allogamy

MEMORY, Part 6

2011-02-28T01:50:00.000-07:00

059/365

Austin

This is the final segment of the 6-part 'Memory' song cycle (lyrics / vocals by Céleigh Chapman and mandolin played by Jake Monaco). I must confess that this is my favorite of them. The lyrics are the most poignant of the six parts, and the music is probably the most emotionally ambiguous I've ever written.

Andy

Went a little lighter than my previous entries in this memory series. I also work very quickly. Pretty much just popped a shot off and converted it, and am loading it up now. I am tired. It's late and I'm in the process of moving. March here we come.

IF I ONLY HAD A CATALYST

2011-02-27T08:24:00.000-07:00

Listen: If I Only Had a Catalyst.Mp3

058/365

Andy

This is the metal catalyst that converts the 3% hydrogen peroxide in my contact lens solution into saline. Without it the peroxide would do a pretty good job of oxidizing my eyeballs. Ouch.

Unfortunately, not every aspect of life comes with a convenient catalyst, sitting there, driving reactions, never being used up itself. How nice that would be. Today is dedicated to the times in my memory that I hesitated, never sure of what to do in a given situation, praying that if I only had a catalyst to drive progress forward, to bail me out from having to take the first step, I'd be fine. This is a great way to never get anything done. Many worthwhile things have big barriers to overcome, ones that we ourselves have to summon the energy and courage to overcome, even without a catalyst in sight. It seems this is a lesson I will continue to learn even into adulthood.

Austin

Today's post began entirely as Andy's idea and, despite the graveness of his own thoughts on the subject, I couldn't help but take a slightly humorous approach to it. Basically the piece of music is like a Romantic piano concerto (leaping off from yesterday's 19th Century references), where we've somehow gotten stuck in the introduction. No actual music seems to come in at any point.

But my music-humor aside, like Andy I've had many instances where I seemed to stand in place, frozen and needing something to shove me forward. One particular example, three years of living across the country from my wife, seemed to drag me emotionally through the mud in every way imaginable. Yet, that lack of catalyst (and hence my lack of proactive problem solving), somehow sewed the seeds for a far stronger marriage and today I wouldn't trade one day of those three years. So, I suppose, sometimes that lack of catalyst is precisely what we need, impossible as it may be at the time to recognize it.

OUT WITH THE OLD

2011-02-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Out with the Old.Mp3

057/365

Andy

Sometimes you just have to make room for the future. A little spring cleaning so to speak, when old memories may prevent you from growing, maturing, and progressing. I'm not saying this in a cold way, if we erased our memories, what would we learn? I'm just saying that the buildings they occupy in our mind can crowd the skyline a little too much if we spend our time attempting to relive the past, and then you tend to run low on real estate for the present/future.

Austin

I think basically everything Andy has said, both in writing and visually, can be said of today's music and my philosophy in general. Progress and evolution must always continue forward, and we must therefore be constantly re-evaluating that which we wish to assimilate versus that which we should discard. No principle or belief should be above this review process.

HONOR

2011-02-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Honor.Mp3

056/365

Andy

This was a gift us grandsons received at my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary in 1996. It is a simple poem, but, without fail, reading it brings a smile to my face and the trace of a tear to my eye. It is one of the things that makes me extremely proud to be a Berglund.

Austin

This is the first of (eventually) more elaborate explorations of my German heritage. For the moment, rather than address my family's rather complex and dark history with Germany, I thought it nice to just have a quiet tribute. The 'Deutschlandlied' is here performed on solo trumpet by the very talented composer/arranger Eric Jasper.

FIRST LOVE

2011-02-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: First Love.MP3

055/365

Austin

Today is a classic example of Andy and I discussing a concept, then each independently creating our vision of it, only to return with results which are remarkably corollary. The idea here is 'first love,' in the sense of playground love. Childhood love. The type that seems searingly and exhaustingly powerful, meant to endure the ages ... until tomorrow. It's a form of pure innocence. The music represents the sort of scherzo that young love is, all twisted up with anxieties and nervousness (and not without some obligato oddness).

Andy

I'm talking that nervous, dig your foot into the ground to try to abate the feeling, starry eyed, heart pounding, sweaty, time stopping, dizzy, spinning, wanting to run away, no place you'd rather be crush. I was a little bashful. I probably even played with my feet. The good news is that those feelings are almost exactly the same as an adult.

Shoes and "first love" also might mean a little something to Austin.

Strobist: LP120 @28mm, 1/4 power through the good ol' 43" Westcott shoot-through umbrella against a white seamless paper background.

