Steve Ball

I Believe in Tomorrow

Tomorrow: I believe Duncan Weller is now in Vancouver BC where he has four book signings on Saturday and Sunday (March 1st and 2nd.) 

Details for Duncan Weller Book Signings in Vancouver:

Saturday March 1: 12:30-2:30pm
CHAPTERS METROTOWN
Metrotown Metropolis, 4700 Kingsway

Saturday March 1: 3:00-5:00pm
CHAPTERS BROADWAY/GRANVILLE
2505 Broadway

Sunday March 2nd: 12:00-1:30pm
DANDELION KIDS
1206 Commercial Drive

Sunday March 2nd: 2:30-3:30pm
KIDSBOOKS - EDGEMONT VILLAGE
3040 Edgemont Blvd.

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Leap Year 2008: seems like an appropriate day to give away a song to make room for future music. 

Song of the Day: I Believe in Tomorrow (4.96M) from the Steve Ball Box Set CD, Roadshow. 

set back the clock
melt down the hour
absorb the shock
savor the power
father was right
forty is harder
money is tight
and won't stretch much farther
out of practice
hopeless tactics
bad behavior
where is my savior now?

my pacing has worn a path in the carpet
the curtain is torn and money won't help it
rusty pliers
razor wires           
lost desires
old and tired out       
look inside, all my troubles have been amplified
now it looks as though they've multiplied
oh I believe in tomorrow

one legged stool
two legged table
not very cool
not very stable
mister mister
twisted sister
V J D J kill me now
look inside, all my troubles are now amplified
now it looks as though they've multiplied
oh I believe in tomorrow

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Financial Experiment: If you have downloaded any of the free MP3 files I've provided here over the past few years, I'm beginning an experiment to see if there is a portion of my audience who feels compelled to support this work via donation. 

I'm no Radiohead, but there is some significant and growing traffic here, so let's see if there is, in fact, a new sustainable patron-based business model for musicians working outside the confines of major label slavery? 

Request: If you believe in tomorrow, or you've found value in the written or musical work shared here, I invite you to use the PayPal 'auto-donation' tool embedded below to make a donation that will be applied directly toward funding production of my new Sketch Box CD project:

If you have trouble using this tool, or if you wish to contribute via other means, you may also contact me directly at steveball at steveball dot com.  

Thanks again to everyone who visits this site and shares in this work from a distance.

* * *

World Wide Telescope Launch at TED

As hinted earlier here, today my MSR pal Curtis Wong launched an amazing new project at TED:

The soundtrack is the unmistakable sound of Robert Fripp playing one of the Windows Vista Soundscapes that were recorded during the Vista recording sessions in 2005 and 2006 at Microsoft Studios.  

This is the demo that drove my friend and former MS colleague Robert Scoble to tears.  I'm not sure if he even knows this, but Scoble was there in the studio when this Soundscape was recorded. 

What better music to orchestrate user-generated tours of the universe? 

The WorldWide Telescope will be released for free download later this spring and is dedicated to Jim Gray.

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Duncan Weller in Seattle

Recap: We've had visitors in town for the past two weeks: last week, Regina's mom, and this week, Canada's most recent Governer General's award winning author and illustrator, Duncan Weller.

Duncan is here visiting and collaborating on Night Wall and Sketch Box.  With Duncan's recent award, there seems to be renewed interest in re-releasing Night Wall on DVD from Simply Read books.   

Friday Night: Ivan Lee and SB presenting a ground-breaking duo show at the P&G while PaulO was on an out-of-town trip.

Here are a few highlights from the past two weeks of action:

Duncan meets Sofie while Sofie shakes her favorite yellow shaker

Aunt Laura, Grandma Linda, Mom and Jeff in West Seattle

Jeff, Linda, Sofie, Mom, and Auntie Laura at Brunch at Joe's

* * *

Ed's Exciting Elitism Diagram Shirt

My good friend Ed Peterson, always a first-class fashion maven, was wearing this excellent shirt today: 

This is known as the "Elitism Diagram Shirt." 

And, as expected, his parting recommendation after sharing the link to the source was:

...Buy it… 
Of course if you do I will have to burn mine…
-thx,
--ed

Keep your shirt, Ed.  My own elitism keeps me from even considering buying something I've seen on someone else who is obviously not from an exotic location half way around the globe.  

After traveling for many years all over the globe, I actually believe that "exotic = far away from where you are right now." 

Another way of re-framing this: where you are right now is more extraordinary than you know, and just as amazing, if not even more amazing as that place in the brochure/book you think you need to visit.   Granted, there are amazing and special places sprinkled around the planet.  But after experiencing many of these first-hand, my interest now is in turning this place (where ever I am) into an amazing and special place.  

For me, the most exciting Adventure Travel involves walking across the hall into the Opal Creative Space.    

* * *

Recap: It's been a long week with literally hundreds of significant interactions and project progress on many levels.  Including a small but not insignificant role in this. 

But there is too much to document here in the time I have.  I'll catch up a bit more this weekend. 

