soiveheard #2, wallpaper endangered REPOST

since i can't seem to find this anywhere on the interwebs i will repost this. its from alan rich's new blog (soiveheard.com) which seems to be down...

soiveheard#2 by Alan Rich

Wallpaper Endangered: According to one survey or another, anywhere from 30 to 50,000 people listen to classical music all day. That number can include doctors’ secretaries trapped in their offices (I speak for my friend Addie, prisoner of KUSC) as well as people who just can’t find the on/off switch and have come to regard music as a form of wallpaper. It also includes a large number of people who care what they’re hearing, who value a station that offers the stimulation of music chosen across the broad historical band, including the so-called “difficult” repertory on which the ink may still be wet, or the paper wrinkled after many centuries.

Just as we need more than one critic in town, we need more than one music station. KCSN-FM, the station of Cal State Northridge, is hard to hear in some parts of town; I hear it on one side of my house in West L.A. and less well on the other But their programming is excellent: Martin Perlich’s classical choices during the week, intelligently chosen Bluegrass and other, for me, mind-expanding stuff on weekends. Martin has brought composers onto the station, including young unknowns. As I understand the current crisis at KCSN, Martin’s job is not immediately threatened; other jobs have already been lost, that have given the station its uniqueness, and it looks to me – as someone recently bruised in this whole tragic shrinkage in the realm of culture -- that nobody is safe anymore. The following report from the battleground pretty well sums up the KCSN situation, and you may extrapolate far and wide.

So I hear: In an ominous move officials at Cal State Northridge have taken the unprecedented step of cancelling the Pledge Drive of KCSN-FM, the feisty little public radio station for which they hold the license. The station, which was awarded “Best of LA” by Los Angeles Magazine in 2006, calls itself ÁRTS & ROOTS Radio” offers the most exciting classical music programming in the city (and maybe the country) – often presenting music by living composers as well as an unusually generous amount of 20th century music (as well as ancient music, rare and ‘difficult’ music and daily chats with a broad group of members of the Arts community (cutting-edge composers, musicians, writers, choreographers, filmmakers, playwrights, jazz players, etc. by acclaimed interviewer Martin Perlich (author of The Art of the Interview).

While classical music is presented every weekday 6am – 6pm, weekends are occupied by unique “Roots” programming: “Bluegrass, classical country, singer-songwriter, world music, blues, a 2-hour program devoted to Bob Dylan and more.

Recently University Management, through KCSN’s GM Fred Johnson, fired Les Perry, the station’s best programmer and fundraiser, and other popular shows. The subsequent outcry from listeners and members -- 90% of the station’s operating budget is provided by listener-members -- has caused new Dean Robert Bucker (backed up by CSUN president Jolene Kester and Provost Harry Hellenbrand) to cancel the Pledge Drive out of “sensitivity to ‘the community’ which, responding negatively to the program changes, will negatively affect progress on CSUN’s new $125 million-dollar Valley Performing Arts Center whose groundbreaking was celebrated last week.

Observers believe that in cutting off funding through cancelling the Drive, the University higher-ups have signaled their long-expressed desire to change KCSN’s format – possibily handing off (as KPCC recently did) to large national pubcasting networks like Minnesota Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Radio or a similar entity, leaving Los Angeles with one classical station, whose classical programming is far less enterprising than KCSN’s

CSUN President
Jolene M. Koester
818-677-2121

Jolene.koester@csun.edu

Dean of Arts, Media, and Communication
Wm Robert Bucker
818-677-2426
robert.bucker@csun.edu

CSUN Provost & VP of Academic Affairs
Harry Helenbrand

818-677-2957

harry.hellenbrand@csun.edu

breeding stock

i just heard from martin perlich that next week's pledge-drive at KCSN has been canceled and this probably signals the university wanting to change the format and ship all the programming to a syndicate like minnesota public radio.

most of this town is already run from elsewhere, we have seen how that is working with first the latimes, the the laweekly and now this. for research on my latest piece i have been reading mike davis's prescient 1990 "City of Quartz". the following line stuck in my head this morning and now i know why.

"The steller success of Los Angeles as a real-estate, media and technology mecca is overwhelming its traditional upper classes, diminishing their autonomy and clout. This is not to suggest they are somehow becoming pauperized- indeed they are becoming wealthier-, but rather that they are surrendering power, which is different from mere money, to others strategicially established in the new circuits of lnad monopoly and global finance. LA 2000, despite offical hype about being 'THE city of the 21st century' will largely be an entrepot for megabanks and technology monopolies headquartered elsewhere. It will also continue to be the urban equivalent of the Spanish Main for the corporate buccaneers and nottori-ya from all over the world. Its old WASPish elites, especially, recumbent in their luxury, may linger primarily as consumers, comprafores, or just breeding stock. "

CSUN President
Jolene M. Koester
818-677-2121

Jolene.koester@csun.edu

Dean of Arts, Media, and Communication
Wm Robert Bucker
818-677-2426
robert.bucker@csun.edu

CSUN Provost & VP of Academic Affairs
Harry Helenbrand

818-677-2957

harry.hellenbrand@csun.edu

tagged x2

i'm it. and since i'm done for the night i can play along with this meme...

