SUPER DECENT

A little video clip or two?

2012-02-22T19:50:00.000-08:00

It's seems like life is all about choices and choices are all about weighing your options, considering the outcome and determining the costs or benefits... So... playing in bands... performing live... I've been doing it since I started playing guitar at age 15. It's fun, it's a great creative outlet, you get to meet new people and it's a huge pain in the ass! I stumbled across this article about the ridiculous attitudes that most club owners have towards booking bands. Somehow bands are expected to play for free, bring their own fans (paying customers for the venue) and promote the show. If you fall short in these areas, it doesn't matter how good your band is, you probably wont be invited back. I'm at a point in my life where I despise greed and exploitation so much, I generally prefer not to create business for these douchebag clubs. However, playing live is fun and it is good as a musician to occasionally rock a show for the homies. So, here are a couple of clips from shows I've played recently. Click here to read the article about LA club owners.

I recently did a quick set with the Bear Baiting guys. This is a very brief clip recorded on an iPhone. Hopefully we'll get some better video next time around.

Here is a better quality clip of Ladyheat playing at a hipster bakesale in downtown LA. A pretty decent group of baking hipsters, actually.

Are we doomed to crash?

2012-02-14T21:44:00.000-08:00

< COLLAPSE >

"Are we doomed to crash? Collapse! Collapse! Coooollllaaapse!"

A little Bear Baiting anyone?

2012-02-12T21:52:00.000-08:00

Wow, have things been busy lately! We're laying down vocals and moving into the final stages of recording the first TCA ep, Ladyheat is preparing for a series of upcoming shows and I've teamed up with my friends in the band Bear Baiting to do a couple of very special shows.

Two giant men, Matt Boylan and Dennis Valles recently released a pretty sweet ep. Their project, Bear Baiting, is an unusual idea being executed quite well. They are both bass players who write dueling bass songs accompanied by some very solid drum programming and a touch of keys. I've learned the programmed drum parts so we can play the material live. I play along with in-ear monitors and a click, so we can have the sequenced keyboard parts playing along with us. In the spirit of an open source reality, the Bear Baiting ep can be downloaded for free or, if you are generous, a small donation here at their bandcamp site. I'm also posting a video from rehearsal. The quality isn't great, but it's still pretty cool.

An open source reality?

2012-02-05T14:08:00.000-08:00

A word that has been on my mind a lot lately is "open source". This is a word that generally refers to web and software programming. Open source means that the code comprising websites or applications is free for anyone to use. It means that anyone is free to modify and improve upon the code. So, why would anyone make the products of their labors open to anyone and free? Well, the bottom line is, the best way to improve and advance technology is to share intellectual property. Also, even though the code is free, the programmers still make money by customizing the applications for clients, offering tech support, offering advertising and receiving donations from grateful patrons.

I hope we see this concept being applied more often to the trade of intellectual commodities. It is happening slowly, Radiohead was one of the first bands to offer their music for download on a donation basis. Bandcamp is a site where bands can create accounts to offer cheap and donation based downloads of their music. One of my favorite comedians, Louis CK, recently performed a very successful experiment, where he funded the production of his own comedy special then offered a digital download for $5. He made a lot of money without over charging fans or putting money in the hands of greedy corporate scumbags. That is really my point. Corporations are worthless. Rich men who are only interested in getting richer are worthless. Those of us who have creativity to share with the world (which in my opinion is most of us) are easily exploited by greedy corporate thought processes. Take the reigns in your own hands, there are many of us who will support you.

Louis Ck talks about his comedy special at LouisCK.net

Here is The Cruelest Animal in the process of creating our own open source project. On the left is Josh Newell, who stopped by to take some notes on the songs in preparation for laying down bass tracks. On the right is Derek who spent the day laying down vocal ideas. Luna is attempting to steal the spotlight in the lower left corner.

I like communist propaganda art. Am I anti-America?

2012-01-31T19:12:00.000-08:00

I am extremely anti-corporation. Unfortunately, corporations have become a huge part of America's structure. So no, I'm not anti-America, but I'm not Captain America either. I believe in free enterprise, but I also see no reason for anyone to possess infinitely more assets than they could ever use. I also believe healthcare, education and scientific research are social interests that shouldn't be contaminated by a quest for profit. Socialism? Well... Democratic Socialism, I suppose.

