SD @ Amazing Grapes, 02/09/08

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.

February Already?!

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.

Good News, Bad News

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

Fat II

Again, parking/load-in – easy. Soundcheck – smooth. Crowd – supportive. Recording – we’ll see.

From my little corner of the stage it seemed like it took much more effort to connect. With the last FB show there was a lot of testing and abandoning – in other words as different musical ideas were presented they either worked and were used or they didn’t work and we quickly moved on. This time there was more determination (at least it appeared on my part) to try things out and make them work, adjusting, exploring and refining before being abandoned. Hopefully this didn’t make it a set of long meandering attempts to chase our own tail. Still, the audience seemed to like it.
Stone Document @ Fat Baby, 12/27/07

Return to the Baby o’ Fatness

Got the word from Doc that Stone Document has been asked back to Fat Baby just after Christmas and I’m invited along again. This is reassuring. It also sends me scurrying back to the pedalboard to fine tune my rig. I’ve replaced the ART TPS preamp with a pair of ART V3 Studio pres (which are essentially the same thing in a different box but don’t take up as much space and are easier to see in a pedalboard setting). And I finally have my Adrenalinn III up and running. Seems the upgrade chipset was wonky and Roger (Linn, creator of the Adrenalinn and much of the technology that has been at the center of popular music in the last 30 years) sent me out a new set. He seems to be an amazingly nice guy. Now I just need to reprogram the thing and I’m set.

Fat Baby Postscript – “The Recording”

I got the mp3 of the Fat Baby gig and I’m sure I recognize many of the sounds but …

Tony was right – this doesn’t sound like a first gig. I am stuck by just how much of what Dennis played sounds like what I would play. That is if I were playing guitar in addition to my usual tasks of playing both sides of the Stick, looping and remembering to breathe (if only through my mouth). But it’s all clearly Dennis and it’s nice that it is instantly recognizable as him.

Confirmed my belief that the V-Drums + Mike = an integral part of what makes this combo tick (literally and figuratively).

The only thing I can compare the sound of this band to is some of the King Crimson side ProjecKts – notably ProjecKt 2 with the line up of Robert Fripp on guitar and soundscapes, Trey Gunn on Warr (touchstyle) guitar and Adrian Belew on … V-Drums. We could be ProjecKt ADHD maybe.

The other really exciting thing is that the performance is full of moments/grooves/hooks that could be developed further. A lot of bits and pieces that already sound like sections of songs and I think could be developed further. I’m excited by the prospect that there may very well be 2 bands coming together at the some time with the same people: Stone Document with the ambient/prog/improv/muso stuff and another rock/song/potentially vocal song-oriented band that could end up sounding like the offspring of the 80’s version of King Crimson. Maybe we should call that band Stoney Levin. 8^{/} Not that I am officially a member of Stone Document to begin with, but the future will present itself… eventually.

If I find the time and have the blessing of the other 2 I’ll try and post a snippet or three somewhere here on the blog so you can hear for yourself.

Speaking of time, my day job’s busy season is about to rear it’s ugly head so I’ll be taking a quick break from this blog-type-thing. I’ll be back before Christmahaunakawanzadan.