The Voice of Reason sent us a movie today called Kymatica. I would like everyone to watch it.

You can watch the rest at youtube. Link to part 2 of 9

“As we barrel through history with oceans of information yet barely a drop of wisdom, we have to understand how we lost our self.”

“The cancer upon our earth is the domination of our false ego, and our divorce from nature. Collectively, among every human, vanity leads to segregation and competition; competition leads to fear and greed; greed leads to deceit and immorality; and immorality is the breeding ground for illness: waging war on our earth.”

Narration from Kymatica movie.

http://www.examiner.com/x-3118-Boston-Dog-Laws-Examiner~y2009m6d27-HB344-Devocalization-law-could-harm-more-than-it-helps

Beth Coughlin’s Examiner article is relatively short, so please allow me to quote here it in full:

Only July 14th the Massachusetts State House of Representatives will be holding a committee meeting regarding House Bill 344 (HB344): An Act Prohibiting the Devocalization of Dogs and Cats.

Contact your representative and let them know this is a bad law when you look at the larger picture. In the sheep’s clothing of animal welfare, animal rights activists have advocated turning a legitimate veterinary procedure into a Felony Offense.

____________________________

Beth,

Your post is almost too absurd to respond to, but the seriousness of this issue begs one nonetheless.

You state an animal is “better safe in a home with a smaller, raspy bark than in a shelter wondering if ‘tomorrow is the day.’” It’s not entirely clear whether “smaller, raspy bark” is intentional euphemism or true ignorance on your part. It would appear you know next to nothing about this vicious procedure or its results, but it seems more likely this is calculated obfuscation.

You say nothing of the horrific medical complications associated with devocalization, including airway obstruction (trouble breathing) and as a result difficulty with activity and exercise, and inability to eat solid food or treats without gagging. This is painful not only for the animal, but for people who care for it. In the Youtube video I’ve linked to you’ll hear a woman explain how her children cry when they witness this animal’s regular suffering.

Another paragraph reads: “…has the potential to land otherwise potentially great dogs in death row awaiting destruction because they have a proclivity for barking.”

You’re really working the death-by-barking angle here, aren’t you? Tell me, do you have any idea how many devocalization procedures are performed for reasons of commerce by disreputable breeders, for convenience by ignorant dog owners, and by criminals looking to avoid prosecution as opposed to “saving a dog’s life” that would have been euthanized without it? The National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, a council of ten prominent animal organizations in the US, found in a survey of over five thousand shelters that excessive barking did not figure in the top ten reasons people surrender dogs to shelters. In other words, you’re presenting a lie.

I find that people with positions like yours often use vague, insipid phrases like “all other options should be explored,” when you know full well if you’ve looked into it that all other options are not explored; the “education rather than legislation,” approach you espouse is obviously not working.

Have you yourself launched a single initiative regarding said education? Any ideas? You present none in this hollow piece of work.

The happy, healthy looking collie pictured in your article says nothing of the horrific psychological effects this painful procedure has on canines. Has the animal you pictured been devocalized? Or was this just an act of blatant propaganda on your part? I could post a picture of an entirely different sort, of a beagle much more familiar with this procedure who suffers pain, confusion and depression as a result. Readers can find a photo here of a dog named Stella, who suffered fifty percent obstruction of her airway after a devocalization operation.

You state “When you really dig deeper, below the surface this is really bad legislation that has the potential to land otherwise potentially great dogs in death row awaiting destruction because they have a proclivity for barking.”

Dig deeper? Not a lot of depth in your prose here, my friend. One wonders if you did any research on this horrific practice at all. If you truly had such an aversion to pointless legislation, you would be writing articles about the nuisance laws themselves and the social conditions that bring them about, not the extremely questionable operation you associate with them.

History does not lack for gruesome and unethical medical procedures which people later recognized as wrongful and inhumane. This is certainly one of them. You also neglected to mention that this procedure is outlawed in the United Kingdom as a form of mutilation, which is what it is.

Tristan L. Sullivan

To email or call your Mass state representative, please enter your address information here, then at the bottom of the page look for Senate in General Court.

HB 344 in Massachusetts is an encouraging and hopeful bill that would make illegal the cruel practice of devocalization in canines. The following is from Animal Law Coalition:

Debarking robs dogs of one of their main methods of communication. Dogs vocalize to communicate countless feelings—fear, frustration, danger, pain, boredom, and even joy and happiness. Dogs in severely crowded puppy mills and laboratories and dogs who are neglected and left alone in backyards for hours on end are the most common victims of debarking. Just as with any unwanted behavior—canine or otherwise—addressing the reasons that cause barking that is perceived to be excessive is the only humane and civilized way of addressing the behavior.

