Tonight I go dancing. “Carlyn Lindsey & Snake Doctor” are performing tonight—their first real gig since Carlyn’s mom died. Today’s musical track is a solo electronic piece of what song? Special points to those T. Scot Halpin Memorial Bloggers who knew that it was a stepped up, jazzed out version from the “Interactive Seeker”-- “Ode to Dr. Kevorkian”—recorded in 1990.
Today’s artwork is not a Sharpie line. This is the line a pen described earlier in the blog. Scot was a frugal man, and this drawing was made by a pen a frugal man might not usually buy. Scot looked down on glam art supplies. He distained the concept that art should only take place on a carefully prepared canvas.
This piece is actually a portrait of my family. Here we stand on the windswept chessboard of life—each of us with our own set moves. At least in this drawing, we are all experiencing the same off shore breeze. Please dear Blogger, do notice the magnificent sepia blush.
Here we go, off on one more journey through the time machine, way back to 1982. “T. Scot Bottom & the Rockabilly Funhouse is putting a wrap on their third set at Gabe’s in Iowa City.
The locomotive has its head of steam. The gears are greased. Get ready to settle into the pull of the real thing. Every band in the world knows this song, but as far as I’m concerned—this as perfect a version of “Mustang Sally” as exists.
Today’s artwork is the cross beam of a multi-media muse feast. This is graphite. This is transparent acrylic. This is Krylon. All done on the horizontal, in 1992. Dig the beret and the palette. What all’s happening on the left is a little less clear.
For Boxing Day, I am serving up a little golden quiche of a tune for our brunch. Wake up and smell that coffee. “Empty Bed Blues” is one of the first tunes Carlyn Lindsay polished up for public consumption, before the conception of "Snake Doctor". Another player from our blog, Jerry Farnsworth, worked a lot with Carlyn helping her develop her first basic repertoire.
This recording was made in 2003 at the Encore Cafe—-before guitar was added to the ‘Snake Doctor’ line up. Early ‘Snake Doctor’ was quite a soft spoken, jazzy affair. There was enough sonic space around each of the players that they were effectively able to hear and respond to one another with great delicacy. Listen deeply for Scot’s out-of-this world bass line.
Blue “Sharpie” line this time. Same idea—Scot like that this stupid toxic pen was responsive. A pause swelled. Please blow this image up to fully appreciate the delightful subtleties of Scot’s work with washes. Here is a snippet of a poem Scot wrote about being awash in color, shortly before he died.
Golden Light Dream surgent Moving across the Arms The legs and reaching The Heart Dream surgent Yellow blues— Red or orange The Power / The Strength Move ‘n’ glow Heal Heal and replace
“Memory 17” anyone?” Today’s music is a solo recording Scot created in 1989, performing another version of his amazing 3-D multi-sensory plea—-yes, I think it's appropriate at this time of year--once again—-Memory 17--direct from “The Interactive Seeker Series” composed in 1988 while rambling the wildest of west coast headlands.
Today’s artwork is a gem. I have mined a deep cave to bring you this very richest of reds. Ruby red. Blood red. With only the slightest touches of orange. A glaze of blue. A frosting of illustrator’s white.
This piece began on an even deeper level as of watery wash—-more like a dye, a bandage. Scot tore up this cotton rag paper into little sheets and sloffed down color and glaze and spatters—-unconfined to a graphic field. Upon this universe, he then laid down this sweet little drawing. A drawing direct from the consciousness of “The Little Prince”-- a guy who floats around the cosmos, so ready to encounter things.
Sadly, I must point out that this ‘Little Prince’ is accommodating an encroaching growth in the left temporal region. Something also seems to be going wrong with his pencil? Luckily we see that his toes are firmly planted on the ground. There is an interesting structure off in the distance—-kind of home, kind of sculpture, kind of tomb.
Another round of the same, thank you. In all fairness, we haven't heard that much from "T. Scot Bottom & the Rockabilly Funhouse" here on the T. Scot Halpin Memorial Blog. In this series, we get more of an intimate view into Scot's Rockabilly laboratory. He was on the spot, dissecting the form. He was exploring the outer edges of twang. Dig that pulsey rhythmic agenda! Remember too that this is winter of 1982, just a few months after "The Stray Cats" had released their first album. Rockabilly had been at that time, a dusty form--mostly seen as an oddity on library back shelves.
Scot took a deep dive into the Iowa City public library and pulled some deeply buried pearls from out of the silt. There was also a Rockabilly tendency going on at the time. A kind of Rockabilly confluence. We got hooked up with the old woods guy, whose name has escaped me (will get). This guy had been doing it from the beginning. He really took to Scot and vice versa. He had a real light jazzy style that Scot picked right up on.
