This blog post is a bit overdue ...
I put together a demo cd a few weeks called Out of the Box (available here: http://cellomike.bandcamp.com/) ... It's a combination of songs I've written over the last few years, 2 Irish tunes, 1 song from my upcoming solo album & 1 guitar/cello duet from a short-lived ensemble called Pejoratively Yours.
It's called Out of the Box, because I've never really fit into any box as a cellist, as a creator, as a person ... I always don't quite fit the mold/I always march to my own drum.
Some of the songs on it are part of a "Mythology Suite", which I'll some day complete ... the 2 irish tunes are two of my favorite tunes to play (I only heard The Moorlough Shore for the first time last month ... Sinead O'Connor's performance is incredibly inspiring)...
Anyway, if you record a cd it makes sense to tell people ... so here I am telling all of you!
I'm also planning on recording a few more demo cds to represent the different things that define me as a solo cellist.
These will be:
Single Track Acoustic/Electric Improvisations
Irish Tunes
Guitar/Chapman Stick & Cello Duets
Maybe other stuff ...
The point of these all is to start to get my music out there (and also to have some merch to sell at shows & have something to show to people for booking purposes)
Any money I make from these will go towards affording recording equipment, FX pedals, lessons, etc.
Any support is appreciated :)
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Zoe Keating & Todd Reynolds at Le Poisson Rouge
So first of all, it was raining ... second of all, there was a gigantic line that stretched all the way around the corner ... I've *never* seen like that before at LPR ... Thankfully the show started sufficiently late that I didn't miss anything.
LPR is one of my favorite venues, but the way they set things up was frustrating ... the tables in the middle were awesome, but that forces people to stand *behind* the tables ... no problem .. until you put couches behind the standing area. I spent most of the show moving out of the waitresses' ways or moving out of the couches way, it was annoying (also a result of combining two wildly different concert cultures ... rock music & classical). Besides that, it was really the perfect venue for this concert.
Let me start with Todd Reynolds. Todd's set really blew me away. The guy has a real virtuosic technique (but not in a show-off sort of way) & his music fused classical & blues & gypsyish styles & mixed looping with different FX, which really created a great result ... I've seen a ton of players play with a loop station & mostly, it's cool, but not thrilling ... this was thrilling ... not to mention, the lighting was amazing! I wish I could make it for his cd release at Issue Project Room next week, but I've got rehearsal. I really felt like he went beyond the loop station & really, truly created music. One thing that was really interesting to me was that in addition to using the loop station, he was triggering samples.
This was particularly interesting to me, because I have this solo album of music that I've demo'd and will record within the next 6 months (that is a promise) ... a lot of it is loop based or has multiple cello parts & I've debated whether I'd want to try to perform the songs live using sampling ... still not sure how I feel ... I'm going to start work on a 3rd solo cello piece in the very near future.
The lighting was also really amazing for his set!
Zoe Keating was a treat to get to see (and meet) ... it was cool to see her watching Todd play during his set ... it was also interesting to watching a performer who communicates with the audience, but doesn't necessarily have an extroverted stage presence. Zoe's music has been a big influence on me ... particularly on that album that I am going to be recording & I know most of her backstory that she's expressed in interviews, because I've read 'em all. It's really incredibly cool stuff & I'm long overdue to purchase a good loop station. it was also interesting to see the contrast in sound ... Zoe's sound was a straight-ahead pure cello sound while Todd used FX ... I think the use of FX may have something to do with why Todd's music grabbed me so much.
Still, there's something about a cello that reaches a deep part of me in a way that nothing else does ... especially about layered, harmonizing cello. It was also interesting seeing the parallels between Zoe's music & Break of Reality (who are also a big influence of mine) ... I have to say, it really impressed me a lot to see Zoe create some very similar music despite being one person.
A piece of her backstory I didn't know was that Zoe always wanted to be in an orchestra & that she always wanted to conduct. Also, when she worked an IT job and lived in a warehouse, she'd stay up really late playing cello and experimenting & developing her style. One of the things I find most intriguing is that Zoe plays into microphones live, she does not use a pickup. This results in really great cello sound (and is of course impossible to do in a rock band setting).
One of the most intriguing aspects of the show (and this is true anytime I go to see a cellist) was watching the way Zoe plays cello. The first thing that's apparent is the control and accuracy/solidness/fluidity of her playing ... a solidness that every cellist I see seems to have ... largely what separates the pros from the not-quite-pros (As Janos Starker once said, the thing that defines a professional is consistency). The next thing that caught my interest is that there are some parallels in our technique. First is that neither of us really plays terribly advanced thumb position stuff or incredibly complex fast stuff. Instead, we both make use of what the lower positions have to offer. Second is that both of us lift our fingers somewhat high off the fingerboard (though she has an accuracy with them that I can only dream of).
