| Author | Message | ||
     Notehead |
Hey gang! Although the member profiles area doesn't get a whole lot of action, I figure I'll give it a shot. MOL has shown me that there really are a lot of thoughtful, intelligent, creative folks around here (um, among others) and although I occasionally submit my two cents to a few discussions, I've never really introduced myself. Anyway, the boss is out, and I'm feeling aprosexic, so here goes: Things To Know About Mark (aka notehead): -- I'm a single, white, hetero male, 31 years old. I bought my brick "extended Cape" on the SO/MA border near CHS about 2.5 years ago, before that I lived most of my life in Cranford. I really want to be a husband and a dad. If I start ruminating on why I haven't accomplished this yet, I will probably exceed the maximum message size, so perhaps I'll save some of those thoughts for a later time. -- By day I'm a computer programmer. I have no special love for this, but it pays pretty well and sometimes it involves design and analytical skills which is a good thing. -- However, if you ask me "what do you do?" I may reply that I am a composer. That's something I do. In fact, it is probably the most important thing that I do, aside from trying to be a good son, brother, and friend. I am not a great composer, but I was good enough, at least, to be allowed to study Composition briefly at Juilliard with Dr. Stanley Wolfe. Interviewing with him was one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of my life! I have a Bachelor of Music from the University of Miami (where I studied jazz piano & vocal), and some credits toward a Masters in Music Technology from NYU. I am not very prolific, inspiration comes and goes like a random tide. I write folky songs and bebop charts and raging funk perpetrations, but the pieces that mean the most to me are a small but growing number of chamber pieces that never seem to be finished. I was very proud to have a brass trio played in a chamber music concert in Spring 2001 at the Burgdorff Cultural Center - it actually didn't go so well, but I was thrilled to be included. One long-standing personal goal is to find players who are willing and able to perform my chamber pieces with all the passion that I have tried to write into them. That is, in fact, the main reason why I moved to this neighborhood. So, if you happen to consider yourself a proficient, artistic, adventurous instrumentalist, SPEAK UP! -- My tastes are modern. I love modern architecture, design, and abstract art. And I love the way great music complements great design. I always enjoy trips to MoMA and other modern art museums, but for some reason I only manage to go once or twice a year. I am baffled and a tad depressed by the view held by so many people that they are supposed to "get" certain kinds of art, and that if they don't "get" it right off, they shouldn't bother. Closed-mindedness is a drag. -- I am very even-keeled and easygoing on the outside. On the inside, I waffle between self-confidence and self-doubt, and loving and loathing the public. -- I am huge fan of Macintosh hardware and software. I just got a new 867 mhz G4 (which blows away the 1.7 Ghz Pentium 4 so nyah nyah) and I am very psyched to run my recording studio software, create music scores, and produce home-grown DVD's on it. -- As my posts on certain threads indicate, I support environmentalism, and I try to walk my talk. My electricity arrives via Green Mountain Energy, my lawnmower is a cordless electric model, I use recycled products in my home renovations, I have a lot of compact fluorescent lighting, I do not use fertilizers or pesticides, and my next car will probably be a hybrid or full electric. I usually walk to the store. The batteries I use are rechargeables, often charged via a solar panel. None of these things require any significant effort or hassle. To me, Bush & Cheney seem incapable of clear vision or good judgement on environmental and energy issues. I think that a massive switch to a cleaner, healthier, truly sustainable lifestyle would be painful, but is necessary and would appear, in retrospect, to have been easily worth the effort. It boggles my mind how certain words like "sustainable" and "stewardship" cause such a massive defensive overreaction in some folks. -- I love a nice, dark pint of American or British beer, especially while shooting pool in a funky bar with a bunch of friends. -- I think one of the very worst problems facing this nation is the horrible stuff our culture accepts as "entertainment". It seems like 75% or more of the tv and radio programming we are offered is totally insulting, unimaginative, degrading and/or stupid. Every magazine screams that you don't look right, you don't have enough possessions, you don't know how to make love, you're not "cool" -- why do people pay for this? We continue to condone violence, but depict sexuality as something evil. Although I have massive tv, I just about never watch television. I do, however, watch a lot of DVD's and sometimes get re-addicted to video games. And I'll admit that I love The Sopranos, although the last season wasn't so great. -- Maplewood/South Orange is great! Although I often feel like I am the only single person my age, I am thrilled to have met a lot of wonderful new friends. And, honestly, it's just good to see that people in their 40's and 50's who have raised families and been through so much more than I have can still be cool, funny, creative, happy people. -- I want a marimba. If you have a marimba and don't want it, give it to me. In fact, just give it to me. Give me the marimba, and there will be no trouble. -- I have a feline animal that I am extremely fond of, and it is more than a cat. Her name is Ella Fitzgerald and she is a hybrid: 75% African Jungle Cat, and 25% Maine Coon/Pixie Bob. She is very tall, long, and lean, with 6 toes on each foot, and although she unfortunately isn't very friendly to anyone else, she loooooves me and greets me with the here-I-am jittery tail whenever I get home. She's 15 months old and about 13 pounds, and she'll probably fill out to around 18 