Music

Stuff about music, either mine or stuff I am listening to.

Peter Mulvey concert

 Posted by (Visited 7240 times)  Music
Jun 172006
 

The Knuckleball SuiteLast night we went to a concert. This is unusual, because we haven’t gone to a concert since we lived in Austin. It’s been a few years. Between the move to San Diego, which seems to mostly lack a music scene of the sort we find comfortable, and the age of the kids (e.g., not concert-friendly), we have had to stay out of it.

But last week I noticed that Acoustic Music San Diego actually says on their site that they encourage kids attending. So off we went, with David’s Gameboy in tow in case he got bored. We did end up needing it, as he played Pokemon through much of the show; but he also got Peter to sign it, because he said “he plays good music.” Peter misidentified it as a PlayStation — alas, folksingers are not always up on the latest technologies.

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The Sunday Poem/Song: Feel the Slide

 Posted by (Visited 6046 times)  Music, The Sunday Poem
Jun 112006
 

Trying to break it up again, with a song instead of a poem.

I've been working on a CD called Longitude off and on for about four years. I get the urge to polish it up every once in a while, but mostly I let it sit. At this point, it's mostly mixing, EQ'ing, and mastering that is left to be done. This is, I think, the first song I have posted off of that CD. It's representative of the sort of instrumentation that is on Longitude, which is written for full band, rather than just as an acoustic album (this song features not one but two electric guitar parts, plus bass,drums, and backing vocals!). Continue reading »

May

 Posted by (Visited 9695 times)  Music
May 142006
 

Harmony ukulele from the 1950'sI just got done cleaning and repairing my grandfather’s Harmony ukulele from the 1950s. Many of my fondest memories of my Koster grandparents involve sitting in song circles.

I inherited it when he died some years ago, and messed with it a little bit back then, but it’s been sitting gathering dust for the last few years. The nut had broken off and taken a bit of wood with it, and the fretboard needed a good cleaning.

Since I am in a bit of a vintage instrument mood (also getting my father-in-law’s banjo fixed, and am mostly finished cleaning up his Melody Maker), I thought I might as well use all these supplies I got on the uke as well. This is a baritone uke, so it’s tuned basically like a guitar. It also has a gorgeous sound for a ukulele — not what you would expect. I think it’s mahogany. So of course, I had to write something on it!

“May — solo instrumental baritone ukulele”

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The Sunday Poem/Song: December

 Posted by (Visited 8679 times)  Music, The Sunday Poem
May 072006
 

Today is my surviving grandmother’s 94th birthday. She’s in hospice now, near the end of her life. I’ve written various things about my grandparents before, and even my great-grandmother, but today I wanted to share one that wasn’t written as a poem, but as a song, at a time when her husband, my grandfather, was failing. It’s on After the Flood, and it’s called “December.” You can follow along the lyrics with the song:

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