July 03, 2009::
I want to wake up in the city...
Chang Lee recently wrote a great piece about the Burmese Buddhist Monks for the New York Times.
There is also an accompanying mini-doc that is great. Be sure to watch it. It will give you a little more insight into the situation in Burma, & the relevancy of the monks. These are the same monks I've written about in past blogs.
Posted by al at 11:44 AM
June 19, 2009::
Aung San Suu Kyi
today is the 64th birthday of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. she has been held for 14 of the last 20 years. the link below is a good timeline covering her time in burma since 1988.
artist: ko khaing
great source for daily news on burma, thailand laos, southeast asia:
www.irrawaddy.org
"Fearlessness may be a gift but perhaps more precious is the courage acquired through endeavor, courage that comes from cultivating the habit of refusing to let fear dictate one's actions." Aung San Suu Kyi
Posted by al at 08:47 AM
June 18, 2009::
got you on my mind...
happy anniversary erin & craig (from colorado?) - I was supposed to read this @ snowmass & just found the note buried in my backpack. so sorry. happy anniversary guys.
xoxo.
Posted by al at 05:01 PM
June 12, 2009::
bonnaroo
heading over to the fest shortly. I may tweet, facebook, etc, throughout the day, as I'm able. will shoot vid & take plenty of pics to post later.
a brief schedule:
fri
1:00 - rock the earth panel, solar stage
4:00 - moe. acoustic set, solar stage
sat
4:00 - bonnaroo radio performance (will post broadcast info later)
midnite? - late night set!
meanwhile...
"Fearlessness may be a gift but perhaps more precious is the courage acquired through endeavor, courage that comes from cultivating the habit of refusing to let fear dictate one's actions." Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
Posted by al at 11:16 AM
June 08, 2009::
national trails day in snowmass success!
hey!
thanks to all who made our trail work in snowmass a great day. special thanks to patrick murphy, as well as the snowmass rangers for helping us pull it off. also, thanks to all of the locals & moe.rons who came out @ 9:30am & spent a few hours on the mountain.
we worked on a little over 1 mi. of trail. clear rocks, blown down trees, put in some water bars for drainage & had a great morning. this was a section of single track on the mountain, that was in need of some work, as there were several sections that were unrideable until this work was done. thx again!
yours truly (w. the google logo in butt)
some of the group (others had hiked ahead)
Posted by al at 11:13 AM
June 02, 2009::
national trails day volunteers needed in snowmass!
hey guys!
putting out a final request for volunteers for our trails crew for national trails day on saturday morning. you can email me: al@moe.org to confirm your plans.
we are planning on meeting @ 9:30am @ the fanny hill stage. we will have shuttle transportation, gloves & tools, as well as some basic refreshments. we'll be done no later than 1:30pm, but appreciate any time you can contribute. we'll be heading up to the government trail. with some luck, we may even get to see some bears.
thx again for your help. for those of you, not coming to snowmass, check in your local areas for national trails day events & help pitch in. our trails are a great resource & I'm thankful every time I cross a simple log bridge!
al
Posted by al at 02:29 PM
May 25, 2009::
it's cold in the kitchen & the lights are low...
we're well on our way out west now. thanks to all who made summercamp great. we'd like to thank our old friend chris ragan for joining us again to light up the stage this weekend.
I'd also like to take this opportunity to welcome jason huffer to the fold. some of you may know jason's work as LD for our friends in P Groove. we look fwd. to working w. jason.
I'll be posting a lot more summercamp pics & vids as I get them together over the coming days. thx again for everything! see you in flagstaff...
Posted by al at 04:29 PM
May 23, 2009::
summercamp day 1
what a day...
hot. not bonnaroo hot, but pretty darn hot. our daytime set was a lot of fun. I really like opening the fest, playing a sunny afternoon set & then getting to enjoy the festival a bit.
I took almost 3 hrs. of video yesterday. plan to edit clips & post in the coming days. (see below for a quickie)
- buckethead was a monster, as usual. his backing band could barely keep up.
- junior brown made my day. perfect sunset set. the weather, music, friends - all perfect. (it would've been cool to see buckethead sit in)
- both darkstar sets were really good. I love this band. the acoustic 'let it grow', as well as the electric 'stranger' late night, were stellar.
- UM was great. the 1st set closer "believe the lie" was awesome. I LOVE this song. fwiw, they looked great too. JW is a great fit.
- along those lines, I'd like to thank yesterday's special guest LD. we had one of the industry's top lighting designers help out with yesterday's set. our thanks to mother nature ; ) (we'll have some other special guest LDs this weekend)
Posted by al at 08:41 AM
May 22, 2009::
something borrowed something blue...
hey folks,
sorry I've been remiss in my blogging duties. now that we're back on the road, it'll take a few days to get readjusted to our other lives & schedules. when we 1st get out on tour, I still wake up @ 6:30am every day - even when we're up until 2:00am the night before. it usually takes a few days to get "reassigned". it's a bit odd living this way, but we've done it for so long. I think I'll save it for another topic, another day.
today, I'm more excited about my new amp! I'll always be a 13 yr. old in the guitar shop (except instead of lusting after flying V's, my tastes have changed - some. I still like V's - are you reading this Gibson? korina is esp. nice ; ) back to my 'new' amp!
LOOK!
This is an Oldfield Marquis 30 in a new custom bamboo cab. I'm a big fan of bamboo. it's a great alternative to hardwoods & it's sustainable. it's as durable as oak or maple (some say more so) & is less susceptible to water damage. it can also grow as much as 3 ft. in 1 day. (we've used it for all of our hardwood flooring @ home too).