Massachusetts House of Representatives
24 Beacon St. #145
Boston, MA 02133
617-722-2000″

I was surprised to find the AVMA takes a different position, quite a cowardly and deceptive one, given their reasoning. “And the bill ‘infringes upon a veterinarian’s exercise of her or his professional judgment.’”
Fuck you, American Veterinary Medical Association. You state, The MVMA “deplores devocalizing an animal to facilitate the animal’s sale or for reasons of convenience, and encourages responsible pet ownership from the start, including selecting a breed and particular dog appropriate for the owner’s living situation and foreseeable family circumstances,”
yet you know full well that owners will continue to abuse this procedure in exactly the way you’re describing. Furthermore, you’ll be profiting from it. A coincidence?

This is a vicious practice, a senseless one in which convenience trumps compassion and humanity. It assists morons who have no business owning pets in the first place make cruel decisions based on their own convenience, and it assists criminals and sociopaths who profit from inhumane breeding practices and dog fighting. Many breeders admit they routinely do this, and you know it. Your reasons for opposing this legislation are laughable, thin, and transparent. You’re behaving like any other power structure, like the mainstream medical system you’re modeled after. Like any government, force or political body you oppose any measure that would limit your own authority and power. That’s why it frightens you.

I had a professor in an education program who told us he visited the last school in the United States to use corporal punishment on children. The school was in Texas. He was a sociologist, and interviewed many of the teachers associated with it. To a person, they all said they didn’t think physically striking kids was right, but didn’t want to lose the ability to do so. This is an aspect of human nature, and it is obviously the case with you as well. Unfortunately, with the imprimatur of your false authority which is in fact your cowardice, willful ignorance and arrogance masquerading as medical opinion, you may well influence the outcome of this proposal. Fuck you. Cowards like you always lose in the end.

To my readers, please oppose this senseless practice, wherever you live. Thank you.

http://www.hsvma.org/advocacy/news/hsvma_backs_bill_to_ban_devocalization_in_massachusetts.html

Tristan L. Sullivan

Videos
Music

Safaris

I had been finishing a story called Last Night The Werewolf, the title inspired by a Rumi poem, and the synchronicities were running wild. A book fell into my lap called Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, and late one night on a walk, my chocolate lab Lana and I found ourselves surrounded by a pack of howling coyotes. Once I started getting serious about driving across the country, from the Berkshires to California this spring, I asked myself, what I would most like to happen on the way out there? I started perusing the web for wildlife rehabilitators along my southern route: Arkansas and surrounding. I thought I might find someone that took in injured raccoons or bobcats, or a hawk with a broken wing, that sort of thing. If I could get in touch, maybe they would let me come and help out for a day. Then I came across the website for a place called Safaris in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. I was about to get a lot more than I bargained for. It was probably this photo that piqued my interest the most, especially since it was titled “volunteer.”

The cat looked as if it had poured itself around that lady’s shoulders. If this was what happened to volunteers at Safaris, I wanted in. I perused the website for a while longer, got my courage up and sent an email. I spoke to my love for animals, activism, lifelong connection to nature. Could I come and volunteer? They could put me to work: I would shovel dirt, clean cages, I didn’t care. Not only did I hear back, the president of the sanctuary, Lori Ensign-Scroggins wrote me and said yes, come and play. Here’s my number, call us when you’re in town.

Yes! What luck. I even liked the sound of the town they were in: Broken Arrow. I plugged Safaris into my GPS (this doesn’t exactly work by the way, you have to call once you’re in the neighborhood, or find a guy on a yellow Harley at a stop sign and ask him where the place is, which is what I did), and set them as the centerpiece of my trip. Looking back, I find the mechanics of destiny quite fascinating. You’re driven by desire, intention, you take action and you ask for something, and forces coalesce. Be careful what you wish for, as they say. I don’t think there is anywhere else on the planet where I could have dove into this experience so deeply.

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Inverter (electrical)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An inverter is an electrical device that converts direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC); the resulting AC can be at any required voltage and frequency with the use of appropriate transformers, switching, and control circuits.

