designed and installed around NYC, which the good graces of the Transit dept, of course. More info in this excellent NY Times piece and on Byrne's website.
http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

the oldest frontier in the americas (is untameable)

I keep losing my posts before I post them, so I am frustrated and will keep this short.

I am currently in Santiago with Rob, after visiting Santo Domingo, Puerto Plata, Sosua, and Cabarete. Alex and ROb went to Cabareta while I was in PP, after meeting some girls on the bus. I went to see Lucia in PP but missed her by about 5 hours. Alex freaked and wanted to leave while I was gone, and after complaining the whole time and loosing the key to the apt he and Rob had, ROb was happy to oblige and put him on a bus. He JUST made it back to the states tho because of delays. Santiago is kind of a disapointment. We leave for Jarabacoa today,a nd then work our way down to Barahona.

I think this trip will produce a book. Lots to say.

If there's something you'd like to try...

Well, by way of an update, I'm saying goodbye, which is funny because this will also serve as a re-introduction.

In January I decided to stay on the East coast. I had left San Francisco for the holidays and to spend 3 weeks with my friend Gianluca, who was visiting NY from Italy. Also, my friend in SF got evicted, and then my roommate decided she was planning a move to Austin. Since the apt with my friend Ryan fell through (they couldn't find a 4 bedroom) I had no guaranteed place to live. Conveniently, on the day I took my final exam, the week after I got back from LA and the week before flying home, I got a call from my old boss that a job had opened up for Study Abroad adviser. I knew I'd be doing them a favor, and I decided to take it, even though it was part time. Since then, it's been frustrating since I haven't had much luck finding part time work to work around my schedule at Purchase. I've temped and catered, but it's been sporadic. I have, however, been reading a lot, thinking, writing, hanging out, and figuring out how to relax, be happy, and find a direction. I've also been taking a grad level art history course and studying German.

So, I had applied to go to Sweden on a research grant. My proposal made the top 10 but ultimately wasn't funded; only 4 were chosen of the hundreds of applicants. I've thus decided to stay at Purchase for one more year. I will be able to save some money, have health benefits, take classes, work as a research assistant at the museum, continue studying German, ride my new Vespa around, and continue enjoying the music, art, and people of NY. I will also be applying for various graduate programs, mostly in NY and SF Bay area, so it is better not to travel too much.

But it's me, and my wanderlust won't let me sit still for too long. I spent 5 days traveling cross country in May. Paula and I drove overnight to Chicago, where we hung out with Sam, and then drove through Kansas and Colorado. I had fun, and maybe I will write about it one day. Basically, America is beautiful, and there are some nice people in the midwest, where it is cheap, but our cities are disgraceful and are values are way off.

I thus decided it was time finally to visit the Dominican Republic. I leave on Sunday for a two week trip, in which I will explore all aspects of the island. City life in Santo Domingo, beautiful tropical forests and a smaller city in Barahona complete with gorgeous beaches, wilderness in Jaracaboa, including the tallest mountain in the hemisphere outside the Andes/Rockies, and finally a resort in La Romana. Flight courtesy of JetBlue flyermiles, everything else dirt cheap. I'll explain everything I do when I get back. Internet access will be limited.


So, I'm looking forward to this, should be fun!

Waiting

Everything seems to be fragmented, so.... fragments.


Still waiting. Italy or Bonaroo? Jobs or no Jobs? Sweden or NY? Or something else... stay here, go back to CA?

Still dealing with other things too.


German's going well. My grad class is great too.

Been having fun hanging out. Reading more. Working on paper/writing sample for grad school, trying to figure it out. Maybe I will join the Peace Corps after all. I don't know if putting off decisions is a good reason to do it, but I wouldn't be alone.

Had a great time in VT skiing for a few days. I really enjoy skiing. I also have more respect for mountain climbers now. I climed up a third of the mountain, with 80-100 mph wind, in my skiboots, carrying skis and poles. 7 degrees without the wind. Hardest things I've done in a while. Skiing in fresh powder was amazing.

Stress. I've been trying to spend time with all the people I missed while in CA. Life doesn't always cooperate though, does it?

Been keeping on schedule for the silent ballet, but my FMTM interview still isn't done.

Lots of cool things coming up (Alan Wallace at Columbia, Olafur Eliasson as well, tons of shows, plus I'm working the Stars of the Lid show, and maybe the Whitney Biennial too, or at least attending.)

Still, I feel.... lost. It's been over a year now, I should have figured this out by now.

i am responsible

It's amazing how idle I feel, even though I am always doing something. Too much to do I guess. I want to do more. I also don't feel content like I used to. I'm not exactly sure why that is, but I guess I miss the direction I used to have, or the feeling of direction.

