Busking 11 11 11

Last night’s street drumming was as lucative as the last, plus I had my own show to watch across the street
The evening started off at 7:30 pm when I showed up at “MY” spot and found a parking space about 50 yards away
SCORE!
The meter even had 40 minutes on it
Unfortunately some kid with an acoustic guitar was in “MY” spot and he was not very good
Worst version of “Last Dance with Mary Jane” I ever heard
I sat in the van and glared at him for about 15 minutes when he got up and walked away
That’s when I pounced on “MY” spot
I managed to get up and running around 8pm

Last week’s street kit was designed to be as muffled and quiet as possible because of my anxieties over police hassles
Last week’s positive cop experience gave me lisence to bring a much better sounding drumkit with a full snare, real floor tom and wide open/un-muffled heads
It was much easier to play, plus I could hit them lightly and still get a big full sound
Hitting lightly helps when you are playing for 6 hours

The night was quite eventful
The club across the intersection was in for an interesting night when a steady stream of taxis and about 5 or 6 tour busses dumped a large number of young douches who were there for their “White trash pub crawl”
That’s right, a sea of douches (and douchettes) all dressed up in their arrogant stereotypical costumes clogging up the intersection and impeding traffic by standing in the middle of the street talking on the phone
Out of the hundreds of “them” I would say only a few actually tipped
The rest just walked by and screamed WOOOOOOOO at me
The cops soon showed up and started to corral the douches onto the sidewalk
I decided to switch to hot-rod sticks which are bundles of small dowels
The volume is somewhere between sticks and brushes
One of the cops recognized that I was taking the volume down while they were doing crowd control and gestured to me that he was appreciative

My cop anxieties are easing greatly
One walked by and I asked him about the electronic rig I planned on using and he said that I could technically get a ticket for a noise violation just for acoustic drums but this was Deep Ellum
The added component of electicity wouldn’t attract any more attention from a cop
Basically, he said the cop would have to be pretty stiff and I would have to be argumentative if asked to move along to get a ticket

I had the Zune with me this time (for some reason it started working again) and I played for a while with music in my ears
However, I noticed that the parts sounded boring out of the context of the music so I went back to just winging it
I did a lot of the double bass “warmup” stuff as well as some Latin, Dancehall and Drum n Bass
The thing that is different abut playing drums on the street is that the normal parts you would play in the context of a song sound really boring by themselves
The benefit of playing drums on the street is that you have to think in different directions in order to affect people

I brought the video camera but never used it because I was playing
I am going out again tonight and might bring someone with to document things
And to watch my drums when I take a pee break

100% Positive busking experience

My negative experiences with busking in Minneapolis were pressing heavily on me as I lugged my gear to Deep Ellum to claim the spot I had scoped out
I was worried about the noise of the drumkit
I was worried about getting a ticket

I found a parking spot very close to my spot
It was around the corner but not so far that I would have to spend more than 15/20 seconds with my eyes off my equipment
The parking lot across the street wanted ten dollars
I asked one of the businesses next to the spot if they would allow me to plug in an extension cord for future electonic drum explorations but they were afraid of getting a ticket from the city (which is fair)
I REALLY need to figure a way to get portable power on the street

I set up and started playing at about 8pm and it didn’t take long until Turner showed up and was having fun with the extra pair of drum sticks I leant him
Mosquito happened along as well and then the guy with the washboard stepped in
This lasted for quite a while with me letting people make up their own beats and then I would play a complex rythm over it
Sometimes I was only using my double bass pedal because there were 3 people playing my kit and I had no sticks

I ended up playing from 8pm to 2am
Some people played the kit for a few minutes and I also took one bathroom break
I made sure to keep stretching and usually did it when I was running out of ideas for a beat
I sure do wish I had my Zune
It would have been nice to have a bunch of different songs to listen to for beat ideas

Lots of people said I was a good drummer
I flirted with lots of girls
People took pictures and videos of me and I gave out a ton of cards

The evening ended with a cramp in my left leg and forearm
My fears of the police were unfounded because they drove past me all night
One even looked right at me and threw the devil horns
Tonight I got over some pre-concieved anxieties, got a ton of exposure and played drums for about 6 hours
My back hurts, my legs are cramping and I believe I am going to pay for this tomorrow
I played a lot of double bass tonight to please the deep ellum crowd

