Sunday, May 31, 2009

Yesterday


Yesterday is one of those nice words with a melody. Yesterday I was sitting at a big table of friends at the “We’ve Got Gravity” CD Release event, here in Bloomington, at our own “Player’s Pub.” Several of us were talking about favorite songs. There were at least two or three who mentioned the song, "You've Got To Serve Somebody," by Bob Dylan. It’s a song with sounds true meaning. And as far as I can tell, I'm pretty sure it is true.

The CD Release event went real well. It was from 2 – 6, on an absolutely gorgeous Indiana 'last of May' day. I was kind of the producer for the event, and even I didn’t want to go. Fortunately, there was a good crowd there, despite the weather and other even more intervening issues. The program was wonderful. John has some new musical friends, and already I see a very good fit. Wonderful comedy was provided by Ken Ferrell. As John said, "He's actually funny!" I got to sing with Carlyn Lindsey on three songs! It was the first time I have sung publically since 1979 and "The Sponges." I had fun!

Today’s artwork is about catching a cup of good karma. Today’s music is a Basement Collaboration track, of the very same, to the point, "You've Got To Serve Somebody, we were talking about yesterday." This song was the first track of the first disk I pulled out... Jerry Farnsworth is singing, and playing guitar, Scot and Kenny are there as per usual, although not to complain, but I would have turned Scot up a little in the mix. I do think that’s him playing tamborine though.

Joining the boys that night was Nelson Batalon, who is serious about his horn playing, and who has raised up two amazing young horn men, in his sons. They were all three down at the Fig Gig last week. It was cool to see these young people be so serious about their music, and absolutely jamming with their dad. Real cool........







Saturday, May 30, 2009

Music Monster


I married a music monster. I was born of a music monster. My sire was a music monster ‘wanta be’. Music has ALWAYS figured big in my life.

But today I talk about the artwork first. I am listening to a cassette, trying to find a track I had--but lost. In the meantime, here’s the lowdown on today’s art, which ends up sounding a lot like a thing about music. Music figured so largely in Scot’s life, that it is not surprise to me that he started reaching for the physicality of music upon which to perform his art.

Bloomington is a BIG music town. Scot began scouring the weekly library book sale for interesting music manuscripts. These manuscripts were always sort of mysterious to Scot, because the notes on the staff actually meant nothing to him. Interestingly enough, he began creating art on musical scores from practice books to Mozart classics. I was there selling the artwork in the booth, and digging it every time a musician came into the booth and began figuring out what piece the artwork had been created upon.

Scot became a fully integrated man before he died, but for a long time, there was a schism. There was the art man and then there was the music man. Few people have the kind of gift in any one medium as Scot had when he pulled out his handkerchief, and sneezed. This man breathed it, day and night, night and day, every day.

I was looking for just this song tonight, just the kind of thing Scot threw across my path—everyday. I know now that, the commitment I made in the nature of this memorial blog is no insignificant thing. I mean to honor it. I dug my hand deep into the bin of unknown recordings, and this is what I came up with.

Before I close, I have to say this. Today’s artwork was drawn with a squeeze bottle. We’ve had “drawn with a mouse.” This piece was drawn with a squeeze bottle, filled with India ink, and then nothing short of squirted out on to the page. All I can think to tell you is to “dig it."







Friday, May 29, 2009

Anniversaries


Twenty-six years ago today, I found my future. Yes, twenty-six years ago today, Scot and I meet in front of friends and family and said some vows. Tricky things vows. One does hate to break a vow, but…well, occasionally, they do get broken. Fortunately for Scot and I, we didn’t have to break any vows. The "for better or worse thing" did come into play. The truth is, we came pretty close a few times. One thing I’m noticing tonight and thinking about is the concept that we all have our anniversaries—good and bad. We all have our memories.

