jkndrkn

Fiona Bas: Live @ The Midnight: May 9, 2012

Thu, 10 May 2012 03:16:34 GMT

Fiona Bas plays traditional Irish music in Gainesville, Florida.

Swallowtail Jig
Haste to the Wedding
Hare in the Corn
Drowsy Maggie
Idlewild Jig
Star of the County Down
Life is all Checquered
Father O'Flynn
Dirty Old Town

LGA -> JAX

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 03:31:33 GMT

Phase Out
Museum Jam
High Line Pop
Jack Snug
Persia Stink
Dog & Dogs with Ruint Toy
Brunch Queue
Comfy Work
Transatlantic Cables Jam
Tubeway Demo
Sunyim(?) And Damian (ANONYMOUS 400)
Rhubarb Is Not A Berry
Wallpaper Complications
Bark Practice
Tense Times With Resolution
Jelly Dino Shockneck
Green/Lush
Snackweed
Kong Outburst
Folksy Masculine
Every Generation Rediscovering & Repackaging The Same Wisdom
Cloisters From The Ground
The Center For Practical Philosophy
Cloisters From The Air

YACKSON

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 01:42:22 GMT

I'm in NYC with MEB and BC.

Greasy undertube poles. I got filmed buying a veggie kimchi dog for The View! Also, I kinda like SE hipster fashion more than NE.

Museums. I'm also learning Irish tunes on my Baritone Ukulele (I flew with it) and landed in LGA. Talked to a guy "Peter" that graduated from UF about his buddies in Groove Shark and the ethics of music sharing. Caught Yellow Cab to Manhattan.

Up to four tunes so far: "Temperance Reel", "St. Patrick's Day (Jig)", "Whiskey Before Breakfast", "Drowsy Maggie".

I gotta transfer them to cello, though. But at least I'm drilling the melodies into my brain. Only eight more to go!

Tomorrow: working from not-home. I'm playing with The Pup Bunny Crespo. He is more calm & enjoys resting quietly with only the occasional need for stimulation & snax.

Excited to be visiting the Chogye International Zen Center! I will journey via undertube people-conduit & chant & sit with some folks.

Woah, I really need to work on bringing those tunes up to tempo esp. Drowsy Maggie.

Interesting

Cello Banjo
Octave Mandolin

Bob's

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 01:23:56 GMT

Hung out with Ginger Carrot & Ginger Carrot Pals.

Very fun! There was a dawg named Caesar that fetched water sticks & barked & there was a rope swing & rickety "ladder" nailed into a tree (for swinging out over tea-colored water & plunging into murk).

Very small snails & a huge sturgeon splashing. Lukewarm Bloody Mary in plastic bottle. A wallet that slipped off the roof of a moving car & was found.

Driving on 441 and 27 through High Springs & two-lane country roads talkin' about hazelnut tree symbiotes (truffles!).

The tenor banjo can be tuned identically like a baritone ukulele. Turns out I held one once! In the land of the Utahans at the shop of Longwinded Music Man. It would let me transport my ukulele tunes into louder acoustic jam settings!

This week: Practice; Practice; Break; Practice; Flyin' to see some urban mammals I know.

Oh, I sold three books on Amazon!

Dogs Meeting at a Crossroads

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 20:56:44 GMT

"One time a dog started from point A to have a walk on the road. At the same time another dog started his walk from point B on a different road. There was a junction where both roads met. There the two dogs had a good time together for a while."

Zen Master Seung Sahn's response to student Roland Wöhrle-Chon's request for advice regarding his engagement and upcoming marriage.

Roasted Squash

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 20:27:58 GMT

There's a fuzzy and slightly giddy feeling that follows a really focused session of meditation. That's not the point of meditation, but it's a pleasant side-effect.

Wednesday was my first lesson with a cellist (my previous teachers were a violist and a violinist). The verdict: I've been doing it wrong all along! Looking forward to digging into my form and technique and refining it.

