Be the Great Fool

It's been a while since I've written.  Last year was about others, in friendship, relationships, and work.  From volunteering in Nepal (Click here for the photos), to crazy road trips visiting loved ones (Pit-Stop #1, #2, #3, #4, #5), or with the ones I love.  If I wasn't traveling, my time was spend working in which case I made a website and a magazine.  All in all, I forgot to take time for myself.  This year is about regaining sacred space, and in tribute to that I will be working on a songbird series.  To get started I've been working on sketches.

This year has lots of promising and exciting adventures, from sending applications to festivals, possibly moving to another state, to finishing the anticipated Nepal film, to learning another language, and moving out of the country.  And in all of this, remembering to paint.  Many thing depend on a tiny little string of a plan, all of which could easily be broken.  Even if these things do or do-not happen, luckily I'm good at riding the wave.  So far this year has been extraordinarily freeing, and by re-focusing myself, I can then fulfill the goals and promises I've made to myself and others.  In other words, I know what my dream is and I'm well on my way to making it happen.  However, sometimes the universe has things to teach you and the side-paths are sometimes a necessary course.

This was all lead up to because of a comment I received from a person my friend met on the bus going from Bellingham WA to Vanouver BC.  She mentioned to him that she was down visiting a friend, and his remark was "The one with the great walk? Even if she doesn't know where she is going, she must get there with confidence." 

I do, often.  I'm not a planner, but I still do more then most.  And my life has turned into a series of moments that are more then just coincidence.  Being that during my friend's visit we read a book called Einstein's dreams, it was another one of those moments that are a bit too perfect when we were spending time in a used book store flipping to random pages and reading aloud, when we came to this snippet...

The fool is the most potent of the archetypes and also the most capable teacher of crazy wisdom. There are actually two types of fool: the foolish fool and the great fool. The foolish fool is inept and silly, a clown of the mind. The great fool is wise beyond ordinary understanding. The foolish fool is the one we see every day when we look in the mirror or walk down the street. The great fool is the rarest of beings.

Innocence is the trademark of both fools. The innocence of the foolish fool makes him clumsy and unsophisticated because he tries to live according to convention. The great fool, however, does not try to fit in; in his innocence, he lives by his own rules.  The foolish fool and his money are soon parted, but the great fool gives his money away. The foolish fool always gets lost, while the great fool is at home everywhere.  The great fool has different values then the rest of us and therefore is crazy wisdom's master of ceremony.

Einstein was a man who could ask immensely simple questions

The great fool, like Einstein, wonders about the obvious and stands in awe of the ordinary, which makes him capable of revolutionary discoveries about space and time. The great fool lives outside the blinding circle of routine, remaining open to the surprise of each moment.  We are the foolish ones, complacent I our understanding.  We take for granted the miraculous dance of creation, but the great fool continuously sees it as if for the first time.  The revelations of the great fool often shows us where we are going, or-more often- where we are.

 My only thought to the man's complement, "The great fool is never lost".  I will find my way, wherever that may be.

Portico plus Joe Newman

This man has the grace of overtone chanting in his voice.   I'm obsessed.

Recondite

New Fav.

So much wow.

2015 Mantra

I am strong, I relax, I forgive.
I am going places.

It is easy to get wound up, it is difficult to put it behind you and move forward.  Live a life of going against the gain, the difficult path is always more rewarding.

Some people are good at constants, routines, and the day-to-day.  I however seem to demand an ever-constant flowing change, routinely moving forward, and day-to-day surprises.

I am Strong.  I have what I need to move forward.  I've been working up to this moment and now is that time to move, lung forth and leave behind my ties.

I relax.

I forgive.  I forgive myself, for all the choices I made, if it wasn't for them I wouldn't be where I am now.  Take it as a blessing.  I forgive others, for the choices they made, they had to do what was needed in order to learn and grow, it was all for the best.

I relax.

In the last few months I've witnessed much drama based on people's assumptions, it is but a big reminder to follow these four agreements:
1.  Be impeccable with my word
2.  Know to not take it personally
3.  Not to make assumptions
4.  To always do my best.

I relax.

