HOME

 

related

seattle diaries
guitar craft diaries
seattle rep circle
seattle practice circle
discipline diaries
nj circle diaries

  Steve Ball Diary
 
Monday July 29 
Tuesday July 30 
Wednesday July 31 
Thursday August 01 
Friday August 02 
Saturday August 03 
Sunday August 04 
 
 
Read the archive
Monday August 05 
Tuesday August 06 
Wednesday August 07 
Thursday August 08 
Friday August 09 
Saturday August 10 
Sunday August 11 

Monday July 29

Potential SBRS September Wedding show is getting more likely by the minute.  Sounds like it could be a very special wedding.  Details coming together nicely.  Thanks EmilyG!

* * *


Tuesday July 30

Preparations for shows coming up next week have us recording less and rehearsing more this week.  Shifting gears. 

* * *


Wednesday July 31

Buh-bye July.   My mom's birthday this weekend.  Why do I always wait until the last minute on Birthday's??  Just-in-time works great in a factory.  Sucks for Birthdays. 

* * *

Early morning SC board meeting.  Some clear direction emerging gently.  Based on these people, and their clear wish to work together in realizing our publicly-stated SC mission, I am in for another year on the SC board.  Beginning again.  Again.

* * *


Thursday August 01


Quick email exchange re: ADAT exchange with R. Chris Murphy, now in LA.  Seems Chris remixed the Greenthumb hidden track version of Gravity for an Italian music magazine.   

* * *


Friday August 02


Sent another mail to old League of Crafty Guitarists, Curtains, and Prometheus band-mate Nigel Gavin who may or may not be coming to Seattle in the next few weeks.  No confirmation one way or another.

* * *


Saturday August 03


Early morning trip to the Airport.  8 ^ (

* * *

Called an old Crafty friend, Davide Rossi who is in town with Cirque du Soliel for a couple of months.  Nice to hear his voice on my answering machine yesterday.  Invited him to SBRS show on Monday night.   Hope he can make it.

* * *

Another productive afternoon of recording.  And miles to go before I sleep. 

* * *


Sunday August 04

Off.  Sort of.

* * *


home




Monday August 05


SBRS at the Hopvine tonight.  A satisfying show, all the way around.  Good audience, pretty good sound (self-organized with our own gear this time!)  Nice to see many new and old faces in the crowd tonight.  We were (the proverbial) "on."

1000 words:


TravisM with special guest, Davide Rossi experience 'Cirque du Pelota" with front row seats.


TravisH miming the universal sign for "No 'Back in NYC' "


Host and soundman, Kurt


TravisH photographs the photographer


TobinB miming the universal hand signal for "my glass is way too empty for this music."

* * *

Rumor has it that Steve Turnidge was also in the audience taping (with 'help' in the classic GC definition from artsy-pants cameraman, TobinB) for BTV2002.

Hope to see this show on DVD sometime soon.

* * *


Tuesday August 06


Some great debates going on in email today.  Some musical in nature, some SC related.  All practical and necessary.  A joy to be working with clean and pleasant people.  Even in email.

* * *

Good news at work today.  Hard work paying off in tangible ways.

* * *

Looking forward to Pitcairn show this Friday night with Tim and Phil

* * *


Wednesday August 07


Tempted to publish some of my long emails that went out today, but common sense tells me I have neither the interest nor energy that would be required in defending the inevitable attack their publication would provoke.

Sometimes our best friends hide within the bearers of that which disturbs and annoys us the most.  And sometimes we undermine the potential of those we seek to 'advise.' 

* * *


Thursday August 08

More long-ish email negotiations (that are happening in email because in is literally impossible to meet face 2 face with the involved (or wishing-to-be-heard-but-not-involved) parties over issues I have explored, visited, suggested, implied, presented, shared, implemented, adjusted, abandoned and/or re-hashed going on a dozen times now with various groups, businesses, and projects over the years: how to work together in a way that is effective?  How to make decisions within an (alleged) group without allowing a least common denominator 'ethic' to undermine operations?  How to apply intelligence and rigor in domains outside of the GC primaries?  How to achieve accountability where there is no incentive?  How to 'operate' without trusted, acknowledged and supported leadership?

Losing my patience and will to continue herding jaded, ornery, opinionated, though inactive and untrusting cats. 

Again. 

* * *

On the brighter side, an excellent and inspiring SBRS electric rehearsal at Pitcairn Scott this evening in preparation for our show tomorrow night.  Both TravisH and TravisM were 'on' and sounding really good. 

What might be possible if we had a rehearsal/performance space like this available at our fingertips 24/7?

In intend to find out in the next year, with or without SC infrastructure, support, or involvement.  Negotiations and email in the next 24 hours may determine the 'with or without' question.  

No response is also a response that may bring me to the  end of a certain rope.

Not a problem, however.  I have many other vibrant strings in the game. 

* * *


Friday August 09


Up early to do 999 errands before a day full of working meetings. Many things lining up, going well.  Must take care now to keep things on track, use the momentum that has been slowly building over the past year and stay focused.

One more set of errands this morning involving dropping off a DI box and picking up chairs in Ballard with TravisM.

* * *

Hopeful correspondence with Matt Burgess, local, in-demand percussionist/drummer.  Hope we can hook up near the end of August.  Also, working to find out more details about an SBRS show on August 24th that is (in theory) booked, but none of us know where the show is to be... 

* * *


Saturday August 10


Up early after a late night.  What else is new.  Beginning a week of family reunion. 

* * *


Sunday August 11

Over and out.

* * *


home