This morning, I achieved that fuzziness and optimism from yoga, push-ups, and wall-squats followed by simple-breakfast, followed by cello practice. One specific exercise, long tones, has required an especially intense amount of focus: draw the bow on its edge using just a single horse hair as slowly and inaudibly as possible, taking two minutes to complete an up-stroke and a down-stroke. Really enjoying practicing cello every day.

Last night, a part of my dream included entering a book store where one descended a staircase made of books into a narrow passage walled and floored in books that grew gradually narrower and gradually darker and dimmer (dim blue light). Not a nightmare! Just an interesting space. Also: I defused a nightmare situation deliberately within the dream itself rather than simply waking up and trying to calm down so that the nightmare wouldn't return.

Tonight, a show. (I am half of Ice Jet).

I need to read the following more closely:
http://stringvisions.ovationpress.com/2011/12/the-case-for-active-practicing/
http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/how-many-hours-a-day-should-you-practice/
http://christianhowes.com/2009/10/29/perfect-practice/

Tatsuya Nakatani Gong Orchestra

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 20:56:24 GMT

Follow this link for video of Tatsuya Nakatani in solo performance as well as audio of the Gong Orchestra.

http://hearhums.blogspot.com/2012/03/tatsuya-nakatani-gong-orchestra.html

I participated in the orchestra for the second time. The first performer to do so.

Amir Rios and John David Eriksen live @ ANTE-SCIENTIA

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:36:02 GMT

Uranium Glass

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:04:07 GMT

Long flights and long drives.

The gray-white lid of the sky pressing down between the mountains.

Escape into snow-dusted crags and then the red-browns of the high desert.

A curtain of ice; skipping across shallow clear streams rock-by-rock.

Scrambling up sandstone and calmly walking with and through clouds of fear and panic.

Exhaustion, joy, sadness, long conversations, long silences.

Long drives and long flights and resuming the solitary-not-solitary life.

Snow falls on the intersection of 2100 S and 1100 E.

Tone

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:45:37 GMT

Finally got a chance to try out the LR Baggs Cello Pickup that I had custom-made for me. All I had to do was email their support department, send them a bridge blank, and then have a violin maker shape and voice the bridge for my cello. Yes, a bit more effort than a clip-on, but totally worth it so far.

I'm very very happy with the sound. It is very balanced and is neither nasal nor excessively bottom-heavy like my Fishman C-100 pickup. It needs very little in terms of equalization adjustment and also rejects feedback exceptionally well even at loud volumes.

It didn't come with a jack, but soldering it to a Switchcraft mono 1/4" plug was super-easy.

Crossroads

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 02:03:46 GMT

So, crossroads.

It's interesting to note how on days that I feel centered, calm, and balanced, any of life's possibilities seem perfectly acceptable.

In just a few short weeks, I've found myself pretty far down path three and on the threshold of path two.

Here's some stuff I've helped put together for the Zen Center:

Prison Program Testimonials
What is Zen? Language
Donation Page
Google+
Facebook

I experienced a deep clarity and sharply refined sense of focus during the painful transitions that started just a little more than a year ago. I've noticed that that clarity and focus is harder to find the further away I get from those difficult times. Today I chanced upon an interview that happened to address this specific experience. David Torn experienced a brain tumor that took away hearing in one of his ears.

The further and further away you get from a morbid experience, the more you lose some of that edge. [laughs] You start to become a little more comfortable in the illusion of your immortality. I'm sure I've got some of that. That period of life woke up a lot of new and old things in me. It definitely changed my perspective, but I've learned to attempt to stay out there in the best possible way—not in a morbid or fatalist way. I try to maintain that attitude, but it's a little rough sometimes when you get caught up in "Oh my God, I don't have a gig this week, but I have eight next week and nothing next month."

I sat a three-day retreat in November and am beginning to feel an itch for another already. Maybe it's committing to and overcoming a great difficulty that helps myself and others like me feel grounded to the deeper and more meaningful parts of experience?

