Author: Luke

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I have slept my sleep, catching up a little on three anxious weeks of being behind on it. And now I will walk through the damp forest for a while, thinking about what I am to decide tomorrow, about where to go from here.

Walking is the new clarity. I’ve been reading “Wanderlust” by Rebecca Solnit and it as reminded me of the effectiveness of a good wander on the mind.

Yesterday wandered from the Telegraph Hills of SF down to the maze of skyscrapers, up through China Town, through the Tenderloin as evening set in. I was contemplating my existence there. It would be nice to live there for a while.

And there is Portland, whom I know so well. Or think I know. Its piles of leaves by the urban east side gardens, Ladd’s Addition in the Rain, Pearl District revelry in the warehouse hours.

These things and more, shall I ponder.

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Here we have the video for track 1 off ‘Midnight Door’ – “Closure”.

A lot of the themes of the album come across in the video, those of motion, distance, wandering. Multiple personas and 80’s head shots are addressed as well. Subliminal messages. Birds flying in slow motion. Live footage is worked in, and all in all, it is a strong beginning to the video epic that is to be the entire album.

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A few live shows coming up, this one being awesome. St. Joseph’s in Grass Valley is a beautiful old Catholic school featuring a fantastic former church as the room for live music.

I’ll be playing there November 17th with Tahiti Pehrson, Casual Fog, and Black Bear.

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I-80 on the hill above Sacramento looks down on the city like it was grown of the distant earth. I wrote that line in the header of this post in a song a long time ago called “California” after returning here to its hearth land from a road trip and camping in the country, and feeling the mutant heathen pulsation of millions of cars streaming in and out of the hub of nowhere, ie. Sacramento. Which, when taken out of the metaphysical rant context is a really cool city, deep down inside. And that is where I go today. I will need ninja skills to mind my way through the dark side of the mall, where my computer will be repaired. And then I will rely heavily on psychic barriers to escape again. Then, the underworld of Mid-Town will rise around me, and I will rely on my wits to deceive the trickery of city lazedness.

Sacramento is the only city that has broken my heart, and though I am over it now, I still carry a certain spite for it.

Oh, and I really don’t like malls. Even when I am in the mood to be a consumer, and throw myself on the altar of nose hair trimmers and hair product and gucci suits, this feeling of utter dismay creeps over me long before I actually enter them. I feel as if it wouldn’t be suprising if for instances the mall itself would visually dissolve and reveal the entrance to you know where. Et cetera. For some dumb reason I could go on.

Things that are in the works:
I will have digital artwork to accompany “Midnight Door” up soon on the site.
Most importantly (for me at least) this shall include thank you’s and lyrics. And some other stuff.
The video for Closure will be up very soon, perhaps this Monday.
A couple more shows to add here, a total of 4 in November (and counting).

So thanks for continuing to check in and I apologize for flooding you with my untowards sentiments in regards to malls. Though I have a feeling you might know what I am talking about!

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my website manipulating device, or computer, is dead for the time being.

If you have a computer, and you haven’t been regularly backing the entire thing (including software) up, GET ON IT! Do it now!! Because if you don’t, you will be sad and cry.

So the video for Closure thankfully is on a hard drive, and will debut next week.

Thank you, take care,

Luke

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Too much good stuff and many good things of last night (Show at Cooper’s, downtown Nevada City). The air was chillier but full of howls from Casual Fog, the melodic and thrummed onslaught of Strangers Die Everyday, and the haunting and spot on poetics of Lisa Papineau.

Here we have (thanks for filming “Lee” Dickerson) one of the songs from the set, “Opulent Desires”. (This is a fairly large file at ~22mb)

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So, it turns out that the podcast only shoots out one track at a time, so for those of you subscribed to that thingy, I’m reposting the demo version of ‘Up Into The Blue’ here, since it didn’t make it to your magical downloads.

For those of you who are thinking, what exactly are you speaking of, I will repost here the commentary I made about the song below the track…:

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Here are a couple of versions of “Up Into The Blue” off of ‘Midnight Door’. The first is the album version, and the second is a rare demo cut.

Up Into The Blue is yet another song where the imagery of my Catholic upraising plays a prominent role… this idea of absolution for our wrongs in an almost whimsical way, of waiting for the holy parade pervades this song. In some sense I feel like this song is about my older brother. We were inseparable growing up, and the last verse of the song especially reflects my strong memories of being best friends, and perhaps the extend rumination at the end of the song is a meditation on the things that have changed since then… not in a bad way, just the pulse of life gets quicker, things get more confusing as you grow up. Obviously this is a fairly emotional song!

I like how the demo gives a version of the song that is a bit more whimsical and a quicker tempo. It is a very different perspective

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Here are a couple of versions of “Up Into The Blue” off of ‘Midnight Door’. The first is the album version, and the second is a rare demo cut.