There were also other cool Rockabilly groups that came through town--our favorite among them, "Big Daddy Sun & the Outer Planets"--true representatives of the 'Rockabilly Cause'. They traveled around in an old unheated school bus in which they slept. After a gig one winter night Scot asked 'The Little Red Rooster, lead singer of the group, how they kept warm. He replied they hoped people asked them to stay--which we did, and ended up getting to really hang with the guys. And so it goes.
Today’s artwork is another “Sharpie” drawing. Here’s the deal. The “Sharpie” line would stand up to any punishment a watery wash might give it. Scot could actually lay it on, without having to wait for too much to dry.
Check out today’s masterpiece. Talk about synthesis. Talk about synergy. Scot was fascinated with the concept of the trio. He loved the striped down nature of the instrumentation. He loved the conversation between the instruments.
“T. Scot Bottom & the Rockabilly Funhouse was not actually a trio, but it was definitely a band where everyone did double duty. Regarding this piece, I urge you to check out these spatters. Love these washes. Notice that these guys are really jamming together.
More of "T. Scot Bottom & the Rockabilly Funhouse" live at Gabe's back in 1982. It's almost like we are there. This time it's a cool medley of "Boys"--The Beatles KA rocker and Carl Perkins "Blue Suede Shoes".
Shake it don't break it has to do with my new approach to the holidays. Get the bang, while avoiding the old painful pitfalls. Treasure meaningful traditions, but shit-can all the implosive, unpleasant or duty laden duds.
Today's artwork is another example of Scot's graphic experimentation. The line work for this piece was done with a red Sharpie marker. The truth is I'm a little sick about all the time Scot spent drawing with those Sharpie markers. It used to say right on the marker, "Not for letter writing." I guess they took that message off once they realized no one ever wrote letters any more.
Check out the subtlties of these washes. Check out this blue wash. Take about "blue suede'!
Today's musical track is another one from the recently unearthed T. Scot Bottom & the Rockabilly Funhouse" LIVE at Gabe's in Iowa City, Iowa in 1982. The track is "I'm Movin' On" by "The Rolling Stones"? Can that be? Scot is doing the vocals and KA guitar. Our good friend Mark Houseal graciously steps up the the melody plate in order that Scot might do his cool Rockabilly lead-ythm thing, a la "The Cramps"--one of our eternal favs. Tom Drew on solid-state drums and the Todd head on Bass. I am absolutely astounded to hear Scot rip these lyrics out. That's a lot of fast talking for Scot.
Today’s artwork is a drawing/painting Scot did in 1991. I remember this period when Scot moved away from print making and got started on a new graphic direction. His graphite line has always been my personal favorite.
After a few years he became so sophisticated in the medium of the graphite drawing or pen & ink drawing, that compared to those later pieces, this drawing seems a bit simplistic. Some of his later drawings are off the charts.
Simplistic it may be, but I also see it as the beginning of a great love of making drawings that express his love of music. This drawings expresses a little bit of that flow I’ve been talking about. Talk about grace. Balance. Rhythm. Talk about flow.
"Ancient Cradle" Part of "The Interactive Seeker" written while Composer-in-Residence at the "Headlands Center for the Arts" in Sausalito. Solo Scot Halpin performance on vocals and keyboard. Recorded in 1989 in San Francisco, California.
Today’s musical track is steady and straight out of the BC shoots. This is your basic BC jam song, with lots of room for each of the players to widen their sonic stance. This is a song made for the kind of leads Jerry likes to do. Scot is wizzing around the fret board, holding it down and flying around at the same time. Kenny Wright is tapping it out across the distance. This track was recorded on January 4, 2007.
Today’s artwork is another piece with the same treatment described the day before yesterday. I was looking for something that captured the spacey, loopy feel of the musical track. This piece was done in 2007.
Today’s musical track is another page from the Scot Halpin “Songwriter’s Notebook.” It is a sweet, simple progression, full a nooks and crannies, just right for just the right lyric.
Today’s artwork is another graphic transformed by the miracle of the digital matrix. Scot was absolutely delighted when he realized that he could fairly successfully recreate the look of intaglio aquatinting—a technique he was in love with.
With just a few lines, Scot is able to create such a rich and complicated world. His work is often about giving fish rides in boats. The bird/bug creature does appear to be fishing. This piece was done in 2004.