I finally begin the German lessons tomorrow. Next week I'm going skiing, and I've been good about working about, writing, and making art, although I wish I was doing more of each. I have quite alot of reading to do as well, but I guess that will always be the case.

I will be finding out about Italy and Sweden soon, in the next 2 weeks and 6 weeks, respectively. I think it will be nice to have some direction again. Not having a second job has been stressful too, one reason I've felt time is passing so fast I suppose. Not working kind of sucks.

where are we going?

Well, what have I been up to? A recap, as much for my own sake as anyone esle. Writing is my therapy, so here I am. I've had access to a car for the last several weeks. I work at Purchase as a study abroad adviser two days a week, a job I'm finding I enjoy. I have been taking an art history class (aesthetics and politics, a grad course) and reading and writing. I have been making collages and pictures, and planning other projects. I'm starting german classes soon. I have played music occassionaly. Sometimes I cater or work a temp job. I've hung out with various friends here and there, which has been nice. I feel like I'm going out too much. I feel ungrounded. But I think that may just being around her makes me feel like everything I do is ungrounded. This isn't a bad thing, I mean, it's just how I feel at this point. Anyway. I've been working out as well, and meditating again, trying to figure out what's next. Where to go? What do I want? This has made me feel quite ungrounded as well. I am throwing more energy into writing and working on music. I have two shows coming up soon, and hopefully more will follow. If I stay in NY, I'm going to intern in some type of art invironment. I am also working for a concert series coming up, hopefully.

I like the radio. www.wnyc.org http://www.3garlands.com/davidgarland/

The Future of the Music Industry

I've been chatting with many different people in the last year about the state of the industry, and how I believe techonology has always been the catalyst for change. From printed sheet music to radio to phonographic records and so on, the business has survived large scale paradigm shifts in the past. (I mean, seriously, from traveling troubadors to a commodified product, what can match that in terms of scale? If anything the internet is suceeding in reversing the commodification of music. I really believe we need to reconsider that idea. Is music a commodity to be bough and sold?) Between studying Marxist aesthetics and writing for the Silent Ballet, not to mention interacting with my friends in various sectors of the music industry, I have come to regard the interference of capitalist structures with the ritualistic side of music as very troubling. Anyway, for more of my musing on these issues, see my upcoming interview with From Monument to Masses (monument-masses.com) on The SIlent Ballet. (thesilentballet.com)

But now to the point. When people ask me, "well, what do you think is going to happen? People clearly are less inclined to buy music, blah blah blah" I've supported an idea that others have pitched, some form of subscription service, an updated library of sorts. People will go to live concerts, trade music, buy records and t-shirts as souvenirs, and subscribe to services that give them unlimited listening access as a reasonable price (like we do with cable or something.) An article in the New Yorker about classical music several months ago described a similar system in place for classical music enthustiasts. ("The Well Tempered Web," 10/22 http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/10/22/071022fa_fact_ross?currentPage=all)


So the in that context, check out the latest news from Last.fm. Very interesting.
(http://blog.last.fm/2008/01/23/free-the-music)

13 Blues for Thirteen Moons

The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tr-la-la Band- 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons
Constellation Records (www.cstrecords.com)
www.tr-la-la-band.com


So it’s been almost 3 years since Horses in the Sky came out, and I’ve been fortunate enough to see SMZ play several shows since then, including their first ever show in the US. The same few days they were in NY, they also appeared on WNYC’s fabulous Sunday night show, Spinning on Air with David Garland (see my past post on that.) That recording remains the best recording we have of SMZ. It is well produced but retains the live energy I’ve found to be missing from their other recordings. The band thrives in the live setting, especially the more folk oriented music of HitS (which beg to be danced to) as well as the improvisation and extended versions of classic songs reinterpreted by the ever expanding line-up.

Recently the bands latest record leaked, their 5th full length entitled 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons. I’m afraid I cannot share this album yet, but I would love to share my feelings on the band and the record. And I am very excited to get my hands on the vinyl version.

