April26th
You know what annoys me? When bloggers write posts apologizing for not writing often enough. Luckily for you, I don’t do that.
I was recently informed that all of my online pictures of Isla are horrendously outdated. I agree in a hearty fashion and will no longer rest on my laurels. My thanks to Patty for taking the excellent photos.
April1st
I have some exciting news to announce! Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge fan of old-school 1980s video games. Therefore, I am thrilled to announce that I am re-releasing my solo piano CD, All You Know for a whole new audience!
I’ve received such incredible support for All You Know since its release. So many wonderful people have been kind enough to tell me how the gentle melodies and relaxed attitude have affected them, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
So now, I am releasing “All You Know – the 8-Bit Remix” for an audience who is hip to today’s sounds in 1980s video game music. Here is just a sampling of what you’ll hear:
Mario himself will jump for joy at the NEW sound of “Into My Own”
And YOU won’t have to worry about giant monkeys, flaming barrels or (eek!) Ghosts when you’re listening to the pixelated goodness of “For The Rest Of My Life”
Be sure to pre-order YOUR copy by sending check or money order to: 123 April Fools Lane, DigDug, USA (Sorry, tokens not accepted.)
March20th
Every so often, I like to post quick little movies of Isla doing, well, Isla stuff. I think of them as moving snapshots…with sound.
The other day, Isla’s bedhead was of a particularly vertical nature, so I took out the camera to record it for later embarrassment.
It just so happens that she was watching the “Signing Time” video where they teach signs for getting dressed, brushing teeth, etc. I was lucky enough to catch the oh-so-timely lesson for basic hair care.
Obviously, this sort of thing runs in the family:
March8th
Photo Credit: Howard Nelson/pilgrimstorome.org
When I finished score for “Finding Home” (more on that later!) I naively thought I would be able to record a variety of other projects with all that extra time I would have.
Well, it turns out that raising Isla, taking American Sign Language lessons, and a (thankfully) busy day job pretty much have dibs on any remaining free time. I’m not complaining, of course, but it does mean that I need to work smarter on other music projects.
For example, the piece I’m posting today is only 1:48m in length, but I carefully worked on the piano part to get the delay effect just right, I agonized over whether I really like the contrabass at the :15 mark (still not sure.) Long story short, it took a week to do this “quick little piece.” Admittedly, I did it for fun, in between my other activities, but I still need to work on streamlining my process.
OK, enough of that! I call this one “Palimpsest,” which refers to a surface, such as a manuscript page, or even a wall that has been scraped off and used again. Yep, that’s what I named it.
February25th
If you tried to read my blog earlier today, you may have noticed that it either wasn’t here, didn’t look right, or filled you with a Lovecraftian sense of dread. Putting it simply, I had some issues with my hosting and decided the best way to fix this particular problem was to completely re-build the site.
Everything seems to working again, with the exception of podcasting, and that should be back up this weekend. My apologies for any inconvenience or general site-weirdness!
February22nd
If you’re reading this (and I practically guarantee you are,) you may have noticed the big honking link on my right sidebar. You know, the one with Isla sporting the adorably asymmetrical pig-tails. Well, Isla is raising money for her school, Northern Voices, with a little help from her mom & dad.
Northern Voices is an incredible school that teaches deaf and hard-of-hearing how to speak and listen. All of the kids wear listening devices such as cochlear implants just like Isla. I’m not exaggerating when I say that the work they do there is amazing. Isla has been making incredible progress and is making many new sounds and even a few words. She loves her new school and looks forward to going every morning. The staff, honestly, rocks.
Our family is walking a 5K in May to support Isla’s school. If you would like to make a contribution, you can do so by clicking on Isla’s fundraising page. Donations are accepted online starting as low as one dollar.
Thank you in advance for any support you can give, and to learn more about the great work they do at Northern Voices, check out their website at northernvoices.org.
