Saturday, October 10, 2015

¿Por qué Música Curativa?

Nada Brahma : Nada es sonido o vibración, brahma es universo o dios.

Sobre la farsa grotesca y las miserias sin fin de la vida humana, planea el significado profundo y serio de nuestra existencia, del que la música no se aparta en ningún momento. -A.Schopenhauer

Por qué meditamos? O por qué hacemos yoga? Por qué estamos aquí? (Salón de yoga) Será porque al parecer en nuestra vida cada vez que arreglamos un problema surge otro nuevo que los remplaza. Y buscamos a como dé lugar esa vida que nos han prometido donde los problemas se acaban y uno puede simplemente disfrutar. Entonces algunos vienen por el status, o por esforzarse, o porque ya materialmente están al tope y aún no encuentran esa verdad. Nadie nos puede decir porqué hacer yoga o meditar, cada uno de nosotros debe saberlo desde adentro. Porque la búsqueda se acaba cuando uno mira hacia adentro. Nos cuesta tanto estar tranquilos! Y hacemos cosas para buscar esa tranquilidad efímera, que dura unos minutos, y luego todo eso que hacemos para encontrar La Paz se convirtió en un problema adicional o en un quehacer más. Cuando lo que en realidad queremos es no hacer nada pero no podemos quedarnos quietos y si lo hacemos  nos sentimos culpables. Entonces así se demuestra que no es lo que hacemos sino cómo lo hacemos


Música Curativa y "Anahata"

-Música Curativa y "Anahata"

Esta es "Anahata" la guitarra que me ha guiado todos estos años desde que empezaron las sesiones de Música Curativa (meditaciones con música en vivo). Recuerdo exactamente cuando la compré en una vieja casita/fábrica de guitarras en San José que ya desapareció; me atendió un señor mayor con su esposa, con quienes hablé poco pero los tres sentimos una fuerte conexión espiritual ya que ellos eran fieles creyentes. Recientemente la pintó en Monteverde, una artista que me ha inspirado mucho! (Gracias de nuevo Edda)
Usa una afinación fuera de lo común, basada en C 528Hz (lo que equivale a A=444) la frecuencia reconocida como capaz de modificar el ADN, asociada al amor, al chakra del corazón y en mayor resonancia con le Universo. Las cuerdas desde la más aguda son D#, B, G#, C#, G#, 'E#'
-el C# es grave ya que tiene una 6ta cuerda donde debería de ir la 4ta; así se forman dos triadas (justo como en el símbolo de la flor de la vida acabo de notarlo!)
Estas afinaciones alternas "me llegan" usualmente después de alguna experiencia de conexión con algo o alguien o sino también antes de iniciar una presentación sintonizo, escucho y afino de acuerdo al lugar, el espacio y la gente que se encuentra en el momento. Así cuando voy a tocar la Música fluye desde el cielo hasta el alma, para que pueda calmar la mente y sanar el corazón.
Esta meditación dirigida con música en vivo crea un espacio para la relajación del cuerpo y la mente.



IRUI

-Irui
Spirit Dance/ electro-acoustic music for the now/ healing music/ EDM / active meditation / improvised/ ethnic world music/ percussion/ synthesizer/ guitars/ guru / free flow/ relaxed / dynamics / Music 

>>>
www.facebook.com/iruicr






Sound of Yoga

-The sound of yoga- El sonido de la unión 

La guitarra es una herramienta para meditar como muchas otras (técnicas de respiración, asanas, tai chi, etc) Con el tiempo y la práctica nos damos cuenta que el instrumento es menos necesario y podemos sentarnos a observar simplemente y estar concientes de nuestro alrededor y de nuestro interior. La música, el sonido, los bowls tibetanos, los mantras, el silencio, la intención y la energía que le impregnemos a esta práctica de sonidos es solamente el medio o instrumento a través del cual logramos dirigir el enfoque o más bien distraer la mente (el ego) de su constante discurso de miedo, posesión, acumulación... Esto es yoga también ("Nada Yoga" en hindú o Yoga del Sonido)

Existe una tradición milenaria proveniente de la India llamada "Nada Yoga" que consiste en el uso de sonidos (frecuencias, vibraciones, ondas que se propagan por el aire) para equilibrar la mente. Por qué la mente está desiquilibrada? Porque está dividida. Se ha perdido a sí misma en su gran capacidad y se desconecta del instinto. Esto nos trae sufrimiento en la vida, o malestar -para usar una palabra más sutil. Entonces se desarrolló la ciencia del Nada Yoga:
The Yoga of Sound en inglés. Así como existe el yoga que todos conocemos para el cuerpo físico, existe también uno para el espíritu. 

Aclaro que antes escribí de la mente y ahora le llamo espíritu porque creo que sin una mente equilibrada no puede haber espiritualidad. 

Exiplcado ya a grandes razgos el Nada Yoga, o el Yoga del Sonido en español... Y si la palabra "yoga" significa UNIÓN esto nos da: la unión del sonido. 
Sin querer ponerme demasiado literal, si notan el nombre del artículo es El Sonido de la Unión ya que yo quiero hablar de otra cosa, en el Nada Yoga se usan "mantras" específicos, en cambio para mí el Sonido de la Unión representa la exploración constante en mi vida para descubrir cuáles son los sonidos que puedo emitir con mi música mientras busco la unión con lo Divino, la unión conmigo mismo y por lo tanto con los demás. Una relación única, diferente a las que se puede tener con alguna otra persona. De esto tratan Música Curativa, Irui, Fusión Funk San Jose, y prácticamente cualquier otro proyecto, grupo o emprendimiento musical que ejecute en mi vida. Así sea interpretar covers por una noche como músico 'freelance', este concepto preña todo lo que hago.
Deecubrir cómo suena esta Unión es mi práctica espiritual, es la alegría eterna en mi vida y es la respuesta a mi propósito. 

Así como el Hatha yoga desarrolla el cuerpo físico y sistema nervioso, la Música Curativa primariamente refuerza el alma y su sistema espiritual de canales energéticos, que gobiernan nuestras emociones, psique y estados de conciencia.

En esto se enfoca el trabajo que hago con música para yoga, por más de 6 años he tocado para clases en diferentes estudios de yoga, festivales holísticos, sesiones de meditación etc

Por eso el trabajo realizado junto con instructores de yoga ha sido La Unión para el Desarrollo del Cuerpo y el Alma.

Música Curativa usa música especial para meditar y profundizar en la práctica del (hatha) yoga para así encontrar armonía en nuestras vidas. Hoy en día, con tanto ruido y sobrecarga visual e informativa en las ciudades agitadas, la música es la herramienta perfecta para meditar y encontrar silencio y paz.

Yo estudio música desde los 5 años, toco guitarra, piano y bajo. Edtudié en la Sinfónica Juvenil de CR, Academia de música moderna. En 2005 saqué un bachiller de Berklee College of Music en Boston, USA.

Después de una fuerte experiencia personal y un encuentro con una guitarra afinidada diferente puse crear Música Curativa - Gabriel Wiernik https://soundcloud.com/mezaninestudio/sets/m-sica-curativa, a playlist on #SoundCloud.






Monday, July 06, 2015

Principio II:


 Apenas me dió chance de publicar una nueva entrada para reabrir el blog. Justo después se jodió la laptop -se le fué la tarjeta de video! Nuevamente me tiró figuras extrañas, simétricas y abstractas en los monitores. Al verlas y enamorarme de ellas no pude más que pensar en capturar esas imágenes. Y es exactamente lo mismo que me pasó hace varios años (pueden ver las fotos de las imágenes en las entradas de 2006 y 2007) entonces esta vez pensé: estos son señales-solamente que yo no las puedo leer!

Así que hice lo único que sé hacer, convertir lo sucedido en una semi-obra de arte... 

Me parece que estas imágenes ampliadas e impresas forman un bello paisaje visual, con efectos intrigantes, que no me molestaría guindarlas en las paredes de mi habitación, igual que las anteriores. 

Es simplemente otro ciclo? Cuál es el propósito de la vida en ciclos, aprender?
Reabro mi blog.
Voy a publicar sobre: mi nuevo emprendimiento Mezanine Studios, antes eraVibratica.com. Mi nuevo grupo Irui, antes era Ffnk Sjo -que aún continúa. Mi nuevo campo de trabajo el Yoga, antes era el Arte. Y así crear una síntesis o como dicen un estudio de mi vida. Y desde esta platoforma virtual intentar compartirlo con el Mundo entero. Porque sí. 

Porque todos tenemos un alma abstracta, a la cual caminamos día y noche, es la única meta real y posible. 