Highest thanks to my friends at Imagine Weblog who’ve waited patiently for a new article. I have moved my music and fiction and my body (mostly intact) out to a very new place. More on this later. Enjoy…

_______________________

I worked out this week on a seven day trial pass at the 24 Hour Fitness on Sunset in Hollywood. “It’s intimidating,” a newly found friend had told me one night while we drank wine and ate chocolate, played music while I watched the fiery, hazy pink and red sunset through her balcony windows. “All the beautiful people go there.” She’s a twenty something beauty herself, an LA sophisticate who lives in a penthouse condominium in West Hollywood, so if she found this place intimidating, I had to try it.

It was kind of stupid, actually. I stayed for two hours my first day. I had missed my time in the fitness room at Kripalu, missed the workout, the satisfaction and sore muscles and I was making up for lost time. Kripalu is a world famous yoga retreat center in the heart of the forested Berkshires, a quiet, womb-like atmosphere where it would be as appropriate to sit and meditate for two hours as it would be to blast your quads on the Nautilus machine. This sure wasn’t Kripalu. On the other hand, I felt a burst of energy from all the people, the collective. I loved that I could see the Hollywood Hills from one part of the gym, and I found my way into a yoga class at the end with a great teacher and some very nice people inside, but that’s about the extent of my praise for the place. It looked to me like they oversell their membership: at times you have people actually sitting idle, waiting for a machine. I used the elliptical machine for forty minutes, a little light weight training with free weights, then stretched and did yoga for the rest of my time there. I did this for three out of the seven days, day on, day off. I enjoyed it, although not the five story parking lot and not the hustle from a manager who wanted me to pay first, last and a middle month and sold like a Buick salesman with a drive to conquer the world. I find it very strange they would insist on such a policy in our current economic climate. You’re looking at a gym membership for God’s sakes, not buying a condominium. I needed the exercise though, and I was grateful for the opportunity. Also, I found there was a strange kind of energy surge associated with the environment.

I looked up at the mute TV monitors on the ceiling my first night there.
LA Fitness Killer the closed captioning read. Kills 5. Shoots 15.

I looked around.

Is there a more absurd example of modern life than to see people lined up on exercise machines, pedaling or stepping their way to nowhere? I just can’t help but remember we’re burning fossil fuels to make electricity to send to 24 Hour Fitness so people can run in place on a treadmill. This does not make sense. In LA, those same people sat in traffic a good part of their day, more fossil fuels burning, more shit spewing up into the air. The traffic they can’t help, but with the treadmills there has to be a better way. I like the elliptical machine. I feel it’s a better workout anyway: low impact and works much of your body in the process, and it’s off the grid. I just don’t feel right about someone burning coal so I can run in place on a rotating rubber band.

Maybe there’s more we can do toward a solution here. You’re spending energy when you work out; why not install inverters to feed a battery, store this and use it to run the lights? Why not use every pull on the Nautilus machine, every revolution on the bike? This seems so ripe for the plucking to me. Entrepreneurs, this is gold! Let’s look at a few pluses:

-Your business will get good press for being environmentally conscious, “green points” as they say. What a marketing hook.

-You can use some of the capital you save on energy costs to offer amenities to your members, like complimentary spring water and bathrooms that don’t reek of piss (things our vaunted West Hollywood fitness center appeared to be lacking).

-People will go to your gym not only to stay in shape and healthy, for the quality of the machines and facilities, but because they love to go to get involved with a business that appears to have a reasonably sane approach, one in which they are actually doing something helpful and sustainable while they’re at it. What’s more, they will look down at the tiny meter attached to their nautilus machine or their stationary bike and know they are in some small way helping to mitigate our march toward catastrophe rather than mindlessly contributing to it. All of this while doing something they were going to do that afternoon anyway.

-The ambiance will be conscious and uplifting, something we could all use more of, and something that will bring people in to your new business and keep them coming back.

What an incentive to work out. Every pull on that machine, every turn on the bicycle and you are making a small contribution to save the planet. Also, if the business starts doing well, how about putting in a juice bar and internet café? This place will be so hot! These fast food style chains are just ripe to be knocked off by someone with an actual plan, by a business model with a soul.

The air crackles with this idea, it appears, as this morning I found two examples of people doing exactly what I suggested above.

I found this guy, who’s been refining his design for a pedal power generator for decades:

And, voila. Ask and you shall receive. The owner of The Green Microgym in Portland, Oregon had my idea long before I did (thank you Adam), and even offers the incentive programs I had in mind, or better. It’s like a dream:

GREEN GYM CREATES ELECTRICITY WITH HUMAN POWER

Additionally, the Green Microgym provides incentives for members through the “Burn and Earn” program, where members earn $1 per hour of electricity they generate that can be used at partnering businesses like The Black Cat Café, Fuel Café, and Vinideus Wine Bar.