“Standing on the Brink.” Today’s track is from the “Folklore” rehearsal tape. It is straight up and unfiltered. “Hideaway” is part of “The Seeker” music he did while he was Composer-in-Residence at the Headlands Center for the Arts in 1988.
For the record the Folklore line-up was Scot Halpin-songwriter, vocals and guitar. Edward Bachmann-bass. Johnny Law-drums. This was recorded at Iguana Studios in San Francisco on January 27, 1987.
Here’s a great piece of artwork. This, believe it or not, started as a ball-point pen drawing done on (cheap) typing paper. Thanks to the digital world we now live in, Scot was able to transform that simple graphic into a magnificent painted icon.
I was just talking with a friend yesterday. We were talking about the grace with which Scot lived his life during his most awful, dark, difficult moments. He was always upbeat. Always trying to be a better man today then he was yesterday. This piece was done in 2007—about a year before he died.
Today’s music is another shot of “Plank Road” at its finest. “Lost in Wild Confusion” gives is the natty lyrics and vocal stylings of John Williams backed up with the march, march, march of the regiment that is Scot’s bass pattern. This track was recorded live in John’s barn in 2006.
Artwork for today takes a leap. The disk this piece was on sort of plopped in my lap and so I took it as a sign that is was time to move back to some of the artwork that Scot was doing during the last years of is life.
Today’s piece is a ball point pen drawing on typing paper that Scot then scanned and began to layer digital effect to both the line work and the backgrounds, foregrounds, and figures. This work, thematically, is darker.
Scot was very much processing his health crisis and immanent death through this work. This piece was done in 2007.
“Plank Road” again today, joined here by special guests, “The International Kazoo Jubilee” who also fall-in doing back-up duty. The IKJ is really just Scot and John’s step-son Evan joining in, but hey, talk about a joyful noise. The song is the traditional, “Oh Suzanna”.
Scot was loving this song toward the end of his life. He really came to love to sing the old songs. These were not songs he heard at home growing up. When he found them, he ended up really taking them to heart. He came to not be afraid of the bitter-sweet.
Today’s artwork is a step away from the style and tone of yesterday’s piece, but both highlight a more painterly side to Scot’s artwork. In the last week we have seen his work stretch back to illustrations of midi-plugs to this.
Something about this guy expressed the since of separation that the song was triggering in my senses. He seems most definitely on one side of a fence. The black piece is again India ink. On this piece, nothing was left to dry.
Scot loosely laid out the red and yellow field. While those were still wet, he squirted out the graphic with the India ink. From there he went in and moved the thickest swathes of black with his brush. The little cuts of white sparks and the glow of the red and yellow glazing, both stir up tremendous inner warmth. I especially love the red buttons on the hat! This piece was done in 2004.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: AS REGULAR FOLLOWERS TO THE BLOG KNOW, ENTRIES HAPPEN IN DIFFERENT WAYS. A WHILE AGO, I WAS EXTRA BEHIND AND WROTE SEVEN ENTRIES IN ONE DAY. THE ONE ENTRY I WANT TO MAKE SURE DOESN'T GO MISSED IS THE ENTRY FOR NOVEMEBER 29, 2009 (Sing Me Back Home) WHICH ADDS A DEDICATION TO MY FRIEND CARLYN LINDSEY'S BELOVED MOTHER, LENORE LOGAN LINDSEY. PLEASE CHECK IT OUT.
Today’s track is the only version we have on tape of Scot and John as “Plank Road” doing their song, “Gravity.” They eventually came up with a real slow version, like the one that appears on John’s self-same titled “Gravity” (available online at CD Baby__________) is more suiting to the context of the song, but on this track we get to hear Scot’s harmony part on top, which I think so delightfully fills out the song. To me this is like a treasure found. This material was recorded in 2006.
Today’s artwork is a race against the physics of the media involved, in this case a very viscous India ink squirted out to create the graphic. Let it dry. Oh bother. Squirt some on a piece of paper, grab a water-saturated brush.
He’d load the brush, start at the bottom—that’s why it’s the darkest there. Scot was a master of cutting out a little white. On this piece it is a very sweet and significant couple--the angel and the left cheek of the guy, a little background to create a horizon. The longest thing about this piece was the time it took to let the graphic dry. This piece was done in 2004.
Today’s music track is in keeping with the sentiment of honoring a new Nobel Peace Prize laureate. This year the award went to Barack Obama in recognition of his efforts to move conflict resolution to a diplomatic track over military incursion. May it be so. The music is a snippet off the same tape described in yesterday’s entry. There are more words somewhere, but what we got here is basically enough to convey to message brilliantly. What could be more simple or more effective—it is one world, endlessly, how about we each live our own individual lives accordingly?
