It’s official, we’re a band.

May 31st, 2009 § 0

che flyer

Yup, Aquapuke is officially a band.  Not only did we play the Che Cafe, we finally got a flyer that’s not done up in Microsoft Word.  The show was crazy in a good way, probably our most energetic yet (and boy, did it hurt).  Turns out substituting grape juice for wine didn’t make a huge difference.  Thanks to everyone who came!

Oh, the IASPM paper is over and done with.  It ended up going really well.  A number of people showed up just for my paper, which I wasn’t expecting at all.  We had a great panel with some very interesting discussions, as well.  All around a great experience.  I definitely feel a lot better about myself after yesterday.  Thanks to everyone for all your support!  You’re the best!

Aquapuke and the Industrial Transsexual

May 28th, 2009 § 0

Because I’m so absolutely sure that there’s someone out there who is curious about Aquapuke but unable to attend a performance, I’ve decided to upload a recording that Clint and I made of the final rehearsal of Aquapuke and the Industrial Transsexual, our most recent piece.  It should be clear, of course, that this recording represents only half (or maybe less) of the performance.  Not only is it missing the unprocessed sound of the tuba and voice and the acoustic effects of a performance space (this is only what we patched into ProTools from the effects rigs), it’s missing the most important component of all - our bodies.  We imagine Aquapuke as not only a sonic endeavor, but also as an expression of the musical possibilities of self-inflicted bodily violence.  What you don’t get in this recording, for instance, is the sweat pouring into our eyes, the pain building in our backs as we approach hyperventilation, the extreme torment in Clint’s throat as he tries to get out one more primal scream, the intense suffering in my lips and diaphragm as I reach for the highest note possible after playing for 29 minutes, and finally the offering of our bodies as surrogates for Kim’s once we have died our musical deaths.  In short, this is nothing like the real thing.  Hopefully it’s enough of a tease to make those of you who haven’t made it to one of our shows yet to get off your butts and come THIS SATURDAY, MAY 30TH, TO THE CHE CAFE AT 8PM.  $6 COVER, ALL AGES.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Apparently the Wordpress audio player plugin hates our music and makes it sound awful (or more awful, depending on your opinion).  So here’s a link for a direct download if you’re that interested: Download

UPDATE: Youtube videos of the show!  Thanks, CacaPeneVagine!

Aquapuke Part 1 of 2

Aquapuke Part 2 of 2

Aquapuke, IASPM, and the weirdest gig ever

May 24th, 2009 § 0

Aquapuke and the Industrial Transsexual

Last night was the (first) performance of Aquapuke and the Industrial Transsexual, a piece based on the story of German pop singer Kim Petras.  Clint and I aimed primarily to create a ritualistic feel for the piece, focusing especially on coming of age, the movement between genders, and of the consumption of the body via the media.  Basically, while I was shredding away on a solo, Clint served communion.  Body and blood, indeed.  It seems to have been a pretty big hit, and hopefully a worthy piece to end the 2009 UCSD Spring Festival.

I’ve been feeling myself edge closer and closer to either a heart attack or a stroke in preparation for the IASPM conference next weekend.  My heart has literally been beating above its normal resting rate for most of the last two weeks.  On a few occassions my vision has gone blurry.  I’ve often had to stand up, and oppositely sit down, for fear of passing out.  Is this normal in the run up to a conference?  Nancy tells me that conference papers “are fun,” but of course only after you’ve done it God-knows-how-many times.  I’ll definitely be ready to reprise Industrial Transsexual later that night, at which point I’ll get wicked drunk and pass out 4 rlz.  It’s been a long time coming.

I got a phone call yesterday, a couple of hours before the Aquapuke show, about a gig in La Jolla today.  The very nice gentleman told me it would be for a company that trains life coaches.  Interesting.  One of their corporate rules, in jest of course, is “no tuba playing.”  Another, as it turns out, is “no nudity.”  Interesting.  So initially the request was for a semi-nude tubist, but I put my foot down ever so gently and we went with fully-clothed tubist.  Basically the gig was: show up, play for a few minutes, and then go.  All in all it was a lot of fun.  Everyone was incredibly nice and seemed to like the performance.  And because they were life coaches (I assume), they had very, very, very, very, very positive things to say.  Quite an uplifting, albeit weird, experience.

Daily tweets, 2009-04-07 edition

April 7th, 2009 § 0

Daily tweets, 2009-04-01 edition

April 1st, 2009 § 0

  • Rode 37 miles in 3 hours and felt good. Good ride. First time in a few weeks, so not great. Got a good amount of lactic burn on the wa … #

Coney Island Human Blockhead

March 31st, 2009 § 0

This is a really nice beer.  The color is a really beautiful, clear amber/red, with a very minimal, thin white head.  Putting your nose in the glass gives away the 10% ABV immediately - the smell of alcohol is strong in ths one.  Tasting is it a similar story.  There’s a really nice, somewhat chewy malt body with a good amount of sweetness.  Then there’s a touch of hoppy bitterness, but nothing too heavy.  And then it all finishes to a sort of caramel/alcohol residual flavor (not unlike, dare I say, SoCo, only, you know, good…).  It’s pretty drinkable - despite its high ABV, it feels like a fairly light beer, but I’ll say it’d definitely be best with some mildly sweet food to accompany it, like fruit or a light cookie/cake sort of thing.  Anything sweetier or heavier than that would overpower the fairly subtle sweetness of the beer.

All in all, 4 thumbs up.

Daily tweets, 2009-03-30 edition

March 30th, 2009 § 0

  • sooo muuuch huuummuuus. #

Heading into Spring quarter

March 29th, 2009 § 0

Spring quarter begins tomorrow at UCSD.  It’ll be a very interesting quarter, I think.  I’m taking Nancy Guy’s “Adoring Performers,” a seminar addressing questions of fandom, an independent study with Anthony Burr to prepare for qualifying exams in the fall, and possibly Carol Padden’s “Ethnographic Methods.”  I need another seminar, and that one seems most applicable.  As for TAing, I’ve got Music of Africa (deer-in-headlights, here we come) and a small assignment for the third quarter of Music History.  All in all it should be satisfying.

Also this quarter is the IASPM conference, where I’ll be giving a paper on mixtape sites and the re-construction of musical materiality.

As for performances, Aquapuke has at least two coming up: one on the UCSD Spring Festival and one on the NEW WEIRD SAN DIEGO METAL FESTIVAL.  We also might have another performance at Technomania Circus soon.  We’re working on two pieces right now: the Industrial Transsexual, based on the life of Kim Petras, the world’s youngest (officially/legally) transsexual who, through the process of changing genders also became a pop star; and a heretofore unnamed sci-fi epic about a young man’s quest to secure a stockpile of his galaxy’s most precious resource.

Beyond that, Ian’s imperial stout, brewed just this past Friday, is shaping up and will be ready by the end of the quarter.  There are a lot of miles to be biked, and finally my school schedule will permit riding almost every day.  Lots of good food will be made, and then of course apartment hunting starts at the end of May.  Exciting times!

Daily tweets, 2009-03-23 edition

March 23rd, 2009 § 0

Daily tweets, 2009-03-22 edition

March 22nd, 2009 § 0