This track was written by Carlyn Lindsey and Tim Haas. (Don't think Scot has a writing credit here.) The music is being performed by "Carlyn Lindsey & Snake Doctor"--playing live at the Encore Cafe, circa 2005. Carlyn is whipping out the vocals (as usual, even if she would like more rehearsal), Tim Haas--backing Carlyn up in his usual take care of business way, Larry Vessily is in there, as is Scot, but tonight we also get to groove on the sensuous, silky and so right flute of Dave Witherd.

Today’s artwork is a real amalgam. Caligraphic lines, some kind of Flintstone-like still-life, a checkered table cloth, a red headed girl of indiscriminant eye color and a blazing sun. This girl always seemed lonely beyond words (to me), despite her smile. Why?







Thursday, May 28, 2009

Signature Tunes


Around here, things go ‘round in circles. Tonight we head out to Helmsberg for a Fig Gig. Judy circles around and picks me up around 5:30. We circle around and pick-up the pizza and then circle on out of town. Tonight is not just your ordinary Fig Gig though, for tonight we are celebrating Jerry Farnsworth’s 60th birthday! I’m told cake will be had. Some things do change.

I went looking for a signature Jerry tune: “16 Tons”, “Don’t Mess With My Tuttu.” First track I pulled up was this neat recording of the Basement Boys (AKA: BC). This is actually a rehearsal tape. Another thing that circles around is the 4th Street Festival of the Arts and Crafts, which we’re also involved with. Jerry would bring the boys out of the basement, under the moniker of “Jerry’s Kids” to play every year at the festival.

This is a rehearsal tape for that gig, recorded in September 2005. It features the great rhythm guitar of local phenomenon, Mark Menifhy (sp?), Larry Vessily (of Snake Doctor keyboards renown) is blowing harp, Scot and Kenny had their funky lock-down going. The song is definitely one of Jerry’s signature tunes, “Built For Comfort,” by the late, great, Howlin' Wolf. Jerry and Scot had a lot the same kind of body type (a lot like Howlin's). I understand what this song is all about, as does, obviously, Jerry’s beautiful wife, Judy. They've got two generations of beautiful family behind them to prove it. This is a swingin’ version of the song in which Jerry shows us that he has this sweet, Garrison Keller-type high range! Not too shabby on the lead guitar either.

Our artwork for today is an exceptionally nice work-up of another “art–by the ream” piece. Scot has worked up his sepia aquatinting and added the subtlest of coloration—let’s call it pale rose and aquamarine.







Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Callin' Out The Chords


Greetings Cats and Kitties. The low down for today runs like this. These were some good times—rollicking good music times—loving family of friends times. I treat you once again to a gem from the Carlyn Lindsey & Snake Doctor archives. This is just the kind of music that everyone in the group was absolutely ready to have a go with.

Today’s track is a first rehearsal run through of the wonderful Louis Jordan song, “Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby?” On this track, Larry Vessily is leading the band, with his driving barrel house piano, being dashed off, as he calls out the chords as they go along. This was another one of the songs Scot would have to practice a lot. It sort of bugged him that he actually wanted to play a song with so many chords in it.

Today’s artwork is from a series Scot did in the late 1990’s. These were elegantly stripped down versions of his most celestial symbols. Not much question about is you is or is you ain’t here.







Tuesday, May 26, 2009

We've Got "Gravity!"


***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

We’ve Got “Gravity! – a CD Release Event

Bloomington songwriter & musician, John (Merriwether) Williams is set to release his collaborative project, “Gravity.” The CD release event is going to happen this coming Sunday, May 31, 2009—at “Player’s Pub” here in Bloomington. The collaborative part of this project has to do with Williams’ work with the late T. Scot Halpin—work done during the last five years of Halpin’s life.

Halpin and Williams were neighbors and fast friends. They were regularly seen busking on the streets of Bloomington. Some of their favorite spots were outside of the Irish Lion, entertaining the smokers, inside the front door of the “Corner Bookstore”, next to the Malibu Grill. Their favorite spot was on Indiana Ave. just down the street from the old “Book Nook.” Here they would play mainly to the people waiting for their buses across the street, outside the law school.

