Ava - Techno Muddle

Hi Guys ... I just attempted to follow some blogspot advice and register our blog with an outside agent, Technorati (like the name, loathe the site), which appears to be a site that promotes blogs and blogging. It was a dreadful experience. After registering, and being accepted as a member, I could not sign in with my own password - nor with the two temporary ones they supplied. To make it worse, their Help system was like a morbid labyrinth. This site was the first in a list of 4 of its kind, so I am assuming it is the best of the lot. That's it for me. If I hate being involved with it this much already it can't be the answer. Well, that's a lot of blogging and slogging for one Day Of Rest so I'm off to read a good book. I'm certain you two had fun today frogging and clogging.

Ava - Multi-Dimensional

Hi Garrick and Stu ... I think the next step (or, at least, another good step) is to press further and work with our visual team to add a visual dimension to our sound. I know we are already poised to take our audio pieces into DVD format but how can we also add still images into the mix? We need, I think, to be able to project related and supportive images - inspired by each piece of music - onto the stage (or thereabouts) when we are performing. Also, what about these resulting images being published, along with our lyrics, into a book format. We were kind of touching on this the last time we were gathered. Yes?

Also, on another front, I am learning ways to promote our blog to a broad, random readership as well as following a simple, local suggestion to add our blog address as a "signature" on my email. Now, isn't that super easy to do! And, will it somehow burden or distort my regular email communication with friends and relatives?? Don't know. I guess I will find out.

Ava - Step Right Up

Oh my ... do I ever love our musical story about the Spiritual Marketplace. It transports me and amuses me at the same time. It also inspires me to keep on travelling The Open Sesame path.

We all did a bang up job on this piece, in my opinion, and special thanks to Mourasia Duffus for adding a very cool layer of backup vocals. Good on all of us!

Ava - More Polishing

Hi Stu and Garrick (notice the change up here ... need to keep the "seeds" balanced!) . I wanted to point out I have changed our "blurb" at the top left of our blog home page once more. I think the "musical storytelling" aspect of our work is important to promote as it is part of our original way of viewing and creating our pieces.

There are only 500 characters allotted for this space so I had to edit the overall blurb quite severely. But, I think it works, if you two do as well. Let me know if I am "off" and how I can get "on" if either of you see it this way.

Also, I have modified another setting so that it doesn't appear as if Garrick is the only publisher on this blog. The change appears below each blog we publish and, yes, I see it has accepted my changes. (I wasn't sure it would like the two slashes.) NOTE: Crap ... I just noticed this change also shows up down at the bottom where the G-Traits are listed. Eventually, we should probably replace the teeny weeny photo of Garrick alone with a teeny weeny group photo and change the text to a pithy line or two about each of us ... yes?

Ava - Uncertain

Hi Garrick ... I'm uncertain what you mean here. Do you mean how to see the "inside" of a person in terms of colour, texture and energy? If that's what you mean, I don't know how one would "see" that with a lens either.

Personally, I would take a basic portrait and then layer in the other expressive and creative elements by using Photoshop (employing what I term as "software enhancement"). So, in essence, the photographer would/might "build" their finished "new age portrait" they way we - as "The Open Sesames" - build a musical story (through adding layer upon layer of creative expression). In the case of the portrait it is visual expression and in our case it is audio expression.

how to see that with a lens becomes the problem?

Ava - New Age Portraiture

No, it's okay, let's stick with the original hook as it is this phrase

I thought about all day and have my answer for. If I was a model for a "new age portrait" I would wish it to represent not how I look but who I am spiritually.

Now, let's make it more general. How do I think creating this type of portraiture can be approached?

Garrick, let's say your partner, Pamela, is the portrait photographer. She could employ her intuitive healing modalities (e.g. therapeutic touch and/or chakra scanning) to "see" the shape, colour and texture of her model on the "inside" and this information could be translated into a visual context combined with (or overlaying) a portrait of the person. Or, insight into a model's interior could be gained by talking to the person and finding out what astrological sign they are and then overlaying their portrait with fire, sky/clouds, water, or something earthy like flowers or trees. Etc.