1. pick up the nearest book.

ok, on my left is my full bookcase... that's shooting fish in the barrel. many a book i could pull show how "serious" i am. (ohh... rameau's treatise on harmony would make me look smart, but i still have yet to read more than a few chapters)

if i go behind me on the right is a bunch of just graded theory 1 papers (much desperation in that pile) and a great book by author latimes writer sam quinones that is obliquely connected to my latest project

(i read the story, wrote the author, i heard the podcast, read his book, and read this article that pointed me to the latimes homicide report)

2. open to page 123
3. find the fifth sentence
4. post the next three sentences
5. tag five people and acknowledge who tagged you

True Tales from Another Mexico: the Lynch Mob, the Popsicle Kings and the Bronx
by Sam Quinones

And in L.A Zapateco basketball, Zeus Garcia is the high priest. For it he has sacrificed everything, including two knees, two women, and one set of children. For he has bridged divides within his own community.

now i pass this meme elsewhere across the internets and point you towards the following:

john pippin's new blog: sound scenes from his opening post it looks like he will have much to add to the alt-classical discussion.

daniel wolf's impressive green chile metaphor

the rambler has submitted his phd dissertation. those of you not having flashbacks and cold sweats rejoice! the others breath deeply and repeat, "they can't make me edit it anymore"

david ocker has been blogging about his 30 year association with the ICA (Independent Composers Association) and its Second Second Story Concert Series in los angeles

ryan nunes contemplates there is no spoon

and finally.... the latest pbe CD 'Retrace Our Steps' is john schaefer's pick of the week on WNYC. its is still available as free download.

cake for everyone!

requiem for a high crime enclave

requeim for a high crime enclave from paul bailey on Vimeo.
(trailer)

Requiem for a High Crime Enclave is a deconstruction of Purcell's Funeral Music for Queen Mary (1694) based on excerpts from the from the LA Times Homicide Report which documents every murder that takes place in Los Angeles County using blog posts, comments, and Google Maps.

(this version is probably best viewed full screen)

Saturday May 17th and Sunday May 18th, 8:30pm
Roy and Edna Disney/Calarts Theater (REDCAT)
631 W 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA

la times homicide report

assorted selections

tonight
april 23 2008, 8pm
csuf recital hall
d.i.e (diverse instrument ensemble)
cello, keyboard, clarinet and electric bass
lloyd rodgers director

selections:

assorted madrigals
caccini
nicole baker, mezzo-soprano soloist

assorted counterpoints
costanzo festa

chaconne in g minor
henry purcell

222

Since January 2008 there have been 222 homicides in LA county.



I’m not sure what to do about it, but I can’t stop thinking about it. It started when I came across the LA times Homicide Report (blog). For over a year reporter Jill Leovy and Rueben Vives had a simple and horrendous task, to document every homicide in LA county online. Its seems crazy that newspapers didn’t have do this before, but Leovy points out in a Zocolo podcast that the implied conventional wisdom is that as long as the majority of homicides occur in “high-homicide enclaves”, minimal effort and resources will be allocated by the state to solve this horrendous problem. You begin to realize that this has been going on for years, reading the blog and comments from friends, family and yes... rival gangs and enemies begins to give you an idea of how sheltered we have become.

I’m not sure how to fix it, but reading about it everyday has brings up more questions than it answers. My only response is to attempt to write a piece about it. Which for me brings up the immediate question, how can you do that without people running out the door. All I know is that probably no matter how hard I try its going to be seen as polemic.

The music is done, music and text based on a harmonic deconstruction of Purcell’s Funeral Music for Queen Mary. What better than “borrowing” music from one of the most famous funerals of a British Monarch (1694), to honor those whose brutal deaths who continue to go unnoticed.

carne asada is not a crime

Dear Supervisor Molina,

I am writing to express serious concern regarding the actions you have taken against the taco trucks in our neighborhoods. As a member of the Eastside community, I greatly value our local street vendors–for their food, service, and especially culture.
Taco trucks fill many voids left by traditional restaurants, whether it is more authentic, better food, better hours, or cheaper prices. Furthermore, taco trucks create a sense of community on the streets that enclosed, “brick-and-mortar” stores cannot.

Taco trucks are a special and unique facet of East Los Angeles, and something that I cherish about my neighborhood.