Halpin and Williams were set to record a new body of songs, but twice the recording session had to be cancelled; once due to a tornado warning in the area and one time due to Halpin’s failing health--which ended up taking him before a recording of the two of them doing this new material could be captured. Everyone close to the project was devastated by this happenstance. Right away, there was talk of various friends joining in the project--track by track. John decided to book some time in a local studio to lay down a scratch track, to send around to interested friends.

The freedom of thinking this was the beginning of a project, rather than a finished piece, gave John tremendous leeway emotionally, which ended up really being translated musically. Instead of creating a throw away scratch track, John created a brilliant document, one fully resonant with the complex nature of his relationship with Scot, and also, his own gifted genius. John says it felt like Scot was there in the room with him. Friends don’t doubt this; Halpin was a guy who would try.

Speaking of friends, Williams will be joined at his CD release event by the spectacular Carlyn Lindsey and her faithful “Snake Doctor” sidekick and ‘Inside and Out Man’—the noble Tim Haas. The room stands to be choke-full of musicians who knew and loved and played with Scot Halpin here in Bloomington--and friends as well as family who know and love all the people involved.

Any help in publicizing this event would be greatly appreciated. Player’s Pub will be open for their regular brunch at noon. They are well known for their quality food and delicious attention to menu. Details are as follows:

WHERE: Player’s Pub, 424 S. Walnut, Bloomington, IN

WHEN: Sunday, May 31, 2009, 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM

OTHER INFO: Player’s Pub now has a license that allows for all the family to come to the Pub! ALL AGES ARE NOW WELCOME. For more info at the Pub, call: 812-334-2080.

FOR MORE INFO ON SCOT HALPIN:

Check out: http://tscothalpin.blogspot.com

Or Google: Scot Halpin







Monday, May 25, 2009

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Nine Days in May


"?Que pasa Amiga?"you might ask. Been flying below the radar for the last few days after my Big Stomp in the Big Apple. Phewf…. Glad to be on this side of things. Hard to say about all that happened. Bottom-line—no one walked into the booth and said, “OK, we get it. We’ll take over from here.” Scot and I would routinely have some kind of similar fantasy while we were doing art fairs (1989 to 2007). We’d pull into town and some rich, and gifted industrialist would walk into the booth and ‘snatch us up’. “Sell out the Show!” That would be another one of our regular chants. Scot would have this new brilliant artwork, and we’d be so excited to have people coming to look at it, and dig it, and buy it. A lady who bought quite a few of extremely nice original pieces from me in Kansas City, over the years at the Plaza Art Fair and the Brookside Art Annual. She was there as a buyer for Michael’s. So another bottom-line, it once again appears, that we are left to cut the thing from whole cloth, once again.

We, my business partner (and Scot life long friend), Steve K. Teraberry, are committed to bringing Scot’s artwork to a bigger world. That motivation makes it easy. We got tons of people who were just like us last year when we came to suss out the show. We were still kind of in shock. Scot had only just passed a few short months ago. I was still just naturally turning to him. At Surtex 2008, it was just so great to have Steve there. It was kind of like having Scot there too. Their sensibilities have been entwined for decades. But we did get a handful of some kick-ass leads. I heard it over and over again. The work begins the day after the show. I personally made a commitment to let myself do some gardening for the Memorial Day weekend, and to be honest, my garden is calling me RIGHT NOW!

Today’s music is another wonderful “Jamula” track (Jerry, this is rude, but could you please provide the name and authorship into again?). Tom Smith demands his rhythm and the boys (Jerry Farnsworth on guitar, Tom Smith on mouth organ and Scot Halpin on bass) comply, sliding firmly into another classic “Jamula” grove. This is “Jamula” as it stood in its earliest incarnations—pure trio.

I will fill in some blanks on my lost (to the blog) days in NYC. Ironically, there I was on 42nd Street—Manhattan—and could not get an Internet connection in my room. Nor could I get an Internet connection at the Javits Center (and I tried—“invalid code”—ARGH!!!!!!). Yes I could have gone down to the lobby, late, after doing more bar hopping than I’ve done in a year in three hours. I might have been a bit better if I could have come back to my room, gotten into my jammies… That reminds me, one of the early trial names for “Jamula” was “Jammikins.”