Oh, and for those of you that didn't abandon your journals for the deluge of superficial interaction of Facebook, Twitter, etc., here is something you might appreciate you and might inspire you to continue writing :]

A Nice Day

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:58:47 GMT

So grateful to be able to live in a town that has such great musical communities. Took part in hours of musical celebration yesterday.

Also grateful for Yoga. Haven't run much more than a mile since my early teens due to injuries and lack of bodily self-awareness. Ran three miles today and my knees/hips feel great :]

Had awesome-brunch with an awesome-friend.

Later today, nice-music with a nice-friend :]

2011

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 01:45:19 GMT

Skied The Canyons in Park City, Utah.

Embarked on a 10 day musical tour with the band Theta Naught that included performances at Neon Reverb festival in Las Vegas, San Diego Indie Fest, and a headlining spot at South by Southwest.

Performed in a twelve-piece jam / psych band that headlined Austin Psych Fest.

Hiked a bit in the Wasatch mountains and Antelope Island. Took some really beautiful photos while ascending to the peak of Antelope Island.

Received a special commendation at work for heading an effort to convert a web app from a monolithic architecture to a fault-tolerant distributed architecture. Learned lots about haproxy, opscode chef, apache reverse proxies, mongodb clusters, and rails and java load-balancing along the way.

Gracefully negotiated the disentangling of two lives and the transformation of a relationship from committed partnership to deep friendship.

Discovered yoga.

Discovered religion.

Discovered spiritual practice compatible with my atheist and scientific skepticism background.

Developed a personal definition of spirituality: "practical applied philosophy". The emphasis is on practice.

Drove solo from Utah to Florida.

Hiked the Lost Creek Wilderness with an old Gainesville ally. Saw ice preserved from the winter under huge boulders in a rock-slide-buried river bed. Watched the sun pour down out of the sky down into the canyon where we camped at dawn, setting the leaves of the aspen to shimmer yellow-gold.

Played many wonderful shows in Gainesville.

Enjoyed more time with my family.

Attended my first tech conference and stood under the glimmering alien swoop of the nighttime Saint Louis Arch.

Heard an elk call out of the mist as I ascended a mountain path at dawn.

Visited one of the youngest tenure track professors at Teacher's College in Columbia University and hung out with our dog a fair bit.

Sat on the porch of a huge old Southern home talking deep into a steamy June night with a very remarkable person and friend.

Reconnected with a special carrot friend and played lots of shows together.

Discovered the potluck jam scene and found another musical home in Gainesville.

Moved into a birdhouse made of woven strands of memory and music.

Flew to bring the voice of my cello to take part in the wedding of very good friends and then the 80th birthday of my grandmother.

Discovered kimchi, much to my birdhousemate's displeasure ;]

Succeeded in building a life for myself as a "single" person without becoming overwhelmed by the stigmas of that status.

Camped for three nights on an island with my family. Walked a beach at night with my brother, hunting for sand crabs and carcasses of huge fish by flashlight.

First drive North on the Turnpike from Miami to Gainesville.

Discovered kale.

Discovered raw almonds.

Swamp eggs at Civilization.

Decided to diminish the importance of music in my life to serve more directly in taking compassionate action toward shining light on social injustice and working to help others deal with their suffering.

Successfully transitioned to a telecommuting environment.

Hung out at Stonewall Inn.