lean pounds or more over the next year. One of these days I may get in touch with the breeder in Florida and get her a brother (males can reach 30 pounds). -- One of my favorite places is The Knitting Factory, which is at 74 Leonard Street in the Village. You can have a really good pint at the tap bar while some incredible modern jazz and funk is blown for free. And in other rooms, usually for a low price, you can hear all kinds of music so fresh, it's almost too green to eat. -- That brings up another point. The term "jazz" is being grossly misused on a constant basis (and so are quotation marks). What they play on CD 101.9 is not jazz, just as Kraft American Cheese is not cheese. Calling it "smooth jazz" is still a misnomer. It is R&B. Now, in spite of the fact that I can't even blow over "rhythm changes" at a reasonable tempo, I am nevertheless the only person allowed to make decisions on this issue, so if you have any questions, come see me. :-) -- I love to travel and to snorkel/scuba dive/hike, and I've recently enjoyed two excellent trips to Belize, but I'm not going to talk about this any more because there are way too many places that I need to visit and I'm gonna get bummed out. So...... HI!! | ||
| Notehead |
A short list of recordings guaranteed to ease your mind, improve your creativity, and boost your serotonin levels: Wayne Shorter - "Speak No Evil" Art Blakey - "Album Of The Year" Steve Reich - "Music for 18 Musicians" Steely Dan - "Katy Lied", "Aja", "Gaucho" Kronos Quartet - "String Quartets of Phillip Glass" Keith Jarret - "The Koln Concert" Stereolab - "Dots & Loops" Michael Hedges - "Watching My Life Go By" Pat Metheny - "Bright Size Life", "Still Life (talking)" Cuarteto Latinoamericano - "Villa Lobos: String Quartets, vol 1-4" Yes - "The Yes Album", "Fragile" Crosby, Stills & Nash - "Crosby, Stills & Nash" Finzi Singers - "Gerald Finzi: Choral Works" Don Was - "Backbeat (soundtrack)" Bob Marley - "Kaya" Joe Jackson - "Night & Day" | ||
| Mem |
Notehead, Very interesting post! You are not the only single person in Maplewood. You are one of two, me being the other. Your cat sounds delicious! Seriously, she sounds cool, I thought my Siamese was exotic. Is she spotted? | ||
| Notehead |
Hey Mem! Thanks! Ella was spotted when she was a cub (yes, they say "cubs" in the jungle cat hybrid world), but now she is a tawny tan, like a mountain lion, with a cream-colored chin. She has darker stripes on her lower legs and dark tips on her tail and ears. As a matter of fact, the breeder liked how she turned out so well, that he set up a web page for her on his website -- she's around 6 to 8 months old in these pics. http://www.chausie.net/ella.html And don't get any ideas, she'll gnaw yer head off if you try anything! | ||
| Mem |
Cool cat! | ||
| Dave |
Wow, a few of my favorites in that list, too: Steely Dan "Aja" and "Katy Lied" "the Koln Concert" (especially the first track) Hedges "Watching my life" (and "Aerial Boundaries") "bright size life" "night and day" Welcome to the profiles section! | ||
| Shh |
Hey Mark, Are you interested in meeting anyone? I have a friend, SWJF, 31, works for a commercial production co., smart, into music. Probably not as environmental as you. Mental, maybe. (Just a joke.) | ||
| Jem |
Uh, oh, Mark. I think you're bringing out the inner Yenta-the-Matchmaker in all of us. The first thing I thought when I read your profile was "Hmm, who do I know that could fulfill his wish?" Actually, I think I do know someone, too. (SJF, 32) | ||
| Mem |
What's a marimba? | ||
| Eliz |
hmmm how 'bout Mem and Mark? Could be the first MOL romance ... | ||
| Notehead |
Oh geez, now I'm blushing... Um... I certainly have no desire to remain single... (A marimba, by the way, is basically a big xylophone with wooden bars. It makes a very cool sound, and the notes are set up like the notes on a piano, so I kind of know what to do with it. I wrote a piece involving a couple of marimbas and I've wanted one ever since.) I suppose one reason I've spent so much time single is because I probably have too many criteria... I'm looking for someone very arty and creative, musically talented would be great, non-smoker, modern, optimistic, well-spoken, strong maternal instincts... I'm starting to sound like I want to build my own woman from a kit, yeah? I do accept that nobody's perfect, lord knows I demonstrate that constantly. Hey, if anybody thinks they've got someone for me to meet, I'm open. Y'know, uh... this seems like an ideal time to mention that my email address is mark@cellardweller.com. Cheers all. --M | ||
| Mem |
Eliz, Now, do you really want to do that to Notehead? | ||
| Tom |
I thought we were going to try that trio again sometime and tape it. (The rehearsals sounded good. I was the guy holding the trumpet!) Got any other brass stuff laying around? | ||
| Notehead |
Oh hey Tom! Yeah, "Overture" sounded great in rehearsals. I thought my recording studio would be finished by now although I'm still a couple months away. I definitely want to record it one of these days, although I think I may flesh it out for the whole quintet. As far as other pieces, I do have another quintet which is not for brass specifically, but could easily be re-scored, I'll have to pull that out and see what I can do with it. | ||
| Eliz |
Mem Yes I do! I think it might be interesting for him to explore alternative energy sources at a full moon party at the Bomba Shack. | ||
| Notehead |
note to self... set a firm limit of 3 pints of Guinness on weeknights... oof. alternative energy sources? i could use one right about now. | ||
| Mem |
Mark, Sleep. And a weekend always comes in handy. Mem | ||
| Notehead |
Okay, I'm gonna put my head down for just... two... (By the way, give my regards to Mrs. O'Hanrohanrohan) | ||
| Mem |
Yes! Mrs. O"hanrohanrohanrohanrohanhoohah. And boy, were those potatoes dirty. | ||
| Kathy |
Mark, My daughter would also like to have a marimba, so let me know if you get more than one offer! She plays marimba (and other mallet percussion) in the CHS Marching Band. (And no, one does not march with a marimba!) |