IMPORTANT UPDATE: AS REGULAR FOLLOWERS TO THE BLOG KNOW, ENTRIES HAPPEN IN DIFFERENT WAYS. A WHILE AGO, I WAS EXTRA BEHIND AND WROTE SEVEN ENTRIES IN ONE DAY. THE ONE ENTRY I WANT TO MAKE SURE DOESN'T GO MISSED IS THE ENTRY FOR NOVEMEBER 29, 2009 (Sing Me Back Home) WHICH ADDS A DEDICATION TO MY FRIEND CARLYN LINDSEY'S BELOVED MOTHER, LENORE LOGAN LINDSEY. PLEASE CHECK IT OUT.
Today’s artwork is a mixed media piece. The line work was done with an oil pastel. Scot has pulled the line with some turpentine to turn it into a wash. Once all that turp settled, he laid down a bed of neutral colored acrylic wash—add a few squiggles—we’re good. Scot really like to decorate his paintigs. I love this beautiful wise face. This piece was done in 1998.
Today’s track comes off a cassette tape that is decorated with Scot’s special visual notation system—in this case, a blue dot, red ring with a blue core. He could read these symbols like the rings of a tree. I do not know what they meant to him. To me, they identify the tape as being part of Scot’s gargantuine ‘Songwriter’s Notebook’.
On this track, Scot is authentically ‘jammin’ with his own bad self.’ That’s him on all the tracks. I am amazed by the phenomenal wave he gets going rhythmically with this track. His vocals are so instrumental. Scot enjoyed taking on a non-discursive flow to his vocals.
He loved pretending to be an instrument. A really cool bond is sealed between the guitar and the vocals about midway in the track and the guitar work is so very fluid. This track was recorded in our living room on Page Street in San Francisco, where we lived for the last twelve years we were in San Francisco. We relocated to Bloomington, Indiana in 1995.
Today’s artwork is another really loose pen & ink drawing with all kinds of action going on. To begin with we’ve got all the shapes and sizes of the various figures involved. As a yoga student, I see these as many versions of ‘mountain pose’. I love all the spatter and scribbling. These are all signature Scot touches. This drawing was done in the year 2000.
A now a “Blue Jazz” triple header, this time Irene taking a whack at Jerry Reed’s “Big Boss Man”. Scot absolutely adored Jimmy Reed. More than any since one player, I would say Scot patterned himself after Jimmy Reed. Scot was attracted to swing like a moth to a flame. Right after swing came the groove.
Here is another illustration from the 1990’s. He did a lot of work for a magazine called “EQ” which was being pitched to people who were just getting involved in the home recording thing. This cigar is actually a midi-plug. Special T. Scot Halpin Memorial Blog points to anyone who got that. Yes, he cut those edges with pinking shears.
A little while ago, I bought a collection of different kinds of shears—made for scrapebookers. Scot was the original scrapbooker. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with the shears. I bought them because I know Scot would have loved them.
Once the title for today’s blog entry popped into my mind, I immediately began seeing multiple meanings for the word.
Today, I was looking for an illustration that had to do with having reservations—like in today’s musical track, “Hound Dog” (a T. Scot Halpin Memorial Blog triple hitter) _entry___,_entry___ ).
Here’s one thing I’m having serious reservations about “getting cable.” So far this is something we’ve managed to avoid. Scot had serious issues with what he called “screens”. He was seriously concerned about TV, the Internet, all that. Finally by the end, we had the Internet and he went crazy, music monster that he was, with ‘YouTube’.
Today’s track is a ‘Blue Jazz” rehearsal. Irene is really in the process of inventing Blue Jazz on this one. This is the striped down “BC” trio. What is so cool is how fully each part gets to stretch out. Kenny is keeping a very simple steady beat so that Scot can fly. Jerry is up to his usual rhythm punches and looping leads. The was no break on the mp3 file here, so today, we actually get a second scoop of Blue Jazz, a little further down the line, “Black Magic Woman” by Peter Green.
Today’s artwork is another pull from the pile of 1990’s magazine illustrations Scot did. He contributed to “Guitar Player” “Bass Player” “Drums & Drumming” “Drum!” “EQ” “Keyboard Player”. He did it for a long time but eventually he ran out of ideas of illustrating boxes with buttons.
Today we had a little ‘dub jam’ to spread on our muffins. Scot and I both loved dub music, which is basically Reggae music sonically and rhythmically morphed. We used to live right around the corner from KPOO Radio in San Francisco, which played a lot of Reggae.
