Friday, July 29, 2011

Hopi Torvald 2011 Almanac - Volume 7 - July



Ah, July....the summer heat has been just fine to me. i've not been running the air conditioning except when company comes, i've been going bike riding, getting some sun...yes, summer suits me ok....this month started out swimmingly. this was month two of an extensive dietary cleanse/detox which was supplemented by new types of exercise and a general clarity of mind. the fourth of july was a spectacular time. despite overcast skies, i spent it on the rooftop of a downtown hotel, swimming and sunning up when we could alongside tons of fun-having strangers and it ended up being the chill downtempo holiday that it was meant to be...even temporarily broke the diet for a hot dog... i also got to see visiting peers richard and brynna from auburn days...so awesome to catch up....everything else has been pretty smooth. not so much to report on the hopi torvald front...but working on several new projects which include mastering for several folks and recording some songs with purling...fun...

well...so, a week ago i started experiencing hearing loss in my right ear. my ears being precious to me and put to daily productive use, i went to the doctor the day after feeling a bit of muffledness....a good cleaning and antibiotics did no good, however, and the hearing worsened over the weekend until all i had was a deaf ear with a good mess of ringing going on...a week of this has had me extremely discouraged..especially since precious music sounds muddy and distorted and it's hard to communicate with folks...the specialist today told me that the cause is still unknown...possible nerve damage? so now, on steroids and antibiotics, i face a mysterious musical future. i have hope that my hearing will return and that this is a minor setback. today i decided to cope by documenting the experience in a song.

about a week ago, i learned that i couldn't even play piano well without muffled tones and distorted frequencies just ruining it for me. i found that i DID, however, enjoy putting my "good ear" against the wood of the piano and playing notes...the resonation comforting/soothing to my tired ol' ears....so with this song, i started the whole thing off with strong plucked piano tones...adding distant melodies and some synthy washes in tribute to a month well passed...a bit in, however, the melodic aspect disbands in place of the piano note's resonance...the trail of the notes that linger and vibrate slowly...i used these sounds, looping and stretching, as a palate to explore the hearing loss. it's hard to tell what the song actually sounds like...if it's mixed or mastered well...if the volume level is correct...if parts are even in KEY...but i suppose that's the point. this almanac IS, after all, a document of my year. i think it's a bit of a departure from recent sonic sundries i've posted for just this reason.

SO...enjoy if you will and if not, know at least where it's coming from.

this month's randomly ordered top ten:

1. fire! getting a new fire staff..hopefully this weekend!
2. that new bike...i ride over to stone mountain about twice a week now and it's such a lovely trail and great exercise!
3. upcoming eyedrum shows that i booked this week including wooden wand (now on young gods!) and the renderers (previously on none other than one of my faves...flying nun! from new zealand) really happy to be working with labels that i love and these great bands.
4. planning a tour. ear issues or not, i'm going ahead and planning an east coast tour in early october. i want to do chapel hill, balitimore, nyc, philly, and johnson city tennessee so if you're in the area, give me a shout and let's do musics together!
5. the diet..it's officially over but it's become a lifestyle change now. mind and body....eating right has never felt so good on my system.
6. rap music....not much else...nwa, easy-e, big boi, mos def, tribe called quest, ultramagnetic mc's, jay-z, nas, eric b and rakim...something just clicked and it feels great revisiting some old hip hop friends and listening to some stuff i never really gave a chance...
7. soundtracks to underwater documentaries.
8. peanuts - charlie brown and those guys
9. almonds and cashews - they are better than peanuts
10. good friends.

i sincerely hope that july was good to you and that you are doing very well. thanks for listening and i hope to see you soon.

love, nathan

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