Sounds Like Now
A blog by saxophonist Brian Sacawa
Archive for Blog: Fall 06
December 20, 2006 at 6:32 pm · Filed under Blog: Fall 06, Interviews, Music, Performers
“You can only live in music, as it were, if you have other interests, if you see the parallels with literature, if you see the parallels with painting, if you see the parallel with the development of political process, and if you have an interest, and then you have the ability to deduce, then all this becomes part of your innermost being; and this comes out in the music; and therefore, music really becomes your life.”
Daniel Barenboim, Parallels and Paradoxes: Explorations in Music and Society
December 18, 2006 at 7:16 pm · Filed under Blog: Fall 06, Literature
The McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern has been around since 1998, when Dave Eggers started the not-quite-quarterly journal to publish his own work as well as pieces by his friends, many of which (the pieces by his (Dave Eggers’) friends) had been rejected by other literary journals. Over the years, the QC has evolved from a simple paperback volume into a changeable format, which ranges anywhere from an extremely attractive hardcover edition to a cigar box filled with pamphlets and has begun to showcase not only some of the most exceptional and creative contemporary writing but also the work of many fine artists.
QC21 is another great issue. Every piece in this volume is outstanding—and funny—although these authors stood out to me: Miranda July, Joyce Carol Oates, Yannick Murphy (can’t wait for her Mata Hari book), Roddy Doyle, A. Nathan West, and Rajesh Parameswaran. In order to keep pace with its recent quirkiness, each piece in QC21 is followed by an actual letter received by the office of Ray Charles at various dates throughout 1999 and preceded by a 12-panel illustration of an artists’ (different for each story) rendition of events in the piece, while the front cover of the book has a small flap that can be opened out across the exposed page-edges, creating a 360-degree panorama around the entire volume. If you are fiction-dependent, QC21 is perfect for your daily fix.
December 17, 2006 at 5:12 pm · Filed under Blog: Fall 06, Cycling
Stats: Time: 3:04:40; Distance: 51.67 miles; Avg Watts: 172; Kilojoules: 1906.
Playlist: Warren G, “Regulate”; Amerie, “1 Thing”; Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz, “Déjà Vu (Uptown Baby)”; Lupe Fiasco, “The Instrumental”; Jay-Z, “Dirt Off Your Shoulder”; Gorillaz, “November Has Come”; Lupe Fiasco, “Kick, Push”; Jay-Z, “Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love)”; Kanye West, “Drive Slow”; Jamie Lidell, “A Little Bit More”; Mobb Deep & 50 Cent, “Outta Control (Remix)”; The Chemical Brothers, “Hold Tight London”; Jamie Lidell, “When I Come Back Around”; Gorillaz, “Dirty Harry”; Kanye West, “Heard ‘Em Say”; Dr. Dre, “Still D.R.E.”; Jay-Z, “Can I Get A…”; Kanye West, “Diamonds From Sierra Leone”; Gorillaz, “Fire Coming Out Of The Mountain”; Jay-Z, “Kingdom Come”; Kanye West, “Touch the Sky”; Des’ree, “You Gotta Be”; [Repeat 1X + 3 songs]
Items Consumed: 1 bidon of water, 1 bidon of orange Gatorade, 1 20oz bottle of Coca-Cola, 1 chocolate PowerBar, 1 oatmeal raisin walnut CLIF Bar; post-ride: 1 glass of Endurox w/ 2 tablets of creatine monohydrate.
Something I have known for a long time but was reminded of again today: Coca-Cola is the best energy drink, especially 2 hours and 35 minutes into a ride.
December 14, 2006 at 11:50 pm · Filed under Baltimore, Blog: Fall 06
As observed at the Ottobar:
+ Newcastle seems to be a favored alternative to Natty Boh
+ No Pikesville Rye
+ Awesome jukebox
+ Saw the dude from the retro furniture store on The Avenue
+ Clocks are set 20 mins fast (wait, that’s the clock to the right of the upstairs bar—the clock to the left is set 18 mins fast. Please take note.)
+ Bud is more metal than Boh
December 13, 2006 at 7:02 pm · Filed under Baltimore, Blog: Fall 06, Experimental, Music, Performances, Recordings
Last Friday’s performance of Unsilent Night in Baltimore lives on! Among the throngs of participants and supporters was one of Mobtown’s most renowned experimental percussionists, Bob Wagner, who came to the event packing a recording device and a microphone on the end of a very long boomstand. Bob herocially braved frigid fingers and tired arms to document the event in sound. Bob writes:
The mic I used is a Sennheiser hypercardiod, so there is very little side sound. (Actually I was hoping for a bit more traffic and city noises.) The sound of the boomboxes is very primary. Also, the recording is a mono two track recording- both sides are identical. I did almost no editing . . . [The recording] is slightly normalized. No other effects.