A lot of designers draw inspiration from old communist propaganda posters. I'm no exception, I did some work a while ago on this bit of cold war inspired art.

A work in progress pic (Black ink applied with a brush, ballpoint pen and, eventually, red acrylic paint):

What are the lyrics to Glass Yourself? ... and other short stories.

2012-01-26T01:57:00.000-08:00

Tonight Derek and I spent a some time chillin' in the studio, going over vocal patterns and lyrical ideas for the upcoming TCA ep, tentatively titled Collapse. Luna was feeling it, so she jumped on board and belted out a little tune for the video camera. Axl Rose eat your cheesy heart out! Speaking of cheese, the session was fueled by dinner at Kalbi Burger, they make a mean veggie burger with vinegar/sea salt fries.

I plan to share some of the concepts behind the lyrics in future posts, but for now, here are the lyrics to the demo version of Glass Yourself. The demo can be heard at http://thecruelestanimal.com.

Glass Yourself is the first track demoed by The Cruelest Animal. All instruments were played by Alex Crane, except for vocals and second guitar, performed by Derek Donley. Released April 5th, 2011.

Glass Yourself lyrics:

Intrepid, blind, stabbing into corners blackend swords of your demise.
Cornered, Irresolute the destruction flailing.
Disarray, the relentless waves...
Glass yourself

Fore, aft disease will spread
push comes to thrust
Blue, black and drained

Smoke, fear, pain, dead, silence we breathe

Glass Yourself credits:
Alex Crane - Guitar, Bass, Drums
Derek Donley - Vocals, guitar, bass
Rob Hill - Mix engineer
Chris Gresham - Drum tracking

In other interesting news, a previous post that I shared contained an intronaut song I remixed called, Valley of Smoke. Below is a video of intronaut performing the orignal version for the first time live, with special guest Justin Chancellor from Tool. Not to shabby!

Here is that remix again:

Valley of Smoke (TCA Remix) by DissonantDreamland

Vicariously I live while the whole world dies?

2012-01-19T09:54:00.000-08:00

Growing up, the band Tool was basically the band by which all other bands were measured. Great musicians, great music and hands down the most impressive live show around. So, it's been really exciting to follow my friends Intronaut, via the internet, as they tour supporting Tool on their 2012 north American tour. This is a good article from the tour: La Weekly,Intronaut's tour diary.

...self promotion: here is the TCA remix of Intronaut's "valley of smoke", featuring Justin Chancellor from Tool. This little fella won some cash in a sweet remix contest.

Valley of Smoke (TCA Remix) by DissonantDreamland

...and for your listening pleasure, Tool in Reno 1.14.2012:

Got SOPA?

2012-01-17T22:13:00.000-08:00

Wednesday Jan 18th a whole bunch of websites will be going offline to boycott the "Stop Internet Piracy Act". SOPA is a bullshit bill intended to aid the powers that be in controlling media. Masked as an anti-piracy bill, SOPA would allow the government to control content being posted online. Websites participating in this protest will include wikipedia, cragslist and wordpress.

I will be participating by blacking out http://thecruelestanimal.com and http://dissonantdreamland.com.

Join The protest

Arizona, family and... airplanes?

2012-01-12T13:50:00.000-08:00

As I spent about an hour vacuuming oceans of dog hair out of my rental car before returning it this morning, I had time to reflect on the first 10 days of 2012. After living in LA for more than 2 years I finally took some time to visit my parents in Arizona, near the Mexican border. It turned out to be a great trip! While in AZ I spent time hiking, discussing politics with my liberal parents, heard a great story about my G.I. grandfather winning over my German grandmother's dad with a bottle of cognac, bought a pocket knife at a swap meet, found a great used book called Hitchhiking Vietnam, raided my dad's vast collection of military history books, ate lots of good food and toured the Pima Air and Space Museum.

When you suddenly have leisure time after moving non-stop for years, the effects can be a little jarring. I asked myself, "Why can't life always have a nice balance of leisure and work? Why do I spend long days running from jobs to clients to band obligations and back again, but I'm still broke?" I've come to the conclusion that it's about planning. Time is the most valuable thing in the world and it can be wasted far too easily. So... my goal for this year is to plan ahead and manage my time better. To be continued...

