The Crazy African

Desaru Day Trip

2012-01-18T00:35:00.001-08:00

This past Saturday I took a day trip to Desaru in Malaysia. We had an awesome tour guide named Shirley, who guided us through the scenic bits of the journey, via the chocolate shop, then Henry showed us his fruit farm (we filled up on all sorts of fruit including many kinds of durian) and we also visited an ostrich farm (and I fed a cassowary!) and took a river cruise to see the endangered fireflies. Lighting the wishing lantern was the perfect end to a day full of feasting and fellowship. Here's a short vid:

http://youtu.be/rCSUZx4Fm2c

Crazy Christmas Music Give-aways!

2011-12-16T08:22:00.001-08:00

So did I mention that it's nearly Christmas?!

About this time of year there are songs that keep coming around, some that we love and some that we don't. Hopefully you enjoyed Pageant Music's Christmas albums enough to re-visit them, and just so you can share them more easily with your friends, they are HALF OFF!

Yes, you heard/read right! If you use the code 'christmas2011' when you buy anything on the BandCamp sites of Pageant Music or Hiram Ring (where you can also listen before downloading), you'll get 50% off the total price of your order. As an added bonus, if you download a full album from Pageant Music, you'll get two Christmas songs re-worked for 2011.

And now to the OTHER free stuff: head to http://noisetrade.com/amerrymixtape (or enter your email below in the widget) to get 6 free Christmas songs from Kurt Scobie, Maura Jensen, Hiram Ring, Joy Ike, Brooke Annibale, and J.D. Eicher and the Goodnights. All donations to this album will be going to support the work of Operation Christmas Child, which brings the hope of Christmas year-round to children all over the world. Please embed this on your blog and share it around to everyone that you know!

Also, my computer (the one I use for recording, mixing, video editing, and documenting unwritten languages in a remote part of India) died last week. I just got a new one, but it has set me back rather significantly this month, so I have to wait until next month to purchase my air tickets to India (I leave at the end of January for 6 months). If you'd like to donate to the cause, and get some more free music at the same time, you can do so at http://noisetrade.com/hiramring

For even more great sounds, check out the music of my friend Cliff Lewis, whose Christmas EP is free for a limited time here: http://xmasmoviesoundtrack.bandcamp.com

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

PS: for ideas for your services the rest of the year, you might also check out the great collections on Cardiphonia Music's BandCamp site. A couple of the free compilations feature a Pageant Music track by yours truly.

ENCS Music and Real Life

2011-12-15T08:54:00.001-08:00

I was hoping to get a blog post on this earlier, but alas, my macbook died last week, and I've only got to it now. But better late than never...

I've been involved in a few things here in Singapore, and one of the highlights has been getting to know people at church. Every Nation Church Singapore is a relatively new congregation which is connected with Every Nation Ministries worldwide. It's been a blessing to start getting involved in the ENCS music ministry with Sunday morning worship and special events.

In November they released a worship album with some great songs. It's called "All the Way", and you can check it out on iTunes or view the acoustic video version of one of the songs we do on Sundays below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c08ZFMslsbY

This past Sunday I was glad to be part of an event to raise money for the Real Life foundation in the Philippines. We were able to raise scholarship assistance for over 20 disadvantaged kids to go for college degrees, which was really exciting. Performances by myself, Alarice, the Next Movement, and ENCS music, and we ended with a group rendition of "This Christmas" (Donny Hathaway) - you can see me there in the middle. It was a great night.

Men vs. Wild (Malaysia)

2011-11-03T00:05:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my friend Sam and I took an overnight trek through the jungles of Malaysia. While not quite a "Man vs. Wild" equivalent, we did manage to have an adventure. We took some tips from AngryAngmo.com's 2009 blog post about Kota Tinngi forest reserve in southern Malaysia, not too far from Singapore. Our criteria were location (close to Singapore), challenge (packing everything in and out), safety (we didn't want to die), and scenery (waterfalls). Kota Tinngi met all that criteria quite nicely, though the blog post didn't quite prepare us for everything we found.

We met up at Johor Bahru for breakfast at the Oldtown Coffee shop just inside the City Centre mall at the border, and then proceeded to hire a taxi to the Kota Tinngi waterfall park. The taxi price was a bit more than what the blog stated, but inflation is expected, of course. It took about an hour to get to the Kota Tinngi waterfall.

Once we arrived, we almost entered the park, but the lady said there was no camping, so we checked the blog post and realized that it said to follow the river/stream just in front of the park. We weren't clear whether to walk upstream in the river itself, but managed to find a path along the bank that wound through a palm-tree grove, following a group of day-hikers, until finally we had to cross the river in order to stay on the trail, which we discovered to be marked with red and white striped plastic bags.

The trail itself was pretty well marked from then on, and it was a pretty easy hike to the first real waterfall (crossing the stream occasionally), where we left the day-hikers. Here's a group shot of us all together. On our own, Sam and I continued upstream, and this is where the going got quite a bit tougher. At several points we were in the river itself, wet up to the waist, as we followed the markers. Had that been more clear in the blog post, we would have been sure to bring slightly different footgear. A word to the wise who follow - plan to get wet! As it was, we soaked our tennis shoes and clothes through, and simply had to be extremely careful when climbing the rocks and waterfalls, as many of the surfaces were slick from the water.

The climb was very picturesque, and since it was our first time, there were a few places where we had to pause to search for the trail marker. Where none was evident at first, we simply continued along the river until we spotted one. There were also well-placed rope at spots where it would otherwise have been difficult to climb. We weren't prepared for the amount of bouldering/climbing that we had to do, but took it in stride. Fortunately, it didn't rain - had it done so we might have called off the hike.

It took us about 3 hours, with rest stops periodically, to make it to the top, where the river and the terrain pretty much leveled out. We set up camp on a slight hill next to the stream. Someone had strung a clothesline between two trees, which we used to hang our wet clothes on, and then took a rest in the pool next to the camp. It was relaxing after the climb. We did some exploring around the camp, noticed some deer tracks (we saw the deer later that night coming down for a drink at the stream) and saw a buzzard flying around. Dinner we cooked on our SuperCat alcohol stove - quite filling and tasty noodles - then made a fire and sat around talking for the rest of the evening.

After a good night's sleep (it rained a bit, but we stayed relatively dry), we took our time getting up, ate breakfast, and headed back. Going down was faster (though still a bit treacherous from the wet), only about an hour or two, and we stopped several times to swim in the waterfall pools. On returning we found a taxi to take us back to JB, had a late lunch, and headed home to Singapore. All in all, a great weekend!

Flying! for real

2011-09-11T23:59:00.001-07:00

I went flying this past weekend with some friends. It was kind of along the lines as in Douglas Adams' A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - I just fell forward and forgot about landing. Or something of the sort.

In Sentosa Resort World here in Singapore, there's a new facility with a huge wind tunnel. As soon as I saw a video my brother posted on Facebook of a similar wind tunnel, I decided to check it out. And then I saw the video on iFly Singapore's website, and I knew I had to check it out.

So this past weekend some friends and I went down to Sentosa (the first time I've ever been there, even though I've been in Singapore for a year) with the express purpose of trying iFly. It was pretty incredible. Imagine jumping into a room and essentially being weightless, and then being able to control your motion in all directions. It makes parachuting free-fall way more attractive. After a short training, we jumped in - here's a video of our experience.

(as an aside, the frontman for the band whose music I used in the video is from the area in India where I'm doing research - we met while I was there this past summer - check them out on iTunes)

http://youtu.be/bxG3WAKHYUc

Josh Garrels and Context

2011-09-02T22:01:00.000-07:00

It has taken me awhile to write this post, but first let me say that if you haven't heard Josh Garrels' new album "Love, War, and the Sea In Between", you should check it out here: http://www.noisetrade.com/joshgarrels

I was really looking forward to hearing this album, as I've been kept updated by his newsletter and run into him in various times and places in the last couple years - Lancaster, Bushnell, North Carolina. So when he announced it was out and available as a free download, I got it. At the time, I was on fieldwork in India, and internet connection was a bit spotty so I sat in a friend's internet cafe in Shillong for 2 hours in order to get the whole (large) file. It's a testament to the world's increasing globalization that even that was possible, as it probably wouldn't have been even a year or two ago.

So this was the context in which I put my earbuds in, turned on my ipod, and listened to the whole album in one shot. And... it kind of fell flat. I wasn't sure what to think, since I've always liked the music Josh makes, and all the reviews I read beforehand had nothing but good things to say about the album. So I forgot about it and continued to work on documenting Pnar.

About a month later I had been in the US for my sister's wedding, which was pretty awesome, and after two weeks I was on my way to NYC to catch the airplane back to Singapore. On the greyhound bus I had just finished a large portion of the 40+ page paper I was working on, and needed a break. I found Josh's album on my ipod and started to listen. It was really good! I remember we had just got on the NJ turnpike to head into NYC, and I thought - "why is this so much better than when I listened to it in India?!"

It struck me that in India, a lot of the things that Josh writes/sings about, and even the music styles he uses, simply didn't connect with the world I was experiencing. It was as if the issues he deals with have no grounding in a non-western, non-american context. Which totally makes sense - I think how my music doesn't necessarily translate to people outside my own particular contexts. I think that speaks to the role of the artist as both a creator and reflector of culture, and thus how important it is to know the context to which you intend to speak, which Josh seems to have figured out pretty well.

At the same time, we would like to say that art transcends culture, and that this is our goal as artists. But how well does that work? Take your art outside your own culture and I guess you'll find out.

A Package from a friend

2011-08-28T19:37:00.001-07:00

I got home last Thursday to find a package waiting for me! Anyone who has ever received a parcel overseas knows that it just brightens your whole day, and this was no exception. My good friend Joy Ike sent it to me from Pittsburgh, and included some wonderful goodies and music to help me get by "with a little help from my friends". One of my flat-mates recorded video of my opening it to find some savory and not-so-savory treats. Incredible-ness. I was/am astounded.

http://youtu.be/IJQO2P0LK-s

Wedding

2011-07-25T13:31:00.001-07:00

My sister got married this past weekend, and it was a wonderful ceremony and a great time with family and friends. Soon I fly back to Singapore to defend my research proposal paper, which I am still working on writing. But at the moment I'm simply enjoying being with family and friends. Here's a picture of the bride walking up the aisle.

My Favorite Sign

2011-07-04T00:32:00.001-07:00

This is my favorite sign (so far) in Shillong. It's right across from Swish cafe in Laitumkrah. I haven't tried the chicken popsicles yet, but maybe when I get back I will... =) "And Many More Wow Stuff!"

Pnar Church Service

2011-06-29T02:49:00.000-07:00

I went to church with a friend in Jowai on Sunday, the Presbyterian Church there - it was pretty cool. I definitely didn't bring the right clothes to India for going to church - all the men wore suits and ties if they had them, but I didn't mind that too much. Although when you stand up to sing hymns and you're a head taller than the tallest person in the room, it can be a bit uncomfortable. Fortunately I'm used to being stared at from growing up one of the only white people in an all-black country. I think my friend was a bit more nervous to be sitting next to me, since she lives there and knows how little excuse people need to gossip.

The service was all in Khasi, which is the dominant language spoken in this area. The hymns were in Khasi and there was no percussion to keep time so the singing slowed down to an almost inexorable pace. It was neat to be able to pick out some words here and there, and my friend translated some of the verses for me so I could understand what I was singing. The orthography is relatively systematic.

In the evening we went to their cousin's home, which is up on a hill above the river on the outskirts of town (where the picture on the right was taken). We stayed for a home church service led by some of the church elders, which is where the real meat of the Christian culture in Jowai seems to be. Pretty much the whole service, except for a few songs and prayers, were in Pnar, including the sermon. Traditional instruments - a mandolin and tambourine - as well as clapping and harmonies kept the songs upbeat and lively.

Swish Cafe

2011-06-28T03:52:00.001-07:00

So Swish is pretty much where I live in Shillong. It's a great space to hang out, has excellent coffee (thanks to the hotel-grade coffee maker you can see in the picture and a really nice roast), great food and friendly people. The owner happens to be my main Pnar contact and there are a lot of Pnar speakers that hang out there, so it's a great place to practice Pnar. I've also been coming here for the past couple weeks to work on translation. It can be a bit noisy, but I sit with a friend and we both wear headphones so we can play the sound file back bit-by-bit and translate each word and phrase. Swish is in Laitumkrah as well and can be a bit hard to find if you don't know where to look - but just ask any of the youngsters and they'll know where it is. The owner also happens to own the nightclub Tango, which is on the other side of town in Police Bazaar - a happening place on the weekends.

Cafe Shillong

2011-06-20T05:04:00.001-07:00

Cafe Shillong is a great little cafe to visit if you are in Shillong. Good coffee, good food, and even wireless internet. I often go there if I want lunch/dinner and have some things to do online. In Laitumkrah, here's the view from one of my favorite spots on the balcony overlooking the street. Check it out next time you're in Shillong.