MY HEYDAY

2011-02-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: My Heyday.MP3

054/365

Andy

...is far from over.
I always forget how quickly outside of Denver you hit the Great Plains. Head east for 30 minutes and it looks like the edge of civilization. This photo was taken at that edge.

Austin

I promise to stop with these piano miniatures soon! But for the moment I felt a companion piece to "Childhood" from the post two days ago was needed. "My Heyday" as Andy titled the photo, had my mind in the same sort of place that "Childhood" did, despite the completely different subject matter of the photos. So I (perhaps awkwardly) tried to merge the two with this plaintive and subtle, childish piano solo (with just a slight touch of hay-inspired Americana wistfulness).

MEMORY, Part 5

2011-02-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Memory, Part 5.MP3

053/365

Austin

I absolutely love the sound of Céleigh's voice here. Pure, but not childlike. There's a subtle darkness that's also in her lyrics. The mandolin (again, played by Jake Monaco), has almost no presence here. Just a moment alone, lost in a thought.

Andy

My lovely hand model holding the possessed statue head. It's glowing eyes searing yours, suffocating you in memory... or something like that. Just trying to go with the lyrics.

CHILDHOOD

2011-02-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Childhood.MP3

052/365

Austin

For whatever reason I've been particularly gripped by these smaller, more intimate 'character' pieces this month, and today is no exception. Andy and I had discussed trying to capture the drama and simultaneous innocence of our early childhoods. The soaring highs and decimating lows of such pivotal turning points like scraped knees and lost toys.... I didn't want to write something so obscenely over-the-top as to be a caricature (though honestly, in the case of my own childhood, I suppose it would still have been apt), but instead a fiery, virtuosic piano solo.

Andy

I feel like my head a splode today. I did manage to trek out into the cold, gloomy snow, though. Went to a playground. The lack of sun/blue sky made for some dreary options for this "childhood" shot. Not my intention. I converted to black and white to attempt to cancel that out. I do wish they had a tire swing, though. We clocked some serious g force on one back in elementary school.

WHAT WERE WE THINKING???

2011-02-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: What Were We Thinking???.MP3

051/365

Austin
I think the title should offer all the insight necessary for today, particularly juxtaposed to yesterday's post (sometimes I guard my opinions, sometimes I lay them out rather overtly). I also must say that I couldn't resist a few more (not so subtle) allusions, in keeping with the thread of so many recent posts ....

Andy

Just not what I wanted to shoot for this. But illusions of grandeur aside, this is what I made. Limited time, limited sleep, limited resources. It'll have to do for a drop in the 365 bucket. Enjoy.

SIMPLER TIMES

2011-02-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Simpler Times.MP3

050/365

Andy

Nothin' too much to talk about here. This was shot at one of the first places I ever shot a photography assignment. Back in high school. Had to revisit the site. It was typically cold and muddy. Thanks Colorado.

Austin

Andy took this photo evoking the pre-20th century era, but his title got me thinking in a slightly different direction: the wonderful times of the 50's which, at least in retrospect, seem so innocent and simple. Songs of that era, captured here, have such soul and warmth, but also seem to completely lack the overtones of the Cold War which were so dominant elsewhere. Opportunities like this to soak myself in the musical vocabulary of those are songs are pretty rare, so a little over-indulgence should be forgiven ...

THIS STUFF GOES STRAIGHT TO MY HEAD

2011-02-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: This Stuff Goes Straight to my Head.MP3

049/365

Andy

Nothing like a $10 double soda to get you good and toasty. Set my white balance too warm to emphasize the warm feel of the restaurant lounge and the narrow depth of field to mimic having one too many sodas. Some bokeh for you too.

Austin

There's something so ordinary about the action being captured here, yet surreal in its execution. It led to me thinking about how I really feel after drinking soda (something I've recently almost totally cut from my diet), and the notion of expansion seemed to jump out. So, put through a surreal filter, that's most of what's happening here. The rest exists as bubbles clinging to the edges ...

I'M NOT DOWN

2011-02-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: I'm Not Down.MP3

048/365

Andy

"I've been beat up, I've been thrown out
But I'm not down, no I'm not down
I've been shown up, but I've grown up
And I'm not down, no I'm not down

So I have lived, that kind of day
When none of your sorrows will go away
Go down and down and hit the floor
Down and down and down some more
Depression
But I know, there'll be some way
When I can swing everything back my way
Like skyscrapers, rising up
Floor by floor, I'm not giving up"

- The Clash

Strobist: 2 LP120s on either side of me both @ 28mm, 1/1 power, 1/2 CTO and 1/4 CTO on either, no other modifiers. Canon 40D, 30mm, 1/250 sec, f/11, ISO 200.