Up Into The Blue is yet another song where the imagery of my Catholic upraising plays a prominent role… this idea of absolution for our wrongs in an almost whimsical way, of waiting for the holy parade pervades this song. In some sense I feel like this song is about my older brother. We were inseparable growing up, and the last verse of the song especially reflects my strong memories of being best friends, and perhaps the extend rumination at the end of the song is a meditation on the things that have changed since then… not in a bad way, just the pulse of life gets quicker, things get more confusing as you grow up. Obviously this is a fairly emotional song!

I like how the demo gives a version of the song that is a bit more whimsical and a quicker tempo. It is a very different perspective

Lyrics are below:

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Reservoirs of shooting stars
fall between your eyes
hundred mile shy smile
begging you to try
Thundercloud, tall and proud
petulant and snide,
Don’t know how, even now
to say goodbye.

Wait for the truth to come,
be enthralled.
Hold your head up
Don’t resist.

Everyone will be absolved!
Hold your hands out – get a piece of it!

Everywhere, in the air
only thing I saw
Last chance, happenstance,
drawing of the straws
Maybe wow, somehow
it’ll disappear
Don’t know how, even now,
to shed a tear.

Stay up all night –
hear the words…
Finally.

Everyone will be absolved!
Hold your hands out
take it quietly.

Forgot back then
played pretend
glimmer in your eyes.
Perfect light
clear and bright
brilliantly alive.
Everywhere you would be
I would be too
Perfect sky
learned to fly
up into the Blue.

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The slow movement of days, tomatoes are on the vine and are becoming ready. Basil and cilantro, peppers and arugula ready for the harvest.

I spent last week spending out letters and CDs, and this week am guilty of monitoring the results. I feel that a lot of this is like fishing. Actually its like watching the tomatoes grow. You harvest what you can, what you will, what you may.

I miss Portland, I miss all the places I haven’t lived while living here. I miss being around a lot of people doing a lot of things.

Its slightly early for Summer to end, I do believe. One must read “Dandelion Wine” by Ray Bradbury before it is over.

Stay tuned for the video for ‘Closure’, approaching completion, and, still mastering “One Sung Over”, from 1997 so keep an eye out for that.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Today’s video is an art extravaganza I made from a rehearsal in my practice space. I got some new film editing software, and as part of learning to use it, I created this artful masterpiece. Features: Jellyfish, Grimaces, Walking through the desert with a beard. Very Jim Morrison there. Keep reading for more info on the images et cetera…

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The spot of the desert footage is a really cool place in Death Valley National Park. If you drive a few hours up an amazingly bumpy road (even with four wheel drive its sketch), you end up at a place called “The Racetrack”, past Teakettle Junction.

The Racetrack is a dried lake bed, which are, naturally some of the flattest surfaces on earth. In some way, however, to many a mystery, no scientific explanation has been proven, (to my knowledge), a few of the rocks and boulders are sliding across the surface, leaving trails behind them. When you are out there in the vastness of it all, and you realize how dry and desolate it is, it does seem a magickal place.

Wikipedia – “Sailing Stones”

My Flickr Pics from Death Valley

Enjoy!

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This morning the wildfire’s smoke has blown down from the mountains and into our valley here in Nevada City. The sun rose red and wearily I made the coffee and the protein shake and headed out the door.
Stay tuned here this week for a couple of things:
One Sung Over, my very first album, will be available to those of you who register (create a user name, password easy, 5 seconds).
The first video off of ‘Midnight Door’ – “Closure”

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Last night I put together a stack of 20 or so packages to send off to various places my music. From Sub-Pop to Filter Magazine. I’m confident that if only people give the album a listen, it will catch people’s ears.

A long weekend, spent some hours watching Shakespeare play (“The Taming Of The Shrew”), some hours working on video for closure, many hours on packages, and other hours on catching up on much needed rest.

Harvesting tomatoes from my garden, making salsa. Life is good when you do that.

Currently reading :
The Shadow of the Wind
By Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Release date: 25 January, 2005

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The other night was, in California, a splendid night to catch a full lunar eclipse. The transition from full moon to a creepy red was amazing to behold. For the next part in the “Song For My Father” series I took my photos from that night, and strung them together.

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Sleepy today because last night stayed up watching the lunar eclipse. It was a gorgeous mysterious sight, and we set up the telescope to take it in, as the red glow overtook the whole moon.

I’ll put up some pictures from that this week. Also: started work on the video to “Closure”. Finishing masters of my early albums for the online offerings of those.

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laying low tonight as the sun set a little earlier.

This week I put together footage from the performance last weekend, and have it up on youtube, last.fm, here, et cetera.

So its there, and it is good.

I’m visualizing my life in the coming year. Who knows where I’ll be, but I have good thoughts on what I’d like to be doing. Mainly playing/collaborating. I want to meet people who want it to happen.

