Rudy Carrera

About me:

I'm a record label manager and music appreciation teacher residing in Southern California, though in order to clear my mind I run up to the Bay Area, where life just seems so much better (in a provincial, European-type way). I manage the affairs of a couple of bands from Macedonia in the states (DJ Kiril Dzajkovski, Mizar, Kismet), work with musicians from Turkey, Russia, the Balkans and Latin America, and have a deep interest in ethnic music, modern classical and avant-garde, progressive rock, garage rock, nu-jazz, trip-hop, break-beat, 60s and 70s music, punk, goth, apocalyptic folk, post-punk, post rock, cocktail and lounge music. Because of my interests, I'm forming another record label (I had two in the past) called CLCX.

Bands I like include the following: Joy Division/New Order, Killing Joke, Moloko, John Cage, Hijokaidan, Caroliner Rainbow, Peter Broetzmann, John Zorn, Han Bennink, Sergey Kuryokhin (for those of you not hip to Russian jazz, he was the equal of any of our best piano improvisers), Death In June, Current 93, Sol Invictus, NON, Louis Armstrong, Chet Baker, Martin Denny, Franco and OK Jazz, most bagpipe music from the British Isles and Northern Spain, ancient liturgical music (if it is less than 300 years old, it's probably not going to be my bag), anything freeform, soundscapes, film music (Ennio Morricone, et al.), and way too much to list. I document my music interests here. Speaking of Macedonia, for those of you who know Skopje well, I used to live in the Aerodrom District (if you know where Vero is on Bulevar Jane Sandanski, then you know where I was at), and used to goof around in the Centar, Idadija, and by the park. It was the most bohemian time of my life, and I look forward to the day I can return there permanently.

I love film, and you can see a few people who inspire me in the FILMS section here. I have to admit a weakness for tacky Euro flicks, Italian horror, Russian and Swedish drama, Mel Brooks and Groucho Marx films, documentaries and art-house faire. If you are interested in films released by Criterion or Kino, we'll have something to talk about.

On a personal note, I practice Eastern Orthodox Christianity after converting about 15 years ago, and it was perhaps the best move of my life, both theologically and philosophically. I am especially interested the works of Seraphim Rose, Gregory Palamas and Saint John Chrysostom, Orthodoxy's greatest thinkers in my opinion. I have a fondness for Timothy Kallistos Ware and Fr. Thomas Hopko, British and American Orthodox theologians who are currently active. However, I still have a love for Catholic and Protestant thinkers, especially Karl Barth, Balthasar Gracian (the man whose work would influence Artur Schopenhauer and Friedrich Nietzsche), Saint Thomas Aquinas, John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Josemaria Escriva (founder of Opus Dei, who are not a cult), Saint Isadore (the patron saint of education and the Internet), Soren Kierkegaard, Immanuel Kant, atheists like Oriana Fallaci and Christopher Hitchens, and a Marxist defender of Christianity, Slavoj Zizek, a Slovenian guy who actually makes reading Philosophy a lot of fun! Don't panic, atheists, non-Christian types, heathens and decadents: I don't bite, and make for a poor preacher. My interests are broad enough to talk about a number of things outside of my personal interests. It's kind of nice to learn a different perspective once in a while!

Politically, I am very conservative (and no, that does not mean Republican, just conservative). This may come as a shock to some of you who have been added and you perhaps perform experimental or some sort of music that one doesn't normally associate as being interesting to the right side of the spectrum. Don't assume that. Some of your biggest fans may well be either conservative, Republican or of that stripe. Again, I don't bite.

Though I loathe science, I am proud to say that I have a direct descendancy from scientist (and safecracker!) Carl von Linne (Carolus Linnaeas, the man who gave Latin names to plants). How's that for a fun fact?! That and $4 gets me a good stiff vodka at a bar now and then.

I also enjoy just shooting the breeze with interesting sorts (no, I can't define interesting - too limiting to do that), and I'm a firm believer that everyone has an interesting story to tell, so I'll probably be delighted listen to yours.