Green Microfitness can you come to LA? I will be first in line, my friends.

I love the part about the European inverter box that plugs into a simple wall outlet, and feeds energy back into the grid. Brilliant! Thank you to these thoughtful people. I could have slept better had I found them last night when I started this article, but that’s okay. Now, I see no alternative in my current situation but to try out Bally Total Fitness for the next seven days…

Tristan L. Sullivan

Videos
Music

Click Here For Part I

-Photo from Sheila Chandra Weaving My Ancestor’s Voices

I heard something about music once and never forgot it. It was about a young Frank Zappa. He had brought a Beach Boys song to his music teacher in grade school and asked a question: Why do I like this so much?

I find it fascinating that we can learn a great deal about how music works, analyze a song from every angle, understand and express it in fairly complex terms, and yet our fundamental relationship to music is still kinesthetic. It’s still about how it makes you feel. I recall a fellow student warning me my freshman year at school that the study of music would take away the magic, that I would never experience it the same way again.

That never happened to me. It doesn’t matter how closely I study the technical aspects of music, how fine my examination of the individual parts; I never find the man behind the curtain.

So, weren’t we talking about cinema, and the use of music and sound?

I find some directors are gifted visually, but should leave the musical choices to someone else. Some, however, have a real ear for music and can combine the two beautifully. In Henry’s first scene as a grownup in Good Fellas, Martin Scorsese used a version of the song “Stardust”, with Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci leaning up against a car, the crooning lyrics, “Sometimes… I wonder…” I have watched that movie so many times I wouldn’t even want to try and estimate, but this scene still resonates. In another, Mr. Scorsese juxtaposes violence with a serene melody by Donovan called “Atlantis.” He just repeats that chorus again and again, “Way down… below the ocean…”, while Pesci and De Niro viciously attack a character named Billy Batts. The violence is not pretty, but the song is, and that contrast is pure Scorcese. I’m not sure why, but there’s something about Martin’s work that tells me I would love to have him in my audience. Of course anyone would; that’s no surprise, but Mr. Scorcese in particular because he seems uniquely supportive of music. There’s an obvious passion there.

Do you know the film Risky Business? That movie uses music brilliantly, and the opening titles may be the best example. Tangerine Dream’s moody, atmospheric theme blends so seamlessly with the the rhythmic clatter of Chicago’s elevated train it’s as if they were made for each other. Also extremely evocative, seamless and satisfying is Muddy Waters’ “Mannish Boy” layered over the entrance of beautiful call girls and well scrubbed high school kids into the Goodson’s home. It’s a sublime choice that works on a number of levels. One, the genuine, raw sexuality of the music is perfect for the scene. It’s also funny: Joel and his friends aren’t what we would normally picture when we hear Muddy Waters’ music. But it works. What’s more, it speaks to Joel’s own transformation from a boy to a man, later symbolized in his mother’s broken crystal egg. Talking Heads’ “Swamp” fits into that scene wonderfully, too.

Also exquisite is the Jeff Beck piece our filmmaker chooses when Joel and his friend Barry (played brilliantly by Bronson Pinchot; I love him in this movie) first take Joel’s father’s porsche out for a ride on the town. Who made these choices!? Was it writer and first time director Paul Brickman? He should win an award for his musical discretion, and for the atmosphere and stylishness of this film.

On top of all that, Tangerine Dream’s original scoring for this film is arguably their best. To me, this movie is a genuine accomplishment. I wondered what critics had to say. Would they like it? I found most did, with some very high praise. Roger Ebert stated the film not only invited comparison with The Graduate, it earned it.

Interestingly, I also found this in Ebert’s review: “Paul Brickman, who wrote and directed, has an ear so good that he knows what to leave out.” Exactly! That’s what I’ve been saying.

There are a number of positive reviews at rottentomatoes.com, but for some reason this one from variety.com is first:

High schooler Tom Cruise could literally be a next-door neighbor to Timothy Hutton in Ordinary People on Chicago’s affluent suburban North Shore. That changes virtually overnight, however, when he meets sharp-looking hooker Rebecca DeMornay. On the lam from her slimy pimp, she shacks up in Cruise’s splendid home while his parents are out of town and, since he’s anxious to prove himself as a Future Enterpriser in one of his school’s more blatantly greed-oriented programs, convinces him to make the house into a bordello for one night.

