Svantlog

5. What other career(s) are you interested in?
Journalism, driving, translation, research.

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april 7, 2004

New background image for the mobile

On Sunday I finally got my mobile back from service. Since then I've wondered about what I would want to have as background. I chose my favorite picture by Storm Thorgerson, "Tree of Half Life".

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april 6, 2004

Worth spending money on

I have been looking at it a lot lately. I wanted it already when it was released but I'm not sure why I waited. The last couple of days I've been walking around it, being nervous for some reason. For a second or two earlier today, I even got the thought I get often these days, "I could wait until I get to USA in May, buy it then and save a couple of hundred kroner." But then I realised I wanted this now. And the customs would never let me back into Sweden if I bought everything I think I will find cheap in the States.

On Friday, my favorite store had two. On Sunday they only had one left. I had to get it today, and at 5:09 PM, it was in my hand.

It's is heavy and black as the man himself. It's got a rugged cloth binding over a very thick cardboard cover. Like really old books. The kind you only see in second-hand bookshops. They don't do them like that anymore. Thank you, Christine Cano. It is beautiful. It's the Johnny Cash "Unearthed" box.

It takes a while to get through the five CDs and read the 100+ page book so I have to get back with opinions on the actual content of the box. But three tracks into the second disc I can tell you that this is just as haunting as the rest of the "American" series.

No, I wasn't down with The Man In Black before he teamed up with Rick Rubin for the "American" series. I didn't even get into the series for real until Mr. Cash passed away last year. After seeing Hamell on Trial last month and hearing Mr. Ed talk about how cool old Cash was, I picked up "At Folsom Prison". Ed had us do the "YEAH!!" part in "Folsom Prison Blues", where one of the inmates get excited by hearing Johnny sing the line I shot a man in Reno, Just to watch him die. Like Ed said, think about it again. Just to watch him die. Not because he had nailed my wife or something like that, but Just to watch him die. Pretty nasty guy. Anyway, apart from that novelty which was interesting to hear for real, I didn't think much of that album. It was the same old boring country I remembered it as from the other times I've heard old Cash material.

So, I'm probably a loser in many "real" Cash fans eyes but who cares? The "American" material moves me in a way music hasn't done in a long time and that feels pretty damn good. I couldn't care less if it's the right thing or not. Maybe in a couple of years of playing these albums to pieces, I will learn to appreciate old Cash too. If it happens, I'll let you know. And I will never claim I was down with Johnny from his wire recorder demos back in the 19th century.

And having discovered Neil Young lately too, hearing the Cashter do NY songs in this box is almost too much.

This is the story of what happened when the man with the beard met the Man In Black. - Sylvie Simmons in the preface to "Unearthed: Text"

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april 5, 2004

Ingvar Kamprad richer than Bill Gates

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/05/1081017064144.html

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april 4, 2004

Sound Engineers vs. Musicians

On March 17, I did a show with Swedish folk music band Ranarim. The instrumentation of this band is probably what a lot of sound engineers would consider tough. Acoustic hollow-bodied instruments with not that much level being produced by themselves, in this case acoustic guitars and key harps (nyckelharpor). Could be feedback heaven if you play too loud and don't have the right mics.

Usually people just show up with these kinds of instruments and ask, "do you have a good mic?" You stick a condenser on them and gain up way too far for your own good, just to get something to work with. Some of the instruments I'm thinking of (not necessarily the ones Ranarim used) aren't even made to have a loud sound and are certainly not made to be played together with a 21st century rock band! Then the musician asks for some monitor, "no, more, more, a little bit more, just a bit, no still too soft, yes, a bit more please" - WHEEEEEEE! You tell them that you can't give them more and then the big lecture starts about the problems you get when the drum set next to them is banging away louder in their mic than their own instrument. Oh, and the way the instrument is held together with where they want their monitor makes the mic point just about straight into the monitor as soon as they move away from the mic.

This gig was different. The musicians showed up with their own mics that they know works particularly good on their instruments and they apparently had a bit of knowledge about getting their sound out to the crowd. If you are going to play concerts, it doesn't stop with your instrument. You should look into mics and how to get a good sound out of your instrument. Bring me some good ingredients and I will cook up a good soup. Ranarim's ingredients were world class. Good knowledge about the weaknesses of their instruments in the live situation, good, even levels when changing instruments and a good sense of dynamics. And some good music.

A while ago, me and a colleague discussed if professional musicians who go to the finest schools get to learn anything about the technical aspects of performing. I know that most of them get to learn a thing or three about recording but I doubt there is much talk about the live performance. Maybe it's time to put "soundcheck" into the curriculum of the music colleges and high schools?

But isn't the sound engineer there to make the musicians sound good? Yes, but there are two things to consider:

1. Sound engineers are not magicians. We have laws to abide. No, not just local environment regulations about sound levels that no one will monitor anyway, but laws of physics no sound engineer or musician can change. Stick a microphone into a speaker and turn it up and you will get feedback. (Recommended listening: Steve Reich's "Pendulum Music")Whisper into a microphone with a drum set behind you and you will hear more of the drum set than the voice in the output of that microphone.

2. As a musician, you probably expect some kind of musical knowledge from your sound engineer. To be able to give your music a good mix, I need to know some things about music. Is it too much to ask if you find out a bit about my field as well then? If you're too creative to bother with technical crap, then a bit of respect will go a long way. If I say something isn't possible, please trust me. I will trust and respect you.

It's common among engineers to say bad things about musicians. I've also heard a lot of musicians call engineers bad things. I don't get that. We need each other and a better job can be done if we work together.

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april 2, 2004

Fredagsfyran

Fredagsfyra v 14 - 04

1. Finns det någon historia bakom varför du heter som du heter?
Min morsa säger att min bror, som var åtta när jag föddes, bläddrade i en almanacka och bestämde vad jag skulle heta. Svante är dessutom mitt enda namn, jag har inga andranamn.

2. Om du skulle vara tvungen att ändra namn (ex. pga att Säpo är efter dig) vad skulle det då bli?
Frank Fikonstråhle.

3. Vilket är det finaste namn du vet?
Mejla.

4. När du kollar ditt namn via den här filosofin, stämmer något?
Ja, det stämmer väl ganska bra:
Your name of Svante has created a most expressive nature, idealistic and inspirational, driven with a strong inner urge to be of service in some way that would uplift humanity as a whole. However, there is a tendency to assume too heavy a burden of responsibility for others, which leads to worry and undue concern. People with problems are drawn to you as they recognize you as one who has understanding and gives not only sympathy and comfort but provides also some constructive advice or assistance. You have a generous quality to your nature, but you must guard carefully against giving more than you receive or you will find yourself doing without because you have helped someone else.

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Excellent!

Album covers redrawn from memory in MS Paint

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april 1, 2004

Canadian Court refuses to crack down on music swaps

Canadian Court refuses to crack down on music swaps

I cannot see a real difference between a library that places a photocopy machine in a room full of copyrighted material and a computer user that places a personal copy on a shared directory linked to a P2P (peer-to-peer) service. - Federal Court Judge Konrad von Finckenstein

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Roligt

Slutskämtat i Malmö

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ZuperZlatan!

Sweden-England: 1-0. Sorry, Svennis.

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Entertainment Highlights in History Apr. 4-10

Google News sent me this:

1968: Syd Barrett left Pink Floyd.

1975: Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple. He went on to form his own band, Rainbow.

Not everyone would consider those things highlights...

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