Now, Stu, let's say your partner, Patricia, is the portrait photographer. I understand from you she has both an interest in, and an aptitude for, photographing youngsters. She could team up with a local astrologer and a package could be created consisting of a birth chart reading (nicely presented on one page) and a portrait. If Patricia becomes interested in "software enhancement" of her portraits she could pull information from this one page reading to layer into the portrait itself.

As you can see, I am thinking of ways to make "new age portraiture" truly "new age".

Keeping in mind there is an established portrait photographer right up the street from The Fiddleguy's Place in the person of Mr. Bob House, this would create a real difference from his work and I believe it would be very exciting for the photographers themselves. I also think there is a market for something along this line among a certain, and by no means insignificant, group of people.

Lots of thought and work would need to go into creating a new age portrait but what rewarding thought and work this would be. In my opinion.

Hook One - Finished

it may well be a new term so to help you ponder say a woman such as yourself wished to be immortalized in a portrait what should it say to future generations looking at it about us ?

Ava - Quickly Checking In

Hi Garrick and Stu ... My internet connection here at home is going wonky! I can seem to reliably get on in the mornings but not in the evenings. I have reported this unhappy circumstance to my landlord, whose connection I share, and I hope there will be a solution SOON. So, if I'm not as chatty as usual, this is why. Garrick ... I did see your hook and will give this some thought and respond to it. I didn't know there was such a thing "new age portraiture". I think this may be a newly minted category. Hmmm.

Hi Ava............I should be hearing The Fool today (new version that is). Glad to see and hear the excitement level is still running high..........thats important. Been a rather busy couple of days for me..................not busy just long------------holy weather systems Batman.........go west get snow, go east get snow.............so I have decided to go nowhere except to the studio to hassle, pester, bug, and generally give a hard time to our composer just for kicks. Naturally Garrick will have at least 5 or 6 songs written and ready for drums and all things percusive....................gotta take my bohran in there one day just to really throw the crazy bugger off course,,,,,,better yet take my geeeetar(said with southern tang laziness), and suave gentlemanly bearring, and burst into song about having nothing left 'cept a dog and a pick-up truck......................yup that might throw him, but only for a minute I'd wager................................

hook 1

new age portraiture, from a models perspective what should be sought by the photographer to appeal to todays viewer both sexes

Ava - Here's a Thought

Garrick - as per your recent blog and my response to it - it might be interesting to see how things would work having you throw out a specific hook to get me started writing on various topics if, as you state, my writing further afield would be a welcome addition to our initial concept for the blog. It could be in the form of a topic or even an opening sentence. This way blogging still remains interactive for me. Whether you choose to "play nice" all, or part, of the time is up to you.

Ava - Whoops!

My sincerest apology to my most distinguished and loving domestic companion, Mr. Mo. On the other hand, The Birdy Pair do not rate an apology for my oversight because they really just live with each other under my roof. I do enjoy hearing their on-going, softly burbling conversation going on in the background, though.

Ava - Aha!

You are there, Garrick! Hello. Originally, I understood this blog was a space for the 3 of us to share our thoughts, etc. with each other (and, hopefully, with other interested parties) as we create ourselves into The Open Sesames - each with our own unique voice and creative viewpoints. Therefore, I hadn't understood it to be, more or less, a forum for my own thoughts, insights, etc.. Hmmmm ... Perhaps it is evolving already?? Personally, I prefer the original concept as I live singularly and enjoy sharing ideas with others - especially the other two Sesames. I really benefit from exchanging ideas, concepts and off-the-cuff remarks with you and Stu as it keeps me inspired and aware of what you two are up to vis a vis The Open Sesames.

and who is the team writer so to speak,you are Ava this is your balleewick take the lead run with it it's your view that is most interesting so give it out i'm here to respond and comment when i need or want too and so is stu here's something to think on i don't think every blog needs to be hinged on a change or improvement in the projects we're doing now, but can be much broader in scope and more fun and perceptive! what think thee?

Ava - for Garrick

Hi ... I heard a rumour your friend who filled in (and recently edited) your personal profile is considering adding another "G trait". Something to the effect of you being a "meagre blogger". Just thought you might like a heads up .... !!!

(Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary) Meagre: Less plentiful than what is normal, necessary or desirable.

