Dangerous Toons

There was a long break since my last post. Most of that time I did nothing musical. Work got busy with some end-of-year stuff and then it was off to Death Valley for family Christmas. After returning a few days ago, I've focused on getting my recording setup together. This is something I have done episodically over the past decade. At this point, I pretty much know my way around the software and hardware toolboxes, and while it took a little doing, figuring these things out is in my comfort zone. It's not writing music--especially lyrics--which is way outside my comfort zone. The fact is, I'm procrastiprepping. Despite the fact that my subconscious motivation is avoidance, I still claim some progress toward my goal. The foundation of my recording efforts will be Linux recording software from the KXStudio repositories: Jack, Cadence, Ardour, Drumgizmo. This laptop is the multi-track recorder and the substitute for any instrument I cannot play, principally drums and keyboar

I spelled "tunes" as "toons." Figures. There, they're, and their continue to show up in the wrong form in my writing, despite the fact that I well and truly know the difference among the homophones. Perhaps it is a sign. You can get some serious lyrical mileage out of homophone abuse. Yesterday I did little with this effort, but I did something. I took my Zoom H4n recorder with me on a business trip and quickly reminded myself that it has none of the cool processing features of the new H4n Pro, such as effects and amp simulation. My natural inclination is to buy more gear. I shall overcome. Today I got home and did some jamming around and recorded a couple of ideas. One was my usual melodic stuff at the nut with D chord variations and some descending bass lines. Made me think a little of Fleetwood Mac. The other was a massive delayed and distorted thing with a phaser acting over a half-wah to produce motion. Kinda reminds me of Pink Floyd's Meddle. The

My serious interest in music began with Pink Floyd in 1984. A year later, I met Ed. He turned me on to Led Zeppelin and got me interested in playing guitar. I moved to Portland in 1986 and a then met Fritz. His original compositions as Damage won my immediate admiration, but also made me realize that making great music was not the provenance of fantastical other-worldly beings. The Beatles, Van Halen, Linkin Park, Cat Stevens, Def Leppard, Nirvana, John Denver, David Bowie, Gin Blossoms, Scorpions, Black Keys, Jimi Hendrix, Blink 182, Rush, Willie Nelson, Pearl Jam, Waylon Jennings, Paul Simon (with or without Garfunkle), Stevie Ray Vaughan, Waylon Jennings, AC/DC, Soundgarden, Journey, Moody Blues, U2, Rolling Stones, Greatful Dead, Air Supply, Joe Satriani, Green Day... all influences. Also, Kevin Pakulis and John Clark, supreme talents that I've actually played with and if you've never heard of them you should. Jason I like a well played instrument. I like a well written