Pero saben que hay también? Un nueva nueva mascota, un nuevo perro amigo, una nueva relación amorosa, una nueva casa, una nueva inspiración, una nueva temporada de tormenta y calma, de silencio y de música. El viejo Bit-0 se despide, el nuevo se hace llamar Gabriel Wiernik. 
Eternamente agradecido les saludo Namasté. 
-GW

Julio 2015 - Principio

Retomando mi blog después de varios años...
Se siente como un comienzo ya vivido
Pero esta vez...
jeje bueno, ya lo verán
Foto: Principio
2003
Negativo digitalizado
Christian Science Church
Boston, MA

Friday, January 24, 2014

Festivales e identidad

Es tiempo de festivales playeros en Centroamérica y México y es común que se conviertan en un foco turístico. Ya se sabe que los festivales hoy en día son una excelente opción para músicos y promotores, ya que al haberse reducido las ventas de música (CD's,mp3's,etc) a causa de la accesibilidad que otorga el internet, la industria musical depende de las presentaciones en vivo (lo cual siempre había sido antes de 1930's cuando las disqueras empezaron a tomar poder hasta el 2000 cuando Napster cambió la industria). Así que ahora se trata de cuál banda toca en X o Y festvial y a qué "time slot".
Como músico estoy muy agradecido de poder participar en estos festivales, ya que además de las contrataciones, se conocen colegas y se hacen contactos. No voy a criticar a ningún festival ya que esta es una industria de contactos y como dije antes estoy agradecido de participar en ellos. Lo que quiero simplemente recalcar (y ofrezco aquí para su consideración) es que hay algunos festivales que se hacen en playas de Costa Rica, pero el porcentaje de artistas nacionales y de público nacional es mínimo. Así la locación se vuelve una vez más en una fachada para atraer capital extranjero por parte de los productores. La gente de los pueblos que vive en esas locaciones no participan del festival y los extranjeros que vienen no se llevan nada de la cultura tica ya que ni siquiera se habla español (si acaso recordarán su idiosincrasia de transporte y vías públicas y fotos de paisajes de playa que bien podriá ser de postal de Tailandia, Panamá o Belice)
(Ahora, de la crítica al hecho)
Hay un festival sin embargo que ofrece la experiencia completa de convivencia con tribus indígenas locales y también de otras partes de América! Con talleres, artes, ceremonias, comidas y música representativas de tribus nativas así también como de "Tribus Urbanas". Una actividad inclusiva no separatista. Me hace preguntarme cuál es más la identidad tica: la del turismo "ecológico" o la de los nativos y primeros pobladores de estas tierras. Ah pero claro este festival no es en CR, sino en Panamá.


 "now we see who are the real revolutionaries" -Bob Marley dijo esto cuando tocó en Africa, se armó tumulto y tiraron gases lacrimógenos. Unos músicos salieron corriendo otros siguieron tocando, los unos estaban ahí porque les pagaban, los otros porque creían en el poder de la música para el cambio social.

Tribal Gathering https://www.facebook.com/events/159156504276594/211822359010008

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Thursday, November 03, 2011

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Saturday, July 16, 2011

PATATON 2011




Jonathan Mendez, Miguel Solari de La Escafandra, Daniel y Gaston de Patiño Quintana y el dúo Foffo Godoy. Jazz Café San Pedro MIERCOLES 20 DE JULIO, 9PM. En beneficio de Asociación de Animales de Asis.

PATATON 2011
Descripción
Patatón es una actividad de beneficencia que nació en el 2009, como iniciativa para apoyar los proyectos de bienestar social en pro de los animales en Costa Rica. En su primera edición se recolectó aproximadamente 1.000.000 (en especies, en dinero y en voluntariado) de colones en beneficio de Fundación Ateniense de Ayuda a los Animales Abandonados. Este año la edición n.2 de Patatón se hará en pro de Animales de Asis, liderado por Karim Hoad.
Misión
Recolectar fondos para cooperar con el mantenimiento de Animales de Asis, así como voluntarios para ayudar animales desamparados.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

new arcade fire

the label’s role as “manufacturing and distribution—floating the expense, executing the marketing and retail plans that we have approved, and insuring that the music is available on all credible D.S.P.s,” or digital service platforms.

Read more http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/musical/2010/08/16/100816crmu_music_frerejones#ixzz0wcMvUQBW

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/musical/2010/08/16/100816crmu_music_frerejones

Thursday, March 04, 2010

Friday, July 31, 2009

*Extracto de George Orwell, "La política y el lenguaje inglés" (1946).

Sobre política y lenguaje. George Orwell*



La mayoría de las personas que de algún modo se preocupan por el tema admiten que el lenguaje va por mal camino, pero por lo general suponen que no podemos hacer nada para remediarlo mediante una acción consciente. Nuestra civilización está en decadencia y nuestro lenguaje -así se argumenta- debe compartir inevitablemente el derrumbe general. Se sigue que toda lucha contra el abuso del lenguaje es un arcaísmo sentimental, así como cuando se prefieren las velas a la luz eléctrica o los cabriolés a los aeroplanos. Esto lleva implícita la creencia semiconsciente de que el lenguaje es un desarrollo natural y no un instrumento al que damos forma para nuestros propios propósitos.

Ahora bien, es claro que la decadencia de un lenguaje debe tener, en últimas, causas políticas y económicas: no se debe simplemente a la mala influencia de este o aquel escritor. Pero un efecto se puede convertir en causa, reforzar la causa original y producir el mismo efecto de manera más intensa, y así sucesivamente. Un hombre puede beber porque piensa que es un fracasado, y luego fracasar por completo debido a que bebe. Algo semejante está sucediendo con el lenguaje inglés. Se ha vuelto tosco e impreciso porque nuestros pensamientos son disparatados, pero la dejadez de nuestro lenguaje hace más fácil que pensemos disparates. El punto es que el proceso es reversible. El inglés moderno, en especial el inglés escrito, está plagado de malos hábitos que se difunden por imitación y que podemos evitar si estamos dispuestos a tomarnos la molestia. Si nos liberamos de estos hábitos podemos pensar con más claridad, y pensar con claridad es un primer paso hacia la regeneración política: de modo que la lucha contra el mal inglés no es una preocupación frívola y exclusiva de los escritores profesionales. Volveré sobre esto y espero que, en ese momento, sea más claro el significado de lo que he dicho hasta aquí. Entre tanto, he aquí cinco especímenes del lenguaje inglés tal como se escribe habitualmente.

No elegí estos cinco pasajes porque fueran especialmente malos -podría haber citado otros mucho peores si lo hubiese querido-, sino porque ilustran algunos de los vicios mentales que hoy padecemos. Están un poco por debajo del promedio, pero son ejemplos bastante representativos. Los numero para que pueda remitirme a ellos cuando sea necesario:

1. "De hecho, no estoy seguro de que no sea válido decir que el Milton que alguna vez parecía no ser diferente de un Shelley del siglo XVII no se convirtiera, a partir de una experiencia siempre más amarga cada año, más ajena [sic] al fundador de esa secta jesuita que nada podía inducirlo a tolerar" (Harold Laski, Ensayo sobre la libertad de expresión).

2. "Por encima de todo, no podemos ser tolerantes con una batería nativa de modismos que prescribe tolerar colocaciones egregias de vocablos como las del inglés básico “dejar que pase” en vez de “tolerar” o “sentirse perdido” en vez de “desconcertado”" (Profesor Lancelot Hogben, Interglossia).

3. "Por una parte, tenemos la libre personalidad: por definición esta no es neurótica, pues no tiene conflictos ni sueños. Sus deseos, tal como son, son transparentes, pues son justamente lo que la aprobación institucional mantiene en el primer plano de la conciencia; otro modelo institucional alteraría su número e intensidad; hay poco en ellos que sea natural, irreductible o culturalmente peligroso. Pero, por otra parte, el vínculo social no es más que el reflejo mutuo de estas integridades autoprotegidas. Recordemos la definición de amor. ¿No es este el retrato de un académico menor? ¿Dónde hay lugar en esta sala de espejos para la personalidad o la fraternidad?" (Ensayo sobre la psicología en la política, Nueva York).

4. "Todas las “excelentes personas” de los clubes de gentilhombres, y todos los capitanes fascistas frenéticos, unidos en su odio común al socialismo y en el horror bestial a la marea creciente del movimiento de masas revolucionario, han recurrido a acciones provocadoras, a discursos incendiarios, a leyendas medievales de pozos envenenados, para legalizar la destrucción de las organizaciones proletarias, y para despertar en la pequeña burguesía agitada el fervor chauvinista en nombre de la lucha contra la salida revolucionaria de la crisis" (panfleto comunista).

