Errors-To: admin at elephant-talk dot com Reply-To: newsletter at elephant-talk dot com Sender: moderator at elephant-talk dot com Precedence: bulk From: moderator at elephant-talk dot com To: newsletter at elephant-talk dot com Subject: Elephant Talk #1211 E L E P H A N T T A L K The Internet newsletter for Robert Fripp and King Crimson enthusiasts Number 1211 Thursday, 14 July 2005 Today's Topics: B-Side 45 hour non stop improv jam in Italy ZUM a la Nau Ivanow Dimecres 15 de Juny de 2005, 21.30 hs. Hi! 2005 Adrian Belew Tour News belew tour set list anyone? What's in a key? Boxed set musings DGM and KC album distribution Fans!!! Soundscapes tour reviews? "Heroes", and composition form What about Fripp diaries in book form? Fripp Sanctuary interviews TUnER Gigs (Pat Mastelotto & Markus Reuter) Identifying music that Fripp ran pre & post show in BOSTON, Just Like Robert DGM download (Mexico City?) info Progressive Rock Radio Feature GIG REVIEW: RF Soundscapes at IMAC, Huntington NY, June 18, 2005 GIG REVIEW: Fripp at the Fillmore 6/8/05 ------------------ A D M I N I S T R I V I A --------------------- POSTS: Please send *all posts* to newsletter at elephant-talk dot com ** Posts intended for the newsletter should have a subject prefix of ETPOST ** Posts intended for an individual newsletter contributor should have a subject prefix of their ET 'Ticket Number', shown at ETxxxxx in their 'From:' line in the newsletter. To UNSUBSCRIBE, or to CHANGE ADDRESS: Send a message with a body of HELP to admin at elephant-talk dot com or use the DIY list machine at http://www.elephant-talk.com/list/ To ASK FOR HELP about your ET subscription: Send a message to: help at elephant-talk dot com ET Web: http://www.elephant-talk.com/ Read the ET FAQ before you post a question at http://www.elephant-talk.com/faq.htm Current TOUR DATES info can always be found at http://www.elephant-talk.com/gigs/tourdates.shtml You can read the most recent ten editions of ET at http://www.elephant-talk.com/newsletter.htm THE ET TEAM: Mike Dickson (ET Newsletter distribution/subscriptions) Nadim S. Haque (ET Webmaster) Toby Howard (ET founder and Newsletter Moderator) Dan Kirkdorffer (ET Webmaster Emeritus) ET presents the view of the authors of posts in good faith, in a spirit of free and open discussion. The views expressed herein are those of the individual authors of posts. The ET TEAM accepts no responsibility for the views of authors of posts. ET is produced using John Relph's Digest system v3.7b. If you'd like to donate to the upkeep of ET, please press the "Donate" button at ETWeb. ------------------ A I V I R T S I N I M D A --------------------- Date: Sat, 11 Jun 2005 03:34:47 +0200 From: Willie at willieoteri dot com Subject: B-Side 45 hour non stop improv jam in Italy "B-Side" Another World Record, One of a Kind, Only one in the World, 45 hour long non-stop musical improvisational jam and art event in Italy. October 9,10,11, 2005 Following a successful 14 and 33 1/3 hour long non-stop concerts in 2004 and a very successful "45" hour jam this last April of 2005 the promoters are gearing up for "B-Side", another 45 hour long non-stop jam to be held this fall in Northern Italy followed by "78" in 2006. These have become world-class events drawing attention from major publications, producers, musicians and artists. It is very likely that such an event cannot be held in other parts of the world due to restrictions for drinking and hours of business operation. This is what makes this a great opportunity and chance for you to take part in such an event in a beautiful city like Padua near Venice and the great people and culture of Italy. This is a live event designed to promote live music in a world becoming more and more bland from homogenized and canned music. Coupled with live recording in an improvised environment this can present a great opportunity to showcase great talent in music and performance art. "45" held at Factory04 in Padua Italy drew large crowds to witness magical moments of live improvisation featuring the talents of bass master Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, John Lennon), German drummer extraordinare Schroeder (Mike Keneally, Napoleon Murphy Brock), guitarist Willie Oteri (Tony Levin, Mike Keneally) rare performances by producer Cookie Marenco (Roy Hargrove, Charlie Haden, Windham Hill) including a very special early morning ambient session with Tony Levin and producer Ronan Chris Murphy (King Crimson, Chucho Valdes, Jamie Walters) and jams featuring many other top jazz and rock musicians from Italy and other parts of the EU. For "B-Side" the promoters are looking for sponsors to bring in top name players with a