Here are a couple of pictures from the trip:

How 'bout we start a new year?

2012-01-03T20:42:00.000-08:00

Well, 2012 started with a bang. Or more accurately, punk rock beats in a fancy downtown LA artist loft. I've been playing drums for my friends in the band Ladyheat for the last few moths of 2011. We had our second show on New Years Eve and it was a rockin' good time.

Collaboration is an important part of music for me because it brings different styles and perspectives into any situation. I prefer to ignore boundaries and explore outside of the traditional band structure in an effort to never become stagnant. Another thing I've been doing for years to expand my musical horizons, is playing other people's music. It seems like there is always a band in need of a drummer, so why not fill in the gap? There is something pretty awesome about being "just the drummer" of a band. Or, as is thecase with Ladyheat, learning another drummers parts. I'm not saying that I don't bring anything to the table, or that I don't have an opportunity to shine. When you go into a band knowing that you are there to support the music and not define it, you are given an opportunity to let go of the big picture and focus on strengthening what is happening around you. It makes you a better player and opens your mind. Ladyheat has been no exception. It's a great opportunity to hang out with some great guys, meet new people and rock some high energy shows.

So, check out Ladyheat, come see us play and stay tuned for lots of TCA news in 2012.

The cover of Ladyheat's album "Used Future":

When will we have more songs?

2011-12-28T14:00:00.000-08:00

EP COMING SOON! I'm very pleased to say that Christmas (aka Chinese Restaurant Day for atheists like myself) was a productive one. I spent the day tracking guitars in ProTools from the comfort of my apartment. If you have listened to the demo of "Glass Yourself" on the TCA website, you can expect the upcoming ep to be edgy but more melodic and cohesive. Derek and I tracked all of the songs as one continuous file in order to make it feel like a continuous journey from beginning to end. In keeping with the experimental feel of the band, we're going to finish off the record with guest work by some of our talented friends and vocals that are less cookie monster, more wookie... or something like that...

Why is collaboration so rad?

2011-12-16T20:58:00.000-08:00

Here is some footage from a recent session with newly aligned TCA friend Chris Waldrep. Chris stopped by the studio to hang out and ended up creating a nice sonic landscape to be used as an interlude on the upcoming ep.

Want some stickers?

2011-12-08T00:29:00.000-08:00

We have a whole bunch of stickers. If you want a few send a facebook message -

Click here to go to the FB page

Who the hell is "The King of Castle Rock"?

2011-12-04T15:17:00.000-08:00

Grant a.k.a., The King, is a long time friend and musical collaborator. We played together in a band called Play:Alpha back in Tucson. Grant is the first guest member to lay down some tracks for the upcoming TCA ep. His keyboard parts add a nice layer of spice to the mix. In his spare time Grant enjoys eating ranch dressing.

Brief introductions:

When will TCA stickers be available?

2011-11-20T00:26:00.000-08:00

Soon!

Wheatpaste... isn't that for making pancakes?

2011-11-13T21:56:00.000-08:00

How has electronic music changed my perception of music in general?

2011-11-12T22:06:00.000-08:00

I remember when I first heard Limp Bizkit in the mid 90's. Aside from the obvious tastelessness that their music has become famous for, I was particularly turned off by the poor use of turntables. Up to that point in life my exposure to turntable based music was minimal and turntables were something that I had appreciated for what they seemed to be, glorified record players. The pointless sprinkling of turntable scratching on Limp Bizkit's music makes the instrument seem like an annoying and out of place accessory. Thankfully, a couple of years later some friends in the good 'ol SF Bay Area introduced me to the music of Mixmaster Mike and Scratch Pickles. The music caught my attention because they were doing a whole lot more than scraping needles against vinyl. It was unpredictable, it made me realize that no matter what instrument you're playing, it is simply a tool for expressing yourself. I started looking at electronic music from a different perspective, then I discovered DJ Shadow and my mind was pried wide open.

I would have to compare his Dj style to a collage. Not the kind of random, senseless, magazine tearing, paste eating collage we all created in pre school. More like a highly evolved ancestor of that pre school collage. The kind of collage that is created by a talented artist who takes bits and pieces of existing media and combines them meaningfully with the artist's own original elements. The result is a interesting creation that is totally unique, yet displays some recognizable pre-existing elements.

