That’s me… The Bassman.

I just came off stage from my first gig. Wow! I feel great. I didn’t do too bad. It wasn’t planned. I went there with my friend (more acquaintance than friend) Sketch to meet a Mozambiqui bass player I had seen there the night before. No Mozambiquis. There was a band playing earlier, but they had left and the stage was empty. Sketch and I decided to wait around. Sketch was going to sing. I started asking around to see if there were any drummers. Sketch is a singer. He’s got a song in medium rotation on all the major stations here in Berlin. I think he knew how this was going to go down. We had been talking about sound ideas. He asked if I knew any chords with a Zero 7 feel. Soon a drummer showed up and we got on stage. Sketch started noodling on the keyboard that was there. Eventually I found a nice melody and Sketch made up some sweet soulful lyrics to go along. Soon a guitar player came on stage and joined us, and before I knew it, we had a groove. We made up another groovier tune. I looked up, and somebody was staring at my fingers the same way I stare at bassist’s finger when they are on stage. At one point I realized what a pocket was and did my best to stay there, somewhere between the click of the drummer’s stick on the side of the snare and the thump of his big bass drum. I got it. That’s the pocket. The drummer looked up and smiled. Talk about miracles of manifestations. We were groovin. Sketch eventually found somebody to cover for him on keyboards, and some female singer from Spain, who obviously had some professional training, joined us for an all out funk jam. It was groovy.  People were actually dancing! It was fantastic to look up and see people dancing to a groove I was laying down. What a wonderful night! I funked so hard, I got tired. People were taking pictures just like I was taking pictures the night before. The lights were hot. Sweat was dripping from my shirt sleeves. It was amazing though. My shoulder started to hurt. We were playing so long. It’s hard work, funk. Funk grooves are especially hard work when the drummer is on one. Man he was good. I had to make up everything on the spot. I realized the importance of the bassman. While I was overnight in the Mannheim train station, I read in this book Reggae, Rasta, Revolution a quote from from Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, producer of Bob Marley and the Godfather of dub music, which said, “The drum is the beat of the heart, right? The bass is the brain.” Bumper stickers and business cards… I’m putting that quote all over. The structure the melody the groove, much of what I think of as memorable about the music is on the bassman. That’s was me, the bassman.

Berlin… You are so Wonderful!

Sunday
September 13, 2008

“Why are you in Berlin?”

September 12, 2008

This question is often asked here in Berlin. I like it better than, “Where are you from?” and “What do you do?” because those questions have more to do with fate and luck than one’s own internal motivations and the meaning one gives to one’s life. We don’t choose where we were born, and most of us chose what we will do for a living before we know who we are really.

But why am I in Berlin?

The phrase that has most simply and clearly answered the question to the people I’ve come across lately comes from jazz musicians. I like it so I’ll keep using it.

I’m woodshedding.

Much to do…

I don’t want to get too caught up in this illusion as if it matters. This life can be anything I choose. Shaking off the illusions should be my primary concern, and awakening others should be my primary purpose. I’m grateful that I can rise and remember.

… to awaken and help other…

I was talking to a large motherly woman called NaNa last night. We spoke together about the insanity of this world. We spoke of all the meta processes involved in living in Babylon: Finding a company to work for, trying to make some money, and paying for goods and services, which allow us to have and enjoy our lives. These meta processes create meta belief systems to support them; so that we can go through this illusion of life and believe we are sane and everything is as it should be. NaNa and I spoke together about how much closer we would be to living truly and completely if we lived in nature where every day our time would be taken finding or creating just what we needed to have and enjoy our lives instead of the also supporting the system which takes so much. Living simply is sounding very rewarding right now.The Bodhisattva is in me though. My Bodhicitta heart helps me to feel the need to awaken others as I wipe the crust from my eye.

Cross-Cultural Communication

I had a cross-cultural experience this evening. After class, my car pool buddies Shane and Rebecca and my instructor Tom Hall had dinner at a little Italian place that Professor Hall suggested. The dinner was delicious, which is an unexpected surprise here in Germany. Did I mention we’re in Germany right now? I’m getting my masters degree human relations and international relations through the University of Oklahoma. I’m currently studying at the NATO base in Geilenkirchen, Germany. Germany is not a foody paradise – especially when you’ve just come from the California Bay Area.

But that is another cross-cultural tale…

The cross-cultural experience happened as I was having a conversation with two other American males. It was interesting to experience how people from the same country can have such different cultures. Professor Hall is the same age as I am. I recently read Generation Me by Jean Twenge who states that factor most likely to dictate cultural values is age. During the first part of this conversation I found this a little hard to believe. Professor Hall starts off a conversation about music with an anecdote about how he knows he has gotten old because one of his past students told him he loved country music, especially old country music. Professor Hall said he loved country music and asked the student which artist. When the student replied Garth Brooks, he knew he had gotten old.