New Music for Pentecost

2011-06-16T00:30:00.001-07:00

Our friend Bruce Benedict over at Cardiphonia has put together a compilation to celebrate Penteost, and 'Come Holy Spirit, Come' from our Pageant Music release '12 Gates' is the first tune. Check it out and donate to World Relief in Durham, NC to help refugees from all over the world.

<a href= "http://cardiphonia.bandcamp.com/album/pentecost-songs">Pentecost Songs by Cardiphonia</a>

India Week 3: Jowai

2011-06-09T00:52:00.001-07:00

I recently got back to Shillong from Jowai, where I was gathering data on the main Pnar dialect. Jowai is the cultural and administrative centre of the Pnar community in Jiantia Hills, and I'll be focusing on learning to speak the variety of that place. I was able to connect with Ram, who is part of the Passah clan and very involved with the traditional religion. We were able to go down to the archery field where men shoot arrows at a target on a daily basis, and conduct some interviews about the origins of this event.

Ram also showed me around the area - on Sunday we went to a waterfall further south of Jowai, toward Bangladesh, which was a lot of fun. The walk down was a bit slippery, but once down the water was cool and inviting. I swam up behind the waterfall and waved to Ram and his cousins on the other side. Here's me and the waterfall in all its glory.

Language data-gathering was also productive. Besides the interviews, I was able to collect a couple wordlists and a retelling of The Pear Story, following a technique used by my advisor Alec Coupe for collecting language in context to make grammatical structures easier to identify. I'll be working on translating these texts in the coming weeks and in analyzing the wordlists to acquaint myself with the phonology of Pnar.

Mornings in Shillong

2011-06-02T03:03:00.000-07:00

It's been raining a lot lately, being the monsoon season and all, which up here in the hills means it stays pretty cool. Apparently Cherrapunji, just south of where I am, is the rainiest place on earth, and near the end of monsoon season on a clear day you can look from there over the whole of Bangladesh, which looks like an ocean it's so flooded. But I digress.

When I wake up in the mornings here in Shillong I go up to the kitchen where Durga usually has some tea made - Indian chai, with spices and milk and sugar. Hard to beat when combined with toast and whatever else is available (leftover grilled pork, anyone?). On Sundays breakfast is more substantial with eggs and sausages and beans etc... I leave you with a picture of toned-down breakfast.

India Day 8-12: Nongrim Hills and Mowkyndeng

2011-05-29T05:01:00.001-07:00

I did more exploring of Shillong recently, and I'll be posting a few photos in subsequent blogs to try and capture what I think are great views of the city. I'm staying with some friends in Lower Nongrim Hills and I often cross through Nongrim Hills to get to Laitumkrah where I meet friends for lunch/dinner or language research. The quickest (and least crowded) way to get there by walking is to climb the hill where people live in houses stacked on top of each other, pretty similar to what I saw in Norway. Here's a view looking back down the hill toward Lower Nongrim after climbing past a bunch of houses.

I took that photo before I went to work on the Pnar language spoken in Mowkyndeng village, a few hours away, where another friend was going home for holiday. I went with him for a week to learn what I could about this dialect and begin to document the language. I stayed with a wonderful family of vegetarians who kindly gave me fish and chicken, though secretly I loved their rice and vegetable dishes. Here's a picture of me and the family, along with all the children boarding at their house while they attend the mission school.

Mowkyndeng is probably best known as a mission station for the Catholic church in that area. When Catholic missionaries came to these hills they came directly to Raliang and were given land at Mowkyndeng to build their mission and start schools. Here's a picture of the church at Mowkyndeng, which has a lot of ties to the work of Don Bosco and the Salesians, a Catholic society that he founded. Early in June the relic of Don Bosco's body will be coming to the northeast of India and staying at the church in Mowkyndeng for a bit. I don't know if I'll make it to the viewing, but people from all over the area will be there.

India Day 7: Shillong

2011-05-22T22:48:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's been a few days since the last post, partly because I didn't always have internet access, and partly because I didn't do much except meet people and get to know the town a bit better. Also I forgot to bring my camera places, so I didn't have much in the way of visuals to offer. But now I'm back.

Shillong is a pretty town perched on a series of hills in the centre of Meghalaya. The streets are narrow, winding, and the buildings are perched precariously on the hills, squeezed tightly together and sometimes built almost on top of each other. In many ways it reminds me of a village in Europe. Taxis, trucks, cars, motorcycles and little buses negotiate their way along the streets along with pedestrians - there aren't very many bikes around here.

I've been spending some of my time with Mary, a local resident who is from Jiantia Hills where they speak Pnar. I'm learning some Pnar from her and she is helping me connect with some other speakers, and hopefully I'll be going to Jowai and the Jiantia Hills district this week. It's been fun, and we've been meeting at Swish, a local cafe. It takes about 15 minutes to get there by car, going in a bit of a circle. I discovered that there's a shorter way to go, cutting the angle, along a much less busy path that is only about a 15 minute walk (and more picturesque). I should really get a map of Shillong.

India Day 2: Meghalaya

2011-05-19T00:59:00.001-07:00

I woke up this morning after a good night's sleep at Hotel Jagannath (apparently this hotel is named after a Hindu sun god) and headed to the Calcutta airport to catch the plane for Shillong. We got off around the time listed on the itinerary and had a quick 1.5 hr flight to the airport which is actually 1 hour away from Shillong by car. Meghalaya is a beautiful part of India, in the highlands just north of Bangladesh, and below is a picture I took in front of the airport just after it rained.

It's pretty incredible how God works - I sat next to an elderly nun from Calcutta who was traveling to spend a month of the leave she gets every 3 years with her niece and nephews who live in Shillong. I talked with her on the flight and learned a lot from her about the area, and then helped her with her luggage and disembarking from the plane. She introduced me to her nephew when he arrived and they offered me a lift to Shillong, which I gladly accepted.

Along the way, her nephew John filled me in on some historical and political details of the area. It turns out that he is a local political figure very interested in the intersection of tribal and constitutional policy, and he knows a few of the people that I was hoping to get in touch with in the Khasi and Pnar communities. It was a great discussion and amazing to meet someone so well-connected in just my first hour in Meghalaya. Wow! I'll be getting in touch with him again once I get a SIM card for my phone.

I'm staying with my advisor's sister-in-law's family here in Shillong, and hope to connect with some Pnar speakers in the coming days, then head to Jowai and the Jiantia Hills at the end of the week to make more contacts. Today I also went to one of the local hot-spots, Cafe Shillong, which has great food and atmosphere. I'll be posting more about the town this week. It's been raining quite a bit for the last month, but is cool and peaceful - did I mention the northeast of India is beautiful?

India Day 1

2011-05-16T21:22:00.000-07:00

Alright, I have internet access! I'm sitting in my hotel about 1km from the airport here in Calcutta (Kolkata) and thought I'd post a quick not before I crash. I didn't sleep much last night, what with the late flight to Delhi and then spending most of my layover trying to figure out where to go after I went through customs and was trying to re-check my luggage. I did have a whole row to myself on the Delhi-Calcutta leg, though, so I curled up and went to sleep as soon as we were airborne.

The Delhi airport is actually really nice. I think they've done a lot since my friends were through there last. The Calcutta airport is a little bit more like the airports of my childhood. Here's a shot of me standing at the one baggage claim in the terminal we flew into. What's funny about that is - see that fake grass? Just after I took that shot all us passengers watched as a cat jumped onto the turf, felt around and then took a dump right on the 'grass' before jumping off and going about its other business. Everyone around that saw it chuckled.

I then took a cab from the airport to my hotel. Here's the view from inside the cab. They use these really classic diesels, painted yellow - they look more like English cabs of the 1920s or so. And they feel about that old too. As usual, lane changes are frequent (lines are more of a suggestion) and the road gets shared by everyone. My cabbie took a few minutes for chai just after starting the engine, and then we took a slight detour on the side of the road so he could yell at someone - maybe for directions, it's hard to tell.

And finally, here's a picture of me in my bathroom at Jagganath hotel. It's not a very big hotel, but things are clean and after resetting the router we got some internet working. Gotta love it. You can see I (mostly) look none the worse for having slept so little. BUT I think I'll take a nap or something... tomorrow's another big day.

Getting Ready for India

2011-05-16T01:19:00.001-07:00

The last week or so has been busy with getting ready to go to India. After talking things over with some of the other profs, my advisor suggested that instead of trying to confirm in May, I should plan on going through confirmation in the first week of August. This works for me, especially with my sister's wedding in July, back in the US. So I'm heading to India today for about 6 weeks, to learn as much about the language as I can and hopefully have something to present by August.

I moved out of my apartment on Friday, and my friend Nick is kindly letting me spend the weekend with him and storing my stuff at his place while I'm gone. Tonight my flight leaves at 11pm for Delhi, and today I'm just packing and printing off receipts and other things like my traveler's insurance. You never know what could happen, but I'm pretty positive it will be a grand adventure with no mishaps. If you think of me you can send up a prayer.

I'll try to update this space with photos and information about my trip, depending on what the internet connection is like. Of course, with today's internet-connected world, I might even be able to update when I'm in remote villages ('remote' here being defined as "physically hard to get to"). Unfortunately, friends of mine have been through the Delhi airport and said it wasn't a great experience - I have something like a 6 hour layover there... ah well.

May Day

2011-05-02T00:23:00.001-07:00

Here in Singapore there is an observed Labour Day holiday today, since May Day officially happened on Sunday, May 1st. Labour Day also happens to be the day when the government begins distributing its "Grow and Share", package - much like the tax breaks those in the USA received last year under the economic incentives package. While the package itself benefits individual Singaporeans (who wouldn't want $800-$100 in extra money?), some Singaporeans have wondered if this isn't just an incentive to vote for the current ruling party, since general elections are happening May 7th. The timing of the payout is a bit suspicious, reminiscent of the recent payouts that citizens of Bahrain received from their rulers.

Politics in Singapore

Singapore has a unique political system: it is a representative democracy in which the same party has been in power since 1959 (51 years!). Either that means everyone likes the current government, or the ruling party has taken pains to write the rules in their favor. Perhaps a bit of both. Some people point to the Group Representation Constituencies as a re-drawing of boundaries to consolidate constituencies which the current ruling party, the People's Action Party, believes it might otherwise lose. Sounds like the age-old battle between Republicans and Democrats on voting lines, eh? Except in Singapore there is no clear opposition - just one party that runs the government.

Don't get me wrong - the PAP has done wonderful things for Singapore, as increases in immigrants to Singapore indicate. But many Singaporeans view the current party as complacent, pointing to increasing pay raises that officials voted for themselves - many times higher than the average salary. With an average of around $2 million, according to IMF and The Economist, political leaders in Singapore get paid the same as many CEOs or sports stars.

What makes this year's general elections slightly different than previous ones is that many more seats are being contested and quality candidates are being put forward by other parties. Response has been quite good for many of these candidates despite the rule that limits campaigning to the 9 days before voters cast their vote (a policy that seems to favor the incumbents) - choosing not to vote is against the law here. Of the 84 seats available, in fact, on May 7th all 84 are open to contest. While most Singaporeans believe the current party will stay in power, many also want Singapore to have a decent opposition party that will bring true democratic debate to the country's decision-making process. In this they hold the sentiment of the middle-aged Chinese Singaporean I talked to:

"I want the PAP to win, but not by too large a margin. We want to give them enough opposition so that they're no longer complacent and start paying attention to the needs of Singaporeans rather than their own interest."

We'll find out what happens when Singaporeans go to the polls on May 7th.

New Music Video

2011-04-19T21:59:00.001-07:00

I recently decided I needed software for video editing that was a bit more powerful, so I invested in Final Cut Express, which has quite a few more options for video editing than iMovie 08 or the FlipShare software that came with my MinoHD camera. For example, I couldn't previously fast-forward clips or reverse them, and I had no easy way to line them up and cut between them, or to color-correct and filter. It also means that I'll hopefully be planning my videos a bit better - not just shooting from the hip - and maybe getting a few more people involved in shots.

I am still learning the software, but here's my first project: a music video of one of the new songs I've been working on recording with SoundFarm here in Singapore. It's called "Hold Me" and I wrote it awhile back (I began writing it in 2006 and probably finished it in 2010) but haven't played it a whole lot. So you may have heard it live, but maybe not. In any case, here it is below - hope you enjoy it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-aeIj6VLpQ

Bob Dylan and Imogen Heap

2011-04-17T18:52:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I went to Rock and Roots, a festival put on by Timbre, the same group that had me play shows in late January. It was a pretty fabulous concert. The two performers I most wanted to see were Bob Dylan and Imogen Heap.

Bob Dylan played all his well-known songs and had a fabulous band. Seeing him at this age made me wish I had seen him when he was younger - he could barely sing, and his speaking voice was actually more comprehensible. When he spoke verses instead of trying to sing them, I could here the words and tell which song he was singing. And then I could sing along. Fortunately his backing band really did support him (such as when he coudn't quite play that guitar solo). He just went from one song to the next - no chitchat, no interaction.

Imogen Heap, on the other hand, was much more interactive. You could tell she was working the crowd and we all loved it. From the beginning she made it clear that we were part of the show, not just spectators but people who were there because we liked her music, and she respected that. And she talked to us as such.