Excerpts from Butterflies on a Sea Wind by Anne Rudloe

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 04:16:08 GMT

After choosing a path, it's important to stay with that path, and not turn away as it starts to challenge us beyond our comfort zone. Serious spiritual practice in any tradition will eventually strip us of every self-protective attitude we have. If we endlessly play the spiritual tourist, superficially participating in many styles of practice but never going deeply into any one of them, we will never attain the resolution we seek.

~~~

Beginners often assume that Zen, like nearly everything else, involves working toward a goal, getting some new attainment or possession. In this system the goal seems to be something called Enlightenment, realizing the ultimate truth of everything. The details are a bit hazy, but it looks like a humdinger whatever it is.

However, looking for a spiritual thrill or thinking that we might get to be somebody special or that we won't have any more problems to face misses the point. A spiritual experience is just like any other experience -- it doesn't last, and after it's finished life is still there to be dealt with. Attaining personal Enlightenment can be just another self-centered desire. Realizing and then doing what's needed in life is what's important.

Nicholas Rejack and John David Eriksen at Apartment Music 14 on December 17th, 2011

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 23:33:48 GMT

Funny how allowing yourself to accept mistakes and embracing the unexpected situation created by them can lead to rewarding experiences. Rushed last minute preparations led to my failing to actually record what was to be a central component of my contribution to this improvisation.

Fortunately, the resulting lower density and repetitive/background quality of those elements that *did* make it to the show led to a work that has qualities of natural processes that take place over time spans longer than those usually allotted to musical performances.

On a related note, this is my favorite recording of the past few weeks: http://ilse.bandcamp.com/album/distance

Due to the high stresses of the holidays and preparing for the NCNCF Nonprofit Expo, I've been craving music that helps quiet my mind and gently support my efforts. Elizabeth Veldon's Distance consists of recordings of sustaining and imperceptibly varying organic sounds make me feel that sense of quiet and peace when one actually and finally lets go, completely and without self-judgmental feelings of guilt or sloth.

Learning to appreciate her recording also helped me to see Jacob Kirkegaard's Eldfjall with the proper viewpoint. Enjoying that tremendously as well.

Dan Reaves with Kathy Burkett and John David Eriksen.

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 16:02:31 GMT

John David Eriksen, Kathy Burkett, and Reaves engaged in one of the finest trio performances of Dan's 40th Birthday Party at The Laboratory (gainesville, florida) on Dec 17, 2011; the cello's warmth, paired with Kathy's ethereal voice, and Reaves' use of foley made this set a truly inspirational moment.

Jamison Williams

Tasty Egg

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:39:52 GMT

My brother requested that I send him the recipe for my favorite way to prepare eggs.

Tasty Egg

2 or 3 eggs (cage-free organic eggs work best)
Red onion (good amount)
Garlic (two or three cloves)
Black pepper
Salt
Chili powder
Spinach or kale
Small saucepan with tight-fitting lid
Extra-virgin olive oil

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil at medium-low heat. Do not char or caramelize.
Add a little black pepper and salt and add spinach or kale. Heat until the greens wilt somewhat.
Add eggs and sprinkle just a little pepper, salt, and chili powder on the eggs. Hopefully your eggs can cover your vegetables completely.
Cover and reduce to low heat. Do not fry or char eggs.
Heat until egg whites (and optionally, yolks) set.

I like to also occasionally add a small diced tomato and/or hot pepper. If the end result is rich, moist, and savory-sweet, you are on the right track.

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 21:50:58 GMT

Performed at the Doris art gallery on North Main on Friday. I think I enjoy playing art openings most of all. I like how relaxed the schedule is, how casual the atmosphere is, and how only those people that are genuinely interested in some live music hang around and listen. For me, I try not to turn music into an opportunity to satisfy my own ego. Sure, it's nice to win someone's attention and praise, but the real joy of public performance is when an effort that is cultivated over time finally manifests as a connection between people. Between performers, between performers and audience, and between audience members. I think we played every single song in our repertoire about three times :] There was some nice art up on the walls, too. There's one piece I even considered picking up for my bedroom -- a painting of a bend in the river out at O'Leno State Park.

