From www.maidavalemusic.com

Posted on 24 June, 2009 by ericcase

From maidavalemusic.com (eric writing):

Thought I’d give you all an update as to what we’ve been up to. In a sense, it’s been a quiet few months since April: Birmingham, Gainesville, Warehouse, etc.

But just because it’s been quiet doesn’t mean that it hasn’t been productive…

We’ve been laughing a lot.

Exploring space.

Throwing off some creative shackles.

Revisiting old friends.

Not only that, but we’ve been graduating, preparing for weddings, building houses, shipping off our children to other states, shipping off our parents(?) to other states, and in general trying to stay as cool as possible.

These activities — along with the requisite existential meltdowns — have comprised our spring and early summer.

We’ve been using this time to do as much creating as possible given the state of our collective lives. We’re enjoying the process, going down trails that prove to be rabbit holes, following our noses into the deep, preternatural forest then retreating, glad for the bread crumbs we’ve dropped along the way.

New | old colors and tools are beginning to find their way onto our pallet. Names like Marvin and T-Bone, Motown and Jagger/Richards are being referenced. Words and phrases like, “Use the 57”; “Neve”; “Warmer” and “Spirit” are finding their way into our lexicon.

I daresay, we’re making the most exciting music of our lives.

Who knows what will emerge from this cocoon, but I think we’re learning about each other, and we’re becoming better friends, artists, and pilgrims. Right now our plan is to release some of this music in the near future, but we’re not putting deadlines on this process; it’s too precious for that.

We are planning some live shows in August and September, and we think that we’ll all enjoy getting to know each other again.

In the meantime, feel free to continue to spread the word, hook folks up to MySpace and Twitter.

We promise to let you know when the cocoon opens…

New Urbanism, Old Faith

Posted on 19 June, 2009 by ericcase

I am a fan of New Urbanism, and I think you should be too.

Raised in the suburbs, I found a home in cozy urban neighborhoods of Chicago. In the city, I found a cure for the rootless, restless, and often pointless existence of 7-Elevens, strip malls and sprawled existence. I felt more neighborly and connected then I ever had before as a post-college adult.

As I glanced through a magazine that a friend had loaned me, an article stood out: “The Church in 2034”, which describes the possible future in which churches have split into mainly three types: “Gigachurches” (even bigger than mega churches), “Middlechurches”, and “Nanochurches”. “Nanochurches, small communities of 10 to 25 people, typically meet in living rooms, basements, coffee shops, public parks, unused rooms on gigachurch campuses, and other free spaces to which the community has access.”

New Urbanism advocates the preservation and healthy use of public space. Unfortunately, in the retailing and sprawling of USAmerica (described really well by Naomi Klein), that public space is constantly threatened and diminished. In other words, these possible expressions of the Kingdom of God are already endangered!

Everything is inter-connected. For those of us/you who worship in a large (mega? giga?) church, by ignoring the uglier side of USAmerican consumerism, you are endangering your brothers and sisters ability to worship. There are those who are validly seeking God, but who are unable to worship in a larger atmosphere, preferring the smaller environment.

However, as mom-and-pop stores go under, destroyed by “big box” shopping centers, and our false “public spaces” are revealed for what they really are — privately held forums that are not “free speech friendly” — the possible meeting places for these small churches shrinks.

It’s just a thought, but it’s all connected. How/where you choose to shop | live | worship effects the culture, which effects us all.

Just this once (or twice, or more), I am smarter than CNN

Posted on 3 June, 2009 by ericcase

All the rage lately has been around Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s “controversial” comment that, as a Latina, she would hope that she would be more able to render a wise decision than a white man.

In all the debate back and forth (“Is she racist or not …. oooooooooooh”), they’ve missed the obvious point…

… I think she probably could.

What is lost — at least in the blabber that I’ve seen — is the fact that whereas ethnic minorities in the USAmerica need to be well-versed across different cultures, dominant culture folks (Hey: That’s “WHITE MALES”) just don’t have to educate themselves, cross-culturally. We are afforded the privileges of isolation (if we choose), and thus the privilege of narrow-mindedness.

The lack of wisdom for us white folks doesn’t have nearly as high a price tag. If an ethnic minority isn’t wise in the ways of “The Man”, it can mean no loans, no jobs, no opportunity.

As a Latina, I’m assume Judge Sotomayor actually has the ability to look at the world through at least two view points: that of her ethnic heritage, and also the wide culture in which succeeded.

Here’s hoping diversity happens in the highest court of the land.

Welcome…

Posted on 12 May, 2009 by ericcase

So Here I begin anew…

Let’s begin with something simple, shall we? How about gear?

I’ve been on a bit of a “binge” lately — playing music for a living (at least somewhat) has its perqs. I’ve been playing with mostly the same set of pedals for years now, only switching out the occasional overdrive or fuzz unit.

Over the past few weeks, though, I’ve bought four new pedals (which is a lot for me). Not to get all metaphysical or anything, but I wonder if it’s somewhat related to needing some inspiration, seeking it through technology. Positioning myself for the next musical/artistic “season” that is coming.

So here’s what I bought:

I started with the Fulltone Supa-Trem. I love Fulltone pedals; they’re made well, are “specialized” and simple to operate. I was having some problems with the trem I was using (through my Modulation Modeler), and when I read that T-Bone Burnett used the Supa-Trem almost exclusively, I was sold. Got it on Ebay.

Then I moved to the BBE Mindbender. I don’t use chorus or flanging, but I am addicted to pitch vibrato, and this was the only viable option available. Set this thing up to “wiggle”, then add some delay, and you get some nice modulations and swirls that are more organic and earthy-sounding.

I got curious one night on E-bay, and started looking at Xotic Pedals. I thought the AC Booster might be a cool option for overdrive sounds. Guess what: It is. I’ve only had the pedal for 2 days, but it is a nice boost/OD pedal that sounds really natural, while still having EQ options. I got this for a really good price off of eBay.

Lastly, I am waiting on the arrival of a Voodoo Labs Microvibe. I’ve been a sucker for vibe sounds for a while. There’s definitely a psychedelic rocker inside of me still, and the swirling of a Univibe just sounds so “chunky”. Again, I had my Modulation Modeler set up for a Univibe sound, but it just wasn’t that convincing. I’d owned one of these pedals in the past, and I know that they are reliable and good quality. Got a really good price.

I think mostly these are to help me go into the future. I’m coming off of a LONG season of basically needing flexibility from my rig. Now I think I have the blessing of being able to be more choosy and particular about the music I play, so I’m assembling tools that reflect that.

Alright, well, we are now officially in a relationship. I promise not to be so geeky in the future. Or rather, I will remain geeky, but hopefully my geekiness will touch more people in more ways… Cuz touching people is fun (when it’s not creepy).