Over the years I've thought a lot about the things that inspire people and why, as well as how creativity is transformed by inspiration. At the simplest level, I think most of us hear a melody or see an image we like, then let our minds take that idea and expand it into something new. The cool thing about good electronic music is that it often literally contains borrowed elements of inspiration that have been molded to fit into their new surroundings. Whether its a sampled line from a movie or a section of a U2 drum beat looped almost unrecognizably under layers of sound, you can hear familiar little creative seeds.

Typically when I go through phases of listening to electronic music and artistically sensible hip hop, it distorts my view of the rock/metal world in which I reside. Of course, heavy music is my first love, but it has a tendency to be too rigid. Too many band's strive to play songs exactly as they are on their recordings. Often the songwriting seems to follow a formula of drums, bass, guitars... verse, chorus, verse... loud part, quiet part, loud part, ect. A while ago I was trying to categorize the sound I envision when I'm writing music. I came up with the term "psychedelic tech metal". That's probably not the greatest definition, but basically I'm trying to define dark heavy music assembled fluidly in a "collage" format. It seems like a logical progression for rock/metal, a combination of songwriting, performance, production, borrowed "creative seeds" and most importantly, collaboration.

True, TCA is a project I created and am orchestrating, but in the long run it will be something that is touched and molded by the hands of many creative people. Like minded people who live to create interesting and inspiring images sounds and experiences for everyone to enjoy.

Creative seeds:

Where is my portfolio?

2011-10-29T18:57:00.000-07:00

I recently had an awesome experience hanging out with my friend Lenny Lesser while he photographed my graphic work. I've been planning a new version of DissonantDreamland.com for a while and I wanted my portfolio to shine. So, I printed all of my work, then we photographed it in different layouts to capture a larger than life perspective.

(Click here view Lenny's portfolio)

Here are some shots of Lenny at work in his downtown LA studio.

Why does this website have a crazy Japanese button?

2011-10-23T22:43:00.000-07:00

I put a button on The Cruelest Animal website linking to a version of the site with the text translated into Japanese. I can't read or write in Japanese, so I had a friend translate it. Realistically, it could say anything. For all I know it says a lot of mean things about me and the music (Actually, I tested it with google translate which revealed a broken English version of the web copy, so I guess it's ok).

Even if no one in Japan ever looks at the site, it adds a cool unique aspect. However, I have hope that we could create a Japanese fan base now that I've discovered Mind of Asian. These hardcore metal Japanese ladies rock pretty hard!

Thanks to Yuki for the translation. Chris Farley certainly wouldn't be able to read it:

Click on the little red button. Just do it!

Why is the occupation of wall street so important?

2011-10-05T10:55:00.000-07:00

This proposed list of demands outlines the specifics of what could be accomplished by the protest. Ultimately the broader goal is a democratic overhaul of our economic system. Personally, I don't care if it requires a civil war, wealth must be re-distributed and white collar criminals must be stopped. One of my favorite demands is #8: ELIMINATE "PERSONHOOD" LEGAL STATUS FOR CORPORATIONS. That alone could change everything.

Here is the link again: Occupy Wall Street proposed list of demands

When will 1% of the population be crushed by the other 99%?

2011-10-04T00:19:00.000-07:00

My friend forwarded this link to me: We are the 99 Percent. I think change is inevitable. It's just a matter of how and when.

Here it is again: We are the 99 Percent.

What can I learn about Vietnam?

2011-10-03T00:43:00.000-07:00

I've had an interest in Asian cultures for quite a while. Japan and China specifically have been of interest to me. Lately I've taken an interest in Vietnam and, as is often the case, I have food to thank for expanding my horizons.

I've always assumed that Vietnamese food was mostly meat, like Korean food. Recently at work I had a conversation with a customer who had immigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam. She explained that with the popularity of Buddhism in Vietnam, vegetarian food is very common and many of the Vietnamese restaurants in LA are actually run by Koreans. I've tried a couple of Vietnamese restaurants in LA with vegetarian options with quite satisfying results! Pho 36 in particular serves a phenomenal vegetarian vermicelli dish.

So now I'm wondering, what do I know about Vietnam that doesn't involve war? Not much. The Vietnamese population in the U.S. is low compared to other cultures, there are almost no documentaries that aren't about the war and there isn't a Little Saigon in every city.