5. "Para infundir un nuevo espíritu en este vetusto país, hay que abordar una reforma espinosa y contenciosa, la de la humanización y la galvanización de la BCC. Aquí, la timidez revelará el cáncer y la atrofia del alma. El corazón de Gran Bretaña puede estar sano y latir con fuerza, por ejemplo, pero el rugido del león británico es, en el presente, como el de Berbiquí en Sueño de una noche de verano, de Shakespeare, tan gentil como el arrullo de una paloma. La nueva Gran Bretaña viril no puede seguir traduciéndose indefinidamente a los ojos o, mejor, a los oídos del mundo mediante las languideces estériles de Langham Palace, disfrazadas desvergonzadamente de “inglés estándar”. ¡Cuando la Voz de Gran Bretaña se escucha a las 9 en punto, es de lejos mejor e infinitamente menos ridículo escuchar haches pronunciadas honestamente que los actuales sonsonetes melifluos, afectados, inflados e inhibidos de esas doncellas virginales que murmuran tímidamente “¡Yo no fui!”" (De una carta al Tribune).

Cada uno de estos pasajes tiene faltas propias, pero, además de la fealdad evitable, tienen dos cualidades comunes. La primera, las imágenes trilladas; la segunda, la falta de precisión. El escritor tiene un significado y no puede expresarlo, o dice inadvertidamente otra cosa, o le es casi indiferente que sus palabras tengan o no significado. Esta mezcla de vaguedad y clara incompetencia es la característica más notoria de la prosa inglesa moderna, y en particular de toda clase de escritos políticos. Tan pronto se tocan ciertos temas, lo concreto se disuelve en lo abstracto y nadie parece capaz de emplear giros del lenguaje que no sean trillados: la prosa emplea menos y menos palabras elegidas a causa de su significado, y más y más expresiones unidas como las secciones de un gallinero prefabricado. A continuación enumero, con notas y ejemplos, algunos de los trucos mediante los que se acostumbra evadir la tarea de componer la prosa:

[El desglose continuará, por razones de espacio, en la próxima entrega]

*Extraído de George Orwell, "La política y el lenguaje inglés" (1946).

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

http://www.edutopia.org/ The George Lucas Educational Foundation

One out of three teachers will leave the profession within their first five years on the job because they feel isolated and lack support.

http://www.edutopia.org/integrated-studies-introduction-video



Edutopia is a member-supported organization, and we hope that you'll consider joining if you haven't already. When you do, you'll become part of a movement of like-minded educators who push for change, who inspire innovation, and who believe that our children deserve creative approaches to learning that will prepare them for success.

Our members receive valuable benefits, including a one-year subscription to our award-winning magazine, Edutopia, and invitations to connect with education leaders and experts during special members-only webinars. Please join us today!


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http://www.edutopia.org/edutopia/enews

Sunday, May 03, 2009

DUOLOGIA

DuoLogia es un concepto romántico y simple que abarca distintos tipos y géneros de música desde jazz, bossa nova de los anos 50tas hasta el pop del 2000; versiones acústicas a piano y voz.

Estas dos realidades se unen con gran clase para moldear así un ambiente ideal, íntimo, enfocado en crear al público un disfrute sutil de la música que se interpreta, mezclándose levemente con la actividad que se desarrolla en ese momento.

Gabriel aporta la razón, la educación, el conocimiento en su totalidad, la perfección musical.
Melissa aporta el sentimiento, la pasión, la dulce coloracion… las sensaciones unidas mediante notas musicales.

Ellos dos hacen de este proyecto un balance perfecto entre sentimiento y racionalidad, entre experiencia y musicalidad.

Dos teorías que se unen para hacer música… en dúo y al natural.

Gabriel Wiernik es un conocido músico, compositor y exponente de la música nacional que no solo se ha encargado de interpretarla, sino también se ha destacado por crear proyectos en donde su principal meta es el rescate de los valores artísticos del pueblo costarricense como la pagina de internet Vibratica.com.
Este célebre personaje del ámbito nacional es graduado de Berklee Collage of Music, su capacidad para ejecutar todo tipo de música así como también interpretar diversos instrumentos hacen de él, lo que podemos llamar: un músico completo.
Estudio contrabajo en la Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil y es actualmente bajista del Grupo Nacional Tango India y co-productor de las composiciones del mismo.
Tiene bajo su tutela el proyecto llamado Funk San Jose, donde su propuesta es un matiz entre el Groove, jazz y otras técnicas de composición contemporáneas explotando el talento de cada integrante por medio de la improvisación.
Actualmente está trabajando junto a Maria Jose Castillo siendo parte fundamental como Director Musical en el nacimiento de esta popular artista.
Ama el arte en general porque le parece que se puede aplicar a lo que verdaderamente lo llena (música y fotografía) su vida gira en torno a estas tres hermosas y complejas ramas, tratando de resaltar situaciones cotidianas por medio de ellas.
♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫
Melissa Tenorio cantante e intérprete nacional empieza su carrera cuando ingresa al Coro Sinfónico Infantil, en donde aprende los conocimientos bases de la música y el canto de ahí parte en un viaje durante varios años, como vocalista principal de diferentes grupos musicales nacionales, perfeccionando su interpretación y manejo en el escenario, tales como: Vino Tinto, Decibeles, Azulcontraste y Estación Central.
Todos ellos enfocados a interpretar música en español e ingles así como también géneros como la trova y el rock clásico/ alternativo.
Su amplia experiencia a través de los años le ha permitido a compartir escenario con importantes músicos nacionales tales como: Bernardo Quesada, Patricio Torres, Miguel Cabrera, Luis Diego Solorzano, Diego León, Pierre Monney and the Travelers, Jonnathan Méndez, MAF, entre otros.
Su pasión y amor por esta carrera hacen de ella una intérprete llena de vivacidad, explosión y entrega conocida popularmente en el ámbito nacional, siempre enfocada en que la música es un sueño, un pedazo de felicidad que alcanza cada vez que tiene la dicha de compartirla con sus colegas y aun más, con el público

Monday, April 27, 2009

Danilo Perez: Fearless Playing

By Jon Regen
Jazz pianist, composer, and educator Danilo Perez has been playing close to the edge for over two decades. From his Grammy Award-winning work with bebop pioneer Dizzy Gillespie to his recent efforts with legendary artists like Wayne Shorter and Roy Haynes, the gifted Panamanian performer demonstrates a keen ability to blend elements from Latin, jazz, and world music into a progressive style all his own.

Perez has skillfully navigated a wide array of musical formats in his recording career as a leader. From the classic piano trio sound of his 1996 release Panamonk to the Latinmeets- bebop flair of his Grammy-nominated album Motherland, his recorded solo works are as impressive for their breadth of imagination as they are for their technical mastery. He continually pushes musical boundaries aside, looking for new sonic stories to tell; in the words of Herbie Hancock, “Danilo Perez is not afraid of anything.”

Now with the release of his eighth outing as a leader, Across The Crystal Sea, Perez once again proves his skill and adventurousness. With lush string arrangements by the legendary Claus Ogerman and ace production and engineering work by Tommy LiPuma and Al Schmitt, Perez tackles the art of orchestral recording with the same pioneering spirit he brought to his previous albums. Not content to simply make a conventional record with strings, Perez floats across the bar lines as if he were a fellow string instrument himself, pushing, prodding, and lifting the arrangements to new heights. He plays with an acute awareness of space, phrasing artfully amidst the hushed tones of the orchestra. A triumph of ensemble interplay, Across The Crystal Sea is a welcome surprise from a performer with a penchant for the unexpected.

Perez calls me from his home in Boston, Massachusetts, on the evening of his departure to Panama — where he serves as artistic director and founder of the Panama Jazz Festival — to talk about his influences, his latest album, and his reputation for playing “without a net.”

You are consistently mentioned among musicians as someone who isn’t afraid to challenge conventions. Many people, including Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, and younger musicians like Aaron Parks, have all called you “fearless.” Where does that sense of adventure come from?
I think that for all of my life, ever since I was a kid, I was fearless. I started working when I was 12 years old with my father, playing at night in his band, and having responsibility. Also, the entire environment my mother and father provided me with was very adventurous — they put me into situations that were very challenging. I went to one of the toughest schools in Panama — a great school, but full of diversity as far as people’s backgrounds were concerned. My father thought that if I could survive in that environment from early on, with my parents’ guidance for support, then I’d have a lot of opportunities to work things out as I grew up.

Another really important thing is that because of Panama’s location as a country, being in the middle of the Americas, there are many different influences and cultures coming together. So I grew up with a lot of diversity. The radio in Panama at that time was called “No Format.” So you’d hear Papa Luca from Puerto Rico, and then Vladimir Horowitz, and then Marvin Gaye, and Michael Jackson. So that’s how I thought things were supposed to be normally, and I developed a love for music beyond boundaries. I played a lot of gigs in Panama, even playing accordion. I played tango, Brazilian, and salsa with my father’s band — music was always presented in a diverse way to me. So the environment was crucial, and my family and their support were crucial as well in giving me this sense of freedom and the ability to take chances and enjoy the process. Who were some of the

Who were some of the mentors that helped you refine your musical identity, and helped instill this kind of freedom in your playing?
I’m extremely grateful to my mentors. I really have been around the masters of adventure, like Dizzy, and saxophonist Lee Konitz, who I just went on the road with in November with the trio. Really, he’s so inspiring. He’s 82, and to see him on the road was amazing. He has so much energy. He gets up and practices — then we would go and play duets without a script. He has so much determination. It made me cry sometimes.