Ultimately, pic seems to endorse the bottom line, going for the big buck. In fact, not only is Cruise rewarded financially for setting up the best little whorehouse in Glencoe, but it gets him into Princeton to boot. Writer-director Paul Brickman can therefore be accused of trying to have it both ways, but there’s no denying the stylishness and talent of his direction.

Is Brickman trying to have it both ways? I didn’t get that. Joel notes early on that his friends seem only interested in money, and show a failure of interest in helping their fellow man. I think we get the impression though, that Joel is different. Lana’s ability to manipulate him, for example, though certainly based on her beauty and smarts and his naivete, also comes out of his compassion for her and her friend. Joel’s acquiescence and subsequent success in providing said service for his wealthy friends, as well as a Princeton admissions officer, seems to me more the coming of age in a corrupt society than an affront to that compassion and character.

All of this playing out over Muddy’s visceral, sexual Mannish Boy. This is good filmmaking. But wait, did I get off on a tangent about movies and lose the thread of music? Well, hopefully you liked what you heard.

Tristan L. Sullivan

Videos
Music

Photo by Norbert Rosing

Canada’s cruel, inhumane seal hunt is over. It is not called off forever, only over for this year, but there is something very encouraging and hopeful afoot. As a result of an outpouring across the globe from people like you, there is a high likelihood that the European Union will pass a ban on all seal products in June. This does not prevent Canada from this inhuman practice of course, but it would effectively end it as there will be virtually no market for seal products. It would also have strong implications for other nations like Russia who practice this atrocity.

Regarding this, please consider taking a moment to send a quick letter:

http://community.livejournal.com/action4animals/93120.html

Thank you for your attention at Imagine Weblog during this difficult time.

Tristan L. Sullivan

Photo courtesy of Rolf Hicker

If a heavenly creature plucked you from where you are right now and lifted you up to a higher, wider perspective: if you could see the whole world and your own life in it, you would understand beyond a shadow of a doubt that your role in the universe is crucial.

You make a difference. You are the difference. It is only individuals like you, those who work with Sea Shepherd, the people who signed the petition below and who drive the outpouring of compassion and activism by people across the world who have ever brought about change.

Suppose I see a hungry dog on the way in to buy groceries. She obviously needs help. Now suppose I’m with a friend and in a hurry, and although my friend says he wants to help her I scold him. “You can’t help every animal in the world,” I tell him. I am so wrong to say that. God has not asked me to help every animal in the world. The Universe delivered me to this animal, at this time, right now. It’s called opportunity. Once I decide to take action, reach down to pet her and ask her how she is, a plan already forming in my mind for how to take action and help her, I will immediately feel gratitude and peace. I will understand that what I’ve done affects every other feeling being on the planet. This is why I met up with her. I had a job to do. The same will happen to you. Try not to let yourself think about big things. Know that there are many others like you, that you are supported, that in fact most people on this planet feel the same way you do. A vast majority of people are sensible, compassionate, resent the ravages and viciousness of empire and oppression, sense the deception underneath. Do not feel isolated; don’t let yourself get overwhelmed. Just take action, and know that if we do what we can when we’re presented with the opportunity, and chose to first do no harm, for example by eating ethically raised meats and insisting on cruelty free shampoos and cosmetics, we are on our way to healing the world. We will always start from exactly where we are at this moment.

http://www.stopthesealhunt2007.com/donor-form.php?type=join

Please also consider this website, www.animalattraction.com . It’s a fun place, with fellow pet lovers posting their pictures and stories, and just for joining they donate 1 dollar to the animal welfare organization of your choice, plus a penny a day for each day you log in! It’s also a fun place to meet other pet parents and network, or if you’re single, find other pet parent singles for dating.

Help Protect Baby Seals

https://community.hsus.org/humane/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=20706339

Tristan L. Sullivan

Photo by Norbert Rosing

Today is a day of pain for me: the Canadian Seal Hunt began this morning. Atrocities like this bring home a painful reality, but it is one we have to face up to in order to move forward: there are generous, luminous, enlightened human beings on this planet, luminaries who inspire us and show the way, but all too often, human affairs are savage and extremely unevolved.

Revenue from this horrendous practice will represent only a fraction of the fishermen’s livelihood. This practice simply would not exist without human arrogance and brutality, without ignorance of our extraordinary potential here on this planet.
Atrocities like this always result from a closing off of our potential, of the wealth of talent and resources that have always been available to us; they result from fear. They are a product of zero sum thinking, and are only possible through complicity of the false authority of governments and officials, in this case Canada’s Minister of International Trade, David Emerson.