tentative list that includes names such as Billy Cobham, Pat Mastelotto, Mike Keneally, Ralph Towner, members of Phish and a plethora of talent from around the world. Potential sponsors may request Banners on stage and around the area of the venue, logos to be placed on posters, handbills and other promotional materials and time slots to showcase up and coming talent, keeping in mind that this is an improvisational event so no pre written songs, standards or stock arrangements are to be performed. With a turnout of hundreds of musicians and many more spectators this is an ideal setting for labels, instrument manufacturers, music stores, promoters and producers as a place to shop their wares and talent. For more information about participating in this event or to provide sponsorship for part of this show please contact one of the people listed below. Booth space is available for labels, agencies, artists, etc. We also need people to record and video the event so please contact us if you are involved in such areas. Willie Oteri c/o booking at willieoteri dot com 39-340-096-6970 or 480-491-5863 after June 26 Liz Redwing liz at lizredwing dot com 818 415 7674 Los Angeles Ronan Chris Murphy rcm at venetowest dot com 310 200 9010 Los Angeles Chris Boulet wowwhywow at freemail dot it 049 868 5320 evenings Italy ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Jun 2005 14:42:36 +0200 From: Luciano Pietrafesa Subject: ZUM a la Nau Ivanow Dimecres 15 de Juny de 2005, 21.30 hs. ZUM a la Nau Ivanow Dimecres 15 de Juny de 2005, 21.30 hs. (Versiones acAosticas) TrA-o de Guitarras acAosticas integrado por Shinkuro Matsuura (JapA3n), Luciano Pietrafesa (Argentina) y Fumihito Hatano (JapA3n). Miembros del legendario ensamble aThe League of Crafty Guitaristsa dan vida a su propio proyecto presentando en la ciudad de Barcelona su nuevo material. Durante esta gira por EspaA~a e Italia se grabara su proximo album en vivo. Virtuosismo y personalidad definen un variado repertorio que incluye Piazzolla, tango argentino, artistas contemporA!neos (S. Wonder, Lennon-Mc Cartney) y autores clA!sicos. Se presentarA!n en LA NAU IVANOW el miAcrcoles 15 de junio a las 21:30 hs. Entrada: 6a~ Tel. 93 243 00 63 Nau ivanow C/Hondures,30, Barcelona Metro: Sagrera L1 i L5, BUS: 34 y B20 Mas informacion en http://www.zumguitars.com Contacto: email: info at zumguitars dot com tel: ++34 627 704 779 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 Jun 2005 19:58:20 -0500 From: Alejandro Velazquez Subject: Hi! Escuse me, Im looking for an article about why robert fripp is always sit down when they is performing a concert, but a didn't found it on ET Help me please. I will be great thankfully with you. I wish you can help me. Alejandro Velazquez Mancera, S.C. A member practice of: Ernst & Young Global Tel. 52-83-13-00 Ext. 8778 - 8780 y 1639 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Jun 2005 20:55:02 -0500 From: "BigElectricChat" , "BIG ELECTRIC ChAT" Subject: 2005 Adrian Belew Tour News the 2005 adrian belew trio tour adrian belew - guitar/voice mike hodges - drums mike gallaher - bass jun 18 - Pittsburgh, PA @ The Rex Theatre jul 01 - Naperville, IL @ Rib Fest jul 15 - Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts jul 16 - Chicago, IL @ Park West jul 17 - Cleveland, OH @ The House of Blues jul 19 - Farmingdale, NY @ Downtown jul 20 - New York City @ BB King's jul 21 - Annapolis, MD @ Rams Head jul 23 - Philadelphia, PA @ Penn's Landing jul 30 - Nigata Japan @ Fuji Rocks Festival aug 18 - Nashville, TN - Dancin' In The District - Riverfront Pk aug 28 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater (just added!) sep 23 - Chattanooga, TN @ Nightfall Concert Series (Rob Fetters & Chris Arduser will open for Adrian for the Cincinnati show) For more information on the tour such as venue website links, please visit www.adrianbelew.net WEST COAST dates are on the way! Please travel safely! Rob Murphree Adrian Belew Webmaster www.adrianbelew.net DON'T FORGET! Adrian's SIDE TWO is scheduled for release on July 12, 2005. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2005 15:52:40 -0400 From: m.k. smith Subject: belew tour set list anyone? i just bought my tickets for the upcoming Adrian concert in Cleveland July 17th. i usually like to be prepared for what i am going to hear when i go to a show. i assume he will play all or most of Side One, which has been out awhile, and Side Two which doesn't come out until 7/12, which unfortunately isn't enuf time to procure, listen to, and be familiar w/ before the show. what a bitch. i love Side One, but it is far too short, of course. i would have preferred he had released this stuff as a double CD at one time, instead of dropping it on us in little chunks like this... at any rate, has anyone out there who has seen the few dates in June thus far, or is to hear tour stops between now and mid July post a set list(s) here in E-T? it doesn't have to be perfect. i just want some approximation of the songs of the show, so i can put together a tour CD w/ most of the songs on it to program myself and girlfriend w/, so we will be ready for the show. i have taken this approach several times w/ KC and it has worked well. altho i couldn't do it w/ the Level 5 tour, since the first time i heard that on disc was when i bought it at the show! thanks, m.k. smith ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Jul 2005 01:21:16 +0200 From: ebenass Subject: (none) First of all: congratulations for the site, it keeps things alive even if normally I can't hear people talking about King Crimson that much. Anyway, I'd like to discuss a thing: I'd like to hear mr Fripp dealing with jazz standards and some classical pieces. Nothing special, he'd just pick the one he loves the most. I'd really like to see what the man can do without a Fernandez sustainer thing or a huge set of pedals. That would be an interesting thing for my personal believe is that KC needs to go furter to an higher level and not being stuck in in the rock ground, that, though very visceral and productive, could be at the same time a cage. Thanks for the attention Claudio ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 09 Jun 2005 10:03:23 +0000 From: Mark Harvey Subject: What's in a key? Brunkhorst wrote: "(This is the explanation, by the way, of the joke in 'This is Spinal Tap' about D minor being the saddest of all keys - because a key by itself contains nothing but an agreed-upon group of notes.)" Some caveats need to be inserted into this observation: (a) This need not necessarily be true for someone who possesses perfect pitch. And in particular, some people with chromaesthesia report their experience of a particular note being associated with an experience of a particular colour. This includes some noted classical composers (Scriabin, Messiaen, Rimsky-Korsakov and Liszt) who would choose the keys of their compositions accordingly. (b) Your own body is part of the acoustic environment in which you hear a sound, and it has some elements which remain relatively constant over time. In particular, the shape of your skull will determine certain frequencies (pitches) more resonant with it than others. (c) Yes, a key does in essence consist of any agreed-upon group of notes, but those notes will stand in certain harmonic relations to each other (2:1, 3:1, 4:1 being of especial importance) which are mathematically governed rather than arbitrary. The fact that, say, Hirajoshi scale has a completely different emotional resonance to, say, Neapolitan Minor scale, or whole-tone scale, is a function of the notes selected and the mathematical relationships that exist between them. You cannot transfer Saussurean linguistics to music theory, not especially because of the absence of an order of the signified, but because the note B has a certain axiomatic relationship to C that is quite different to the arbitrary relationship between "BAT" and "CAT". (d) Most directly relevant, especially for guitarists, is the fact that choice of key governs the range of chord shapes that are available. In standard tuning, the open G major chord (3-2-0-0-0-3), for instance, is a combination that is distinctive and recognisable (and pretty crap-sounding - use the E-shape bar chord on the 3rd fret instead). Choosing F minor as a key will mean that you have no open strings available (other than for accidentals, of course), which will mean less fluency, but also a tendency to use more vibrato than otherwise would be the case. And so on. On that basis, D minor is a pretty odd choice, because when you resolve into the chord of the tonic you will be (in standard tuning) playing a chord that (using the usual chord fingering shape) only uses the top four strings, which can, along with D major, acoustically sound quite weak relative to other keys. (Of course you get round this by barring A minor-shape on the 5th fret, using your thumb on the 1st fret of the bottom string or tuning the bottom string down to D.) Nevertheless the joke still stands, because unless Nigel in Spinal Tap is a Zen master he doesn't understand an iota of this. But a bit less ill-thought-out poststructuralist gibberish would be appreciated. (I bet I won't be the only one who posts on this.) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 09 Jun 2005 14:01:01 -0500 From: Ryan Tassone Subject: Boxed set musings I enjoyed Volume One of KC's new boxed set. It had some performances I had never heard, not being a member of the KCCC, and overall a very polished, consistent sound. It was fun to hear Robert's compositional style in the l ate sixties, as compared to a mere four years later. What went on? Someth ing radically shifted between 72's Fripp and 73's, at least if one listens to the albums. The experience was marred by a few simple mistakes. For one, the track listing on disc 4 is incorrect. It seems that "We'll Le t You Know" and "Improv: Augsburg" are actually parts of the same track. T herefore, every track afterwards is falsely numbered, which would probably be confusing to the "new generation" of Crimson fans this set is aimed at. The disc has 11 tracks, and not 12. I didn't like how the live version of "Easy Money," with its incredible med itative middle section, was spliced into a different performance to finish the song. Granted, the song needed an ending, but if you listen closely to where the switch occurs, one can hear two Roberts: one playing a fast solo in the background while the other plays stacatto notes with an undistorted guitar sound. In other words, the second performance (the one that closes the piece) overlapped the first in such a way that the edit was obvious. A similar situation occurs in the opening to "LTiA Part II" on disc 4. The squealing guitar that ends "The Talking Drum" can still be heard while Rob ert blasts into the opening chords, diminishing the transition effect. A l ittle disappointing, considering Mr. Singleton's immense talent and Fripp's precise ear for detail--this leads me to wonder if the double guitar parts were intentional, or a CD pressing mistake, or an unavoidable consequence of linking two distinct performances via hard disk manipulation, or etc. et c.! Also, I wonder why the "LTiA Part II" from USA got chosen for the boxed set , rather than some other live performance from that era? The reason I ask is because Eddie Jobson overdubbed the violin parts on the USA version, so it's really not the most definitive Crimson performance of that piece. Gra nted, Jobson did a good job, but it baffles me why Robert elected to introd uce a new generation of listeners to this performance, as their first expos ure to "Larks" live, when an important contributor to that piece is scarcel y on the recording. I have my wishlist, like anybody else, things that I wished were included a nd those I wish they hadn't. But that's not worth worrying over, since the se days anybody can make their own "boxed set" with a CD ripper and a free audio editing program. It just worries me that something with Robert's sea l of approval, a mark that says "this is what someone new to KC should star t with," could exhibit such an odd disregard (seemingly?) for the stuff new listeners might catch...inconsistencies in the track listing, multiple Rob erts, and personnel changes that extend outside of the band itself. New fa ns might wonder, too, what all the fuss about "Starless" was, as the clippe d version on this set lacks the closure so necessary to that piece. Numerous as my criticisms may be, they extend to the set's failure to live up to Robert's documented intention, in my opinion. Not the music itself, which is, as always, stellar and ever new. Those are my observations thus far, and I still look forward to Volume Two...though I wonder how thirty ye ars of Crimsonizing is gonna fit on four discs, interregnums or not. -Ryan -- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 11 Jun 2005 12:45:44 +0200 From: Rikard Grankvist Subject: DGM and KC album distribution The Swedish CDON.com (online store), where I buy most of my records, recently withdrew almost all their King Crimson albums from stock, only keeping TPTB, Happy With..., and the SACD version of ITCOCK. Have I missed something? Will DGM stop distribution, in order to sell through DGM.com, or is this a CDON decision? Have distribution changed at all recently, or is there something else that may explain this? Do any of you ETers recognise this phenomenon? I'm going to check a couple of other stores, online and local, to see if they've done the same. Hopefully it's a problem that only has to do with CDON. /Rikard Grankvist ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 7 Jun 2005 18:44:29 +0200 From: Mats Carlsson Subject: Fans!!! After decades of walking around the KC-phenomena one can't help wondering about the relationship between fans and the band (Fripp). Read about what happened Wednesday 1st. June on the GC-course in Spain in the Fripp diary. I could easily see myself as a teenager trying to get some kind of connection with my master. Of course you