They had a couple DJ’s who would come in a spin these live dub shows that were the closest things I come to psychedelic music. If you can, listen to this one through ear-phones.
Today’s track is a bit like those KPOO dub DJ’s I was just talking about because on this track, Scot is engineering his own dub, on the spot while he is playing all the instruments, phanaggeling the vocals.
And then we’ve got the messages in the music. Scot wrote this and the two previous songs in response the work of Shakti Gwain and Gerald Jampolsky. Scot really took the idea of focusing with intention seriously, and so in this case he did what he usually did, made what he needed, in this case some positive affirmational music.
Today’s artwork is an earlier piece. He did this in 1992, the year our son was born. This is really the birth of his use of transparent acrylic that we have seen so much of in the T. Scot Halpin Memorial blog. He hit it just a little bit with the yellow swath of airbrush.
I love how the hero’s head is tossed back. His chakras are definitely opening. He’s got the colors of the word at hand. Love is at the heart of his effort.
To end my marathon blog entry ( seven stories in one day) I close out with this. I remember when Scot laid down this set of music. At the time I could not imagine a more perfect body of music. Everything sacred about music—focused with intent.
For the record, Scot is playing all the instruments on all these tracks. Those are his vocals. Those are his lyrics. That is his melody. This is the next song in the movement introduced yesterday, laid down back in 1989
Today’s artwork, is a unique depiction of raising ones love level, done in 1999. The graphic is graphite. The acrylic is transparent. I picked this drawing thinking of raising ones’ love level, just as a tide raises a boat.
Today’s musical track is a more developed arrangement of a meditative track previously feature here in the T. Scot Halpin Memorial Blog. (______) This tape came from a reach into a frigheningly large bin of tapes that have absolutely not notation on them at all. I am so glad I found this tape today. I was hoping I would.
This track was recorded in 1988. It is part a symphonic sequence that Scot laid down in response to work by Shakti Gwain. Sorry about the flex in the music midway. These are old tapes. This is Scot on all tracks. He has programmed the drum machine, this is his bass line, these are definitely his vocals and guitar leads. On top of that, these are his words.
The artwork for today is day pen & ink drawing extraordinaire. Nice fat watercolor paper as witnessed by the juicy deckled edges of the left hand side. Acrylic transparency, more juice with the wet-on-wet washes. Patterns, shapes, reverence. 2003.
Yet another follow-up. I am currently impressed with the fact that it seems most things are best expressed in stages. How can we express the loss of a loved one? How can we reside in a place of pain and loss indefinitely? The problem is, we can’t. It is human nature to let things shine. We most of us have the clue that we are here for a reason and that involves letting things shine, despite the despair life can throw up;
I think we humans are here for a reason, to light up the runway for all the other beautiful being who have heard about us and would like to come and jam. This is the job of this blog tonight. To offer things up: yes, there is intelligent, creative life here on this planet. *Let It Shine*Let It Shine*Let It Shine*
I chose this drawing because it looked a little bit like my friend Carlyn, and to me, the dedication to her mom continues. Let it shine. What I like is that this person appears to be solicited by both angels and fairies. She needs both, as do we all.
Ten, nine, eight, seven… Get ready to blast off. I know I have said this before, but it still cracks me up to think of 13 year old Scot Halpin singing this song, while playing the drums. Oh, God, give me a time machine.
According to Scot, this is the first song he sang with a group (at the aforementioned age of 13). To me, it’s comparable to little Stevey Winwood blasting out, “I’m a Man” at age 16. This is more “BC” (thank you Jerry). Here we have Scot singing lead and supplying bass. Jerry is there, as always, supplying the delight of the lead. This is the Mike Stiglitz that sounds like a Hammond that I mentioned in the last entry.
Today’s artwork is just another art-by-the-ream piece. It was actually hard to give Scot authentic feedback on his artwork, because he did so much. This “art-by-the-ream” period especially so. Yes, here, look at my latest 500 drawings done in the year 2006.
One thing I wanted to add here, flows from the whole memorial blog thing. We all have visited the ‘House of the Rising Sun.’ The way I see it, life is about visiting the “House of the Rising Sun” and living to tell about what happened later.
In follow-up. “Feelin’ Alright.” Jah Man. How low can one go? That’s a bit of what’s been happening lately for me—every day I come in and start my blog entry. Sure enough, before too long, the deep down boo-hoo stirs. My therapist assures me that I am “productively griefing”. For a while I was blaming the blog for the boo-hoos. Today I realized that I don’t need the blog to get sad.
