KPI

Hiya Dave. In all fucking seriousness, matey, DO watch that bald bastard. He really is a genuine evil twat, and will amuse himself by causing anyone he doesn't think plays his game real problems. He has no shame and no intelligence. That's his gift; and in * it'll take him far. At least snide * has gone. But ... oh yuk! The thought of it... just look after yourself, mate. Hope you manage some kind of fun out of it all. Moving on.... Gig at * was interesting as ever; but * are, in my view, not as skilled at doing what they profess (improv, experimental, electronica) as they need to be in order to properly pull it off, and with some view toward progressing, adding to that world, etc. They have a basic lack of musicianmanship which obtrudes, limiting their horizons, serving to organise their repertoire into set-pieces, unfurled pretty willy-nilly over the course of the given time-slot. Hats off to them for providing a cheap platform for real improv luminaries, though. Paul Rutherford was incredible. Solo acoustic trombone; amazing range and facility. Worth the trip to the frozen north on its own. Last time I saw * they had an 'extra' guitarist, who spoiled the whole set by playing unreflexively and too conventionally - sub-DGilmouresque, at best. I'm being too kind, though; he really is awful, and should be stopped! He and the trumpet-player opened the night; he played or attempted to play an e-bow. This amounted to a growling, overarching, one-dimensional and aesthetically-uninteresting too-loud B note; with him too-often losing even that, and looking around like a lost child. Boring. Over this, the trumpet-player did some Miles Davis Bitches Brew impressions with his echoey horn. No map - 'hey! that's the point', I hear them say; but no exploration either. The result had minimum interest-value. Then the incredible Paul Rutherford did his thing. The difference in quality and in terms of commitment, invention, and entertainment-value was so huge as to be disturbing! Ed and I both wondered at the ability of some people to make art-offerings in public without having anything to say, or even any means by which to say. Disturbing is what it is. We worry for those boys! Improv unfortunately seems to allow - under its rubric of freedom, experimentation, et al, people who have instruments and fancy equipment - the opportunity to get out of really putting the work into learning how to play. I'm not saying that one has to study jazz for years either; I'm enough of a post-punk to love and to celebrate the fruits of that approach, and equally so. But, if one is going to play the e-bow, surely one has to work with it and apply one's self to mastering it?! Digital delay etc. may hide a multitude of sins, but it is easy to see the guy's fingers were stuck in one place not because that is what he chose. They were stuck there because he couldn't do anything else! How is that experimental? It doesn't even have the fascination element of watching a child mucking about! There was none of that necessary innocence! This was an adult saying 'look at this', having the front to do so. And, here - in this message - is another adult saying 'look at what exactly?'!!! Rutherford just sat there with his elongated tube, his imagination, no effects, no artifice, no electronics, a physical presence; his brain interfacing with an audience, a set of expectations, via a difficult instrument played with intention and engagement...the difference was vast. Rutherford, in fact, looked mildly embarrassed - especially during the inevitable jam with *. He must have thought...'my god, what is this amorphous din?'! The intrusions of the e-bow-playing autistic guitarist didn't stop there, though! Ed and I were relieved that he didn't seem to be setting up his gear for the main * set. No such luck, though! Instead he applied his mega-sophistry and nano-imagination to an array of kitchen utensils, tapping them and throwing them around with the same lack of invention, and without giving a shit about the overall effect and the other people in the group. He covered the whole thing in an annoying canopy of loud taps, pings, and the like. Ed and I felt frankly violent watching the scene! He didn't let up for a second, mate! The young drummer * have - a gifted lad, who made a previous gig, as we agreed - couldn't establish anything or make a real contribution because the kitchen percussionist just kept tapping! It was, again, disturbing to see; he looked mental. Could he not see that there were others in the room?! Indeed, at various times members of * did seem to gaze at him in annoyance. If so, will they have the guts and the will to sack him?! I hope so! Thanks in advance for promise of *, mate. Bill has furnished me with the *, if it is the one which comes up on the screen looking like two turntables. I like this; but haven't really explored its murmury-making possibilities as yet. Send me the awful noises you have made by all means! I still haven't really managed to get to grips with the DVD/film stuff either - time being main factor. I have ideas, though, for film/music things. Just getting time to execute, explore. Thanks for keeping in touch with my site, matey. As I said, it is just me learning the ropes, but I am getting there, I feel. It is, at the moment, though, pretty modest, a bit of fun. Very glad you and Bill have kept in touch and are, moreover, making music. Thanks, too, for blow-by-blow instructions re importing files, etc. Appreciated. You are as well to assume I am still green with such things! No problem with that at all! AVG seems fine, mate. Recommended - and free, too. Oh, and Roj couldn't make the gig; Evs didn't fancy it; and Keith bowed out! So it was me and Ed! Great time, though. Pity you couldn't make it. As I remember it, you haven't met Ed. Great fella. See you mate. Anthony ----- Original Message ----- From: D To: Anthony DonovanSent: Saturday, November 19, 2005 8:38 AM Subject: greetings Aye mate, am keeping my eye on the bald bastard, him and * both going hell for leather for * job. Pissed off couldn't get the time off meself, good show? roj and evs go? The blog is great mate and it surely is good practice for future site, will send you some * soon mate, * (quite good) got some * too, i'll put you * mate, use what takes your fancy,sure some of it will. Got a *, getting some awful sounds out of it :) I am indeed impressed with your tech skills advancing as they are, they sometimes just crash mate the comps, weird things. The disc is virus free according to mcafee which i use but certainly scan it with yours too, i always scan everything as a matter of course. It may be a security setting in windows or it may be way you were importing? I would scan the disc still in the drive then explore the files on the disc, open 'my pictures' then highlight disc files and simply drag them into my pictures. You can do multiple selections by selecting a file via left mouse button then holding down shift key and using arrow buttons on keyboard; left,right,up,down in desired fashion, once all blue and highlighted can then click on the highlighted area (left click) and drag,the files are then treated as a single block cause highlighted. Sorry for by the numbers explanation, you prob know that by now but just in case of poss help. Wouldn't recommend norton, it is a pig. Heard loads bout it's hiding behaviour etc, nasty. I got mcafee on, which is by far less hassle and cause a copy was to hand :) Heard excellent things bout avg and zonealarm, my mate ste in new zealand swears by zone alarm. Good to see you using camera ,nero is actually quite good,bit basic compared to dedicated ones but great to start off with, i use it myself,not up to speed with anything else really. Hope last night was good mate, thought about you sitting down to watch some interesting performance with folks and how i'd rather have been there. Got message from bill last night,going to call up on sunday night,see how he is,maybe talk bout just doing some stuff with him musically. Still keen to jam with roj and evs and jack but hard to arrange with schedules etc and developments. Best wishes, take it easy and keep happy :) Davey No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition.Version: 7.1.362 / Virus Database: 267.13.4/175 - Release Date: 18/11/2005