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stevemazur's Bloghttp://www.ourladypeace.net/bin/user/stevemazur/Blogger: stevemazur |
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Boccelli
October 12, 2006 01:22AM
Writing this full of Mexican food and beer.....the mexican restaurant up the street is the best place to watch my Detroit Tigers in POSTSEASON action, and I wish the damn stuff (mexican food) wasn't so delectable because every time the Tigers have a game I'm pretty much guaranteed a food-salt-beer coma afterwards. The reason I've been watching the games there instead of at home is that I don't like to watch TV, therefore the TV that I have is only for watching DVDs. None of the channels come in, and I sure as hell don't want to pay for 667 channels of fluff, filler, brainwashing, propaganda and advertising to propel your own downfall that is today's TV programming(excluding HBO, PBS, and BBC). No thanks. I've already got the internet for that....although with the internet, at least you are in charge of what you want to view.
Yes, as many of you know, I'm a big Detroit Tigers fan and am extremely excited that they are now in the second round of the playoffs, and as of tonight they lead the ALCS 2-0 against the Oakland A's. Now both teams head to Detroit to play. Would love to be there in person but you know, trying to keep my baseball addiction somewhat in check.
Been still trying to write a bit of music in our time off from touring. A bit of writer's block/ lack of inspiration lately but I think it is passing. I hope so. Just got to keep on going I think...that's what I'm doing at least.
Been messing around learning classical guitar the last few days. Got inspired listening to some CDs that I have of the great classical guitarists Julian Bream and John Williams and started messing a bit with a piece. It's a lot of fun...a whole different world...all fingers.....weird, beautiful, haunting harmonies, chords, melodies...some nuts shit!!!!
Also been listening to/messing with Kind of Blue my Miles Davis. Really, I don't want to sound preachy, but any fan of music should really own this album. It is an incredible work of expression, passion, style, improvisation, and masters of their art stretching out to see where they can go. Most of the songs are first takes, and jazz like this was always recorded live, everyone playing at the same time, because the music is based in improvisation. The main soloists on the record are Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Julian "Cannonball" Addlery, and Bill Evans. When each one of them steps up for their turn to solo, you hear the vast, colorful differences in their personalities and styles shine brightly through. It's very cool. Check it out if you have an extra ten bucks. Listen to it a few times. Then listen to it again in a couple of years. Then again a year later. you'll hear different shit each time.
Kinda like watching Spinal Tap or The Life of Brian, or re-visiting any great work.
Speaking of movies and shiz............
I saw the first Harry Potter movie...thought that they did a great job with the character casting. Can't believe that Fang, Hagrid's boarhound, is a Mastiff!! He is Bob Rock's dog Boccelli to a tee! (except Bocelli's ears are clipped, as is common with MAstiffs) For those of you not familiar with Boccelli...see the archives of this site and ourladypeace.com for footage and pictures by me of our time in Hawaii. Boccelli is a cool dude with a great voice.............
Also, speaking of the Harry Potter movies, I heard that in the last one (Goblet of Fire) that Jonny Greenwood and Phil Selway of Radiohead are members of a band in the movie. Does anyone know if this is indeed true?
I finished reading The World According to Garp and thought that it was very good. Gonna check out the film soon. Now I am reading another book by John Irving, "A Prayer for Owen Meany", again upon Duncan's recommendation.
Been visiting the Marx Brothers movies again lately, too. Talk about catching something new everytime that you see something...holy shit.......I think that I could watch those movies a 100 times each and still see or hear something that I didn't catch before and laugh my ass off. It's great, great stuff, those lads................
Anyway, hope you all are well. And if you haven't hit me up yet, I have now entered the world of myspace, so hit me up at myspace.com/stevemazur.
Take Care.
Steve
Nick
September 20, 2006 01:54PM
Hey all,
Sorry to have been absent for so long. Hope everyone is grand. Life here is good. As you probably all have seen, we are releasing a greatest hits record soon entitled "A Decade". There will be 2 new songs on it, "Kiss On The Mouth" and "Better Than Here". The former was left off of Healthy at the last minute and you may have heard us play it live on our last tour. "Better Than Here" is a live off the floor recording from the Healthy sessions. It is just a take of us all playing together in Bob's Maui studio, with no fix-ups or anything, I don't believe. Basically live in the studio, the way we were going to do all of Healthy at first.
I have been fumbling about in my studio with the intention in the back of my mind of coming up with some ideas for the next time we get together to write for the next album. For whatever reason, night seems to be when I want to do this, so I've had some late nights lately. It makes for some interesting times, though. When I'm not feeling inspired I sometimes take a stroll in the streets and the neighborhood our studio is in is a sort of transvestite area of Hollywood. Interesting sights and conversations with some of the folks around there. Keeps it interesting. Also have made good friends with a brown-ish German Shepherd-ish looking mutt named Nick who lives behind a fence in the alley by the studio. We're tight.
I know that I always tell you all what I'm reading/ listening to at the moment, whether you like it or not.
I finished the Harry Potter series and have moved on to The World According to Garp, by John Irving. Coutts likes Irving so I thought that I would check it out. I like it so far.
I've been listening to Led Zeppelin a lot lately. Houses of the Holy. Physical Graffiti. Led Zep III.....sort of apprecciating that one in a way that I haven't before. It's a great record.
Also been listening to Music From Big Pink by The Band. Man could those guys play and sing.
And the Bach Cello Suites, as played by Yo Yo Ma. Some beautiful shit. Check it out if you feel like something different from drums bass guitar vocals. Not that there is anything wrong with that, however.
Anyway, that's about all I have to say today. Hope you all are well.
Let me know what you all are listening to/reading, also.
Peace,
STeve
Fawkes
August 16, 2006 10:26PM
Hey everyone,
Hope you all are well. Sorry so long since I last posted. Was in Michigan for a family thing and my parent's computer is so slow that it discourages use for anything except the calculator, pretty much.
It looks as though we are done touring for a little bit until we are done with the next record. But don't worry, there will be plenty to keep you entertained on here until then.
We just got done doing a show in North Bay, ON, and then a couple of days ago we played a few songs at the opening ceremony of International Aids Week at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. We were very glad and honored to be part of an event for such an important, vital cause. We only got to play 3 songs and didn't go on until after midnight, but we had a great time playing. It felt like what people at Woodstock must have felt like, waiting around to go on! (We were supposed to go on around 10:30) But the performers at Woodstock waited around for hours and hours to go on. This also didn't feature free love and hallucinagetic drugs, either...not really the place at an Aids conference.......
But my main reason for writing is to tell you to be on the lookout for pics from our last bit of touring in a couple of days....sorry again for the delay.
We also are putting the final touches on our best of record. Look out for a pretty cool album cover and two unreleased songs from the Healthy in Paranoid Times sessions!!
Well, that's all for now.
Oh yeah, been listening to Sticky Fingers by the Rolling Stones, Tchaikovsky, and Beethoven lately.
Steve