In a way, you could say that these two performers represented different generations. Bob Dylan more an older generation for whom there was a pretty clear divide between the performer and the audience, and Imogen Heap the younger generation which acknowledges the similarities between performer and audience. But maybe good performers have always been the latter - maybe Bob Dylan was more like that 20 years ago. I wish I had seen him then.

Here's some video of the shows: http://youtu.be/_1L4gT9YZVo

Long Time no See

2011-04-04T23:23:00.001-07:00

It's been a long time since I updated this blog. We took a break from school for a week, I had my birthday and then life got crazy. That's why.

So here's a picture of me eating Chili Crab on my birthday at the restaurant 'Big Eater' (see the sign behind me) which is a 5 minute walk from my room in the HDB (a blockof flats constructed by the Housing Development Board here in Singapore). Chili Crab is pretty famous for being a particular Singapore specialty, and let me tell you in was awesome! I don't know what they put in that sauce, but it is really flavorful. and spicy - if you don't like spicy try another specialty.

As for the craziness, it has to do a bit with my program. In this PhD program they usually give you 2 years in which to confirm. That is, you have to give a presentation on your research to show that you are capable of completing the program. After the presentation you begin your official research and get a slight boost in pay.

Well, I mentioned that usually you have 2 years to confirm. I've been here for nearly 6 months and my advisor asked me to confirm this May. It's cool that they think I can do it, and I don't see any real difficulties, but it just means a lot more work. So I haven't had much time or energy to blog. BUT, as my friend Yolanda mentioned, people read these things - so that gives me more encouragement to write. =) I'll do my best.

Lunar New Year and Chingay Parade

2011-02-20T19:08:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago I went down to Chinatown with my friend Nick and we wandered around. It was pretty crowded, mostly because the night was New Year's Eve - the lunar new year, that is. You can watch this short video as we shuffled along with the crowds and listened to the sellers marketing their products to the masses.

Last weekend we went to watch Chingay 2011 near the Esplanade. We didn't get tickets, but could see a lot from the parade route. Chingay is a celebration of ethnic heritage begun centuries ago by the Chinese overseas (those who migrated from China to many different parts of Asia). While traditionally a celebration of Chinese heritage, the event has since expanded to include multinational and mutliethnic groups from all over the world - at least in Singapore. Here's a bit longer video of the event, which was a lot of fun! My favorite part was the incredible energy of 2,000 youth putting on the same moves to the music as they danced past.

Thoughts on Learning

2011-02-10T19:08:00.001-08:00

As a PhD student here at NTU, part of my scholarship is to teach or TA once I've completed my coursework and passed confirmation. NTU is beginning to focus on training teachers more, and particularly in ways that encourage students to learn. One recommended course I'm taking now is part of that initiative, and we had our first session yesterday, taught by Peter Looker.

One of the best parts of the class was when Dr. Looker asked us to think about and define what learning is. I had a bit of a brain-wave and came up with this definition, definitely guided and influenced by my experiences. Here it is, and I'll unpack it a bit more below.

learn (v.) : To discover something new about reality. (Hiram's Definitions)

Part 1: Discovery

Learning, to me, is primarily about discovery. When you learn how to use your phone, when you learn how to drive a car or how to use a phrase properly in language or how to do a math problem, you are discovering it. Discovery also implies a self-driven process, the involvement of the person who is learning. Learning in this sense is not a passive, osmotic process, but one which requires engagement on the part of the learner. People who truly learn are in some sense pursuing the object in question, seeking the boundaries that flesh out the subject of study.

Part 2: Newness

When we discover something, by the act of discovery it is new to us. It may have been there all along, but until we discover it for ourselves it is as if it didn't really exist. The act of discovery focuses our attention on it and brings it into our field of vision, making it salient to our experience. A good example Dr. Looker gave was when he bought a new car - a white Fiat. When he was driving it home he began to notice all the other white Fiats on the road, something he had not noticed earlier in the day.

Part 3: Reality

The new thing that we discover is always grounded in reality, particularly the reality that we experience personally. The discovery is not about someone else's experience, but how that information connects with us and our frame of reference. We do not live in someone else's shoes, therefore we cannot experience both what their reality is and our own reality. We may be able to imagine someone's experience, but ultimately we cannot know it, we can only share a similar experience. The learning process is one in which our discoveries are integrated into our complete frame of reference and worldview (or multiple frames and worldviews) in a conceptual map. We work primarily with this conceptual map or network to interpret the information we receive - learning is the process of linking, re-linking, and creating new links in this network.

The question in our session then became: how do we teach in such a way that students are able to engage with the information presented and are able to discover it for themselves? I'm really looking forward to dealing with this question over the coming weeks, and gaining some tools to help others learn.

Shows at Timbre

2011-01-26T22:40:00.001-08:00

This week my friend Nii and I have been playing music at Timbre music spots around Singapore, and really enjoying the collaboration. It has really been a fantastic week - seeing old friends and making new ones, and having a blast on stage. Here's some footage (thanks Ben Low!) of 'Play Switch', performed on Tuesday at Timbre's Substation venue. Nii really brings the African percussion to this performance - so sweet!

Timbre Music Academy

2011-01-25T00:54:00.001-08:00

This week I'm playing a few shows at Timbre, a music venue with a few different locations around Singapore. Timbre books artists (they organized the Rock and Roots festival which will be bringing such great artists as Bob Dylan, John Legend, and Imogen Heap here in April), does some management and promotion, and also instructs students in the finer points of music and performance. Here I take a tour of the academy with Mung - you can find out more about them at the academy website.

A New Song from the upcoming Album

2011-01-16T20:13:00.001-08:00

I had a great time at home for the holidays, getting to see lots of friends and family and spending some relaxing days on the couch. Speaking of the couch, I recorded a video while I was relaxing, of a song that will be on the new album. It's called 'This Lamp' and is the story of an old abandoned house, told from the house's point of view.

One of my favorite parts of the video is how you can watch the sunlight disappear as the sun sets outside the window. Check it out below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p56yfUSEd00

Christmas Sampler Download

2010-12-12T22:45:00.001-08:00

I'm heading back to the US in a couple days, and wanted to let people know about the Christmas Sampler of two of my songs that you can now download on NoiseTrade: http://noisetrade.com/hiramring - spread the love with your friends! All you do is put in your email address and you will be sent an email with a link to download the two songs.

New Albums

2010-12-01T16:57:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W51IrxP-_bM

I've been in the throes of paper-writing for two of my classes, and the papers are due next Friday, December 10th. However, I did want to give an update on the extra-curricular activities I've been involved in, most notably recording songs for another album or two. You can watch the video above for a preview.

My main project is a new solo album of 12 songs which will tentatively be titled 'Home' as many of the songs deal with this theme. I've had some really crazy experiences over the last year and a half (some of which are on this blog) with touring to promote my first album, trying to figure out direction, experiencing intimacy and loss, and traveling half-way around the world, which have really made me ponder the meaning of home. What is it and how do I get there? In this album I suppose I continue one of the themes from the first album, 'Breathe Deep'.

The second set of songs are more worship-oriented prayers and psalms that I've written mostly over the course of the last year as I've struggled with the theme of 'home'. They're directly or indirectly influenced by the time I've spent alone with God, fellowship with friends, and particularly encouraged by the album of sacred songs, '12 Gates', that I worked on with Matthew Monticchio and others. There's two kinds of these tunes - new hymns (some of which we've done in church) and general worship songs (some of which could be congregational). So I'm not sure if that'll turn into two EPs or if I'll just release a full-length album. I welcome your feedback!

It's been really great to record guitar and vocals with the guys at SoundFarm here in Singapore, and later this week I'll be doing another session to get vocals. I'll be taking the tracks back with me to the US for Christmas, where I'm hoping my friend Ross can lay down some drums while I'm there, and maybe I can get some other musicians to contribute as well. I'll try to upload some samples as the arrangements get finalized.

Karaoke!

2010-11-23T04:38:00.001-08:00

Some of my friends recently had a birthday party celebration at K-Box, which is a local karaoke shop. They provide a full buffet with pretty good food and plenty of it, all you can eat desserts and ice-cream. It was really good. They also had a large selection of songs to choose from so I was able to sing songs in English (Hotel California, I Will Always Love You, etc..) and try to follow along as my friends sang in Mandarin and Cantonese. It was pretty cool - by the end I had learned some new Chinese characters. Here's a short video of the room we rented.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fPhMxM5PBc

Pulau Ubin

2010-11-12T01:06:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PeNM_LkBVk

NTU's Graduate Student Club organized an outing to the local island Pulau Ubin, which is just off the coast of Singapore. We took a 10-minute ferry ride (after a 45-minute bus ride) to get to this island, where granite is still quarried, and rented bikes for the day. It was good clean fun and we even saw some wildlife. Some monkeys, a wild pig, lizards, birds - the usual, I suppose. As you can tell from the video, I got the best bike.

Afterwards we got ice cream at a local vendor's stall and talked about life, culture, philosophy, and politics (among other things). As one of my twitter friends (@veve4heart) commented after seeing the video, "Ok...two things, A. It looks HOT over there...and B. Any country with Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream can't be all bad." Right on both counts! Ice cream is one of many reasons to come to Singapore.

Jiao Zi - Chinese Dumplings

2010-11-09T04:54:00.001-08:00

The other day, some friends invited me to where they were staying for Chinese dumplings. Having experienced the dumplings before, but not having made any myself, it was quite the experience. First they made me knead the dough (with all my baking and clay-kneading experience I was happy to oblige) and then we rolled out the dough and filled it with meat filling before cooking the dumplings. It reminded me a bit of the meat pies that I would help my mom with in Ghana - though instead of wheat-based flour we used rice flour, and instead of baking them we boiled/steamed them.

Cambodian Dance (among others)

2010-11-01T18:26:00.001-07:00

A couple weeks ago I went with some friends to Singapore's Esplanade, a theatre and arts complex in center city, by the river. They were just finishing up a festival of dance (called 'Da:ns') and were particularly highlighting cultural dances from across Asia. We weren't able to go for all the dance events (click on the link above to visit the page that describes everything that was going on), but you can see we got to watch Japanese and Cambodian dancing. And true to Singaporean form, also got to participate in the western pastime of line-dancing.

The Japanese dance was very formal and structured, and we got to see three different dances - one with the fan that is the story of a beautiful maiden expressing her love for a visiting general with her precision and graceful movement. Then the men's dance which tells the story of men preparing themselves for war. The last one we saw is the story of a high-class woman who hardly ever has the chance to go out of the house - when at last she is allowed to go for a walk, she makes the most of it, playing and having fun.

The Cambodian dance was also quite formal but in a different way. The proper posture for these classically trained dancers is a curved back while they make precise, sculptural movements. It takes incredible control to keep those postures as they move slowly and carefully. They performed the story of Machhanup, which is unique to the Khmer version of the Ramayana and has been performed for over 1,000 years. I was reminded again how ancient some Asian cultures are.

Macchanup is the story of a great warrior who is the son of the monkey king and the mermaid queen. The monkeys built a stone bridge to the island of the giants so they could make war on them, but the mermaid queen didn't want the bridge across her land, so had her servants remove the stones. The monkeys were angry and jumped in to fight the servants, followed by their king who fell in love with the mermaid queen, resulting in Machhanup.

The rest of the story talks about how Machhanup grew up not knowing his father and became a great warrior, trained by a mighty giant. He ends up fighting his father until the mermaid queen tells them the truth of their relationship. The dance was performed by Apsara Arts Association, and I look forward to seeing more performances from them if I can make it to Cambodia or if they come back to Singapore.

Chinese Hot Pot

2010-10-29T01:32:00.001-07:00

My friend HaoShu and I (see a post below for a link to his books) were invited by another friend for dinner at his house, with his family and a couple others. Dennis lives in a condo and invited us to come early and swim. It was a pretty neat pool, complete with waterfall (have you ever gotten a massage from a waterfall? pretty much the greatest thing ever).

Needless to say, we were pretty famished by the time dinner rolled around. Chinese 'hot pot' (huo guo) is a traditional meal prepared in a single pot. Raw ingredients are selected and people just put in what they want and it boils up. It's usually meat followed by vegetables and noodles, but everyone has their own way of doing it. While the food is cooking, you just sit around and talk and catch up. It was lots of fun! Watch the video above to see how it's done.

Dragon Dance

2010-10-08T19:47:00.001-07:00

I haven't been doing a whole lot of video-ing lately, mainly because school is getting busier and I haven't had as much free time. I'm working on a couple semester projects, one of which includes a survey that I'm developing to study multilingualism and cognition. So for now I'll leave you with the full dragon dance, which I thought was pretty impressive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzX5LeVEDXc

Moon Festival

2010-09-28T06:14:00.001-07:00

Here in Singapore they celebrate the traditional Chinese mid-autumn festival, also known as the Moon Festival. You can read more about the festival here and here - pretty interesting reads, I must say, and not something I learned about in social studies, that's for sure. While it's not as important as the spring festival or the new year festival, it's definitely a reason to get your party on.