At this point the conversation dove into what was good country music and how country music was good before it sold out. At this point I tried to ease my anxiety by mentioning my love of country musicianship. “They are some of the best musicians,” I said. That was pretty much the extend of my banter when it comes to country and western music. I like some country and western music, but culturally it is not that accessible to me. The good old boys values system is to easily linked in my mind with lynching.

So I’m at this table in a wonderful little Italian restaurant in a quaint German village have dinner with a couple of good old boys. I feeling a little out of place, but my anxiety level hasn’t risen to a level that would cause me to act out. I’m feeling really glad I’m not drinking and I’m able to manage my emotions at this point. I imagine if we were having a conversation about whatever happen to real hip hop they might feel out of place, but this time I’m the one who is once again feeling like an outsider.

The conversation turns to politics. Normally I sit it out when it comes to politics in “mixed” company. My attitude is that America never stopped being a slave colony. They just stopped acknowledging it. I don’t hear this point of view often, so I usually only let it slip when I’m feeling particularly rebellious. Fortunately for me Professor Hall has had a few hefeweizens. Hefeweizens are basically the largest beers you can order in Germany. I’m not saying that’s why he ordered them. Hefeweizens taste fantastic. I’m just saying he had drank a couple when we started talking about political economics.

Shane and Rebecca are a lovely married couple. They are having their first child together. She’s eight months pregnant and glowing. She’s just beautiful right now her eyes are so bright and alive. She seems so sweet. Well Shane and her recently took a political economics class together. And during the class the read the book The End to Poverty by Jeffery Sachs. I’ve been wanting to read this book for a while, and I’m impressed that it’s a part of the cannon in a major university. But it gets the conversation turned to politics, and Professor Hall (two beers in) starts the rant. I love the rant (see slave plantation rant above). It gets to the point where I don’t think the beers are really relevant. We are getting to what he believes. He’s talking about the documentary The Corporation. He’s talking about the movie the Matrix. “We’re in the Matrix right now,” he says. That’s a hard one to disprove as I download my memories into this computer.

“Have you seen V is for Vendetta?” I ask. When he nods and our wide-eyed soon to be parents shake their heads. I realize that I have more in common with this guy, when it comes to values and beliefs than I do with the three African-Americans in the back of the class. Well that’s hard to say without a getting a few hefeweizens in them, but at this point I’m thinking that Jean Twenge’s premise is correct: the era in which someone is born is the biggest determinant of values and beliefs.

This is a great day! We have witnessed what few have dared to dream.

New Biology

This is lecture by Bruce Lipton Ph.D explains how the scientific theoretical shift from Newtonian models to Quantum models confirms that the body operates not by the rules of matter but by the rules of energy.

Don’t miss it.

Warning copyright issues have not been resolved on this production, so watch it while you can.

Energetic Boundaries

I just read an article by Karla McLaren.

Karla McLaren is an empath and a spiritual healer. In this article she talks about her decision to move away from new age philosophy and pursue a more conventional path. I’m familiar with her audiobook published by Sounds True entitled “Energetic Boundaries”.

I’m at a similar juncture myself. I’m realizing that there is quite a bit of validity to some of this new age mumbo jumbo. I’m easily creating a the life of my dreams.It is working fantastic… I can’t dream fast enough. But sometimes I wonder how much of this is all in my head. The real problem is verifiable research. Allopathy, as slow as it is, has system to agree on a shared reality. I’m finding, at this level of consciousness, the idea of shared reality comforting. There is also a part of me yearning for a clearer purpose and meaning and wanting to be an asset to the greater society. I want my value in this world to be unquestionable.

Blue Gorilla Records

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Blue Gorilla Records

Slowing Down and Catching Up

Monday
September 15, 2008

I may have found my next home here in Berlin.

Last night I was up late setting up this small studio in my tiny room at the little apartment where I’m staying, playing guitar and checking the sound. I started to get frustrated with my lack of skill, so about 3 a.m. I left. I went to a part of Berlin called Kreuzberg, walked into a nightclub and danced until 7:30 am. This is more my kind of lifestyle.

Broadcasting from Berlin

I actually found a dual master’s degree program over here where I can get my master’s degree in international relations and human relations in less than 24 months. It’s cheap to live here too, which is very very good. Because the last check my friend deposited for me back in the states was the last check. I called the agency, no more money. When I found out, I felt very peaceful. It kind of cleared things up for me. I wasn’t sure if I was going to live in America or Europe or both somehow. Now I can only really afford to live well here. And I’ll probably be coming back sooner than I expected, but I’ll be spending most of my time in America preparing to move over back to Berlin.