Sunday, May 30, 2004
-i found out that my mother reads the Cheese On Blog
-a creepy, vampiric photo of me is featured prominently in the brochure for queerfests nyc
-i'm out of stamps
-i really like peanut butter sandwiches with steamed cabbage
-bikram yoga is way more expensive than i thought it was
-i have way too many performances booked in june
-the original plan was to book NOTHING in june
-"me me me" by major matt is even better than everyone said
-i'm starting to understand all those songs my friends write about money
-songwriting is harder than i remember it being
xoxo
love
dan
-a creepy, vampiric photo of me is featured prominently in the brochure for queerfests nyc
-i'm out of stamps
-i really like peanut butter sandwiches with steamed cabbage
-bikram yoga is way more expensive than i thought it was
-i have way too many performances booked in june
-the original plan was to book NOTHING in june
-"me me me" by major matt is even better than everyone said
-i'm starting to understand all those songs my friends write about money
-songwriting is harder than i remember it being
xoxo
love
dan
Friday, May 28, 2004
emily maston has swung in to save the day! she's our new "graphic designer," and she'll help us get our CD package together this weekend. in a few weeks, we should have BOXES and BOXES of maybemaybemaybebabies!
tomorrow, sara goes to an old friend's engagement party. marriage. babies. i'll settle for maybebabies.
xoxo
love
dan
tomorrow, sara goes to an old friend's engagement party. marriage. babies. i'll settle for maybebabies.
xoxo
love
dan
wow. this is hopefully the last weekend we'll be working on the MAYBE MAYBE MAYBE BABY RE-RELEASE. it's way harder than i thought it would be. i just wanted to let you know that.
love
dan
love
dan
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
dood. our show last night at the knitting factory was so much fun...
-thomas patrick maguire went first. he's such a sweet boy! his guitar playing is really interesting, and his lyrics are just perfect. he seemed a little shy, and that made me like his songs more. when he played his song from the luvalot compilation, i sang along quietly to myself, an octave above him, and it made me want to sing with him sometime.
-and then the mondays: huggabroomstik neil's brother's band. i was told they were just "fake huggabroomstik," and not only was that accurate, but it was awesome.
-i freaked out during their set cuz matt and sara were still on the jersey turnpike, and we didn't know if they'd show up on time. i was tuning my guitar backstage with the babyskins and whining about how i might have to play solo and they were like "chill out," so i did. luckily, nicole schneit said she'd switch places with us, so we had time to get ourselves together when sara and matt swooped in at 9.
-this was a really important show in CHEESE ON BREAD HISTORY. dibs has been practicing my guitar parts, and we were finally ready to try a show where i do nothing but sing. it's kind of a life-long dream to just sing in a band with all sorts of instruments around me. it changed EVERYTHING and made all the songs feel really fresh. i got to look at sara more, and pay more attention to the way i use my voice. i was still pretty off-key for a lot of it, but mostly i think i sang way better than i usually do when i'm pounding away at my guitar. i could also pay a lot more attention to the sound, so i could appreciate all the little instrumental nuances. the only big music problem was that dibs' guitar was really low in the mix, even though that's the foundation for every song. bernard said afterwards that he found the music really confusing, and that makes a lot of sense. without a strong rhythm guitar, the other parts might seem really random.
-biological romance gets its own bullet point. we haven't done this song in months, cuz it just sounds weird without drums. luckily, the knitting factory had a set, so we closed out our performance with kevin drumming his way through good ole' biorom. MAN. it felt so good to feel those drum pulses behind me, especially since i could just thrash around with my mic stand. and matt's electric guitar improvs were totally sick! we finally felt like a real rock band. i can't wait till we get an actual drummer (not that kevin isn't an actual drummer, but he has other stuff to do.).
-anyway we were all really giddy when we finished (and i was especially psyched not to close out with "gucci model," which is getting boring). and so we got our stuff together in time to watch the freaking BABYSKINS... jeez. their voices blend together so well. you can never tell who's who. their set was totally dreamy. their cover of "happy together" slayyyed me. just gorgeous. i'm so glad they're playing again.