Happy Memorial Day weekend to us all.







Friday, May 15, 2009

We're Here!

OK, anyone who cares. I’m sitting in the lobby of the Travel Inn “Moter Lodge.” Bet you didn’t thin there were any moter lodges on the island of Manhattan. There is. It’s directly adjacent to something that reminds me of one of the three sit coms (?) I ever followed. “Maude,” “All In the Family” and Kojak. I loved Telly Sevalas and his lolly pop. It’s ten past three. We are here (NYC).

Music is not going to happen tonight. Sorry. Too many technical difficulties I can’t work out just now. New York Blessings to you all. Bob Marley playing here in the lobbey







Thursday, May 14, 2009

All Packed Up


Just like the good ants who worked and worked, we (Steve Teraberry—my new business partner and I) are about to head out for parts NYC. For reasons related to the fact that it’s 11:54 PM, I need to make this a short entry.

“Instant Ants From Space” is an early 1980’s Scot Halpin electronic manefesto. A few of the people reading this blog will remember making a video (when the tape was 1” thick). Remember being costumed in huge black garbage bags, sinched at the waist, dancing in front of some nice projected slides? My friend Jeff Armstrong, says he’s recovered the “Vidiots” tapes we did at the Muscatine Cable Access, circa 1981. People get ready.

Artwork--DWM. Bring a brother. Bring another. All aboard. Ant Colony.







Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Variations On A Theme


“Stealin’” back to my same old used to be again. Extra points to anyone who caught that this is the same image I used on the first round of “Stealin’” (Openers 2/15/09) —same meaning the same little guy dancing along. Scot would often do several different versions of these pieces—the digital miracle being one of the obvious benefits, from the “art in a minute” model Scot worked toward. In the end, I guess ‘same’ is not the right word. Scot had a language of symbols he used a lot--rich, potent little symbols, he was entranced with.

Today’s musical track is the more trumpet I was looking for yesterday. This is a Basement Collaboration session, but in this case, the BC is hosting “Plank Road.” I love hearing this different arrangement of “Stealin.” John and Scot were sure both in fine voice that night. Our trumpet player (help me here Jerry) has sure warmed up!







Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Up And Down Are Relative


Believe it or not, this is the same BC hosted session of ”Plank Road” that brought us our second delightful version of “Wild About Your Lovin,” which I featured earlier in this memorial blog (“Still Wild”4/27/09). I got this disk out today because I wanted to hear more from THAT (yet to be named) trumpet player. All I remember is what Scot told me. This guy hadn’t played in a while. He blew full out on the first song and it took five or six songs for this guy’s lip to recover. This is the first song his lip had recovered on. I love how now after sitting out and listening to this band for five or six songs, he is ready to jump in on in a wonderfully melodic way—quite what a trumpet needs to do. My only regret is that there was no microphone on the backup singers.

I want to provide for you all tonight. Here is a nice black and white drawing with lots to contemplate about it.







Monday, May 11, 2009

Got To Be A Man Someday


“Sponges,” my friends. Sorry for the fidelity. The master is around here someplace. Journey with me now back to 1981. This is a studio recording. Scot was ready to multi-track! Dig the hand-clap track, courtesy of you know who--also the second guitar track. Only you know Joe, which track is yours.

Artwork dedicated to my son, James.







Sunday, May 10, 2009

The Mother/Child Circle


Get ready to get funky, all you mothers. Here’s a track dedicated to anyone whose ever given birth, be it idea, project, or child. Same thing. Here’s what I know. The mother energy always brings something more to the table. Like the mother in today’s artwork. she brings the most delightful of bouquets to the process. Turn down the lights. Imagine a rose you’ve smelled. Here’s a track designed to help you give birth.







Saturday, May 9, 2009

Comedy Anyone?