Being a big fan of bamboo as a green alternative, I was particularly drawn to the speaker cab I'm currently using, which is made by Hard Truckers (the same guys who made all the cabs for the Dead). they offer a eco friendly version of their Fatty cab made out of hemp plywood w. a bamboo veneer. in addition to sounding as good, or better, than a typical birch or pine cab, it's also significantly lighter (that is, before I loaded it with vintage JBL D120f spkrs which weigh a ton). here's a pic of the back:
I started talking to Paul Gussler, owner, designer, & builder of Oldfield amps about rehousing my Marquis 30 combo (the dark green one you've seen on stage for the last few years) into a new bamboo head cab to match the Hard Truckers speaker cab. Paul & Glenn (from HT) spoke about some of the details, & we were off.
There were some initial tests to see if the bamboo would stand up to the rigors of traditional cabinetry (ie. dovetailing, splintering, etc.) & it did great. There was also the issue of taking my old amp chassis (which used it be in the rear facing up) & flipping it over to fit into the new head (now lower front panel facing fwd.). needless to say, paul did a 'spongeworthy' job!
the final piece involved working with Hard Truckers to develop a grille for my speaker cab that was also green (I'm a huge pain in the ass). they sent me samples of bamboo, hemp, & silk. ultimately, we opted for the unbleached hemp. it's actually very similar to the grille cloth used on Fender tweed amps from the early to mid '50s (TV front & wide panel tweeds).
Thanks so much to paul & glenn, & the girls @ HT, for hanging in there with me. clearly, one of the coolest amp rigs on tour...
Oldfield Tube Amps
Hard Truckers
sunset @ summer camp!
Posted by al at 11:56 AM
May 15, 2009::
mandocam friday!
Posted by al at 06:04 AM
May 14, 2009::
“The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom from fear.”
US Campaign for Burma » Aung San Suu Kyi Sent to Insein Prison, Facing Trial
Posted by al at 09:15 PM
May 13, 2009::
Burma VJ
this week, I was able to see the new film, BURMA VJ. it's an award winning documentary that has won over 20 awards @ various festivals around the world, including sundance. The film is scheduled for release in major cities in the coming weeks.
from the site: burmavj.com
"BURMA VJ – Reporting from a closed country
"This film BURMA VJ is comprised largely by material shot by undercover reporters in Burma. Some elements of the film have been reconstructed in close collaboration with the actual persons involved, just as some names, places, and other recognizable facts have been altered for security reasons and in order to protect individuals. ”
Armed with small handy cams undercover Video Journalists in Burma keep up the flow of news from their closed country. Going beyond the occasional news clip from Burma, acclaimed director Anders Østergaard, brings us close to the video journalists who deliver the footage. Though risking torture and life in jail, courageous young citizens of Burma live the essence of journalism as they insist on keeping up the flow of news from their closed country. The Burma VJs stop at nothing to make their reportages from the streets of Rangoon.
Their material is smuggled out of the country and broadcast back into Burma via satellite and offered as free usage for international media. The whole world has witnessed single event clips made by the VJs, but for the very first time, their individual images have been carefully put together and at once, they tell a much bigger story. ”Joshua”, age 27, is one of the young video journalists, who works undercover to counter the propaganda of the military regime. Foreign TV crews are suddenly banned from the country, so it’s left to Joshua and his crew to keep the revolution alive on TV screens all over.
With Joshua as the psychological lens, the Burmese condition is made tangible to a global audience so we can understand it, feel it, and smell it. The film offers a unique insight into high-risk journalism and dissidence in a police state, while at the same time providing a thorough documentation of the historical and dramatic days of September 2007, when the Buddhist monks started marching. "
Posted by al at 07:37 AM
May 12, 2009::
promising young lads...
Posted by al at 10:09 AM
May 11, 2009::
Space, the final frontier...
"These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before."
I just saw the new movie yesterday. in a word, awesome. I went with my sister (who used to watch the original series with me in the last century) & my son (who's never seen a single trek related movie, tv episode, etc). we all loved it. the theatre applauded when the film ended. it was tense. the character development was great. the FX were top notch. acting was great.
you don't have to be a trekkie to enjoy it, although getting some of the history probably adds to one's geeky enjoyment (like knowing what the "kobayashi maru" is). the story is a prequel to the original series & follows the coming together of the original crew, & even includes capt. pike (again, another geeky pleasure dating back to the pilot episode, but not nec.).
go see this. enjoy. live long & prosper.
Posted by al at 07:46 AM
May 08, 2009::
ringtone thursday
Posted by al at 08:16 AM
May 06, 2009::
like a complete unknown...
I live on the fringe (literally). our house is so far on the outskirts of town that our neighbor's property line actually demarcates the town line. we're only 10 minutes from anything, which isn't a lot, but it's how we like it. we're surrounded by beautiful farmland. the point is, it's not exactly the suburbs. but it's not exactly living off the grid either.
our lawn is far from green. most of it isn't even 'grass' technically. if we let it grow, it would look like a typical field in upstate NY. keep it cropped close to the roots (like my head) & it kind of resemble a lawn. it still has to be mowed on a regular basis or else it's a lost cause. we tried going wild & free & it was just out of control (not exactly amber waves of grain).
a lot of our 'lawn' is actually spotted w. various kinds of moss, which I love. most folks would try & kill it off, but I'm thinking about cultivating it. in fact, I was thinking if I could get it to take over the whole thing, it would look awesome (scotland, ireland, new zealand??) & not really require any maintenance. I actually think there could be a future in sodding people's homes with moss instead of grass. it's greener too.