-sara and matt and kevin had to leave when the skins were done, and we had another big happy family hug as they piled into their car. i don't think we've ever been this collectively excited about the band before. probably because we've never been this band-esque.
-huggabroomstik predictably rocked my pants off. dibs put on a suit and got his hair really wet. he bounced around with his guitar like he was in the strokes, and misha sat in a chair with the babyskins' glockenshpil. the highlight of their set was "put the cookie down." i'm not sure how i feel about their new song, "i'll kill you bitch." i think i'll have to hear it again.
anyway. i hope dashan puts together another luvalot showcase soon, cuz i love playing with all these amazing people. phoebe and i agreed that we're the coolest dorks in new york, and by george it's about time we became the coolest dorks in the world.
i must be off. i wonder who reads this thing. hm.
xoxo
love
dan
-thomas patrick maguire went first. he's such a sweet boy! his guitar playing is really interesting, and his lyrics are just perfect. he seemed a little shy, and that made me like his songs more. when he played his song from the luvalot compilation, i sang along quietly to myself, an octave above him, and it made me want to sing with him sometime.
-and then the mondays: huggabroomstik neil's brother's band. i was told they were just "fake huggabroomstik," and not only was that accurate, but it was awesome.
-i freaked out during their set cuz matt and sara were still on the jersey turnpike, and we didn't know if they'd show up on time. i was tuning my guitar backstage with the babyskins and whining about how i might have to play solo and they were like "chill out," so i did. luckily, nicole schneit said she'd switch places with us, so we had time to get ourselves together when sara and matt swooped in at 9.
-this was a really important show in CHEESE ON BREAD HISTORY. dibs has been practicing my guitar parts, and we were finally ready to try a show where i do nothing but sing. it's kind of a life-long dream to just sing in a band with all sorts of instruments around me. it changed EVERYTHING and made all the songs feel really fresh. i got to look at sara more, and pay more attention to the way i use my voice. i was still pretty off-key for a lot of it, but mostly i think i sang way better than i usually do when i'm pounding away at my guitar. i could also pay a lot more attention to the sound, so i could appreciate all the little instrumental nuances. the only big music problem was that dibs' guitar was really low in the mix, even though that's the foundation for every song. bernard said afterwards that he found the music really confusing, and that makes a lot of sense. without a strong rhythm guitar, the other parts might seem really random.
-biological romance gets its own bullet point. we haven't done this song in months, cuz it just sounds weird without drums. luckily, the knitting factory had a set, so we closed out our performance with kevin drumming his way through good ole' biorom. MAN. it felt so good to feel those drum pulses behind me, especially since i could just thrash around with my mic stand. and matt's electric guitar improvs were totally sick! we finally felt like a real rock band. i can't wait till we get an actual drummer (not that kevin isn't an actual drummer, but he has other stuff to do.).
-anyway we were all really giddy when we finished (and i was especially psyched not to close out with "gucci model," which is getting boring). and so we got our stuff together in time to watch the freaking BABYSKINS... jeez. their voices blend together so well. you can never tell who's who. their set was totally dreamy. their cover of "happy together" slayyyed me. just gorgeous. i'm so glad they're playing again.
-sara and matt and kevin had to leave when the skins were done, and we had another big happy family hug as they piled into their car. i don't think we've ever been this collectively excited about the band before. probably because we've never been this band-esque.
-huggabroomstik predictably rocked my pants off. dibs put on a suit and got his hair really wet. he bounced around with his guitar like he was in the strokes, and misha sat in a chair with the babyskins' glockenshpil. the highlight of their set was "put the cookie down." i'm not sure how i feel about their new song, "i'll kill you bitch." i think i'll have to hear it again.
anyway. i hope dashan puts together another luvalot showcase soon, cuz i love playing with all these amazing people. phoebe and i agreed that we're the coolest dorks in new york, and by george it's about time we became the coolest dorks in the world.
i must be off. i wonder who reads this thing. hm.
