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CatSynth pic: Soft Lightning interview with I♥SYNTHS

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Interview with Soft Lightning by I♥SYNTHS.

♥SYNTHS: You love your cats. Are they a big inspiration to your music? What are their names and what synths do they like the most?

Soft Lighting: I actually only have one cat and his name is Ziggy. My wife and I foster litters of kittens for our local shelter so we always have a bunch of new kittens around. They like ALL the synths and ALL the gear – especially hiding in the back of amplifiers.

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There are quite a few more cat-and-synth photos in this post, I suspect a few more of them may show up here as well 🙂

Via matrixsynth, where you can read all the interviews with well-known synth artists and see quite a bit of classic and modern gear.

Weekend Cat Blogging with Luna: Play with me! (again)

Luna curled paws up

I caught Luna this morning, doing the adorable thing where she rolls onto her back and has her paws curled up. It’s a pose that screams “Play with me!” And I am happy to oblige.

This has been a quiet weekend after another few weeks of both excitement and tumult, and I think we are enjoying having the extra time to spend together.

Weekend Cat Blogging with Luna: Glass Table and Clothing Pile

As per usual, Luna is enjoying morning sunshine by sitting underneath one of our many glass tables at CatSynth HQ. Unfortunately, her favorite one is completely covered with piles of clothing right now, but that doesn’t stop her from claiming her usual spot.

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The glass dining table has become a staging area for a major clothing purge. Here things are separated into items to be sold, donated or given to friends. After a zealous start, I have been busy with work and rehearsals for upcoming shows (including a performance tonight), so the piles remain for now. But Luna and I will both be happy when they disappear.

Weekend Cat Blogging with Luna: Minimoog!

Luna and Minimoog

Luna is inspecting the latest musical acquisition here at CatSynth HQ, a vintage Minimoog synth. She is always curious to check new arrivals out, with some close sniffing along with visual inspections. Then she looses interest. She is, after all, a cat.

The astute (and synth-savvy) observer may also notice a Mixtape Alpha sitting on top of the Minimoog. Both instruments offer interesting possibilities, the the tiny Mixtape Alpha is more practical for live performance.

2013, The Transformative Year

2013 Year End photo

 

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Once again, it’s time for our traditional end-of-the-year image at CatSynth.   The past couple of years have all been good, rich, full, and sometimes complicated.  But 2013 has been particularly significant, certainly one that I will long remember.  As the title says, it has been a transformational time on multiple dimensions for me, indeed it has touched almost every aspect of my being.  There will be more to say on that in the coming days. Music and art have been going very well, too, and one of the main challenges of this coming year will be to build on the successes of this past year but in a more directed way.  If that sounds vague, it’s because I haven’t quite figured it out yet.

For Luna, things pretty much are the way the always are.  Such is the life of a contented house cat.  And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Thanks to everyone who reads and supports this project, whether here at the blog, on Facebook, or through the many personal friendships that grown from here.  You are all what makes this work worthwhile!

Weekend Cat Blogging with Luna: Holiday Break

So this is mostly how Luna and I spent our two-day Christmas break.

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Relaxation and comfort was the primary agenda. I didn’t even keep up the tradition of going out for Chinese food.

We hope you all had a good holiday as well, however you choose to spend it! And if you haven’t had a chance to check out last weekends SF SPCA holiday windows post, we recommend that you do so.

Weekend Cat Blogging with Luna: Belated Birthday

Luna Birthday Card

Finally, we have a free morning, so we are celebrating Luna’s birthday two weeks late. But we’re having fun, and Luna is enjoying getting a bit wasted on catnip. She also received a birthday card from a dear friend of ours.

After a short time, Luna went to sit contentedly in one of her favorite morning spots, under the glass. I am quite happy with this photo (snapped with my iPhone) that captures Luna’s natural beauty in an abstract setting.

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While you’re here, please check out my report from my performance at Spectrum last month in New York. It even has a feline bit at the start.

Weekend Cat Blogging with Luna: Homecoming

Luna and tablas

The recent New York trip officially came to an end when I brought Luna home on Thursday. Changing locations is always a bit disorienting for her, but she quickly readjusted to her familiar home surroundings. She has also been very attached, looking for every opportunity to cuddle in my lap or at least sit next to me.

Luna lap

Yes, I do need to finish unpacking. It’s actually been quite busy since I returned, including a late-night gig with Surplus 1980 on Thursday and a show tonight with Reconnaissance Fly in Sacramento. But after that things calm down quite a bit. So we will have a proper but belated celebration for Luna’s birthday next week. Meanwhile, she is getting all the comfort and cuddles I can provide.

tillie_2204Finally, a sad note. We were heartbroken last week to hear about the passing of our friend Tillie. Tillie was from the kitty clan in Nova Scotia that also shared Mickey with us, and their mom has been one of our big supporters here at CatSynth. We often noted back and forth how much Tillie and Luna looked alike. We send the whole family our deepest sympathies for their loss.