would like to know as much as possible about Willliam Shakespear to try to understand what brought these dramas to life. As a swede I have studied as much as possible about Strindberg as a person to understand him as a writer. Sometimes Robert Fripp (and I say this with a lot of respect) has said that he don't understand why anyone can have the remotest interest in him as a person. I can only say that if you have composed LTIA 1-4 and given us so much pleasure I would have be a fool not to expect Fripp to be something extraordinary. Of course that's expecting to much of anyone. Yet I to recall an episode of the excellent TV-crim about Morse. When he was down in Verona watching the yearly opera show at the apmphi-theater he happened to come a cross an all time primadonna. The shock for him was that she wasn't nice at all, despite the excellence she brought as a singer. The one that brought mr. Morse back to reality was the working class assistant Lewis who told the inspector about his father, who was a big fan of Jimmy Grieves as a soccer player, but he came to that conclusion that mr. Grieves was an asshole as a person. Lewis told Morse don't to mix the art with the person. I have absolutely no idea about the Fripp personality but we must understand both sides. Robert doesn't see the connection between the person he is and the music. The fans, on the other hand is searching for a clue to the music. How can anyone be boring if you compose LTIA 2? Didn't you Robert, when you where young, wondering why John Lennon wrote as he did? Fans don't want to rude. For all kind of reason we all become fascinated by the person behind the art we love. The spontanous feelings carrying us away and it's almost allways love to art behind these strange expresssions. Even when I as a midleaged fan "attacked" (not really attacked) you in Copenhagen it was love (propably to my own vision). Here he stands, the one who has meant the most to me (in terms of music), and i happened to call your name. Strange. When I came home i wondered how the hell I could have ran around the theater calling for mr. Fripp. Can you explain that about a middleaged teacher or can you explain how LTIA 4 came to life? Suddenly everthing becomes dissy. Is the pease of art separated from the artist? Has the artist a privilege the make that choice? Isn't it so that the moment you release the art you have lost it! Whatever the intention of the artist was it's gone since I will interpetate it in my own way...and here we are in the lovely space where everything is possiblbe. Sometimes it goes very wrong and you got sneakers looking for you underweares, but you could also get responces you couldn't dream of. The artist could never descide the kind of responce he/she wants! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 07 Jun 2005 18:29:38 -0400 From: David Beardsley Subject: Soundscapes tour reviews? The tour is just about to start. Let's have some reviews! My questions: does this sound any different than what Mr. Fripp has been doing as Soundscapes for the past 15 years? Is he using sound from the Gtr or is is still all synth? -- * David Beardsley * microtonal guitar * http://biink.com/db ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Jun 2005 11:51:42 -0700 (PDT) From: Schizoidman Subject: "Heroes", and composition form King crimson's rendition of the Bowie song Heroes is actually not to recent. It can be found on the Heavy Constukction album, disc 2, last song. It is quite impressive as is all of Crimson's compositions. And speaking of compositions, I was wondering if anyone knew of any type of journal or book that has been printed on various forms of composing different songs. As A young lad myself, I am of course used to hearing the typical verse, chorus, verse, bridge, verse format but have since grown accustomed to a more broad style. I particulary find interest in symphonic forms of composing like Genesis' "Suppers Ready" from the album Foxtrot, where "everything['s] in its right place". I especially enjoy Happy With What You Have To Be HAppy With, were Belew elaborates on typical radio format in quite a humorous way. One of my biggest weaknesses as a young musician is not being able to construct compostions properly. I improvise and come up with some very interesting sounds but have the hardest time placing it together and completion. I am never satisfied with my art and always want to improve or reinvent it, and play in ways that I do not necessarily know anything about. This way of playing is very interesting but can be very frusterating. So if anyone has any advice or knows of any books I could purchase to help me form together and complete my compositions