Day 112, July 6, 2020
Vacation EP
The weather was conducive for a vacation sequestered in the basement. I started each day sitting at the kitchen island and working on a morning poem/lyrics while I ate a slow breakfast. Then I would head down to the basement and fire up the Mac Mini and start with a computer generated drum rhythm, then layered on bass and guitar. I added some tambourine and djembe to help give a little human inconsistency to the percussion, for a few tunes I added a Tibetan bowl or a little keyboard, and then my spoken word/rough attempts at singing.
I've never really been a singer, even if I do love to sing along with songs on the radio. Usually, it is best if it is in a car and turned up loud enough you can't hear my voice. There is a joy in my singing... but on my own, it can be tough. But I tried to make it joyful and playful, in my own way. For a couple of tunes you can tell (a little) I've been listening to Parliament/Funkadelic, some Zappa.
Monday "A Generous Hand"
We had dinner with a friend, that I wrote about in the last post, and her partner used to give massages up at the Breadloaf Writer's Conference and we talked about the Adirondack chairs, how they were one of the most comfortable experiences I have ever had. There's something about the deep industrial green paint on a hardwood chair elegantly shaped to match the curve of one's back, and the deep warmth from sitting out in the sun all day long. The benches at Tanglewood also have the feel, the warmth, not the elegant curves. I wish I could experience that feeling again, the way summer opens up into a book, or a manuscript, or a short story, and all around there are pines, a hayfield, a bell calling people to a reading. It is a beautiful place up on the mountain. I don't know if I'll ever return, but the memory is preserved and precious.
Tuesday "Sensitive Soul"
The second day of vacation I started thinking more in terms of verses and a chorus. I got a little bolder with the djembe and played with layering vocals a little more. I guess this is sort of like my version of a soul tune. I thought about my mother talking about how she worried about me when I was a kid, that I was too sensitive, and then what it means to be alive in this moment and what we are witnessing, what it must be like to my kids, just on the cusp of adulthood and the entire world is in crisis. So many creases and divisions across society. Yet, despite all of this, the song is kind of upbeat, like there is something about surviving. I was a sensitive kid, but I survived, I'm still here, still going at it. I still love dancing, and actually that was the most fun thing about making these songs, to dance in my chair or in front of the microphone while laying down a track.
Wednesday "The Root Causes"
Day three I figured out how to hook up my old keyboard. The USB interface was no longer supported, but the midi connection still worked and I was able to get some groovy organ tunes going. I was thinking about the disparities in society, how in a moment of crisis they are all revealed like suddenly seeing the elephant in the room exposed for all to see. I am part of a grant project examining the root causes of disparities in health outcomes. Our focus is on racism and the culture of white supremacy as the root cause. The song doesn't quite make it to that, but it is moving in that direction, like some thing is about to start and the crowd is joining in. I think I drew inspiration for the, "Hey!" shouts from The Fawns. That and thinking about my dad joking about the Beatles and pop music when I was a kid, saying, "Yeah, yeah, yeah."
Thursday "Ice Cream Girl"
Sometimes an image just pops into my head, like Brit London. That was her real name, I think. A girl I met at summer school in Exeter, New Hampshire. She worked in the ice cream store and gave me free milkshakes. I was a little clueless and didn't realize that was something special. At the end of the summer, she asked for my address and we started writing letters to each other. I ended up visiting her a couple of times even after I left for college. I remember she made me a mixed tape by recording songs off the radio that she loved. She had to catch the song just right, so often times the first few seconds were cut off, or a DJ would come on at the end. She also made me a pair of rabbit fur mittens, but that didn't make it into the song. What did happen was one of my regrets in life. I had arranged to meet her in the parking lot of a concert after I came home from college. We bought tickets together months earlier. But, before then, I met another girl and went to the same concert with my new girlfriend... and didn't let Brit know. She waited for me and I never showed up. She sent me a very angry postcard and I never wrote back. I still feel terrible about it. She was so wonderful and sweet and had a tragic past that she miraculously overcame. So in some ways, the song is an apology for that stupid kid who was too dumb to take responsibility for his actions, and to recognize the kindness, caring, and love of others.