Synonyms: hand to mouth, light, poor, scant, scanty, scarce, skimpy, slender, slim, spare, sparse, stingy

Ava - for Stu

Hi ... I can't wait to hear how you like our new version of "0-The Fool". I am accompanying this blog with a visual so you can see, for yourself, the relationship between the lyrics and the Tarot card. Oh, my. We have lots of fun ahead of us, my friend!

PS: This is my favourite card in the entire deck. I love its spirit of utter guilelessness.

As our song says ... "Oh, let me be that perfect fool who, once poised, doth leap."

The Queen & The Huckster

Hi Garrick and Stu ... I think it would be equally interesting and provocative to have "Spiritual Marketplace" follow "The Four Queens" on both the Romantica CD and in live performance. I say this because: A) They require the same prop, i.e., my walking stick, where first it will be employed as a royal sceptre and next it will be transformed into a huckster's "magic wand-cum-shepherd's crook" and, B) A queen's voice should, nay must, a direct contrast to a huckster's voice. A queen commands, a huckster wheedles. Yes?

(Wikipedia) Huckster: A seller of small articles, usually of cheap or shoddy quality, or one engaged in haggling or in making petty bargains, that is, a certain type of peddler or hawker.

Ava - Tuesday Night's Housekeepping

Hi Garrick and Stu ... Please note I changed our blurb on the top of our blog under "The Open Sesames" banner. Are we in accord with exactly what's written here? If not, please let me know how I can improve it and/or make it more accurate. If I don't hear back from either of you, via Blog, I will assume both of you agree with these statements. (Stu ... I'm getting to the point I can almost hear you volunteering something completely out of left field!!!). More blogging on more interesting things later.

Ava - Later on Mon. Nite

Garrick and Stu ... I have lots, lots more to enthuse about (so excited) but am going to sign off for this evening and add more after tomorrow morning's studio session . Stu ... We are going to start creating "Spiritual Marketplace" which is song number 9, the last for this CD. You haven't seen the lyrics yet but I'm pretty sure you will find their "tongue in cheek" approach to today's spirituality amusing. I'll send you a copy by email tonight. Then, we are going to check out the CBC site and learn how we can make a submission for Canada Writes. PS: Ask Garrick about the "Carole Pope" reference. I just watched a couple of her videos on YouTube. Her voice? ... well, yeah ... I guess I do get the comparison.

Ava - Monday Night

Hi Garrick and Stu ... What a great, great day at the studio. We are really on to something fine and highly original - and I feel so blessed. Garrick and I did a recap after you left, Stu, and we are in good shape to wrap up our first "The Open Sesames" CD entitled (thrilling drum roll here, please and thank, you Stuart ...) "Romantica" in the very near future. My mother stopped by for a listen to the 6 out of 9 tracks we have rendered and "in the bag" and she really liked them ... especially "The Web Of Attraction". I guess this is the kind of sensual song women might rent(?) as a "artistic sound-o-gram" for someone they wish to be in a web with! Hmmmm ....

Hi Ava...sorry for my absence of late both on the blog and in the studio, it has been a very trying week that was 4 months in the making, and now that it is all done it has left me feeling very used, betrayed, and foolish..........................buy the ticket take the ride.
Thank you for your comments and thoughts on the drum tracks. I hope I'm on the right page,,,,,,,,,,,,can't help but feel that these tracks are more about capturing an emotion than just laying down beats, fills, etc etc etc. All have proven to be very fun indeed and your post of how you view each poem was immensly helpfull. Four Queens took (no irony here), 4 tracks to complete with a discussion as to how to make a feminine sound on a drumkit, stay ontime, accent the proper points, grab the overall feel/groove not screw it up, maintain the feel with a headfull of pot. My reward (as sick as this sounds), is to hear the artists say "that's it.....thats what we re looking for......nailed it!!!"
In all the studio and live work I have done over the decades 90 percent of the time I get dumb, blank stares from my fellow musicians when I ask questions like "what feel are going for in this track?"......................the general asnwer is "just crank a beat in 4 man."
Glad to hear somebody is listening, and recognising the input any one instrument has on any collaborative effort.............................I gotta say a 53 point roll in 3/4 time ending with a massive crescendo on 2 cymbals bottomed with an accented bass drum just didin't jump out at me for any of the poems...................which is great 'cause ussualy thats what I do when other musicians say "just crank out a beat in 4 man,"............................and the silly sods generally have the nerve to say,"shit Stuart,,,,,that was great man," proving once again that people don't know what they like.....they like what they know.
I am more than happy and a little impressed that you and Garrick understand the importance of playing the song not the instrument.
OK......so after that little diatribe I will see you in roughly 30 minutes........................