I think that's where the parallels end ... it's interesting to see the way she uses vibrato and the often lack of a legato melody in her compositions ... her playing and improvisation has definitely been tempered by the use of looping & it's amazing to see all the different ideas and motives she can put together in one song. In a way, she uses a very narrow (minimalist?) palette, yet she uses all the tools of that palette in a way that creates her completely unique style. It might be interesting to see her really tear into/wail on the cello one day, but she expresses herself in a much more refined way than that.
As I mentioned above, cellos really move me in a very deep way and Zoe's playing really stirred up a lot of deep emotions (some positive and some negative) ... it inspired me & reminded me that this is what I want to be doing, this is what I want to be: a performer & a writer ... it called my shortcomings and failings to mind and inspired me to try harder ... it also showed me new things that could be done that I hadn't considered ... mostly though, it uncovered the deep ugly, depressive stuff that's been holding me back and brought it to the top ... (which is great - music is supposed to do that ... that's where its healing power comes from ... it's also why it's so important to our world and society)
In a way, for me, Zoe's success is a beacon of hope ... all of my favorite performers had careers by now ... Metallica, Jackie DuPre, Steven Isserlis, Epica, so many others ... it's often hard to watch where I am and compare it to where my musical gods were at this time ... It's hard to accept that my path is different while simultaneously believing that it leads to the same place ... but here's Zoe, her career took a lot of time to develop & become what it is now ... she's in her 40s and it's just taking off in a big way... but more than that, she's been incredibly DIY about all of it (out of necessity) ... she's just gotten a booking agent for the first time (after 2 cds and a small US tour) ... she's had hard times, she's had good times, etc ... it makes me think that I can still achieve some sort of greatness and I can still build a career like this ...
Most of all, it inspired me to create and practice & this is what I need to feed myself on a regular basis ... I need to be a sponge & a hard-working sponge just like I was a few years ago.
(By the way, you should stop over at: http://ericedberg.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/we-drove-eight-hours-to-hear-zoe/ & read Eric Edberg's take on the whole night ... he has some really great, interesting & important things to say ... the thing that stuck with me most out of his post was:
" And that the lesson for us is that we cello teachers, and those of other instruments, need to spend more time developing our students’ imaginations and sense of possibility and less time pressuring them to learn concertos they will never perform."
I believe the same thing.
So, thank you Zoe Keating for the inspiration :)
LPR is one of my favorite venues, but the way they set things up was frustrating ... the tables in the middle were awesome, but that forces people to stand *behind* the tables ... no problem .. until you put couches behind the standing area. I spent most of the show moving out of the waitresses' ways or moving out of the couches way, it was annoying (also a result of combining two wildly different concert cultures ... rock music & classical). Besides that, it was really the perfect venue for this concert.
Let me start with Todd Reynolds. Todd's set really blew me away. The guy has a real virtuosic technique (but not in a show-off sort of way) & his music fused classical & blues & gypsyish styles & mixed looping with different FX, which really created a great result ... I've seen a ton of players play with a loop station & mostly, it's cool, but not thrilling ... this was thrilling ... not to mention, the lighting was amazing! I wish I could make it for his cd release at Issue Project Room next week, but I've got rehearsal. I really felt like he went beyond the loop station & really, truly created music. One thing that was really interesting to me was that in addition to using the loop station, he was triggering samples.
This was particularly interesting to me, because I have this solo album of music that I've demo'd and will record within the next 6 months (that is a promise) ... a lot of it is loop based or has multiple cello parts & I've debated whether I'd want to try to perform the songs live using sampling ... still not sure how I feel ... I'm going to start work on a 3rd solo cello piece in the very near future.
The lighting was also really amazing for his set!
Zoe Keating was a treat to get to see (and meet) ... it was cool to see her watching Todd play during his set ... it was also interesting to watching a performer who communicates with the audience, but doesn't necessarily have an extroverted stage presence. Zoe's music has been a big influence on me ... particularly on that album that I am going to be recording & I know most of her backstory that she's expressed in interviews, because I've read 'em all. It's really incredibly cool stuff & I'm long overdue to purchase a good loop station. it was also interesting to see the contrast in sound ... Zoe's sound was a straight-ahead pure cello sound while Todd used FX ... I think the use of FX may have something to do with why Todd's music grabbed me so much.
