Author: Zingblog 2

Relix Rewind

Rewinding a bit, The Relix played two shows the week before Thanksgiving. Both went well and some great moments, but revealed some things we need to work on. For the first show, we had some feedback issues with Lee’s hollowbody and pedalboard interacting with the PA, and some issues with the vocals not being loud enough. Lee’s gonna start bringing his rig to rehearsal rather than use the house setup until he has some better control of his sound. Also we’re gonna do a vocal-only practice soon and set up our PA and see if we can make sound killer or if we should replace it with a newer board with better reverbs. The other issue is we need to figure out how to draw a bigger crowd. The Thanksgiving Eve show was kinda disappointing because we all knew it’s a good bar night, but the weather – freezing rain mixed with snow – kept people away. Still it was a good show on a musical level and a fun time.

Here’s a video montage of the show at Victor’s.

And here’s some pictures, mainly of gig at Seaside.

After Thanksgiving half the band was sick and one guy fell off a ladder putting up Christmas decorations. I’ve been fighting a cold and sore throat on and off. Not enough to knock me out but enough to make my singing kinda croaky. This week we finally got together for a rehearsal. We spent about half the session tightening up endings and transitions, and the rest of the time on new material. We ran down six songs, all of which feel like keepers: Domino by Van Morrison and Touch Me by the Doors were both suggestions of mine. Domino is just a great feelgood song and gives us another horn-oriented 60’s tune while getting away from the Motown thing. Touch Me has some really weird changes when you try to work ‘em out, and one of the all-time classic sax solos. The others were Are You Gonna Be My Girl by Jet, a bit of change of direction for us, and Runaround by Blues Traveler, which has a great harp part for Paul, and Devil With the Blue Dress/Good Golly Miss Molly, which is right in our core zone.

Pickin’ and a-Grinnin’

After the last gig, the focus of the band is on learning more tunes and booking more gigs. On the learning more tunes front, we’ve been tossing around lots of ideas, and it’s been fun. Everyone has songs and bands they love, and songs and groups they hate, or at least don’t want to play for one reason or another. And then there’s the question of what makes a great song vs. what’s a good song to do in a bar vs. what’s a good fit for us. Last practice we learned Long Train Running and China Grove by the Doobie Brothers. These were both suggestions from Mike our bass player. Everyone dug these songs and they came together fast, and we pretty much nailed it. Also looked at I Can’t Help Myself and Devil with the Blue Dress. I got a couple songs on the slate, including Touch Me by The Doors, which I picked party for the sax and drum thing at the end, and Domino by Van Morrison (who it turns out is some kind of distant cousin of Jim Morrison). But I didn’t get any support for any Steely and the Dans, so I’m gonna have to keep campaigning on that front.

Meanwhile, I put together an edit of highlights from our list show to try and help us get more gigs. Enjoy!

Third Annual OrigaMIT Convention

This weekend I attended the 3rd annual OrigaMIT convention at the venerable Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I had such a good time last year that this year Jeannie decided to come up with me. It was a great hang. I exhibited some models, taught two classes, and hung out with a lot of origami friends including Jason, Brian, Erik Gherde, Sipo, Ben, Mark, Anne, and others. My exhibit this year was smaller, with mostly new stuff: my Stellated Dodecahedron, Great Dodecahedron, and Penfractal Dodecahedron, my Penrose Tiles I-III, my Dog Timber and Cat Sophie, and to round things out my Moose, Armidillo and Cuttlefish from the book.

In the morning my class was Timber and Sophie. I was pretty impressed with the level of folders. They got thru both models in an hour. At OUSA in June they took an hour for each model. I guess maybe teaching it the second time I’m getting better at communicating the nuances effectively.

At lunchtime Jeannie and took a walk along the Charles river. There was a big rowing race going on, which was pretty cool, and towards the end a whole flurry of sailboats got out on the water.

After lunch I attended a lecture by Erik Demaine on the work of David Huffman. Huffman is more widely known for his work in computer science, having invented the encoding algorithm that’s at the heart of modern media codecs like jpg and mp3. But he was a pioneering origami guy as well, particularly with curved folding and tessellations. Erik is in the process of putting together a book about Huffman and his origami, and had slides of a lot of cool works I’d never seen before.

