Re: Re:Y2K3 and thoughts on "community"

[ArsOcarina@aol.com]

Max (and everybody else),

In a message dated 10/21/03 11:34:50 PM, ekstasis1@hotmail.com writes:

>So now it has been a week since the Y2K3 Festival was held in Santa Cruz
>(tell me, someone, is Santa Cruz still the looping capital of the world?),
>yet I have read only but a few posts on the matter……wassup?

Well, life kicks back into gear . . . with a vengeance sometimes. . . 
after 
taking 4 days off to essentially drop out of the normal, "real" world
existence to become immersed in "loopworld" it takes a little time to 
recover (like having jet-lag or a severe hangover) and "catch up" with 
the work-a-day space-time continuum. I imagine it's the same, no less, 
for Rick . . . perhaps even more intense . . . since he LIVES in 
"loopworld"
more than most of the rest of us mere mortals). He's not posted in days 
either.

What can I say . . .

Santa Cruz rocks (if only because the Walker Brothers live there)!
Credit where credit is due, if Rick lived in Des Moines I bet it'd be 
touted similarly in this very same forum . . . don't ya think?

[snip]

>. . . this IS a community.  A diverse, creative, colorful, sometimes 
>competitive, sometimes arguing (yet always caring) . . . community.

YES IT IS! Some may dismiss our group efforts/events as being little 
more than cultish, insular, self-serving, mass ego-stroking . . . perhaps 
with a tiny grain of truth to . . . but the generally positive feeling of
true mutual support, camaraderie, esprit de corps, and the demonstrated 
attitude of selfless service to others (especially exhibited by Y2K3's 
Dictator 'n' Chief, Rick walker) is really hard to escape. Never, ever
have I seen musicians (and more than their fair share of them being 
guitar soloists) get along so darn well. 

NOT that everything went totally smoothly. There were technical glitches,
performer drop outs, no-shows and other difficulties to deal with. We
all had our share. But, despite it all, I think we're all getting better 
at 
what we do (or at least getting better at dealing with things when they
don't happen as expected).

[snip]

>There were, of course, several performances which were exemplary, 
>such as the sets by Bill Walker, Gareth Whittock, Ted Killian, and 
>Amy X Neuberg.

Geeze Louise! My name is the last one that should be grouped with 
those talented folks! But I guess you can fool some folks some of 
the time. Evidently I fooled you. Or, more likely, you are also being 
very kind (too kind, and more than a little charitable).

To that all too short of a list of worthies I'd like to add:

Max Valentino -- It's rather stupid to call this guy just a "bassist." 
His music is "whole" and "complete" . . . he's a musician. I loved 
the instrumental Peter Gabriel cover at the end of your set too.
Wow! I already have you CD. I'd have bought another if you'd 
make one.

James Sidlo -- I already DUG Honey Barbara going in. He got a
totally bitchin bunch of tones, loops and ambiences going with
just a Dano baritone and a few pedals. Impressive is a total
understatement. I hope we hear more from this guy. Thanks
for the CDs James!

Michael Klobuchar -- If I could do what he does with the "retro" 
(Chet Atkins) meets "future" (Astroboy) schtick, I'd be doing 
it too. Totally musical, totally fun and the most relaxed performer 
of any of us (my impression). What a pleasure. Can I be you when I 
grow up? Thanks for the "Klutter" CD!

John Whooley -- Total showman/entertainer. Voice, sax, keys, loops 
(hip-mounted DL-4s) whatever he touches is great music and (more 
often as not) funny as hell (tied with BKF as funniest looper in the 
universe). Bought the CD last year.

Gary Regina -- He had Rick and I singing impromptu vocal harmonies 
back in the back of the venue (next to the swag/concession/CD 
table). Musically infectious. I bought the CD. A total talent. Impressive
soloing on parallel/simultaneous twin saxophones too.

George Demarest -- A great concert/festival closer. Great, great
musician, fine trumpet player (world class) and a passionate, 
emotional performer. Do a CD George and I'll buy it!

Brian Kenney Fresno -- Another one of those "total performers" 
(dontcha just hate 'em) and quite possibly the funniest looper in 
the universe. The CD I bought doesn't nearly do him justice.

Rick Walker -- Several (it seemed like a lot) of his impromptu sets 
(where he filled in for missing acts or those experiencing technical 
and/or "muse" difficulties) were absolutely stellar and the one that 
he was scheduled to play was a wonder of rhythmic creativity and 
invention. And I HAVE to say . . . your contributions to the others 
whose sets you graced was always PERFECT . . . especially when
you played with guitarist James Sidlo. 

I am having difficulty pointing out too many "standouts" cause 
there were SO MANY. I might just as well repeat the performance 
schedule. I shall refrain from that . . . but there are some others 
I feel SHOULD be mentioned . . . and in no particular order:

Mark Hamburg -- one of the smallest guitar rigs but the biggest.
most abstract and CHALLENGING ambient sound of the weekend.

Andre Custodio -- most heroic performance under adversity (being
miserably ill at the time) playing "difficult music" on  a homemade
percussion instrument.

Wally Schnalle -- A seriously impressive and very jazzy drummer. 
He's a whole fusion band just on his own . . . and more.

Wayne Jackson -- I'll never look at a child's electronic toy the same 
way again. Wow! I hope I am able to check out Woodstockhausen 
next year. A very creative guy.

Metaman (Joe Balestreri) -- Proving, without a doubt, that realtime 
"live looping" of acoustic instruments on a laptop is here NOW! If
there was a latency problem, I never noticed it. A masterful looper
and musician on several instruments. I would have loved to hear him
play his horn (trumpet) more in fact.

Stanitarium (Stan Card) -- Big guy, big "surf" sound, easily the 
loudest set of any weekend . . . hands down! And, at the peak of
the storm he created, he also played some of the most sensitive 
and melodic passages of the whole fest. Do a CD Stan!!! Get ol'
Jim Thomas to help (if need be). But you need to document what 
you ar doing!

Matt Davignon -- "This ain't no party, this ain't no disco" who says 
DJs can't make SERIOUS music? I bought the CDs . . . enough said.

Jon Wagner -- A great percussionist (who I'd be begging to play 
with if I lived within a hundred miles of the guy).

Scott Drengsen -- Extraordinary, ambient fretless bassist (he 
and mark Hamburg should get together). How do you get those 
chords on a fretless instrument man? Incredible.

Michael (Miko B.) Biffle -- He had the near impossible task of 
following Brian Kenney Fresno and gave it his very best. I was 
just getting into what Miko was up to when he abruptly stopped 
(all too soon in my opinion). I can't say I would've done differently. 
But, his music was standing up on it's own. He was seriously
underestimating himself (I think).

I know I am missing a few folk here. Please don't feel slighted. 
There are too many of you . . .  and I'm running out of adjectives
already.

Oh and thanks to Stage Manager Matty (?) for all of the help
and to Robin Haas for recording all of that mess.

Well, I better cut this off now. I could go on and on . . . but no one
would read a LD "War and Peace" epic would they?

Thanks again Max for reminding us/me to write some sort of
commentary about the weekend before too much more time had
elapsed. 

Many thanks to Rick for putting on a great show! It was a great 
chance to see/hear some really talented folk (an for some
looping newbies and beginners to try their wings). I think we 
all showed a lot of growth, improvement and grace under fire. 

Best regards,

tEd ® kiLLiAn

http://www.mp3.com/tedkillian
http://www.pfmentum.com/flux.html
http://www.CDbaby.com/cd/tedkillian
http://www.guitar9.com/fluxaeterna.html