Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
"Use and/or enjoy" is a good formulation.  And it's something I've
been thinking about since I asked you whether you thought of yourself
as a political artist.  

There was a conversation somewhere or another on the WELL recently
(one of the music conferences) about Bruce Springsteen's Pete Seeger
project; someone complained that Seeger chose songs not because they
were good songs, but because they were means to an end -- to get people
singing along and to make a political point.  I don't necessarily
agree with that reading of Seeger (and certainly not the implicit
extension of the criticism to Springsteen), but it's an important
point.  Art that is *just* political can be too tendentious and
hectoring to be anything *other* than political.  The "use" is
important, but so is the "enjoy."

Thus Truth and Fun, I guess ...
  

    

One of my favorite interviewees of all time was Randy Newman.  One o' these
days I'll figure out how to use the OCR progam I got with this scanner adn
get my file cabinet full of typed transcripts into digital form (and
published in books, for that matter).  Here's one:

http://www.trufun.com/writings/randynewman/
  

    
So what is the secret to being a good opening act, which I've seen you do
on a few occasions.  How do you deal differently with that than when you are
the headliner?  I presume that usually you have less time to play.  How does
that affect your setlist and how you go about connecting with the audience,
etc.
  

    

I can't spill all the secrets I tell int he Acoustic Guitar piece!

Being an opening act can be a challenge, but it's also an opportunity to get
in front of new audiences.   I'll adjust my set list and the intensity of my
selections/performance to suit the circumstances, and sometimes - if it's a
very well-attended show but the audience is mostly there early to get a good
seat and don't give a shit who's on stage - I'll just bear down on 'em with
all the juice I can muster and see if I can get a few people to shut up and
listen.

I tend not to be daunted.  Every time you're paid to play music it's a good
thing, and it's your choice to feel overwhelmed, dissed, ignored, abused, or
whatever.  There is something to learn from every gig, no matter what.
  

    

I would like to direct your attention to a track from the new CD that's just
about finished.  This is "Cloud Surfing," the title track.  It's Hal Month on
keyboard and me on guitar, recorded on April 20.  This is the piece I've been
editing and mixing with Jim LeBrecht of Berkeley Sound Artists (
http://www.berkeleysoundartists.com ).  Jim added a little bit of voice and
trumpet, and I added some voice, too.

You'll find the link at the bottom of http://www.dgans.com/inkwell - opinions
welcome!
  

    
>>Every time you're paid to play music it's a good thing, and it's
your choice to feel overwhelmed, dissed, ignored, abused, or whatever.

Or, as Lenny Kaye said last time I saw him "Every day I get to play
the guitar is a day I get to play the guitar!" Big smile. Good point.
  

    
Lenny is wise.
  

    
David.  I like the new piece with Hal Month quite a bit.  The organ work
interacts nicely with what you are doing with the looping.
  

    
Yes, it's very nice.

And Lenny is definitely wise, as well as being ... well, LENNY!  I've
heard good things about his newish book, which is about crooning and
crooners, of all things!

His comment, on the other hand, obviously doesn't mean that the makeup
of the audience doesn't have an impact on the performance, which I
suspect is particularly true when you're playing small places like
bars, with the audience in close proximity.  What's the process of
gauging the audience like?  To what extent do you tailor your
performance according to your perception of how they are responding?

I know, for instance, that I've heard you say that if there is
somebody being particularly rude in the audience, you will sing
straight at them.
  

    

Thanks!  Hal is a fine keyboard player and a great listener.  WE had a fine
time jamming that day, and at least two pieces from that session will go on
the CD.  I'm hoping to do more duets like that - although I am probably going
to refer to them as trios, because once you get the loop going it becomes the
dominant player.
  

    

The looping pieces are a new listening experience for me.  Having heard 
alot of your music, I'm used to listening to your recorded music with an 
ear towards what I'd be hearing live.  CloudSurfing, to my ears, is 
leaning more towards ambient music than what I'm used to hearing you 
play, and I can't picture seeing something like it played live. 
 
I'm not articulating well here, and am still listening.  None of this is 
to say that the piece isn't really pretty, in a dreamy and ethereal kinda 
way!  I do like it - the music is beautiful.
  

    

Gary slipped while I was responding to Paul, and Molly posted while I was
dealing with a slight glitch at my end...



Gary slipped while I was responding to Paul.

> What's the process of gauging the audience like?  To what extent do you
> tailor your performance according to your perception of how they are
> responding?

I don't know if I can describe the process beyond saying I pay attention.  As
long as I can see people, I can interact.  Sometimes, on big stages with
bright lights, you literally can't see anyone; that's the toughest situation.
(continue; to end, type . (a period) on a line by itself; type :? for help)

I hardly ever make a set list ahead of time.  I usually have a vague plan - a
song or two that are on the creative front burner, a musical notion or theme
I liked while revieing yesterday's gig, a new medley I'd like to try, etc.

Sometimes it's clear I'm not going to be able to do the quiet stuff.

Some audiences are more receptive to the wordier songs; others seem more
likely to enjoy an extended instrumental improvisation.

I opened for Ray Manzarek (former keybaordist fo The Doors) at the Great
American Music Hall a couple of years ago.  It was really fun to be in front
of an audience of 60-year-old (former?) hippies who weren't Deadheads!  I
enjoyed performing for them, and I really felt both heard and appreciated.

