brian griffith's brain

creative

2010-03-07T23:47:00.003-06:00

what is creative?

more than just a random collection (of sounds in my case) it should be something that grabs ahold of the audience (listener) and forces them to hear, see, taste or feel in a new a different light; but, the dissonance between what is new and what is familiar cannot be too great. that is: if I were to have 40minutes of pure white noise, one might say it is creative, however is it not just white noise? personally, I like that sort of thing, but the audience is small and the scope is narrow. that is not saying that it is "uncreative", but rather the dissonance between "noise" and "music" is too great for some.

you cannot get too worked up, however, over this dissonance.

creativity is an absorption of what you see, deciding what is good and what is bad, taking that good and pushing it.

I just came back from a dj spooky show. it was okay. it was something. it had all the makings of a show that could be mind-blowing and truly an experience. maybe my expectations were too high. not once - well maybe once - did I feel or, rather, think This is a great melding of two mediums. the premise was music and video. simple enough, in my opinion, to make incredible. instead, I bore witness to a dj set (surprise) with video, instead of a video-music experience. what was wrong is that the video did little to enhance the music and the music did little to enhance the video. at the end of this segment he explained he wanted to take the listener through 60 years of soul. pretty neat. that is something I can support, but, mister spooky, I feel you did it wrong.

right? I am not sure, but what I saw was a little disappointing.

it did get me thinking.

I could do this "video/movie-melding-of-formats" thing better.

so I will.

after this project...and the next - or concurrently - I will have a masterpiece.

see you then

slow, but steady.

2010-02-21T21:14:00.002-06:00

I really wanted to get things happening this year and things are looking good. quite good. I am working with an artist on crafting a multi-media project and I am also working with a musician named "Grey Ghost" (that's all I can say on the matter).

poster is writing, crafting a sound; trying to make it through winter and emerge anew.

it's cold

and wet

and a group of porcupines are called a prickle

new decade

2010-01-05T20:37:00.004-06:00

this is the new decade and hopefully it will be different; filled with new and interesting trends, music and culture. "poster" is now lacking a singer and we'll actually be changing our name and sound and essentially the entire band I suppose.

resolutions?

nope.

well, make more music - much more. perhaps if my turntables come back soon, then I'll have some inspiration.

know a VJ?

new old stuff

2009-11-24T23:26:00.004-06:00

I found some older stuff I wrote a few years ago; looking back on it now, it's kind of funny, but also kind of badass. there will be an EP release of this stuff - although there is one song called hapy rainbow murder (yes spelt like that), which I am hesitant to release. it is almost 10 minutes long. mostly improved.

what the hell.

it's called the sky is dripping on my face

I'll put it up soon. when I find the appropriate photograph to go with it.

maybe I'll start taking pictures again.

repairs

2009-11-09T15:52:00.006-06:00

my turntables are being repaired. my recording interface is also being repaired - although apparently there are no parts available for it, I was told today. I am trying to dig up a sales receipt.

on a better note: well actually somewhat worse as all my ideas are in "pre" stages because of the lack of equipment, but I do have an idea for a visual project; I was watching DJ Shadow on a live dvd, in tune and one time, and while reading the synopsis on the back he was referred to as cinematic hip-hop, which intrigued and delighted me - or maybe it was off his wiki; I can't remember. but, I was inspired to go back to why I even started making music and how I did it; recently I have been thinking in terms of "songs" when the big picture is much better. not saying that there is less work in making a great song; that is actually a difficult feat and minds that can do it I salute you. however, in my case making a song is not as important. I have a band that can focus on songs, I can focus on what I want. for videos I have no idea; I suppose I could get looped bits of free clips, but that seems to easy. I might bring it with hi-tech, lo-fi videos off a cell phone, which I have.

there is no concept.

when I get my stuff back I also want to extract my tape recordings of my solo-instrumental bass playing. it might be titled themes for padded walls (thanks steve)

edit: also, the name of my lab is cellar door

2009-10-30T00:31:00.000-05:00

2009-10-28T22:30:00.003-05:00

as with all things there is a shift in music; I can see it coming. "serious" music, while awesome, cannot thrive in this climate. people want to see and listen to music that makes them feel good or "happy" - like so many drugs - to help alleviate the fiscal pressures of their lives.

with this new decade coming it seems foolish to try and do anything other than create something more awesome than this past decade of music. not saying that fluffy crap will come back - although it has, look at lady gaga - but a time reminiscent of those happy-go-lucky days of yor when you could sit on the couch and watch tv or do something "unproductive", whatever that may be.

nostalgia is what needs to be tugged at.

also, fuck that noise, I am still going to produce dark beats and add, well, that noise I referred to.

video project

2009-10-26T23:44:00.003-05:00

there was this idea I had; basically to record sound clips on my phone and sample them. I don't have a note recording option, so I am taking videos and extracting the sounds. so far I have nothing, but soon I will have enough samples to be happy; I also keep forgetting about it.

snore rain

2009-10-26T16:47:00.004-05:00

there is something to be said about music, says the musician, but there really is; I was eavesdropping the other day, because that's what I do - not for malicious or snooping reasons, just to hear the way other people interact - but, I heard someone comment about the somewhat erratic, noisy music that was playing at the establishment I was at and they said

"that's not music"

and that got me thinking: what exactly is music and why can someone just decide that something isn't it?

you are ignorant and misguided if that phrase has ever some out of your mouth.

anything you can hear should be able to be classified as music

that includes speech

the cars that are outside my window right now

the sound of the heater at night

now whether or not you want to listen to that is a different story. sure one could argue that there are some pretty distinct lines between that of music and sound but that is back assward thinking; if anything there should be only the distinction mentioned above: if you can hear it, it's music if not, it's some other medium.

anyway, I made a rad beat using broken instrument samples, because they can work just as well and non-broken.

the start

2009-10-26T11:56:00.000-05:00

so I decided to start keeping a log of what I have been up to; what I create; new projects. I had put it off because of a bizarre fear that my ideas would get taken, but after being exposed to the current state of affairs and what is being passed off as "good", I am not worried.

I had wanted to release an EP by this point with songs that I had created during the first tremulous I had moved, but that didn't happen - as it turns out you cannot force creativity.

my own music has been somewhat derailed by the airline companies - company actually - so my music will (unfortunately) have less sampling from records as I would like. but perhaps this experience will force me to find different ways to get the same sound.

my indie-rock-new-wave-ish-dance-pop band will have their first show nov. 10th at the dark room in chicago. it will be a ballin' time and I am ready to rape the stage.

that is all for now

bri