Current mission: find out about Vietnamese culture and find this vintage Hook-Ups skate sticker:

It will be the second in my collection of vintage Hook-Ups skate stickers:

Who is Chante Jawan Mallard?

2011-09-29T02:06:00.000-07:00

I'm watching this movie called Stuck, about a girl who hits a homeless man with her car. The man smashes through her windshield and gets stuck in the glass. She drives home and parks her car in her garage, leaving the man to die. Her self centered attitude prevents her from getting help for the man because she's afraid of the consequences. The girl is played by Mena Suvari and her character is a complete bitch.

So, I'm watching the movie and thinking she's seriously a cruel animal. Actually, I think I've known a few people like her. Out of curiosity I checked the wikipedia page for Stuck and, holy shit, it's a true story. It's based on a similar crime committed by Chante Jawan Mallard. The details have been altered, but the crime is real.

Here is the CNN article.

Why is creating a logo such a rewarding task?

2011-09-26T23:29:00.000-07:00

I just finished a new experimental logo for The Cruelest Animal. Some Melvins fans might know of Mackie Osborne. Her incredible and unusually creative work was the inspiration for this.

2011-09-21T00:13:00.000-07:00

The Cruelest Animal:
Tracking drums without cymbals. It's something I've wanted to do for quite a while. The idea is, record solid kick, snare and tom parts without worrying about cymbals. Then, record cymbals separately after the rest of the drums are done. This has several advantages. A major advantage is digital editing. Cymbals are very noisy and make it really difficult to see whats happening when viewing waveforms on the drum tracks. Anther advantage is eq. Without the high frequencies created by cymbals bleeding into every drum mic, you have a lot more control over your tone. Finally, from a drummers perpective, you have the advantage of perfecting cymbal patterns as well as deciding which cymbals to use at any point in the recording process.

Check out this video of the the process. We were super honored to get some help with drum tuning from our friend Sako. He has been system of a down's drum tech since day one. The man has some great stories and he knows a thing or two about drums. If you're a big System fan, you may recognize his name from the song Sugar:

"I got a gun the other day from Sako.
It's cute, small, fits right in my pocket.
Yeah, right in my pocket."

Enjoy:

Would I be more productive if I wasn't watching Netflix?

2011-09-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my world. ProTools and Netflix, Photoshop and Netflix, inDesign and Hulu, Text Wrangler and Netflix, ect.

The TCA ep is coming right along. We're in the third stage of the recording process now, drum editing. Initially we prepared the landscape with a tempo map. Secondly we poured the foundation by tracking drums (video coming soon). Now I'm smoothing out the poured concrete drums in proTools.

Take a look at the screenshot below, you'll see the proTools mix window, the edit window, and a google chrome browser window playing episode 12 from season 3 of Breaking Bad on Netflix. It would probably be easier if I turned off Netflix, but then I wouldn't be able to watch Breaking Bad. The moral of this story is... actually there is no moral. I just like watching movies, tv and documentaries while I'm working.

Initial Stages of Recording

2011-09-12T19:13:00.000-07:00

This video was recorded three months ago. It was the very first day of pre-production for the first Cruelest Animal ep. This session was all about creating a pro tools session with a tempo map using very rough guitar parts. This entire ep will be recorded as one long musical piece, so the click track needs to change tempo's accurately with the music. Since then, we've tracked the basic drum parts. Creating a good recording is a lot like building a house. You need to start with a properly prepared lot before you even begin to build the foundation.

Food tends to be a crucial factor in the studio sessions. I can't remember exactly what we ate during this session, but I tink it might have been Sunshine Thai. More video soon.

"Clean Safe Power"

2011-09-10T10:49:00.000-07:00

I lived in rural Massachusetts up until I turned 13 and my family moved to Arizona. In Mass my dad had a pretty good job at Yankee Atomic, America's oldest operating nuclear power plant (we moved when it was decommissioned). It was always a mysterious thing to me. Everything from the huge white dome housing the reactor, to the incredible security precautions, to the secluded location, sparked my interest. At the time I had no idea what Chernobyl was, but now I find myself studying the disaster and experiencing the same type of interset. Maybe it's the sheer magnitude of what nuclear power is packing or maybe it's the apparent lack of control that we have over these beasts. Whatever it is, it's truly unreal.