This record begins with 12 tracks, over one minute total, of feedback. This is not a throw-away, and don’t think that it is. It is preparing us, like the first scene of a play, gathering our attention and establishing the proper mood. Each short feedback phrase is distinct from the others. The last four tracks, which are inarguably the meat of the album, are each about a quarter of an hour. “1,000,000 died to make this sound” begins, and it is clear from the opening words that the band is here, at their most political, angrier and noisier. Each release the various Silver Mt. Zion incarnations produce is distinct from the rest. HitS showed the band developing as a 7-piece, incorporating new instrumentation, and exploring protest-music and tradition folk rhythms and melodies. With the release, featuring new drummer Eric Craven of Hangedup, they are delving into what is almost psychedelic rock. These songs may make use of group vocals and employ similar compositional devices as their past record, but this is a clearly different beast. The focus is entirely on the distorted guitars, downplaying the strings, which are making use of more effects than in the past. “13 Blues for Thirteen Moons” and “Blue Waters Blowed/ Engine Broke Blues” are departures for the band, dark and bluesy, with off beat drumming and waves of noise. Of the new songs played live over the last 3 years, “Blindblindblind” seems to be the favorite, and it’s studio manifestation doesn’t disappoint. Though compositionally reminiscent of GY!BE in some ways, particularly the clearly demarcated movements within each song, 13 Moons also has satisfying climaxes that make use of repetition of melodies and parts effectively without crossing into pop territory.

Efrim sounds great. Of course his vocal style is not for everyone, but I feel it suits the mood in a way that no one else’s can. Have you ever heard anyone cover SMZ? He has honed his style with over 100 lives shows over the last three years. The lyrics are superbly developed, and the band continues to progress and evolve, tinkering with new arrangements and compositions. Many of Efrim’s detractors, often GY!BE fans, prefer He Has Left Us Alone… or Born into Trouble…, both records I love very much. These records have a completely different aesthetic, however, as the band had a different composition and premise. Let us not forget that this is The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-la-la Band, and not A Silver Mt. Zion.

Is this better than Horses in the Sky? I don’t think that’s a fair question, nor is it one really worth asking. It's a different record, with different aims and different, incommensurable styles. I have long thought that the band had yet to make a record that could capture their energy. The songs just hadn’t been translated properly on tape yet. Maybe the new version of Hotel2Tango did the trick it, because this record, whether you think it sounds HitS electric or not, fucking kills it. Many of the same lyrical themes, arrangements, etc, but this time fucking balls out, angrier, louder, looser, and with a new drummer, well produced. This is an achievement.

I anticipate reactions to this record will be mixed. Some people will be missing out. Play it loud. Blast it out of your speakers. Or put on your headphones and smoke a joint if you need to. And come and see them on their upcoming tour.

and it begins to come into focus...

When I arrived back in New York, Gianluca was already here, and Lexy transfered him to me. We had a lot of fun, seeing the city, hanging out, catching up with old friends. While Sam was here on break from Chicago, we hit the city a few times, and I got to catch up with Hanna Jamie and Lex before they left for their respective trips. Gianluca finally left last tuesday, and I've been now forced to begin to figure out what my life here during the next four months is going to look like. I am working at Purchase, so far only two days per week, but hopefully that will change here. In the meanwhile, I will be catering and temping here and there. I am working on my graduate writing samples by taking a graduate art history course. In addition to applying for a job on a farm in Italy this summer, I will be applying for jobs in NY and maybe Germany too, so hopefully something will materialize. I've applied for a Fulbright grant to do research in Sweden next year, which I really hope I recieve, as it will set me on track for the future and help me get into good grad programs. I've also applied to teach in Japan, and have an interview coming up in a few weeks. To stay busy, I will be using the Purchase gym, playing music with Ghazi and maybe Nick, and attending meditation groups in New Rochelle, and maybe White Plains. I've been making more art again, primarily working on collage and drawings. I think I'm going to get into silk screen again too. I am starting to write again. Maybe I'll get some work done on my screenplay, but if not, at least my TSB articles and reviews are coming along. I am finally going to be taking a German reading comprehension course. I am looking forward to these next few months. Sure I need to pay off my debt, and direction would be nice, but I'm not ready for an easy better paying job that will ultimately go nowhere. It may not seem like it at the moment, but I am too ambitious, and need to plan ahead. For now, I am content knowing that when all is settled, and I am an older man who has adopted responsibilities, that I will look back at this time in my life, and be at awe at the amount I have seen and done. I can't imagine feeling that I've wasted these years, or that I will ever say "man I should have been working then." Fuck that.

Writing like this takes the place of therapy I think. Writing, screaming (as in music, ritual concerts), and drinking with friends.

Bands Who Put out Great Albums in 2007

I am not going to group this by rank or genre or anything. But here are my favorites released this year, and some comments about them. Also check out out Top 50 Albums on www.thesilentballet.com

Efterklang- (I fucking love this band. Both records released this year, Under Giant Trees and Parades, have blown Mew away; now they are officially the best band in Denmark)

Rogue Wave-(After too much post-rock and classical, sometimes I need some good rock.)

