Steve Ball

C3: Arc

Evening Work: Arc (7.4M mp3)

Another in a series of new tracks initiated by Ivan Lee and on their way to active “C3” song status.  Perhaps we’ll play these new songs at our show this Saturday night (Aug 29th) at the 15th Ave. Coffee and Tea House on Capitol Hill.

In this case, the C3 instrumental is “Arc” while the vocal version that is underway will likely be “Ark.”  Either way, some nice moody music for traveling over water is happening here. 

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Nigel Gavin: Assault on the Consensus

More History in honor of Nigel’s presence in the USA:  Assault on the Consensus (9.1M mp3) 

This is another Prometheus track, the high-point of the CD, IMO.  There are three sections: the gritty prog-bluesy intro in 7, the sensuous seven melodic middle, and the final anthemic, uh… anthem complete with crowd-sourced chorus that was recorded with a small crowd that was sourced from the Columbia Sound Design crew in a soundstage on the Sony/Columbia lot.    I wish we’d taken pictures of these sessions.

For those just tuning in, this is also from the "Prometheus" CD, written in 1992, recorded in 1993, released in 1994. For me, this piece was the highlight of a seven year collaboration with Sanford Ponder.  Prometheus was Sanford Ponder (guitars), Steve Ball (guitars, vocals), Nigel Gavin (bass), Pat Mastelotto (drums), Chris Rhyne (keyboards).

If you listen in headphones, you will experience for yourself why Sanford deserves the Oscar he won for Sound Design on Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula. And also, IMNSHO, and also why Pat Mastelotto so righteously deserved to join Sylvian Fripp and King Crimson just after this project was released. 

Have I mentioned yet that Nigel Gavin is also the most musical player I have ever played with?  He’s right up there with Tony Levin, Christian de Santis, and Horacio, Martin, and Claudio from the Big Time trio.   Oh, and don’t forget Paul O’Rear and Ivan Lee.

Check out Nigel’s sweet and juicy bass lines around 3’39” if you wish to experience this yourself.

Assault on the Consensus
we saw it coming, a white knife rising
our eyes connected, our senses widened
should have pulled out while the door was open
should have fixed the leak when it was broken
righteous selfish ~ throwback repeat
silent protest ~ blinded senseless

pink plastic bandage on an airbrush cancer
pour from the rubber tongue: elastic answer
dissected, disconnected, empty motion
the outside amplified, the inside frozen

mailbox empty ~ airtight reason
redneck backfire ~ cordless deathsquad

talkshow slavery ~ neon headstone
science conscience ~ sequence consequence

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I often feel that I’ve lived many different lives.    

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Nigel Gavin in the USA: Policeman’s Ball

Archive Diving: I'm reminded via email that my old friend and League of Crafty Guitarists / Prometheus bandmate Nigel Gavin is currently visiting the US from New Zealand. Hi Nigel.

Here is a reminder of an obscure track featuring Nigel that deserves to be heard, this one also from "Prometheus", written in 1992, recorded in 1993, released in 1994.

This still really shows off Sanford Ponder in some of his finest recorded moments. The Policeman's Ball (4.3M mp3).

Nigel and Pat Mastelotto are also not too shabby here.

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C3: Niagara

Evening Work:  Niagara (3.8M mp3)

This is a new C3 song being built on an excellent solo guitar track from bandmate, Ivan Lee.   It’s, of course, still a work in progress (Paul’s bass line is still under development) but I hope to add this to our live set within the month. 

Niagara
I was a drop of niagara falls
a mouse among wild animals
you were a lion
I was a slow soft snail
you were a pit bull
I was your wagging tail
you were Teen Spirit
I was a system sound
you were the circus
I was a dancing clown

I was a photon inside your sun
a grain of glycerin inside your gun
pulling the trigger
wait for the film to start
sound growing bigger
a murmur inside my heart
set this in motion
cut to the seven sins
cue the explosion
bring in the violins

dangling carrots  
three million reasons why
money inherits
weaknesses amplify
tell me what's missing
if cash cannot fill the hole
if at the beginning
somebody moves the goal

the team was right but the timing wrong
turned moving up into moving on
now we’re all characters in a song
the punch is short but the line is long

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White Christmas

More History: this time going way back to 1978, high school and my first full length album project, with the DeKalb High School Concert Choir directed by (my first real musical mentor) Neil Austin.   Neil Austin challenged me in many ways back in those days – and I challenged him right back.   Um,… does anyone remember the day I brought in and played “Close to the Edge” for class?

Beginning in my sophomore year, Neil Austin drove me to visualize and name quickly all of the seventh and ninth chords around the circle of fifths, while also leading his whole class through at least three years of daily Kodály Method solfege.  Music, among other things, is a language -- and Neil Austin is largely responsible for developing my early fluency and encouraging my understanding. 

Here is the just digitized White Christmas (3.7M mp3) from the vinyl-only album.   

If you squint your ears, you can just hear my tenor voice amongst the other young male voices in the choir.  