Got a chance to see Dirty First! perform at a house party last night. Saw a touring act from Minneapolis, banged & stomped on the ground, and sat around a campfire chatting with friend-folk. Left at around 2:30am before the DJs and dancing got started. It's a treat to see a band that elicits such a visceral reaction from its audience. At one point, I was convinced that the wooden floor where everyone was dancing was about to give out :] Met a nice old dog named Loki, took a tour of a friendly guy's residential shed, and drank perhaps a tiny bit too much good Malbec.

Today is a gray-day and not terribly productive, but I need the rest. At The Jones I sat next to a Spanish dad giving his son the old "when I was your age", shame & guilt talk. "When I was your age, I had already bought and sold a house". He kept repeating the English word "drifting" over and over.

Gonna catch Wade Mathews at the Thomas Center at 8. Before that, I'll be attending some kind of bizarre holiday-themed show that involves eggnog and MIDI file sing-alongs.

2011 - ?

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:58:22 GMT

Came across this entry recently: http://jkndrkn.livejournal.com/292081.html Had forgotten I even wrote this, but glad to see that I've been able to address all of these goals in some way.

I completed three months of guitar lessons. I enjoyed being able to develop the ability to play fingerstyle, but I realized toward the end that using that energy toward supporting my cello playing made more sense. I haven't touched my guitar since.
Really enjoying Sanctuary Yoga, particularly the Tuesday 5:30 Mindful Yoga course taught by Betsy. I've been waking up at 7am and doing about twenty minutes of yoga almost every morning. I find that it really helps me keep aches and pains away and gives my day a caffeine-free jumpstart.
I've been practicing instrumental performance fairly frequently, but decided not to take on a major compositional endeavor. I've de-emphasized the importance of music in my life.
CrossFit classes are way too expensive to even bother considering this as an option.
I've been playing with Queen Anne's Lace regularly and ...Y Los Dos Pistoles and that's enough. I also do occasional solo shows when invited.
I studied Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind pretty intently for months. Almost done with that. I also found myself, perhaps regretfully, reading Murakami's latest. I'm compelled to finish the book now that I've started it. However, I can tell that it's one of those books that won't make a difference in how I see and cope with the world. And that's precisely the kind of fiction I don't have time for anymore.

What I didn't expect to be doing:

Leading semi-regular Buddhism meetup groups.
Pitching in around ten hours a week toward helping the Gateless Gate Zen Center raise their visibility, attract more participants, and raise funding.
Attending an intense three-day Zen meditation retreat.
Attending awesome potluck jam parties with a group of people I'd never really interacted with in Gainesville.
Spending three nights camping with my family on an island.

Interested in volunteering for a non-profit?

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:55:55 GMT

Interested in volunteering for a non-profit but want to make sure that they are responsibly run? Search engine searches were coming up empty so I created this question on Quora to find out more info:

http://www.quora.com/Non-Profits/I-am-contemplating-becoming-involved-in-a-501-c-3-organization-with-public-charity-status-How-do-I-make-sure-that-the-organization-is-well-managed-and-has-sound-accounting-practices-before-I-commit-more-fully

NYC

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 02:29:16 GMT

During Summer 2010, I scrambled across the face of Zion's Angel's Landing. This act required that one deliberately contract one's awareness down toward the act of selecting the next foot and hand-hold. Failure to do so could cause one to become too emotionally agitated to properly handle the situation and fall many hundreds of feet to one's death.

As I passed the bridge between Queens and Manhattan, I found myself instinctively retracting my awareness to just the taxi and the road I was in. I lasted a few days, making note of each intersection and each building as I came to it. Each incomprehensibly rich or poor person as I encountered them. Each descent into dimly lit and foul-smelling rattling darkness. Looking out across the water at that range of smoke-stained artificial mountains that encase millions of human lives was and still is terrifying.

I have to admire New Yorker's for their ability to live, work, and thrive in such a challenging environment. They benefit from the great density, creativity, resourcefulness, and combined work ethic of their fellow citizens. Those that are aligned in such a way that they receive nourishment from that place likely live very rewarding lives.

Yong Mae Jong Jin

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 02:29:00 GMT