My second class was my Penrose Tessellations. I was expecting only a few people since the model is pretty advanced and rather esoteric, but the class was full and included a good handful of kids. Good thing I brought extra CP’s and paper. Kathy Stevick donated some pre-cut pentagon paper, which was a big time saver. Even so, teaching this class was harder than I expected. Most people aren’t used to folding in pentagonal geometry, so I had explain everything in more detail. Plus there was a lot of precreasing. The class was in fact for a system for folding tessellations of any number of cells. I had them start out making a 10-cell model out of small paper, and then start in on the 30-cell out of large paper. I figured the 10-cell would take about half the class, but it took more like 90 minutes. Still everyone hung in there and most folded a successful model. Those who were interested got enough to get going on the 30-cell one.

That evening there was a giant folding competition in the main room, and Jason asked me to participate, and Jeannie was my partner. We folded a giant version of Timber out a five- or six-foot square of white paper. I was concerned it might not stand up cuz the giant paper tends to be floppy, but somehow it worked. When it was done I called it a Dire Wolf. It was the crowd favorite, and Jeannie and I won first place. I got a copy of the proceedings of 5OSME and Jeannie got an OrigaMIT shirt.

Later that night Ben demoed his KNK Zing cutter. It’s basically the same thing a craft robo, but apparently better, cuz it can take wider stock and it has better software. It was pretty cool seeing one in action, and see how scoring the paper can save a lot of time and help with the folding. I’ve been thinking of getting one, although I delayed the purchase in favor of amps on other music gear. If I do, it’s good to know this is a good piece of gear.

As we left MIT we saw the lights of Fenway Park across the Charles. It was the last game of the pennant race. We got back to our hotel room just in time to catch the replay of a grand slam that turned the tide of the game in Boston’s favor and led the Red Sox to victory. On the drive home Sunday morning it was a perfect fall day for watching the foliage change color. The leaves were peaking red, yellow, crimson and orange. It seems like every few miles we’d round a curve and the view was just breathtaking.

The Relix

So my new band has a name. They’re (we’re) The Relix, and they’re/we’re billed as Westchester’s premiere party band. Alright! We also have a web site:

nycrelix.com

where you can learn all about us, including our upcoming gig in October. More on that as the time grows closer, but for now it’s about getting up to speed with the group and performing.

Tonight was my second full rehearsal – last week I got together with the guitarists and went over arrangements, which was very productive. Immediately the singer asked me to sing lead on a few songs, to see how I sound. I wasn’t particularly prepared or even warmed up. I’d just given them a list of songs I thought wouldn’t be too high or too busy playing parts. But of course the rule to just go for it, so I just went for it. I guess I did pretty good, because he asked me to sing a few more. I learned that Gimme Some Lovin’ is too high for me in the original key (G). I also sang backing vocals on a number of songs and we started working on vocal arrangements. Eventually we got to Oh! Pretty Woman, and for that I’d learned the harmony part. He loved that, said we finally got the song right.

On the keyboard front, I’m thinking it’s time to get a new amp. Normally I practice on an actual piano or run my keyboards thru my PA, but recently I’ve switched back to running thru my amp. My current amp is from the 80’s and is starting to die under me, plus the tone is a bit muddy. Tonight I played thru a Roland Jazz Chorus, and gave me a great sound. Sparkling, even. The sounds I’m using in this group are pretty much all Fender Rhodes and Hammond Organ, so an amp that has some tremolo and reverb is a great asset. It also has a great clarity of tone, with enough power in the bass and enough definition in the treble. So now I’m thinking that’s the amp to beat. I came home and googled keyboard amps, but they all seem to be designed as mini-mono PA’s with multiple inputs and pre-mixers, and no thought to given to enhancing the tone. So maybe a guitar amp is really better for my style. I have a few weeks to think about it, cuz the gig isn’t until October. Watch this space to see what happens.

