I passed my senior project.

Yesterday: Saw Mahi with Herra Terra + Czech Iz Your Master. Fucking great show. Might be a top 5.

Herra Terra were alright. Good songs, but I feel that they should have been louder, and maybe even get a real drummer. Seem to not be getting the most they could out of their equipment.

Czech...can't even begin to describe them.

Strobe lights!

Half Naked men with Anubis masks!

Hobo Theremin Players!

The only time I've seen AS220 turn on the lights to tell someone to stop!

Fucking awesome.

Mahi was great, possibly the best i've ever seen them. Great energy in the room. Bought a shirt.

Senior Project presentations tomorrow...

I haven't practiced that much, but I know what I'm going to say. By the recommendation of my teacher, I'm going "Hi, my name is Harry Hartley and this is my senior project" and let the weird sounds commence for about 2 minutes.

Then it's an introduction about the project, what I wanted to do.

My mentor and who he is, then into the actual breakdown of the composition. I don't know if I'm going to get to the looping Gamelan section. Probably though. I should do a runthrough after I finish this.

Then talk about my paper, how I found that in 100 years, everyone in electric instruments were looking for new sounds, and all succeeded.

Then just say thank you and hope to God they don't think that I'm pulling their leg by sticking screwdrivers in guitars and saying it's a senior project.

School stuff monday through wednesday... Half day Wed. meant yard work and more rehearsal with Justin. It went alright, took a little while to settle in. I liked the mixer in the setup with feedback loops, but I think I need to tweak the level of the output on the delay. Overall, good set. I need to listen to the rec. he made of Sunday and write down what the fuck I'm doing in my notebook for tomorrow. Was thinking about it an hour ago, I like Cockslap, I like playing in it, but I really couldn't ever make it my main project. I need some emotional content. Which is why I think Battles could never really be my favourite band of all time. Yes, they are fucking awesome, but there comes a point where if you put a gun to their collective heads and told them to write a love song, they might not be coming up with the most luscious melodies and lyrics ever.

Anyway: Today, not so bad. Didn't really feel like a complete day. Jazz band at 6:30. 3 other people there. They talked about theory and why notes can be moved around to form scales. Was sorta boring for me. Just did blues progressions the whole night. Ended at 8, talked to Dan Healey about the state of the band, told me he trusts me in a manner of speaking with stuff I don't want to disclose ever here.

Blogging, internet, listening to the new sweetthieves song which YOU SHOULD ALL LISTEN TO ON THEIR MYSPACE RIGHT NOW, shower then bed.

Friday: Saw Sick Electric, 14 Foot One, YavinFive at a Firehouse XIII show. Nice venue. Was a reception for a photo show so there was free food! 14 foot one was pretty good. YavinFive sucked and I didn't stick around for their set. Talked with Sick Electric outside, then went back in for their set. Played some new stuff that was cool, they didn't play Laundry Vs. Laser though, which kinda sucked. A lot of people remembering me and asking when the band is playing next. Home around 12, up for a little while then to bed.

Yesterday: Up at 10, reminded I had to rehearse with Justin at 11. Shower, pack and rush over. Practice goes well, feeling a little too limited in my setup, but I'm going to bring the mixer and incorporate that at the show. Show add an element of surprise. Also booked as House On Fire. Should be nice to just do another one-off show. Thankfully Justin is bringing the minivan so we can take our gear with us. Back home, lunch, watching Indiana Jones, yardwork. Then back in, cleaning up the study, preparations for the party. Shower, eat dinner and more Indiana Jones and then off to the Party around 9:45. Show up fashionably late. Party is swinging, although not as many people before. Didn't even get a real dance party in. The girl I was trying to pick up for about an hour had a boyfriend. Shit. Fun times, playing wii and mingling. Bed around 4-ish.

Wake up this morning to a mystery pair of jeans and girls underwear.... And we have no idea who's it is. Help clean up, play wii a bit more, leave at 11:30. Home, going up to my Grandma's in an hour in a half. I like it there. Must shower and walk dog before that. Right now listening to Meccalily set from 2005. Tomorrow, meeting with Wayne, must bring notebook, ebow, slide and recorder.

Sweet jesus it's been a long time.

Jay left for NO for the summer yesterday. Went to her send off on Wednesday. Went to India in The Bucket/ East side for food, back to her apartment for good times before I'm off, taking her TV for the summer. Listen to Simple Paper Collage.


last night, Wayne calls me up with plans for our project. Says he tried the drummer and he's bad. Oh well, we press on. Says also he does not want to do any Meccalily songs. Oh well. I am disappointed but if that's what he wants, then it's fine with me. Went to Jazz Band only to find out it wasn't happening. Drive back by the beach. At least it's a lovely ride. See Jon walking by the sea wall, didn't have a chance to say hi.

Speaking of Jon, a couple of weeks ago I was listening to PMJ and this great hawk was circling over head during " Nuclear Meltdown, Family Style". Thought it was really cool and fit the music perfectly.

Backtracking:
The Bonfire at Jon's was great. Nick and Astrid showed up, they had a good time. Wayne showed up too. Some other people I don't remember showed up and a good time was had by all. Broke out the guitars, did versions of "Learning Russian", "Heroin", and a couple of Sufjan Stevens songs. Eventually Matt Richter came and said he brought drums after all the guitars were put away, but I grabbed the 12-string and told him to grab his drums. Great time, especially dropping the guitar to my secret weapon tuning, D-A-D-F#-B-E, using a capo to help change keys. Pete eventually drops by and the three of us jam. Good times. Cut short after Dad gets a call from work on his actual cell phone. Shit hit the fan and he had to go back home. Make the decision to go back on my own, only Jon and Matt are left, but we talk for about half an hour more. Definitely worth it in the long run to go back over there. I always really enjoy his bonfires.


Today is Martin's 50th birthday, sent him a happy birthday message, hope it wasn't too creepy I found out through his blog. Told him his birthday present was The Troop playing this years luau.


Tomorrow: Plan is to rehearse with Justin, go to Slaughterfest to see Hircine and a newly reformed Hogg play, then to Astrid's to party.