Still, there's something about a cello that reaches a deep part of me in a way that nothing else does ... especially about layered, harmonizing cello. It was also interesting seeing the parallels between Zoe's music & Break of Reality (who are also a big influence of mine) ... I have to say, it really impressed me a lot to see Zoe create some very similar music despite being one person.
A piece of her backstory I didn't know was that Zoe always wanted to be in an orchestra & that she always wanted to conduct. Also, when she worked an IT job and lived in a warehouse, she'd stay up really late playing cello and experimenting & developing her style. One of the things I find most intriguing is that Zoe plays into microphones live, she does not use a pickup. This results in really great cello sound (and is of course impossible to do in a rock band setting).
One of the most intriguing aspects of the show (and this is true anytime I go to see a cellist) was watching the way Zoe plays cello. The first thing that's apparent is the control and accuracy/solidness/fluidity of her playing ... a solidness that every cellist I see seems to have ... largely what separates the pros from the not-quite-pros (As Janos Starker once said, the thing that defines a professional is consistency). The next thing that caught my interest is that there are some parallels in our technique. First is that neither of us really plays terribly advanced thumb position stuff or incredibly complex fast stuff. Instead, we both make use of what the lower positions have to offer. Second is that both of us lift our fingers somewhat high off the fingerboard (though she has an accuracy with them that I can only dream of).
I think that's where the parallels end ... it's interesting to see the way she uses vibrato and the often lack of a legato melody in her compositions ... her playing and improvisation has definitely been tempered by the use of looping & it's amazing to see all the different ideas and motives she can put together in one song. In a way, she uses a very narrow (minimalist?) palette, yet she uses all the tools of that palette in a way that creates her completely unique style. It might be interesting to see her really tear into/wail on the cello one day, but she expresses herself in a much more refined way than that.
As I mentioned above, cellos really move me in a very deep way and Zoe's playing really stirred up a lot of deep emotions (some positive and some negative) ... it inspired me & reminded me that this is what I want to be doing, this is what I want to be: a performer & a writer ... it called my shortcomings and failings to mind and inspired me to try harder ... it also showed me new things that could be done that I hadn't considered ... mostly though, it uncovered the deep ugly, depressive stuff that's been holding me back and brought it to the top ... (which is great - music is supposed to do that ... that's where its healing power comes from ... it's also why it's so important to our world and society)
In a way, for me, Zoe's success is a beacon of hope ... all of my favorite performers had careers by now ... Metallica, Jackie DuPre, Steven Isserlis, Epica, so many others ... it's often hard to watch where I am and compare it to where my musical gods were at this time ... It's hard to accept that my path is different while simultaneously believing that it leads to the same place ... but here's Zoe, her career took a lot of time to develop & become what it is now ... she's in her 40s and it's just taking off in a big way... but more than that, she's been incredibly DIY about all of it (out of necessity) ... she's just gotten a booking agent for the first time (after 2 cds and a small US tour) ... she's had hard times, she's had good times, etc ... it makes me think that I can still achieve some sort of greatness and I can still build a career like this ...
Most of all, it inspired me to create and practice & this is what I need to feed myself on a regular basis ... I need to be a sponge & a hard-working sponge just like I was a few years ago.
(By the way, you should stop over at: http://ericedberg.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/we-drove-eight-hours-to-hear-zoe/ & read Eric Edberg's take on the whole night ... he has some really great, interesting & important things to say ... the thing that stuck with me most out of his post was:
" And that the lesson for us is that we cello teachers, and those of other instruments, need to spend more time developing our students’ imaginations and sense of possibility and less time pressuring them to learn concertos they will never perform."
I believe the same thing.
So, thank you Zoe Keating for the inspiration :)
Nowhere To Set My Aim .. So I'm Everywhere
It's time to set some things straight with myself:
I am a performer/creator first! This is what really matters to me in my heart ... I like teaching a lot ... I'd even say I love it, but there is *nothing* like getting up and playing in front of people & writing songs & playing gigs & doing sessions & improvising, etc., etc.
I feel very stuck and frustrated about 2 things right now:
1. I'm poor! Maybe poor is the wrong word ... but I'm damn low-income ...
2. I have a solo cd that is the most important thing of my life. It needs to be recorded and released ... right now, there is a big damn read light in front of it ... it's been put on a shelf in a closet that's blocked by storage bins ... it's long overdue & it hasn't gone anywhere ... I don't have the money or the equipment right now
I need that cd to happen ... I need it in order to build a career as a performer/creator playing original music ... I need that cd to start booking and selling and doing the things I really want to do and believe in.