As I have said before
I need to figure out how to get my electronics on the street
Playing the drums was unique and electonics would be even better
There were rappers there that would have flipped if I had a mic and an effects processor
Not only that, but I think the PyroplasticFlow concept would actually work better in the street than on a stage
All I have to do is figure out how to power my equipment without a gasoline generator
It would be uber super cool if I could get the video projector out there as well
Lots of very very positive thoughts in my head right now
Not only that but a very unusual opportunity is beginning to materialize in front of me

Lots to think about

Video/DJ Gig Recap- Voodoo Organist, Fallout lounge 10/29/11

This was, by far, the most ambitious Video/DJ gig I have ever done
I know the layout of the Fallout Lounge very well and had formulated 4 different video displays for the evening
Including the VIDEO CUBE which is a projector aimed into a square booth so that people could sit inside the video
I chose to use mainly the 50′s horror exploitation teasers because they were stark black and white and usually had a lot of text and pictures instead of action
This, combined with the hypnotic swirl video made for a lot of people taking cell phone video of themselves inside the cube which made me very happy

I had a few bumps in the music/DJing department because I was using a playlist instead of the DJ software
That was being used to toggle videos on the main projection screen
I started out with music and switched to music videos when the room started to get a bit full (emphasis on a bit) and mixed in commercials and other Halloween related pop culture vids
I also had a jambox out front playing Halloween Sound Effects CDs

Aside from the glitches with the audio tracks, I think that this was the most perfectly executed Video/DJ gig I have ever done
This is especially gratifying due to the complexity of the entire evening
I also set up the band in the PA which sounded like poop because I had the powered speakers turned too low and had to gain out the vocals to get them up in the mix

People seemed to appreciate my efforts and complimented me on the evening
The only downside is that there were a gazillion events happening that night and the turnout was lower than expected
My mantra of “It won’t be because I didn’t try hard enough” paid off this time and I am extremely satisfied with the results
My confidence level is high and I rode that wave into Halloween night at The Lizard Lounge

Here’s a list of the various material I used for the event

Deadbolt- Voodoo truckers, Watongo, Zulu Death Mask
45 Grave- Surf Bat, Wax, Riboflavin
The Cramps- GooGoo Muck, Beautiful Gardens
Dead Kennedys- Halloween
Foetus- Lust for Death, Satan Place, Water Torture, I hate You All
Marylin Manson- Doll-Dagga Buzz Buzz Ziggety Zag
Ultravox- Mr X
Misfits- Vampira, Halloween II
The Necro Tonz- Skulls, Death Don’t Worry, I Love the Dead
Zacherle- Dinner With Drac
Bob Mc fadden and Dor- I’m a Mummy
Jimmy Cross- I Want my Baby Back

MUSIC VIDEOS:
Alice Cooper- Some Folks
Bauhaus- Bela Lugosi’s Dead
Deadbolt- Down in the Lab
The Groovie Goolies- Midnight
Paul Broucek- Hollywood Halloween
KISS- King of the Nighttime World (Paul Lynde Halloween Special)
Lords of the New Church- Dance With Me
Meat Loaf- Bat Out of Hell
Iron maiden- Phantom of the Opera
The Cramps- Human Fly
The Damned- Plan 9 Channel 7
The Misfits- Dig Up Her Bones
Twisted Sister- Burn in Hell
X- Because I do
Zappa- Titties and Beer

FILMS/CARTOONS:
Mad Monster Party, Groovie Goolies, The Skeleton Dance, Pigs is Pigs, Porky Pig in Jeeper’s Creepers,A cartoonist’s Nightmare, Hittin’ the trail for Hallelujah Land, Sunday go to meetin’ Time, Various 50′s Horror exploitation performance teasers, The Horror of Hammer trailer compilation, Haxxan, Faust, Der Golem, Phanom of the Opera, Phantom of the Paradise, The Abominable Dr Phibes, The house on bare Mountain, Kiss Me Quick, Rikki Tikki Tavi, The Jungle Book,

OTHER FOOTAGE:
Hallowen Commercials- Gary Busey is Scared Priceless, Micro Machines, Toys R Us, Wolworth Wolco, Dracula Texas Instruments Solar Calculator
Elvira’s MTV Halloween Special
Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop Halloween MTV Headbanger’s Ball