Today’s track is a joke, "Owner of a Broken Car," created sometime in the early 1980's. I’m thinking that at some point Scot must have gotten the weird notion that there might be room in the world for another Weird Al Yankovic. Scot took the production of this song real seriously. He is once again playing on all the tracks. What made me pull the tape was that I came across a .25 throwaway tape, on which he was working out the harmony part of the chorus, signing over of the “Yes” version he’d recorded off the radio. I’m pretty sure that some of these car sounds are real.

What I love is how thoroughly he takes on his song persona. Scot was, in general, frequently an owner of a broken car. He didn’t cotton to the idea of spending a lot of money on a new car, and then having to pay to maintain it. We mostly drove our mom and dad’s (or grandparent’s) old cars. We did buy a ’66 Dodge Dart (with cassette tape deck) for $300 in 1981 when we headed out for Europe. We drove that car across the country and back--on the return trip seriously overloaded--and the poor thing finally crooked. We got a lot of transportation bang for those 300 transportation bucks. Dodge Dart—that was a good car!

OK, went to hear (?) see (?) some comedy last night. I was really up for something different and my friends had invited me to a new comedy club here in Bloomington. It was a pretty slick little club, and booked there last night was Maria Bamford. My friends had lately seen her in Chicago on a night they too needed something different. The salve of humor.

We learned of Scot brain tumor after he had a terrible Grande maul seizure. Both Scot’s shoulders had become dislocated in the course of this seizure and as a result, he had to wear (?) an orthopedic device 24/7 for six weeks. I'm looking for a picture of this. You won't like it. It was not funny, One of the first things I did was to ask friends to go to the library and find every good comedy movie they could find. We watched the Mark Brothers and Chevy Chase and Robin Williams and Bill Murray and whatever else was available from our wonderful public library.

Scot also got seriously into watching music DVD’s. Late at night, if he couldn’t sleep, he put in a new disk. He actually bought a lot of music DVD’s. For him, this was quality bang for the distraction buck. Most of the time he’d jam along, his bass plugged into a mini-amp sometimes, sometimes not.

I chose today’s artwork because this guy seems like a jester. Interesting concept the jester… Weirdly powerful. Last night at the club, we had three warm-up comedians. The room is packed. I’m told that the club we were seeing Maria Bamford in, was a way more intimate setting than one usually gets to see her in. We were maybe ten unobstructed feet away from her. Maria hit the stage like a well-fired cannon ball. BOOM! Now, I'm here to tell you, Maria Bamford is FUNNY-—serious funny. Not unrelated to this blog, however, we had--shall we call it a slight phenomenon? About three sentences into her act, Maria mentions that she’s heard that there’s a guy who lives here in Bloomington that played with “The Who.” My friend blurts out, “Yeah, and she’s his wife,” pointing to me. I’m sure she might have been actually made speechless, for about a half a second. Think about it though. It is kind of weird. Unfortunately, she had not heard that Scot had passed. Now I find myself wondering where she might have gone with it? I did try to get information about the blog to her after the show.







Friday, May 8, 2009

Thank You


Thank you is not a hard one for me. I look around, and find myself wanting to say thank you all the time. On the other hand, “Whatever you’re doing, love yourself for doing it.” This is a lot harder for me. What about those lazy minutes (minutes are about the only unit of time I currently have time to be lazy in)? Same thing with, “Whatever you’re thinking…” Love whatever you’re thinking? What can this mean? I’ve had some pretty ugly thoughts.

This track, which I’m now calling, “Whatever you’re…” was recorded, at home, in the mid 1980’s. I have talked a little bit about this time, but once again, Scot was working on his master’s project, a creative visualization how-to technique book, called "Picturing." During this time, Scot and I spent quite a bit of time thinking about the nature of being an artist. Our conclusion was that art has healing properties and that it also serves as the growing edge of human existence. So in this way, being artists, we felt some responsibility.