Kings of Leon- (I heard it this year anyway)

Port Royal- (A great follow-up to the masterpiece of Flares, this Italian ambient group continues to impress.)

God is an Astronaut- (Amazing post-rock group, I think from Scotland. This release showed tons of growth.)

GRAILS- (Dark, moody, organic. Also one of the best live performances I've seen in a while.)

Explosions in the Sky- (Many people seem to have been disappointed by All of A Sudden I Miss Everyone, but I loved it, especially the remixes. I think it will grow on listeners over time, like all their music. I am hoping for something a little more ground breaking on the next release though.)

Caspian- (Probably the best release of the year that most people haven't heard. The Four Trees is phenomenal, cohesive and interestingly arranged with noticable thematic elements tying the instrumental release together. Beautiful special packing as well.)

Do Make Say Think- (In truth, I was a bit let down by this release, but it grew on me and DMST are still amazing, even if Rust couldn't top &yet and hymns, which were amazing records. At least they tried some new things.)

Feist- (I love Leslie Feist, and apparently so does the rest of the world now. It's ok; I've seen her live numerous times and it was obvious that someone with her talent and charisma would make it big. Cheers!)

Holy Fuck- (Awesome electronic group from Montreal. This ep was so much better produced than there other stuff, very cool organic/electro stuff.)

Battles- (Just check it out. Great live, very weird, total progression from the EPs, and not for everyone.)

Radiohead- (I have nothing to say about this really. What else can be said? Grew on me big time.)

World's End Girlfriend- (I first heard this Japanese polymath when he did a collab with Mono last year. His solo work is amazing. Crazy, glitzchy multi-instrumental genre defying beauty.)

pg.lost- (A promising unsigned Swedish post-rock band.)

Blonde Redhead- (A dreamy pop album)

Eluvium- (Beautiful)

Lights Out Asia- (After 4 years, the project began as Aurore Rien continues with LOA's second release, a stunning blend of ambient and post-rock.)

Stars of the Lid- (This is an album to sleep/to drugs too. Very slow, but masterful developed.)

Slow Six- (just go read my review on www.thesilentballet.com)

Circa Survive- (On Letting Go really appealed to me, though some other's didn't seem to like it over their debut, which I also loved. Along the same lines with a few more experimental songs.)

Aesop Rock- (Not his best, but still amazing, great lyrics, and some nice beats. Cool delayed guitar and spacey bits.)

Tulsa Drone- (This record was scary on acid.)

65 Days of Static- (Yea, it's no fall of math, but its still solid.)

Giuseppe Ielasi- (Another awesome Italian making ambient music.)

Moving Mountains- (Pneuma is a solid rock record with strong song writing, arrangements, and local kids)

Looking-Glass Wars- (I was shocked at how catchy and well written these songs are.)

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I've been putting off really listening to Bright Eyes, Devendra, and Panda Bear, and I suspect they will all be great, so I'll mention them too. In addition, I urge you all to check out

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The Fountain Soundtrack, written by Clint Mansell- Performed by the Kronos Quartet and Mogwai. Still amazing!

What am I doing here? / Why I'm Here/ The New American Saint

I’ve made this argument before, but let me lay it out here again. Many of my peers have made money in investments, or graduated top colleges and went right into the work force, or are struggling to climb the corporate ladder, selling drugs/trinkets/movies/ads/etc. This world has never held much appeal to me, and that hasn’t changed. If anything, I know have deeper philosophical and spiritual commitments to resist American capitalism. I believe that technology is something to be used skeptically, and that one must constantly ask and revaluate what we are gaining and what has been lost. Our way of life is not sustainable. I also understand that there are certain things that I can get away with doing in my early-mid 20’s that will be impossible later in life, once I begin to have my priorities diverted by responsibilities. I view most things from at least two perspective; that of my individuality, and historically, in terms of communities. I know that I will look back on this time in my life, this chapter of the narrative, and will be glad that it exists. I am learning alot about myself, and people in general, not to mentioned collecting valuable life experience and things to write about.. I suspect most of those who jump right into marriage and work will regret their decision.