What I found most challenging about the three-day YMJJ wasn't the sleep deprivation (I've been through a graduate program), the sleeping discomfort (I sleep on a camping mat instead of a proper bed), the long periods of sitting still (I'm an office worker and have good yoga instructors), the physical pain (I have chronic pain in my arms), the small and widely-spaced food portions (while I do enjoy eating, I can make it through the day with a bowl of cereal for breakfast, oatmeal and an apple for lunch, and a sandwich and salad for dinner), the silence and lack of social interaction (I'm naturally quiet and introverted), having to follow directions (I'm naturally suited to working in a supportive role), the very carefully regimented schedule (I thrive on structure and planning), or the combined effect of all of these forms of malaise (I lived through something pretty difficult this year).

The most challenging part was, of course, keeping my mind focused on the present. That's to be expected. But the part that caused me the most sharp emotional discomfort were the kong-an interviews. Because the interviews demand decisive and clear verbal communication, and precisely because I judge myself to be ineffective at that, I found it very difficult not to get distressed. Being afraid of being judged and judging yourself for disappointing or falling short is a sure way to increase the chances that you will fall short (and I did freeze up several times causing me to be unable to provide a satisfying answer). I also find it difficult to respond to a question in a way that due to thought-habit feels like a clever trick, even though I've been reading up about the concepts behind mindfulness for several months now. It was hinted to me that responding in the kong-an format requires an attitude similar to that attitude that an archer needs in order to strike a target, or that attitude that a musician needs in order to play convincingly: simply giving yourself to the moment and doing what comes naturally rather than intellectualizing about it.

I think that an ideal retreat for me might be some kind of public speaking or confrontation-handling retreat.

John David Eriksen @ Display

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 20:15:04 GMT

Hal McGee documented my performance at the Display Music showcase.

It was very well-received. Quite a few positive comments from artists I respect.

Have a listen ^_^

Briefly

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:00:52 GMT

Been v-quite busy lately.

I played a couple shows with ...Y Los Dos Pistoles in Tampa this weekend. Hard to believe I've been playing shows at the New World Brewery every so often for the past ten years now. Was a bit tough staying up till late two nights in a row and it took me till Tuesday to recuperate. It was worth the opportunity to share in the efforts of good friends that are dedicated to a common goal, though. Songs are fun to play, too ^_^ Not happy about my cello tone, but the LR Baggs pickup I ordered is finally ready to ship. I may install it in my current cello, or maybe in a new cello if budget permits (!)

Last night I saw one of my all-time favorites, Tinariwen. (Watch this great little film that documents the environment and a little bit of the process of recording their most recent release: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2B8wIOIeO8). I drove two hours out, had a meh meal at a place around the corner. Was totally surprised and delighted by the opening act, Sophie Hunger. It's rare that I'm completely gripped by someone's musicianship and complete commitment to the act of performance. Last time that happened was seeing Cedric Bixler Zavala perform with the Omar Rodriguez Lopez group at Austin Psych Fest. I'm tired again, but I'm glad I went. Too often I've denied myself rare experiencies. I think the key to enduring tiredness is not to punish yourself when you feel tired, especially if you catch yourself not performing as well as you'd like in a given situation.

Highlights of the Tinariwen performance: the humility and silent gratitude of Ibrahim, the incredible bass playing on the part of the lefty bassist that plays unmodified right-handed instruments, and the opportunity to experience a moment with a group that has given their lives over to sharing a message through music.

This weekend is a three-day silent meditation retreat at the Gateless Gate Zen Center. Trying not to pre-judge that experience, as it will be quite intense and thinking too much about it in advance could cause me to feel anxious about it. I imagine that low-back pain and fatigue might be the biggest challenges.

The following weekend, I get to hang out with Bear and Dog out in the big city! The one after that, camping! Family-style ~_~

An Enjoyable

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:51:58 GMT

8 -> Newberry -> 75 -> 275 -> Hillsborough -> Nebraska -> Emma

Human cargo: 2, 2
Tools cargo: 4

Nice Friends & Cat
Ethanol & Rosin

Need Sleep