A hot day and a light breeze, pomegranite juice and flax seed tortilla chips.

Time to water the plants.

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Power Palooza was wonderful. The experience couldn’t have gone better… a great crowd, a nice night, good sound. I played on top of this building while various lights and movies went off, it was pretty epic. People were telling me that this giant meteor lit up the sky while I played. So, that ruled, basically.

I will be posting video of the performance, so stay tuned. I’m looking forward to playing more of Midnight Door live, it went very well. The cello all big and epic and the beats booming out of big speakers, couldn’t be better for me!

Also, I have a new video from the “Song For My Father” series. AND, my pal Eric Lee Dickerson is getting started on a video for “Closure”, track 1 on Midnight Door. We have this ambitious plan to get all 20 tracks some video action… which gets me thinking… perhaps some of you can/would like to contribute to this effort.

ALSO: last night I was digitally remastering my early early recordings. I plan to offer the albums “One Sung Over” (1997), “THIS” (1998), and “Still Dream” (1999) for FREE here on the website to folks who create a user account. So stay tuned for that as well.

Thanks for stopping by!

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august is more than midway, Kate and Pete have had their birthdays, Nate’s is coming up.

Last night played the Power Palooza event on top of a roof with the green lights spinning all around and the summer night. All day in the art room practicing, and coming up with a few new songs.

Yes summer

last weekend we were on the beach, Navarro beach south of Mendocino and we watched the meteor shower with the new moon keeping the sky dark. We visited the Big River Ranch where we used to live and saw Lucky the landlord. The buildings were in ill repair, all were moving out, and it flashed in my mind to take it on as a perfect life project, trim the apple orchards, get the garden going, carve the paths out of the woods. Shangri-La.

But who is to say. Kate made peach cobbler from the peaches there, we were back in reality and spending our time on music and painting, which is the way it ought to be.

Currently reading :
The Matarese Circle
By Robert Ludlum
Release date: February, 1979

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For all of you wanting to subscribe to the iTunes feed, here is the link:

iTunes Podcast

What is nice about this is that you can receive the songs/extras that I post up here automatically. I plan on producing actual podcasts as well, talking about the making of songs/albums, live performances, et cetera. Please review as well! Thanks…

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This Saturday, at the Miner’s Foundry, I will be participating in an event (playing in fact, at the end, as part of a video presentation) that encourages people to see what they can actually do in their lives to positively affect the environment.

Power Palooza

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I was just listening to some old/lost tracks (of which there are many) and I thought I’d put up these tracks, from a few years ago… Never made it to an album, but I like them, and it reminds me of summery-ness.

The first track – “July” was written in my cabin in Mendocino. I was just discovering the joys of not playing guitar and writing songs on cello mainly. We had a tiny little studio with floor to ceiling glass windows that looked down into the redwood forest.

The next track, “The Longest Book Ever Written” is a lot older, from Portland days, probably written in my apartment on Hawthorne Blvd., maybe after a night of working at the hostel there. People who carry around various pairs of headphones on their person may be mildly disappointed with the mix however… so be warned!

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Part 4 of my solo cello album. Again, these are tracks that I sat down and recorded for my father last week. (ps – welcome home pops!). I like this video the most so far.

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Here are the requirements for this project for me, just to sum it up in a way…
1. Yes they are improvised pieces. I took a theme in my mind and went with it wherever it went. Someday soon I will record my written pieces.
2. Since they are improvised, the artwork is off the cuff as well. It is important that it be subconscious basically.
So the video/music is just a short piece of time, put up today for you to enjoy. Thanks!

I’ve been getting into these as we prepare to make videos for “Midnight Door”. So keep an eye out for the rest of these, for the audio only versions of each track, and for those videos in the future.

Other things in the works:
exclusive rare tracks page for people who register with the website
portfolio of recorded works with other artists
access to old (very old by my standards) albums
that kind of stuff.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Last.fm is great. If you haven’t checked it out and you are into music and into discovering new music to love you must, MUST check it out.

Last.FM

Basically, it does a fine fine job of recommending music that you will actually like, based on what you already listen to.

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so now you don’t even have to work to get my new music posts… feeds are at:

Word.

You can paste that link into iTunes: go to advanced, click on “Subscribe To Podcast…” and paste that link above. And from there you will get all the new music I post here. Brilliant.

Will be in other spots on the interweb as well. Thank You.
such as:
My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-0d73c6a0495535b73e13f8a4601429b3}

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I’ve been working with a few things lately, trying to make the new.

First of all I recorded an album for my dad, akin to something I did for my mom a few years back, where really, its just me sitting down with the cello and playing what happens to come out.

Second of all I took the tracks and have been putting them to video. For this first one, I asked Kate to do some drawing in the same manner, and used that as the footage.

I hope you like. It SHOULD be iPod compliant if you are into that kind of thing.