Camp Rock

Just got back from a great weekend camping in the Catskills. The kids have been really excited about this for weeks. They brought along a couple friends, so it was six of us in the car plus all our food and kit. Packing went better than unusual this time, mainly cuz we did the bulk of it the night before. Also we only brought one cooler and planned on buying more beer for the second night.

Perhaps the highlight of the trip was one night Jeannie and I went for a midnight walk under a clear, starry sky. There was no moon, and you could see the milky way and everything, all shining very bright in the woods. We walked out to the lake where the view of the sky was the best. The mountains were silhouetted between the sky and a lake so smooth you could see every star in the whole starfield reflected in the water. Just then a shooting star appeared. Magical.

Another highlight was teaching Nick and his cousin Andy a little bit of guitar. Nick’s son Geo has been taking guitar lessons for a couple of year and has gotten quite good. Nick and Andy are raw beginners. I was able to teach them A Horse With No Name, the simplest song I know and probably the first song I learned. Rock on!

We’re Back

We heard you missed us. Just got back from a pair of trips upstate. It was very relaxing and enjoyable. The first trip was to Buffalo and Rochester to see family and friends. It was really hot up there the whole time, with tropical-style rain every day too. After all these years my parents bought an air conditioner for their guest room, which was quite nice. We spent the 4th of July with my folks and saw the parade and fireworks show in their neighborhood. It’s good to be up there for the 4th cuz the fireworks are better than anyplace around here.

I brought up my skates, put on new wheels while I was there, and enjoyed skating around the smooth streets of their flat neighborhood. We visited Denis and his family and spent a day in the pool. Larry and Jackie had a graduation party for their oldest son Timothy, who just finished high school and is going to UB in the fall as an honors scholar. I saw Larry’s mom and sisters for the first time in years. Each of them in turn commented on how Larry took over their living room with his drums when we were in high school. His house was where our band rehearsed. I guess we didn’t sound as good as we thought we did back then.

Jeannie and I went back home for a few days to catch up on work and things. We had a nice night out with Nick and Lisa, walking the High Line down to a brew pub in Chelsea. I also worked on origami stuff. I did the design and prefolding for a Great Dodecahedron in origami for the upcoming Origami Heaven exhibit. And I finally got sample chapter of page layouts back from my publisher. It looks great except for a few minor issues with fonts. And I took some more photos to fill in missing bits for the cover, etc.

Then we were on the road again for a tour upstate. We started in Albany, where we met up with Martin and his family. It was good to see them all, although I never got a chance to sit down with Martin and go over my version of his song. Lots of yummy fresh eggs.

We went into town to see the state capitol complex one day. The tour of the capitol building was pretty fascinating. The building is great reflection of the political process, overly ornate and massively over budget, with conflicting and competing grand visions from a succession of architects who were fired and replaced mid-project. Apparently Teddy Roosevelt kicked out all the stone cutters when he took office, leaving the Senate chamber unfinished with rows of carvings abandoned half done. Also learned how the Statue of Liberty is really a giant robot that stands guard in the harbor to protect the eastern seaboard against an invasion of Godzilla monsters.

The next day we lit out for historic Fort Ticonderoga. Michelle had asked to visit after studying it an history class and having been impressed at our visit to Fort Niagara a couple summers ago. Ticonderoga was really interesting too, with a re-enactor giving a vivid account of the history of the place and various battles. There was also some pretty cool exhibits of period weapons and other artifacts. The fort itself was largely a re-creation, with the French having blown up a large part of it before abandoning their position in the 1760’s. It was another really hot day.

After that it was on to Lake George. I’d never been there before, but it was very relaxing and charming, a classic old-school resort town. We were there mid-week, so nothing was very crowded. After Florida last year it was a welcome relief. We stayed at a place called the Georgian, which we picked mainly because it was right on the lake and had a pool bar. This turned out to be just the thing, as it was in the 90’s the whole time we were there. We hit the pool as soon as we got in, and spent most of the next day there lounging around, and a good part of the third day too. Just a beautiful scene, and the hotel people were really great. We also walked around town, went out to dinner, went swimming in the lake, went on a cruise on an historic steamboat, and rented a powerboat one morning to explore on our own. Lots of fun. Lots of folk music and twelve-string guitars around.