xoxo
love
dan
Thursday, May 20, 2004
i'm way too busy to post the sort of thing i'd like to post...
i'm reading 'house of bush, house of saud,' and i'm actually getting *more* outraged than i was before.
in happier news, we'll be completely finished with the remastering of our album this weekend.
then we get it pressed, and start promoting like crazy.
today, time out new york called me a "bouncy pop upstart!"
cesar and i are making concrete plans for recording my solo album.
i now have a monthly performance art residency at apocalypse lounge.
sunday i get to host a night at sidewalk.
monday we're doing our first show at the knitting factory.
dibs is about to take over full acoustic guitar duties for c.o.b. i get to just sing!
cesar's new drummer is awesome.
sara started a new job doing psychological testing on people with genetic illnesses.
next week i'm going to talk to greenline about doing more antifolk shows in philly.
my dixon place show is rapidly approaching. i need to write it.
the band creaky boards is so good.
i hope i get a chance to see regina spektor on friday.
i can't wait to see the babyskins on monday.
crystal and i want to sing together. i hope we do that.
i've now been on friendster for a year.
i've decided to start calling my congresspeople about things i don't like.
saw a great panel talk with tony kushner, grace paley, and other amazing folks.
more intent than ever to make my art more overtly political.
more intent than ever to get more sleep.
will start weekly bikram yoka in june.
will start living on a budget.
will start doing my dishes more regularly.
will find a stack of voter registration forms and carry them around constantly.
will practice guitar at least 3 times a week.
will go to bed now......
love
dan
i'm reading 'house of bush, house of saud,' and i'm actually getting *more* outraged than i was before.
in happier news, we'll be completely finished with the remastering of our album this weekend.
then we get it pressed, and start promoting like crazy.
today, time out new york called me a "bouncy pop upstart!"
cesar and i are making concrete plans for recording my solo album.
i now have a monthly performance art residency at apocalypse lounge.
sunday i get to host a night at sidewalk.
monday we're doing our first show at the knitting factory.
dibs is about to take over full acoustic guitar duties for c.o.b. i get to just sing!
cesar's new drummer is awesome.
sara started a new job doing psychological testing on people with genetic illnesses.
next week i'm going to talk to greenline about doing more antifolk shows in philly.
my dixon place show is rapidly approaching. i need to write it.
the band creaky boards is so good.
i hope i get a chance to see regina spektor on friday.
i can't wait to see the babyskins on monday.
crystal and i want to sing together. i hope we do that.
i've now been on friendster for a year.
i've decided to start calling my congresspeople about things i don't like.
saw a great panel talk with tony kushner, grace paley, and other amazing folks.
more intent than ever to make my art more overtly political.
more intent than ever to get more sleep.
will start weekly bikram yoka in june.
will start living on a budget.
will start doing my dishes more regularly.
will find a stack of voter registration forms and carry them around constantly.
will practice guitar at least 3 times a week.
will go to bed now......
love
dan
Sunday, May 16, 2004
there's so much i need to post here, about both music/performance and the sad state of the planet.
but right now i just want to mention that it's 8:50am on a sunday morning, and i'm sitting in the room of shevaun mizrahi, one of the most beautiful human beings i've ever met, and i'm surrounded by the sleeping bodies of four other of these most beautiful people ever: katherine policy, dibson t. hoffweiler, dashan coram, and tobias goodshank. i've felt very motherly for a lot of this trip to philadelphia, and this must be kinda how a mother feels to watch her kids asleep in the morning: "wow. i get to hang out with the coolest people."
so much love
dan
but right now i just want to mention that it's 8:50am on a sunday morning, and i'm sitting in the room of shevaun mizrahi, one of the most beautiful human beings i've ever met, and i'm surrounded by the sleeping bodies of four other of these most beautiful people ever: katherine policy, dibson t. hoffweiler, dashan coram, and tobias goodshank. i've felt very motherly for a lot of this trip to philadelphia, and this must be kinda how a mother feels to watch her kids asleep in the morning: "wow. i get to hang out with the coolest people."
so much love
dan
Saturday, May 08, 2004
People only become untrustworthy when they don't trust anyone else.