This whole process began Scot’s search for peace, which really crystallized during this time. He became a serious student of “good stuff in, good stuff out,” avoiding the obvious opposite whenever possible. But here’s the rub, try not thinking about something. Silly, but this is hard. Meditation teachers of all ilk talk about the same kinds of things: don’t judge, notice and return, observe until the next breath, and so on. All much the same, subtext—hating it, will not make it go away.

Today’s artwork is another dry point. The dry point has the most wonderful, rich, velvety line. Here again, are some masterful wet-on-wet washes. Today we have a girl, offering her thanks to the universe, which this day has taken the form of the moon.







Thursday, May 7, 2009

Going Up


Clink, Clink. So begins today’s epidode of “A Day in the Musical Life of T. Scot Halpin.” This is a very, very early recording of “Carlyn Lindsey & Snake Doctor” at the Encore CafĂ©. In today’s track, Carlyn starts talkin’ ‘bout that sweet, boogie—woogie. Elevator Boogie Blues was written by Arnie Street, and was a favorite of both mine and Scot’s. As we’ve heard from some recent tracks, toward the end of his life, Scot really enjoyed the kind of music where people sing along when they feel like it, or shout something in from time to time. It makes it kind of like church, or the pub.

Today’s artwork takes off from the magic elevator at Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory. This is a piece with many incarnations behind it. It started out as a dry-point engraving. The major elements of the piece were hand colored with transparent acrylic washes, including a little airbrush work on the world. The background is a slightly cheesy, but very dramatic digital filter Scot was amazed by; much in the same way Vermier might have been with the pinhole camera. “Humm…I can use this.”







Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Coming Soon


Back in the basement. The Basement Collaboration is hosting their friend and colleague, Scott on harp. Once again, I have to say, dig the bass on this track. He was going where he was going. The piece really gets going. What I love about this is what a good example of the fun Scot had while he was living. Things were not easy for him. He was dealing with neurological issues like vertigo, which in no way impaired him intellectually, but did make the day to day difficult. I mentioned it once before—the power chair. He played sitting down, like Howlin’.

We’ve also got some really cool, really tasteful playing going on—once again the BC (Basement Collaboration) is Jerry Farnsworth ON guitar. Kenny Wright was ALL RIGHT, swinging his heart out on drums. Scott gets that harp all fired up. I realize that this song does have a name. I just keep making up variations of Jamula, which is where this riff came from. We’ll call this one, “1-2-3 Jamula.” I’ll eventually track down the real name.

Thinking back on this time, I marvel what a truly amazing situation this was for Scot; he got to play settle into a tight ensemble with Jerry and Kenny, while having tremendously varied, and mostly quite good players to fall in with. What makes this especially cool for all of us is that Jerry was there making use of the miracle of digital recording--the old one-two. Thanks to Jerry, who did such a beautiful job recording all these sessions, and for allowing me to make them available here.

As for today’s artwork, this is the “hot off the press” postcard, going to licensing agents and firms in Boston, NYC and Philly. I am headed out for the international launch of the T. Scot Halpin Archive. This image, minus the text is the backdrop for the booth. Pretty cool. We leave on the fifteenth! T minus 8 and counting……….







Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Get Along Home


Well……………thanks for checking in. Today we have a fun “Plank Road” track of the traditional song “Cindy Cindy,” produced and helped along musically by Evan Copelly, John’s talented stepson. This track has everything going for it. This was one of Scot’s favorite “Plank Road” numbers. Scot is playing another box on this track. Listen for the brushes and that unmistakable box fidelity. Hey, it’s perfect for a jug band! Scot loved all the kazoo and whistle on this track. Every once in a while, I hear a giant thump, reminiscent of the bass drum of a marching band.

Today’s artwork is a charming interpretation of Cindy, getting along home.







Monday, May 4, 2009

Tight Rope on Tippy Toes


Today’s track is Scot’s swingin’ “Folk Punk Instrumental #2”, recorded at our Page Street apartment in San Francisco, in the mid-1980s. Scot is once again playing all the instruments. I’m pretty sure I know what he was after on this track. He wanted to experiment with slide guitar. I love the bass line rolling off the fat strings of his guitar. Scot loved to play guitar this way--really pulling out the bass notes, digging around for the roots.

Today’s artwork is about a person who has a lot going on, but feels the taught presence of the wire under her feet, guiding her on. All she has to do is take one step at a time, and not fall off.







Sunday, May 3, 2009

Eyes of Blue


This track is dedicated to the blue-eyed angels among us, “Plank Road” acting here today as salvation army band for those very blue-eyed angels. The tune, "Has Anybody Seen My Girl," was written by "The California Ramblers" in 1925.

The other person I’m thinking about tonight is my good friend Pauline, who like the heroine of old would let herself be tied to the tracks, if she thought she had a good reason. Otherwise, forget it. No one ties this Pauline to the tracks without a good reason. She probably was just about 5’2”, back in her day. She played the piano by ear and loved music. She had red hair and married a man who picked her out of a crowd.

The artwork for today is another file, imported as a PDF. Here’s the hitch. If you start talking about a certain color of eyes, you are certain to leave certain people out. I know how disappointed Scot was when James inherited my mother’s chocolate brown eyes, mixed with a tinge of some other people’s hazel eyes (you know, those eyes that change color around the edges).

Here’s a sad interjection. End of track. Flash to one one my top ten movie favorites, “Shawshank Redemption.” Remember, Morgan Freeman’s character, true-heartedly asking the grocery store boss to give him permission to go to the bathroom. Here is Scot, ready for “a pee break.” I love the engineer for responding, “Well, done.” and so much, Scot gratefully singing, “Alright.”







Saturday, May 2, 2009

Wild Wild Wild Weekend


Jump into the way-back machine, my friends. Hold on. Let’s blast off into the blasted-off days of say, 1983, Scot’s Folk Punk days. “Wild, Wild, Wild Weekend” is another rockabilly, folk, punk hybrid. Scot assumes all the positions in the field. Typewriter rhythm box, funky thumpin’ bass, Sir Doug-ish Farfisa, solid state guitar—solidly out of tune, and his own dear yippin’ and a hippin’ sweet voice.

I am going to try something new for the blog. The addition of photography. This photo was taken by our friend Mark Erickson. Mark is a wonderful artist and can be counted on to document things. Today’s picture was taken on the beach during one of our endless surfing (not me or Scot) beach combing (yes) adventures.



Today’s artwork is a crazy pick. These are test eyes. Scot was a master of the white dot. The white dot is the secret of making eyes come alive. It is an old illustrators’ trick. These are digital eyes and a digital smile, drawn with digital tools. What’s weird to me is how these eyes all kind of fit together (they do follow you around), and the tiniest addition of shadow, really gives the allusion of a socket.







Friday, May 1, 2009

Have I Already Repeated Myself?


When I was reading my entry for yesterday, I kept having the extreme feeling that I’ve written all this out before. I guess it’s possible. Today’s track is a cut from “Folklore’s” official demo (1989 - 1990). The song is another Scot Halpin original called, “Hideaway.” Scot is doing lead vocals and playing lead-ythm guitar. Edward Bachmann is playing bass and Johnny Law is the man on the drums.

I remember the period these “Folklore” songs were written. Scot's residency at the Headlands was over. We were in our little apartment --solidly back in the City. We were living a couple blocks away from Civic Center at the bottom of Page St. We had one first floor window that faced the street--everything else faced a wall or a stairwell. We were up a little bit, but basically people could see in pretty easily. Scot got the idea of spray painting the window white. This was a fine solution to the problem for him. For me, I really did begin to feel like we were refugees.

He’d sit in that room, late at night, mastering, mixing, recording new parts, throwing down new tracks, and on and on; the only only thing separating him from the rest of the world was that thin layer of spray paint, the only thing separating us was an open door. At my insistance, he did scrape the paint off. There was the city--right there outside the window, on the move, but inside--we still had this dense capsule of experiential living going on.

Today’s artwork is about rare air and the rain giving what is needed. Today's post is dedicated to all the refugees who are standing on the brink.







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