Then of course, playing with Wayne [Shorter] has converted me. This is the only way I know how to play now. Wayne taught us that struggle leads you into places that are exciting. He always says,“How can you rehearse the unknown?”

The new album Across The Crystal Sea is surprising in that the piano doesn’t dominate the soundscape. It’s an integral part of the entire ensemble, unlike many records that soloists record with orchestras. Was it difficult to assume that kind of role?
Very. What made that record so challenging for me was to do it under the eyes of what Claus [Ogerman] was seeing, to interpret the illusions he envisioned. Making that album is another example of adventure. When I heard it finished I was like, “Wow, that’s what he had in mind. Okay!”

I learned a lot through that project, because it put me in a situation that was very challenging. We didn’t record with the orchestra, so one thing I had to be very aware of was where the musical windows were — otherwise there could have been a train wreck!

So you actually recorded with just the rhythm section, and the strings were added afterwards?
Exactly. I wish people could have seen the entire process of how this project was made, because it was amazing. We had to try and read the mind of Claus the entire time. He had this thing he was hearing in his head. He told me, “Danilo, you know what I love in your playing? The immediacy of it. There’s a sense of redemption in it, in the moment.” As a matter of fact, he didn’t send me the music until the last minute. I figured out that he didn’t want me to really know it, because he wanted it to be fresh in my ears.

Did he arrange the string parts based on what you guys laid down in the initial recording sessions?
No, I think he had them ready. He didn’t want rehearsals. What he had were ideas about moods. He told me, “This is going to be very challenging. You have this many bars of open piano, and I want you to color like this.” He was describing what he wanted in a different way. For example, he asked me, “Do you know Christina Branco?” And I said, “No.” And he replied, “She’s a Portugese Fado singer. Check her out — she has redemption in her singing and playing.” He also talked about not having the solos overtake the music.

So there was a real focus on simplicity, like he wanted the music to reach more than just a jazz person or a classical person. He wanted it to have a universal effect.
Exactly.

Are there plans to tour the record with an orchestra?
This is something that is happening naturally, so I have to get myself ready for it. We had no expectations at all, but we’re getting so many requests to do it, I’m working on it now. Probably at the end of 2009 we’re going to do some dates. I’m really excited about how it happened on its own. People really want to hear the music live.

You’re teaching now at both the Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. What kinds of things are you instilling in your students?
I teach piano, ensemble, and composition to different instrumentalists, from pianists to drummers and horn players. My approach is always an individual one for each specific student. I don’t have any preset ideas of how to teach the kids. I focus on how to help each individual, and that’s how I’ve been teaching for years.

For example, I listen to somebody and focus on what they want to do, what kind of pieces they want to play. I act in a guidance role, with open feedback between the student and me. I don’t have just one system that I teach from. But I do teach things that I think are valuable to know. I always say to trust in the common tones — I like to focus on what brings us together, not what is different between us. This is something that really interests me. At one point on your

At one point on your recent Live At The Jazz Showcase album, it sounds as if, when you’re soloing, your hands are crossing each other and playing two completely independent lines. It’s totally unexpected — and I guess, totally normal for you, since you don’t think adventure is scary, but that it’s the only way you know how to move forward.
Exactly. One thing that has become clear to me that my father used to say from early on, is that music is a powerful tool, and it can help us generate a greater appreciation of the life we live.

One time we played on the West Coast, and Carlos Santana came and said something I will never forget. He said, “Danilo, you guys are the masters of the unseen. You are making something visible out of the invisible.” And I thought, wow — we all have that ability. As musicians, we are creating music on the spot, but we are also tuning into the frequencies that might actually generate communication on a very deep level. In other words, I see it as a big responsibility to be creative.

There are moments you have when you’re playing and communicating as a musician that you actually think to yourself, “If people could get along like this in real life, the world would be okay.” Is that the kind of responsibility you’re talking about?
That’s it, man. I think musicians nowadays are becoming immediately more relevant with all the struggles going on in the world. We need more of them to get involved, and teach the values that the music has taught us. You can show people the value and power of teamwork, not only in music, but in life.

A Selected Danilo Perez Discography
As a Leader
Across The Crystal Sea (Verve)
Live At The Jazz Showcase (Artist Share)
. . . ’Till Then (Verve)
Motherland (Polygram)
Panamonk (Impulse!)
Danilo Perez (Novus)

With David Sanchez
Cultural Survival (Concord)

With Wayne Shorter Beyond the Sound Barrier (Verve)
Alegria (Verve)

With Lizz Wright
Salt (Verve)

With Roy Haynes Trio
The Roy Haynes Trio (Verve)

With Dizzy Gillespie and The United Nations Orchestra
Live at the Royal Festival Hall (Enja)

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Perfectas, incluso sin terminar* Fuente: Artelista.com

¿Cuándo una obra de arte está finalizada? Ésta es una de las preguntas que todo creador se ha hecho alguna vez a lo largo del proceso de ejecución de una pieza, entre la indecisión, el perfeccionismo y el reparo a realizar añadidos innecesarios. A lo largo de la historia pueden encontrarse múltiples ejemplos de obras inacabadas, en unos casos debido al fallecimiento del autor, por decisión propia en muchos otros (respondiendo a una forma de concebir la plasticidad aún muy adelantada a su época). Gaudí, Rembrandt, Goya, Rodin o Miguel Ángel son tan sólo algunos de los socios del club de las "opera interrupta" que, muchas veces gracias a ello, dejaron en herencia excepcionales muestras artísticas.

Al igual que sucede con muchos otros aspectos, los procesos y límites asociados al mundo del arte difieren de los de la "vida corriente", si se quiere decir así. De este modo, lo acabado, la corrección y la perfección son términos que no siempre aseguran la génesis de una obra de arte. Existen casos incluso de obras que sin ser su destino último la no finalización han adquirido una identidad propia principalmente por esta característica; un buen ejemplo de ello es el Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia, en Barcelona (España), obra del Antoni Gaudí, famoso por no haber llegado a ser concluido debido a la temprana muerte del arquitecto (quien fue construyéndolo además sin planos). Algo semejante a lo que sucederá con el más monumental de los encargos realizados a Rodin, dos grandes puertas -las Puertas del Infierno- comisionadas para el Museo de Artes Decorativas de París e inacabadas debido al fallecimiento del escultor; o a los cartones encargados por Carlos III a Goya, quien no puedo finalizarlos por culpa igualmente de su muerte.

En estos casos, la "obra inacabada" fue por accidente, pero existen muchas otras cuyo carácter inconcluso fue buscado ex profeso por el autor: quizá uno de los casos más famosos sea el de Miguel Ángel, quién dejó inacabados con intención los tondos Taddei y Pitti, así como - aunque en este caso también por causas ajenas- algunas de las esculturas de su última etapa (destacan sus pietás rondanini). Miguel Ángel ya adelantó algo que posteriormente será más común: la experimentación, tanto con técnicas como con el lenguaje plástico. Rembrandt dejó muchos de sus grabados sin finalizar, recurriendo tan sólo a una suerte de esbozo de líneas entrecruzadas; Duchamp no terminará su obra El Gran vidrio, en la que trabajó durante ocho años, hasta que la dé definitivamente "por inacabada" y Munch realizará múltiples variaciones y obras inacabadas de su famoso cuadro "El Grito".

Monday, April 06, 2009

VIDEOS RECOMENDADISIMOS DESDE TED, SOBRE LA MUSICA, LA PASION Y LA CREATIVIDAD, LLEGUENLE!

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/evelyn_glennie_shows_how_to_listen.html


http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html

NACION.COM/ECONOMIA HASSEL FALLAS | hasselfallas@nacion.com

DESDE FLORES Y COMIDA HASTA PELÍCULAS Y ARTÍCULOS FERRETEROS
Más ticos compran por Internet a empresas locales y extranjeras
Firmas en el país dicen que pasaron de cinco hasta 100 envíos diarios
Quienes compran en línea en tiendas del extranjero son más de 35.000


Internet es la gran tienda donde hoy, más que hace cinco años, los costarricenses compran comida, artículos electrónicos y de ferretería, alquilan películas o envían flores.

La apertura de más sitios de ventas por la web , tanto aquí como en el extranjero, alienta el hábito, según Marco Barquero, gerente comercial de Babel Software , firma que desarrolla portales para comercio electrónico.

