More DIY Projects…

I’m back with another installment of DIY projects for musicians. I’m big on DIY pedalboards, so I’ve been having discussions with folks online about DIY boards. Here are a few projects that surfaced… Pedalboard one was built by a guitarist who is a huge fan of Orange amps. So it makes sense that all of Read More …

Documentary Update…

Hi folks, Things have been intentionally pretty quiet on this front (matters regarding the documentary) for awhile, so I appreciate your patience. Given some events in the past six months, I’ve decided to take creative control of this project. Things like that sometimes happen. I plan on giving my former partner for this project credit Read More …

The EH 95000 looper

I gotta admit, this looks a bit intriguing. Looking forward to seeing one of these in person to give it a try. I like how the designers finally just “own it” that a looper is pretty much a performance friendly, portable mini-recording studio in the design and layout of this unit. #win

Year In Review Video Blog

Let’s take this moment to welcome in our AI overloads; this is a video blog movie that was entirely generated, automatically, from my iPhone. That being considered, it did a fairly decent job, assisted with just a bit of editing on my part. I used this same format for the November 2017 video blog. To Read More …

Give Me One Reason

This past weekend, I had my first outing with the Ashleigh Chevalier band in a long time. We had roughly six months off as Ashleigh had fractured her wrist while we out on the tour earlier this year. And then she fractured it…again. What were the chances, right? Well, thankfully, she’s been on the mend. Read More …

Walnut Jazz Bass Videos

So, by request, I put together some footage of the new bass in action this past weekend. I’m still getting used to the neck, so forgive the moments where I’m still getting my footing with this bass. The first 1:22 is all pics from the build, including some new ones. Jump to 1:24 to see Read More …

Gauntlets

Reading about Wonder Woman today. I’m a long-time fan…her story just resonates with me. So like many folks, I’m looking forward to the movie release this week. Her story is long overdue to be told on the big screen. BTW, all the Wonder Woman images are copyright Warner Brothers, not mine. I’m just borrowing them Read More …

“What’s it like?”

“What’s it like?” I figured I’d do something different for this blog and revisit a blog post I originally wrote Monday, May 14th, 2007. I’ve updated it some as well with new perspectives and ideas as it’s been a few years and many more experiences were had since this was first written. So many folks Read More …

DKRE – studio footage

Band at work…studio “office”…trying to get a track done. We were working at the studio at UMW on this particular day. Double Koru Rock Ensemble is; Oliver Kriska – violin Dave Hills – cello JB Hope – guitar Bart Balderson – drums Brittany Frompovich – bass

Enrollment for RSMC will close soon…

NoVa, Richmond, Fredericksburg folks…this is a great weeklong day camp for music that I teach at every summer for young people. It’s immersive and intense…which promotes a lot of growth for the campers in a short time. The enrollment deadline is coming up. Check out the details at their website. www.rsmusiccamp.com

RSMC 2017 enrollment is closing soon!

NoVa, Richmond, Fredericksburg folks…this is a great weeklong day camp for music that I teach at every summer for young people. It’s immersive and intense…which promotes a lot of growth for the campers in a short time. The enrollment deadline is coming up fast. Check out the details at their website. www.rsmusiccamp.com RSMC camp promo Read More …

New Jackplate for the Walnut DIY

Parts are arriving….this is a reasonable $7.99 part to use for just the knobs and the metal control plate. The soldering job is pretty bad though. Thankfully, I was already planning on gutting the electronics on this plate and soldering my own choice of pots and caps in there. Onward…

Tonight’s Office

Getting set up in tonight’s office; ballroom at the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts. #lightwave #spector #warwick #kaliumstrings Rockin’ the black formal wear at the SRCS Benefit Gala at the Riverside Center.

Former Students WILDLY Succeeding!

So, it’s been a great week of news about former students. One student has announced that he is going back to school working on his master’s in composition at Bowling Green State University. Congrats Stephen Hennessey on that opportunity and decision. I keep hearing great things about your progress through the grapevine. 🙂 Another great Read More …

Video from the new Trio Project

Last week, I decided to do something different for my solo bass show at Adventure Brewing Company South. I invited special guests Bruce Middle (guitar) and Bart Balderson (drums) to join me on the gig as a trio. We covered my solo bass arrangement of Eleanor Rigby, which someone described as “the Eleanor Rigby superjam”….running Read More …

Photoshoot – 1/13/2017

Among a long list of tasks kicking off the new year; get some good promo pics for Warwick. The folks at Warwick have treated me really well. Early January is usually not so busy, so I scheduled a photoshoot for myself and fellow Warwick artist Chris Welborn. That being said, many thanks to the multi-talented Read More …

DKRE Kashmir Cover Video

It was a busy Christmas “break”; two rehearsals and then lessons on Monday,  a 13 hour day in the studio on Tuesday, and then Wednesday night a “promotional” appearance at Doughtery’s Tavern to generate interest in our New Year’s Eve show. Here’s some video from the promo event;  

Shenanigans

We’re backstage, at the start of a show. The Edwin Drood pit orchestra. We’re in a “loft-pit”, as I’ve come to call it…a second-story loft that is above the stage area. This pit is not visible to the audience, so shenanigans do occur. I’m sitting on the floor next to my bass. It’s a two-show Read More …

RIP Leonard Cohen

“There’s a blaze of light In every word It doesn’t matter which you heard The holy or the broken Hallelujah” RIP, and thank you for the music. You created one of my favorite songs to cover.  A song that harkens to spacious scaredness of a heart rendered tender by brokenness, a heart rendered tender by Read More …

Wear your arrows…

Life changes us. Wear your scars and arrows. They landed to scar you, change you, create something new…to change the course of your life for the better. I usually don’t post memes, but this resonates this week as I watch people around me struggling with various but necessary changes in their lives. My favorite part Read More …

Flow State…

11/6/2016 – Tech week for Drood has passed, plus the opening night and the first weekend…8 days.  Last Saturday feels like a solid MONTH ago.  A million things have happened….teaching, tech week, load-in, sound checks, preps for a recording session, practicing, another gig in Leesburg, booking gigs…the list goes on. Looking in my recycle bin, Read More …

The Devaluation of Music…

Interesting read (see the article at the end of this post). I’ve seen this “devaluation” most clearly in some of the attitudes of the music students I have taught. This isn’t all the students, obviously. And if you’ve signed up for lessons, you probably care more than most folks.  But there are these folks….as someone Read More …

The edge of the world…

This is a continuation of the previous post. File this under doing good AND things that freak you out…we need to invent a word for that. I can’t exactly call this serendipity, but in some ways, it feels like a form of it. Climbing into the wayback machine for a moment….to a younger version of Read More …

Tonight’s Office…

Today’s office; doing a presentation / mini concert at a school near Albany. Singing, looping, solo bass, and then the kids got to try electric strings. Sitting on the dock of a lake in the mountains of New York, near Averill Park. Music has taken me to some beautiful places. Big thanks Mike Dimin. #gratitude.

Tonight’s Office

Tonight’s office…Arthur’s Market and Cafe at 35 N. Ferry Street, Schenectady. Many thanks to Zen Reinhardt for sending me this pic from my show at Arthur’s on Wednesday night. Thanks for coming out Zen, it was great seeing you.