I am going places.  Read The Alchemist, again.  I am a creator, remember your thoughts shape your future.  Your words create today.  Your choices become your reality.  Watch for the signs, they've been there all along, and sometimes sting your harder then you asked for.

This is what the sting ray was telling you.

He is letting you know that everything is now in place. You have the knowledge, you have the means, you have the tools and you have the skills – now get busy and get on with it. Everything you have worked toward is open to you so stop hesitating. Have faith in your abilities and follow your inner guidance.
Alternatively Stingray is asking you to stay on course and keep moving forward. Don’t allow distractions or drama to sway you from your journey. Do not be afraid to protect your own path.

Has Everyone Gone Mad?

It starts to feel lonely when everyone seems to have lost it.

Four Tet Remix

(John Beltran - Faux) (Remixed)

Naasko

Just wow.

Herr Juri

SUB.FM

Dubstep, Future Garage, 2 Step, Grime, UKG, Future Jungle, Dub, Deep House, Techno, Juke... Radio

I know what I'm listening to at work from now on.

Youngsta

I feel like I should have known about this person sooner.  By far an early pioneer of this sound.  Do not attempt to listen on small speakers.

Microfeel

I love meeting wonderful strangers.

Blawan

Give it up for Blawan.

..and while I'm at it.





Becasue Techno.

Dogu Civicik

Darkside's Eclipse

Darkside, I said it was going to be good.  It was better then good.

Well rounded spectacular.  I forgot how crowded a sold out show will get.  Elbow to elbow standing room, yet somehow we made it to the sweet spot for the visuals.  I didn't dare bring anything to the show, thankfully we made it out with this one image.

This is the start of something huge, especially in the terms of music.  It's still small but growing rapidly.  A while back I listened to the Boiler Room set they did, it was apparent that this duo was creating the current-day version of Pink Flyod's Dark Side of the Moon.  Well, apparently that was their inspiration.  But the best part is that it is totally their own.

The whole set was a journey rythmeclly, mentally, and visually.  Watching two people in perfect minimal syncronicity experimenting in sound gives you chills more violent then a Beyonce shake.  I called it a full body orgasim which half the crowd apparently herd, luckily my friend tried to gracefully cover up my comment by calling that feeling the urge to dance.  Either way my body has once again has reconfigured its molecular structure into harmonic perfection with all of the universe.  This may seem dramatic, but four highly educated conosours of music (my three friends and I) were left quite speechless after the show was over.

It is not often you find a group that is as comfortable with silence as much as they are sound.  This may be natural for the musician, but to get the audience on this same level is another trick all it's own.    The first ten minuets of the show was spent influencing the audience into a very particular mental state, as if to accept the idea of nothingness and the vast void.  For the first little bit people were talking and giggles echoed from around the room.  But then we were all sucked in, and the journey began.

Most shows today musicians depend on everything from flame throwers, fireworks, giant LED stages, and lasers.  Lots of Lasers.  Even this set was minimal to the core.  One giant round mirror with lights on one side and dark on the other set up as an optical allusion.  It would rotate ever so slowly creating an eclipse in the pitch-black room filled with a thin smoke.  And then... Worm Holes.  I still don't quite know how they achieved it, just a simple trick and you could see through the infinitely deep tunnel that is nothing.  Well done Darkside.

I still don't really know what to say.  I think I'm still speechless.  This is an event I will never forget.

Best show ever.

This isn't anything like what I saw, making it even better because it means every show is unique.
Enjoy!

Best of 2013

It surley is...

Berlin

Gaiser- A Berlin Resident

"The place is so cool that it’s disconnecting itself from the reality of what’s normal."

Anytime someone has asked me why I like Berlin I go speechless.  I think this is why.

A thought that came up recently; the difference between those who must talk about how great they are, and those who just are.  Some feel they have nothing to prove.  Just like people all the biggest cities love to brag, except Berlin.

Being in the same resonance of the city at the time, I made no effort to share my experience there.  But now I've been dreaming of going back, and today I came across that perfect sentence of why I love the place. So whether it's for my own ego or the hopes that maybe this will come in handy to some lonely traveler who has lost their way, here are some mementos of what I remember.