It is sad that Scot’s not here in the room with me now. What is slaying me here is Scot’s bass line on this track. That, in and of itself, is about the most funky assed shit I’ve heard laid down. The fact that he is also laying down some remarkably lucid vocals is just another thing. Lucid listeners will notice that the song ends on a refrain.
Basic “BC” here. KA improv to the marrow. All live and happening in a basement down Bethel Lane, here in Bloomington, Indiana. Joining the guys (Jerry-Kenny-Scot) that night was “BC” friend, Mike Stiglitz and his rocket guitar, which in this case starts out sounding like a Hammond B3.
Scot and I both loved “Traffic” and both had body surfed the British Folk Rock wave. It’s a delight for me to hereby offer up Scot so fully sinking his chops into this favored tune.
Today’s artwork is a really cool piece. I have talked a bit how Scot was a print maker and how his love for that medium had convinced him to dip his hands into any number of media. What Scot managed to create here was a line that very closely resembled his beloved dry-point line—hard won, and fleeting in the world of Intaglio printmaking.
Translation here, the fat fuzzy line. This piece started out as a ball point pen line. Once scanned, Scot was rejoicing at figuring out a way to create that fat fuzzy line that did not involve dipping his hands in toxic materials.
This entry is a scan of a inkjet print of a piece that, yes, started as a ball-point pen drawing--got re-media-ized--came out and came out looking like a dry-point engraving. This digital incarnation has actually been printed out here on cotton rag paper--and the paint, well, that is clearly not in the lines.
NOVEMBER 30, 2009
LET'S GO THERE SOME MORE
As a follow up to yesterday’s entry, I’d like to make another dedication, that being to Mr. Kenny Wright. Kenny died, completely out of the blue, just three months after Scot died. It came as a complete and total shock.
Kenny is the guy playing the drums on most of the “Basement Collaboration” sessions. In this case, he is also providing the stellar back-up vocals. I know Scot so well. We could side reside inside each other minds.
In this track I hear Scot’s mind go ‘Bingo’ when Kenny pipes in with his harmony. Scot immediately wants to do it over and over again. The me that can still reside in Scot’s mind is here to tell you that he just plain wanted to hear that harmony over and over. It’s Papa Jerry who so effectively brings the harmony love-feast to a timely halt.
This was recorded during the period that Scot and Kenny were working very closely on Kenny’s drumming. Scot’s agenda was to teach Kenny to swing. Kenny came to the “BC” with a solid set of credentials. He had drummed for some of the best, but he came to drumming from a sort of heavy metal flavored beat.
Scot had him strip down to snare and high-hat which suited the situation well. Kenny was tired of hauling a giant drum kit. The sessions were in Jerry’s basement, so filling the space was not a big problem. Kenny is definitely down with brushes on this track.
Blessings be upon you Kenny. You were a dear, darling of a man. People discuss whether it is worse to lose some one who has been sick for a long time or loss someone suddenly and unexpectedly. In the case of Kenny, I’m glad it came as a surprise.
The last time I saw Kenny was at Jerry and Judy Farnsworth’s Memorial Day picnic. He looked great. He looked happy. I did know when he hugged me that he was not well. He was clearly having trouble breathing, and as he hugged me, I could feel his struggle. He was gone some two weeks later. So let’s all hear for Kenny and sing him home too.
Today is the three-month anniversary of the passing of my friend Carlyn’s beloved mother, Lenore Logan Lindsey. When I proposed adding a dedication to her mother to the T. Scot Halpin Memorial Blog, Carlyn immediately saw what a good fit the idea was. So today, we also remember Lenore.
Carlyn was happy about the idea because she said her mom had led a simple small town life, focused completely on caring for her children. Come to find out Lenore educated her self and worked her entire adult life as a professional type-setter. This was at a time when most small town Kentucky women had few educational opportunities and were more likely then not, massively employed at home. The fact that Lenore did all three tells us that she must have had some extra-ordinary pluck, something that she can be happy about having passed on to Carlyn.
This picture was taken when Lenore was only 14 years old. Think of it! She obviously had tremendous beauty and grace. Carlyn said she was married within just a few years.
The music I have chosen for today is from the recording of a set at the Paradise Café, south of Market Street, in San Francisco in 1988. Scot was playing drums in this line-up for his friend Edward Bachmann. The name of the band was “E.B. White.” We have heard two KA tracks from this gig in the T. Scot Halpin Memorial Blog Already. The amazing harmony vocals are by Miss Judy Tampa.
