Sunday, April 24, 2016

Staying creative in a fast paced mass media culture

     Today I was talking w/ a guy I know through my work about this topic. How does one stay creative in a the mass media culture that we're encapsulated in today? Sometimes it feels like the whole internet thing is nothing but lame jokes, cat videos, and funny memes but it didn't use to be that way. People used to not stare at their phones at dinner and they used to actually be smarter when they weren't staring at computer generated images all day.
     However, I feel like the internet is a good thing because you can reach out to literally anyone and everyone, or no one w/ whatever kind of content that you want. However, there are bad things about the internet. Like how you can waste a lot of fucking time online doing nothing, playing games, editing videos or art, reading emails, checking out Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. After you've been using the internet for a certain period of time you realize that there are no limits to what you can or can't do. Obviously you can't do certain things on the internet that are illegal but there are a lot of things you can do in general. Anyways, how does one stay creative in what I like to think of as the decline of Western civilization?
     I guess I'm not really sure because I'm part of this smartphone possessed generation myself even though I've never owned a smartphone and probably never will XD. I feel that listening to music and playing guitar makes me a creative artist in many respects. However, when I'm playing video games I do not think that's very creative artistically speaking. But there are artistic endeavors when people are making games. Jazz makes me focus on what's important in music. Not just the notes or the tune but the metaphysical sonic being of the music. When I'm playing the guitar I feel like a true artist. Nobody sounds like me and nobody ever will. It's a thing of beauty really and all musicians are this way.
     But yeah, part of me has one foot in this internet crazed phenomenon and the other foot is rooted in old traditions like music, hiking, walks, and going to the beach. Before I had a desktop computer I didn't use the internet that much because I had to walk to the library just to use it. And when I did go the library to use the computer all I did was watch YouTube videos of my favorite rock and jazz groups. It's always been music for me. It's the one true constant that will probably stay with me till I die. Ain't that a bitch.
     For other people staying creative might be writing blog posts, website articles, and news articles. Or going to a demanding job that utilizes all their potential. Or being a painter or sculptor. Or a great business man. The truth of the matter is that most people today aren't creative people. They aren't creators. They're consumers. Most of the people I've met in my entire life are consumers. But there's nothing wrong w/ that. Some people don't want to be creative, they're content being themselves. That's cool too but sometimes its good to step out of the cultural norm. Get your feet wet in the pool people. It's only water.
     There's so much more that could be said on this topic. But I feel like I've explained enough. Take care and stay fresh w/ a ph out there.

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Guitar, Music, Prince

     Let me start off first by saying its good to be back writing after not writing since the 16th. For me that's a long break. I was going to bed earlier and because I only write at night, work on the blog just wasn't getting done. Back to bidness as usual as they say.
     Lately things have been going great. I've been hanging out w/ friends, playing a lot of smash, and I even took up playing Yugioh again. I haven't played Yugioh since I was in middle school. Its a great game but there's not much complexity to it and a lot of the cards are super overpowered. Basically its the opposite of Magic the Gathering but I still like it. I bought myself a cyber dragon starter deck and I've had a lot of fun playing against my friends. We're just a couple of grown ass men playing Yugioh. Straight up nerds XD.
     In addition, I've been keeping up with anime. I started watching Yugioh GX which is the second Yugioh saga of the series. I think there's like two other series of that that are more recent. I just wanted to say that even though I love Facebook and social media I'm beginning to get bored by the feed and all the lame boring crap. I'm tired of the cat videos and the stupid memes people post. I feel like even though I'm a blogger and I post about my posts and stuff, that my content isn't as lame as that other stuff I see all the time haha. Even though everybody and their grandma is a blogger I feel like some blogs are super fake. Read a random blog post online and you'll see what I mean. Not very many real people out here. Anyways, what I really wanted to talk about was music related stuff.
     I've been getting back into practicing guitar. Today I even had a marathon session where I played for like 2-3 hours (w/ a break of course), I actually lost track of time because I was having so much fun. It was amazing! You know things are going great when every lick you play flows perfectly into the next. I didn't work on anything in particular or even play too much of any songs but I still had a blast. I just improvised in a free style. I've come to find that things sound really cool when I mix neo-classical metal shred licks with bebop and fusion lines. Its a nice little mix that sounds good on a clean toned guitar-mainly my Jackson, which has a super fast neck. I feel like if I just keep practicing a couple hours a day and organize my practice to work more on songs I would be on the right track. I haven't played or focused on the guitar for months now. A big part of it was the massive gaming time I was doing but I've learned how to balance it. "Time to tip the scales!" -Lucina
     In terms of listening music I've mostly been listening to a lot of rock and metal. But I'm still keeping up with some jazz as well. Saxophonist Henry Threadgill just got a Pulitzer Prize, so there's that. I'm a huge Threadgill fan so hearing him doing so good and getting recognized is great news. Even though I can't say I quite understand his music, Threadgill inspires me as a musician, peaking my intellectual avant-garde side of jazz being.
     Sad to say that Prince died. Although I haven't listened to much of Prince's catalog, just knowing how good he was as a guitar player makes his death a huge loss for the music community. He was one of the best rock and rollers of all time. His music went through other genres but I feel like he was Hendrix blues/rock guy at heart, especially when it came to his solos. My favorite memory of Prince was when I saw the George Harrison tribute concert on DVD and Prince played an amazing solo over While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Eric Clapton was once asked "what it was like being the best guitarist alive" and he said "I wouldn't know, ask Prince." 'Nuff said. Rest in peace Prince.