Worldviews are not just interpretations of reality -- they are IMPOSITIONS ON reality.
Pessimism is just a self-fulfilling prophecy.
And it makes optimism very difficult.
Today, I was working on 'DEFLOWERED: a lounge act' with my friend Kris. He's a stupendously intuitive pianist, and we got a rehearsal room at NYU to play around with the material. I was so overwhelmed by how talented he was, and how lucky I am to work with him. I thought about all the amazing people I collaborate with...Dibs, Matt, Kevin, Yoko, and of course in her own stratosphere of importance: SARA. All of these brilliant people make me feel so safe, and even when collaboration gets difficult -- even in the tensest moments of creation -- I've never felt like anyone was out to get me.
And so it's strange, in a different collaboration, to see an artistic process stop dead in its tracks for "personal reasons." I hope it can be revived, not just for the art itself, which deserves a splendid fruition, but for all the artists involved, especially the one who feels so alienated from it. I realize I cannot convince him that I'm on his side. But I hope, in time, he comes hold a more hopeful view of humanity -- a view that assumes the best in people until given ample evidence to do otherwise. More often than not, trust breeds trustworthiness. I really believe that.
Love
Dan
Worldviews are not just interpretations of reality -- they are IMPOSITIONS ON reality.
Pessimism is just a self-fulfilling prophecy.
And it makes optimism very difficult.
Today, I was working on 'DEFLOWERED: a lounge act' with my friend Kris. He's a stupendously intuitive pianist, and we got a rehearsal room at NYU to play around with the material. I was so overwhelmed by how talented he was, and how lucky I am to work with him. I thought about all the amazing people I collaborate with...Dibs, Matt, Kevin, Yoko, and of course in her own stratosphere of importance: SARA. All of these brilliant people make me feel so safe, and even when collaboration gets difficult -- even in the tensest moments of creation -- I've never felt like anyone was out to get me.
And so it's strange, in a different collaboration, to see an artistic process stop dead in its tracks for "personal reasons." I hope it can be revived, not just for the art itself, which deserves a splendid fruition, but for all the artists involved, especially the one who feels so alienated from it. I realize I cannot convince him that I'm on his side. But I hope, in time, he comes hold a more hopeful view of humanity -- a view that assumes the best in people until given ample evidence to do otherwise. More often than not, trust breeds trustworthiness. I really believe that.
Love
Dan
Monday, May 03, 2004
Those photos of American troops torturing and humiliating Iraqi prisoners are some of the most depressing things I've ever seen.
And elsewhere: Ariel Sharon puts his limited settlement withdrawl plan to a Likud vote -- as if they would ever support it! This makes it seem like he's required to make the plan more conservative to more adequately represent his people -- a TOTAL illusion since the vast majority of Israelis think the settlements are absurd! It seems so clear to me that he organized this Likud vote (a rather arbitrary and strange decision) simply to provide an excuse to go back on his promises.
With everything looking so dire, why do I feel so okay?
Love
Dan
And elsewhere: Ariel Sharon puts his limited settlement withdrawl plan to a Likud vote -- as if they would ever support it! This makes it seem like he's required to make the plan more conservative to more adequately represent his people -- a TOTAL illusion since the vast majority of Israelis think the settlements are absurd! It seems so clear to me that he organized this Likud vote (a rather arbitrary and strange decision) simply to provide an excuse to go back on his promises.
With everything looking so dire, why do I feel so okay?
Love
Dan
Sunday, May 02, 2004
What a great picnic! The last time I tried to have a picnic, Sara and I made all these hummus & tomato sandwiches and invited everyone we knew to listen to us play some Cheese On Bread songs in Central Park. No one showed up, and we ended up eating all the sandwiches (we were expecting like 20 people so there were a lot of freaking sandwiches). We rolled around the hills for a while and played songs for each other. It was beautiful, and quintessentially COBtastic, but i still had a hankering for a real live multi-person picnic. So it was particularly sweet today to make hummus & tomato sandwiches for 5 hungry people. Angela wouldn't let me make one for her cuz she's that nice.
