The Constorium of Greater Minds

Changin times, changing tunes. Here’s a new one for the faithful. The as yet untitled track is somewhat of a departure from my old style of sampling and looping old vinyl. It’s been inspired by some other stuff I’ve been getting into lately, but nothing worth mentioning because I don’t want to beg the comparisons. It’s still in a rough draft state; I can’t seem to stick with one thing long enough to consider it “finished.” Just getting some ideas down….

Untitled Rough Mix

18 days late on this one. time was a commodity the last few months of 2009. long days and late nights of work and what for? but 2009 was mostly good, just enough bad to complete the balance. started out the year in a relationship that has since grown into something strong and perhaps…undying? who knows? i like to think i do. right away we were tested as the blue ridge deployed for a couple of months on the usual course from singapore to manila to south korea. the journey was fun and my role on the ship was enjoyable as i finally had a feeling of mastery over my position on the bridge. every night lisa and i talked on the phone…good thing blue ridge is a communications ship…thank you american taxpayers for footing the long distance bill. hmm, how many post mid-watch conversations did we have? i can’t even imagine what it must have been like to be apart from loved ones during the days of letter mail. oh, but before setting sail there was an unforgettable tour of new zealand with jeff. saw an old friend from uw in auckland and bore witness to some of the most beautiful country in the world. a trip not soon to be forgotten. jumping forward. returned from deployment to finish out my last three months in japan. cliche, yes, but bitter sweet, too. lots of weekends in tokyo. walking my favorite spots, committing things to memory. yoyogi park, harajuku, daikanyama, nights in ropongi. lisa arrived for june, my last month. i took off for two weeks and we let loose in tokyo and relaxed on the island of niijima. spent time visiting with friends and all the time growing together. i said goodbye to lisa and to japan on the morning of july 2nd. she on a flight home to manchester and i on a flight san diego with a stop off in seattle. a few nights in seattle visiting em and mo and other compadres. then down to san diego which i promptly left on a train north to stay with nick in LA for the week. finally, back down to san diego to begin a month and a half of DCA (damage control assistant) school. fast forward 1.5 months and i check on board the new ship, uss halsey. wow, life could not have been different from six months ago. but, trying to make the most of a new experience, trying to live a life that is very noticeably not complete – missing a major component in the form of a beautiful girl one content and an entire ocean away. so here i am, in the real navy, the adventure found on blue ridge is gone, the original cast is spread out across the globe, the glamour has disappeared. but, while 2009 ended in stress mode when it came to the professional side of life, it also ended wonderfully on a personal level. i flew home to europe for the first time since winter 2007. saw my parents, lisa saw my parents, i saw lisa’s family, visited london for the first time in ages, met some of lisa’s friends, was delayed an extra two nights and had pretty much the most amazing time with lisa. now back in america and awaiting what 2010 holds. it’s my last full year in the navy…perhaps. depending on things that will reveal themselves mid year i may stay around for a couple of years as lieutenant allen but that will depend on a few circumstances out of my control and whatever reveals itself this year i take comfort in the idea (edit: fact, so i’m a little superstitious) that it will be the last lisa and i spend apart. oh, and jeff is in town and z will be soon…things are looking up a bit. 2010 is all about staying positive, strengthening relationships, looking towards the future while remembering to enjoy the present. here’s wishing your best days of 2009 are your worst of 2010. peace

stayed at nick’s – we met up with dj and tiffany in from DC, staying at sarah’s. mini vilseck reunion in holly wood land.

sarah’s balcony

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a train ride to LA to see old friends

i was walking around the shops in the red brick building by the ferry terminal in yokohama with lisa the other day when i came across a shop selling these Styrofoam gliders. i couldn’t believe it – i haven’t seen these in over 15 years. my dad used to buy them for me at air shows when we lived in england. i bought a couple just for old times sake. going to send one to my dad for fathers day.

my girlfriend, lisa, is here visiting from england. she brought a massive collection of candy from england…candy i used to spend my pocket money on 15 years ago…brought back some memories and my sweet tooth.

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more sakura viewing. this time in shinjuku park. yoyogi is wild, shinjuku more subdued. hanging out in the tokyo city parks at spring time will be one of my fondest memories of my time in japan. an entirely unique scene.

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i landed in japan April 5th, 2007. how time flies. this adventure will soon come to an end. i need to collect my thoughts.

so, i don’t normally indulge in this kind of thing…but it’s rare that you get such material direct from someone you know. a friend of a friend out here on another ship in yokosuka captured this on his camera phone when he awoke one night at home. apparently there is a room in his house that goes unused. in the room he is constantly finding long black hairs and in addition one day when visiting his attic he found a shinto figure. after googling it he discovered it is a figure meant to ward off evil spirits from a home…like i said, i’m not one to believe every ghost story i hear but this video is pretty eerie.

James D. Yancey, you may know him as your favorite producer’s favorite producer, died at the age of 32, just three days after releasing his final, seminal album. J Dilla was a musical genius, he belongs in the musical canon, colleague of Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, or John Coltrane.

February plays host to tributes throughout the world, as fans of all stripes come out to celebrate the man and his eternal music. I recently visited one of a series of tribute events in Los Angeles. Illa Jay, House Shoes, J Rocc, and Madlib all were there to reminisce and smile at the memories we all shared.

I hit the bar. Madlib orders a Martini next to me. I finger at the bartender and order two shots – Tequila. And two waters, tap, please. After reminding Julie of the tragic story of the famed producer (she’s been to her fair share of Dilla related events), we concurred that it was necessary to drink in his honor.

Turning to Madlib, I ask him what J Dilla’s drink was. He leans in. Hawaiin punch. I can’t believe it, but somehow I can. Motioning, he tells me how J Dilla preferred to smoke. It all made sense. Marijuana is the link that ties all of the hall-of-fame musicians together.

So this February, if you can’t make it to a tribute jam on your block, throw on some Champion Sound, and smoke ‘em if you got ‘em, for Jay Dee.

(legal disclaimer: I make no representation of what Madlib, aka Otis Jackson Jr., actually said or meant in any conversation with me. I’m a fan, and I’m not trying to blow up spots, slander, or defame his reputation as a serious,  professional artist)