So I guess I'll just write a brief update on some of the many things that I've got going on -
Zentropy - after our original drummer unceremoniously jumped ship last week, I find myself both extremely aggravated and strangely relieved. Aggravated, because he clearly KNEW he was going to bail for a few months, nevertheless he went along with my not-inconsequential efforts at generating professional promo materials (incl. a labor-intensive multi-camera video shoot) so we could pursue the kind of bookings that actually *paid* (and he had made it abundantly clear that if it DIDN'T pay, he wasn't interested). Now we're stuck with a bunch of footage and a bunch of photos that, while great for documentation, are essentially useless as promo material. Now time to find a new drummer and start again. Sigh...
BUT - also relieved - because it had become excruciating stressful to deal with the negative energy that had begun to surround almost every interaction. We already have three drummers set to try out with us over the next few days, and I'm excited about the idea of new, positive energy and what that will mean for our music. I'm so grateful that Gabe is such a laid back guy. When the success or failure of our improvised music hinges on the chemistry between the players, it helps to actually *like* each other and feel good about your relationships with your bandmates.
(note to self - if any future band mate ever mentions having taken "anger management classes" at some point, ditch him/her then and there!)
Z-Axis - After over ten years, we've been essentially running on inertia for awhile now. Not that there's anything wrong with that. We still make strong and satisfying music, albeit at a pace slower than molasses. Phillip's geographic departure has prompted a serious rethink to our way of doing things. One recent revelation is that the interminable weeknight edit/tweak/mix sessions that have become the norm lately, are increasingly counterproductive. The mental energy required for our close-quarter sessions have become fatiguing and "too much like work" so the idea is to devote our weeknights to actually playing music, and for me to do some of the editing/tweaking/mixing on my own time (whenever THAT is), and the rest during occasional weekEND sessions (which will likely be attended from time to time by Phillip, who has recently relocated to within four hours of Atlanta).
As far as the weeknight "playing" sessions, Mark, Jeff & I are toying with the idea of finding and bringing in a drummer and forming a "covers only" side project, just for the sheer fun of it. We're thinking about limiting ourselves to Eno & Eno-related songs - partly because that's a rich body of work to mine, and partly because it might be a cool concept for getting some just-for-fun gigs.
Other music-notes - the long delayed Sisyphus soundtrack recording is calling for attention at some point. My own solo electronica is a satisfying-yet-oft-neglected outlet deserving a bit more energy on my part. Prospecting for dance & theater scoring work remains in the realm of good-intentions-yet-to-be-actively-pursued. A planned solo-recording - "Icons and Archetypes" - keeps beckoning me...
And yeah, I'd still like to make art-films at some point...
The common thread with all of these, as is usually the case, is a decidedly limited allocation of time. Between the need for income-producing activities, the desire to spend downtime with family, the needs of maintaining a home, and the reluctance to let go of some seriously-taxing-yet-highly-rewarding volunteer commitments - bottom line - some shuffling of priorities is called for.
Hopefully the discipline of journaling will help me gain clarity -hopefully it won't become just another time-suck.
I'll write about work/income stuff later...
PS - I hope I'm not leaving the impression that the original drummer was some sort of monster. In fact, he is a hell of a drummer, and can be a very nice guy. We made a lot of amazing music together over the past 2 1/2 years - and for most of that time, the chemistry was ON. My sense is that he has been undergoing his own transitions and has allowed his stress to sabotage some otherwise productive relationships. Or maybe he just got sick of me!