At NTU last week the Chinese club organized a big event in Yunnan Garden, right across from the Chinese Heritage Centre. The garden that I usually walk through in the mornings and evenings, to and from my apartment, was transformed by lights, candles, music, and the dancing of lions/dragons (depending on which Chinese person you ask). It was quite fun.

My friend Christina and I waited in line and watched the dancing, then wandered around with our lanterns until the candles burned out, then watched the calligrapher at work, tasted tea served in a traditional ceremonial way, and finally were treated to the traditional orchestra doing a rendition of... you guessed it - Taylor Swift! This is what we call fusion. Check it out below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKR5CBYTr-k

NTU HSS Graduate Office

2010-09-24T23:32:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9oESEf2WtI

Nanyang Technological University is where I'm studying here in Singapore. There are around 30,000 students here, 10,000 of which are in graduate programs. The largest number of graduate students are here to work in engineering, computers, biology or other related disciplines, but the College of Humanities and Social Sciences is growing pretty quickly.

As a PhD student I'm part of the Linguistics and Multilingual Studies department that is quickly making a name for itself in the realm of multilingual research, and is developing an archive of language data on undocumented and endangered languages. It's a really great department to be in, and this video will give you a view into my daily routine and the cubicle that I've been assigned in the graduate office.

Third Culture Kids

2010-09-23T03:39:00.001-07:00

Here's a plug for a really cool video I was told about. Have you ever wondered what it's like to grow up in a different culture? To move from one place to another every few years? This new documentary is a really great look at all the issues surrounding Third Culture Kids who grow up 'between worlds'. Check out the trailer below!

http://vimeo.com/11658942

Les Passagers : A TCK Story from kalen hayman on Vimeo.

Singapore's Orchid Garden

2010-09-20T20:41:00.001-07:00

Last week I visited the Singapore Botanic Gardens with my friend (and fellow PhD student) Wang Hao Shu. He also happens to be a novelist in China, which is why I include the link on his name - if you read Chinese, check out his books! A word to the name illiterate: in China you say the family name first and then the given name.

Hao Shu really loves the orchids housed in the Botanic Gardens, and he had recommended we go and check them out. My friend Margie, on hearing that I was in Singapore, asked me about the orchids as well, so for her sake I thought I'd go and take some video. I also took some pictures which you can see more of below the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpSUamHDJzo

The orchid garden is nestled in one of the many corners of the botanic gardens. We walked by the swan lake where people feed the birds, fish, and giant turtles. We kept walking past the large lawn and trees shading picnic-ers and families. Then through the ginger garden with many varieties of ginger plants and flowers, and finally on to the orchid garden, where we found to our surprise that for this particular weekend we got in for free as students! Sweetness!

Needless to say, there was more to see than can be shared in a short video, but find me on facebook and you can see some more amazing photos of our trip.

Home Sweet Room

2010-09-14T06:42:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2ydgLroh40

I found a place to stay! Thanks for all your prayers - I found a small room in a flat only 10 minutes walk from class, which is pretty remarkable. All my classmates are telling me I'm blessed because I'm paying almost half of what most people pay for a room this size. Add this to the movie tickets I won during the first week and the fact that I was interviewed for Chinese national TV recently (CCTV - more about that later), and they're certain I was born under a lucky star.

You can view a tour of my room and the walk to NTU in the video above. A couple notes - no, the Buddhist shrine is not mine (it belongs to the people whose room I'm renting). Mr and Mrs Wong own the flat and live there with their mother, and two other PhD students (chemistry, I believe) share the other free room. It's cozy, but I actually don't see them much, since I spend most of my time reading books (or checking facebook if I'm procrastinating) in my cubicle in the huge room reserved for graduate students on the third floor of the HSS building. I'll be giving a tour of that pretty soon, so stay tuned!

Eating Durian

2010-09-11T01:33:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07QuaJJFNeo

While I was staying with Ming-San and Rose and their family, I had the opportunity to try Durian, which is the favorite fruit of Malaysians and Indonesians. It smells a bit like rot, but if you can think of it as old fruit rather than old other things, you are well on your way to enjoying its flavor.

We got four different kinds: King, Pork Fat, Butter and Malaysia 100-year-old Tree, and I got to taste each of them. Durian is rather a unique flavor in general - a bit like really thick, heavy, rich pecan ice-cream. But the texture is a bit more like mango, and depending on the size of the individual fruit the seeds can be rather large. The seeds are brown (and bitter-tasting, I'm told), but surrounded by a yellow-white pulp (again, the color varies depending on the individual fruit).

The King and Butter kinds were very creamy and mild, slightly sweet, while the Pork Fat had slightly more of a bite to it. The Malaysia 100-year-old Tree was the most flavorful - you could almost taste coffee or bits and pieces of other fruits/flavors. It was pretty interesting. I might have to try it again at some point. The flavor was pretty rich though - 4 seeds (1 from each) were all I could handle.

A Week Into Singapore

2010-09-07T00:17:00.001-07:00

I've been here for a week (as of Saturday, 1am) and am slowly getting more used to some of Singapore's unique characteristics. Life moves at a pretty rapid pace here, but interestingly efficiency does not necessarily mean ease of access and getting things done rapidly. Some things are very efficient - transportation for one (most of the time) and eating for another. Other things take more time, which might simply be due to the volume of people and the necessity the government feels of keeping track of all those people (including me).

I matriculated on Monday, Aug 30th, which basically means I showed up in person with all my paperwork, paid my registration fees and am now officially a student of Nanyang Technological University. This is all very important, because the only way I can get my 4-year student visa is if I have matriculated. The other thing I need in order to get the visa (student's pass, officially) is a medical exam done by the university. It's all rather time-consuming, and my classes started this past Tuesday.

Another part of the puzzle is finding housing, since I am currently traveling an hour or more (rush hour traffic) on public transport to get to NTU. I was told that as a first-year research student coming from overseas, I would have priority in on-campus housing in the graduate hall, but apparently they are full, so I have been looking for housing off-campus. The slight wrinkle (I have learned) is that in order to rent a room or a flat, the landlord has to submit your information to the local housing authority. Guess what is required for them to approve your stay? Yup - the student's pass with your FIN (Foreigner Identification Number).

I met another American student (from Georgia) this past week, who is in his second year of PhD, but in Sociology, studying social network media, specifically MMOs (Massive Multiplayer Online systems, ie. online computer games). His cubicle is diagonal from mine (see the picture) and he was able to commiserate with me on dealing with the bureaucracy - some of the issue, however, seems to be that I was accepted 4 weeks ago and arrived shortly thereafter. If I had been accepted last May I would probably have housing on campus, etc, etc.. and most of these things would have been taken care of in the two months or so allotted to getting them done - which is actually pretty efficient for a bureaucratic system.

Interestingly, while they gave me appointments for all these things (medical checkup, student pass finalization, etc..) it seems to be just as effective to show up early any day and queue up. The only thing this doesn't really work for is the student pass, but by going directly to the immigration headquarters and explaining my situation (and by God's grace and the prayers of his people), I was able to get my appointment date moved up from September 22nd to the 8th. This bodes somewhat better for my apartment-hunting endeavors.

As a final note, you can check out this video I made of public transport to NTU: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH0Wt52lwkA

First Impressions

2010-08-28T05:56:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting in Paul Johnson's place here in Singapore, quite far away from Nanyang Technological University, where I'll be studying - Paul lives off Ang Mo Kio Ave in the Serangoon Garden area. Sound exotic enough for you yet? He was kind enough to pick me up from the airport at 1am this morning (my flight was delayed) and has since been helping me negotiate the process of settling in to life in Singapore.

Singapore is an interesting mixture of western and eastern cultures. Streets are small and traffic drives on the left side of the road, public transport is air-conditioned and everything flora is trimmed and manicured carefully. English is accented in an Asian/Indian manner, and eateries are everywhere.

Paul jokes that eating is the national past-time, and judging by the incredible variety and quality of the establishments I think I'm going to fit right in! Nothing like a pastime that involves gastric exploration, eh? And judging by all the shops that smell heavenly even though I can't decipher the names and signs (they're written in English, but I've never come across the names they give these foods), it might take me awhile to explore the options provided.

The house we're in has been in Paul's family since his parents moved to Singapore from England in the 1940s or so. It has a yard and only two floors - quite unusual for Singapore in general, but many of the houses in this neighborhood are that way. We live on the second floor, which has two rooms and is quite spacious. It's actually so large that Paul is looking for an alternative smaller space.

I'll try to keep you all posted on further developments and give thoughts on my new surroundings. You can check out this short video update below for other details and prayer requests/concerns.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiJpYpdfpLE

Singapore!

2010-08-21T11:30:00.001-07:00

Last week, on Thursday, I was getting ready to head to Plano to represent Math-U-See at a homeschooling convention. I checked my email, and lo and behold I had received... an acceptance letter and a scholarship to a PhD program in Singapore!

I applied a few months ago to a program at Nanyang Technological University for Language Documentation. I knew the program started in September and that I should be hearing yes or no relatively soon, but what a cool day! I remember sitting at my computer and trying to think through this opportunity - should I go or not? I realized that if I didn't go, I would probably second-guess myself for the rest of my life.

So I accepted the offer, filled out a visa application and hit the road for Plano for the weekend. This past week has been crazy busy with work, but I have a plane ticket to Singapore leaving Philly Thursday morning (I have to be in Singapore for registration on August 30th) and will be spending the next 3-5 years training to study an undocumented language in northeast India. What an adventure, eh? =)

I'd appreciate your prayers as I embark, and will try to keep you all updated via blog, pictures and video.. let me know if you have any questions.

New Old Hymns

2010-08-10T18:42:00.001-07:00

A short essay I wrote about writing hymns has just been posted on the New Old Hymns blog/site, an effort by Sandra McCracken and other Nashville-based musicians and theologians. Check it out and give your feedback, let us know what you think, and spend some time on the site checking out the other great resources!

http://www.newoldhymns.com/why_write_hymns/

Songs for a Cause, vol. 1

2010-07-10T19:33:00.000-07:00

Songs for a Cause, vol. 1

Check out this really sweet compilation CD! 100% of proceeds go to fighting extreme poverty around the world, and the album includes 21 songs from people like David Bazan, OK Go, They Might Be Giants, and (yes) Hiram Ring!

the minimum donation is $10 for the 21 songs, and you can of course donate more. Click on the link above to fight global poverty and learn more about how you can be involved.

A Couple Shows Coming Up

2010-06-14T16:23:00.001-07:00

I feel like sometimes I only surface long enough to post something on my blog, make a halfhearted effort to let people know I'm playing nearby, and then submerge once again into work and the other details of life that continue to gather around me. It's become such a common thing that I feel like I live a double life to some extent. Music vs. work/family/friends. It's then that I realize my focus needs to be something else.

I'm setting my alarm clock half an hour earlier every day and trying to get to bed by 11pm this week. I've realized that my most fulfilling moments in life were three months in 2006 when I was doing language survey in Central Asia. I would go to bed by 10pm and be up with the sun around 6am. Since there was nothing else to do, I would read scripture, memorize, pray, and commune with God until 8am or so, when I ate breakfast with the friends I was staying with.

"since there was nothing else to do" - that statement makes me realize how little I value scripture. And yet, THAT was what changed me. It was the WORD of GOD that renewed me, bathed me in cleansing water. And I am so thirsty.

Will you drink deep with me from the river of life this week? I'll be sharing some stories and new songs this wednesday with my friend Phil on WJTL at 9pm EST - if I can encourage you, please tune in to 90.3 FM in Lancaster, PA or listen online: WJTL.com/listen

But most of all, listen to the WORD of GOD. Read it, digest it, let it speak to you. Let it renew and transform you. Memorize it and sink your teeth into it. Spend time with the one who gives it and let him teach you and fill you with his life-changing power.

Back Home

2010-05-19T19:33:00.001-07:00

As you can see, I haven't had much time (either on the road or now that I'm home) to blog, but that may change. There are so many things I'm trying to do at the moment, though, that it's hard to remember there are people out there in the blogosphere (or elswhere) that are interested to some extent in what I'm doing.

So... a brief recap: The last week of the banquet tour was really good. I got some great responses and actually met a lady who still sings my parents scripture songs (when my parents first became Christians they wrote a lot of folk-oriented scripture songs and sang them all around Florida at churches in the early days of the Jesus movement of the 70's). It was really cool. Here's some video of me singing 'I'm on a Journey' (which I did every night), as well as another video of parts of Charleston, SC that we got to see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAw74iPV1Gc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvEHnWOO15M

I flew back from the banquet tour on a Sunday (Mother's Day), and the following day my parents flew down to SC to help lead a 2-week spiritual retreat. I started back to work the same day and so it's been somewhat hectic. I've been working overtime for Math-U-See while overseeing house affairs (cooking, cleaning, upkeep, shopping, keeping tabs on things) with the help of my younger siblings, catching up with folks, applying to this PhD program, and working on some new recordings with a few new pieces of equipment. My parents come home on Saturday. =)

Life on the Road

2010-05-03T12:56:00.001-07:00

So I'm on a banquet speaking tour - the idea being to raise awareness of the need for bible translation into the more than 2,200 unwritten languages that are left in the world. Those 2,200+ languages represent over 350 million people (yes, 350,000,000!) that still have no access to scripture in a language they can understand. My parents have been with Wycliffe since the 70s, which is why/how I was born and raised in Ghana.

