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I’ve been spinning this disc a lot since I got it a couple weeks ago.

So the inaugural piece of music for this section is Phil Kline’s Zippo Songs, a song cycle based on verses inscribed on the Zippo lighters of soldiers in the Vietnam war.

So the begining of the end is also transitioning into the beginning of… well, a beginning.

Up next is a performance with my friend Brian Robison, a composer and Theremin player.

This weekend my friend Todd Reynolds was up here in Burlington performing with Phil Kline and his ensemble.

Because of my “day job” the Spring is a very busy time (translation: “on the brink of becoming unmanageable and spiralling wildly out of control”).

Stone Document did a couple sets at Amazing Grapes, a wine bar in Northern New Jersey last night. It was a totally new crowd who responded surprisingly positively. We are finding to our amazement that even when we play sets of what would be considered “challenging” music, sometimes dissonant and aggressive in nature, people still listen attentively and respond with enthusiasm. Even the folks who are calling out for Pink Floyd tunes (having made the logical leap that we are proggers thru and thru) seem to be into the more aggro stuff. There was the usual show and tell session about the Stick which I am finding to be much easier post-show than between sets; it’s hard to me to transition quickly back to a verbal state. Still, if it helps foster interest…

The first set was much more textured and melodic, the result I think of the luxury of having 2 sets in a relaxed environment versus one fast set in a rock club. Also, we had the chance to actually sit in Dennis’ studio earlier in the day and run through some ideas. As we like to say, the band doesn’t usually rehearse but every other musical thing we do somehow prepares us for a SD gig. You can just be ready and availlable when the moment comes.

Of course one of the reasons the first set went as smoothly as it did was the fact that we didn’t record it. A surefire way to ensure magic will happen. Some video was shot by Dennis’ brother John so there is some evidence. Really looking forward to seeing/hearing that.

The second set was when we veered into the Land of Musical Discomfort. This is a land where unicorns are slaughtered and we drink their blood from the skulls of Kenny G fans – metaphoricaly.

Time is flying. Stone Document is gearing up for a barrage of publicity-related activities, I’m trying to get my studio/brain/computer cleaned up and organized to go back to tracking my own disc and I just cranked out the theme to an upcoming web series “Julius and Claude in 3D” (the creative brainchild of my bro’-in-law Tomato Stern). I’m also doing a test mastering job on the 9th Street Mission disc and have been invited to play on my buddy Quinn Raymond’s solo album. I guess too many opportunities is the kinda problem to have, though. Better than the other way.

The duo form of Stone Document got a little press from the last gig (the one I participated in at a distance). The review can be read here:

http://meanderingentertainer.wordpress.com/2008/01/28/stone-document/

A torrential e-mail flurry regarding the next steps. There seems to be a lot on the immediate horizon.

Well, the good news is Stone Document is now officially a trio. I got voted partner! As much as the music veers from commercial, and the distance seems prohibitive everything else about this collaboration just feels right. Our backgrounds, taste, abilities and enthusiasm all gel better than any other band I’ve been in.

The bad news is SD has been asked back to Fat Baby again but it’s a sudden booking and on a date I have to be in Vermont. So the duo version of SD will be back and making it’s Fat Baby debut and I will participate “at a distance”. <- Guitar Craft term