This Chernobyl Documentary is definitely worth watching.

Ignorance is bliss.

2011-09-06T23:57:00.000-07:00

While watching a documentary called "The Weather Underground" I stumbled across a quote that quite effectively sums up the way I feel about the world right now. The statement was made by Naomi Jaffe, a member of the 60's revolutionary group "The Weathermen". They were a leftist group in opposition to the Vietnam war and her statement was in reference to the war, but I think it's relevance is timeless.

Jaffe said:

"We felt that doing nothing in a period of repressive violence is itself a form of violence. That's really the part that I think is the hardest for people to understand. If you sit in your house, live your white life and go to your white job, and allow the country that you live in to murder people and to commit genocide, and you sit there and you don't do anything about it, that's violence."

We are truly a violent culture.

Crazy experience on the bus...

2011-08-11T17:37:00.000-07:00

Every day when I go to work, I bring my bike on the bus and ride home. Today was a more interesting bus ride.

As I was loading my bike on the front rack of the bus, I noticed that there was also a pretty snazzy fixed gear on the rack. While I was stepping onto the bus a guy who was standing next to me at the bus stop removed the bike from the rack. It seemed obvious that since the bike was already on the bus and he wasn't, that was not his bike! I said to the bus driver, "hey, he's stealing that bike." As soon as I said that, a teenage boy jumped up from the middle of the bus and sprinted towards the front.

The bike thief was riding away. Fortunately he had to slow down for traffic in the middle of Santa Monica Blvd. The bike's owner didn't miss a beat as he ran full speed off the bus and into the street after the thief. He put his arms straight out in front of him and hit that bike stealin' mother fucker straight in the back! The guy was thrown face first off the bike onto Santa Monica Blvd. The kid picked up his bike and rode away. The thief was fine as he walked away with his tail between his legs.

If that isn't swift justice, I don't know what is...

Coldplay Lyrics

2011-07-31T17:25:00.000-07:00

Although I'm not usually a fan of mainstream music, Coldplay is a band I can appreciate from time to time. The song "God Put a Smile on Your Face", is good one. It's built on simple and slightly erie melodies over a relentless quarter note snare beat.

The title implies that the song has some sort of delusional Christian message of hope, but upon further examination the concept seems to be less about "god" and more about admitting that nobody knows why we are what we are.

Only the song's author can really know the intended meaning, but I like to think he's saying that nobody really knows why we exist and there is no real rhyme or reason to any of it - personally I don't think that's a bad thing at all.

Judge for yourself:

Where do we go, nobody knows
I've gotta say I'm on my way down
God give me style and give me grace
God put a smile upon my face

Where do we go to draw the line
I've gotta say, I wasted all your time, oh honey honey
Where do I go to fall from grace
God put a smile upon your face, yeah

Now when you work it out I'm worse than you
Yeah when you work it out, I want it too
Now when you work out where to draw the line
Your guess is as good as mine...

Where do we go, nobody knows
Don't ever say you're on your way down, when..
God gave you style and gave you grace
And put a smile upon your face, oh yeah

Now when you work it out I'm worse than you
Yeah when you work it out, I want it too
Now when you work out where to draw the line
Your guess is as good as mine...

It's as good as mine
As good as mine...

Where do we go, nobody knows
Don't ever say you're on your way down, when..
God gave you style and gave you grace
And put a smile upon your face

Time management.

2011-05-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

Time is quite possibly the most valuable thing to a human. For many great people, the choice of how they've allocated their time has probably played a large role in in the level of success that they've achieved. Generally I feel like I have spent my time well by being in a creative state. In fact, I usually feel that spending time being anything but creative is time wasted. Some would say that is because I am a libra… maybe, who knows.
Lately, as a change of pace, I have spent more time considering which activities constitute time well spent. They change depending on so many different factors. Considering how important time is, I can understand why so many people in LA have assistants. Although, I believe that many of them only have assistants to enlarge their already massive ego's. What activities do you think constitute time well spent? How do those tasks change and why?

The dead animal on Trump's head.

2011-05-04T07:59:00.000-07:00

The time has come for all of us to band together and write a song about Donald Trump's hair. Sort of a "We Are The World" type of thing.