As anyone who travels for work can tell you, life on the road can be grueling. Dan and I travel to a different city, set up our equipment for the media part of the presentation, feed a meal and present to a different room of people almost every night. So far we've done 20 banquets over the past four weeks - 5 banquets per week. Tonight is the first banquet of our final week - our 25th and final banquet will be on Saturday in Jacksonville, Florida.

This kind of schedule doesn't leave much time for sightseeing (it's kind of like being on tour), but we have managed to see some of the sights, nonetheless (when there were sights to see, that is). This is particularly true of local eateries - there are lots of restaurants down here that I've never been to, chains as well as local delis and cafes. Here's me and Dan in 'Sweet Magnolias' in Gainesville, GA, which is in what used to be the old JC Penney arcade on the square.

And of course I would be remiss if I failed to mention the tour of UGA that my friends Sam and Marie gave me after the banquet in Athens, GA. On our day off (wednesday), they offered to show me around the campus, busting the myth of the 5-year curse, taking me to see the book bound in human flesh in the school library (not shown) and of course the tree that owns itself (not shown) as well as the double-barreled cannon that only fired one round. Check out the video below.

Pageant Music releases 12 Gates!

2010-04-01T07:59:00.000-07:00

We have finally released the album '12 Gates', and are giving it away for FREE this Easter season! Yup - that's no April Fool's joke either.

You can find it at: http://www.noisetrade.com/pageantmusic - you can donate to help cover our production costs, but all we ask is that you share it with as many people as you think will enjoy it.

Our vision is that these songs would be an encouragement to believers everywhere and express the beauty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a new and different way. Birthed from the artistry and collaborative nature of the believing community in Lancaster, PA, specifically Wheatland Church, we hope that these songs will edify and enrich the worship of churches all over the US and around the world.

The driving force behind this collection and collaboration is Matthew Monticchio and myself, Hiram Ring, but with an incredible amount of interaction from our community both within and without Wheatland Church. Other artists who sing on this album are Joy Ike, Brooke Annibale, Christy Danner, Cliff and Jen Lewis, Dan Kirby, Anna Demme, Keith Winder and Alisha Ring. Matthew Clark created the image for the album cover, and Ned Bustard designed the text. Many more were involved in producing what you hear.

Visit http://pageantmusic.wordpress.com for an outline of the tracks on the album with some additional notes on the performers and musical/textual elements.

Speaker Training

2010-03-30T14:49:00.000-07:00

I'm in Florida for Wycliffe Associates at speaker training. Since I will be speaking on their banquet tour for the next month, I'm here to learn how to tell my stories effectively to communicate and keep people's attention. We're at a hotel near Orlando and the days are pretty grueling.. but they sure do feed us well!

I've been learning a lot, developing stories that fit into 2 minutes and communicate the truth of the situation I'm describing. Telling stories is more like theater - not so much like songwriting. With songwriting I'm crafting poetry that captures multiple shades of meaning to communicate truth with stories and imagery, but with storytelling I'm capturing emotional and image-rich events in natural, every-day language. A subtle difference. Songwriting relies on the words and music to communicate, while storytelling relies mostly on non-verbal cues.

There is definitely some overlap, and I find I'm taking to it like a fish to water. Or perhaps more like a dog to water - maybe I'll turn into a dolphin eventually. Still working on that and will let you know what happens by the end of the week. If you'd like to come to a banquet (April 5 - May 8 in Georgia and South Carolina) to hear my stories and how you can be part of getting scriptures to the millions of people around the world who still do not have any of God's Word in a language that they can understand, check out the dates below, and my or the WA website for more details.

Apr 5 Valdosta, GA

Apr 6 Americus, GA

Apr 8 Columbus, GA

Apr 9 Warner Robins, GA

Apr 10 Macon, GA

Apr 12 Fayetteville, GA

Apr 13 Conyers, GA

Apr 15 Marietta, GA

Apr 16 Rome, GA

Apr 17 Norcross, GA

Apr 19 Gainesville, GA

Apr 20 Athens, GA

Apr 22 Anderson, SC

Apr 23 Greenville, SC

Apr 24 Spartanburg, SC

Apr 26 Rock Hill, SC

Apr 27 Aiken, SC

Apr 29 Augusta, SC

Apr 30 Columbia, SC

May 1 Florence, SC

May 3 Mount Pleasant, SC

May 4 Savannah, GA

May 6 Statesboro, GA

May 7 Waycross, GA

May 8 Jacksonville, FL

A Weekend Jaunt

2010-03-20T13:01:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I played a couple shows - one near Lewisberry, PA (which I forgot to take video at) and one in Severna Park, MD. They were both a lot of fun, but very different. In Lewisberry I played for a church event in which the audience were mostly older than me. They sat quietly and listened carefully and laughed appropriately - it was very easy to engage them, and they expressed a lot of appreciation afterwards. It was a lot of fun.

The Severna Park event was also at a church, but the listeners were mostly younger than me, and were doing other things while listening (pretty smart, in my opinion - when I was that age I wouldn't sit and listen to someone like me for very long). So it was a very energetic audience, but the energy was different than at the PA show. I also noticed that most of the people older than me who were there moved closer to the stage and when I directed comments to them they really responded and got into the music. It was a lot of fun.

So those are just a few thoughts. Interesting how events can be so different and yet both be incredibly enjoyable. Unfortunately, since I forgot to video the first show, you can't compare them yourself, but here's some video from the second event. Two videos - one of me explaining the event and soundchecking, and a song by Brian LoPiccolo (who just released his first album, so click here to check it out) which features harmonica and bagpipes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPrQeRbeA0I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4uliKFyLwk

Tunes in the Car, Will Travel

2010-03-04T10:17:00.001-08:00

One really sweet thing about not having Florence anymore is that I now have a car that is slightly newer. 1991 Honda Accord - six whole years younger! Some friends at church had wanted to get a truck for the last 12 years, and when they heard about my accident, thought it might be the perfect opportunity to bless me. So amazingly cool how God works!

So not only does this car meet my needs for transportation, it also has a sunroof, auto windows and locks, and is a station wagon (so lots more room for stuff). And did I mention cruise control? When I was touring around last year, that was one thing I really wished I had. Those 9 hour drives are no joke.

With all these modern amenities, I thought "hey, why not go overboard and get a real stereo system - with a CD player or something so I can listen to something besides the radio". So my friend Ethan had an extra one lying around which happened to be perfect for my needs - a car CD-player/radio with an aux input for an MP3 player. Pretty cool. Now I just had to figure out how to install it.

Accordingly, around lunch time the other day I began the installation process. And was it a process! I realize now that I should have videotaped the whole thing because it was actually quite humorous. I thought it wouldn't take too long, a couple hours and I'd have it changed out... The reality was a total of 5 hours, with a trip to the store for extra tools. Do you realize that they make some screws impossible to get at?!! The most time-consuming part was connecting the wires (they don't leave much room for this sort of thing, and there are like 50 million of them that have to be properly connected according to the little diagram) and then trying to get it all to fit back properly into the right spot. Honda does not make it easy...

But all's well that ends well - and I now have tunes in my car! Which makes it much easier to listen to mixes and all the CDs that people have given me on my travels. I may still need to invest in an MP3 player (anyone have one lying around that they're not using?) and a new radio antenna (the one I have is a mechanical extender whose motor has broken), and I'm wondering if there's some sort of wire mesh stuff that will help protect against skipping (though it's only skipped once since I put it in, when I happened to drive over a HUGE pothole). It is pretty amazing though - this is the first car I've had where I can listen to music of my own choice. And the choices are endless!

Saying Goodbye to Florence

2010-02-28T16:08:00.001-08:00

When I first met Florence five years ago, I had just graduated from college. She happened to be born in 1985, just a couple years younger than me, and I was struck by her beautiful voice. We hit it off wonderfully from the beginning - she always seemed to be free when I wanted to go somewhere and so we spent lots of time together. We would go shopping, out on the town, and many times to visit friends. When I went out on tour she accompanied me over the 6,000 plus miles. With just a change of oil, she sang like a nightingale.

Yup, Florence was my car, a 1985 Toyota Tercel hatchback. When I bought her she had 35,000 miles. Five years later she has 104,000 and still runs great. Unfortunately, Florence and I got into an accident in Philly the week of Thanksgiving and will cost $1000 to fix. It's a thousand dollars that I don't have, so I guess it's time to move on.. Tomorrow I'll be driving Florence to the junk yard for the last time. I'm hoping one of the mechanics there will take pity on her and spend the time and effort to fix or replace her door. If that does happen she'll have many more miles and years to run.

In retrospect, we've had a good life together, but fortunately life does not consist of possessions. The past few months have reminded me that everything we have comes from God, and that attachment to the physical objects around us can be detrimental to our spiritual development. I guess the important thing is to be able to recognize the gifts around us and be willing to relinquish them when we must. So here's to Florence!

Blogging for the sake of Doing it.

2010-02-22T14:35:00.001-08:00

I'm an introvert, and I like to think. Which also means that sometimes I don't have a whole lot to say - I think it all through and come to my own conclusions and am happy with them.

Some people think while they write - I think of songwriters called 'prolific', and it strikes me that they must be those kind of people. The trouble is, I don't like most of their songs. I'd prefer to create good work rather than lots of so-so. I think we're always creating - I guess the real difference between someone like me and prolific songwriters is that I'm a lot more shy about presenting what i have created. I have a few gems, things I'm polishing, and the offal. I try not to show people my offal.

I suppose I can apply that to blogging. When I don't have much to say I just don't say anything. Especially since there's so much pressure to get and maintain a following. Maybe this is the introvert in me - I'd rather just create and release music periodically, and not have to write about it. But blogging is really more about journaling. You just have to keep it up over a long period of time, no matter what else you do. Sounds like a lot of other things in life. Hopefully this builds character. or something.

Secrets of the Library

2010-01-30T20:47:00.001-08:00

So our big project for this course is a language survey proposal - the paper and presentation. We basically take a language about which very little is known, do a lot of research, and write a proposal to carry out a survey that will help answer basic questions about the language situation. The idea is that we are in touch with an actual person on the ground in the country who can direct our studies.

The language I'm researching is... actually I can't tell you. What I CAN tell you, though, is that I have had some cool breakthroughs during the course of the project. Which means that I have learned information directly from an observer of the language who has done recent research in the area but has not published it yet. It's pretty sweet to be on the inside. Maybe I can do this whole academic thing.

It's also cool to think that if I hadn't been here to do the research and send the emails, it is likely that some people who are in a position to make decisions about assisting language development efforts would have inadequate information on which to make decisions. Which I guess doesn't say much, but the little it does say speaks volumes. Here's to the bookshelf warriors.

In other news, I recently uploaded some video of a conference I helped lead worship at with Ishq, an Ethnodoxology group that plays music from an array of different cultures. Here we sing some snippets of an Arab Christian worship song from South Africa, and a jubilant rendition of 'How Deep the Father's Love'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA_TimiEPNU

Broken World

2010-01-23T15:40:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I heard that a friend died. Aimee was a fellow MK who grew up with my friend Katrina in Taiwan. I go to church in Lancaster with some of her cousins. We met a couple years ago around Christmas time when they were visiting the cousins and we road-tripped up to State College area to visit Katrina and her family - she didn't like driving, so I drove. Over the past couple years we kept in touch and I visited her in Charlotte, NC where she was working as a teacher. We went out to eat on my 26th birthday.

On thursday around 7am a pickup truck crossed the center-line and smashed into her head-on. Both cars were traveling at about 55mph. They still don't know why the driver of the other vehicle crossed the line. Apparently the driver doesn't remember either, and there's no evidence of drugs/alchohol or cellphone use. She was on her way to school. She was 25.

I wrote a song last night, but it doesn't do justice to the injustice of death. When my brother died 13 years ago I couldn't find the right words either. Maybe in a million years I'll be able to. Right now all I can do is strain to produce depth of emotion to express the pain of this broken world. I would despair if I didn't know the Intercessor.

Academics and the Ivory Tower

2010-01-20T14:37:00.001-08:00

So I am learning a lot this month, particularly about languages and creating surveys that answer particular questions about language. I am also reading a lot of scholarly articles and realizing that I am not 'academic' as defined by Princeton as:
a) hypothetical or theoretical and not expected to produce an immediate or practical result" or
b) marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects

In other words, I would rather learn something that leads to action, change, and growth, than simply for the sake of learning it. I need to create something new, important, unique, rather than simply following in the footsteps of others and 'adding to the existing body of knowledge' about a particular topic. In some senses it could be argued that adding to and refining existing knowledge IS new, important, and unique... I suppose I have simply realized by taking this course that I can't sit and read or write about things without having an end-goal in which other human beings are actually affected by the knowledge I gather.

This is not a new realization... but being here and taking this graduate course has given me a fuller understanding of what it all means to me personally. It's a different world here, for sure. As long as I can balance the academics with purpose, I'm sure I'll come out all right.

