Bird and Energy

I saw Andrew Bird in concert tonight. I hadn't really heard all that much of his music, aside from what my roommate played from time to time, and I was very impressed by his live performance. He plays solo violin, guitar, and whistling, and he loops his playing to create an intensely layered, vibrant, and ultimately beautiful landscape of sound.

Unlike a lot of musicians (read: DJs) who use laptops or turntables to loop sound more or less statically with additions or modifications piled on top, his method is far more organic. One of two foot pedals starts recording either a 13 or 26 second track; the shorter length means the looped sample is taken down an octave, giving a deep bass sound from a violin. The loops keep recording over one another, and older tracks gradually fade away, leading to a sound that gradually morphs from one feel to another. As he put it, the system allows him to see the melody "hanging" in front of him, so he can intuitively sculpt it with each iteration of the loop.

Add to that a pair of the most bad-ass speakers you will ever see, and he really has his act together. Most of his recordings are with a band, but seeing him solo was really incredible. And the dude is a freaking incredible whistler. That sentence sounds really weird, but he hits notes I didn't think were possible.

As loathe as I am to link myspace, there are some tracks on there I'm sure everyone can agree are choice.


On a completely unrelated note, never drink Radioactive Energy. I got a can of it for free, and I still feel ripped off. Seriously, it tastes like rotting apricots. It's not like other energy drinks are setting the taste bar exceptionally high; I usually refer to Monster Energy as "cough syrupy," and that is honestly a compliment.

What the hell, Germany?

Ok dudes, you have got to see this. I work at our university library, digitally enhancing brittle scanned books for reprinting, and in my days there I have come across some odd titles. There's just something about the pre-1900 publishing world that seems to generate bizarre material

The book I worked on today was German, and it may have been a children's book, I think. Even for a 19th century children's book, it's strange. Check out these pages:





Yes, that's a monkey wearing a crown stabbing himself in the chest with a fork. Any thoughts?

I know how to use photoshoppe

I was just messing around with brush transparency and I made this. Not exactly what you'd call professional, but I kinda like it.

Yeats is Greats

Hey, a quick post from the radio station today.

Since this is a blog on the interwebs, here is what I am listening to. In this case, it is quite literal, since I'm sitting in a darkened room surrounded by thousands of dollars of audio equipment.

Apologies in advance if there's too much indie in the pants.

The Speakers - Yeats is Greats

This is a great example of how my love of bizarrely awesome album titles/art lead to an excellent musical find. I forgot my camera today, but you can check out a small pic of the cover from the site; it's far better in person.


Oh yeah, there's some music, too. Music in which the poems of William Butler Yeats are set to music. Yeah.


Secret Mommy - Plays

Somewhat folksy songs with a subtle electronica vibe. Glitches/beats here and there add to the acoustic guitar and sparse, almost bjorkesque vocals. That's right, BJORKESQUE, MOFOS. Also, bass clarinet? Mandolin? Cello? Bari sax? That's cool.


(Side note: I just played a jazz song on-air featuring a Moog synth on it.)


Fannypack - See You Next Tuesday

Did you want catchy-as-hell female-headed New York hip-hop?

No, you do. That wasn't a question. Especially when the beats are this funky-fresh.


More later, maybe.

So choice

What is that thing all up under your waist?
Oh ma God - it's a booty in ma face!

Whaaat, is it?
What, what, what is it is it?
Whaaat, is it?
It, it's your booooty.

Whaaat, is it?
What, what, what is it is it?
Whaaat, is it?
It's a booty in ma face!

(repeat 2x)

Batmanz

I sketched this at 3 a.m. Why was I not asleep at 3 a.m.? Goooood question.

Jade Empire

I play computer games quite a bit, and it's rare that I actually frighten myself by just how much.

I played Jade Empire for 10 hours, 17 minutes yesterday. Certainly not a world record by any measure, but it's enough to make me feel incredibly bad about myself. I've held off the urge to play today; I figure if I average just over 5 hours a day for two days, that's a little better, at least in theory...

Also: Mr. Zach Braff was at Northwestern this evening for a Q&A session. I went (along with a few hundred or so other people) to see him. I've always been more of a J.D. guy than a Zach Braff fan; he just rubs me the wrong was when he's not in character. I haven't seen any movie he's been in, so maybe I'm not allowed to complain. To put it bluntly, he just seems like a bit of a douche.

But he hooked up with Sarah Chalke, so he gets props. Mad props.