Admit it; you’re also a bit curious to see if I can walk a 5K without stopping for several naps.
February17th
Other than the occasional home concert for Wifey and Isla, It’s been a while since I played in front of a real live, polite Midwestern audience. Well, I’m excited to announce that I will be performing my original piano compositions in St. Paul, MN on Friday, March 30 along with pianists, David Nevue and Steven C Anderson. The concert starts at 7:30 pm.
David is the talented composer and founder of Whisperings Solo Piano Radio, an online radio station I am proud to be a part of. If you enjoy solo piano, do yourself a favor and check it out!
The concert will be on Summit Avenue in St. Paul. Seating is limited, so please RSVP to steven@stevencmusic.com to reserve your seats and get directions to the home. The suggested donation is $10/person at the door.
I’m really looking forward to this, and I would love to see you there! For more information, visit the Events page at the Whisperings website, or drop me a line.
Unfortunately, Indie & Bear will not be in attendance.
January27th
Patty & I attended our first ASL (American Sign Language) course this past week at the Metro Deaf School in St. Paul. Since Isla has been learning a lot of signs, we figure we’d better do something to keep up.
We actually know quite a few signs from earlier attempts, but this class seems more immersive. The fact that the teacher is deaf forces our brains to learn differently. We need to really pay attention to context and facial expressions, since there no is no speech to explain what we’re seeing. Time will tell how effective it is. As far as I’m concerned, this is going to be my second language (well, I know some German, but only enough to get my face slapped in Berlin.)
We’re also starting to see Isla’s nurturing side. She loves to hug and she is really good around the animals. With any luck, she’ll avoid my whole “sitting on the cat” phase. She also loves taking care of her dolls; however, she doesn’t seem to understand that Elmo might not be a fan of lemon juice.
Pictured: Nurturing
Here is the full one-minute video. And yes, it is equally as exciting as the photo above. By the way, Isla doesn’t have her implants on because I was just about to drive her to daycare. She tends to pull her implants off while riding in the car.
In case you were wondering.
January16th
Isla seems to be taking our unusually mellow Minnesota winter in stride. Thanks to her cochlear implants, she can now hear her dear old dad go on about the brutal winters he experienced as a child; however, thanks to her youth, she simply doesn’t care.
Patty and I recently took Isla and the dogs for a jaunt through the fields behind our house. We all enjoyed the mild weather, and Indie & Bear got to wear themselves out. Isla even got to walk the dogs for a bit, although, Indie seemed to have some reservations about taking orders from someone in a penguin hat. I guess I would too.
A lot of people ask how Indie & Bear are with Isla. Well, they’re both great with her; however, Bear seems to be her protector and is a good sport when she wants to hug/ride/borrow money. Indie prefers to keep her distance, lest Isla decide to work on her eye-poking skills. Isla is never alone with the dogs, of course, and Patty & I are good about teaching Isla the proper way to interact with them.
Nothing wacky occurred on our walk, so unfortunately, all I have are adorable photos that’ll treasure forever. Sorry.
January6th
My wife, Patty is the “Professional Crafter” in our house, whereas I need to settle for the title of “Crafty Professional.” She built, painted and installed these bookshelves in Isla’s room. My assistance was minimal since I was busy tracking down the perfect Theremin sound for an upcoming Groundhog Day post.
For a much better post about the shelves themselves (including photos,) check out Patty’s blog. It’s OK, I don’t mind. I figure you probably read other blogs anyway. She’s got a whole bunch of posts about her various projects, most of which involve a hot glue gun, some sparkly ribbon, and a DeWalt DW718 12″ Double-Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw (you know, for the Li’l Princess House.)
I, of course, was a boatload of help.
I think I need a shave
Isla loves the new shelving with easy access to her books, while I wake up in a cold sweat worrying that she is going to climb the hell out of them.
And no, I have no idea why she’s wearing her jacket in a 70 degree house. It’s a thing she has.