Download the complete performance here.
Update: Photos from the performance are can be viewed here.
December 12, 2006 at 8:14 pm · Filed under Blog: Fall 06, Design
Let me answer the question before it’s posed: Yes, I did just redesign my blog. And yes, it was just a little while ago that I did. Why do it again? Although I enjoyed the starkness of SLN V.2.0 (i.e. the first WordPress version ATP (After TypePad)), it became a little too stark for my taste. Longtime readers of SLN know that I like to adorn my posts with photos, many of which are quite colorful. The photo-as-post-preface makes for a welcoming and invigorating experience for the eyes as the front page loads, especially in certain peacock-like instances. Sadly, SLN V.2.0 did not offer that same experience—for one to experience the cornucopia of color it was first necessary to click on the day’s post, which in turn may or may not have had a photo attached to it. I know that I’d be disappointed if I took the time to click on the link to read the rest of the post and was not greeted by a nice photo, as I’m sure many readers were. However, color was given a tip of the hat in SLN V.2.0 at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen in the form of a little application that displayed my three latest photos on Flickr. Ultimately though, this was not enough color.
Now let us praise the attributes that make this version of SLN the best. version. ever.:
- Easy top navigation bar provides instant access to all essential information.
- Understated colors put the focus on content, while serving to unify entire design.
- Ten posts on the front page eliminates cumbersome and inefficient clicking to get from one post to the next.
- Five Flickr photos in sidebar instead of three.
- Svelt new font is light, readable, and left-right justified.
- Single-post view frames the post like a work of art, making it feel good about itself.
- Eight headings in top nav bar fit neatly (and quite accidentally) into left column’s 450-pixel width.
- Self-portrait in header will please parents.
- Red links that underline when you hover on them, which, being nearly the same color as my jacket in the header self-portrait, further unifies entire design.
- Title font by Bauhaus 93.
- Now with more irony!
December 11, 2006 at 6:08 pm · Filed under Baltimore, Blog: Fall 06, Experimental, Performances, Video
Last Friday’s performance of Unsilent Night—Baltimore’s first annual—was a great success. Braving sub-freezing temperatures, folks came out to make it a very decent turn-out all things considered. We had an extremely diverse mass of people, including old acquaintances, new acquaintances, young, not young, and even a visit by Phil Kline’s brother, Michael, his wife Carolyn, and their two children, who each came equipped with a colorful “My First Tape-Recorder” boombox. FOX45 news cameraman/reporter Josh Miller was also on hand, following the morning’s interview on the FOX45 Morning News (more on that later) and put together a piece that ran both Friday and Sunday evening (I’ll be sure to post the clip once Josh sends me a copy). We timed the Meyerhoff crowd just right but were asked to “keep moving” as we made our second pass by the front door. Once again, a good time was had by all and judging by people’s excitement, next year’s event will be even bigger.
(N.B. Clip info: Unsilent Night - Baltimore 2006 on Vimeo.)
December 10, 2006 at 5:45 pm · Filed under Baltimore, Blog: Fall 06, Miscellany
I get my:
+ coffee at A Common Ground
+ kielbasa at Ostrowski’s
+ cookies at Vaccaro’s
+ bread at il Scalino
+ wine at The Wine Source
December 8, 2006 at 12:42 am · Filed under Baltimore, Blog: Fall 06, Performances, Television
Update No. 1: Unsilent Night was highlighted on boingboing today, generating a ton of interest for Baltimore’s version of the piece tomorrow.
Update No. 2: I’ll be appearing on FOX45 news tomorrow morning at 8:30am EST, promoting and talking about the evening’s big event.
Update No. 3: With all the press and interest this has pulled in over the last few days—CITYPAPER, Sun, FOX45 News—I’m beginning to worry if I’ll have enough copies of the piece for all those eager and interested folks who plan on showing up tomorrow night. As of this moment, I have in my possession over 100 copies of the piece (that’s 25 complete copies of all four parts), including 40+ cassette tapes and 60+ CDs. Time will be at a premium tomorrow so I’ll do what I can. I think Phil’s capped participation (at least on the performing level) at 200 boomboxers (and has had an estimated 1,800 others just along for the ride).
December 7, 2006 at 6:16 am · Filed under Baltimore, Blog: Fall 06, Experimental, Performances
Add this article in today’s Sun to yesterday’s CITYPAPER feature as the anticipation grows in advance of tomorrow night’s first annual performance of Unsilent Night in Baltimore. If you need me, I’ll be dubbing.
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