Right now, I'm just stalling & trying to survive ... my cello playing is barely progressing at all ... I play frequently, but rarely get to practice. I am working on changing this. Along with this change needs to come creation ... I need to write new songs, new pieces, I need to stretch the limits of the cello
I have some really deep important things I want to say and some worlds I want to create & that needs to happen ... but I need to make some very substantial technical progress or I know I have no hope making a career out of this - as a teacher or as a performer ...
I've had the privilege of seeing some great players over the last week or so ... I need to achieve what they've achieved & I used to work damn hard at achieving it ... ever since my dad died though, ever since I've needed to really pay my own bills & now having my own rent, I have been utterly directionless with cello (except in some small, meaningful ways) ... it's time to move past that now.
I put a lot of time into networking and promoting my music/playing, but that's meaningless if I don't have solid music to start with ... and by solid I mean high-level (because everything professional is high-level), well put-together music that blows people away.
That's all for now ... I need to blog about Zoe Keating/Todd Reynolds soon ... that show was *amazing* ...
Edit:
I've started forming a cello plan ... long overdue.
Also, this means I need to really push myself to network and book as hard as I can ...
I have a demo cd up at http://cellomike.bandcamp.com ... and it sorta represents me, but I don't feel like it really does ... maybe I'm crazy!
Also, I think from now on, I'm going to call myself a Cellist/Songwriter/Teacher ... I think that covers what I do... I'm not really a composer.
I am a performer/creator first! This is what really matters to me in my heart ... I like teaching a lot ... I'd even say I love it, but there is *nothing* like getting up and playing in front of people & writing songs & playing gigs & doing sessions & improvising, etc., etc.
I feel very stuck and frustrated about 2 things right now:
1. I'm poor! Maybe poor is the wrong word ... but I'm damn low-income ...
2. I have a solo cd that is the most important thing of my life. It needs to be recorded and released ... right now, there is a big damn read light in front of it ... it's been put on a shelf in a closet that's blocked by storage bins ... it's long overdue & it hasn't gone anywhere ... I don't have the money or the equipment right now
I need that cd to happen ... I need it in order to build a career as a performer/creator playing original music ... I need that cd to start booking and selling and doing the things I really want to do and believe in.
Right now, I'm just stalling & trying to survive ... my cello playing is barely progressing at all ... I play frequently, but rarely get to practice. I am working on changing this. Along with this change needs to come creation ... I need to write new songs, new pieces, I need to stretch the limits of the cello
I have some really deep important things I want to say and some worlds I want to create & that needs to happen ... but I need to make some very substantial technical progress or I know I have no hope making a career out of this - as a teacher or as a performer ...
I've had the privilege of seeing some great players over the last week or so ... I need to achieve what they've achieved & I used to work damn hard at achieving it ... ever since my dad died though, ever since I've needed to really pay my own bills & now having my own rent, I have been utterly directionless with cello (except in some small, meaningful ways) ... it's time to move past that now.
I put a lot of time into networking and promoting my music/playing, but that's meaningless if I don't have solid music to start with ... and by solid I mean high-level (because everything professional is high-level), well put-together music that blows people away.
That's all for now ... I need to blog about Zoe Keating/Todd Reynolds soon ... that show was *amazing* ...
Edit:
I've started forming a cello plan ... long overdue.
Also, this means I need to really push myself to network and book as hard as I can ...
I have a demo cd up at http://cellomike.bandcamp.com ... and it sorta represents me, but I don't feel like it really does ... maybe I'm crazy!
Also, I think from now on, I'm going to call myself a Cellist/Songwriter/Teacher ... I think that covers what I do... I'm not really a composer.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Inertia regarding Dotzauer
So, for almost a year I have struggled with a cellistic goal ...
The Dotzauer Etude vids. I posted have received an unbelievable (from my perspective) amount of attention ... I really don't know what to make of it ... but obviously there's some power to them ... I stopped after problems with tendinitis & then after my father died ...
I think I'd like to restart them ... but it's so hard to go backwards ... I need to find a way to go forwards to them & incorporate them into my busy life and studies ...
Also, I think there's value in me making vids. of Bach ... I've had some people comment that my vid. of the Bach 2 prelude has helped them in some way ... My playing in the vid. really isn't even that developed (technically or musically) ... I'm worlds better now ... If I was able to affect people from a vid. that poorly recorded, I know I can do so much more if I make them now ...
Food for thought ... but I also think it's the beginning of a plan ...
I need to build a career and this may be one way to help myself do so ...