Gonzalo Montero abrió, en el 2005, www.cinexpress.cc , videoclub para residentes de San José, que desde entonces pasó de uno a 5.000 clientes y de alquilar cinco películas diarias a unas 100.

Una experiencia similar tuvo Rafael Azofeifa, gerente de Novak (empresa de hospedaje y diseño en Internet), cuando por “pasatiempo”, en el 2000, creó la floristería www.galadia.com

Azofeifa asegura que al principio enviaba dos arreglos por semana y que ahora despacha hasta 60 en el Área Metropolitana.

Aunque no existen cifras oficiales de cuántas empresas venden mediante Internet dentro del país, se cree que hay más de 12.

Según una consulta a varios de esos negocios, unas 200 personas adquieren diariamente alguno de los productos que ofrecen.

Fuera del país. Quienes prefieren comprar en tiendas foráneas son más de 35.000, según Aerocasillas, que trae los paquetes al país. Se trató de conocer el número de clientes de Jetbox, pero nadie en el departamento de Mercadeo respondió.

Johanna Gabourel, gerente de Mercadeo de Aerocasillas, afirmó que sumaron 20.000 afiliados más desde el 2004, cuando tenían 15.000 cuentas .

“Crecemos a un ritmo de 800 nuevos suscriptores por mes y nuestro manejo de paquetes aumenta un 40% anual”, agregó.

Tiempo, salud y precios. La falta de tiempo y los quebrantos de salud son las razones que impulsan a los costarricenses a comprar en negocios locales por Internet.

Gabriela Azuola, vecina de barrio Don Bosco en la capital, alquila películas en www.cinexpress.cc para ahorrar tiempo y dinero.

“A cualquier hora entro al sitio, pido las películas y me llegan al otro día, cuando las necesito. Además, pago contra entrega y no cobran el transporte”, explicó.

Otros 70 josefinos, sin tiempo para ir a la feria, aprovechan la idea del chileno Ernesto Estañol, dueño de www.verdifruts.com para recibir en su domicilio las frutas y verduras cada quincena.

Comprar la comida por Internet también es la opción de embarazadas y convalecientes de alguna enfermedad, destacó Gustavo Troyo, gerente de Mercadeo de Automercado, cadena que en el 2002 abrió www.automercado.com.

Cada mes, en la versión de Automercado de Internet se procesan hasta 300 envíos, que se entregan en casas de casi todo el país.

Quienes adquieren bienes en tiendas de la Web fuera del país tienen como motivación hallar mejores precios que los locales.

Ana Gutiérrez, diseñadora gráfica de Heredia, contó que prefiere comprar en portales extranjeros “por su variedad de artículos; además, comparo precios sin deber ir por toda Costa Rica”.

Jairo Rosales, residente de Santa Ana, dijo que adquiere sus aparatos electrónicos fuera del país “porque es más barato y Amazon es muy seguro”.

Inversión. Tener un negocio en la red requiere de una inversión inicial de $1.800.

El monto incluye hospedaje (computador para permitir el tráfico de visitantes), registro del dominio de la página, diseño gráfico, certificado de seguridad y software para el carrito de compras, explicó Carlos Moreno, gerente del sitio Cyberfuel.

El mantenimiento anual del sitio cuesta unos $1.000.

La inversión valió la pena para compañías como El Progreso, propietaria de Abonos Agro y El Lagar, que hace un año inauguró www.laferreteriadigital.com .

En ese portal, el grupo guatemalteco recibe pedidos de materiales de construcción que lleva a clientes metropolitanos.

“En un año, las ventas se incrementaron 93%; despachamos 300 fletes al mes”, expresó Manuel Mora, gerente de la ferretería.

Rafael Azofeifa, de www.galadia.com, coincide en que tener el negocio en Internet es rentable.

“En el mundo de la Red, los costos son menores y hay un mayor mercado potencial”, añadió el funcionario.

A quienes emprendan un negocio en Internet, aconseja tener “paciencia porque esto no es soplar y hacer botellas”.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

video chat en vivo?! sshhh!!

From: Bruce Greenberg
Subject: Re: Peakin' At The Beacon

It may be an imperfect biz plan, but it does exactly what you are preaching: Reach out to the fans and make it easy to get to the music. I know that if Springsteen offered free access to all of his live shows, I'd pay the $125 in a heartbeat; and would still go to 3 or 4 shows. And I know I'm not alone. In fact it is very easy to imagine an online gathering a couple of times a week, during the tour, with all of us watching the show and chatting online. This is exactly the kind of community that drove me to the Internet 15 years ago.

to Bob the critic not the artist

Hey Bob, let me just start by saying I want things to be the right way too!

I want artists to rule the world!!! (OK maybe not, but the cultural movement and the music scene at least)

Like you said "We're looking for people we can count on."

Right now I am building my own web site for selling and promoting music... specially created for all the talented and unsigned artists of Central America...

In these "3rd world" countries we don't have huge venues for live music, never mind major label executives... what we have is great talent. Just like our pineapples and bananas are of the highest export quality so our artists are quite unique, even more so for not having a real industry to back them up and give them support.

After trying to release a couple of CD's I quickly noted that it was useless to spend all this time, energy and $$$ in a piece of work that won't bring me anything but losses. You can't distribute it, you can't promote it, you can't avoid people making copies of it... So I decided to undertake a much bigger challenge (that's just me): create a web page for selling music. Of course at the time I thought it was an easy job. This idea quickly turn into something even more complicated, a virtual catalog of Costa Rican music...then Central America.

Now please take into consideration that most of these music have not seen the light of internet yet!! And to get your hands on a physical CD you probably need to do some big research... since every piece of music is self-produced or (indie) is like if everything was limited edition and after a few years of its release it's pretty darn hard to find them... sometimes even the composers don't have copies of their own cd's...

Now moving on to the next big subject: the site. As you so nicely said it "creating an interface/software that is intuitive and easily used."
What we have now www.vibratica.com ( http://www.vibratica.com/descargas.php ) is not good enough even from an administrative point of view, I have come to find that the guild of web designers is even more disorganized than that of musicians and after almost 2 years of bad experiences... we found Drupal.org !! So hopefully we'll have a new website soon.

I am more interested in utility than making money but I am not shure if I should use DRM, specially since I have music that nobody else has and probably many are looking for... plus it might be a positive thing to offer to the bands, at least the old ones with "big" names. Or maybe I should make a streaming software?? Monthly payments are too complicated because I don't know how to distribute the money among the artistas and we stiil don't have more than 2000 songs. Any ideas?

The way I see it iTunes is for selling, myspace for promotion... I am trying to make something equally useful for both...Hopefully I'll end up with a Facebook like, Twitter kinda way social network, that sells music and allows artists and users/fans to build relationships...

Thank's for your time! Thank's for sharing!

Gabriel Wiernik R.





I have been signing artists with a special contract (hard copy)... bla bla bla

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Some Seth Godin's phrases

"The Music Industry is focus on the industry part not so much on the music part"

"the internet is the biggest radio station of all time"

"Poets don't have conventions"

"The consumer sees the tribal leader as the performer not the song-writer"

"Music on the internet is played for free" (?????)

"Music is a tribal business"

"Everyone of those 'tribes' needs a leader"

"You can't spam your way into my attention"

...Seinfield esta o gratis en 100 canales o por $200 en Las Vegas, eso es lo mejor... el medio - $5 por un show es lo peor y es donde estan las bandas ahora.

"You can not listen to what everyone else is listening to, because there's a 1000 of everyone else's. You have to find your niche..."

"I dont try to find readers for my books, I try to find books for my readers"

NING!

"They can reach new people for me if they want, I am not trying to reach new people"

"There is no way to view the future, 3 years from now no matter how successful any lawyer is, where music is not widely shared"

"You are the first big band to give away the whole thing online for free, and if you wanna buy a souvenir, if you wanna join the tribe, if you wanna interact that costs money. And guest what? the people who could do that first win."

"Interact first sell second"

"...Independent musicians...ask your self... How many people would be delighted to hear from me?"

Friday, March 20, 2009

tour sampler

J A N E S A D D I C T I O N N I N E I N C H N A I L S S T R E E T S W E E P E R

N I N | J A 2 0 0 9



to download ninja 2009 tour sampler, choose your preferred audio format below. MP3 is the best option for most users. you can download multiple formats if you wish.

due to their large file sizes, we are distributing the FLAC, WAV, and apple lossless formats via torrents. when you click the links below for either of those formats, you'll receive a small .torrent file which you must open in a torrent application in order to download the audio files. if you are not comfortable using torrent files, you should avoid choosing the FLAC, apple lossless or wave options. visit this site to learn about torrents and how to use them.

high-quality MP3s (45 mb)
will play in any MP3 player. encoded with LAME at V0, fully tagged.

recommended for most users.
the files will arrive as a zip archive. in most cases, double-clicking the zip file will open it. if you need more help with zip files, go here.

