Fstars.com: Blog

Someone asked me to translate a portion of Dylan's autobiography, "Chronicles, vol.1". There was a chaper in there where post accident, Dylan remembered an old music theory taught to him by his then mentor in the blues. Basically, it was a way to strike the listener with his guitar patterns, while varying the style of his singing. An Eastern modality, played out on the guitar.

In a nutshell, Dylan was told that in order for his songs to really standout, he had to abandon the norm of playing an even bar measure for an odd bar measure. So, instead of the 4/4 time, he had to play 4/5 or 4/7 times. But what works for the blues and jazz, doesn't for a band. This method assumes no more than two voices. Once you start adding other voices of a band, such as drums, bass, piano, lead guitar, etc, it makes the sound atonal and murky. Dylan learned this the hard way.

But then, this modality has been prevailing in Indian classical music for ages. A sitar and tabla instrumental displays this nicely. Most of the tabla's "taal" is in an odd metered count, not the westernized "teen taal" that we associate with mix-tapes. So again, the West perfects yet another ancient Eastern tradition and profits.

When will we heed our traditional teachings and rise above materially? Some of us are trying...

The Fstars are in a downtime run. Nothing happening as we wait for Dox to recover from pneumonia. These large spaces of inactivity are troublesome for me. I tend to let my mind wander down ill-trodden paths and obscure confines. The product is more things to worry over, more things to think upon, and less focus in the near term.

So, to keep busy, and my mind off the negativity that's always lurking - I've given the band some exposure among the litter of net-working sites online. Also included the verified ones on the bandpage, under links [//fstars.com/Links.html]

I'm always thinking two years ahead and it is a changing medium for us artists. More on that later, but the definitive truth remains - art is still a personal creative and needs aknowledgement to breathe. Afterall, art without recognition is just isolation.

Till next blog...

gapingvoid: how to be creative

Found this while surfing and it is a great discourse on the creative element. A good read and even livlier discussions.

On THE FSTARS front: Dox is out sick with pneumonia (yes, the full blown version with potent antibiotic meds) and thus we are grounded at the moment musically. But he will get better and then also, Spring will be here - so, should make for better gigs.

There have been 80 minute CD's out there for some time now, but still the Industry has been lax to grasp the idea of filling it up. One thought is to put a few bonus tracks, like outtakes at the end of a movie - except here, it would be studio outtakes of the songs in progression. Kind of what the Beatles did in their box sets. THE FSTARS have this on the web as well [check Rehearsals page].

And why not? Often times, I've been more inspired by the fumbling of music creation than the glossy image itself. Or another idea would be to do some of the music unplugged - to showcase musicianship. I know I'd be impressed if any of these "POP" bands [read: Britney, Christina, any-EMO band, etc] would be able to transcend with just the basics, sans effects and overdubs.

There are so many possibilities. So, why put out less when there's room (literally & figuratively) for more.

Signal or Noise: the Future of Music on the Net

And I thought my coined phrase of "15mb of fame" was wholly original. Seems like this Harvard prof. beat me to it, in 2000. Okay, will have to give him credit for 'inspiring' the website/org (should it eventually take off).

Maybe he'll write the bylaws...

Last week's scheduled performance was canceled due to snow and flu. So, this week we will try again. Also, have the podcasting element figured out and set up, now just have to concentrate on something meaninful to contribute. I secured the domain '15mg.org' to showcase people/groups that ought to get their 15 minutes, or now that we're immersed in the digital age, their 15mb of fame. Mid-year, I'll start that endeavor.

On the band front, until we get ourselves a decent band picture representative of ourselves, I'm sticking with our logo. At least it's somewhat recognizable. Also, been mulling the idea of two EP's per calendar year instead of one full length. This way it keeps The Fstars primed with musical energy and the fans get good doses of our songs (5-7 each LP), without either one of us getting "bored". I've got the lyrics and music for this - hey, even on this approach, it'd take me 20 years to exhaust my current catalog. Also, by the time we rehearse/record/showcase the EP, we are mentally leaning towards something else, so why be married to the same 10-12 songs for the tour, when we can accomodate our creative muses. My thoughts, as a musician.

Anyway, first matter is to showcase and record the current 5 song EP. And that we are in the midst of doing. So, as I stated previously, this week we resume our performances.