The third destination was Saranac Lake to visit our friends Mark and Kelly. Mark is one of my oldest friends so its always great to see him and catch up. We went hiking, swimming at a local lake, played some cards and just hung out. Learned that jade comes from Godzilla teeth just ivory comes from elephant tusks. Went to the Wild Center, a cool museum about the biology and geology of the forest, where we learned about mutant wolf-hybrid coyotes who hunt in packs. Kelly had some cool art books, and while I was up there I worked out a crease pattern for my origami Penrose Tessellation. Lots of heat and rain up there too. Mark’s band had a memorable gig that was interrupted by a cloudburst and windstorm so intense it threw around boats and party tents.

It was a great trip, but its good to be home. Today it’s yardwork and laundry and back to normal tomorrow. We just found out or local grocery store is closing. This is too bad; I really like the place. They’re walking distance from our house and are nice and small, so you can get in and out quickly. They also have great meat and produce. Also, it looks like the elm tree in our front yard is turning sick. A couple of the branches have wilted and the leaves turned brown. This is really too bad cuz it’s a champion elm, over a hundred years old and one of the tallest trees in the neighborhood. It’ll be sad if it doesn’t make it.

I’d hoped to hop on music projects as soon as I got back, but first I need a couple more days to finish my exhibit for Origami Heaven. More on that soon.

Timber and Sophie

I folded new high-quality versions of my new models Timber the Dog and Sophie the Cat for convention, as well as few to give to my friend. As mentioned before, these models were inspired by the logo of the animal adoption service Timber’s Legacy (timberslegacy.org). The versions you see here are folded from a 12” square of Canson and a 10” or so square of Wyndstone respectively.

I taught both of these models at convention. I rated them as high intermediate level of complexity. I think that was pretty much on the mark. I taught them in a single 45 minute class for each. There were very few people in over their heads and everyone was able to get the model done in the time allotted. I found out that origami people are more cat people than dog people. The class for Sophie was filled to the limit of 25 and then some. Since it’s a new model and not yet diagrammed, I taught by demoing it with a large sheet of paper. With the larger class you spend more time walking around to be sure everyone’s got it right, but it was okay. In fact feedback was very positive, and I’d say I have two more models for a future book.

It’s All About Lizzy

June has come and gone in a blur. Yesterday we had a party for Lizzy’s 8th grade graduation. It was a bit low key with no one staying really late, partly cuz I’d been sick the night before. But still it was lots of fun and I’m glad so many people could make it. A good time was had by all. Finally today is a day to hang around a relax and catch up with stuff.

Way back at the beginning of June, we had the carnival at the kid’s school. Lots of fun that. I helped out at the Father’s Club tent, making burgers and dogs for the concession stand, and also running some of the carnival games. This year I played three games and won three prizes. One was a dart toss, another was dropping golf balls down a ramp to try and get a high or low number. I explained to Michelle the secret of winning that one and she played a perfect game with a score of six, the lowest possible.

Then it was the kids’ show of the Wizard of Oz, in which Lizzy played Glinda and rocked the house. Here’s picture of her from the local paper. Also Jeannie took a picture of Lizzy on her last day of school, in the same spot as her first day of pre-k all those years ago. How the time flies.

Then it was the graduation dance, and then the graduation itself, all fun if somewhat poignant occasions. Lizzy graduated with first honors and is in the honors track in her new high school. She placed out of ninth grade math, but she’ll have to take Latin. She doesn’t mind so much since that’s the language they use to cast spells in Harry Potter (the school doesn’t offer Elvish). Michelle will be at the grammar/middle school for a few more years, so it wasn’t really such a big goodbye for us, although some families that have become good friends are moving on. Hopefully we’ll be able to stay in touch. Earlier this week Lizzy had her orientation at her new high school, so it’s really moving forward into a new phase of life. So congratulations Lizzy!

Lastly we had the origami convention. This year was a really good one. I had lots of new stuff. In the middle of, Jeannie and bopped out to Long Island for her cousin’s wedding on Saturday night, and another good time. More on the origami stuff in a future post.