Progress Report

So far I have six songs recorded and mixed for the "album"

I have a few more to actually record and a few others to just get off the tapes.
Oh yeah, and the semesters over, I am now Andy Swanson: Associate.

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12-02-09

Here's the audio from the guitar performance the other night. Big thanks to my professor Kevin Garry for playing a couple duets with me. It was loads of fun and he is a guitar wizard. I know I said the audio was good last post... What I meant was it's good in the fact that you can hear it. It's pretty crappy, but it adds a homely effect of white noise that sounds like an air leak. Thank you $1 tape recorder from the thrift store.

First we played Lost Woods from Zelda; that was awesome. Then we played a blue grass song called Old Joe Clark, which is amazingly fun to play. Then I played a song by myself. It's a song I've been kicking around for a year; no title or anything. There's a bit of a struggle or tension in it, chopped into an introduction, a beggining, a middle theme, an end theme and then back to the middle theme. It's a strange song, lots of white noise (which is my favorite thing to do).

Enjoy.

Starfucker

Finally got a decent setup to get my music on the comp. I'm planning on making an "album" of a bunch of tracks. So far I have this one, Starfucker. It's 9 minutes of heavy effects and spacey music. The name doesn't have anything to do with anything. I think it's a band or something? I heard it once and thought it would make a funny name for a song. The song is cut up into a few parts with a main theme that keeps coming back. It starts out very bright and joyful then gets hazy and dark.

I took the picture a year or two ago when it looked like the sky was on fire out my window.

Oh and I have some audio from the guitar performance last night (thanks to my brother who hit the record button on my piece of crap tape recorder). I'll be posting that soon. Good stuff.

"New " Tech

Panasonic RQ-341. I got it at a thrift store yesterday for $1. I think I'm going to record some songs with it. It has great quality for a little tape recorder. I looked online for a laugh to see how much it was worth, apparently it's worth $65. Absurd.

guitar show pt. 2

Having another guitar performance for class on the 2nd of December... at least I think that's when it is. The week after thanksgiving break. I'll have to check, but I'm pretty sure that's when it is. This one should be just as lulz. It's in the same place as last time. Everybody is invited.

Also here's a video from the Sunset Rundown show we went to a few weeks back. Special thanks to Usag who took video of the whole show, his arm was dieing toward the end haha specially when they did all 10 min of Dragon's Lair.

I had no idea it was halloween

Wintttt r

Crazy week last week. My friend Usagimaru (aka Al) and his grandma came from Singapore to stay a week. Har was here too but eh, he doesn't matter. We went to Karl Blau on Sunday, Mount Eerie on Tuesday and Sunset Rubdown on Friday. All phenomenal musicians. I really enjoyed Blau's set with LAKE. He's a funny guy, looks like Mad Max in Thunderdome. I gotta hand it to Spencer Krug of Sunset Rubdown though, that guy is a fucking genius. The whole show was a mindgasm. For me, Krug is the epitome of artist. He wasn't in the room that night, he was engulfed in song on some other plane. Always a treat to watch him create

It was incredibly fun to have Al and his grandma here; first time to the US. It was hilarious asking him stupid American questions (do they have that there... amazing...). His grandma cracked me up the most. She made sure we all studied and prayed hard and wouldn't eat anything aside from potatoes and bread (which is delicious). She's definitely a personality. Great week.

Now it's snowing. I believe someone mentioned in class that it was to snow 24 inches in the next three days. Crazy shit. There's already about a foot outside. I love being barricaded inside during a snow storm. Makes you appreciate your home and the power of nature.

A few more months till I'm off in Montana, kind of a weird feeling but I'm less excited about it and more or less excited to not be in Colorado. I'm in the process of writing a play for class... It's not really coming along. I did pull off a decent short story though. Maybe I'll post it here, needs some editing though.

I suggest picking up a copy of Karl Blau's Zebra.

New Guitar

Wind Storm

Soupgasm and a Show

I finally did it... I found a recipe close to that of 4B's tomato soup. It's a mindgasm of goodness. It could probably clog all of your arteries with one spoon full but eh. Whatever doesn't kill you... makes you one step closer to death I guess. Either way, it's delicious. It's quite saddening that most 4b's closed down in Montana only to be replaced by casinos. One of the best things about being back home was 4b's, the food wasn't really that great or anything it was just tradition, something we always did. And the soup kicked ass.

this is for about 2 bowls:

1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes (d0n't strain)
1 tbl spn finely chopped onions
1 tbl spn sugar
1/2 cup chicken broth
pinch of baking soda
(optional: 1/2 cup tomato juice)
1 cup cream

mix everything except the cream in a pot, simmer on low heat for about an hour.

in a separate pan, heat the cream on low heat to near boil.

mix the cream in with everything else, stir and serve.

Gotta add loads of pepper and crackers. That's the best way.


Also, I will be playing at Front Range CC on October 14th at around 7:30pm in the art gallery. Everyone is welcome to come.

Oh and... I finished a project I was working on and bought a lil' somethin somethin. I'll get some pictures up soon.