But, I am torn between staying here and struggling to make things work, and returning home. Friends, familiarity. A chance to save money. What harm can come from a few more months? But I worry so… I don't think I can save money, and getting a new place will require a longer commitment. I dunno. I'm starting to plan seriously for the summer, which I don't think I can do from here.
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What a month this has been. It’s beginning to seem like every time I speak with someone at home I learn of another death. First Matt the Bat. Then Sean’s mom. Now. DiPrinzio died? He still owed me a dinner for getting a 5 on my AP. I wish I'd gotten in touch with him over the years. He really made an impression on me, and certainly increased my interest in poetry and language. RIP.
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Do we become adults when our elders simply die off? Is it when we assume adult roles in the community by default, because they have gotten too old or have simply passed on? I wonder if anyone ever truly feels like they are worthy of their elders. I suspect that every generation in history has reservations about their ability to fulfill that role. When we are young, we don’t realize that they were in our place once, they were young once. We can’t really process the fact that they weren’t always around. We project that permanence into the notion of God, the proto-parent.

I’ve made the mistake of reading On the Road again. From the first chapter I can’t wait to just jump on a bus. Luckily, or not, I got a job offer to ride me out until the end of next week. After that though… Adeventures! Can’t forget that. Time for adventures, freedom, the open road, seeing my friends. Damn bills. Where to go? LA. Denver. Arizona. Atlanta. Chicago. Temping seems like a good way to finance this, and Italy is right around the corner. Sweden looks like a possibility in the fall, and if not, well there’s Greece or Thailand, Germany or China. The world presents itself to me, it’s time to have a time.
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“A new kind of American saint.” Kerouac was really onto something, reminds me of Dreyfus writing on Heidegger. A medieval European saint, our notion of what a saint is, is not the same as a Middle Eastern saint or an Indian saint. Or a Greek Hero, or Chinese sage, or whatever other archetypes exist. These figures all embody, and typify, the spirit, the geist, of their civilization. Well, America was founded on a mix capitalism, individualism, and freedom, and so the living heroes of our day aren’t the Puritanical ascetics or morally virtuous saviors, but adventurers, the wanderers, those who make good for themselves and live a stylish, unique life.

The Ghost of the San Francisco of Jack Kerouac. Even then, they felt the ghost of the past, in their case Jack London, now the Beats, and the Hippies, and the Queers, and so on. Time to make some times.
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So, my schedule. Last week I hung out with Kara a bit, doing Thanksgiving dinner with her and her friends. We also saw Heima, the Sigur Ros movie last monday, and it was amazing. There music is very powerful, and, though the live recordings were flawless and the performance stellar, actually being-there is unlike any other "concert" (if it could be called that) I've ever been to. It was like church, when it still meant something to me, when it was still filled with unknowns (and wonder.) I purchased the "Heima" dvd, (Heima means both home and homeland in Icelandic) but havent yet the new double EP (with re-recorded versions of old songs, which are fantastic, and acoustic versions of others, plus some new material which is pretty majestic.) The dvd is on two discs, and is worth the 33 bucks for the delux edition, which includes a beautiful 100 page hardcover book of photographs. The first disc, which is what was screened, is a 93 minute documentary, following a series of free performaces the band gave in Iceland last summer (06) after their Takk... world tour. They also played a protest concert in Snæfellsskála, where a dam to produce electricty (and power aluminium factories) has been built. They played completely acoustic. The whole thing is unbelievably gorgeous, and the commentary, performances, and locals are beyond description. I wouldn't know where to start. But there seemed to be so much power underlying it all, the concept, there love for what they do, their real authenticity and resistance to commodification (which, even though they are selling a product now, financed the free concerts, in a manner of thnking, and they also made sure to make the product a worthy souvenir (a 100 pages of stunning photos! and! a double dvd! you should see the package.) The second disc features the performances uncut, along with bonus footage and more performaces, totalling over 150 minutes. (I'm beginning to think that my attention to detail and precision, as well as social awkwardness, makes me appear mildly autistic...) The director, and the directors of photography, have done an amazing job. Dean DeBlois, the director, is a canadian who has made such films as Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, and the canadian tv series from the 80s the raccoons. He also made some of the bands other videos. He is actually incredibly talented. Then on Friday I hung out with the O'Reilly-Green's, which was too short. I wish I hadn't had work on Saturday morning. We did get to drive around and chat and see the Red Woods (finally!) and had a great dinner.
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Hung out with Eliot the last two nights. He's been on tour with Through the Eyes of the Dead, All that Remains, Haste the Day, and As I Lay Dying. Interesting experience, I'll muse on it later. It was good hanging out with a friend from home. I;m going to LA in 2 weeks, and then Lauren will be in town, and then Caitlin too! I'm feeling better since I purchase my ticket home (Dec 23.) The rest will work itself out. I wish it would hurry up, though. I want to inspire, to create, and to influence. I am cultivating a public persona.
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So it goes.