On this track I used drum sticks on the djembe and tried to replicate the janggu sound (Korean double headed drum). There's also a kind of Barry White thing going on.
In Korean music there is a tradition called pansori where a storyteller tells/sings a story accompanied by a drum or other instrumentation. I guess I'm often thinking of that when I am making music. I purposely tried to distill things to be a little lyrically simple (sometimes in the past my songs tended to be long sprawling narratives). I really admire simple songs that can be distilled into two verses, one of which gets repeated, and a chorus. There's something beautiful about that kind of economy. I haven't found the lyrical equivalent yet, but I had a lot of fun with the groove and the creative layering of instruments, rhythms, and vocals. At least until I can start playing with friends again, it was the most fun I've had musically in quite some time. Hope you enjoy them.
Leo
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| My nephew is marvelously musical. |
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| Brothers |
From Our Friends:
From Ted Johnson:
In his new book, How to Be an Antiracist, Ibram X. Kendi holds up both a magnifying glass and a mirror to examine how to uproot racism from society—starting with ourselves. Followed by his talk at UC Berkeley, on September 12, 2019, Kendi is joined in conversation by john a. powell of the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society, Lateefah Simon of the Akonadi Foundation, and moderated by Alice Y. Hom of Northern California Grantmakers.
and
In the first session of the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers' Putting Racism on the Table series, john a. powell, Professor of Law and Professor of African-American Studies and Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, discusses structural racism.
and
Making Art During a Pandemic
Article | University AffairsIn Ilene Sova’s portrait painting class at OCAD University, students normally submit a proposal for their final piece, detailing the medium, materials and theme - but the sweeping impacts of COVID-19 forced a change of plans this year. When students were given just a few days to collect supplies and told to work from home, Ms. Sova and other faculty members decided to drop the parameters around final projects. They allowed students to create however they wanted with whatever they could access, and the result was a flood of submissions inspired by the radical, ongoing shifts caused by the pandemic. Read more.
Unconscious Bias in the Workplace:
From ACLS:
Humanistic research lays bare the long history of violence and oppression driven by race in the United States and elsewhere, as well as the systemic factors that impede our progress toward equity. ACLS is proud to spotlight existing readings, research, curricula, published works, and other resources created and recommended by our fellows and member societies. «READ MORE»
How to make Bibimbap from Maangchi:
Today’s recipe is bibimbap, a super-popular Korean dish you might have heard about already! It’s made of a bowl of rice, sautéed and seasoned vegetables (namul: 나물), a bit of hot pepper paste (gochujang: 고추장), and usually a bit of seasoned raw beef, too (yukhoe: 육회).
Bibim (비빔) translates as “mixed,” and bap (밥) means “cooked rice,” so bibimbap literally means “mixed rice.” Before eating it you’re supposed to mix everything all together.
From SAGE Publishing:
We’re in a time of collective motion and collective action, and there’s always more we can do to help dismantle mechanisms of discrimination, oppression, and violence and create a radically improved society. Here you’ll find a range of resources based on social and behavioral science for researchers, instructors, students, policymakers—as well as the general public— to help you educate, inform, research and learn.
From Black Lives Matter Global Network:
Been wanting to get some reading done this Summer? The Huffington Post: Black Voices has compiled a list of books and novels written by Black authors. If you want to get some reading done this Summer, take a look over this list.
From Gallery 51 at MCLA:
We would like to invite you to apply to this virtual exhibition curated by Inaugural Artist in Residence, Genevieve Gaignard. Gaignard is a Los Angeles based artist whose work focuses on photographic self-portraiture, sculpture, and installation to explore race, femininity, class, and their various intersections.The daughter of a black father and white mother, Gaignard’s youth was marked by a strong sense of invisibility. Was her family white enough to be white? Black enough to be black? She positions her own female body as the chief site of exploration — challenging viewers to navigate the powers and anxieties of intersectional identity.
