CATSYNTH

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Author: catsynth

  • Analog Ladies at Robotspeak, Saturday 3PM

    Analog Ladies

    We have covered several of the Church of the Superserge shows at Robotspeak over the past year or so. And now I will be performing in one as part of a special Analog Ladies edition. It will be an afternoon of analog synthesizer madness featuring several of instrument’s most talented women: Jill Fraser, Mint Park, Amanda Chaudhary, Miss Moist, and 7H1NG2. It’s a casual BYOB event, so if you’re in San Francisco (or anywhere on the Bay Area transit grid) and free tomorrow afternoon, please drop by Robotspeak (589 1/2 Haight Street in SF) to hear us.

    I will performing on my analog modular plus Moog Theremini, and probably wearing something with a feline theme. Here is a photo of the modular as I start to set up the initial patch for tomorrow’s set.

    Analog modular synth preparation for Analog Ladies show

    Things will be a little less chaotic visually by show time tomorrow. Sonically, there might be some chaos, but that is completely intentional 🙂

  • Wordless Wednesday: Bay Bridge in Color

    SF Bay Bridge

  • CatSynth pic: Nora!

    Nora the piano cat

    Another photo of the beautiful Nora, the piano-playing cat. Submitted by AnalogKeys (originally from Femme Abstruse) via Twitter.

    “♡ॢ₍⸍⸌̣ʷ̣̫⸍̣⸌₎”

  • Mensa Cat Monday: Ornette!

    Ornette Coleman tribute
    A tribute to Ornette Coleman from J.B. of the Mensa Cats.

  • CatSynth pic: Spectoral (Cat and Minimoog)

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    From Spectoral on Instagram.

    “Ye meww dig mah mad sinf skilz”

    Check out more on http://facebook.com/spectoralmusic

    It’s hard to miss that Minimoog control panel from any angle.

  • Ornette Coleman, 1930-2015

    Ornette Coleman
    By Geert Vandepoele (Ornette Coleman) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
    We lost another of our musical heroes today. Orientate Coleman was deeply influential in the development and blossoming of jazz in the era-after bebop, where the music went in different, surprising and (for some) controversial directions. From the seemingly mathematic transformations of bop idioms in songs like Zig Zag to the driving funk of Jump Street from Of Human Feelings (a personal favorite of mine), his music and professional example were inspiring.

    In addition to his composition and playing, he was an accomplished band leader, bringing together disparate performers to play complex music that remained rhythmically tight. There was the Ornette Coleman Quartet that cemented his reputation as an experimenter, and later his band Prime Time, which took on electronic elements and fusion idioms while retaining oblique rhythms and counterpoints.

    I also find myself identifying the descriptions of him as soft-spoken and taking a deeply intellectual (perhaps bafflingly so) approach to describing music. Many jazz greats are sons and daughters of the South, and Ornate Coleman was no exception – but it is interesting to see him and others transcend that heritage to something of a different time and place, or perhaps no particular place at all. We should follow his example and keep jazz an alive, evolving, and often challenging music.

  • Happy 10th Gotcha Day, Luna!

    It was exactly ten years ago, June 10, 2005, that I brought Luna home from the Santa Cruz County animal shelter. And so we are celebrating her 10th “Gotcha Day” (adoption anniversary) over the next few days in style. It began the evening before with a festive meal, complete with main course, treats, and a “cocktail.”

    Gotcha Day dinner

    The “cake” didn’t quite come out of the can perfectly, but as we can see that did not bother Luna at all. She devoured her special dinner with enthusiasm.

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    It is hard to believe that 10 years have gone by, but it is hold hard to imagine life without my special little girl. We have been through a lot together – adventures and transitions – more than be documented on these pages.

    Here is her official photo from animal shelter, followed by a portrait from her first week at home.

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    Baby Luna at home

    At the time, she was 7 months old. Still a baby in many ways. Over the years, I have watched her grow into a beautiful cat. Here are just a few photos, including one of the most recent.

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    We are certainly looking forward to many more years and adventures together, wherever life leads us. Please join me in wishing Luna a Happy 10th Gotcha Day!

  • CatSynth pic: Picasso and Six-Trak

    Picasso six-trak

    Submitted by James Bahleda‎ via our Facebook page.

    “Picasso takes a minute out of programming patches in my six-trak to have a tasty beverage.”

    That lemonade looks quite refreshing.

  • Mensa Cat Monday: Haiku Cats

    Haiku Cats

    Another installment of the Haiku Cats by J.B.

  • CatSynth (sort of) pic: Maisy Gray and guitar

    Maisy Gray and guitar

    Submitted by ⓉⒺⒸⒽℕ⌽▃ⒾⒹ●⒞⒪⒨ via Twitter.

    “@Xitmuse:Happy #Caturday! #MaisyGray is telling me to make some NewMusic today”