Friday, April 15, 2016

Hey hey my my rock and roll will never die

     Lately I've gone into a rock music mood. Gaming just seems boring right now. Its been this way for the past couple weeks. I'm taking a long hiatus from gaming and smash tournaments at the moment. When I make my return, its going to be like the Return of the King in The Lord of the Rings. Basically I'll be back with a vengeance and be a bad ass mother fucker. Tournaments need to take a back seat for the moment though for sure. Because I usually work nights I will probably never get to go to Fire and Dice tournaments on Thursday nights unless I request the day off. Requesting a day off just to go to a smash tournament doesn't sound wise financially or in general. Gaming just seems to have gotten boring to me for some reason. But music never gets old.
     I've been listening to a lot of rock, metal, and neo-classical guitar stuff. Right now I'm listening to an album by this guitarist named Vinnie Moore. He's an old 80s shredder dude but he has a ton of feel and swing. On this album he kinda goes overboard with the rock theatrics but it sounds so technical, fast, and good that I'm not bothered by the overwhelming gazoorpazorp of typical shred pentatonic licks. He's still around today and his playing has really taken a step further beyond.
     I've been listening to a lot of new stuff on YouTube. I listened to the entirety of the new Megadeth album called Dystopia and I gotta say that Megadeth sounds great with their new guitarist Kiko Louirea (guitar, Angra) and Chris Adler (drums, Lamb of God). Vocals-wise the band sounds very old, Mustaine's vocals are very grisly and at times when he tries to sing melodically he just doesn't pull it off. Some parts are downright cringe worthy with the vocals but because I like MegaDave so much I can forgive him for sucking at singing. The guitars and the drums are what sets this recording apart from other typical metal bands. The guitar playing is immaculate and the production quality is so well processed. I can listen to everything and it all sounds good, especially the guitar solos. I'm a sucker for guitar solos and I was surprised when Kiko joined Megadeth. Let me say that although Kiko plays stereotypical rock/shred guitar licks and uses a kind of standard 4/4 to the floor kind of phrasing, he is still a master guitarist. Between Chris Broderick (previous lead guitarist for Megadeth) and Kiko I think Kiko has the edge because of more knowledge of other styles like flemenco and jazz. However, let me not put Chris down because his new band called Act of Defiance is a powerful musical beast of its own even without his association with Megadeth.
     I guess you could say that I've been all speed metal and neo-classical guitar licks recently. Malmsteen has been a popular choice. I've always found his music to be thrilling because of the power of the drums, speed of the riffs, and the classical scalar runs. I saw a ton of videos from the Generation Axe tour, which features on guitars Steve Vai, Ywngie Malmsteen, Tosin Abasi, Nunu Bettencourt, and Zakk Wylde. Quite a wide array of guitarists with varying styles. It was cool to see them on YouTube. You can really get a sense of the live show if you're like me and can't afford to see these shows live or can't get to them. I gotta say that Malmsteen has gotten better at the guitar, if that's even possible. You can tell he's been practicing a lot, and not only that but he's lost a lot of weight. My favorite tune he plays is his version of Albioni's Adagio. That tune always gets me because of melody.
     Those other guys are all interesting players but Tosin and Nuno are overlooked in the guitar community. I think Steve Vai is overrated as a player but he's earned the rock star credibility in the 80s when he was playing with David Lee Roth and White Snake. His newer stuff is lightweight new age guitar music. Its interesting but not quite my cup of tea. But at the same time if he were to put out a new album I would probably still buy it! I think he's a cool guy and I've even seen him in concert. However, he probably won't develop or bring anything new to the table musically, which is what he desperately needs. He's hit a musical climax in the past and just can't get any higher with his song form or guitar playing.
     Malmsteen, like Vai plays a lot of guitar music and all his songs sound similar. However, when Vai plays stuff and it sounds the same it gets really boring. But when Malmsteen does it I'm not as bothered by it. Perhaps its the sheer intensity that Malmsteen puts into his guitar playing that differs from Vai. I like that momentary silence that happens after Malmsteen plays a bunch of super fast licks. Its very short and then he just barrages you with more insane classical licks. The guy is a musical gymnast. But I don't think he plays fast just to play fast I think that's just how he is. "More is more," like he says. Smart guy. I just finished his biography recently and its amazing how many times he's been fucked over by women. He had two horrible marriages before he married the right one. Yikes, it was scary just reading about it.
     So yeah......So rock never truly dies even when you're a jazz connoisseur. There's just something about the sound of an electric guitar in rock that you can't get in jazz. Jazz is a very clean cut style of music, almost designed for scholars, intellectuals, hipsters (beatniks), and of course musicians. I could see jazz being played in mansions of the rich and even on interstellar space stations.
     Rock, on the other hand is like the complete opposite. You could say that rock is almost for the john q public or plebs. Rock has become so gentrified to the point where its hard to say what exactly is rock music. To me rock music will always be the stuff from the 60s/70s that inspired all the metal and rock in the 80s, and for me that's really the extent of rock music. I don't think of like modern music like metal-core as rock really, its become another form of music where the blues based form of true rock and roll doesn't exist. In addition, I don't think of indie hipster bands like Arcade Fire or St.Vincent as rock music either, but let's save the indie hipster conversation for another post.
     As you can see I'm very passionate about music. I like to think that I'm not too arrogant about it but sometimes I do get comments about being too elitist and shit like that from my metal-core, emo, and pop-punk loving friends XD. I've tried to get them into jazz and they didn't not like it. I feel like if they opened their minds up more they would find the beauty in it, the true fire and magic. The mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it is not open. -Frank Zappa
What are you listening to? Let me know in the comments section. I'm always looking to find new music! 

