Friday, January 6, 2012

Hopi Torvald 2011 Almanac Volume 12 - December



 Hopi Torvald Almanac Vol 12 - December by HopiTorvald

Well, here it is...the last installment of the 2011 Almanac...man, it's been a long and bizarre year and this little project has taught me much about music, discipline, and myself...listening back to the songs in order and reading back over the past month's entries, it's interesting to see how things have developed...i'm surely planning on continuing this into the upcoming year!

So December was pretty chill...did lots of recording (with Purling and Black Lodge), did some hanging out here and there, and did the whole Christmas thing.  Christmas was uber chill.  More family time which was great and needed and i got lots of nifty stuff...books on Sound Therapy and Aromatherapy from the folks which i'll be delving into over the next few months and a juicer which i've already put to good use (pineapple, cucumber, and apple has been my fave so far)...and some  other odds and ends i'm pretty happy about.  mostly enjoyed the family time in the country away from the city...one big highlight of the month was my annual Respite from the Cold event at the First Existentialist Congregation...really enjoyed the music of Villages, Magicicada, Quiet Evenings, and HTA, and i did my set on piano accompanied by Sadie Hawkins with her pretty fluffy fans!

So this song is a continuation of the vibes from Respite, a piano song....the first part was actually meant to be another collaboration piece for myself and an aerialist (as of this writing, unrealized, but maybe it'll come about in the future) and the second part is an improvised ditty noodling around a loose structure.  it's pretty sparse so i decided to play with the room ambience and use that as another instrument in the song to create a backdrop for the ensuing ivory tapestry...that's really about it.  it's another anomaly in the hopi torvald canon, but i'm hoping to include more piano in upcoming workings.

this month's randomly ordered top 10:

1. juicing
2. christmas with the family
3. matthew's dad's book about the sipsey wilderness
4. assertiveness, self-worth and not taking b.s.
5. respite from the cold and all of the musicians who played it!
6. these bands/artists: quiet evenings, justin timberlake, leviathan, a winged victory for the sullen, fennesz with ryuichi sakamoto, diva, bastard noise, etc etc etc...
7. upcoming 2011 almanac release (!)
8. this new iphone
9. hugo (yeah, it's worth seeing this thing in 3-d)
10. reflecting back over the roller coaster of 2011.

anyway, enjoy the tune, be good to yourself, have a happy new year and do be in touch.

love,
nathan