Musical Wanderings on the Summer Solstice

Each year from about February on i get a bit impatient for the summer solstice to go ahead and get here. Not because i am super into longer days or the tempt of "summer" in the bay area.  I check the calendar each week counting down to the Garden of Memory musical event at the Chapel of Chimes in Oakland, impatiently looking forward to wandering a beautifully intricate building listening to the musical musing of everything from ethnic tribal sounds to the pip pop hum of homemade noise machines. Basically it's music heaven for those of us who want the time signature to change at least three times in a song to truly be happy. Here are a few different snaps and commentary from the event this year...

Theresa Wong
Sorry for the pitch black video, but it really does let you focus on the amazing sounds she can make with just a cello and her voice


Laura Inserra
Hang and improvised instrument fantastic-ness



Gretchen Jude and Matt Davignon
Just watch ... awesome



Tim Phillips
Wow


Edward Schocker
Each time we passed by no playing was happening = sad


Thomas Dimuzio
It's always fun to see those people who are completely oblivious they are in public they are so entranced with what they are doing



Brandy Gale and her generated art

Greenfields and Covers

So most people know i have a "healthy" obsession with covers of songs, especially those where you really get to see the band / artist extend themselves out of their comfort zone getting to see how truly talented they are.  Now the amazing thing about covers is you can usually tell they are covers because they just don't have the same ring as other songs by the band / artist ... but you don't always know the original version so you don't have a frame of reference of how much the band / artist has taken liberty to "improve" it.  Sometimes you hear the original for the first time and are glad that it's been covered so the song can live on but you will never have to hear it ever again!  Others you add the original to your revolving playlist and appreciate both.

A long time ago i got a mix cd from a close friend containing a few different Faith No More covers i hadn't heard before.  Over the years the cd has been copied many times to ensure i don't lose all of it's awesomeness.  One song on the cd i have come back to time and time again in moments of happiness, frustration, loss, and just when i feel like really getting to stretch my vocal chords is Greenfields.

This is one of those where i can live without the original, but... there is actually another cover that is almost as good as the Faith No More cover which i heard in yoga a few weeks ago.

So newer cover version by Wax Tailor with vocals by Charlotte Savary is fantastic in an eerily soothing sort of way.  Unfortunately can't say i really liked any of their other songs but eh, a good cover or a one hit wonder band / artist is just my style.

And just incase you have a similar interest in covers i present to you the ultimate time suck which i want to add about 2 million entries to.

Square Bubbles and Sharing

Okie, i was interested in this whole square bubble thing the minute my fingers typed it out. Really?!?! Could it be?

Yea for Google searches where the results are actually what i'm looking for even though i entered in non-sense! Running to kitchen now to try and assemble a cube to try this since everyone needs a good parlor trick.

 

When i think about the internet and all of the changes it's brought into my life, the big one is knowledge. Growing up the saying "Knowledge is Power" bounced in my head often, but for someone who is shy it can be hard to seek out the right places to gain knowledge. It's not like i was going to ask people! Instead i had to search out books that might contain something interesting or try to learn something within the southern california school system. Both not so easy. Now with searching or even just subscribing to podcasts i can get awesome information delivered to me, i don't even have to look for it anymore.

One thing that i don't see as much of is dialogue about all of these awesome things we can know all share the knowledge of. It feels like so much communication is one way, or maybe that just because i hate reading comments on pages where it all spam and people who should keep their fingers off the keys if they don't have anything nice to type.

I know there are still a number of people out there on their irc chat rooms learning and sharing out their hearts content, but for those of us that typing doesn't come easy the conversation can run away pretty fast as we work to eek out just a few words in response. There is something to be said for a face to face conversation, especially when it's the sharing of ideas where any kind of brain storming is going to occur.

Now that i'm all bubble inspired i think the making of something may need to happen today...

Greetings and Salutations

Welcome!  Today i was inspired by an awesome friend to get moving with this "world facing" communication tool ... again.  I have been disenchanted with my blog for the last few years and wanted a more open platform for discussing all of the randomness that is me.  Link to previous blog if you're interested in 'da past.  The goal with All of the Grey will be to provide that platform and encourage me to post to my hearts content about all of the randomness that makes up my bubble.  Hmmm... Is it possible to have a square bubble?

Back to the point.  While there will still be knitting, sewing, and endless renovations to a never ending house renovation there will also be plenty of room for music, food, life, and well i think "life" kinda covered it nicely.  With an intro post all completed ... onto something interesting...