To confront the reality of this barbaric practice is extremely upsetting and heartbreaking. You can find photos of this here, but please know they are profoundly heartbreaking. If you’re motivated to take action on this then you don’t need to look at photos or videos. If you feel you need to experience the reality of it in order to understand, then photos and videos have a definite purpose. The first thing to understand however, in confronting atrocity: you are not isolated, you are not alone. A dramatic illustration:

On 25 January 2007, the Belgian Parliament approved a ban on the trade in fur and other products (such as oil) originating from seals. An historic moment, since Belgium became the first EU country to impose such a ban. It was hoped to have a snowball effect: the more countries followed Belgium’s example, the more the markets for seal products would melt like snow in the sun.

This snowball effect has occurred: since September, the Netherlands no longer allow seal products into the country, and meanwhile, Germany, Italy, France and the United Kingdom have also publicly stated that the trade which originates from the seal hunt must be stopped. This is a powerful signal to Canada, which still allows the cruel seal hunt.

http://wildlife-nannies.com/wildlife_community/story.php?id=155&PHPSESSID=6f35b4f68c5046ca974a426d2af4d5d1

Another article that details a possible ban on seal products by the European Union that could come as soon as June.

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=b61ae675-cb1f-4589-9a6f-fe1107298b88&k=75579

Please consider joining us in signing the following petition regard the UK ban. If this ban goes through, it will virtually end the Canadian seal hunt, as there will be no market! You can sign from anywhere in the world:

http://www.hsus.org/about_us/humane_society_international_hsi/seal_trade_ban.html

I intend to continue to post links and resources that will help us reach people and take action. Governments and officials do not address atrocities on their own, but they do respond to popular pressure. The greater the groundswell of people, the more assured we can be that this ban will go through. Likewise, the greater our efforts and commitment to stopping this horrific attack on these beautiful, innocent creatures the more quickly we can get it done.

Atrocities like these inspire feelings of rage and a desire for revenge, and this is understandable and normal; we need not suppress those feelings. They are a step up from despair, so let them come. Let us direct that energy though, along with our compassion and our love for these beautiful, sentient creatures, to a solution. I wonder if it would be worthwhile to take a moment and contemplate these fishermen as no longer needing or wanting to club innocent seals to death for a few dollars. Contemplate the European Union ban as done, as passed. Then, talk about this

Please find links below to take action right now, and consider any talents you can offer to help these beautiful little guys.

https://community.hsus.org/campaign/trademinister_protectseals08?

https://community.hsus.org/humane/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=20706339

Tristan L. Sullivan

They are messing with my heart…
-Thomas Dolby “Hyperactive”

Welcome. I’m Tristan.

I grew up in the Berkshires. I started taking music seriously when I was nineteen: a late bloomer. My first instrument was drums, and I was fortunate to study with a world class jazz musician named Randy Kaye. Randy Kaye was a poet on the drums, especially with brushes. Graceful, subtle, very unique. From the start I got a highly creative, non-traditional perspective in my instruction, and I threw myself into it. I was lucky. Randy recognized my commitment and in a year or so, started sending me on gigs.
I went to school and studied jazz and music theory. I played a lot of drums. Big band, small group, funk, shuffles. I loved playing brushes. I started playing keyboard, not just because this is required when you study music theory, but because I so intensely wanted to learn the melody to the Sade piece I was studying, the bass line from the latest Miles Davis song I was obsessed with. I fell in love with harmony and voice leading.

Looking back, there is an almost monastic quality to studying music for the serious student. This doesn’t really change, even after you’ve developed some skill you need time alone to study your craft. But that’s okay, it makes the surge of people and energy all the more exciting when you go out to perform.
As I developed my voice on drums, I found my passion was playing funk music and blues shuffles. Right out of school I started a blues band and we did just that. This was with three of the most creative, gifted people I’ve ever known. We worked a lot. One of the interesting things, looking back, is that we had each (except our singer Ed Moran, who needed no schooling) studied and played jazz, and had a fairly complex understanding of music theory. We had some chops. But rather than exhibit this in our music, we chose to simplify. We found that when you channel that much intensity and passion into a simpler structure, the results are fascinating and powerful.
It was beautiful. I miss it. But this is now, and I’m excited about the future. I am excited about the creative potential available in this life to each of us.

What follows are some thoughts of mine on life, culture, humanity, the world of arts and music. If you like, you can dive in deep. Or, you can just move on, look and listen. Either way, it is an honor to have you here. Thank you.

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