Tracks Include:

1. the First Noel
2. Carol of the Birds
3. White Christmas
4. Jingle Bells
5. Jesu Bambino
6. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
7. Fanfare for Christmas Day
8. Away in a Manger
9. Christmas Is
10. What Child is This?
11. Do you Hear What I Hear?
12. The Star Carol
13. We Wish You the Merriest

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Spectacle

More History: Spectacle (6.8M mp3) also from the 1997 Buenos Aires Greenthumb sessions.

This is another example of my ongoing practice of clothing a song in multiple radical arrangements over the years. The piece was originally conceived on May 12, 1988 during the first Guitar Craft course in France during a late night guitar session with Victor McSurely, Robert Fripp, and a hand-full of other Crafties who were up late playing in the cafeteria of the facility where the second French Guitar Craft course was being held.   Victor began with a seed in seven, and a number of variations came to life within this small, intense, non-circular circle.  

The seed came home with me to Boston (where I was sharing a rent controlled apartment in Brookline at the time with New Man singer/sax player Scott Gilman, who is now with Foreigner.) The piece became a staple of my Redline subway busking repertoire. 

Words poured out, pretty much exactly as they are today, in real time one evening when I was practicing at home in my Fairbanks St. apartment. 

The song next evolved into a Prometheus song in 1992-1994 featuring rocking rhythm section provided by Nigel Gavin and Pat Mastelotto, and then I re-recorded it instrumentally, as originally conceived, for 1999's the Breathing Field CD.

This version here features the 1997 ‘Greenthumb’ group including:

guillermo olivera
luciano pietrafesa
martin de aguirre
christian de santis
steve ball
martin schwutke
horacio pozzo
fernando kabusacki
claudio lafalce
pablo mandel
marcelo o'reilly

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Spectacle

call this land my home
call this land your own

I don’t imagine anything I say is going to change you
take a walk around the block and try to wear some darker shoes
try to see through my eyes

born on this side of the border
you brought your guns, you brought your order into my homeland
the only place I understand
you made the law, forced our submission
you did not ask for our permission, we did what you told us
how long will you hold us?

we have the number, you the power
your strength grows weary by the hour
don’t ignore us -- so many million more of us than you

call this land my home

from where I’m standing this land looks small
from where you’re standing I can’t see anything at all
help me see through your eyes

I don’t imagine anything I do is going to change you
help me see through your eyes

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PS – happy August the Hippo to my first band, Fish (Richard, Bret, and Kevin.)

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Curtains

Some History:  Curtains (5.7M mp3) – from the CD Greenthumb recorded by the group 'Greenthumb' in Buenos Aires in 1997 featuring the all star Argentina Crafty line-up of Martin Schwutke, Fernando Kabusacki, Guillermo Olivera, Christian de Santis, Horacio Pozzo, Claudio Lafalce, Martin de Aguirre, Luciano Pietrafesa, Pablo Mandel, and Marcelo O'Reilly.

The song was written in 1990 and first performed by a group called “Curtains” that performed in the Claymont Barn, Washington Square Church in NYC, and in the Old Piano Factory in Boston.  The group “Curtains” featured Tobin Buttram, Steve Jolemore, Nigel Gavin, Karen Thomas, myself, and a Boston percussionist whose name I cannot remember at the moment.

This song still sounds and feels relatively relevant, to my ears.  Occasionally, “C3” will pull this out and play it live.

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long before the curtains close
the Window's eye is filled up with tears
siren songs announce the flooding
river borders bend, disappear
trees give up their fruit for lumber
reindeer sing a sad city song
glowing water flowing under
melting islands drowned in the sun

long before the days were numbered
long before the snow fell on sand
lightning came before the thunder
warning those who might understand
signals in the taste of water
dark spot on the face of the sun
chocolate bubbles in the harbor
simple signs of what was to come

fight the fire, learn to fight the fire we started
lost desire, lost desire doesn't matter
flame inspires, flame ignites motivation
come inside, help requires an invitation

Eskimo needs air conditioning
sheep dog needs cut and a shave
who remembers sweater weather?
why won't the seasons behave?
Macy's has a sale on parkas
white bear wonders why his cheeks are red
palm trees over streets of Bellevue
no more need for long underwear

fight the fire, learn to fight the fire we started
lost desire, lost desire doesn't matter
flame inspires, flame ignites our motivation
come inside, help requires an invitation

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No, I’m a Frayed Knot

Evening Work: No, I’m a Frayed Knot (5.4M mp3)

A slow, moody song documenting the power, pain, and process of saying “no.”  Also, along with the song themes of this week, the title is another well-known punchline.  

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To Get To The Other Side

Evening Work: To Get To The Other Side (5.1M mp3)

Tony Geballe did not tell me this particular joke, but we did study symmetry together back in Red Lion House.

Also the answer to the question: why does the guitarist keep practicing, writing, recording, improvising, and performing new music?

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Tell God Your Plans

This Just In: Tell God Your Plans (5.1M mp3)

This is one (the most accessible) of four new things flying around within the barely bearable Seattle heat this past week.  Lyrics and vocals are underway, but the vocal version is not yet ready for prime time.   The title is reference to a joke that my old young friend Tony Geballe told me in the Red Lion House ballroom in 1988.

I’ve also been working on some new C3 repertoire since we’ve been playing weekly, every Thursday night from 6-9 at Fortunato’s in Woodinville. 

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