When It’s Time To Listen

I just gasped out loud when I read this about violas, and practically jumped out of my seat. Said by Trey Anastasio of Phish, in the book “Music” by Andrew Zuckerman:

“The musician only has one job and that’s to listen. Listening is the essence of all great musicianship… When I studied with my composition teacher, he used to say, “The music is in the middle voices. Check out the violas. Check out the middle voices in the chords. That’s where the action is.”

HELL YES. The life of a violist in an orchestra or band is that they very rarely drive the melody of a song. We spend our lives listening closely to melodies and then fill in what is missing, find what’s needed. This role may not sound glamorous, but I’ve always been grateful for this aspect of my training. I’m certain it’s played a role in why I constantly search for new sounds, and trained me to find unexpected ways to express and idea, song or vision.

When it comes to the viola, action is indeed everything. It’s one thing to have the ability to create a melody. But throw a song at any skilled violist, and we’ll find countless ways to take the tune to a new, more complex level.

Here is the trailer to this music and photography project that Andrew Zuckerman did in 2010:

Snakes on a Plane! Or in a dream…

Last night my dreams were full of snakes. All kinds, all sizes and colors. At first they were peaceful and dormant. I knew the snakes were there, but was OK with them and we were all going about our business. The danger came only after people learned there were snakes around. Suddenly, without seeing a single snake, the people panicked.

Then I watched everyone in a frenzy wake all of the nearby snakes up. The people shook the plants, unearthed the dirt we heard the creatures were in. Numerous snakes came out and slithered around. Black and yellow, blue and red, green, all colors. They did not attack, just movement.

And suddenly I became overwhelmed with the collective fear in the room. I did not know if I should feel such fear, if it was real or manufactured. I did not know if the snakes were poisonous, if they would attack, and how real the threat was. But instead of running I kept them at bay (5 or so of them), in hopes they would not go further into the world. I tried to ask for help, but in this moment I lost my voice, too.

And right at the end, right before I woke up from the dream, this enormous snake came up to me and raised its head like a cobra. I suddenly felt the reality of the danger. It was ferocious. I stood up, looked at the giant snake, and then stabbed him right in the eye — with a WOODEN CHOPSTICK. Haha.

He fell and died immediately.

And all day long today I’ve thinking about this dream… Why did everyone wake the snakes up? Why did I lose my voice? How awesome are chopsticks, really? Friends and Powers-that-be, interpret this at your own will.

In between working on my own music for the new album, I’ve been studying the behavior of villains, researching the subconscious and the seductive mind, thinking about Dante and the seven deadly sins, and often listening to this song from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

These are dark, juicy days… all for sake of the next project. It’s dark and shadowy in here. And fascinating.

The things we do for art…

I’m currently reading “The Hero With A Thousand Faces” by Joseph Campbell and studying and researching man’s relationship to duality… and of course all of this always leads to Carl Jung.

In the mist of discussions, musing and thinking out loud on Campbell and Jung’s philosophies, my friend recently shared this quote by Carl Jung, and I love it. I wanted to share it with you for your own musing:

“There can be no resolution, only patient endurance of the opposites which ultimately spring from your own nature. You yourself are a conflict that rages in itself and against itself, in order to melt its incompatible substances, the male and the female, in the fire of suffering, and thus create that fixed and unalterable form which is the goal of life. Everyone goes through this mill, consciously or unconsciously, voluntarily or forcibly. We are crucified between the opposites and delivered up to the torture until the reconciling third takes place. Do not doubt the rightness of the two sides within you, and let whatever may happen, happen. The apparently unendurable conflict is proof of the rightness of your life. A life without contradiction is either only half a life or else a life in the Beyond, which is destined only for angels. But God loves human beings more than the angels.”

I’ve been thinking a lot about how I want to spend my year…

I’ve been hiding out this past month, since my return from touring and performing so much in 2011. I LOVE travel and touring, but it takes a toll on time and energy. And when it comes to recording, staying put is the key. (At least it is for me.)

So now that I’m on the ground and staying put in Los Angeles, I’ve been working hard on the new album that will be released this year. The recording sessions have begun, the wheels are turning on the big production.

The new album is a narrative and will tell a mythological story that is full of archetypes and characters from this world and beyond. Some of it feels delicious, but some of it is very, very dark.

Like many stories are told, this album will be released in three parts. As for when it will be done exactly, I’ll reveal as the production develops… so stay tuned. The entire project will be over 20 songs. This album is big, beefy and will be very juicy for your ears.

I wish I could clone myself to make execution happen as fast as possible. But since cloning is a new technology and relatively freaky, I’ll just have to settle with being patient and keeping my head down to get the project out. Sigh… oh, patience, you test me so often!

Other new-ness to share with you? Soon I will be unveiling a new website! Very excited about this.

As for gigs, I won’t be playing much until Spring and Summer, so that I can keep focused on recording and releasing the new work. But there will be gigs, oh yes, so stay tuned there too. Lots of surprises are planned for you.

Life is amazing, and I am inspired! And now that I’m stationary, I can find the creative time to write more blogs. Thank goodness, because I always want to share more with you than I do. But as you know, timing really is everything… and time is always on our side. (Note to self.)