In Dallas

2010-01-08T16:45:00.001-08:00

I'm in Dallas, TX for the month of January, but not because the Cowboys are in the playoffs (are they still? I don't really follow sports).. I'm actually taking a language survey course at the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics while exploring ethnomusicology and other opportunities for missions involvement. I'm still trying to figure out where I 'Go From Here'. I'm hoping this month will give me some clarity.

I arrived in what I thought were 'warmer climes' only to discover that it is currently the coldest it has been here in Dallas in over ten years. I guess I brought the cold with me... needless to say, I am glad for all the sweaters my mom made me bring. =) Thanks Mom!

Christmas is over..

2010-01-02T18:29:00.001-08:00

..but the year has only begun. As you well know, Christmas happens every year - a reminder as sure as the sun comes up and goes down of the birth of our savior. It is always good to be reminded of our source, the One in whom we live and move and have our being.

This past season has in some ways been dark and toilsome as I struggle with vocation and purpose while continuing to try and forge ahead creatively. I have needed a reminder of the light that came into the world at our darkest hour, who still meets us there, at the end of our rope, to give us strength and courage for the long climb back into light.

May 2010 be full of joy and light for you and yours!

So I leave you with Wheatland Church's candlelight Christmas Eve service, and the following monday's Christmas Spectacular! in Lancaster. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZOXvGhDwlg&feature=youtube_gdata

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcdrDucTU-k&feature=youtube_gdata

More Christmas Gifts!

2009-12-16T10:23:00.000-08:00

[EDIT: the songs below have expired from the site, but if you are interested in hearing them, just get in touch - ringrecords AT gmail DOT com]

Yup, you guessed it - cheery Christmas goodness for you and loved ones to enjoy!

  The holidays have arrived with gusto, and to tickle your highly-cultured musical tastebuds we have a couple of the more esoteric tunes which, due to time and other constraints, we failed to release last year on the highly-acclaimed 'Love >>> Begotten'. So, following the paragraphs below, which explain said delicacies, are links to each of the tunes where you can download (right-click and 'save target' if from PC, ctrl-click and 'save link' if on a Mac) or simply click to listen. We'd love to have your feedback!

Tune #1: How Brightly Shines the Morning Star
This reproduction of the Christmas hymn is a juxtaposition of familiar sacred elements with the more space-age-tendencies of modernity. Featuring the deep text of the original, the vocals of Cliff and Jen Lewis float over a bed of gossamer and silken yet edgy synthesizers following traditional chord changes (played by Matthew Monticchio). Through the music one envisions candy-coated consumerism portrayed by dancing elves in Christmas garb, yet in the words we are hauntingly reminded of the Child, the Son of Man who is the culmination of all creation - past, present, and future - and who delivers us from our selfishness.

  Download it here: http://www.hiramring.com/downloads/How_Brightly_Shines_the_Morning_Star-Pageant_Music.mp3

Tune #2: Once in Royal David's City
  Another re-done Christmas favorite, this arrangement evokes a sense of the earthiness and reality of our savior's birth. With the noises of a first-century village and the prophecy (in Hebrew) from Micah 5:2, we are immediately transported to the night in the stable with Mary and Joseph. Featuring the vocals of Katie Becker and the pitchy harmony of friends, travel back in time as we remember the One who fulfilled the law and the prophets, He who was what we cannot be - perfection.

  Download it here: http://www.hiramring.com/downloads/Once_in_Royal_Davids_City-Pageant_Music.mp3

Tune #3: O Little Child
  For those of you who missed this song a few weeks ago, you will have the opportunity to download it again on December 22 (Christmas Eve eve, eve) through http://www.itickets.com - a source of daily free downloads from all over the US!

Fig Central

2009-12-15T19:43:00.001-08:00

On the last First Friday of 2009 (if you don't know about these monthly art and cultural evenings in Lancaster, you are sorely missing out) I had the pleasure of performing at a once-in-a-lifetime event... The opening of Fig Central! Their one-stop shop for information and events in Lancaster's downtown area is located in the shops on King Street next to Central Market and across the street from the newspaper's offices. I provided the background ambience for an evening of holiday cheer and excited gathering as most of the city passed through. Watch the clip below to catch some of the excitement!

Recording Sacred Songs Pt 2

2009-12-10T17:12:00.001-08:00

The last few weeks (months, actually) I've been working steadily with my friend Matthew Monticchio on our albums of sacred songs. We recently recorded our friend Dan Kirby on the song 'I Hunger and I Thirst' - text that Matt put to new music. A really great tune that we are excited to be able to share with you - if all goes according to plan, we'll be able to do that early in January. Until then, check out the video below for a short voice lesson from Matt. =)

Brother James

2009-12-06T13:29:00.001-08:00

The week of Thanksgiving my friend James from England was visiting. We visited the sites around Lancaster, including the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg. Watch as we ride the trains - James is a fun guy!

We also took a trip to the Constitution Center in Philadelphia - it was well worth the trip to see the exhibits and the theater presentation. Great reminder of the unique nature of our country. In the video below we're having fun with the metal dudes in the signer's hall.

An MP3 Christmas Gift from Hiram!

2009-11-27T17:16:00.001-08:00

[ EDIT: The free MP3 download offered below has expired. However, stay tuned to this blog for more free Christmas music in the coming week, including this song on iTickets.com on Dec 22, 2009! ]

O_Little_Child-Hiram_Ring.mp3 (one week only!)

This Christmas I want to give you a song that is still very close to my heart - newly re-mixed and mastered for 2009. It's a song that I wrote in 2006 as the holiday was approaching. I had just read GK Chesterton's 'Christmas Poem' and was thinking about his last stanza:

"To an open house in the evening
Home shall all men come,
To an older place than Eden
And a taller town than Rome.
To the end of the way of the wandering star,
To the things that cannot be and that are,
To the place where God was homeless
And all men are at home."

Beautiful words from a gifted writer whose thoughts continue to capture us. I began to think about how God left His home to become homeless on the earth, to become a little baby, and began to wonder whether He knew what was happening when He was born, or whether He simply had to rest in the arms of his mother, to be and do what all little babies are and do. The wonder of God growing older from infancy, preparing for the sacrifice of the cross... through which there is full redemption and forgiveness of sins... I picked up my guitar and this song wrote itself that evening.

"O Little Child, o tiny babe, are these your hands that came to save?
Held in your mother's warm embrace, remember me this Christmas day.

O Little Child, your tiny feet will bear the cross toward calvary.
Now tightly wrapped on mother's knee, on Christmas day I think of thee.

That God would come to us on earth, He who Himself did give us birth,
That the Most High would choose to be a simple child like you and me.

O Little Child, you must be fed - you who will give us living bread.
The final Word is said, it's yours to say - do you remember Christmas day?

That God would come to us on earth, He who Himself did give us birth,
that the Most High would choose to be a simple child like you and me.

Now let us sing with one accord jubilant praises to our Lord!
Join with the angels' heavenly choir, proclaim this wondrous clarion hour!
That God would leave his heaven above to live with us a life of love,
that the Most High would choose to be a simple child like you and me.

Glory to God in the Highest, Peace on Earth, Goodwill to men!

O Little Child, your eyes still sleep, your tiny form a mystery.
Come with the world on bended knee - on Christmas day I think of thee."

(if you would like a PDF chart of the words/music, please let me know - ringrecords AT gmail DOT com)

Musicians:
Hiram Ring - guitar, vocals
Alisha Ring - violin, background vocals
Matthew Monticchio - piano
David Green - bass
John Haughery - drums
Yolanda Mott - cello

New Recordings!

2009-11-26T08:16:00.001-08:00

The recordings I did for 'Of Whales' are now finalized and mastered by my friend Mark Peteritas! Check out the Of Whales Myspace site to listen to the recordings! Feedback is ALWAYS welcome. =)

Recording Sacred Songs Pt 1

2009-11-17T13:05:00.001-08:00

This past week I spent some time with my friend Matthew Monticchio. He came over and we worked on recording, mixing and trying new sounds for the collections of sacred songs we're working on. It was extremely productive on many levels. Here's some video of the process.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTO3E_eNC4U

Mixing Sacred Songs

2009-11-09T09:16:00.001-08:00

Another thing I've been doing over the last few weeks that I've been home (besides running my sisters around and generally 'being dad' while my parents have been out of town) has been working on recording and mixing with my friend Matthew Monticchio. We're working on what has now become 2 albums of hymns and new songs done in a folky/indie/poppy way.
The album features a host of other musicians, like the Christmas albums of 2007 and 2008 that you can still find on iTunes. My friends Joy Ike and Brooke Annibale both sing (we recorded them when they came through on tour last month with Garrett Heath and myself) on a tune, and below you can watch as I eat lunch and mix the track that Joy sings on.

Recording 'Of Whales'

2009-10-28T09:14:00.001-07:00

Originally this post was simply going to be called 'Recording of Whales', but I thought that might be misinterpreted. No, I didn't go on a whale-spotting venture, and I didn't record whales... though I wish I did, because that would have been cool and GreenPeace would have been all over it.

'Of Whales' is the name of Josey Shawgo's musical endeavors - he's a singer-songwriter who approached me through a friend about recording some of his songs. The songs have a distinct folky sound, kind of Bob Dylan meets M. Ward. It's been cool working with him and the friends he brought along to the session last weekend - below is a video of us getting guitar parts, drums, and a last vocal take.

Touring my studio

2009-10-26T14:45:00.001-07:00

In case you are wondering what I have been doing with my time since I've been back in Lancaster, I have been trying to relax with a vengeance. And failing miserably, unfortunately. But I have high hopes.

I recently set up my parents' garage as a recording studio and put myself out on the market under a record company (Ring Records), which was precipitated by some local musicians who found me on MySpace and wanted me to record them. The company has existed for almost 3 years (since I started doing music), but has never had its own web presence, so I created a free Wordpress blog and got it up and running.

I've been working with 'Of Whales', who is recording 3 songs on a budget - two of which might be on his MySpace site in the very near future. For the moment, you can check out my studio below.

What ELSE happened on Tour

2009-10-16T21:46:00.001-07:00

So if you've read all the posts on this blog recently, you know I was out on the road for a 9-day, 9-show tour with 3 friends which included stops in all the major cities and even a radio interview. It was a lot of fun, as much for the people that came to the shows as it was for us to play them.
The order of performance varied depending on whose fans were based in which city, so every evening was different. Of course we would play songs in different orders, maybe throw a few different ones in the mix, even play completely new material - but this was mostly for the edification of the artists, since the fans didn't really know what was different, one night to the next (I don't think anyone came to more than one show, seeing as the cities were far apart). The closest shows we played were an hour from each other, and the farthest was 7 hours. It was pretty grueling, and it feels like it happened a lifetime ago.
What the fans didn't get to see, though, was how much fun we had hanging out with each other, teasing each other, and generally making fun of life. Points in fact are our trip to Huddle House and Garrett's comments at the Baltimore show. We really had fun. For an added bonus, check out the Scrabble(tm) game we played in Pittsburgh (via Joy Ike's YouTube site):

4 on Tour Day 9 - Baltimore

2009-10-12T21:24:00.001-07:00

In Baltimore we played at The Light Gallery, north of the Inner Harbor. It also happened to be Ravens game day, so it took us 15 minutes to get through this one intersection coming north off of 395. We literally sat at a green light for 15 minutes because the one-way cross street was full of people blocking the intersection. You would think when the light turned yellow they would stay on their side, but no, they just blocked the intersection. BUT we finally got through because I stuck my nose out and kept them from budging.
I didn't get video of that, but I did video the gallery itself, which is also home to a church, and the current show they have up of work by MaryKate Newcomb, which is quite cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCeV5i63Af4
The space itself is pretty rad, and we had a lot of fun playing there for our final show. People were really into the music, and we played/sang on each other's songs for the last time on this tour. Great folks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSkGzjJcYRo

4 on Tour Day 8 - Philadelphia

2009-10-12T08:13:00.001-07:00

We had some downtime at my parents house in Lancaster, which we spent sleeping in and then visiting the Central Market in town. I showed the crew a bunch of the sights, but really they should have come for a First Friday to experience the buzz of people.
We drove to Philly in the afternoon, and arrived early at Circle of Hope's Broad and Washington location, so we hung out downstairs in Circle Thrift - the store that helps generate funds for ministry and provides cheap clothing for low-income individuals. It runs completely on donations. I love browsing places like this, but we were all still pretty tired. Soon to get better though...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EJMaDtJtNc
Eventually folks showed up and we started setting up sound and merch and people started coming in for the show. The space at Broad and Washington is pretty cool. I think our performances were pretty good - some great energy and attendees were pretty into the music. There was a guy doing interpretive dance in the background, which I didn't manage to capture on video, but Joy might have on her YouTube page.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ydy8YUDiyY8
We went down to South Street after the concert with some of Joy's friends and sampled the Tattooed Mom and South Street Steaks. Then on the way home we got lost and I ran a red light and got pulled over by a cop - but unfortunately I didn't get that on video. Kind of a bummer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FsNZ5K3s-8