Then Cecily and I came back here to hang out with Soce the Elemental Wizard and watch Best in Show. All in all a LOVELY SATURDAY.
There was an amazing toddler in Tompkins Square park who was dancing for me while I sat around with my guitar. He was really intense. He kept throwing down his stuffed tiger and pointing up at the sky. I feel like we shared a few silent secrets though, and I wouldn't want to violate his trust on the internet...
Right around this time last year, I was graduating from college and reading Grace Paley. I can't believe how much has changed, both in the world and in my life. Still even though I recorded an album and found a community and made fantastic friends and learned so much about humanity and life...I feel like I haven't gotten anything done.
Much grappling with the world must transpire. And soon. Maybe tomorrow!
Love
Dan
p.s: Brendan, if you're reading this: I want my Grace Paley book back!
Then Cecily and I came back here to hang out with Soce the Elemental Wizard and watch Best in Show. All in all a LOVELY SATURDAY.
There was an amazing toddler in Tompkins Square park who was dancing for me while I sat around with my guitar. He was really intense. He kept throwing down his stuffed tiger and pointing up at the sky. I feel like we shared a few silent secrets though, and I wouldn't want to violate his trust on the internet...
Right around this time last year, I was graduating from college and reading Grace Paley. I can't believe how much has changed, both in the world and in my life. Still even though I recorded an album and found a community and made fantastic friends and learned so much about humanity and life...I feel like I haven't gotten anything done.
Much grappling with the world must transpire. And soon. Maybe tomorrow!
Love
Dan
p.s: Brendan, if you're reading this: I want my Grace Paley book back!
Saturday, May 01, 2004
i had a beautiful afternoon yesterday at the carlucci-madrilejos residence. eggplant parm, apple crisp, guava nectar, and singing. i got to hear some babyskins practice. jeez louise. everything they sing sounds ancient somehow. i don't really know what i mean by that, but i mean it. they really inspired me to write new (and slow) songs, but lately the gestation process has been all blocked up. my words feel so rational. you can even see that in this here cheeseonblog. my entries have been so narrative lately, and not very colorful. i can feel the raw material bubbling around, but somewhere between that universe and this one, things start to get very square. i need to loosen up somehow.
anyway, i'm mad-psyched to play this new performance series at apocalypse lounge on may 11th. i'm almost done writing a little lounge act, inspired by sandra bernhard's performance last wednesday. i'm taking bits from "boi with an i," and bits from "nj transit," two very unfinished solo pieces, and mushing them together with pop songs, wrapped up in a cocky nightclub persona. i'm even getting a pianist to vamp while i tell the stories. i think it's going to be really fun...
it's a really productive way to work out my thoughts about george bush. i mean it when i say that a very standard political essay is forthcoming on this blog -- a real concrete reading of this presidency and the state of the american right wing in general. ever since i started seeing the similarities between the ethos of the right and the ethos of so many urban gay men, the whole political landscape has started to seem lethally sexual. and personal.
anyway. picnic tonite. and hopefully some guitar playing. i need to practice. everything.
love
dan
anyway, i'm mad-psyched to play this new performance series at apocalypse lounge on may 11th. i'm almost done writing a little lounge act, inspired by sandra bernhard's performance last wednesday. i'm taking bits from "boi with an i," and bits from "nj transit," two very unfinished solo pieces, and mushing them together with pop songs, wrapped up in a cocky nightclub persona. i'm even getting a pianist to vamp while i tell the stories. i think it's going to be really fun...
it's a really productive way to work out my thoughts about george bush. i mean it when i say that a very standard political essay is forthcoming on this blog -- a real concrete reading of this presidency and the state of the american right wing in general. ever since i started seeing the similarities between the ethos of the right and the ethos of so many urban gay men, the whole political landscape has started to seem lethally sexual. and personal.
anyway. picnic tonite. and hopefully some guitar playing. i need to practice. everything.
love
dan