Most of all they provide me (and my band) with cheap eats after shows and rehearsals!

I urge you to withdraw your proposal, and instead focus on the more pressing and detrimental issues that are facing our community.

Here are links to the best of LA

shame

its a shame that alan rich was pushed out as the la weekly's classical music critic this week. this is another reason to not read the exceedingly corporate LA Weekly. first they get rid of any real "alternative" political reporting and now this. even when i didn't agree with his conclusions, i appreciate mr. rich's clear and pointed reviews and the context he brings to any concert he attends. his institutional memory of the los angeles music scene cannot be replaced.

what gets me really upset is the way he is being treated, i have seen too many examples of colleagues and friends who have given their live for their "job" being pushed aside and into retirement by the whims of management. by observing how most employers treat their "mature" staff its easy to get an idea of what is in store for us. i think any professional that has put in the years supporting and building the organizations that make up our community should be able to pick the way they want to go out (within reason). i think while many view retirement as a time to play play golf, drink beer and play cards, if Mr. Rich wants to keep writing in his "golden years", then more power to him.

I suggest that if the LA Times can rethink the "forced buyout" of the esteemed Al Martinez, then LA Weekly should consider the same for Mr. Rich.



btw... how did we get to a point that a majority of our print media is being dictated by bean counters in chicago and phoenix? at least southland publishing is getting it done.

learning a new instrument

this spring continues to be a steady progression of ups and downs. the flu was a 5 week body blow to start the year and this past week (welcome spring!) allergies have been kicking my ass.

that all being said, i'm finally back to my routine of transcribing, writing and arranging except this time (instead of pencil and paper) i'm using my laptop (ableton live/macbook pro/midi keyboard) as my primary instrument. the purpose of putting aside the pencil and paper and transcribing music by ear (using the keyboard and recording directly into the software) i'm forcing myself to figure out how to recreate the sounds i'm hearing (and in the process figure out its strengths and weaknesses of the software). its interesting that this process of transcription is a a much more tactile experience you would think (instead figuring out a passage by playing it and then writing it down), by performing (while recording and then looping) each element of a piece, its a more viseral process that feels quite different and opens up my ears in some new ways. it also gives me an idea of how i can use this technology in a live performance.



what initially has got me so excited about this setup is the ability to perform modular pieces like Terry Riley's Rainbow Over Curved Air, Rweski's Les Moutons de Panurge or my Prinicple of Sufficient Irritation, looping live performances from a laptop and midi keyboard (instead of the racks of pedals) the end result is an electronic instrument that functions as a very flexible continuo.

another problem with performing electronically is that the instrument choices are limiting also. right now there are really two main choices... either a keyboard (which is not especially bad, but doesn't give you all the options that the technology implies) or a midi pad controllers.



i'm really intereted in korg's new kaossilator "dyanmic phase synthesizer" which is basically an x/y graph style melodic sound generator. i'm (and others i think) are still searching for a simple and intuitive interface so that you can perform live. some recent examples are the monome and yamaha's tenori-on.

obviously some of the issues that comes up with using any looping instrument is its ability to be performed with other instruments. by seeing some local bands using pedals and laptops i finally think the technology has caught up to what was in the air in the late 60's and 70's. ninja academy is a good example of a two-person rock band that has one of the most virtuosic examples of looping live instruments that i have seen. i'll be going into rehearsal with this new setup and should get a better idea of what works for me by trial and error. i've setup a twitter feed on the right to post impressions and snippets along the way.

retrace our steps, act II

thanks

"Whatever institution you as an individual commit to will somehow find a way to betray you... Unless of course you're willing to play the game without regard to the effect on others or society as a whole, in which case you might be a judge or the state police superintendent or governor one day...."

Or, for your loyalty, you still might be cannon fodder... No guarantees. But only one choice, as Camus pointed out, offers any hope of dignity.

"The proof in that is that a guy with a C-average degree from the University of Maryland and 13 years of covering cops for a newspaper in Baltimore has a television show, and everyone's arguing over whether it's brilliant or not. OK, that's a culture that's in serious decline."

thank you david simon, george pelecanos and richard price and dennis lehane and bill zorzi (and cast and crew) for the last 5 years and 60 episodes of the wire

i got the ending i wanted but probably not the ending i deserved.

take two

today (03/05/08)
4pm (pacific)
radio interview with martin perlich
rebroadcast thursday evening at 6:30pm
KCSN-FM
ARTS & ROOTS RADIO
listen online

next thursday (03/13/08)
lloyd rodgers group
csuf recital hall, 8pm
program:
discourse on the measurement of tones, books I, II, and III
All the counterpoint you can stand for $10

picutre above
(l-r) matt menaged, pb, ryan nunes, bruce gallego, john mahr, scott mcintosh