Posted by al at 09:26 PM
May 05, 2009::
The dogs on Main Street howl 'cause they understand
Last night I saw Bruce Springsteen @ Nassau. he played about 25 songs over nearly 3 hours, incl. a few gems. he did a 6 song encore, closing w. "Rosalita". everyone there sang along & had a great time.
the E street band must have a working catalogue of about 300 songs. bruce is not using a teleprompter. the band is not using charts. granted, it's not rocket science, but some of the landau/springsteen arrangements are deceivingly high art. bruce is an amazing songwriter.
the fans are awesome. they remind me a lot of moe.rons - a lot of normal people with a deep passion for music. I had the great pleasure of taking my son to the show (his 1st time seeing bruce). the fans around us were so psyched to see a young kid there. everyone was so nice. women were fawning over him. big guys offering to hold him up so I could snap a pic w. bruce in the background. everyone was so cool. needless to say. we had a great night.
Posted by al at 02:22 PM
May 04, 2009::
national trails day reminder
hey folks,
just a reminder re: national trails day on june 6th - we'll be playing @ snowmass chili pepper & brew fest. I've been in touch w. festival organizers, as well as folks from national trails day & we are currently making plans to organize volunteer efforts for the morning of 6/6 (nothing too intensive, but some basic trail maintenance in the nearby area).
please email me (al@moe.org) if you are planning on being in the area & would like to pitch in.
also, please remember there are other events in your area where you can always lend a hand.
www.americanhiking.org
www.moe.org/tour
Posted by al at 07:51 AM
May 01, 2009::
4 string friday
Posted by al at 07:10 AM
April 30, 2009::
the lovers, the dreamers, & zee
Two Lives Left, Alotta Livin’ to Do
Peculiar Virtuoso, a Hit among Uticans
by Thomas J. Armitage
April 2009
"REVOLUTION,"
he shouts, walking past the bouncer who does not bother to check his ID.
"Revolution," the bar hoppers respond in unison. Obviously they
have done this before. This rebel
is a regular at the Electric Company in West Utica. "How are you tonight, Rainbow?" Kate asks. She is cute; short with dark hair and caramel-colored
skin. She looks up at Rainbow
after pouring a Saranac into one of the cold, frosted mugs that sits on the
moist bar table. "I'm fine, I’m fine," he responds aloud.
He announces everything with a thunderous tone, but yet, the words are not so
clear. Rainbow is Korean-American. His English is broken but no one
seems to mind, especially when he is on stage.
Easily recognizable when
passing down Varick Street in Utica, Rainbow is usually outside one of the bars
playing one of his seven instruments. Tonight, he is wearing his usual
apparel. His boots are old and
decrepit. The black and faded
wind-pants fall over the tongues of his filthy Timberland-wannabes, which are
unlaced. One can only hope that he has long-johns underneath so he does
not get frost-bite walking the streets after last call. He carries an ‘80s-metal,
V-neck guitar and looks like a member of Van Halen with that long, blue
electric unit slung around his shoulders.
His beard is black. It grows around his awkward smile and
comes to a point like a Zen master’s.
A stale smell of cigarette smoke reeks from his tattered coat. It is a grey overcoat; open in the
front and ripped in several places. On the back is a large piece of red
duct tape slapped over a few tears, holding it together. His hair is long
and wild, like bamboo growing freely in the jungle. He removes his Chinese
farmer hat when he enters the building and his black, dirty strands fling all
which way. And then there is his face. It appears tired and worn but
he has more energy than everyone else in the room combined. His teeth are
broken, crooked and stained but his smile spreads ear to ear. His eyes
are thin with heavy bags but he takes notice and greets nearly every individual
at the bar. Most Uticans appear to
know him, but they could never image what is on the other side of the Rainbow…
Born on Oct. 5,
1957, he came to America in 1979, after serving in the Korean Army. While enlisted, he never fought in a
war and never even fired a gun. His
mother emigrated to Frankfort, N.Y. after marrying an American GI and Rainbow
soon followed. After staying in
the small town for a year, he decided to move to nearby Utica, since he had no
intentions of becoming a farmer. When
he finally became an American citizen, he legally changed his name to Rainbow
Young Gilbert. He was tired of
people pronouncing his Korean name wrong - which one cannot interpret when he
rolls it off his tongue – and he also wanted to adopt the last name of his
step-father.
Rainbow has loved
music all his life. “I play drums,
accordion, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, trombone, keyboard…and I sing,”
Rainbow explains. Some instruments
he purchased, others were donated by friends. But what is most impressive is that this virtuoso taught
himself how to play each instrument.
Being a
Korean-American, Rainbow has faced his share of racism over the years. Although he would never create a scene
in public over discrimination, he has never found the practice acceptable. “[It’s] humiliating,” Rainbow explains,
reminiscing about times that he’s been treated harshly due to his
ethnicity. “If someone
discriminates against you because of your color…That’s f*cking bullsh*t. God loves all, not just one [group of]
people; we’re all brothers and sisters.”
Sometimes Rainbow
carries a walking stick. However,
it is multifunctional because it also wards off devils, he says. Rainbow, a Christian who will soon be
baptized, believes that demons can lurk nearby. For spiritual support, he carries the staff donned with
flowers, beads, fruit, ribbons, and leaves. It protects him.