in various artistic formats it would be greatly appreciated. -A young American boy ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Jun 2005 13:30:13 +0200 From: Rikard Grankvist Subject: What about Fripp diaries in book form? I sat and read the Fripp diary at DGM the other day. Somehow, you just end up wanting more... Although not all diary entries are as interesting, I would definately pay money to read Fripp's thoughts while writing and recording TPTB (or all KC albums for that matter), or his comments on the G3 tour. I don't have time to keep checking the diary every day, and I've missed most of these highly interesting moments. At The FraKctured Zone, they've saved alot of the diaries from the making of ITCOL, especially when they were working on FraKctured (of course). They proved to be an extremely interesting read. There are so many questions that could be answered (and new perspectives to be discovered), if memorable musical moments in RF's life were avalible to me in the form of his diary entries. I would really want to have these entries in a book (neatly packaged and sold from DGM perhaps), or at least a comprehensive archive on the DGM website. Maybe I'm a complete idiot, because this already exists, but as far as I know, there is no public archive at DGM, only the "blast from the past" entry on the diary page. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 27 Jun 2005 07:45:22 -0400 From: R. Eric Young Subject: Fripp Sanctuary interviews Hello All - just wondering if someone may be able to help me with this. I downloaded the Sanctuary interviews, from February, and put them in My Documents. I then sent them, all eight parts, to a cd. The thing is, I cannot, by any method known by me, open and play these interviews! This is a bit strange to me, but please know that I have very little experience or knowledge in this area. I was curious if any good ET'er would please write me, off list and directly, and maybe educate me here, OR even be willing to send me a cd copy of these much-anticipated interviews. I do not ever 'trade' material for money, but have many non-music items on cd that may be of interest for a good-hearted swap. No copyright issues apply in this suggestion. Grateful for any help - E. Young ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2005 01:13:08 +0100 From: Lee Fletcher Subject: TUnER Gigs (Pat Mastelotto & Markus Reuter) Folks, TUnER: Pat Mastelotto's new project together with Markus Reuter (CENTROZOON, Europa String Choir), will be performing a series of live concerts in Europe towards the end of July. Here's the itinerary so far: 22-07 Hall in Tirol (Austria), Stromboli 23-07 Warsaw (Poland), Summer Jazz Festival 24-07 Munich (Germany), to be confirmed 25-07 Erfurt (Germany), Museumskeller 26-07 Cologne (Germany), MTC Club Further details / updates will be published on the CENTROZOON and Pat Mastelotto websites: www.centrozoon.de www.patmastelotto.com/ Pre-release copies of the studio album "TUnER-TOTEM" (mixed by Pat and Bill Munyon) will be available at these performances, ahead of the official October 2005 release date. Regards, Lee Fletcher (lee at centrozoon dot de) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2005 22:54:44 -0400 From: David Kirkdorffer Subject: Identifying music that Fripp ran pre & post show in BOSTON, Hi. Can anyone help me by identifying one of the artists from among those Fripp played from his laptop pre & post his show in Cambridge, MA last Friday June 24th? Specifically, who was the artist (who could perhaps be described as sounding like a spirited humourful drunken Eastern European singer) accompanied by Fender-powered rock-n-roll band? Many thanks! David Kirkdorffer P.S. What a great performance we were all treated to at The Somerville Theatre this last Friday. No flash-bulbs! (though a few cell phones did go off during the performance). Robert Fripp seemed, and reported himself, to be in a good mood. The musical approaches of this evening appeared to have a little more variety and were less dense than in previous performances I've witnessed. To my recollection I heard more space between elements. Or was it that the room and its occupants were settled enough that the space could be perceived more easily? I also like the new "exit" strategy to conclude pieces. The Q&A section of the evening was equally enjoyable. I feel lucky to have been there. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 5 Jul 2005 13:58:33 -0500 From: wviland Subject: Just Like Robert I had a good day regardless. The weather was fine so I decided to take the guitar outside and experiment with my Boss RC20XL Loop Station. I drug my modest Crate FX up the stairs along with my Ovation T357. After setting everything up, I fiddled with the loop station trying to figure out the pedal functions. After a few minutes, I had a pretty good understanding of the overdubbing process and successfully laid down a couple of interesting little acoustic washes. Hmmmm..... Then I headed back down stairs and grabbed the Fernandes Vertigo, along with my PW-10 and Big Muff. I hooked up and started with a downward sliding base loop and added a few odd phaser beeps. Then a topped it with some rhythmic pick clicks and threw in a upward slide to compliment the base. This, and more, of course was all done with max sustain and an assortment of FX. Hah.... I thought that sounds kinda like Fripp. I listened to the horrible drone for several minutes (volume elevated) sipping a beer and thinking of what damage I might do next. Then I noticed the dog next door was having a fit howling over my merciless creation. It was as if the dog was trying to communicate, probably saying something like "Schizoid...." I couldn't be sure. Then like a flash in my face the neighbor adjacent screams "SHUT UP!!" Was he talking to me, I thought? Just as the thought flew by, my immediate neighbor stepped onto her deck only about 15 feet away. She is a kind woman, undoubtedly investigating the unwelcome vibration within our typically quiet backyard. I saw a clear expression of "What the Fu......?" as my soundscape washed over her. I quickly silenced my sonic torture and apologized. The dog stopped wailing immediately. The woman stepped back into her house. I picked up my things and returned to the security of my basement. I feel your pain Robert. Wade L Viland Information Technology Manager Thin Film Technology Corporation tel: (507)625-8445 x 52 fax: (507)625-3523 http://www.thin-film.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2005 13:26:20 -0400 From: Martin Neuliep Subject: DGM download (Mexico City?) info I recently ran across a CD that I had burned with a live KC concert that I'm sure I downloaded from the DGM site a long time ago, but I didn't write any info down about it at all. I think I remember that this was a Mexico City concert. Does anybody have any details of this download that DGM provided? (Was it really Mexico City? Date? Etc.?) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Jul 2005 14:58:19 -0400 From: Ariel of the Sea Subject: Progressive Rock Radio Feature Thought this might be of interest: "Echoes producers John Diliberto and Jeff Towne were at last weekend's NEARfest in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and they've produced a short feature about it, which is airing tonight and Sunday on Echoes (Thursday on WXPN Philadelphia). Here's a description: PROG-ROCK LIVES! For many, progressive rock, the sound of groups like Yes, King Crimson and Emerson, Lake and Palmer, died in 1976 when the Ramones released their first album. But not only do many bands from that era still thrive, but a second and third generation has emerged. On the popular front, that's marked by groups like Mars Volta, with top 5 Billboard charting albums. But this isn't news to the people at Nearfest, the North East Art Rock Festival. Since 1999 they've been selling out 1800 seat venues in Trenton, New Jersey and Allentown, PA with a roster of vintage and new art rock. This year's festival for the weekend of July 8 sold out in 30 minutes. We talk to festival founders and musicians who played this year's featival, including PFM, Steve Roach, and The Muffins, about a progressive rock rebirth. Go to www.echoes.org to find an Echoes station near you." take care, Ariel ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2005 11:47:22 -0400 From: Douglas Baldwin Subject: GIG REVIEW: RF Soundscapes at IMAC, Huntington NY, June 18, 2005 I've seen precious few reviews of Robert's mini (non) tour, so it seems this post might be of some use to others. The IMAC Theatre is located in Huntington, Long Island, New York. I grew up in this town, and have seen quite a few shows in this theatre. It's a lovely space for music, a converted movie theatre where every seat is excellent. I expected Robert to "play in" the audience as he often does, so my wife and I arrived as the doors opened at 8:15. We heard a sound emanating from the concert area that seemed quite soundscape-like in texture, so we entered the theatre proper, only to discover a recording being played. It was vocal music, seemingly both medieval and modern. Arvo Part, perhaps? It set the tone. Two "keepers of the house" were visible on extensions to the left and right of the stage. (You can probably find more about Robert's request for "house keepers" on his diary, if the pre-tour entries are still available. I was also contributing to "housekeeping," but from the audience.) The performance was slated for 9:00. Robert walked on at about 8:45, unannounced and without applause, and settled himself in. The house lights remained up throughout the evening. His first notes melded with the choral work, and his swirls slowly superceded them. The audience was absolutely delightful. Silent and attentive. My seat, just behind the mixing console, was probably 40 feet from Robert, and I could clearly hear the (unamplified) attack of every note he played. The first movement developed a major/minor ambiguity via a 1-3-b3 theme that was transposed to other points in the scale (e.g. 4-6-b6, 5-7-b7, etc.). Its completion was acknowledged with warm applause. The second movement returned to a more traditional diatonic major source, with the major/minor ambiguity transferred to the function of either "1" or "6" as the tonic. This became a sort of template for the evening: a movement of tonal ambiguity in a nearly 12-tone or whole-tone context followed by a movement of grounded, diatonic majorish tonality. After three or four movements, Robert left the performing stool/lunar module zone and seated himself at a chair. Armed with a microphone, he answered questions from the audience. My experience of audiences listening to Fripp speak is that they become a little nervous. His pacing is just a little more measured than the average Westerner, and the ensuing pauses are often filled with the audience's laughter. But this was a friendly exchange and quite straightforward. At some point Robert was asked what he listened to. In reply, he played a recording passed on to him by Tony Levin, which I'll call "Ringworm." Gut-busting hilarious! I thought it was an unreleased Hellboys track; perhaps they'll learn it now. To complete the audience interaction, Robert recharged his musical batteries by playing an excerpt from the recording of his Soundscapes performance at the World Financial Center, just a few months before the attack of September 11th. While it played, he came into the audience. His second "set" continued to follow the tonally ambiguous/tonally majorish alteration mentioned earlier. While most of his tones were of the string-synth variety, he sometimes used choral colors, and sometimes used a bell-tone-escorted-with-pixie-bells sound, a cloud of stars surrounding a bronze gong. I was engaged on every level. There was the texture of Robert's notes, the engaging audience, the activity of the intellect, the uncovering of our souls. This is the sound of the repercussions of intentional action. My wife, who often listened with eyes closed, described the evening as "both soothing and disturbing, and very physical." I couldn't agree more. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Jun 2005 01:29:40 -0700 From: John L Adams Subject: GIG REVIEW: Fripp at the Fillmore 6/8/05 I just returned home from the Porcupine Tree/Robert Fripp show at the Fillmore in SF. Fripp is the reason I bought the ticket. Leaving the place a big Porcupine Tree fan was an added bonus. Fripp did not disappoint. The ticket said showtime was 8:30 p.m., and Fripp arrived onstage promptly at 8:27, proving that waiting until the last minute is never a wise choice. The performance was quite moving. What was different was what I refer to as the second Soundscape (the audience applauded but there was only one point in the performance where the sound stopped completely). In this particular instance, Robert took Soundscapes out of the realm of ambient music. There were a lot of notes being played, and a big music was being produced. The music was as moving and centering as any Soundscape I had heard before, but it was almost a different genre, closer to rock than ambient music. At the point that the music went silent, during the applause, some guy yelled "play Schizoid Man!!" When he said this, it occurred to me that I have eight CDs by four different Crim incarnations with Schizoid Man on them. If I wanted to hear Schizoid Man, I could have stayed home and listened to it rather than drive into San Francisco, find the parking lot that I use when I go to the Fillmore full, drive around for several blocks looking for street parking, walk to the venue in the rain, and fight my lifelong battle with claustrophobia that being a concert attending music lover has made me face head on. After going through that, I wanted to hear something new and different. I just don't get the "play Schizoid Man" mindset. Robert Fripp really knows how to make a joyful noise!!! ------------------------------ End of Elephant Talk Digest #1211 *********************************