Ava - Four Queens Update

Hi Stu ... Garrick sent me a different, obviously updated version of the Four Queens today ... this one had my vocal track on it (plus your drumming) so now I will respond to this one. In this one your drumming (or should I say "your percussions?" ... or, "your percussiveness"?) is more layered but still crisp and commanding to my ear. I really appreciate the accent on the imperiousness of each Queen you have expressed as the verses change. Hope this feedback makes sense. It's a new vocabulary for me as I grow my listening skills.

Ava - Four Queens

Stu ... Garrick also sent me an mp3 of the Four Queens with your drum track on it ... it sounds crisp, commanding and uncluttered to my ears ... i'm looking forward to hearing this one fully assembled ... it happens to be one of my favourite pieces of writing because it was inspired by my love of astrology and tarot (subjects dear to my heart and, when it comes to astrology in particular, long in my mind). Again, I hope you are happy with it and enjoyed laying it down. Thanks, Stu! I hope I see you on Monday and/or Tuesday.

Ava - High Five

I love The Raree Show Song ... Stu you have created a swirling, bright element that adds beautifully and perfectly to the sound while supporting the mood of this piece! I hope you enjoyed adding this track and that you are happy and satisfied with the result. Are you? And, Garrick, your backup vocals on the chorus sounds very trippy. It pushes the envelope to the exact right degree. I sent this mp3 along to someone who has a wonderfully complex and rich mind and she was very positive about both the sound and the feel of this piece. Garrick I look forward to seeing all, or part, of this posted as a video as I still believe you are planning to do. Yes?

Hi Ava, and Garrick................let me get the business stuff outta the way and off my mind in some vain attempt to get my usual "bent, madness thought process," back . Got the new lyrics Ava.....bravo....well done, and I really appreciate your mood interpetations of the 4 titled tracks...........those interpretations help me greatly..........better to follow a mood in a timeframe than just a timeframe. Pamella...............cd cover...............WOW (my best Christopher Walken "WOW.")...................thats pretty cool.....really cool, I LIKE IT.
Anyway............gonna take a crack at laying down some tracks tomorrow morning either Garrick stuff, Ava stuff, combination thereof,,,,,,,,,, or the drummer may just bash away madly until he feels he has the whole mic ing thing under control...........so there that's the business stuff done.
So hopefully young Garrick I will be ready and awake tomorrow morning brimming with enthusiasm and energy, ready to take on the world armed only with my sticks, drumset and wit, mumbling incoherently about bloodsucking lawyers, money sucking friends, and shipping the whole lot of the ugly, guilty bastards off to a sheep farm in Australia where they can be dealt with in a proper, just manner.................nope, this isn't gonna work in a theraputic way..............still too angry.......................C 'ya in the mornin

Ava - Yesterday's Vocal Tracks

this is how I view the "mood" of each vocal track we have laid down so far: 1. Ode To Craig Kennedy (haunting), 2. Four Queens (imperiously feminine x's 4), 3. The Web of Attraction (beguiling to the senses), 4. The Raree Show (ballad-esque), and 5. To Whom It May Concern (tender)

Ava - Garrick's profile

looks like the friend who described you added a little something-something to your profile, Garrick ....

Ava - veeeery interesting

Hi Garrick and Stu ... I just googled The Open Sesames to see if our blog would come up ... it didn't ... or at least not prominently where i could readily spot it ... BUT it is really interesting to see the variety of ways it does come up ... the phrase "the open sesames" is widely used in a variety of interesting contexts ... "the open sesames" is like a commonly understood and meaningful phrase in some circles ... being used, for instance, like this:

"... often confusing in their own right, frequently obsure but exciting too, for they are in fact magic carpets - the open-sesames to whole new worlds ..."

and this:

" They are the open sesames to the other world, which is so good, gentle and beautiful, but which only exists in a child's imagination ... "

and, also, this:

"According to Madam Dariaux "these efforts are one of the keys, one of the Open Sesames, that unlock the door to elegance ... "