It is this exploration coupled with our nation’s most recent events that inspires the focus of this exhibition. We invite artists to submit work which echoes these themes and exemplifies the long-term prosperity of Black life. Any form of 2D work is welcomed, including but not limited to: photography, painting, drawing, mixed media, and collage.
The deadline to apply is Junly 29th at 5 pm EST. Please return theAPPLICATION via email to gallery51@gmail.com. Submission guidelines are listed in the application. Selected artists will be notified by email on August 2. The virtual opening will occur on zoom with Genevieve Gaignard on August 5th. Make sure you apply!
It is this exploration coupled with our nation’s most recent events that inspires the focus of this exhibition. We invite artists to submit work which echoes these themes and exemplifies the long-term prosperity of Black life. Any form of 2D work is welcomed, including but not limited to: photography, painting, drawing, mixed media, and collage.
The deadline to apply is Junly 29th at 5 pm EST. Please return theAPPLICATION via email to gallery51@gmail.com. Submission guidelines are listed in the application. Selected artists will be notified by email on August 2. The virtual opening will occur on zoom with Genevieve Gaignard on August 5th. Make sure you apply!
From AAC&U:
Inside Higher Ed
A report about an initiative begun three years ago to address and resolve racial divisions at 10 American colleges and universities is being released at a moment when higher ed institutions are engaged in a challenging and painful national conversation about race and racism. Read more >>
From Mass History Commons:
Join us July 10th for a conversation on the responsibilities of historical organizations in light of recent widespread protests and growing acknowledgment that things have to change — that historically white organizations have a duty to challenge white privilege. But how? Share your experience, questions, and reflections, as our panelists will share theirs.
Peer panelists will be Marieke Van Damme, Executive Director of the Cambridge Historical Society and Judith Monachina, who directs the Housatonic Heritage Oral History Center at Berkshire Community College.
Registration is free. After you register, we’ll send you an invitation to the meeting.
Peer panelists will be Marieke Van Damme, Executive Director of the Cambridge Historical Society and Judith Monachina, who directs the Housatonic Heritage Oral History Center at Berkshire Community College.
Friday July 10, 1:00-2:30 pm
Registration is free. After you register, we’ll send you an invitation to the meeting.
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| Author and illustrator Jan Brett's marvelous chickens. |
Today's Online Teaching Tips:
From the Chronicle of Higher Ed via Univ. of Denver:
You can find an extensive resource list on the website of the university's teaching and learning office. It offers advice on inclusive teaching practices as well as a teaching toolkit. Iturbe-LaGrave has also written blog posts on such topics as how to discuss institutional legacies of racism with students, respond to trauma in the classroom, and teach during the pandemic.
From the Boston Public Library:
44 Film recommendations on Social and Systemic Injustice on Kanopy (streamable anywhere for anyone with a BPL card, anyone in MA qualifies).
From AAC&U:
EdSurge
The systems we are putting into place are laying the tracks for institutional racism 2.0 unless we address it—and unless we put guardrails or undo the harms that are pending. Read more >>
By Tammie Cumming, M. David Miller, Gladys Palma de Schrynemakers, and Terrel Rhodes
“Next-Gen Assessment,” an ongoing series of blog posts complemented by brief video discussions, is designed to provide a platform for assessment specialists, educators, and other professionals to discuss timely topics, identify best practices, and share new approaches to digital delivery. Read more >>
From the Online Learning Consortium:
Transform Your Online Science Labs
Starts July 22nd
"The Online Science Labs Mastery Series was exactly what I was looking for." says Natalie Zayas Delgado, California State University, Monterey Bay. "I wanted to learn and develop new ideas to add depth to my online lab course." Read more about Natalie's experience.
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