You really can't predict these things.  Every gig has the potential to be a
great act of communion.  I'm not out there expecting to change lives or
anything, but I know I'm doing something that's unique and powerful, so I
deliver my goods with confidence and a positive attitude.
  

    
Have you already touched on what's bringing about the change here in your 
recorded music?  Besides the loss of Tina and the acquisition of new 
techno-wizardry, I mean.  

I think of you as having very much a narrative style in your original 
work, and the jammy stuff, to me, often seems to have a narration or story 
line, even without the words.  Less so, the ethereal loopy stuff that I'm 
resisting calling New Agey.
  

    

> CloudSurfing, to my ears, is leaning more towards ambient music than what
> I'm used to hearing you play, and I can't picture seeing something like it
> played live.

"Cloud Surfing" is a highly edited recording, and not something I could pos-
sibly do live.  Nor would I want to - it would require the use of prerecorded
sounds.

I will probably perform a piece called "Cloud Surfing" in the future.  I've
done this with several loop improvisations: record it, edit it, derive the
three or four or more musical statements that give it its identity, and build
a similar but new and unique performance from those elements.
  

    

Izzie slipped again.  Hey, I'm aware that it's "new agey," and I'm as
surprised as anyone else that this is coming out of me.  But it's a natural
progression, given the tools I'm using.  Looping is by definition a
repetitive, trance-building form.  I am trying to develop a style with these
instruments that dovetails with my other performing interests.  I've gotten
pretty good at getting out of loops, and that's really important because I am
still working that narrative; if I'm getting restless about the loop, I
figure the audience it erady to move on, too.
  

    

I should also say that working on these recordings in the studio is just a
huge pleasure - especially with the two fine engineers I'm working with.

"Honeydew-> Perfect Peach" and "Cloud Surfing" were recorded on the same day,
with keyboardist Hal Month.  "Honeyew-> Perfect Peach" was edited and mixed
by Jeremy Goody (who also recorded the session); "Cloud Surfing" was done by
Jim LeBrecht.  Each of these engineers has a Pro Tools system, but each has a
different set of hardware and software processors, and each has his own ap-
proach to this sort of work.  They're both really good at it, and both men
were responsive to my wishes; I was, in turn, extremely enthusiastic about
their contributions.

When Jim said, "This piece is going to want geese," I wasn't so sure.  But
damned if the geese didn't do exactly what we wanted 'em to.

As much as I love playing live, I'd be really happy if I could figure out a
way to get paid to do this sort of work more often.
  

    

I also want to say that Hal Month was great fun to play with in the studio,
and I'm thinking it might be fun to do some gigs with him.  I also nurse some
fantasies of doing sessions with other players; Steve Kimock springs to mind.
I can envision developing a loop with the other player and then sitting back
and letting them wail for a while, then bringing it back into an interactive
mode.
  

    
I'd love to hear do some full gigs with Hal Month.  His solo readings
of Grateful Dead songs are great (as long as he doesn't sing ...) --
more fantasias on a theme than simple cover versions.  And the one time
I got to hear the two of you as a duet was pretty damn wonderful.
  

    
Sorry if I missed this, but writing any more books?
  

    
"Sometimes, on big stages with bright lights, you literally can't see
anyone; that's the toughest situation."

I've done some public speaking in that situation.  It's a nightmare if
your material is intended to directly connect with the people you're
addressing.  Knowing how personal you like to make your shows I can
imagine how challenging it would be for you.
  

    
I know you're a big fan of Jorma.  Can you talk about your
interactions with him, any influences he may have had on you, shared
gigs, etc.  You told a cool little story somehwere else about Jorma
asking you a question about Down To Eugene.  Love to hear it again.
  

    

Yeah, it's tough.

Sharon, the only books I'm thinking of rightnow would be colletions of
interviews.  I have a ton of really good Q&A from the '80s - Neil Young, Tom
Petty, T Bone Burnett, Randy Newman, Michael Nesmith, Rod Stewart, Joe Walsh,
Fleetwood Mac, etc.
  

    
I teach in a setting where more often than not I can't see my students
(it's a largely online program), and it's tough to guage their
reactions in that kind of context as well.  But I've been doing it for
long enough that I have learned how to read the cues that are available
to me in the words scrolling by on the screen.  And I swear that I can
identify which student is writing something even if there is no  name
attached.  At least I have text -- I suspect that being reduced to
nothing more than ambient and audience noise would be much, much
harder.

And, speaking as a big fan, I'd love to see the Michael Nesmith
interview some day!
  

    

The Nesmith interview was short, but he was most impressive.  It had to do
with his video company, Paficic Arts, not his music.
  

    

Regarding Jorma, I only have the one story:  I went to a rehearsal with the
Flying Other Brothers, preparing for a benefit show. They had hired Jorme,
G.E. Smith, and some other major musicians to coach them.  So Jorma was there
when I showed this song to the band, and after we finished he ASKED ME TO
SHOW HIM HOW I FINGER A CHORD in that song.

Jorma asking me about fingerpicking was a great moment, I gotta say.  And
after I showed it him, he said, "That's real finger-style guitar."