Snæfellsjökull

I've decided to try and make some elderberry wine. I haven't been able to afford hops or barely to brew beer so I think this may be a cheap alternative. I have an abundance of elderberries in my backyard. I never knew what they were, aside from some disgusting little purple berries that grew on flimsy little trees out back. The fact that I can turn them into wine has made me think of them in a new light. As it is with most things I can turn into wine; i.e. dandelions. I'll post some pictures of my progress with that, if I ever get around to doing it.



A song about Snæfellsjökull.

Love of a Zero

The title is taken from a short film (of the same name) by Robert Florey. Picture out my window.

C'est de la folie

"C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la guerre."
Pierre Bosquet French Marshal

C'est de la folie, a new song. The title is a quote from French marshal Pierre Bosquet describing the Charge of the Light Brigade. It essentially means "It is madness" Which I think sums it up. The pictures are from the ending of the Battle of Sedan (when Bismark captures not only the majority of the French army, but the leader of France as well, Napoleon III) , which really has nothing to do with the Charge of the Light Brigade being that they are some 14 years apart. Though both are rather tragic defeats in their own respects. The song is strange in the way that it some what captures that disorganized sense of being. We're all a little Napoleon III at times and often find ourselves in a Charge of the Light Brigade situation. Enjoy.

Yelloscien

the picture isn't mine but I found it to be very interesting; the contents the way it makes a strange formless face/jellyfish. old song but pretty. comfortably uneasy

Technical Difficulty

Having a bit of trouble converting the 4-track tapes onto the computer. Computers are witch craft. In the mean time

Poem:

Smile, Empty Night
Smile!
And laugh: LAUGH
For the crickets play the
Killing Concerto loud
Dry the eyes mourners
Smile!
For the ugly lovers
Share the same clothes
And laugh: LAUGH!
Smirking like the brick layer
Building lords castles out of
Stone

Dawn does do the Night
Like the forlorn apostles
Suckling the teat
Of their dead Matriarch
Smile!
Like the messengers
Burning effigies
Of their favorite martyr
And laugh: LAUGH?
As the Martyr
Grinning more wildly
Then the flames at his feet

Turn over, Empty Night
Shut those heavy eyes
Throw your glance east
Smile, Laugh, and Welcome:
The Advocate of Conclusion

Old video with poor video/sound quality:

America Bless

"Acquired" some new recording software. Nothing special, but I will post some new material soon.

Some Thoughts Eventually Leading to the Dread of Autumn

Empty talk



-And you say they'd rather cut down all the fields, dress up like flowers and worship the sun?

-I suppose it's more or less like that, yes.

-What a mockery of our former-selves we've become, eh? Could you pass the wine?

Beauty, Beauty, Beauty, Austerity; you Delphian temptress. From where do you hail? For what are your intentions? For why do you endure? Beauty, Beauty, Austerity, Beauty

Daylight, Dawn and Evening

“Grave Robbers”

The lights in my mind had been turned off. Conscientiousness had taken a leave of absence and the place was currently subletting. It was Winter. The hours felt austere with their inability to hold the day. I could no longer endure the melancholy of undressed trees and dry grass. The very notion of snow lacked all nostalgia and only brought a sense of loathing. I was in a rut.

Gaspare

I found a pleasant place to sit and gather my thoughts; I was listening like I meant it. And though the wind and ash scarred my face, I was at ease.

However fond of the Art of Peace, I found myself constantly struggling with the reality of cowardice.

I feel strange: like an open wound in the cold wind. In this case everything I am is the wound and emptiness is the cold wind.

Dream: Fog rolling. Trench. Dirt. Shells exploding. Whistle blows. We charge over the ridge; men around me shredded to pieces. Machine gun fire like cat eyes: demonic and esoteric. Earth like sheets of rain. Tenderness. Throbbing. Hit in the shoulder. Darkness.

Awake: Cold sweat. Awkward sense of loneliness. Blood.

Come Evening There Will Only Be Crows

What Evening Brought

by andy swanson

When I find myself

thinking like a child

I call myself on it

I fight till the death

for the meaningless parts

but to no avail

Conflict risen

All has been well

Only to know

that the next

pink sun will

bring birdsong

Carried by the

Red of robins

Come evening

There will only

be crows

Just a little song and poem. The music is a reflection of the poem and the video is just something pretty with small connections. The videos and stills were all taken last summer when my brother and I were in Montana. Some of the shots were taken in Wyoming, which is a strange place in and of itself; an awkward beauty in desolation. Most of them are in the Billings area and the Bear Tooth Mountains. Very good places to disappear. I recorded the song a while back by sticking my computer mic into a tin tea can and putting the banjo up real close. The song has an eerie feel about it that I love, it sort of fills in the gaps that the poem leaves open. Not to say that the Poem is lyrics but rather an entity of its own that happens to be good friends with the Song.

Cold Chillin'

Even Polish dudes in crazy hats get a little dejected sometimes.

Going to start recording some new song ideas once the semester is over next week. I think I should try to spend some more time on these songs and even more time when mixing and editing them. I've some what mastered my bastardly 4-Track and Panasonic© tape deck piece of shit™ (funny that the thing I bought for a $1 at a thrift store is the one I use the most and is the one that works the least). I have a very crude technique for getting the songs from the tapes on the computer, crude because I don't really care enough to do it the real way. However, I will put them up here for people to listen. If anyone would like a tape please inquire at the door.