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Music-Metal

     Lately I've been listening to a lot of music-mostly metal stuff. I've become a really big fan of Suicidal Tendencies and I see them as one of the best metal bands. I've also been listening to a lot of shred stuff like Jeff Loomis, metal-core, and technical death metal stuff as well. It's great to just turn on some metal and relax. Right now I'm listening to Black Sabbath's tune End of the Beginning. I must say that it sounds like classic Sabbath except better because of the enhanced sound of modern guitar tone and technology. The lyrics are pretty interesting, the riffs are pummel you with sonic energy, and the drums are as heavy as a truck. And Toni Iommi has become an even better soloist on the guitar, its remarkable. I still recognize his trademark licks. I might even wanna get a Suicidal Tendencies shirt soon. They always have such cool shirts!

Saturday, April 9, 2016

The Abyss looks back

      Just wanted to do a little mini essay. I'm not usually a ranting guy but I sure can write and talk a lot! First off, things have been great ever since I got back to normal life from the vacation. I miss my brother a bit but we've been keeping in touch via Facebook and emails. He's a cool guy and I can learn a thing or two from him about blogging. He's been doing his blog since 2010 and its only gotten better over the years.
    I read a New York Times piece called The Abyss Looks Back and I thought it would make for an interesting blog post title. However, I'm happy, healthy, and work has been going great! In fact, next week I have a ton of hours.
    Lately, I haven't been interested in gaming and this past Thursday I even decided to skip out on going to the Smash tournament, preferring activities like going to the record store and swimming with my friends. In addition, I've been keeping in touch with a lot of people that I know and I've come to see them as strange people. "people are strange," as Jim Morrison sang. But at the same time I'm not surprised. I could easily say things like ah its just white people, or California people, Black people, Hispanics, or just people in general. I think of myself as quite a nutty guy but I'm far from strange compared to other people that I've gotten to know personally and online. Some of these people I call my friends and others are just acquaintances, but I still care about them the way I would care about a friend. You don't truly know someone for quite a while until after you meet them.
     The more I get to know people the more I see where they're true intentions lie. Most of the time I'm just a passer-on with people but I have made quite a few good friends. I'm great with making friends, and generally people like me.
     I've been keeping up with a lot of free jazz and straight ahead stuff online. I've been listening to tunes that people post in the Free Jazz Facebook group that I'm in. We currently have over 13,000 members and from what I make of it most of them are Europeans. I'm probably like the youngest person in the group and I occasionally post tunes. It's a great feeling being apart of a Facebook group that is actually interesting and somewhat intellectual. Although all anyone really ever says about the music is "great!" or "terrific!" its still fun listening to what people are listening to. I love it when they post the good ole Black American free jazz music from the 60s. I'm also into newer stuff but again more so the Black Americans rather than the European bands. However, I can give them credit because they are just as great as the Black musicians musically.
     As Frank Zappa said,"music is the best". I've also been reading a lot of Stanley Crouch's essays and its given me a more scholarly stance on jazz where as my previous opinions were all based on my talent as a musician. It certainly puts it all in perspective. Crouch is a great man just for the fact that he's the most well known jazz critic today. He's as well known in the academic circle as Wynton Marsalis is in the jazz world. He's a giant. Although I don't agree with everything he says he gives me a lot to think about and doesn't give anything a free pass if he feels that somethings not right. He's become my favorite Black scholar.