FLAC lossless (160 mb)
CD quality - will not play in itunes or many other popular media players. (more info)

recommended only for advanced users.
this link will download a small .torrent file, which you must open with a torrent application in order to download the audio files. visit this site for information about using torrents.

M4A apple lossless (163 mb)
CD quality - will play in itunes. (more info)

recommended only for advanced users.
this link will download a small .torrent file, which you must open with a torrent application in order to download the audio files. visit this site for information about using torrents.

WAVE 16/44.1 (223 mb)
CD-quality 16bit 44.1kHz audio (more info)

for advanced audiophiles only! although you will be able to play these files with most players that support WAVE format, you will not get any benefits from the higher resolution audio unless you have extremely high-end audio equipment. if you're not familiar with cd-quality wav, this download is not recommended.

this link will download a small .torrent file, which you must open with a torrent application in order to download the audio files. visit this site for information about using torrents.

all files are 100% DRM-free.

sera?

mira te queria preguntar...te acordas de aquel asunto de los Digital Rights Management ... para que la gente no pueda pasar las canciones de una compu a otra una vez que la baja ... ?
Fabiola says: (4:08:55 PM)
Sip
Gabriel says: (4:09:46 PM)
estoy pensando poner el catalogo con esa vara... pero no se si valdra la pena
Fabiola says: (4:10:47 PM)
pues a mi me parece que seria super tuanis para los musicos que participen en vibratica ..ademas vas a ir costumbrando a la gente a no piratear
a mi si me cuadra el asunto...

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
es que estamos en un dilema
Merrian says: (4:01:57 PM)
a ver
Gabriel says: (4:02:12 PM)
se acuerda lo que le conte de los Digital Rights Management ??
Merrian says: (4:02:20 PM)
yeeeees
Gabriel says: (4:02:35 PM)
pos ando ivenstigando a ver que ondas
porque la verdad es que vibratica va a tener
musica que no se puede conseguir en ningun otro lugar
entonces tal vez vale la pena poner el catalogo con DRM
para que la gente no lo pueda chorizear tan facilmente
igual pueden bajar un programilla
pero di ...
Merrian says: (4:04:19 PM)
osea...poner toda la musica en DRM?
Gabriel says: (4:04:22 PM)
si
Gabriel says: (4:04:35 PM)
al principio la gente no va saber
y cuando la traten de subir a internet para regalarla o pasarla a otro ipod no van a poder...
o es una estupdez?
Merrian says: (4:05:39 PM)
di, pero no habiamos quedado en que al final era casi lo mismo?
Gabriel says: (4:05:54 PM)
si pero me quede pensando...
especialmente por la razon de que es musica dificil de conseguir 
Merrian says: (4:06:51 PM)
si.....entiendo...pero que será mas? el beneficio final de hacerlo o la pega pal cliente?
Gabriel says: (4:08:39 PM)
di el cliente cuando la compra no sabe
y no es mas pega que comprarla en itunes
Merrian says: (4:09:04 PM)
la primera vez
Gabriel says: (4:09:15 PM)
y igual la pueden convertir con un programa
Merrian says: (4:09:34 PM)
un programa que se baja en segs y no cuesta plata, vdd?
Gabriel says: (4:09:52 PM)
sip
Merrian says: (4:11:12 PM)
si igual es tan facil convertirlo, lo va a poner solo ent como garantia pa los cantantes?
Gabriel says: (4:12:41 PM)
exacto!
Gabriel says: (4:14:34 PM)
sera que ponemos todo con DRM ?
Merrian says: (4:15:01 PM)
a ver:
Al puro final una persona sea como sea que consiga una cancion, comprando el cd de carne y hueso (jeje), bajandola de internet, o comprandola por internet va a poder hacer lo que le de la gana con esa cancion
sabemos que finalmente no hace diferencia pal comprador el DRM
pero que el artista si se siente mas seguro con eso....
ent di ponganlo porque si de algo puede servir, es para que la gente de con menos trabas su musica

de mi amigo Moby (no tengo ni una cancion suya)

yup, it's me from danbury/darien/stratford/storrs/stamford connecticut (my mom and i got around a bit).
the new record is melodic and fairly mournful.
lots of strings and very open and spacious.
see, i had a quasi-epiphany last year when i heard david lynch talking about creativity (and forgive me if this sounds new age or hokey).
he talked about how creativity in and of itself is great, and i realized that he was right.
and i realized that, ideally, the market should accomodate art, but that art shouldn't accomodate the market.
i know, it sounds idealistic.
i had been trying to make myself happy and make radio happy and make the label happy and make press happy and etc.
and it made me miserable.
and i also don't really aspire to selling too many records.
see, my friends who are writers sell 20,000 books and they're happy.
my friends who are theater directors sell 5,000 tickets during a run and they're happy.
i like the idea of humble and reasonable metrics for determining the success of a record.
and i like the idea of respecting the sacred bond that exists between musician and listener.
again, i know this sounds hokey, but it's where i am at present.
i also really like records. i know that 90% of the people who listen to my music download individual tracks, which is fine, but i want to make cohesive albums in the hope that someone might listen to them from start to finish.
for even one person to make the effort to listen to music that i've made is pretty remarkable, and i need to be humble and respectful in the face of that.
some people can be larger than life rockstars, and i love them, but i'm just a bald jerk who makes music in his bedroom and hopes that someone might listen to it.
oh, i also mixed/produced the album (it's called 'wait for me') in a very old-timey way, with extreme stereo panning and analog reverbs, etc.
it sounds AMAZING in headphones, if i do say so myself.
ok, long winded email, sorry.
if you send me a mailing address i'll burn a cd and put in the post.
thanks,
moby

bob's mailbag (this is getting out of hand)

Subject: Re: The Complete Clip

Bob

I want to thank you in the way your advice brings encouragement to bands like ours trying to forge a living in this new world of music. Your thoughts, or maybe they are rants, have really encouraged us to be creative in how we are going about building a fan base without a major label. I wanted to share 2 things we have done that have actually met with some success.

First we adopted the policy at our shows that fans could name their own price for our cds. We tell them that normally they are this price but we know times are hard. So just name your own price for the cds and you can have them for that. We just want you to have to music. And you know what. We are finding that our average price per cd has actually increased since we started doing this. Sure you have people giving you $3 but we have been amazed at the people who will give us $20. We are going to start doing this with all our merchandise at shows as we find it really builds good will.

We also started a new campaign called 'A Single Revolution'. sarahmacband.com In constantly reading your blog you are always talking about how we are getting back to an era like the 60's. Well, I remember as a kid being able to buy single 45's. And also remember that a lot of bands didn't even put these 45's on an album. So over the next year we are releasing 1 single every 4 to 6 weeks but we are trying to be creative in the release.

We agree that sales of cds are evaporating these days and that is not going to change. But can you creat a desire for a physical cd by only having a limited number? Well, we decided that we would try this and only press 100 physical cds of the song. Each of these cds would be numbered and signed by the band. We would also have extras on the cd that you could only get with the purchase of the physical cd. Each cd would cost $10, which seems like a lot and also appears to run contrary to our normal cd marketing of name your price, but we promise that there will never be anymore pressed and the 100 physical copies would be it. So we try to add value to the purchase to make it worth the $10. We will then use the proceeds from the sale of the first cd to press the second cd thereby making all the purchasers of the first cd our record lable for the second cd and giving them liner credit on the second cd. Then we will repeat this for each successive cd.

For the people who don't want to spend $10 for the physical cd we have sent an email to our email list saying they can download the song for free from our website for 2 weeks. After that we will put it for sale on iTunes and other places but we want to get it to places at leass than 99 cents a pop.

We just released our first single and have almost sold out the first run of 100 cds. So we are hopeful that maybe this will have some traction but who knows. Ultimatley this may not be a good idea as only time will tell. But I wanted you to know that your blogs are encouraging bands like us to be creative in how we do things. And we agree that first we have to bring a good product which only comes as a result of a lot of hard work. But once you think you may have something you need to think outside the box if you want to succeed and last in this business.

So thanks for your inspiration and keep writing brother, because it keeps me fired up and always thinking.

Charlie Vanture

________________________________

From: Adit Rao
Subject: A Serious Inquiry

Dear Bob,

I've been reading your blog with great interest over the past few months. My friend Joel Cummins, who plays in a band called Umphrey's McGhee recommended I pay attention to what you had to say. He's actually a poster child for the mindset/approach which you promote in your writings.