Hey Garrick ...

you mentioned mp3 vs. video ... are you still planning to video-ize "The Raree Show" mp3 and upload all or part it to our blog? ... i imagine you still are but that you want to get Stu on it first?? ... that would be GREAT

Ava - CD & Cover

Hi ... I have more to write on other things but, right now, I wish to say I like the cover art for Garrick & Stu's CD a lot ... which makes me equally (well, no, actually MORE excited) to think what Pam could come up with for the forthcoming "The Open Sesame" CD ... especially as I hope it can be dedicated to Craig by taking "The Ode To Craig Kennedy" track for its title and its purpose ... so, of course, the CD cover will be a visual homage to Craig!! (PS: Where is his evening suit of clothes ??????) ... I imagine this being truly inspiring to Pam and cheering to you, Garrick ... Stu, can you tune into the "rightness" of this?? I imagine you can but can you? ... I had a really long think about Craig on the way home from the rehearsals Garrick refers to in his blog-before-last ... and, out of that, rose the belief he deserves a tribute body of work for being exactly who he was ... i don't think I will meet a truer archetype than Craig was, bless his heart ... what a character! ... first and foremost to me he was a crystal clear example of the astrological sign of Gemini ... in his case i saw his duality as that of a gent/monster (monster as a "threatening force" ... he did have the most cutting stare i have ever encountered) and a druid/inebriate and a aristocrat/pauper (using pauper more poetically than literally) ... but's that just how I saw (and still) see him

i'm liking this for the fiddleguy cd cover very neat pammy now we need one for the open sesames

well ava and i had a very good rehearsal this week got some good vocal trcs down and ready for enhancement so i think stu will be along in the morning and we'll get started on them unfortunataly i can only upload video no mp3 to this blog ah well can't give a sample yet

Greetings my fellow creative types......have fun today cranking out more emotionally charged music and words.........just a quick thought for you Garrick.............I know you have more so I'm not worried about that but..............you wanna line up 5 or 6 more songs, we can grab up some mics and......presto...lay down a few more tracks..................whaddya think, yes, no, possibly,............the indefinate possibility of a mybe....................did Adam and Eve have navels?????????????????yes yes, questions to ponder and bend ones mind.......................let me know. Have fun Sesames (PLURAL as in more than one)........yep that education thing is paying off..................
Ciao

Ava's V Day Rampage

as the only Sesame who is unpartnered my image posting rampage on Valentine's Day can perhaps be understood and indulged !!?? ... it's less fattening then chocolate and almost as heady as fine wine

Ava - Later on V Day

yes ... i like how the "Fiddle Guy" appears to be composed of the very bricks and mortar of the cityscape he is busking in ... pretty cool if i do say so myself (and I do) ... see you tomorrow at 9 ... as you can see i am still playing with settings and options

you can send us an email of the wicked story anyway i've got lots of knew music down for you to check out tomorrow the live drum is perfect in the mix for me anyway nice lookin guy in the pic

Ava - Now I'm Happy Again

here's one more Ava Ism to make up for the disappointment i felt not being able to (easily) post my "wicked" story ... i wonder who this fella can be?

Ava's Wicked Story (It's a Long One)

Darn!!! ... just learned something important ... i can't create a document in Word and then cut and paste into the Blog's composing area ... which means if i wish to share something more lengthy/meaty in The Open Sesames blog space then I have to either compose it here (awkward) or else retype it all here (time consuming) ... rats ... rats ... rats ... oh, well ... to amuse myself (and to satisfy my urge to contribute something new and different) i'm going to try to post an Ava Ism and see how it goes

so yesterday was very cool recording live and computer generated sounds and not being able to tell which is which afterwords bodes well as they say lots of fun photos by pam & stu

Ava - Suddenly Wide Awake

hey!!! ... just saw i somehow missed your latest blog, Stu ... first of all just wanted to say i enjoy reading them (i appreciate your distinctive "voice") and secondly i'm sorry i won't be seeing you at this Monday's and Tuesday's rehearsals ... i will miss having you there making interesting and expressive drum noises and adding the Stu element (your Air mixed with Garrick's Earth and my Water) to our fun ... be well til i see you next