4 on Tour Day 7 - Lancaster

2009-10-11T22:03:00.001-07:00

We drove from Pittsburgh to Lancaster, where my parents live and where we would spend the next couple nights. I called a number of people on the drive - several of whom didn't even know there was a concert, though they attend my church, Wheatland Presbyterian, where the concert was being held. Not only that, but two radio stations (WJTL and WXPN) were promoting the concert. I guess the people I called don't look at the church bulletin board or listen to those radio stations.
Despite those people not knowing about the concert, we set up at the church and had a really good turnout. Here are some clips of the evening.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZuq3bLXp9o

4 on Tour Day 6 - Pittsburgh

2009-10-09T05:55:00.001-07:00

We drove from Toledo to Pittsburgh in the night - Joy and Brooke were glad to be getting home for a couple days, so we decided not to stay overnight in Maumee. We all woke up pretty tired in the morning, but got ourselves ready for the evening and had a decent turnout at the Shadow Lounge. It was a lot of fun to play songs and tease each other from on stage, and we mixed it up a bit. Here's some video of the evening:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dutwMpI7A3k

4 on Tour Day 5 - Maumee, OH

2009-10-08T05:49:00.000-07:00

It was great to have a few hours to hang out and relax at Joy's friend's house outside of Cincinatti. We hit the road around 2pm for Toledo, and arrived safely at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Maumee, OH around 5pm. Shaun is the guy who helped us set this concert up, and is one of the most enthusiastic people I have met. He and Steve, the sound guy, had set up a great stage in the foyer of the church and we put on a great show for some wonderful people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgmk8eo2-vc

4 on Tour Day 4 - Cincinatti

2009-10-07T08:48:00.001-07:00

We woke up really early and drove from Nashville to Cincinatti, a 5-hour drive that crossed from Central into Eastern Time, so we got there an hour later. But we had planned appropriately and arrived at WNKU in northern Kentucky in enough time to get breakfast in the student union. We set all our things up in a large studio room and settled down for the interview with Michael Grayson, who had us each play a song and Joy two. Our sound engineer Bob was a hoot - you'll have to visit Joy's YouTube site for his stories, once she gets the video uploaded...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM0-p6WxXqI
We then drove to a friend's house to drop our stuff off and hang out - I took a much-needed nap, and then we headed to the show. Taza is a great coffeeshop in downtown right across from the University of Cincinatti, with friendly people and interesting decor (and great coffee). The stage was a lot of fun to play on, and the sound was great. The crowd was really into the music, as well, which was very cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CR4ifztxhE

4 on Tour Day 3 - Nashville

2009-10-06T12:49:00.001-07:00

We drove from Greensboro to Nashville, where we got ready to play at Bongo Java. Brooke went to school at Belmont, which is right across the street, so we were able to hang out with her friends, who had a place for us to stay, as well. Bongo Java is a pretty cool place, and the after-hours theater was an intimate venue with great sound.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPqrCEzvUc8

4 on Tour Day 2 - Greensboro

2009-10-05T05:20:00.001-07:00

Today (Sunday Oct 4) we drove from DC to Greensboro, NC, where Peculiar People were hosting us for a house show. There wasn't much to do on the 6-hour drive, so we talked and I read another hundred pages of Don Quixote and we listened to music. We also stopped at Huddle House, which was a totally new experience, as you can see from the video below...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RChiNlbyVcA
Charlie and Ruth totally welcomed us and made us feel right at home - they are stellar people (and peculiar). So of course the concert was a lot of fun. We also visited Mellow Mushroom (right across the street) for some aMAzing pizza.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAC2a6MT5NE

4 on Tour Day 1 - DC

2009-10-04T06:11:00.000-07:00

Today (Saturday, Oct 3) Garrett, Joy and Brooke met me at my house in Lancaster, PA, we had dinner (groundnut stew with chicken and rice, MMMmmm) and then drove to Washington, DC to play at Busboys and poets. Here's a look at where we played.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz5m4DS6PaY
It was really good show - we hung out for quite a while afterwards, talking to friends and fans who came. After packing up, we drove to my friend Katy's house in Arlington at 1am. We got lost in DC's streets at night, even with the GPS telling us where to go. That city is really not laid out for motorists...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW_tlu4rCm4

Massachusetts

2009-10-02T15:02:00.000-07:00

Boston in the fall. This sounds like it could easily be a James Taylor album title. Or a line from that beloved Veggie Tales song. Take your pick. It was still fall when I drove to my brother's place in Easthampton, though it soon got warmer and then colder again. Still trying to make up its mind. I discovered that CSAs are quite the rage in New England, and we went to another where I picked raspberries with my nieces (2 and 4) and sister-in-law, avoided the big dogs and answered question after question about the world around us. That's one of the great things about kids - always curious!
I visited my friend Hannah at Gordon College, north of Boston, and had a great time wandering around the campus. She showed me all the buildings and talked about her experiences in school thus far. I forgot my camera while she was showing me around, so the video is a hurried return to a few of the main spots we visited.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YhmcLHDwLw
Back in Easthampton I went out with my brother's family for dinner at the Apollo Grill. Easthampton is undergoing a revitalization along with Northampton and surrounding towns, and just across the road from where my brother lives is an old factory that has been renovated. The Eastworks building holds numerous galleries and small shops, along with the Apollo Grill, which has some great food and really fun decor! Definitely stop by if you're in the area.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj1hFzGEkB8

Vermont

2009-09-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

I drove from Rochester, NY through the Adirondacks to northern Vermont, and just as I crossed the bridge at Crown Point I got my first whiff of fall breeze - molting leaves and peat moss mingled with cow's breath and the cool smell of fresh-picked apples. This state is beautifully rugged, with vibrant colors that pop out in the warm sunlight and far enough north that the threat of moose crossing the road is not taken lightly.
My first stop was The Bee's Knees in Morrisville, VT north of Stowe, where I ate some incredible food and imbibed local beverages before performing a laid-back set of acoustic music in a cosy atmosphere. I know this is going to sound like a write-up for a travel company, but somehow that doesn't deter me from trying to convey the sense of homeyness and friendship that I felt in that place.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DabSvfB88s

So it was natural that the girl behind the counter, on discovering I didn't have a place to spend the night, offered me her lean-to while she slept over at a friend's house. What a great night to spend in my sleeping bag out in the woods! The following morning Karen gave me a tour of the CSA (community supported agriculture) farm that friends of hers run, near Morrisville, and of course that meant meeting a bunch of great folks and eating fresh carrots, among other things.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEsE3TZ66e0

They directed me to Cold Hollow Cider Mill, Cabot Cheese, and Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory (all just down the road), and I went on my way well-fed by a true Vermont experience.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZqB9-ZXJ4o

Rochester, Mount Hope Cemetery

2009-09-17T07:15:00.001-07:00

I spent a couple days in Rochester with friends, following a last-minute show at Geneva College with Joy Ike on Monday. Tuesday I drove up through Houghton (my alma mater) and visited with profs and old friends who are still around, though most of the student body and even some of the buildings have changed since I was last there 2 years ago. I stopped for dinner with Dan Gross and his family (great times) and then played that evening at Boulder Coffee Co in Rochester, which is a great venue and it turned out to be quite a reunion of Houghton College graduates. What fun! And Mike Zale, who I haven't seen in years, still has a really cool looping system that just sounds great. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueE9OEPZP_c
The day after, I went to Mount Hope Cemetery with Hannah and Hudson, to look for the graves of Susan B. Anthony (women's suffrage) and Frederick Douglass (abolitionist). Along the way we ran into Hiram Sibley, who was buried next to David Hough. David and I were in Tanzania together and he's married to Hannah - their last name is Hough... but he is very much alive, never fear. Pretty funny to find your name on a gravestone, though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL4I8tAPJkM

Travel, BK

2009-09-14T08:33:00.001-07:00

I'm in Grove City, PA right now - spent the weekend with my brother and his wife and got to meet a bunch of their friends and church folks, which was pretty sweet. I also spent some time with my friend Ross who was in Uganda this past summer. We haven't been able to connect over the past few months, so it was good to see him and look at pictures and hear about his experiences in Africa - some pretty crazy stuff, like casting demons out of people and spending hours praying and dancing and praising God.
Tonight I'm playing with Joy Ike and Call of the Mild at Geneva College, which is about 45 minutes from here. It should be a really fun show - then I'm off to Rochester, NY tomorrow and then a couple shows in Vermont to round out the week. I'll probably be visiting Burger Kings along the way - just can't get enough of that Whopper Jr! Speaking of which, here's a video of me and Joy and a couple other friends visiting the ONLY Burger King in Pittsburgh: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1--37ff1_I

4 on Tour Preview

2009-09-11T08:57:00.001-07:00

Wednesday night we performed at Amani International Coffeehouse in Pittsburgh, PA. And when I say 'we', I mean 4 great singer-songwriters: Garrett Heath, Brooke Annibale, myself and Joy Ike. We'll be touring the eastern region together at the beginning of October - check out our Facebook group for more info: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=63933549943
Below is a preview of what our 9-date tour will look like. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1e1H2JtWb8

Baltimore and Xenia

2009-09-08T08:07:00.001-07:00

Saturday afternoon, after packing my things in the car, I drove from Lancaster to Baltimore - an uneventful, hour or so drive on a beautiful day. I played at The Patterson, a renovated historic movie theater that is now home to The Creative Alliance of Baltimore. I was one of the artists/bands performing for Grace International Church's website release party, which was tons of fun. Also performing were Parris Bowens, Prayz1 and The Underdogz, and Failure to Excel. Here's a video tour of the building:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvxIt1G0hp8
Sunday morning I got up really early and drove to Xenia, Ohio (near Dayton) where I played at my friend Hannah's church, GracePoint. They meet in what used to be an apple restaurant, and there was a decent crowd - I was really blessed to be there, and the sound was some of the best I've experienced. It also happens to be near Yellow Springs, where my mom's cousin Bruce lives, so I got to spend Labor Day with family.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jfb4bbXnLAQ

Atlanta... and Greenville via Cherokee National Forest

2009-09-03T16:12:00.001-07:00

In Atlanta I met with Margie Ulsh, editor of Among Worlds, a quarterly publication for TCKs and ATCKs (Adult Third Culture Kids) that addresses issues such as transition, crossing cultures, and coping strategies for grief and the pain that accompanies being transplanted - issues that more people are finding common to their experience. You can learn more about the magazine by visiting Interaction's website: http://www.interactionintl.org/amongworlds.asp or Margie's Blog: http://amongworlds.blogspot.com
I played at Covenant College as well, where rain forced us to set up the picnic in the dining hall - an enjoyable experience nevertheless. I then traveled to Greenville, SC, where I played outdoors in an amphitheater on a beautiful day with a good crowd, and received some excellent responses from the audience - it is wonderful to make new friends!
So here's some video of meeting with Margie and then my drive from Covenant College through Cherokee National Forest to Greenville, SC, where I played at Paris Mountain State Park's 'Music in the Woods', sponsored in part by WNCW. Good turnout, fun event.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDzPDp0sTc4
I'm in Lancaster at the moment, hanging out, working for MathUSee and getting ready to head out on the road again on Saturday. Fun times. Right now I'm wondering whether to install the ProTools LE 8upgrade, or simply let the disc sit on my desk until I get back from the road at the end of September. I'm leaning toward the latter, but I'm curious by nature, so having it sit there is rATHer tempting..