     Lastly, I've been keeping  up with a lot of the new anime and I've finished quite a few as well. I finished Gate and Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans. I also finished this Cyborg 009 vs Devilman crossover mini series that was great! Anime just chills you out. You just sit there waiting to find out what happens next. I love the art work, the Japanese voice acting (I can't stand English in anime), the powers, magic, or future technology, and the fun story-lines. When I sit back and watch anime I feel like I'm a kid again, watching Dragon Ball Z on Toonami at 10 pm right before bed. Again, it certainly puts things in perspective. Sometimes you don't need the hot girl friend, the fancy car, or the best job in the world to truly live. As they say,"c'est la vie!"

Monday, April 4, 2016

Art Ensemble of Chicago Naked

     
    
     So lately I've been listening to a lot jazz and even reading a lot of reviews and essays by the jazz critic Stanley Crouch. While I don't agree completely with everything Crouch says I would say he's my favorite black intellectual and academic. What I admire the most about him is that he would lay down his life for jazz, he loves the art form that much. I've also been reading the Ywngie Malmsteen biography Relentless, which is a fun read but not as stimulating as Crouch's essays. Anyways, I wanted to write a bit about this new Art Ensemble of Chicago record I got today.
     I would say I know quite a bit about the Art Ensemble and that this album captures them at their peak; right before Lester Bowie and Joseph Jarman died, and before the original line-up disbanded. This album is called Naked and was recorded at Rawleston Recording Studio in Brooklyn, New York. The album features Lester Bowie on trumpet, Joseph Jarman on flute, bass flute, sapranino, saprano, alto, and tenor saxophones, clarinet, and bass saxophones, Roscoe Mitchell on flute, clarinet, saprano, alto, tenor and bass saxophones, Malachi Favors on bass and electric bass, and Famoudou Don Moye on percussion and drums. These guys play every instrument it's absolutely amazing!
     The first track is an introduction percussion instrumental that leads to the next track, which is a very ear friendly, almost poppy kind of number. Usually the Art Ensemble is more theatrical, comical, and witty but in this album they go for more standard and typical arrangements. There's a bebop tune called We Bop that is so standard straight-ahead jazz that it could've came straight out of the Blue Note recording sessions of the 50's and 60's. The true artistic nature of the Art Ensemble's music doesn't come out till nearly the end of the album, where things take an avant-garde turn. No melodies or grooves per say, just sheets of sound but not in the Coltrane sense. More like drones, call and response, and sparse melodic attacks. They end off the album with a latin-jazz number that any jazz fan can approve of.
     I must say that this is the most commercial friendly Art Ensemble that I've ever heard. Part of me is astounded that they made an album like this that is so unlike their live shows and more catered to the plebeian understanding of jazz. By that I mean its just not them at their finest and that I think they somewhat were catering to specific kind of audience. I've seen tons of Art Ensemble footage on YouTube where they play miles ahead of the stuff they play on this album. In addition, I have Art Ensemble records both live and in the studio that are musically more stimulating than anything on this album.
     But, putting those thoughts aside, when I take this album at face value I can see that it sounds very pleasing both musically and aesthetically. The songs seem to just swing and the playing is at a high enough level to keep the tunes from becoming a dull cacophony. The album cost me 20 bucks and it came with Japanese liner notes as well as English ones. It has some sort of Buddhist poem written by Joseph Jarman. I can say that this was a great buy and I'm glad I found it at the record shop I frequent often. Its only the second time that I've seen an Art Ensemble recording at a record shop and you can bet that I was happy to find it. This would be a great introduction to the Art Ensemble for anyone who wants to get into their body of work without going full-on avant-garde. Definitely worth listening to for free jazz fans and straight ahead listeners who want to learn more about the avant-garde.

