creatureguts.july.weblum

I’ve battled with technology all of my life. When I was a teen my dad and I would build computers together. Before that, when I was just 3 or so, I was caught hooking  up the Atari in the front room to get in a late night Qbert session on multiple occasions. I have an affinity for gadgets. Things that make life more fun, fast, interesting and explorative. As an adult I was headlong into a tech job and trying to be in a band at the same time. I felt a surge to do something with my life that didn’t come easily to me. And when I was 21 I quit a good paying job in San Diego (401k, benefits, free gadgets, and loads of job security) for a new life in Portland where I knew no one and where it seemed to be less “techy”. Since then I’ve always fought with what technology does to our souls. How we rely on this and how it has become an imperative center-piece to the way normal, and less tech savy people communicate. This month is sort of a tribute to that idea. The neurosis that develop from our reliance on technologies.

I’ve been obsessed with the idea of creating SCI FI music since I was a kid. But I’ve taken a long time circling around this trajectory which has involved me in a lot of other music experiences that I would otherwise not consider SCI FI sounding. But the wider my berth the more extensive SCI FI sounds to me. World music and psychedelia I now associates as future music. I’ve talked about this all before, actually. What is important is that we just create. And creating involves moving forward… into the future? I’ve got a love for many types of art, but the ones that really grab me and make me want to absorb them more are those that I at first do not understand. I’m slow on the uptake. I don’t take people’s word for it and this might make me a skeptic. But shit, I know way more cynical than me so I think I’m alright. I just wanna create something that pushes my own understanding of what I thought it might have been from initial ideas. That’s where beauty exists.

This month I’ve got 3 tracks completed with Uta Plotkin from Aranya and Witch Mountain lending her voice and viola along with David “Papi” Fimbres from paper/upper/cuts and O Bruxo playing drums; as well Gordon F Cady of the dubious Party Killer (and more recently drumming for Lunar Grave) playing some drums on the second track. Good friends, good vibes, good tunes. This month was great, but FUCKING hard. I just kept creating more work for myself layer after layer adding stuff. I just couldn’t help myself once these amazing musicians started  making my little riffs sound like potential songs. And I wanted to create something other worldly sounding. Let me know what you think.

It’s half way through my project and I’ve set the bar high with this one I think. I’m mulling over the idea of putting out a record of the best tracks I complete this year. Not sure how I’ll work that yet. If you have any ideas about that OR would like to participate I’d love to hear from you. One thing that this project has done for me is help me to learn how to communicate with as many different types of musicians in completely different situations and roles each month. If anyone is out there reading this know that I really appreciate your attention and feedback is encouraged. Communion, collectiveness , consciousness, cooperation. Co team. That is all.