Ava on Sat. Nite

i came up with an interesting result for my wicked story of "wicked" ... didn't see it coming ... i think i will post it here tomorrow for you and Stu (and whomever else ... will there be some whomever elses someday?)... i will do a little sunday editing first ... right now i am listening to a really interesting lecture i downloaded about Medical Hypnosis ......... and finding myself becoming a little sleepy ... sleepy .... slee

so ya missed one ava, the whig columns,and stu i like the title,setting things up for today watch your head!

here in K-Town

well that's day two of barbering down, one more to go this week ... i certainly have a split life these days ... and, honestly, i love both of them ... i do miss being around the Fiddleguy's Place (or the Fuddleguy, if you have a twisted sense of humour like Stu) to be part of all the carryings on but i love living in a Univsersity city ... the bulletin boards in all the funky cafes, etc., are filled with interesting things to do and try, should one have the time and the inclination ... mostly i am home working on all my creative projects ... namely, rehearsing my vocals for The Open Sesames (it appears this may well wind up being our "banner" and yes we ARE definitely open to fun, magic, hijinks of various descriptions and, most importantly, to each other's creative ideas) as well as writing poetry and prose for The OS, creating my visual work (known as "AVA Isms") and plugging away at a major tarot project aptly named "Tarotscapes" ... jeez, everything from soup to nuts ... no wonder i like to spend a certain number of hours a week trying to perfect ultra-precise haircuts ... it gives me a completely different and grounding focus ... anyway just got home and must change from thorny clothing to soothing (ach! these little hairs)

Impact you say Garrick...???... damned right----like a cranium to an I-beam I'd have to say. Anyway thank you Garrick, today was alot of fun...........outta the cuts recorded today I'd say 6 are good.................wanna do the last one tomorrow with bongos instead.........second last one might need some cleaning up as well. Do we have titles for them yet????????? I think one of the cuts from today should be called "Drums & Concussion," whaddya think.........c'mon make your somewhat dazed drummer happy......
Will be there around 10 tomorrow, I'm bettin we can get done pretty quick................not gonna be able to make Monday and Teusday this week, but not to worry Ava, I have three (or is it 4) down,,,,,,,you and Garrick can work out 3 or 4 more easily enough for me to learn................I see no shortages of material in the future...............have taken to bringing my camera with me for all those "unauthorized," shots that find thier way to album sleaves, plaintiff lawyers, etc etc etc in some type of attempt to document the chronology of our daily/weekly/whenever the hell we can type progress. Hopefully we can submit things like that in the future............show the world how wonderful and photogenic we are and allow them to share in our madness......................anyhoo----gotta go, driving my daughter and in-laws to the bus tonight so they can go to Jamaica for a week, while I stay here overworked and ill treated by our composer.......mans a slave driver I tell ya-----there are employment standards in our constitution...........look em up........thier there
C'ya around 10

so impact is what a drummer is all about isn't it stu? today we'll be recording our newly miked drums we got one cut done and decided we needed better miking i had our resident geek wolfy add inputs in the softwear and we grabbed up more mikes and we should be good to go today.

'scuse my tardiness

Being the timekeeper of this cast of characters it seems somehow fitting if not downright stupid that I should be last one to contribute to the blog............yup some things just can't be staged.
Well, where to begin????? Ava appears energised and excited, exploding with wonderfull creative thoughts, words, notions, concepts, and having fun........creeping Jesus I'm glad she's on our side......................Garrick in his post ( I have come to realise) has completely downplayed his involvement, talents and skill level. I myself have no idea what's expected of me in regards to blogging. Ho Ho we'll work it out as we go.......................for what it's worth my darling daughter informs me to be a successfull blogger I should have someone write said blog for me...........but where is the fun in that I ask????? Given the opportunity to expose my particular madness to the world through the means of electronic media, how could I resist. Indeed.
318 Front St downtown Belleville.......that's where the action is Folks,,,,,,lotsa wierd wonderfull things going on down there at The FuddleGuys Place. For my end of it the music is just great. Garrick gave a great description of it in his blog. For the right drummer that translates into almost infinite possibilities when working with a musician of Garricks calibre. Makes me wish I was an octopuss. Playing history, blah, blah, blah......do I have to go down that road??????? Big names, not so big names, arenas, halls, stadiums.......luckily VERY FEW bars, countless tours, 37 years at it......like a fine wine blah, blah, blah,,,,,, ya see???? I even bored myself. And so much for all that. We're onto something realy good down at The FiddleGuys Place you gotta come down hear and see for yourself.......I dare ya.
Meanwhile---The Open Sesames.....cool, are we that open??????? it's better than lets say.......The Clamshells, we could get a big Alladin's lamp for the stage,,,,, smoke misting out the spout backlit in firey reds and yellows. I can't say that I have any good name ideas,,,,,,except I wanna call an album Garricks By The Basement. Sorry Garrick from the first time you said it it stuck...
Oh I know.....we could pull the cop-out and name us after our town....hmmmm on second thought not so much,,,,,,,,,,,,I know....how about Nothin Better To Do,,,,,,,or ya ya this one.....Too Much Acid In The 70's,,,,,,Cazart......here ya go No Name, paint the bass drum skin yellow and put No Name in black..........I'm gonna stop now. Ava, I see you are concocting(spelling?????Jesus man did you go to school!!!!!!!!!!!) if not downright formulating thoughts on wicked. I LOVE IT......ho ho does this mean I have made an impact of sorts.....surley you jest. Remind me....where did this begin?
Ciao