Here is the permalink, and below might be (if I can figure out the technology) a video player.

Song For My Father – Part 1

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REVERIES
REVERIES
Part 1 - Song For My Father
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Things are rolling along so fast. Today is a strange wake up day for me.

I’ve got a lot of thoughts and things going on the line. The CD “Midnight Door” is getting into iTunes as we speak, I’ve made a couple of short videos and am working on more.

Played last Thursday with Aaron Ross and the band at the Miner’s Foundry in Nevada City. The show was incredible, the most fun I’ve had playing music in a long time, and such a great group of musicians.

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*** having technical difficulties… please check back on these soon! ***
These are acoustic versions of mostly material from Midnight Door that I performed on KDVS, May 24th, 2007

You will hear a more languid, loose approach to the music, much less driving, and more about mood than the album.

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PS – I’ve taken the tracks apart so that you can download one at a time, not have to hear me talk, et cetera, however… you can find the original show in its entirety here: KDVS Archives
PPS – Still working out the new site. Please let me know of any kinks/troubles you find.

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So yes, the other night worked out quite well. Thursday evening drove down to Davis and was helped out graciously by the nice fellows who worked there and who worked to make the sound great.

The best thing about the performance for me was that I knew that perhaps my brothers, a few aunts and uncles, my ma & pa and friends were all listening at the same time.

Radio is still a great and relevant medium, and not in the least due to the fact of its immediacy. Also, radio really does connect people within their various communities. And stations like KDVS and KVMR really do pull things together within a community. A perfect example is when, during the one big snow we had up here in Nevada City, KVMR djs were diligently on the air letting people know basically all the information they would need to know, that they really wouldn’t be able to get from anywhere else, including the internet, which is generous but sometimes not relevant.

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I won’t lie, this show tomorrow night (KDVS, 11pm-12pm May 24, is making me anxious!

Why you ask? Well let me tell you that they are giving me an hour of air to fill… and people will be listening (maybe), and, and, well, you know… OK, here is one thing. It is easy for me to play to a big room of people, preferably who don’t know me well, but playing to a small room to friends is almost impossible. Its paralyzing, well, in a way, it just feels weird. So that’s why, friends, I am not always giving impromptu concerts.

And this gig is kind of in between… it will be kind of like being alone… except the mic will be on. So its like a big room with strangers, except, its also kind of intimate.

I am looking forward to it. I’m preparing for it by running through the set list and generally sinking into it. My big concept is to have improvisation play a big role in between songs… its something I never get tired of on the cello, and for me, I would love to hear more… intimate music on the radio… a person with a piano, a person with a sax, thinking, and playing, and that is what you hear. No performance basically. Anti-Performance Art.

Its getting dark. Here is what my practice room looks like right now…

Practice Room

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Moonrise 1 2
Moonrise 1 2,
originally uploaded by haikuluke.

so last night I went up to the side of a mountain to check out the eclipsed moon rising full. It was a subtle effect, by then the eclipse had mostly passed.

I sat on my tailgate and checked my compass because I couldn’t even tell which way was east, exactly.

It was nice though to run into a fine fellow who was an amateur astronomer, he had a lot of fascinating stuff to say about telescopes, gravity, quantum physics.

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Could be on my way to something, could not, you never know.

Change has been prevalent, and yet, as it is with most people, its not fast enough, big enough, rich enough, glamorous.

But I have a new job. Any kind of job at this point is somewhat amazing… and you know, it feels alright. I like to not feel like crying everytime I have to cough up rent. Rent is horrible. Especially in this town. But now I just throw my money away happily. Maybe that isn’t an improvement. But either way, jobs allow that to happen. Yay!

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South Yuba River State Park - October - 1
South Yuba River State Park – October – 1,
originally uploaded by haikuluke.

Up late last night, endlessly reading Kafka On The Shore, last book read was ‘no country for old men’ by cormac mccarthy and before that ‘the first horseman’ by john case. well, a strange mix of literature, a strange obsession with reading lately. an escape within an escape i suppose.

On the road out to Bridgeport State Park, only to find the road is closed. No troubles, drove down and past the signs and found a nice spot cropped out looking over the river.

On a sunny day the sound of the distant river moves from one ear to the other without pattern yet hypnotizing.

I spent the afternoon lying on my tailgate, listening, watching, thinking, absorbing the sun, reading, and taking pictures.

I’m such a loner lately, but that’s ok I think for now. Its how I’ve always been. nothing new there. Sometimes I think I just need to appreciate that so that I can appreciate my friends and friends yet to be. Or just so I can appreciate my own identity, and find solace in that. I think there is nothing wrong with a little solace in that. I wish I had more time to put into it, and that more people found that to be valuable in some way.

Tonight just letting time flow around me. Very quiet. Back and forth between books and wine and this computer.

October time.