This city sets a high standard in art, music, and lifestyle.  It is largely an international city, and everyone is from everywhere.  Its as if every black sheep decided they needed somewhere to be themselves, and the casualness of its brilliance is spine-tingling.  To remember that Germany was the start of the Romanticist movement, it all begins to make sense.  This is the land of hedonistic indulgence, in the most mellow way imaginable. Because even behind the craziness, there is still an ethical and moral code that people act and treat each other with dignity.  It's the land of purpose, and you better know what yours is.

Physics claims that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.  This is just as valid for the human condition.  Think, the fall of the Berlin wall marked a very prominent check point.  Before then there was serious repression and torment to those who didn't behave in a certain order- or even for those who hadn't come from a certain bloodline.  Now there has been a sling-shot effect that has catapulted the cities demeanor to be one of the most radicley exuberant cities I've ever come across.  Yes the people may act a bit ridged and can not fathom bending the rules, but when they let loose no competitor even comes close.  And personally it seems to me that's all anyone wanted to do.

In the states the idea is "go hard," because you have three hours to party.  In Berlin there is no need, because the parties go for 30+ hours.  Most Berliners don't even bother showing up until well after 4 in the morning.  And that's fine, becasue each DJ plays 5-10 hours. No one is rushed, over anxious, pushy, or rude.  Like I said, they are so extraordinarily casual I could not emphasize this enough.  They just do exactly what they want to do without any concern of ever "missing it."  It's refreshing seeing a place where no one is trying to out-better anyone else.

Store owners have a ping pong table set up outdoors to play while business is slow.  You can be eating outside and the people next to you strike up a conversation just because they noticed something funny.  The parks are decorated as if  they were an old fashioned garden party out of Alice and Wonderland, with giant benches you must climb into and a disco-balled bus used for seating.  Cameras are not allowed in clubs, so people can act or do what they like without fear of someone posting images online. Thinking of an analogy, it's as if the lost-boys of Neverland accidentally grew up and all decided to build Berlin. 

While living in the city my bestfriend said the most proufound thing.  That here, music emanates off the buildings.  It's true.

I decided I want to share some images of the city.  None are my own, because while I was traveling I was robbed in my own hotel.  Having lost my computer and camera I can not share with everybody what I really saw, but by sharing a collection of images that I believe portray the integrity of this historical city I will hopefully translate that warm fuzzy feeling I get when I think about going back.

This was where my friend and I first got off the train having just come from the golden streets of Paris!  Didn't really know what to think, by that night I had already fallen in love having realized we had come exactly where we had wanted to.

Leave the comfort of the streets and you'll find yourself wandering through abandoned building that have been converted into one giant outdoor art installation.

This city is for where younger siblings go to be themselves.



Thanks Tech Beats for the opening quote.  You really sparked back up that forgotten feeling.

Chet Faker

I still cannot express how much better it is to hear music live, especially on a quarter million dollar sound system.

I was blown away by this guys performance.  If you ever get a chance....

Art is a Vague Word

I love these shows, one day I'll be able to see them again.  Thanks again Vasho!

And a little something from the headliner.

J-One

I must be slowly slipping away.

Darkside

I thought when I first discovered the name Nicolas Jaar that this was some unknown genius, really I couldn't have been more wrong.  Turns out this guy has been "the next big thing" for quite sometime, and now he has a new side project.  Darkside- Dave Harrington and Nicolas Jaar, played in Berghain last week on October 8th...  I think that was their opening debut?  This means they are already Monsters of the electronic music world.  The good news is they are starting a North American tour for the release of their first album.

Trust me, do not miss this one.

1/14 – Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre
01/15 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
01/16 – Detroit, MI @ The Magic Stick
01/17 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
01/18 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
01/21 – Vancouver, BC @ Fortune Sound Club
01/22 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
01/23 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
01/24 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore Auditorium
01/25 – Los Angeles, CA @ Music Box (Henry Fonda)
01/26 – Santa Ana, CA @ Observatory
01/28 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
01/30 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
01/31 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s
02/01 – Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s
02/02 – New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
02/03 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
02/05 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
02/06 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
02/07 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
02/08 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5

And if you didn't notice that's 21 nights with only 5 nights off to do the entire rim of the United States from North, West, South, then East.  Insane.

And now, for an interview!