* * *

Humming Bird

Painting of the Weekend: Regina's happy humming bird.

* * *

Photo of the Day

 
Sofie swims in a sea of Red

* * *

Intersections: Past, Present, and Future

Recap from Friday Afternoon: In all of the excitement about the energizing P&G show last night, I almost forgot the other highlight of my Friday at work. 

Friday afternoon I went over to the Millennium campus for a late afternoon meeting with the Surface team that included my old BootlegTV co-workers Tobin Buttram and Guy Whitmore who now manage audio (people and facilities) at Microsoft Games Studios. 

Guy, Tobin, and old Microsoft musician-pal Ken Kato* have built out a killer game sound and music production facility that rivals the old Blender and the former so-called Redwest "Digital Backlot."   Great to see these guys thriving. 

Meeting the creative director of the Surface team was inspiring and informative as well -- we have much history in common given our relationships with the old Blender team from the mid-nineties.

* Ken contributed music to two of my solo CDs: Ballistic (Alien Autopsy Remix) and Roadshow.  He also did a tour last year with Cocteau Twins' Robin Guthrie.

* * *

Photo of the Day

Sofie Red Riding Hood

* * *

Saturday Afternoon Update: I drove out to make a difference, and ran into close pals John and Joel Palmer, each ready to represent their precincts in the Washington State Caucuses.   We all arrived early, but by the time the event began, the space was standing room only -- great to see such a strong turn-out.

John brought his camera, and we captured early shots of our Precinct paperwork:

John Palmer

Joel Palmer

* * *

Surprise Group Loop

Recap: Friday Night's scaled-back acoustic SBRS show at the P&G was a blast.  Before the show, we passed our song list to the audience, and they took turns requesting songs which became our unfolding set list.   This led to some nice surprises and kept us on our toes. 

There were a number of guitar players in the audience and during the peak of the show, we invited three of them to join us on our extra guitars for an impromptu Group Loop, Chord Circulation, and Free Circulation, showing both the guitarists and the audience how we work together to improvise within flexible structures.

This turned out to be a treat for us, the audience, and the pleasantly surprised the new guitarists with this form of group work.  It also gave the show a boost as the line between audience and performer became considerably blurred and everyone in the room became an active part of the show.

My own sense is also that our vocal harmonies were strong and tight this evening - perhaps because we could hear each other well with our scaled back instrumentation (all acoustic guitars)?   Or perhaps we were just listening well.

* * *

A couple of weeks ago, the California Guitar Trio were in town and did a small private show for close friends.  Here are a few pictures from the post show social:

Bert Lams, Emily Geballe , Debra and Ezra Gunn meet Sofie

Uncle Pauly meets Sofie  

Hideyo Moriya meets Sofie while Uncle Curt Golden looks on and Peter Devin syncs with Pauly

Hard to believe that we've all been playing together in various configurations for more than 20 years.  Next year is the anniversary of the famous League of Crafty Guitarists 'bogo tour.'  

It may be time to dig out the board tapes from that tour and share a few gems? 

* * *

Crows of Desperation

Landfill and Skyfill were not the only new paintings on the wall for our recent House Concert.  These are Regina's new Crows of Desperation now on the large wall of the Opal Creative Space.

* * *

Recap: Almost through my first week back at work.  As usual, it's been an intense week of meetings, discussions, and ongoing group work where the constant challenge is to articulate, share, and serve a common aim.

That, and continuous support + pressure to learn, grow, and adapt.

* * *

Looking Forward: Lee has booked an all acoustic show for the SBRS trio (Ivan Lee, Paul O'Rear, and myself) at the intimate P&G Speakeasy in Duvall for Friday night, that is, tomorrow, Feb 8th, 2008.   Music begins at 7pm.    

Come on out and see the show!

Weekend Forecast: more progress on the Sketch Box, some dancing and a massage for Regina -- and the Washington State Caucuses.

* * *

Skyfill

After the general intensity of painting the Future Community last Friday night, I then went one step further, and pulled out another 5' x 3' blank canvas, and this also popped out during that same session:

Skyfill v1

This fiery (but unfinished) piece now hangs over the bed in our guest bedroom in the Creative Space.  My theory is that sleeping under this new painting will inspire those who stay in this room to soon relocate to Seattle.

There is still work to do on this painting to bring it closer to it's sister painting.  Perhaps this weekend.

* * *

Breaking news: Duncan Weller is coming to Seattle in approximately two weeks!!!

* * *

Landfill

My first large painting (Landfill) is now complete. There have been two previous sightings here of the former work in progress, but it is now complete and hangs over our living room fireplace.   My quick lame-o photos don't really do this justice, but they at least capture a a whiff of the essence:

Landfill, from a distance.

* * *

Early Afternoon: meeting with ChristinaF of the Tuning the Air company who is networking for opportunities.  We had a short but useful discussion about the differences between Seattle and the Bay Area. 

Evening: rehearsal was intentionally displaced for a healthy and productive 'Review of Aims for 2008' discussion.   Seems that much of my time this week is being invested in necessary conversations designed to align or re-align goals and relationships.    

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