well said A! so today i'll be recording in the dungeon with stu so we have to move the drums down but we'll get some tracks down and see how they sound i'm also working on a tune called skit scat it's wicked!

Ava - On Being a Mic Mistress

yes, i now have something new to hold in my hand when i work ... a microphone ... i am very used to holding a set of electric clippers in my hand as part of my day job as a military barber but a mic is a completely new tool for me ... who would have thought? ... i actually find it very comfortable to work with and just to have to remember to: 1. speak straight into it (and not over the top of it) and 2. to move it away from my mouth when i am not speaking into (so the listeners can't hear my breathing ... or any other mutterings)

Ava

... meant to add i am now running off to seek inspiration for a poetic story about "wickedness" to celebrate the growing and exciting creative collaboration between the-as-yet-to-be-finally-named musical storytelling group presently consisting of Garrick, Stu and me

Tues. Feb 9, 2010

Ava Again ... Hey! I thought we were going to be putting our heads together to make a final name choice which may replace our as-yet-to-be-agreed-upon option of "The Open Sesames" ... In my kinda mind it is important to be agreed upon our name so we can be guided by our choice, to live up to it, so to speak ... so, I'm going to carry on with the naming thing ... so, "The Open Sesames" is my suggestion, and one I am sticking with, because: the expression "open sesame" is associated in many, many minds (including my own) with treasure and magic ... to be "The Open Sesames" means to me that whomever is playing under this banner is agreeing to be whatever it takes to perform the kind of storytelling magic that will access the treasure (the hearts, minds, imaginations, bodily sensations) of all who listen to us ... as a plus it can also be understood that each of us is an open(sesame) seed ... i think we are open seeds, i think we do make magic and i think based on this we deserve to access the treasure we seek

so this is garrick they call me the fiddleguy it's my main instrument i'm known mostly for my celtic fiddling but i enjoy making up my own music i also play the mandolin so i'll probably get called mandoman 2 anyway i also have over the years had a great deal of performance experience in theatre & tv & film and various bands nightclubs and stand up you name it i've had a go at it and i have just started the fiddleguys place in downtown belleville 318 front st where i am able to put together new creative projects one of these is the open sesames with friends ava on vocals and stu on drums we are creating what i call new salon music,music for newly aging boomers who don't want another evening of cover tunes from the 60's 70's and 80's and the drunks that go with it. are music is thoughtful yet energetic and can be listened to intently or with good conversation so this blog is meant to keep us and we hope you up to date on how we're doing as we prepare for our first performance's in this new space my life partner arrives home today from vacation she is a photographer her art is displayed at the fiddleguy's place i hope you'll come and check it out it's amazing we just finished rehearsing the open sesames by the way if you have a better name we'll consider it anyway ava learned some of the secrets of the mike it needs to be used properly like any good tool she can tell you more on the subject cause i'm off to welcome pammy home

Ava on February 8

i'm doing this while i'm watching video footage of myself doing the vocals (spoken word) for The Web of Attraction ... this is all new to me ... learning to both laugh at myself and take myself seriously at the same time ... fun and interesting