Friday, April 1, 2016

Ay! Imma let you finish but this had to be one of the greatest vacations of all time.

     What a great vacation this has been! The food, the ocean beach walks, the conversations, the jazz music, the anime, the movies, the smash 4, the mario kart, the family, the friends, etc. As I like to say,"It's all good." Tonight's the last night that we're staying here. Here being this super nice big house on the ocean in Cayucos, California. This is the good life. This is the sort of town where people don't really live here. Rather, homes are used for people to rent by vacationers. The town is mostly upper class, white, and people are hardly ever seen unless they're walking their dogs on the beach. We saw other black people, Hispanics, and Asians too but that was in the bustling busy daytime of the town. It would be great to live in a place like this one day when I'm retired. The city life is great but nothing beats the ocean front. Seeing it everyday, waking up to the sound of it, and that majestic ocean breeze that makes even the hottest days bearable. Maybe one day I can afford to live in a place like this. Goals, as they say. 
     This has been one of the best vacations I've had with my family ever. The best part of it was just relaxing, hanging out, and talking with my brothers. They're really cool people and I've become close with them, especially as I've gotten older. One of my brothers is a black studies scholarly intellectual with an interest in Caribbean/African diaspora. Check out his blog here http://ryfigueroa.blogspot.com/, he's been going strong with his blog for a few years and it's gotten a lot of traffic. He's a very cool guy and the thing we have in common is that we're both jazz fans. He's more of a straight ahead guy at heart but I can forgive him for not liking the extreme avante-garde free jazz sounds of modern New York and Chicago. My other brother is more like me in that he's a gamer and he's super chill. The trip has been great with them.
     Every morning we went on walks on the beach. Each day we walked farther than the last so I was getting in more exercise day by day and building up more stamina. This is something that I want to take back with me back home. I'm going to start going for walks to get in more exercise. It really gets the blood going and your day going. Other things that I'm going to take with me from this trip is that I want to go to the beach more with my friends. I'm gonna recommend going out to Santa Monica and Malibu, places like that to get away and relax this summer. Hikes in the hills would be good too. Also, I'm going to focus back on music and the guitar, learning as many jazz standards as I can as well as just overall practice in improvisation and jazz. 
     Lastly, I want to improve my diet tenfold. I'm going to stop eating ramen and hotdogs everyday and have more variety in my diet. For starters, I'm going to buy fruit like apples and bananas, pre-made salads, cereal/milk, granola bars, and cold cuts for sandwiches. Sounds like a much better diet just thinking about it. 
     I ate so good on this trip that it's unfathomable. There's no universe I can imagine where I would be making enough money to be eating as good as I ate on this trip. Notable mentions was this seafood place called Dorn's where I got this great combination plate that came with scallops, shrimp, fish, squid, and calamari. I pulled my weight on the vacation by paying for everyone's lunch at Anderson's Split Pea Soup restaurant back at this town called Buellton. In addition, we ate at this cool Mexican fusion place called Taco Temple. It's not traditional at all but the portions are humongous. The food is great to boot. I ended up getting the carnitas nachos. My brother got a wet burrito and it looked like a pig swimming in sauce. 
     Another thing that I thought about on this trip was my working status and how I should go about trying to get promoted or get a raise. Getting a second job isn't out of the question either. I've got a lot on my plate (I can't stop thinking about food!) literally and figuratively to think about. It's all good. 
     Lastly, another notable mention about the vacation was that I saw this waifu anime mini surfboard at this gift shop of this chick sucking a popsicle ;-). I was thinking about buying it but the next day I went to the shop they'd already closed. That would've been an amazing souvenir considering that I'm an anime connoisseur and waifu fan. But waifu's aside, this trip has been amazing. I look forward to taking what I learned from this trip and bringing it back with me home. Ah, life is good. 

New Year, New Me, [Not Really]

Hello Universe ,  How is it going out there in the free world ? It's a new year, happy 2024! It's time for all those happy go lucky...