Steve Ball

Seven Forever

Recent Recap: morning, pre-interview with KUOW's Jeannie Yandel in preparation for Thursday's real deal interview.   We visited many memories, including banging the drum in kindergarten, meeting the King in Carbondale on November 11th, 1981, all leading to more recent work on Windows sounds. 

It's been a spectacular July.  This seventh month in Seattle is always my favorite.

Also this month: everything in it's right place.

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Early Evening:  yummy family dinner with Darek, Amy, and Lyra at the always kid-friendly Vios.  Then, partially inspired by dinner discussion with Darek, a trip to the Opal Creative Space for an hour of Improv in the studio.

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Improvisation of the Day: Seven Forever (2.3M MP3)

In seven, four tracks recorded literally back-to-back, bounced after minimal editing: fading heads and tails. A quick glimpse of what group improv might be like if everyone in the group shared the same vision and vocabulary.

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Photo of the Day

Happy Birthday Sofie (last Thursday!)

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Improv: Music and Voice

Super Quick Update: A few shows on the horizon including two work parties, back to the P&G on Saturday the 26th, and an Art Walk show in early August. 

At one upcoming show, David LaVallee is making a leap and bringing some of his improv pals over to compare and contrast the improv we do with guitars vs. the improv he's been studying with voice.   The parallels and overlap are not surprising for anyone who recognizes that, from one point of view, music is a language. 

Looking forward to exploring the overlap.

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With so much music in the can, I'm constantly considering multiple methods to loosen the production bottleneck.   I'm not in a phase where I can burn midnight oil to mingle with muses -- but they are still singing loud and clear.  

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An Inventory of Recent Excellent (semi-one-sided) interactions:  Lunch with AaronS and an inspiring conversation about working in groups; a nice recommendation on Linked-In from old friend+fan+amplifier expert, Kevin Hilbiber; an accidentally deleted phone message from Jaxie, just back from a GC course in Spain with a gift CD (new Gauchos! disc sent from brother Martin.)

Also: quick phone call with Tobin about a potential high-visibility placement for The Crossing; a small but significant favor for Patricia Fripp; and planning for an upcoming KUOW interview with Jeanie Yandel, who was present on a significant day in 2006 during the second session. 

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Daily miracle: Sofie continues to evolve right in front of our eyes everyday. Getting very very close to a first birthday. 

Sofie does a floor fashion show with a dress from Aunt Laura

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Uncle Buzz

Sunday Update: Buzz visited Sofie this morning and snapped these two unaltered pics directly from his iPhone.   Sofie is wearing the adorable pink dress that Scoble and Buzz bought for her knowing that she'd grow into it about now.

Great: now both Regina and Sofie want the new 3G iPhone. 

T'was fun to catch up with Buzz now that we're back from Minnesota.  As usual, Buzz has many life stories to share and hot irons cooking in his busy business fire. 

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Afternoon: our PEPS friends met at the Woodland Park Zoo for a blast of baby fun in the sun, then Regina, Sofie and I went to the Ballard Market to find a can of our favorite summer BBQ spice, the Everything Rub. 

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Evening: more work on new sounds for Windows Live Messenger as well as some work on a recorded version of the new SPL song (You Are in Me) that we debuted live last night at the P&G Speakeasy Cafe. 

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SPL at P&G

Saturday Update: guitar calisthenics and sitting for four followed by Stumptown refreshments and rehearsal for the evenings P&G show.  We began with a ten minute version of Nine Lives that lasted for twenty minutes.   And we completed calisthenics with twelve Group Loops in twelve minutes that turned out to be eight Group Loops.     

David LaVallee wore an excellent Luthier's T-Shirt this morning. 

Front: the questions  

Back: the answers
 

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Evening Update: The P&G SBRS (SPL) show was full of fun and surprises including an impromptu opening that featured Sunday Bloody Sunday morphing directly into Dark.   What a way to dive headfirst into the deep-end of the deep-end.  

And it went much deeper from there. 

We also found ourselves visiting some exciting acoustic terror-tory with the Remembering, To Be Over, as well as And You and I. 

Having Nick Dimmitt (wearing a Yes T-Shirt) and  Joel & John Palmer, and Ken Hollis (sent out to see us by our old friend Sandra Prow) and a number of other Yes fans in the audience helped transform what might otherwise have been a no into some tasty bits of Yes. 

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More from Minnesota

Mundane Holiday Weekend Update: security cameras are going up this weekend to enhance our existing building and individual unit alarms.   Security technology has come a long way in the past few years. 

Made it about 1/2 way through yesterday's list of catching up.  More to come this weekend as well as a sneak peak at the new SPL song that is under development.

In the meantime, here is a Part I glimpse of some June highlights:

 
Linda, Regina, Sofie, and Margaret: four generations

Sofie loves Grandma's sunglasses

 
Minnesota Morning Walk

Zen Dock

Finding fish

Cabin Concert I

Cabin Concert II

Cabin Concert III with Right Hand helper

Sofie discovers sand

Sleepy Beach Bunny

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New Duncan Weller Drawings

Recent Recap: June was a whirlwind month that included a trip to visit Grandparents (and Great Grandma) in Minnesota, new song development by SPL(Steve Paul Lee) and multiple sucktastic break-ins to the Opal, one of which resulted in loss of some one-of-a-kind Fripp, Crimson, and League of Crafty Guitarists T-Shirts.  How very odd that these were considered valuable enough to steal? 

Brighter Notes: For those in the Seattle area this weekend, SPL have an early acoustic show this Saturday evening, July 5th, at the P&G Speakeasy in Duvall Washington.    Drop in for dinner anytime after 5:30pm, and Showtime is 7-9pm.

Today, I'm beginning a long weekend at home to address some home security issues and catch up on multiple dozens of unanswered communications from close friends that have built up over the past few months.  

In the meantime, here are some recent Duncan Weller drawings on their way to the Sketch Box and a quick glimpse of Sofie's first boat ride. 

Paul O'Rear

 
Ivan Lee

 
Sofie and Grandpa Kelley: exponentially cute 

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