The MoSoul Poetry Festival

2009-08-24T06:37:00.001-07:00

When Josephus Thompson III invited me to be part of the MoSoul Poetry Festival in Greensboro this year, I didn't quite know what to expect. Having now experienced it, I am totally blown away by the talent and abilities of those involved as artists and as organizers. When I came to Greensboro in March while on tour, Josephus was my first introduction to serious spoken poetry, and I can easily say that he is not the only one with mad skills in wordplay.
At the risk of making this a long post and expanding on the excellent post by Reason2Rhyme's blog, let me detail the talent represented by this month's (the final of the year's series) poetry festival. Keep in mind that many of the things I say about a single artist are true of every other artist - what I say here are simply what strike me from our first interactions. This post is too long to embed videos, but definitely check each of these artists out on their own websites, go see them live, and check out my YouTube page for performances from the festival weekend.
Here they are in the order that we performed:
Josephus Thompson III - one of Greensboro's premier spoken word artist's, he has been in the thick of the arts scene in this city for most of the last 8 years. He has started or is involved in numerous organizations to foster the arts and most notably to encourage young people in schools to express themselves in new and constructive ways. Along with T.I.G. and a core group of volunteers, Reasons2Rhyme was formed to continue this vision and bring poetry to Greensboro and elsewhere.
Keith Rodgers - a man of many talents who hails from Tallahassee, FL, where he formed Black-on-Black Rhyme, a network of many spoken word artists that has chapters in various cities around Florida. Keith is incredibly business-savvy (he carries a point-of-sale credit card machine with him on his belt), has a way with words both on stage and in everyday conversation, and can really work a crowd.
Hiram Ring - the one writing this post. Need I say more?
Ebony - part of Keith's Black-on-Black network, she is a serious poet dealing with social issues. Ebony is also the co-founder and marketing director of Yo-Talent.com, a social network for poets allows them to sell product as well as connect with other artists.
The One Sun Lion Ra - a musician and rapper as well as a poet, Ra went to school in Greensboro but now lives in New York city. His rhymes run the gamut of rhythmic and inspiring to contemplative. He is a committed family man and speaks from a depth of experience.
Will McInerney - a Chapel Hill, NC native with a political/social bent, Will's poetry often deals with what it means to be human. He is not afraid to tackle and speak his mind on issues such as land rights and political conflict of the past, present, and future. He's a member of Sacrificial Poets and took part in the Brave New Voices poetry competition recently documented on an HBO miniseries.
Justice - Antwidamala Justice Umbiya translates directly to, “He who greets with fire” and “Just and righteous champion of the people”. It's a fitting title for one whose poetry speaks so passionately about individual struggles from a personal perspective. Justice's life is a story of determined struggle, and he recently left his high-paying job at GM to continue pursuing his passion - sharing his stories with others.
Evin Gibson - an award-winning singer, songwriter and producer, Evin is tons of fun in person and on stage. He has traveled the world with his music and resides in Greensboro. Usually backed by dancers and musicians, this guy is an excellent singer and manages to pull off his songs a-capella as well.
Isaiah 11:11 - a teacher in Newark, NJ, Isaiah also pursues his musical passion as a hip-hop and reggae artist and started getting into spoken word poetry around the same time that he first met Josephus at a rap show. Originally from Liberia, Isaiah's words deal with social inequities and racial issues, and his knowledge of history and world politics deepens his expression.
Moe - another Floridian, native of Jacksonville, Moe's rhyme is pokes fun at himself and the world around him while capturing his audience with its depth and wordplay. His phrasing and expression is smooth yet complex. A favorite in his hometown, he regularly sells out shows at Jacksonville's biggest venue.
Andrew Tyree - another killer poet from Greensboro, Andrew has won numerous awards for his work. Most recently he was the 2009 Charlotte Grand Slam Champion. He deals with personal issues, relationships and nearly everything else, making his listeners think about life in new ways.
As I said, the weekend has completely expanded my horizons and makes me want to encourage spoken word events all over the US - hopefully this festival simply continues to grow. To find out what you can do to help the cause, visit the Reasons2Rhyme blog and become friends with them on Facebook and elsewhere. Lets spread the word and encourage people to write.

Germany Final Installment - Heidelberg

2009-08-18T08:47:00.001-07:00

After Worms, we visited Heidelberg. Known as a university town and pretty central during the protestant reformation, it was a wonderful place to visit. We strolled around the grounds of the castle's gardens (the castle is mostly a ruin), which I video-ed for you to see below. It struck me how Germany was the center of learning for the whole world for quite a while.
We then went on to Rothenburg ob der Tauber (quite a long name for a town, which actually just describes the fact that it's on the Tauber river), a town that has preserved its historical walls and remains much as it was during medieval times. We walked along the walls and toured a museum of medieval torture devices and law practices and punishments. It was interesting how much shame and public humiliation was used as a method of punishment. Very similar to village life in Africa - in the west now we would rather lock someone up than parade them on the street with a headdress and manacles that showed what they were being punished for.
Well, that's pretty much it for the Germany videos and blogs. I hope you've enjoyed following along with me!

Germany Installment #4 - Eltz Castle, Worms

2009-08-15T10:25:00.001-07:00

The weekend after the second English camp, we traveled around Germany for a couple days, visiting some beautiful cities and other places. The very first place we went was Eltz Castle, a pretty little castle in a valley that served as the home of three noble families who shared ownership. One of the families has since taken over the whole castle and still lives in part of the castle. The other part is a tourist attraction very well-worth seeing. In this video you can see the castle as we walked down the hill toward it, and also some of the inside - the treasure chamber and the courtyard. It was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.
After visiting Eltz castle, we went to Worms, where Martin Luther defended his 95 Theses. Our friend Marius lives there and we walked around the town with him and a friend who gave us a tour. We visited the cathedral of St. Peter where the Diet of Worms was held (rebuilt since being bombed out in WWII), wandered through a Jewish cemetery, and had some Italian ice. Back at the church where we were staying, Joella and James raced little karts around the halls. I got to race too, but Joella won. She must be built for this kind of thing! =) Joella, you missed your true calling...

Germany Installment #3 - Cologne

2009-08-12T04:25:00.001-07:00

The weekend after the first English camp, we had a free afternoon, so the folks at Neues Leben took us on a day trip to Cologne (on German maps it is Köln). It was lots of fun. We toured the cathedral, which is one of the oldest in Europe, climbed to the top and had time to wander around on our own. Bex wandered around with me and we managed to fit in part of a mass at St. Mary's which was really beautiful. Other highlights were hanging out in the plaza listening to musicians (one guy brought a piano and was playing it for tips) and being accosted by bachelor/bachelorette parties selling trinkets for money so they could go and get drunk.
After dinner of Duerner (Turkish kebab, known as a schwarma in Spain), which was very tasty, we wandered to a store in the Turkish part of town, through a gate and generally around the city. It was fun relaxing and fooling around - here we have Bex and James enjoying themselves in a grocery store, and Dave imagining himself as Samson. Then back by the train station and cathedral we watched the guy with the maracas going to town. Here he gesticulates to a Beatle's tune - can you guess which one?
All in all, a good day.

Germany Installment #2

2009-08-08T09:39:00.001-07:00

I arrived in Germany in the morning on Tuesday after a long flight and a short connection from Paris. Olly, one of the counselors from Neues Leben, picked me up from the airport (she recognized me from the picture in the jacket of the CD I had sent with Tobias) and we had a good conversation on the way to the camp about Germany and culture and education. My goal was to stay awake until 8pm or so to combat jet lag.
The rest of the team was already there and had been since the previous Friday, so they kind of knew their way around and could show me the ropes. Camp had started on Sunday afternoon, so my job was simply to fit in wherever I could. English classes started every morning at 10:45am, and since I got there after they started, my job on arriving to camp was simply to settle in and wait until lunch. I figured I could do that pretty well. =)
Tuesday afternoon we had a bunch of activities for the kids where they were organized into teams and the leaders were given stations where two of the people in each team were required to do something. It was kind of like a scavenger/relay game. They told us to hide somewhere, but I think the translation from German was a bit off, because Bex (the other person at the station) and I hid, but then kids complained because they couldn't find us. We had the bobbing for apples station.
A bit later someone came and took our spot so we could go observe some of the other activities. I got some video of Dave McCulloch administering the 'Egg War' activity. He broke a raw egg into a rubber tube, and two of the group had to blow into it at each other - the one with the weakest lungs (or least unaware) would get egg in their mouth or all over them. =) What fun!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5wZdLxYR1E

Germany Installment #1

2009-08-07T10:15:00.001-07:00

I just got back from Germany a couple days ago, and so here I'm going to update (with video) what happened on the trip. Below is the video of the flight over, with more of a complete description and information below that: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65XYvwAR4EI
I had never had Five Guys burgers and fries before I stopped at this shop in Dulles. Apparently they started in DC, but now have locations in Philly and NYC to name a few places. They have really good burgers and fries, and it was a great last meal to head off to Germany with. On the flight over to Paris the airplane food was actually pretty decent (go AirFrance!), and I had 3 seats on the side of the plane all to myself. I thought that would mean I'd get lots of sleep, but unfortunately the baby two rows up and the baby two rows back decided not to sleep at all, and to periodically let out piercing screams because (apparently) their parents weren't letting them have their way. Yay for undisciplined children. It makes me wonder how my parents managed to ferry all 10 of us (varying ages) from Ghana to the US and back - that's 2 8-hour flights in one stretch rather than just one.
So lacking sleep and stuffy from the flight, we landed in Paris where I had to hoof it to my connecting flight - through customs, out of security, to the other end of the airport and back in through security to catch my flight to Dusseldorf. Fortunately I made it with room to spare, but since I also didn't have a watch I wasn't sure until I got there that I would make it. Fortunately, the rest of the flight was uneventful.

English Camp

2009-07-28T14:19:00.001-07:00

I'm still in Germany, and haven't been updating much, because, well... I'm pretty busy. I'm actually writing this instead of working out a lesson plan for tomorrow's English class, so this is going to be short.
Camp here at Neues Lieben has been lots of fun and very tiring. The first week I basically hung out and got to know the situation and helped out where I could. This week I'm in charge of teaching 12 highschoolers advanced English for an hour and a half every morning, playing guitar on the worship team, organizing American sports (football, baseball), teaching a worship band workshop and hanging out with the teens. So it's fun but busy. I have some great video from the first week, but unfortunately the internet connection isn't that great, so I haven't been able to upload any video, even the shortest clip. Maybe my friends Dave and Evelyn (they left at the end of last week) will upload something and I can attach it here. Otherwise you'll have to wait until I get back.
So that's pretty much it. I'll try to update again before I get back, and you can expect a more comprehensive blog upon my return.

Reviews

2009-07-19T14:19:00.001-07:00

A friend recently got in touch with me on Facebook, saying he ran across a review of my latest album (Breathe Deep) on The Phantom Tollbooth. Intrigued, I went looking for it and sure enough found it was posted on June 16th, 2009. Here's an excerpt from the review, and you can link to the full review HERE:
"What makes this album, Breathe Deep, so good is Hiram's penmanship. He is a great songwriter/wordsmith. Combine that with the airy guitar-based folk of his musical style, it makes for an enjoyable listen... It is poetic, musical, and honest. Hiram has put together an excellent album full of hope you can sit down and contemplate your navel to, or just play for enjoyment." 4/5 stars! - Robert Boynton, The Phantom Tollbooth
I just ran a Google search for 'hiram ring breathe deep review' and found another great review HERE on Adequacy.net - excerpt below:
"Ring’s debut record suggest that there’s no suffering or turmoil that can’t be at least neutralized a little bit through some inspirational six-string strumming and a dose of hopefulness... there’s a heartwarming sincerity to be found in his fragile tenor and in the percussive beating of the guitar... If you feel like your life is in the doldrums, Hiram Ring’s music can probably help dig you out... His music, like his faith, is all about finding and embracing the light that can come out of dark places." Adam Costa, Adequacy.net
At the moment I'm packing for Germany, where I'll be joining a team from my church in teaching conversational English to German highschoolers for three weeks. I'll be video blogging on my YouTube site, and will try to keep this blog updated as well. When I get back, work will continue on the Sacred Songs project I started with Matthew Monticchio - we're also working on updating a Pageant Music blog, and I'll let you know when we get that up and running.

New Recording Project

2009-07-13T11:52:00.001-07:00

The other day Matthew Monticchio and I went out to our friend George Yellack's house to record some drums for songs we are working on for a new collection of sacred songs. We wrote some of the songs and re-worked old hymns for this project, much like our last two Christmas album projects. This album will be released again under Pageant Music, and features a bunch of local musicians (Cliff Lewis, Katie Becker, Claire Battle, myself, Matt, others to be named) in a folk/pop/indie vein. You can download a rough demo of one of our original tunes, 'Communion Hymn' HERE. I'll try to keep you updated on our progress - here's a short video of our journey to George's and what we did when we got there.

Cornerstone Music Festival

2009-07-07T10:27:00.001-07:00

I have been out of the loop for a few weeks, with good reason. I took some time off working for Math U See in order to go to Cornerstone Music Festival in Bushnell, Illinois this past week. The festival is run by Jesus People USA, an intentional community in Chicago that has been around since the early 70s. Last time I was there was in 2001 with the Wycliffe World Music Band as a roadie, and this time I just went to enjoy the festival. It was a blast!
I actually did end up playing at the Impromptu Stage to a crowd of 15 people, 8 of whom bought CDs (pretty good average since 5 of the people were friends who already had my CD), but the highlights for me were Stavesacre (back together after 6-8 years), Dave Bazan (of Pedro the Lion) and Rosie Thomas. Family Force 5, Anberlin, and Me Without You were pretty cool too. And Brian 'Head' Welch (former Korn rocker). I brought my video camera, but totally forgot to carry it around with me. I couldn't find the song I wanted on YouTube, but here's someone else's video of Dave Bazan's show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19oHHGfifgU
And in this video of Brother Red Squirrel's show you can see me dancing and clapping at 10 seconds with the black shirt on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW1103I46WU

Beat

2009-06-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

I'm writing an essay on rhythm for a new book that my friend Ned Bustard is editing. It's coming along, and I'm encouraged thus far. Here's an excerpt:
"There is a... kind of music that surrounds us at all times and places. This is the music of the natural world, the language of plants and animals, wind and weather, even the chatter of mechanical things that humans use, cars, trucks, traffic, electrical appliances, tools and implements. Humans are beings that seek consistency, pattern, and dislike changes that interfere with that pattern. There are natural cycles that we engage in and respond to and that we observe in the world around us. It almost seems that if we could pull far enough back from our understanding of time, we would be able to hear all of these noises together and discern a larger movement of harmony or dissonance in the whole. Classically, this is akin to the 'music of the spheres'. We might also refer to these phenomena as 'rhythm'."

Of course, sometimes I need inspiration, which is why I was glad when my friend Ed turned me on to this classic clip from the muppets: