My main interest is supporting and enjoying my family.
I'm also interested in altering my consciousness in order to produce profound states of forgiveness, gratitude, and acceptance.
I am also interested in producing art and music that challenge people to question their beliefs and values in a non-threatening way, and encourage them to re-evaluate assumptions about themselves and the world.
Music
I was raised on orchestral music from the romantic era, by composers such as Rimsky-Korsikoff & Tchaikovsky. I was also exposed, at a very early age, to The Beatles, Professor Peter Schickele, Jean-Jacques Perrey, and Gershon Kingsley.
In High School I graduated from ELO to ELP, and from Cheap Trick to Led Zeppelin. I delved into Yes, Pink Floyd, Rush, Genesis, and dabbled in The Clash, AC/DC, and even those free-love-acid-freak-hippies The Grateful Dead.
In my post-teen years I was brought under the corrupting influence of "friends" who exposed me to progressive, experimental, and avant garde music (often referred to as "pretentious art noise" by less illuminated individuals) including the collective and individual creations of the members of Henry Cow (Fred Frith, Chris Cutler, John Greaves, Tim Hodgkinson, Lindsey Cooper, Dagmar Krause, Geoff Leigh, Peter Blegvad, Anthony Moore, & Georgie Born). Frank Zappa, King Crimson, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jean Luc Ponty, The Dixie Dregs, and other noodle-fest wankers impressed me to no end.
Currently, I listen to Stereolab, Adrian Belew, Frank Zappa, Robert Fripp, Brian Eno, Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Daniel Lanois, Hanne Hukkelberg, Tortoise, Neil Finn, Diamanda Galas, Steve Reich, Sufjan Stevens, Joseph Arthur, Morcheeba, Lemon Jelly, and just about anything that's good.
I also like Jazz, but tend to favor well-aranged and/or written pieces for large ensemble rather than small groups that focus more on improvisation. I especially love the Brian Blade Fellowship's Perceptual, which features some amazing playing, writing, and even a bit of singing.
In addition to listening to lots of music, I also have written about it, interviewed artists, worked as an audio engineer both in a studio environment and in live settings, played in a number of different bands, and maintain a modest computer-based home studio where I record original material.
Movies
I love movies that take me out of myself. Any genre can do this, as long as the film is crafted with mastery and passion. The Princess Bride, for example, is a favorite of mine. A much older film, Harvey, is perhaps my all-time favorite.
I am a big fan of David Cronenberg (Scanners, Dead Ringers, Naked Lunch, Videodrome, M Butterfly, ExIstenz, etc), Ken Russell (The Music Lovers, Mahler, Tommy, Salome's Last Dance, Lizstomania, The Rainbow, Gothic, Women In Love, The Devils, Valentino, Altered States, etc...)
I also love directors Stanley Kubrick, William Peter Blatty, Alan Parker, and Alan Rudolph.
I have some favorite actors, including Tim Robbins, Micky Rourke, Peter Sellars, James Stewart, Téa Leoni, and Linda Fiorentino, just to name a few.
Television
Xena, The Addams Family, News Radio, Northern Exposure, Get Smart, Star Trek (Original Series & Next Gen), The Simpsons, Lancelot Link, Loony Toons, Twin Peaks, UFO. The Chappell Show...
Books
Non-Fiction:
Phil K Dick - A Scanner Darkly, Valis, The Divine Invasion, The Transmigration of Timothy Archer, Radio Free Albebuth
Robert Anton Wilson - Masks of the Illuminati, The Schrodinger's Cat Trilogy: The Universe Next Door - The Trick Top Hat - The Homing Pigeons, Cosmic Trigger I II III, Wilhelm Reich in Hell, The Historical Illuminatus Chronicals
Heroes
Dr. Vinya S. Ariyaratne - "People who take a stand for peace will without doubt be subjected to criticism and ridicule. There will be those in the media and the political realm who will insist that peace is an illusion, and that nonviolence is no way to get it. There is risk in working for peace, just as there is risk in fighting a war, and both take courage. Except that in peace, we don’t have the opportunity to hide behind our weapons, nor do we take another persons life when they disagree with us. When people criticize us for promoting peace, we should celebrate. Their negative reactions go far toward proving the point: that we are a nation trapped in the consciousness of violence. But even more, it means that we are being effective. If the people promoting war were not threatened by talk of peace, they wouldn’t bother to notice us."
Dr. Ariyaratne is my hero because he reminds me of what courage is. His life is in constant danger, yet he does the hard work of helping people in the most war torn parts of his country improve their lives in fundamental ways.
Martin Luther King Jr - "I would rather die than hate you."
Dr. King is my hero because he recognized that transformation was possible and, using peaceful action as developed by Gandhi, did all he could to to bring change to the Nation, and the world.
Krishnamurti - "...you have to accept that you can trust in absolutely nothing."
Krishnamurti's writings speak with a soul-shaking clarity about personal responsibility, and the need to do one's own hard work of finding truth.
Albert Einstein - "Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods."
Einstein is my hero because he helped me to understand that, with reason, one can come closer to understanding the Divine.
The Dali Lama - "Peace, in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold. It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience. It does not comfort those who have lost their loved ones in floods caused by senseless deforestation in a neighboring country. Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free."