The tune is by Merle Haggard. The fact is, Scot was just sitting on the drums during this song not playing, so it only technically qualifies as a piece he’s on. I really wanted to use though, because this time I wanted something really specific, and this song and these harmonies so beautifully capture the sentiment and structure of everything I’d like to say to Carlyn and to Scot and to my mom and dad and to all our loved ones who have crossed over.
The artwork for today is just an accompaniment to everything else in the entry—a sweet sadness. This piece comes straight out of a book of Gospel Hymns. Scot’s line work was done with a calligraphy brush and India ink. The color is transparent acrylic. This piece was done in 2001.
May the memory of our ancestors guide and keep us. May we remember that love connects us to our loved across the veil. May we also remember that our loved ones live on through us.
At least Scot knew where he was going with this song. Scot loved this song and included it in his repetoire in the early 1980’s in a series of music he called ‘Folk Punk’. Scot took all of the raw power chording of the ‘Punk” genre with the politically urgent lyrics of the folk song. This track comes from a ‘Basement Collaboration’ session.
Jerry Farnsworth, the chief creator of the concept and the reality, rolls his eyes when he hears some of the tracks I’ve selected for the T. Scot Memorial Blog because they aren’t perfect—there are clinkers here and there. What I find amazing is actually how few mistakes there actually are on most of these tracks.
On today’s track Scot steps up to the mike for a go around with “Going Down the Road.” I mentioned earlier in the blog that Scot really took singing lead and playing bass at the same time as a serious learning project. This recording confirms the success of his mission. Everything else seems to be falling apart, but Scot hangs in there throughout—despite all the bumps and zingers.
Today’s artwork in another from the series, all done in the year 2000, which have been featured in the last few days. This piece is a perfect example of how beautifully the transparent acrylic glows with the glazed layers of color Scot has laid down.
Today’s musical track is another one from the “Plank Road” barn session—raw planks, splinters and all. This is another one of John Williams’ songs—“Sheeva”—which is based on an actual dream he had. “Plank Road” was such a sweet, quiet conversation.
Artwork for today is a pen and ink drawing, complete with spatters. I love John’s description of the goddess—about the chalk outlines of the people fallen in the nearness of her fearful beauty. This is a hard song to illustrate, but I think this drawing does admirably.
Had an interesting conversation with my son James today. He asked me what might have happened if the Native Americans hadn’t care what happened to the ‘pilgrims’. I wonder, might things have unfolded differently if the ‘pilgrims’ had been left to their own devices? If a little more time had gone past could the Iroquois Confederacy, possibly gained an international voice? Today’s song is another one by John Williams, called “White Raven & the Corn Maiden”. John and Scot (aka “Plank Road”) recorded the track in 2007. John got to spend time with some Native American folks on a ‘long walk’ from Colorado to Washington DC, which ended some 400 strong.
Artwork, what a lovely bird! More P & I w/ T A done in 2000.
Today’s musical track is a very sweet and straight to the heart piece—another solo demo. Scot has tapped out the quirky electronic drum part, laid down a live bass track and then dubbed another live guitar track in top of that. A triple helping of Scot Halpin in one very sweet & sour sauce. This recording was done in 1990.
Today’s artwork comes from a series of these ‘spiral people’. I find the face in this drawing to be especially beautiful. A mask of classic proportions, topped off with a pomp of a great mystery. This is, no mystery, pen & ink with transparent acrylic, done in the year 2000.
This entry goes out to all the people who are surrounded by the people they love, live in safe and comfortable homes, eat their fill every day, have a way to provide for themselves and their loved ones…people who have all this stuff and are still grumpy and take it out on the people around them. Why do we do that? The way I'm seeing it these days, I don't thing we should treat life like a bring down. Here we are, circling around to the holiday season once again, starting out with Thanksgiving--a holiday that provides us all with an opportunity to revisit the key lessons of gratitude and thanksgiving.
Today’s homily came straight from the tone of today’s musical track, another cut from a BC session. Scot is talking the lead on vocals as well as slotting in the groovy bass. Checking on the organ player—otherwise it’s our regular Jerry—Kenny— Scot line-up for the BC that night, doing ELO’s! “Don’t Bring Me Down.” I definitely did not realize this was an ELO song. I realize that may make me look stupid. Oh well.
The artwork for today is just one of a million little drawings I have to choose from here. What I liked about this is that it kind of had two reads. First I saw a guy on a roof scooping up a giant ice cream cone. Somehow this fit with the musical track—providing—don’t bring me down. I can also see it another way. A guy with a big heart opening up a series of channels, through which energy is flowing, finally down through a funnel into someone’s home. The drawing was done in 2002.