Final Preparation for Saturday

I don’t think I have ever done this much prep for one single event in my life
Well the PyroPlasticFlow show kicked my ass but this is the most prepared Video/DJ gig.
And it’s the most ambitious
First of all, I have composed a special edit for the Voodoo Organist that he can use for background video for future performances
Next, i have pre-edited a ton of material because I am going to be using four, count ‘em, FOUR screens
The main room has a flat screen over the bar where I will be showing the Voodoo Organist edit
The projection screen across from the bar will be music videos and various halloween oriented pop culture videos like commercials, TV specials etc…
The back room will feature a smaller video projector and will be a place where people can get away from the crush and noise of the main room and chill out
Then there will be the Video Cube which is a booth just inside the recessed doorway
When you aim a video projector at it, the people seated in the booth become immersed in video
The video in the Cube will have a lot of stark contrast and movement instead of the usual video because it doesn’t need to be viewed in context
Rathr the shapes and movements are vague and yet partially recongizable
In addition to the music videos, I have an appropriate selection of songs to DJ
I have spent almost 2 weeks preparing both the video and figuring out how to make my random pieces of equipment work together for this performance

I am extremely excited and a bit nervous because I have so much time, effort and emotion invested in this gig
If I pull it off, this could give me the boost of intertia and momentum that I need to become more busy and active

voodooorganistfalloutflyer

Why I haven’t attended any “Occupy” demonstrations

First of all, let me express my support for the movement
Now, let me explain why I have not taken part in the demonstrations

The biggest reason is one based on fear
-I am afraid of my government
-I am afraid of being beaten up by riot squads
-I am DEATHLY afraid of jail
-I am afraid of being placed on a watch list

When I was growing up, my parents taught me to question authority but respect the police and armed forces
Yeah, it sucks to get a ticket or to be arrested but 9 times out of 10, the person brought it upon themselves
My encounters with police have always been “Yes Sir, No Sir” events
That’s why I have only been to jail once and that was for 45 minutes in Rockwall while my friends paid my forgotten speeding ticket
Keep in mind that I know that there are corrupt/bad cops etc….but we need such authority to keep some semblance of order

The second reason why I have not attended these protests is that I believe my entire adult life has been a protest against unchecked corporate greed
While most Americans were taking on lots of debt in student loans, new car payments and obscene credit card purchases, I was living below the poverty line, driving shitty cars, living in crappy apartments and keeping my posessions to a minimum (drums don’t count)
I have had a credit card for at least 10 years now and the balance has never been over $1000 (and that was emergency money after my car died on the road)
-No big screen TV/giant stereo system
-No brand name wardrobe
-No expensive girlfriend/wife/kids

Why did I live such a spartan existance?
One of the main reasons is because I didn’t wanna give “The Man” his interest rate for financing my personal version of the American Dream
Anything I had was either a gift from my family or bought with money I saved from working my shitty just-above-minimum wage-job

My protest was not to participate and it still is
No one seemed to notice these problems when they were brewing over the last 10 years
All of the sudden, the people who had a deaf ear to the things people like me stood for all these years seem to be listening
Nevermind the fact that many people just like me saw this coming during Bush administration
I remember their attitudes when things were going great
Now they understand
But I fear it is too late
The people who truly own this country (term stolen from George Carlin) are not going to let go and they sure as hell are not going to let it go back to the way things were

I don’t hate corporations, we need them
I don’t hate rich people, politicians and cops, we need them too

If anything, it is YOUR fault as much as it is theirs
YOU let this happen by getting soft, comfortable and complacent
YOU let them buy your complacency
Now that the golden goose has stopped laying eggs, all of the sudden, YOU are angry
Try to rememeber that when you think back over the last decade
How many times did you care about corporate greed when you had it so well?

The Voodoo Organist at fallout lounge featuring DJ/Video by Rockula

I have been very fortunate to be asked to DJ and mix video for the upcoming Voodoo Organist show at the Fallout Lounge Sat Oct 29th
I have great plans for the evening and will be mixing FOUR video sources throughout the venue
This will be a Halloween themed show and will draw from all of the vintage pop culture that surrounded every kid’s favorite holliday (after xmas that is)

I was up all night compiling footage and tried to get some shuteye when the idea for a promo video popped into my head
it wouldn’t let me sleep and demanded that I strike when the iron was hot so I stayed up until the sun came up
Here’s the video