It's a semi-interesting story actually: About 10 years ago, as college freshmen, Joel and I took two separate paths: he remained in Chicago and began touring with his band locally. I moved to LA and pursued a record deal. Years later, it's pretty clear which one of us made the right decision. His band does about 150 shows a year (sometimes to festival crowds). They're not millionaires, but their company is a sustainable enterprise which supports the livelihoods of about a dozen guys (including their crew). Pretty impressive. My bands on the other hand, have floundered around the southwestern U.S., worn thru a couple of rotten experiences with labels, and disintegrated when our morale was destroyed. Joel wasn't a prophet... he simply played music which labels didn't care for (Jamband stuff). So they were forced to take a grass-roots approach from the start. And as it turned out-- they were way ahead of the curve. I'm very proud of them.

________________________________

From: Cliff Pia
Subject: Re: From Moby

We listen to music to feel what it is to be human again. Life makes you numb. Music makes you feel (or reminds you how to feel again). That's what music is. That's what music does. Thanks for reminding me of that, Moby. And thanks for that too, Bob.

________________________________

Subject: Re: From Moby

In reply to Moby's note:

I really feel that the state of the business can have a damaging effect in the minds of creative artists.

There is, however, a very simple cure that Moby touched on and I have been employing most of my record-making career which now stands at 51 years. One must always try and satisfy ONESELF with the final product - that is if you be true to yourself, you will inevitably almost always be true to your school (fans). So do your best to satisfy yourself and that means screw the record company, screw the producer, and forget about the fans during recording time. A producer should be selected to assist you in capturing your vision, not to make records the record company likes. Mixing the album should not be taken away from the producers aegis. Actually a temporary marriage between the artist, producer and engineer is best if there is no cheating. Be faithful to each other artistically and that should get you, the artist, the album you wanted in the first place. That is when a record is a success BEFORE it's released - when you've made the record you set out to make. In today's market for various reasons sales are way down. So if you can put out exactly what you hoped to put out, THAT is the success. If it sells - that's just cash cream on top.

Then you must get out there and bring your vision to as many fans LIVE as you can. That has been MY biggest problem - no one has booked me properly. As luck would have it, I have the best live show I have ever had when my band is behind me. But I cant get the funds from promoters to cross the Mason-Dixon line with my band. So I am forced to play solo shows which are good in another way; i.e. telling the stories behind the songs and being able to play a whole other repertoire from the bands. But I wish the people that hear the solo shows had the choice of also hearing the band.
What I fer sure can do, is make the best albums I have ever made, and put on the best shows I have ever performed. Now if I can solve getting ears to hear them and see them, then I will have adjusted to the way things are out there. I have released 3 albums in the last four years - BLACK COFFEE, WHITE CHOCOLATE and 50/50. I just pray that all my fans know that and that some people that have never heard me before hear those three albums. Later they can find out I produced "Free Bird" "Sweet Home Alabama" and played organ on "Like A Rolling Stone" That's not really gonna go away.
But meanwhile, Murphy's Law follows me like a stalker.

Al Kooper

Subject: SxSW

So Bob,

Got an email today about SxSW. Over 700 bands. Over 700 bands!! Even if you listened to one song by each band it would take 35 hours. I'll bet people, normal people, don't listen to more than 20 minutes a day and with the gate keepers of radio in place, how is any of this ever going to get through? Now think of all the bands not playing in SxSW. I'll bet there's 40 thousand bands in the country. It's over Bob. No one will ever get through to the masses. You're right, it's all niche markets now.

John Maslan

como no publicar estas palabras del Bob?!

"...music was the Internet of the sixties. People got the bug and couldn't get enough. Both players and listeners, both coders and surfers.

...We wanted to know everything about our bands. The family trees led us to other acts. There was no TMZ, no PerezHilton, we only found out how famous these musicians truly were when Woodstock happened and it turned out EVERYBODY was into the music... Now it is only about making money, and the public moved on. But MTV had a vibrancy akin to the underground FM radio stations. It was run by the lunatics, not the guards. And although musical experimentation was limited, visual risks were taken daily, to the point where all movies and television were affected by the MTV style.

But then we hit an artistic nadir. Rather than innovation, we got slickness. We had the Web as an alternative, and the golden era died.

People still want to bring the golden era back.

Let me tell you how this Web works. Millions are surfing every day, and they're linking to and e-mailing what they think is good. And when I get the same story ten times, I take notice...

The goal was to bring the old world into the new, preserving all its elements. This is impossible. And what we've got now is cultural chaos.

So U2 can open the Grammys, play Letterman for a week and fly for quick gigs to multiple cities and not only are their first week sales about half of those for their 2004 album, in the second week there's a dramatic drop. Yes, according to hitsdailydouble.com, this week U2's "No Line On The Horizon" is number 3, having sold 124,958 copies, a drop of 74%!

Nobody wants it. It's not about quality, people are just interested in something different, they don't want to spend the time with U2's album. They're interested in other things, other bands, they believe they've got enough U2 music.

Tour demand will be great. That's a different animal. It's a celebration of the CAREER of U2. Yet, despite the gross, not that many people will go, not when you compare the number of attendees with the number of people living in America.

In other words, music is narrowcasting once again. Rail about piracy, but that's not the issue, that only has to do with monetization. We had those gargantuan sales in the eighties and nineties because everyone was paying attention to the same outlet, MTV. Hell, radio aligned its playlists with what the television giant was airing. But we no longer have one dictator. We have a plethora of outlets and a plethora of bands. If you're about the sell, your words are falling on deaf ears, people just don't care. They've got to be infected by the music, which is extremely difficult to do. You've got to record great stuff and hope your audience spreads the word...

As opposed to Bob Dylan. People care about his new album because not only did they not have to wait for it forever, not only was there no extreme advance hype, but Dylan is known for taking chances. Like his shows. They're cheap, but you never know what you'll get. Dylan's still alive, too many bands are perceived as dead.

Will Dylan's album be a blockbuster?

Probably not.

But Dylan's a musician, not a star. He's not trying to preserve his status so much as doing his job, making music, taking chances all the way.

It's your chances that endear us to you.

Or else it's Britney or Madonna or... And we're only going for the spectacle, it's got nothing to do with music. The Spice Girls proved no one cares about the spectacle ten years out. The Allman Brothers are proving people still care about the music, how it lives and breathes and changes every night, at their stand at the Beacon right now.

If you want to be a star, be my guest. E-mail Perez, compliment him and give him an exclusive.

If you want to be a musician, take chances. Worry less about hits than aural adventures. Create something new, and different, that's intriguing, with rough edges that can hook listeners.

That's what you do with music, listen.

We didn't need pyrotechnics to draw people to see Cream. The music was enough. It still is. If you're good and you see yourself practicing an honest profession, one that feeds your family, but doesn't buy you a private jet. We need bankers. But when they ruin our economy and believe they're entitled to millions, we're turned off. We need musicians. But when they believe they're entitled to live like princes, trading on decades-old laurels, we're disgusted and look for something new. Something vibrant. Which may not even be music. But we're always susceptible to something aural. If it tickles our ears, makes us feel all warm and fuzzy, removes us from this dreary life and makes us believe we live in one that's better.

That's what Eric Clapton and the great British axemen did. They took us away. And it wasn't about their looks, or the production, but the music. It's got to be that way in order for music to drive the culture once again.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

conversacion con el "asesor"

J says: (12:52:53 PM)
como va mae
J says: (12:52:57 PM)
con los labels
Gabriel says: (12:53:10 PM)
ahi ahi
Gabriel says: (12:53:13 PM)
viendo a ver q pasa
J says: (12:53:21 PM)
ta bein
Gabriel says: (12:53:49 PM)
con Sony no se... son muy retrogrados
Gabriel says: (12:53:59 PM)
con los indie labels de centroamerica voy un poco mejor
J says: (12:55:02 PM)
mae esos apoyan lo q hace ud no?
J says: (12:55:16 PM)
ellos necesitan poder de distribucion
Gabriel says: (12:55:22 PM)
claro
J says: (12:55:48 PM)
mae son en mas en numero q los labels
J says: (12:55:54 PM)
eso los va a acabar
J says: (12:56:13 PM)
hay q concientizar a los artistas q la mejor opcion es poner los huevos ellos mismos
J says: (12:56:24 PM)
sino es un huevon
J says: (12:56:37 PM)
aqui ya todo es DIY
Gabriel says: (12:57:19 PM)
como mae no entiendo su castellano expliquese
J says: (12:57:35 PM)
claro mae el artista ahora mas q nunca tiene q trabajar por su cuenta
Gabriel says: (1:01:37 PM)
claro y vibratica es una herramienta mas apra que lo haga
Gabriel says: (1:08:12 PM)
q es DIY ?
J says: (1:08:28 PM)
do it yourself
Gabriel says: (1:10:24 PM)
claro
Gabriel says: (1:10:35 PM)
DIY promotion
J says: (1:10:58 PM)
asi es
J says: (1:11:25 PM)
mae eso va a obligar a los artistas a jalar mas cabron no tanto en la promocion
J says: (1:11:38 PM)
sino en la calidad de su material
Gabriel says: (1:12:50 PM)
bueno es que eso es un punto principal en Vibratica... que la competencia promueva la calidad del trabajo
J says: (1:17:27 PM)
si mae
J says: (1:17:43 PM)
la calidad del arte es parecida a la forma en q nos relacionamos con la gente
J says: (1:17:53 PM)
creemos q es la mejor forma aunque a nadie le parezca jaja
Gabriel says: (1:18:00 PM)
como asi
J says: (1:18:33 PM)
si mae
J says: (1:18:39 PM)
nunca uno se da cuenta q tan mal esta
J says: (1:49:32 PM)
http://www.sethgodin.com/permission/
J says: (1:51:32 PM)
ese autor mae
J says: (1:51:36 PM)
el bob lo tumba a mamadas
Gabriel says: (1:51:43 PM)
jaja is yo se
J says: (1:52:03 PM)
ahi tiene tarea mae
J says: (1:52:05 PM)
muchas ideas
J says: (1:52:08 PM)
metase al blog
J says: (1:52:14 PM)
empapese
J says: (1:52:27 PM)
http://www.amazon.com/Purple-Cow-Transform-Business-Remarkable/dp/159184021X/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b
Gabriel says: (2:05:24 PM)
vea lo que me respondio el wey de sony
Gabriel says: (2:05:26 PM)
Estimado Gabriel:

Se que a un nivel importante no se pone DRM pero eso pasa en Estados Unidos, Europa en países latinos usted no lo pone y no vende nada o muy poco y para eso le soy sincero prefiero no vender a regalar mi musica.

Si quiere puede hacer la prueba venda un sencillo, sin DRM y después de un me puedes dar los resultados.

Un cordial saludo,
J says: (2:23:25 PM)
dejelos mae
J says: (2:23:28 PM)
entre con DRM
J says: (2:23:32 PM)
no pasa nada
J says: (2:23:38 PM)
ellos se lo pierden no ud
J says: (2:23:58 PM)
para ud es un catalago MAS no menos
Gabriel says: (2:24:24 PM)
si yo le dije que si
J says: (2:26:42 PM)
bien mae
J says: (2:26:43 PM)
ud trae las de ganar
J says: (2:26:48 PM)
solo q lea mae
J says: (2:26:49 PM)
lea un chingo
J says: (2:26:52 PM)
enterese
J says: (2:27:12 PM)
sepa manejar el internet
Gabriel says: (2:27:19 PM)
ahora estoy aprendiendo a usa Drupal

Monday, March 16, 2009

vibratica.com

las grandes companias mundiales de noticias, de periodicos y TV estan reestructurandose de manera mucho mas simple, local y pequena, despidiendo incluso personal... en la TV hay muchisimos canales ... la radio ni se diga... la informacion esta regada, y distribuida muy extensamente pero a la vez muy segmentada...

traditional media is dying , Now you get the news from the act itself! Each band's Website is its own little news source. It's not about servicing other outlets, but training your fans to come back to your site, by providing constant updates, by providing community.


una tarea fundametal de vibratica es dar ese soporte a los artistas del "tercer mundo" ya que ellos a veces no tienen la capacidad ni los medios de hacerlo por su cuenta con sus propias paginas de internet, nosotros lo hacemos dentro de la pagina de vibratica... no solo dando ese servicio a cada artista si no que a su vez trabaja como comunidad virtual, trayendo muchos beneficios extras tanto a artistas como a seguidores...


Con respecto a la cantidad de descargas estamos estimando unas 7,000 canciones x mes los 1eros seis meses y la meta para los siguientes 6 meses es de 28000 al mes ... esto para todo el catalogo (que esta expansion constantemente)

Para enfocarse mejor en la venta de un grupo de canciones es primordial tener cualquier tipo de material promocional de las mismas (videos, biografias,notas,articulos,noticias,eventos,fotos, etc)

Segun expertos los DRM pueden bajar el flujo de descargas ya que no son compatibles con muchas cosas.

Sin embargo...trying to be all things to all people, when your audience has the ability to extract just what it wants online, is a poor strategy

Sunday, March 15, 2009

"Music should be, personal, majestic and otherworldly."

Because in order for music to ascend to its rightful position at the top of popular culture's leader board, it's got to be more about its intrinsic value than the sell. It's got to be more about music than showmanship. It's got to be more about creativity than expediency.

Genes Simmons Responde:

"I know Gene loves that I'm writing this."

SURE. I LOVE ANYONE WHO TALKS ABOUT ME.

"Almost to the point where I considered not writing about his speech at all. But I've got to. Because in order for music to ascend to its rightful position at the top of popular culture's leader board,"

(I CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS LEADER OF POPULAR CULTURE TO TELL ME HOW TO POSITION THINGS).

"it's got to be more about its intrinsic value than the sell."

YES, AND NO. IT "SHOULD" BE ABOUT MUSIC, BUT IT'S ALSO GOT TO BE ABOUT BUSINESS. IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED, IT WAS NEVER JUST CALLED "MUSIC." IT WAS, AND STILL IS CALLED THE "MUSIC BUSINESS."

"It's got to be more about music than showmanship. It's got to be more about creativity than expediency."

NO. HES GOT IT ALMOST RIGHT. IT'S GOT TO BE ABOUT BOTH.


supongo que para unos la combinacion de estas dos es lo mejor, otros se inclinaran mas por la una o por la otra...depende no?
que puedo decir... a las 4:55am estoy recopilando infromacion - mas de Bob...

We're in an era of revolution. Is Gene bearing arms and tearing down doors or fortifying the decrepit castle against the upstarts?

It's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll. Hell, all those Aussie bands are fantastic because they've had to hone their chops live, playing in shitholes around their island country again and again, needing to impress the limited population to the point where they're such great performers, they kill in the rest of the world. If you put together a cookie-cutter act, aren't you doomed to limited success at best? Can Gene Simmons truly make a star, or does one have to be honed over a decade, too long for the silver-tongued devil to cash in and cash out.

For too long, success in music has been about smoke and mirrors. With the strings pulled by Oz-like figures who don't account accurately and end up with all the money. Now it's about the acts, not the labels. As for the money? You don't get that from a bank, interest is too high, the institutions are run by thieves. You get your cash from the public, people who believe in you and will give you their every last dollar on your road to success. They don't want to rip you off, they only want to revel in your success, bask in your reflected glory.

Then again, your performances have got to kill. And your music has got to be great. Artifice? Isn't that something you do online with Photoshop?

http://site.citynews.ca/video/?bcpid=1640183522&bclid=1896836079&bctid=16513340001

" busquenlo en youtube...les toca a uds..."

But we live in such a vast world that the haters can coexist with the lovers, and never the twain shall meet. In other words, KISS can function privately in its own backwater and the rest of us can ignore the band.

That's how the music business is today. It's narrowcasting. The key is to gain someone's attention and to try to grow from there, fan by fan until you can support yourself playing music and give up your day job.

... everything's got a limited audience. And train-wrecks have a very short shelf life. In other words Gene, a band you sign could have sex on stage tomorrow and it might be big on the Net for 24 hours, but if anybody even remembered the act's name a year later, they certainly wouldn't recall the music.

You can try and generate instant heat and instant sales. There is a business there. But if that paradigm were so damn good, the major labels would be prospering instead of dying. We're in the era of artist development. You've got to develop your craft and your audience. Musicians and fans are bonded, for the long haul. It's not clear where they're going, it's an exciting journey. Pre-fab is becoming marginalized.

So if you tell me you're going to sign a band, change its name, its players, its hairstyles and its music and then ram the result down the throat of the public, I'm gonna tell you very few people are going to care and that you'd better not invest much money, because limited dollars will come in return, and you'd better get out quick, because the act is going to burn out almost instantly.

Build slowly. From the core out. Breaking a band today is more of a whispering campaign than banging the public over the head with a blunt instrument. You lead with your music. Sure, networking/managerial/Internet tools are important, but it all comes down to the music. You can click online and hear it instantly. Is it any good?

The public decides. Gatekeepers? Physical retail is just about dead and radio has been marginalized. It's a direct connection between musician and listener. You'd better be good, baby.


SE APLICARA ESTO A COSTA RICA? PARECE SER QUE POR NO EXISTIR INDUSTRIA DISQUERA EN EL PAIS, DE ALGUNA MANERA ESTO SIEMPRE HA SIDO ASI AQUI... YO CREO QUE AUN NO SE HA VISTO LO ULTIMO DE LOS MAJOR LABELS... O SI ? TAL VEZ LOS DOS MODELOS EL VIEJO Y EL NUEVO PUEDEN COEXISTIR... SI COMO DICE BOB, TODO COEXISTE HOY, ENTONCES POR QUE LAS DISQUERAS NO PUEDEN COMPETIR (COMO YA LO HACEN) CON LOS TALENTOS INDIES?