“Keep on going down.” So instructs Scot, to himself. Not sure what this little tape was—why Scot is cueing himself throughout the track. He’s clearly the only one in the room. Again with the breathing. This track so thoroughly captures the utter sweetness of Scot’s voice. It was recorded in 1983, the year we got married.
Today’s art work is a pull from a new source. I just opened a box of illustration work Scot did in the 1980’s and 90’s. This is an illustration for a children’s book, also done in 1983. To create this illustration, Scot started out with a glossy stock. He drew with a fairly wide-tip illustrator’s marker. The inside of the box he used some sort of calligraphy tip. The shadow under the shoes looks like possible a darker marker. This is classic early Scot Halpin illustration—bulbous pointing fingers, anything with laces, Grocho glasses.
Pass the Jam, please. Lemon marmalade in this case. On Sundays I always look for something mellow—something smooth and soothing. To I choose a version of a Jamula classic for today’s entry of the T. Scot Halpin Memorial Blog. These pieces do have names, but for today, it’s called “Sunday Jam.” My guess is “Snake Doctor” keyboard player, Larry Vessily is playing with the boys, but I have to check. The date on the session is April 7, 2007. Scot bass work on this track is nothing short of pretty.
Today’s artwork is another piece that’s been hanging around, waiting for its slot in the blog. This is a pen & ink drawing—a quill pen, that is. The kind of pen you have to dip in each time. I loved this line—so classy, but Scot thought it was a pain. He so much preferred the speed line of a ball point pen. Once again, Scot lays down those transparent acrylics. On this piece I call your attention to the nifty freedom Scot expresses when it comes to coloring in the lines. How with a stroke, he can affect such a watery shadow.
Coming to the present, unadulterated ‘Plank’ as played and recorded out in John William’s barn. “Borders” is another one of John’s originals. I am particularly fond of the insertion of the Native American chant in the arrangement and the warmly accurate balance of Scot’s bass work and John’s guitar and vocals. This track was recorded in 2005.
Today’s artwork is another piece from 2006 with its own fair share of graphite scribbling—that and the usual MO of transparent acrylic and a modicum of India ink wash. As Scot set about healing himself, continents did shift. New constellations of reality formed. By the time he left, it was on the Angel Express.
Music for today is a return to the magic of “Carlyn Lindsay & Snake Doctor” dashing things off in their own electrical way. This is the version of “Hound Dog” we heard the band first working out in rehearsal in an earlier entry. This is a live recording made at the Encore Café in 2003. Carlyn and the band are playing tomorrow night in the Frangipanni Ballroom at the IU memorial union. I can’t wait!!!!!!!!
Today’s artwork is a sweet simple drawing entitled “Angel with Sunflower and Chihuahua.” In the spring of 2007 Scot broke down and let James and I bring home a Chihuahua puppy. Couple this with this sweet fact that I think of Scot as the Sunflower Man. When we moved to Indiana, Scot began growing sunflowers. He’d save his seeds and it was a big deal every year when he’d plant them. This combination seemed at great antidote to the low down slow down. This are different colors for Scot. I like how the blue edges form an abstract frame. This drawing was done in 2007.
So you say, but here I am back at it again—with the old boo-hoo. Catch-up time. This is the third entry I’ve included in the T. Scot Halpin Memorial blog from this tape made in 1988. The absolutely perfect “Heave Ho’Jericho”, the Reggae blast and now this Page H&^&$ of the Scot Halpin notebook. That’s how Scot titled his files—random strokes across the keyboard. Makes for damn interesting archiving. Today’s song is probably the first recording of a song called “Ventilation”—pre lyrics. Ventilation seemed like a good theme for an entry called “Seventh Inning Stretch”.
Today’s artwork has captured me body and soul. I love this piece. As a result of pressure of various different sources, I have joined facebook and I’m thinking of using it for my picture. There’s all kinds of stuff going on with this piece. More spray paint—green in lower RHC. India ink—big loose washes. Lots of graphite on this one. The face—the eye in the ball--the shadow across the ches-- the ghostly face in the lower RHC. On top of that we’ve got the frosting of the hot pink house paint for feathers and hat.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2008
Ride This Vehicle Of Freedom
Catch up time. Here are the basics. This is another solo demo version of Scot’s tune, “Heave Ho Jericho” written in 1988. In this track we hear him conceive of the final part of the song, on the spot.
Artwork for today is a really wild and loose transparent acrylic treatment on a very simple drawing. This piece was done in 1999
Scot and I were together nearly 30 years. Our relationship was always about working together. It's a thrill to be still collaborating.
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