So this blog/personal brand site is a work in progress, thanks for checking it out. Back in the day before Weebly took it down for nonpayment of something (my credit card on file wasn't working and I was in Timbuktu) I had endurancewriter.com, which got 15-20k views a month, not bad for a site that sold absolutely nothing and entertained only myself. With all that grunt work put in and no reward except the gratification of seeing my work pop up in the top Google spot when searching "Hendrix Marley 1968" I am recasting my writing aim to one of marrying art and commerce. You can read my stuff for free that I put up for free and you can also purchase the stuff that I put up for sale for money (or fabric, a fancy name for barter, pay-it-furtive karma) The on sale items could be original art, logo, sticker, t-shirt, print, or a book of collected wisdom that is no longer, and never was. For now it is: original art, Avocado Sun. Begun in Tokyo looking across the Sumida river at the Tokyo Skytree, the work features a very chill Godzilla along with a skeptical gaijin, an earnest astronomer, a Seussified camel, rock faces, a craggy UFO, and an avocado sun. That last touch was one of the last black ink parts completed, in Bali. If my first album was Chasing Sun and that started a trend, why should not the next one be called Avocado Sun, considering how much I enjoy them on sandwiches and with lentil soup? This is why I am currently asking $4500 for the entire doodle ($450 for the avocado, cut out as above). A piece of fabric history for a steal, less than a Shoeless Joe Jackson autograph. ![]() Almost Haiku #1 So many roads, so many roads, but all the time in the world. There is no killer on the road, nor is there a road–– Relax, we have you all night. The album idea I have is image below, which Jonathan described as "ambiguous and reminds me of the dark periods in history." Possibly combined with an avocado sun and dubbed Avocado Sunbone
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I have a tough decision between two potential fabric -Avocado Sun album covers. The picture above? oh hum its actually a piece of Balinese beeswax soaked fabric, an old surfboard keychain from Boracay, and a Siquijor expanding-in-water friendship bracelet made from reeds. The question I posed on fb and got a couple answers to was which is better as the next album cover art, the Insta or the abstract? The answer tied evenly, with Jonathan notching a particularly eloquent vote for abstraction: "I like the black and white because it is ambiguous and reminds me of the dark periods in history." So I'm leaning toward the beeswax. I have been releasing approximately one new track and video each couple weeks up on Youtube. The fabric - Summon These Days albums are getting modest but steady listens. It's like a rustle of kindling. Since All Fall Down in May, each video has represented a new concept for the next album Avocado Sun, which should be completed in December. The latest is A Beautiful Case of the Blues, which was recently stitched together true gonzo fabric style from about nine sessions (over the past two years). 'Below, some notes to Strawberry Jams guitarist and engineer Ian Joseph, whom I'm trying to get involved in shaping the album concept. "A Beautiful Case of the Blues (ABCOB) contains the two versions of Let's Make it Lovelight (LMILL), with some new stuff and excerpts from Like a Ghost in the middle. This is one I want to add Kaloy's bass, etc. throughout. It will be tricky to master because it spans probably 8 sessions, so a lot of tracks in various recording environments. "The first LMILL on ABCOB is with Kaloy and was originally part of the Hit the Pain Game arrangement. Basically, he creates a completely original blues progression from the fabric of the original LMILL, first time tracking through. Nils was a bit annoyed at not having a concrete beat to play to, hence my guide singing that morphed into something unexpectedly original. I think at its core we invented a new funk-blues ballad. We just could almost just add Shariff's percussion to that and it would be finished... totally spare. "the next section is a short Nimrod acoustic interlude, followed by Can You Save My Soul. This is Nils hashing a rock thing out with Kaloy somehow... the context was recording parts to Slowly Learning, but of course it's its own thing. Whoops there goes gravity.... I feel if you could make your guitar sound like a DJ or early reggae scratch over the top it might be cool. "Then comes some sinking underwater snippets of Like a Ghost, followed by the original LMILL... a pieced together song featuring Jing's accompanying vocals and violin from By the Seaside (Back Beach 36:00), Novel's keys from Something Ain't Right, and Conrado's sax from I forget. This one needs Kaloy's bass and Sharif's drums I think, plus a little of your acoustic picking... and maybe Kaloy on uke "Ok so that was longer than I expected... just let me know when you read it. Once you digest this I'll move onto the next prospective Avocado Toast tracks... Furtive Karma, I'm Not Citified, Hey Ringo, and All Fall Down. A friendly reminder, I have my first art piece to feature an avocado sun (Avocado Sun) up for sale through damonarvid.com. Original art is my Patreon substitute for the moment, till all the "three-layer festivals" come to fruition. $450 may seem steep, but considering art as an investment these days, I'd say it has a decent chance of buying you a tempeh burger over the nxst decade. And Daddy needs a looper.
Internet skins encourage casual visitors to be part of the process of dismantling traditional reality, with no context of the actual place. #nocontext Say what you want about the rest of his administration, Trump has a crack team of social media strategists--or should I say fissure explorers, temporary uniters, anger fanners, and conquer dividers--in place. #conquerdivide I'll take fabric any way I get it, dept. #endwriter The concept of fabric has spread. First there was that guy in Rhode Island playing flute in a dinosaur suit. Then André 3000 was Captured Wandering Around Airport Playing A Flute. Now another past collaborator seems to take inspiration... ![]() So what are the chances that real music that does not fit into the algorithm is picked up by Youtube bots? Very little unless you pay them. They are really getting the least possible value out of original content and rewarding the fast and frequent. Skins. Anyway, fast forward to Eat the Fruit (second song in the above video) to check out Dyck and his wife Aletheia's music and art, circa 2016. When Aletheia popped in the studio and we immediately laid down smooth sounds it was an epiphany and I consider myself lucky to have captured that magic. This was not Eat the Fruit or Explore the Horizon, those were later sessions.... That first-take wonder is captured in UFOs and Labyrinths, Padulong na ko. An important lesson in the essential nature of capturing lightning in a bottle. #botmusic Archaeology facebook - artist unknown, dept.
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AuthorOne of the writers who will be read on spaceships in 250 years. #endurancewriter (aka #endwriter) Archives
November 2019
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