The Dalai Lama is an eternal (literally) optimist, whose joy is infectious, and whose passions ignite the hearts of everyone he meets.
Mohandas K. Gandhi - "To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest."
Gandhi is my hero because, with the ancient and powerful model of ahimsa, or non-violence, he overthrew the British Empire, and gave birth to Dr. King, Dr. Ariyaratne, and countless other non-violent peace movements.
William Jefferson Clinton - "I have news for the forces of greed and the defenders of the status quo: your time has come -- and gone."
Although I find fault with some of Clinton's policies, and he certainly made some mistakes during his presidency, he's my hero because he had a vision of our country that filled American hearts with optimism, at least for a little while.
Thich Nhat Hanh - "If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work."
Nhat Hanh is my hero because of his commitment to dialog. He knows that when people are able to see each other as human beings, it is much harder for one to hate, or kill, the other.
Ralph Waldow Emerson - "Don't waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good."
Emerson's words reached out through the pages of a book and shook me to my core. Like Krishnamurti, he helped me to understand that personal self-transformation and enlightenment comes from hard work, and not from books or gurus.
Robert Anton Wilson - "I begin to feel that Maybe Logic will soon replace the Aristotelian either/or, not because of my books or Korzybski's or von Neumann's. but because virtual reality and artificial intelligence have destroyed certitude and left us with only degrees of probability."
Wilson's genius and astonishing wit captivated me when I was a young adult. Since then, his work helped me to shift my understanding of the world, and to develop a philosophy that brings me great joy in every moment of my life.
Jacques Derrida - "We are all heirs, at least, of persons or events tainted by crimes against humanity. These events, these cruel, organized mass murders, which may have been revolutions, great canonical and supposedly "legitimate" Revolutions, were sometimes those very same events that enabled concepts such as those of human rights or crime against humanity to emerge and make headway."
Professor Derrida is my hero because his ideas, not just deconstruction for which he is best known, found a place in my heart and opened it wider. His insight into humanity, and his willingness to push into the depths of human suffering, were profoundly transforming for me.
Elwood P. Dowd - "Years ago, my mother used to say to me, 'In this world, Elwood, you must be oh, so smart or oh, so pleasant.' Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant."
I play electric bass, lap steel guitar, and electric guitar. These days my main performance mode is solo systems-based (Frippertronics) improvisation. I have played bass in a number of rock and progressive rock bands.
I have contributed to recordings by the Refrigerator Mothers, a sub-set of the Hop Frog collective. I also recently participated in a remix contest hosted by Create(!), using their track Six Dreams Divided. My original song, "How Fortunate We Are," was included on a benefit CD titled "Songs For Bethune," a fundraiser for the Passport to the Arts, a program that hires local artists to provide standards-based hands on art workshops with at-risk children.
My piece "Transduction" was in the First Annual SoundWalk show, "Healing Tree" in a jurored gallery show titled Acceptance at the Long Beach World Trade Center, "Objects with No Discernable Function" in a show called 'The Devil You Say' at the Long Beach Arts gallery and, most recently, "Obstruction" in a show titled "Fears and Loathings" at Open.
I completed a track for an upcoming vynal music compilation. It will feature 30 artists, each with one 45 second track. My submission, titled Toward The Opposite Center, is an improvised multitrack piece featuring, mostly, guitar. I recorded another, called Entropic Constillation.
I just completed my contribution to another group project. My piece, titled 69, is one of 99 total pieces that will be assembled into one large piece.
I also contributed to Sloppy Seconds, another group project which is compiling 3600 one second compositions, each from a different artist or group. They will be organized into 60 one minute tracks. Hear my bit here.
I live with my wife, Shari, my step-daughter Lauren, our two dogs Django & Kapu, our two cats Niko Nekko and Violet, and our two goldfishes Spotless & Lucky. RIP Barney and Shogi.
Ain Soph Aur currently selling T-Shirts through MySoti. We have a basic black ASA t-shirt, a Carl F Off shirt, an SRW shirt, and even a pretty flower shirt for people who like pretty flowers!
Here are a few examples:
Here's a "Music Video" I produced:
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Who I'd like to meet: Artists working with interesting meda, or with traditional media in unconventional ways.
People who create progressive music of any style.
People and groups that actively support arts and culture in their communities.
i hope they do attend. will try to find someone to document it. my sister was supposed to flip it but she'll be in the east coast that day. we shall see ... take care & have fun in the desert.
Hello! Just wanted to drop in and let you know that pre-orders for my new jazz standards album "Bittersweet" are now taking place! The first 100 pre-orders will receive a signed and numbered copy! Release date is set for May 19th, but you will get your copy a few days earlier! Kate and I are very excited about the record, and we can't wait for you to hear it. Head over to www.bittersweetthealbum.com to pre-order! Thanks! ~Mark
We've got new songs online... Your comments are welcome, we hope you enjoy them.. ***************************************************** ***************************************************** Cheers See you..
HEY SANDER!! I wanted to let you know I posted new tunes. Check them out. Also, don't forget my show in LA at Molly Malone's on the 31st (if by chance you're in town). Hope this message finds you well. =)
Online Now!
