iTunes News

Music: Transit – Jon Gagan

Good News: the complete La Semana album, including the Limited Edition Bonus Track Market Day, four songs from nouveaumatic, and Jon’s album Transit are now available on iTunes. Yeah!

Bad News: La Semana is credited to Luna Negra & Ottmar Liebert and Transit is credited to Jon Gagan & Ottmar Liebert

I have requested corrections, but I have the feeling that will take a while. Concerning digital distribution Epic Records, Higher Octave/EMI and AWAL have all been asked to list all of my music just under my name. I think that will simplify the process and make my music easier to find. I mean, who would think to search for Luna Negra when they are looking for Euphoria, when the name Luna Negra is nowhere on that album cover.

In the future I will retain the three different color bands at the top of the SSRI releases, but with the following changes:

Instead of using different monikers, like Ottmar Liebert + Luna Negra (with the red band at the top), Ottmar Liebert’s Euphoria (gray band), and Ottmar Liebert (blue band) – every album will simply be credited to Ottmar Liebert.

The back of future SSRI releases will still carry the color-coding explanation.

Butterflies

Stefan's Butterfly
My brother sent me this photo of a butterfly on his cherry tree.

The scene is the same whether you’re strolling by the river or trudging through open fields of flowers. If there’s an ample supply of flowers, there are butterflies. And this year, experts say, there are more of the critters about because of increased rain and snow totals across the Southwest and northern Mexico.

From the New Mexican newspaper.

Winter Roses + Rituals

Music: Winter Roses – I am listening to the whole CD for the first time, working on flow and sequence…

From the time I was six, one of my responsibilities was to wash rice. It was a ritual of childhood and first cooking experience.
Later, I had to cook the rice after school. I remember hearing the pot lid make sounds while it boiled, watching the steam as it simmers and rests, seeing the windows steam up and the smell of the cooked rice.
In this method of cooking rice on the stove, the “koge” is sometimes formed. Koge is the rice that has browned on the bottom.
The first rice is offered to family butsudan, always. The new rice cookers are the best invention and make perfect rice/sushi, etc, but does not offer the entertainment of the sounds and aroma of the old.

In Italy there are basically two different ways to make risotto. The first method involves constant stirring of the rice and broth and the second method, which some people believe to be superior, suggests that one leaves the pot to cook on low heat without stirring. The rice at the the bottom browns or even burns and is discarded (I wouldn’t want to be the one who has to scrape that pot) but the rice above that layer is perfect.

It seems to me that it is beautiful and maybe even important for us to pick certain little rituals that re-connect us with life, whether that is making rice the old-fashioned way, or grinding coffee by hand, or shaving with a double-edged razor. If it makes you be completely present for that time, then it is working.

Damn, this is a fine record… reminds me of the Dreaming CD from the Opium album, but with a couple more upeat songs thrown in, a richer guitar sound – mostly due to recording digitally instead of analog… and how great does that Lakland bass sound! I am thinking of adding a hidden 13th track – hidden means that it won’t show up, but if you let the CD play through the end of the 12th track it will find the additional piece…

Clean Car

After twelve years of reserch and development, Guy Negre has developed an engine that could become one of the biggest technological advances of this century. Its application to CAT vehicles gives them significant economical and environmental advantages. With the incorporation of bi-energy (compressed air fuel) the CAT Vehicles have increased their driving range to close to 2000 km with zero pollution in cities and considerably reduced pollution outside urban areas.

Thanks Victor

Musicians Earplugs

image_es49new
This is for E.N., who likes to crank the music…

The ES49 is the earplug of choice for the performing musician or concert goer. Whether you are into Mozart or Metallica, the flat attenuation (noise reduction) characteristics let you hear your music accurately but at a safer level. The ES49 is a canal only earmold that is very small and unobtrusive. With a choice of either the ER9, ER15 or ER25 filters, the ES49 is the choice for the most discriminating performing musicians or music lovers. Because impressions of your ears must be made in order to build your custom earplugs, you must contact a hearing healthcare professional to get started.

I have been using these for over a decade now, going to concerts or a club, sleeping on a tourbus and always on airplanes. Unlike earplugs you buy at the store, these earplug are sophisticated and remove 9, 15 or 25db across the spectrum, and that means you can still hear the flight-attendant asking you for your choice of chicken, beef or fish. I highly recommend these for anyone who wants to keep their hearing.

And those are not antennas, that’s what you pull on to get them out of your ears and you can trim them back…