“There is only one…only one God; Jesus Christ…that’s it!” Rainbow
exclaims, staff in hand. “I must
be baptized for [him] to take me into His Kingdom.”
Although a free-spirit,
Rainbow has one dream - he would like to be a father. “I need to make one baby, so that that baby can sing to [all
of you],” Rainbow says. Although
he isn’t sure about anything in the future, he would like a child to carry on
his legacy.
“Wanna make
Chinese babies?” Rainbow asks beautiful girls as a pickup line. “It only takes seven seconds,” he adds,
when the female gives him “the look,” threatening to walk away. He repeatedly uses this line throughout
the evenings. So what is the problem?
Is it the line? Is it the delivery? Does he lack the charm? According to
Rainbow, women just won’t give him a chance. “Stupid American lady bum-b*tches,” Rainbow shouts. “They’re looking for the rich man. I
have a beautiful heart. They don’t see the heart; they’re looking for the
money. I need a lady who will take a chance on the Rainbow!”
Rainbow has had a number
of jobs throughout his working life, including an extensive period as a Chinese
cook in Syracuse. He still has the
abilities of a chef to prepare Italian, Chinese and American dishes, but he
does not cook much today. Instead,
he resides at an assisted living facility in Utica and obtains help from
non-profit organizations in the area.
Rainbow receives Supplemental Security Income (SSI), through Social
Security. The SSI gives him money
to live and pays for the six different medications that he takes each day for
his illnesses. “Rainbow, you’re
crazy, you stay home,” Rainbow reiterates on the government’s behalf. He gladly takes the money since it
gives him more time to do what he loves: play music.
No one knows Rainbow
quite like Anthony “Zee” Donaldson, owner and operator of the Electric
Company. Rainbow considers Zee his
manager and best friend. “Did you take you’re meds today,” Zee asks,
interrupting Rainbow to make sure he is keeping healthy. “Yes, yes,” Rainbow responds and
continues talking.
Zee recalled the
first time that he saw Rainbow perform; it was about 10 years ago at the Devereux. The musical man was performing at open
mic night and, at the time, he enjoyed covering the grunge classic “Smells Like
Teen Spirit” by Nirvana. On this
night, Rainbow announced that he had a guest star. Zee watched attentively. All of a sudden, Rainbow pulled out a hamster from his
pocket, put the rodent up to the microphone, and began stroking it from head to
tail. Zee wasn’t sure what was
going on; he began to watch closer.
As Rainbow stroked, the hamster, or “Rainbow Bright” as he called him,
would “purr” into the microphone.
They had a duet that night as Rainbow sung bass at the top of his lungs
alongside his guest star’s soprano skills. “I nearly p*ssed myself I was laughing so hard,” admits
Zee. From then on Rainbow and Zee
were friends.
This
past summer Zee decided to help Rainbow run for mayor of moe.ville at the
annual summer moe.down festival in Turin.
Being announced mayor is really just a status symbol, but most fans have
a blast rooting or jeering the candidates. The title is awarded to whoever receives the loudest cheer
at the time of the voting. Zee and
some other friends decided that they needed to promote Rainbow if he was going
to win the election. So on the
second night, at 3 a.m., they woke Rainbow and convinced him to play his
trombone…very loudly. Some moe.
fans were enthused while others were not too happy that they were being awakened
in the wee hours of the morning to an echoing brass. There are debates on Sunday afternoon, and moe.’s DJs
mention the election on their radio station. Later, fans finally voted. Rainbow sang “God Bless America” for the crowd and, although
he received a loud applause from the audience, his deafening mayoral campaign
may have cost him some votes. In
the end, Rainbow was required to concede in the close race and finished in
second place. moe. sometimes plays
at the Electric Company and allows Rainbow to take the stage with them. Al Schnier, guitarist and Utica native,
really enjoys Rainbow’s company when he visits the EC, Zee admits. Both Rainbow and Zee agree that they
will be returning to moe.down this summer and will attempt to run him for mayor
once again.
Okay,
so really, what makes Rainbow’s clock tick? What makes him sing and dance and be carefree? And why is he so darn unique and
peculiar? Well if Rainbow was
allotted nine lives like a cat, then he only has two more chances left. Throughout his 51 years, this character
has managed to get himself into seven near-death predicaments and those mishaps
have done a number on him. The end
result is the Rainbow that we know now, a musically lovable, free-spirited
Utican. Rainbow explained how he
lost seven lives…
In 1978, Rainbow
was in the Korean Army. As a
parachuter, he was practicing his routine in the plane. Upon jumping out of the aircraft, he
suddenly realized that the emergency chute did not release properly. Uh
oh! “It was the parachute; it only
opened halfway,” Rainbow says. By
the time it opened, Rainbow suffered a hard-hit to the ground. “BANG” is how he
describes it.
A few years later,
in 1983, he was working as a stump picker, helping to remove tree stumps. It was a hard and laborious task. After trying to lift one of the stumps
too high, the heavy wood fell upon him, pinning him against the ground. After finally removing the stump from
his body, he escaped with a number of painful injuries and was laid up for
several weeks.
In 1994, Rainbow
was working in Syracuse as a delivery man for Domino’s Pizza. On a normal delivery, he was jumped by
seven or eight teenage punks. They
struck him across the left side of his head with a 40-ounce beer bottle. It knocked him out as it impacted his
sensitive temple. “Then they hit
me with a second one, right in my *ss; so I woke up,” Rainbow recalls. They did not steal his money, but did
take the food. “They were just
after the pizza,” Rainbow concludes, as he remembered lying on the ground,
devastated.
In 1996, he was
walking in East Utica. He suddenly
noticed a “friend” driving in a car.
The man changed his direction and began heading towards Rainbow. Rainbow luckily dodged the moving
vehicle, as he was almost rammed to death. After raising hell at the acquaintance behind the wheel, the
man explained that he was “just joking.” “He’s crazy,” Rainbow states,
naturally still upset about the incident.
He also noted that he is no longer friends with that fellow.
Although Rainbow
usually walks everywhere now, there was a time when he utilized his
bicycle. In 1999, he was riding
his bike along Route 12, the Arterial, not worrying about the weather. Then, CRACK! Rainbow, hands wrapped around the metal handlebars, was
struck by lightning, or “Thunder Light,” as he calls it. After feeling the electric shock
throughout his body, he sought cover under the Burrstone Road bridge. Ever since that accident, his arms are
no longer as strong, he says.
In 2001, Rainbow
got into another accident while riding his bicycle on the streets of Utica. As he was riding near Bleecker Street,
a school bus suddenly committed an illegal “U” turn. The extra large motor vehicle slammed into Rainbow, knocking
him off his bike. He does not
remember anything that happened that afternoon, but trusts the stories from
witnesses. This injury may have
been the worst of all as it led to spinal cord problems, faulty kidneys, high
blood pressure, brain damage, and he now has a harder time concentrating, he
says. “But I forgive [the bus
driver], because he was not intentionally trying to kill me.”
Rainbow’s final
near-death experience came in 2002.
He failed to pay his rent over the course of many months, so his
landlord was fed up. “Rainbow you
no pay the rent, you son of a b*tch!” Rainbow yells, recalling the shouts from
his former landlord. Then, Rainbow
was overcome with sadness. “I’m so
depressed, I’m in so much pain, I don’t give a sh*t what somebody’s [sic]
telling me,” he says. He
thought he had had enough; so he strung his necktie up to a sturdy overhead beam
to hang himself. He gave one final
glance towards the sky, and saw a beautiful unblemished bright light emitting
from the sun. It was at that
moment that he changed his mind and realized that he still had more living to
do; instead, he took a nap.
It’s now been seven
years and Rainbow has managed to steer clear of any more real danger, with the
exception of being near bar fights every now and again. But
he does seem happy. Rainbow likes
to visit Varick Street and entertain all of the visitors, according to an
intoxicated patron at the EC, who is wobbling on his stool. "He
loves Utica and America,” thinking for the most fitting way to describe
Rainbow. “He’s just the…the
perfect Utican." Wherever,
whenever he is spotted on the city streets, he always has that same, contagious
smile. “Lovable would be [the]
best word to describe [Rainbow],” a friend, Mare Clarey says. “I don't think I have ever seen him
when he wasn't smiling and singing. He is a true Utica icon!”
Posted by al at 04:43 PM
April 29, 2009::
sometimes I feel like I'm fading away...
more rock band 101...
1. we do not own our bus: everyone (except for a very few like neil, willie, oprah, & maybe john madden) leases their busses from companies, mostly in nashville, on a tour by tour basis.
2. we do not own our truck: (see above). we do however, work w. the same company & have for years. we even try & get the same driver (dale), & he requests our tours whenever he can
3. we do not own our production: no one does. even the dead did not own the wall of sound. I'm sure alembic-meyer-etc. had an exclusive arrangement w. them (& a great client), but they built that company around the need. some bands will own certain pieces of the rig. (ie. we have owned 2 diff multi-track recording rigs over the last few years, but this is a sep. entity. we may soon go deeper.)
4. we do not own a jet: zeppelin did. elvis probably did. the president gets to use one owned by all of us. we fly a lot.
5. we do not our stuff: it owns us.
Posted by al at 10:18 AM
April 28, 2009::
ricky don't lose that martin
we've spent almost 20 years developing our craft as a live act. a good deal of that relies heavily on improvisation, which ultimately depends on our ability to listen to one another & be able to respond to subtle changes in the music at a moment's notice - & more importantly, having the tools to do it. having the encouragement of a great audience, along for the ride, helps the runners @ mile 20.
one of the key things for us, has always been to keep the improv as organic as possible. the changes should sound subtle & never forced. if it ever sounds forced, or as if the music suddenly tripped over itself & started a new song, then something was wrong. sometimes it takes a LONG time to get there in an organic manner, as I'm sure you all know. sometimes that's epic. sometimes it's simply LONG.
we've never been a band that is content w. the model, & we're always making changes to the previous version (see recording methods used for last 3 albums). we've also always operated on the one principle that we do this because it makes us happy. if we do not all enjoy the work we do, we don't do it (see shelved songs, side projects, real jobs, etc). enter ricky.
the recent shows have been sprinkled w. some new jams that use a different approach then the open ended 100% improv of the past. we the idea was to compose new instrumental themes, often utilizing variations or movements of other pieces being played that night, as platforms for segues - each one providing a foundation for a new arrangement of a familiar idea, but taking it somewhere new. by connecting these islands together, we could then link new songs together in new ways. the concept was to combine some of our songwriting/arranging skills w. our improv skills to create some new music & see what happened. as they grow & evolve, we'll be able to use these sections as trailmarkers along the way, throughout the course of some evolved improv.
a combination of this structured improv, along w. our more traditional open ended jams should ultimately make for a more dynamic show (as opposed to every song just being ">").
Posted by al at 09:04 AM
April 27, 2009::
wake up to find out
on saturday morning, for the 1st time in my life I went to the top of the empire state building. it only took me 40 years. I've been to NYC a million times, lived there for several years & never went. when I was a kid, my folks took us there, but we never went up. as I got older, it was just one of those 'touristy' things you become too busy to do. it was awesome. I highly recommend it. it was also $20 for an adult ( + another $13 for ea. of my kids, making it a pretty expensive elevator ride - but very cool, nonetheless).
we just happened to be awake @ 7:00am on saturday morning. we happened to have the time. so we went. we were outside in the morning sun, on the observation deck of the 86th floor by 8:30am. little or no lines to speak of at that time. it was a beautiful day. you could see all the way to shea, or citibank enormodome or whatever it's called, to the east; you could see beyond the statue of liberty to the south; it was all pretty spectacular.
we were on our way & walking thru midtown by 9:15. nice way to spend the morning w. the kids.
Posted by al at 10:51 AM
April 23, 2009::
now that earth day is over...
ok, so life goes on right? maybe you made a few mid year resolutions to be a better steward. here are a few simple suggestions. every little bit helps.
1. vote with your $ - more than ever, we're in a position to make our voices heard as consumers at the cash register. read labels. become informed. where was it made? what is it made of? do you support that country's choices?
2. compost - it's much easier than you think. keep a little tub on the counter (a gallon size tupperware will do, but you can buy nice ceramic post made specifically for this). start with just your raw fruits & veggies. empty it every day. you can build your own composter (that's how I started). there are plenty of guidelines avail... http://www.howtocompost.org/
3. eat less junk - it's plain & simple. junkfood takes more energy & resources to manufacture, package & transport. junkfood produces more waste (in more ways than one). junkfood ultimately makes people so unhealthy that the resources exhausted on healthcare are exponential (but the pharmaceutical, oil, medical industries amongst others aren't complaining about the business)
4. eat good food - it should go without saying (see # 3). the gains are huge on all fronts. the more locally grown, fresh produce you can buy the better. this also goes for local meat, eggs, dairy as well. organic is always better in the grand scheme of things (for you & the planet). join a CSA (community supported agriculture - a co-op in which you buy a "share" of a local farm)
5. save the rain - whether on city water or well water, you can use rain barrels to store rain water. in turn, this water can be used to water your flower beds, lawn, wash your car, etc.
6. recycle EVERYTHING - recheck what your friendly sanitation guys will pick up. we recycle ALL paper (kids' homework, every scrap, junk mail, etc.), every plastic pag, paper bags, cardboard containers, etc. you'd be surprised how little "trash" one actually has once you start composting & seriously recycling.
7. buy less plastic - same principles as above. petroleum based plastic, made overseas under less than ideal worker conditions, disposed of irresponsibly in america on a regular basis is a rampant problem. just do the math. but - it's really freaking hard to avoid. it's hard enough trying to buy american made goods, let alone locally made goods. try not buying plastic. just be aware. sometimes there are options. there are good companies out there (ie. patagonia) that are trying.
8. green power! - you can switch your utilities over to exclusively green resources for a few extra dollars per mo. we did this years ago & get all of our power from local windmills.
9. walk - not just to work, the store etc. but next time you have a choice, take the stairs if it's only a few flights. after awhile, it becomes 2nd nature. it starts to feel weird when you can't find the stairs.
10. ??? what are you doing? tell me.
Posted by al at 08:38 AM
April 20, 2009::
32 things I wish I'd said...
ok, maybe not 32, but several. we did a bunch of press stuff after our set yesterday @ green apple. on the way home, all of these great ideas came to mind. if only I had that flux capacitor...
- it costs a lot to be green. sometimes too much. I own & drive a hybrid - but I also own & drive an SUV. I happen to live in a snow driven area that demands that I have 4 wheel drive (& enough cargo space to fit a marshall 1/2 stack or a drumkit). we live in what used to be a cutting edge country. we put people in space. outer freaking space! why can't we make a fuel efficient vehicle that produces little or no pollution. even if it is rocket science - we know that, right? is it really that difficult to make a 4 wheel drive vehicle that is also green? I know some exist, but they're kind of lame. I'm talking about a 50mpg + real hybrid or hydro fuel cell powered vehicle w. a serious payload that can get up my driveway in the winter.
- we strive, as a band to take steps to make our tours a bit greener. last yr. we stopped requesting bottled water & switched to stainless canteens (eliminating 3-4 cases of water bottles per day on the road). I forgot to mention that this year's moe.down will be our greenest yet. we are making efforts to go w. fully recycled &/or compostable/biodegradable paper products throughout the festival this year - from all vendors. it is going to cost us a lot of money. it is going to cost some of our sponsors & our promoter extra $. BUT - everyone is up for it. it's def. a sign of better things to come when folks are willing to sacrifice the bottom line in favor of the greater good.
- I am NOT developing a line of green amps or speaker cabinets to be marketed commercially. I AM working closely w. 2 great companies (Oldfield & Hard Truckers) to make MY rig out of sustainable materials. the availability to the public in the future will depend largely on their ingenuity.
I'm just the squeaky wheel. fwiw, the HT cab I had out for the last run is a "fatty" made out of hemp ply & bamboo veneer - unfortunately, the hemp ply is not avail. in the US & must be imported (& is very hard to come by). paul (gussler, from oldfield amps & glenn, from HT) are working on a ply-boo (bamboo) head cab for my Oldfield amp at this time.
- obama has just proposed an initiative for further dev. of high speed rail system. this is a great move & should be developed nation wide. the infrastructure is there. the amount of fuel used to move people & cargo by rail is a fraction of what it takes to move them thru the air.
- matthew modine is a funny guy. we joked about the name of the band...
MM: "I loved you guys!. great name too. moe. as in, moe-dine..."
- I got to meet steve thomas yesterday! if you haven't seen renovation nation on planet green (& you own a home), you should watch this. great show on renovating your home in ways you may have never considered (ie. recycled glass/concrete counters, geothermal heating, "living" roof, etc). totally made my day...
Posted by al at 05:06 AM
April 17, 2009::
poisoned in the bushes, blown out on the trail...
on sat. jun 6th, moe. will be playing in snowmass, CO @ the chili & brew fest. that day also happens to be national trails day. I am in the process of setting up a volunteer effort for the earlier part of that day. I'm not sure what that will amount to as of yet, but expect to get a little dirty working on some section of a trail in need of repair. not sure of any details at this time, but I wanted to start collecting names of anyone interested in participating.
please email me: al@moe.org w. the subject "snowmass trail day"
thx,
al
Posted by al at 04:14 PM
April 16, 2009::
g r e e n
testing
1..2..3..
grass is greener
Posted by al at 10:59 PM
April 15, 2009::
spooky green flaming apples for free wolves
I'm happy to announce that this sunday, april 19th, moe. will be doing a free concert on the mall in washington DC w. the flaming lips, los lobos, & dj spooky, MC'd by chevy chase! the earth day event is hosted by green apple.
all of the details are still coming in at this time. I can tell you that the event is a daytime event & scheduled to run from roughly noon - 6:00pm. right now, weather looks like mid 60s w. a mix of sun & clouds (precip. is 20%). should be a great day. really looking fwd. to this.
Posted by al at 08:35 AM
April 14, 2009::
like a spring chicken...
today was a gorgeous day in upstate NY. it was sunny, high 50s & little or no wind. it may not sound like much, but coming out of winter, it feels like a perfect morning in santa barbara.
between wrapping up my sorry excuse for taxes (under the wire), & some quality time with the family, I managed to grab a few hours to break out the bikes, bike rack, etc. & get things prepped for a pending road trip.
1st order of business was to back up my truck, pop open the rear hatch & listen to the dead channel on sirius. immed. I was transported back 25 years to my old house & my parents old blue station wagon, w. the same old tunes. probably doing the same thing too. it felt great. I needed to swap out a tube on my mt. bike, new tires on the road bike, & then take a look @ the hitch, which had gotten pretty rusty over the winter (why can't we use more sand & less salt?). and then it struck me... I'm old.
I'm that guy. did my clock stop when I hit 16? or 21? or 25? it happens. A LOT. I'm not wearing purple patagonia shorts & tie dyed shirt w. dancing bears on a regular basis, but you get the idea. there are plenty of folks out there who are still wearing their orig. parachute pants & members only jackets (& mustaches) - & not the new, cool, ironic ones. it happens. A LOT. you've seen moms with pants pulled up to their boobs who still think that steve miller puts out new music. (nothing against steve miller or moms w. boob pants).
I'm lucky enough to be in a band. I'm lucky enough to make new music. I'm lucky enough to have a family. I'm lucky enough to be able to do things like run/ski/hike/bike. I'm lucky to be free. free range. like a spring chicken. sort of.
Posted by al at 09:48 PM
April 13, 2009::
strangers, friends, & family
today I saw greg mortenson speak in troy, NY @ the EMPAC arts center, thx to the folks @ the emma willard school & RPI. greg is the author & man behind "3 cups of tea" (see blog from last week).
he was recently nominated for a nobel peace prize for his work. his speech further reinforced the notion that educating people (especially girls), is one of the single most important things we can do to bring peace to the world. simply providing schools, materials, teachers & most importantly, an alternative to ignorance is a goal that is realizable in the near future.
1 penny = one pencil
2 pennies = one eraser
15 pennies = one notebook
$2 or $3 = one teacher’s salary for one day
$20 = one student’s school supplies for one year
$600 = one teacher’s annual salary
$5,000 = support for existing school for one year
$50,000 = one school building and support for up to five years
(Source: Central Asia Institute)
pennies for peace
central asia institute
greg mortenson
Posted by al at 01:50 PM
April 10, 2009::
concert promotion 101
so often fans will ask questions like:
- "how come you didn't play in this town on this day?"
- "why aren't you just doing 2 nights here instead of going to the next town?"
- "why aren't you playing the cool venue?"
- "why aren't you playing the cool festival?"
- "why does your tour zig-zag all over the map instead of going in a straight line?"
... you get the idea. here are some basic facts about booking & promotion that fans may be unaware of that may help to answer some of these questions.
1. availability: unless you are bruce springsteen, madonna, U2, or maybe the jonas brothers, you're basically at the mercy of the venues & promoters & the dates that are actually available on the calendars. you do not have the option of making demands.
2. most shows (esp. festivals) employ something called a radius clause in the contract - meaning that the band is not allowed to play within a designated timeframe (usually 4-8 wks in either direction) & up to 250 miles (depending on the event).
3. to be a part of a festival - 1st, you have to be asked. 2nd, you have to be available (& it can't violate a preexisting radius clause). 3rd, you have to come to an agreement on the offer. if all of these things work, then it has to make sense with the rest of your tour.
4. the big picture: there are as many reasons to play in a city as there are to pass it by. often, there may be plans to come back on the following tour, (so we are not allowed by the promoter to play your city in the summer for example, if there is a fall date already scheduled).
5. sometimes it doesn't make sense financially. as much as we may care about the fans & the region, we are still running a business & we cannot repeatedly lose money on shows (nor can the promoters)
6. competition - most of it is friendly competition, which is a good thing. we're pretty close w. most of the bands & management in this scene & we try & stay out of each other's way, for the most part. oversaturating any market w. too many jamband shows in a row means people won't have the time & money to come & see us all (esp. if we're booked on the same night)
these are all pretty basic considerations we have to begin with when booking our dates - not to mention, recording, time at home, families, rehearsals, + travel days (add 1 to beg & end of every tour + all days in between - it begins to add up. the last few years we've spent an avg. of 30 days in airports. I'm not complaining. it's just a fact.)
once you factor in all of the above, perhaps it will be easier to understand why we do the things we do.
xoxo
Posted by al at 09:45 AM
April 09, 2009::
3 cups of tea
15 years ago, greg mortenson's K2 expedition ended when he & a partner exhausted all of their resources rescuing other members of their parties (a summit bid that went awry). spent & physically drained, GM wandered took a 'wrong' turn on the trail back down that would forever change history. he wandered into a pakistani village high in the mountain border between afghanistan & pakistan. these people welcomed him into their homes & nursed him back to health.
in an effort to repay them, mortenson asked to see where the kids went to school, in hoped that he may send some school supplies once he returned to berkeley - only to find a high dirt lot w. children scratching math problems into the ground w. sticks. the pakistani gov't never made good on their promise of building a school or providing a teacher (one did come from another village 2x a week). he resolved to return & build them a school. in the last 15 years he has built almost 80 schools, women's centers & medical clinics.
this region also happens to be the heart of the taliban country. there are madrassas all around. this is ground zero for the sunni shiite conflict.
by constructing schools & offering villages long term growth, greg mortenson is doing more to combat terrorism than anyone else ever has. he has the backing of the highest ranking political & religious leaders in the area - it's just the extremists who want him dead.
I highly recommend this book. it's amazing. chances are, someone you know has read it. it's pretty inspirational.
greg speaks @ many engagements throughout the year, as well.
Posted by al at 09:46 AM
April 08, 2009::
2 necks are better than one...
Everybody keeps asking me what it's called. the fender custom shop COA (cert. of authentication) says "tele mando" - as that's how we referred to it during the design stage. frank, calls it the double wide (or big red). sometimes it's affectionately called "the beast". I think I prefer "tele-mando".
The design was born out of necessity. some of you have probably seen me on stage, w. a mandolin strapped on around my back, guitar around the front, & trying to play keyboards at the same time (who do I think I am?). I'm lucky enough to be able to work closely w. the Fender Custom Shop & design something like this. It's a one of a kind instrument, built by master builder Dennis Galuzka. (fwiw - my main guitar, the blue thinline Tele custom, was also designed by me, is one of a kind & built by another Fender Custom Shop Master Builder - Yuriy Shishkov).
here's a pic of the original (& sketchy) design I sent:
the orig. sketch:
early stages:
a closeup (the mando pickup is from the seymour duncan custom shop!):
many thanks to all who helped make this happen - dennis galuzka, alex perez & evan skopp.
fender custom shop
seymour duncan
Posted by al at 09:41 AM
April 07, 2009::
mission to burma
www.butterfly3.org
more to come...
this has been an interesting spring thus far. today it is snowing; however, when I got home from chicago, all of our winter snow had already melted. this year we had been one of those great "old" winters I remember as a little kid, w. 4-6 ft. snow banks & a plenty to enjoy. then we had an early spring w. 65 degree sunny days. now it's snowing.
so, in the last month, we have come to know several exiled burmese buddhist monks who happen to be in our hometown. it has been a great honor to meet them & share our experiences. I will be posting more about this in the coming days. there are some interesting ties to the moe. community, oddly enough.
the situation is burma is pretty dire. most folks are unaware of what is going on there. the short version, is that there was a military coup 20 yrs. ago, in which their beloved democratic leader was imprisoned. the country has been under an oppressive military regime ever since, & many have died & suffered at their hands. there are tens of thousands of burmese refugees living in border refugee camps along the thai-burmese border - unable to leave burma, unwelcome to enter thailand. some lucky few have made it here to america.
the UN just officially declared that the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi (the democratic leader mentioned above) is in fact, unlawful.
you can read more here:
uscampaignforburma.org
Posted by al at 09:43 AM
April 06, 2009::
All Roads Lead to Home...
Hey!
Sorry it's been so long. I've been pretty occupied, just trying to write, record, play music AND clean the garage, basement (both literally & metaphysically speaking).
The break was great. it's funny, in the beginning, we were freaked out about taking any kind of break at all, because we never have (in 19 years!). So, to even stay home for a few mos. last fall was a big deal for us. Looking at it from moe.down, it seemed like an eternity. sure enough, january rolled around & I never really had a day "off". I did get to clean my garage & open some of my mail from 2006, which was a good thing. I also got to make 2 albums & tour w. the Transams, which is always a good thing. there were several cool adventures (including mt. rainier), as well as some much needed time w. the families.
Things w. moe. have never been better. everyone is on top of their game & we're playing better than ever. this last run of shows was particularly fun for us. really looking fwd. to the summer run. we'll be posting some more dates as they become avail.
I'm going to do my best to stay on top of this blog. hope to be able to add some cool tour pix/video/etc.
take care,
al.
Posted by al at 09:54 AM