So I think goals for the next week:
1. Record a demo cd
2. Record the Bach 2 Allemande vid.
3. Pull out the Dotzauer Etudes again ...
Part of the problem is that initially I was doing this 1-2 weeks thing ... I wonder if that's what attracted people or if it's just that it was a vid. of the Dotzauer Etude ...
The Dotzauer Etude vids. I posted have received an unbelievable (from my perspective) amount of attention ... I really don't know what to make of it ... but obviously there's some power to them ... I stopped after problems with tendinitis & then after my father died ...
I think I'd like to restart them ... but it's so hard to go backwards ... I need to find a way to go forwards to them & incorporate them into my busy life and studies ...
Also, I think there's value in me making vids. of Bach ... I've had some people comment that my vid. of the Bach 2 prelude has helped them in some way ... My playing in the vid. really isn't even that developed (technically or musically) ... I'm worlds better now ... If I was able to affect people from a vid. that poorly recorded, I know I can do so much more if I make them now ...
Food for thought ... but I also think it's the beginning of a plan ...
I need to build a career and this may be one way to help myself do so ...
So I think goals for the next week:
1. Record a demo cd
2. Record the Bach 2 Allemande vid.
3. Pull out the Dotzauer Etudes again ...
Part of the problem is that initially I was doing this 1-2 weeks thing ... I wonder if that's what attracted people or if it's just that it was a vid. of the Dotzauer Etude ...
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Irish/Celtic Fiddle Music
Now that I'm all moved to Queens and have regularly functioning internet, one of the things I'm making it a point to do is always learn ... musically, I'm pursuing one of my oldest and deepest passions: Celtic Fiddle Music ...
I love this stuff like no other!
I feel really connected to it for some reason (I guess in part b/c I'm half Irish) ... but I love the reptition & variation nature of it & just the sound and feel of it all, especially with the ornaments and little stylistic quirks... there's so many great resources on YouTube & the internet for learning this stuff...
There's also a bar right next to me that has an Irish Music night on Fridays ... I'm going to go check it out ...
It's so cool becoming a part of an underground tradition of music that really resonates with me ...
that's what I'm going to do ... it's going to define my musical style in a very strong way & I will record a cd of Celtic music one day!
I love this stuff like no other!
I feel really connected to it for some reason (I guess in part b/c I'm half Irish) ... but I love the reptition & variation nature of it & just the sound and feel of it all, especially with the ornaments and little stylistic quirks... there's so many great resources on YouTube & the internet for learning this stuff...
There's also a bar right next to me that has an Irish Music night on Fridays ... I'm going to go check it out ...
It's so cool becoming a part of an underground tradition of music that really resonates with me ...
that's what I'm going to do ... it's going to define my musical style in a very strong way & I will record a cd of Celtic music one day!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Cello/Guitar/Piano Lessons in Westchester & NYC
So, to go along with some busking, I've decided that I'm going to start expanding my teaching into NYC as well ... Particularly Manhattan ... I figure if I can combine the two, then I'm really making the most out of my city trips & just generally improving my income & making my name known more & more ... I hope someday that somebody will upload a vid. of me busking onto YouTube & it will get popular ... that would be so cool ...
Niche Markets...
I think I've discovered two things I can start to carve myself into:
1. Coffee Houses, Cafes, etc. I think I can start to do these like once a month ... already have 1 or 2 set up & it's totally my kind of setting ...
2. Ren Faires & the like ... I feel like the universe is pointing me in this direction & all I need to do is write a few medieval-y/folky tunes & then take a few cool photos in a forest or something and throw together a demo cd ... but anyway, I feel like I'd fit in very much with this kinda crowd/thing ...
Also, just started with 2 new students (piano & cello) & the lesson went awesomely well ... it's amazing what comes out of being able to teach people how to learn!
I'm tired...
Edit:
3. Library Concert Series ... I've already done one of these with Trio, must get on this!
1. Coffee Houses, Cafes, etc. I think I can start to do these like once a month ... already have 1 or 2 set up & it's totally my kind of setting ...
2. Ren Faires & the like ... I feel like the universe is pointing me in this direction & all I need to do is write a few medieval-y/folky tunes & then take a few cool photos in a forest or something and throw together a demo cd ... but anyway, I feel like I'd fit in very much with this kinda crowd/thing ...
Also, just started with 2 new students (piano & cello) & the lesson went awesomely well ... it's amazing what comes out of being able to teach people how to learn!
I'm tired...
Edit:
3. Library Concert Series ... I've already done one of these with Trio, must get on this!
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