Austin

This is the follow-up to previous "Train in Vain" post initially drawing inspiration from those two songs by The Clash (at the suggestion of my collaborator. I admit to having never heard of The Clash before this). As a sort of continuation from the earlier post, today's "I'm Not Down" sort of veers into the world of the rock drummer who had so rudely interrupted us two days ago. I like the sort of joyously optimistic lyrics for this song, and so for me the drummer sort of represents that resilience against adversity. In this case, he's challenged by a surreal haze that ends up turning brutally dissonant. He hangs on though and emerges successfully, moving out of the washy reverb directly towards us. Soon, though, he accelerates and spins out of control, quickly shorting himself out. He didn't win, but he was better for having tried.

MEMORY, Part 4

2011-02-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Memory, Part 4.MP3

047/365

Austin

Part 4 of 6. I like this one becomes it seems to be setting up something longer (as with part 2), that then fails to appear. I think that that just came instinctively from the inherent frustration in Céleigh's lyrics. Both on their surface, and subtextually in how she wrote them, her lyrics communicated a restless anxiety. But they were never overt. I guess that's how I'd describe this particular entry of the cycle too.

Andy

I was looking for a way to visually communicate the concept of being blacked out without another alcohol shot. This would be an example of not really knowing how creepy a concept is until you have the final product. Sheesh... I desaturated the image and then ran a copied layer through a high-pass filter for the muted but sharp and lit overall look.

TRAIN IN VAIN

2011-02-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Train In Vain.MP3

046/365

Andy

"You say you stand by your man
Tell me something I don't understand
You said you loved me and that's a fact
and then you left me, said you felt trapped

Well some things you can't explain away
But the heartache's in me till this day"

- The Clash

Strobist: 1 LP120 @ 28mm, 1/32 power, into a 43" shoot-through umbrella camera right. Canon 40D, 50mm, 1/6 sec, f/1.8, ISO 200. I-25 for bokeh.

Austin

Today's and the 17th's posts began somewhat unconventionally. Andy pointed me towards a pair of songs by The Clash that he liked called "Train in Vain" and "I'm Not Down" to serve as the inspiration. At the time I wrote the pieces I had no idea what Andy's photographic interpretation would be. For me, it began by looking up the lyrics and pouring over them a bit. For "Train in Vain" I was struck by the simultaneously bleak, heartbroken lyrics and general peppiness of the actual music itself. They seemed bizarrely incongruous to me. This led me to a sort of surreal, post-heartbreak kind of introspection. Then, unexpectedly and obnoxiously intrusively, it's infringed on by this quasi Clash-inspired rock drummer. It's sort of a piece inspired simultaneously by "Train in Vain's" content, and the song itself.

ENCHANTÉ

2011-02-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Enchanté.MP3

045/365

Andy

I was going to write something of a romantic paragraph about the emotional and physical response to a budding relationship or perhaps even just how meeting someone can completely inundate and intoxicate your senses. Then I heard Austin's interpretation and it changed my view completely. I really love what he wrote for this. Now, for me, instead of representing those specific emotions it has transformed into a longing for them. Perhaps a reflection of a time when these emotions were very much alive, but no longer... Not angry, in fact fondly remembering good times, but accepting that the current reality might be a little lonely. I completely agree that today's entry is a shining example of why this collaboration is so great.

On a side note I actually laughed at a TV commercial, which is markedly rare. It was this.

Austin

This is a particularly good example of what I love about this collaboration. When I saw that Andy had added a photo on Valentine's Day called "Enchante" I was expecting some sort of romantic image in the spirit of his "Birth of a Union" photo (Day 29). Yet this photo did not immediately conjure those types of emotions in me. This was dreamy, almost surreal. At once both warm and rich, yet multi-layered and even perhaps a little lonely.

ANCESTRAL MEMORIES

2011-02-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Ancestral Memories.MP3

044/365

Austin

On January 29th ("Birth of a Union"), I mentioned John Cage's idea of trying to remove a composer's ego from the act of composition. Despite my own knee-jerk reactions to that idea, I have often felt a desire to explore it and see what fruit it might bear. So in this case, what you hear is as close as I've ever come to fully removing myself from the composition process. I sat down with cellist extraordinaire Tina Guo, discussed a vague concept of memory, played a few random chords for her on my piano, then switched on the mic and told her to play. The sheet music I presented was completely blank except it said "memory" and suggested a key of b-minor (which I felt lent itself towards the sort of nostalgic quality I had in mind). Here are the results of Tina's improvisation, unfettered by my pesky "composer's ego."

Andy

Following the same idea, I removed myself entirely from this photo. This photo credit goes to our friend Patrick Henthorn. I gave him the one word "memory" and asked for a photo. This is Caesar, a loyal family cat for years. This is in honor and memory of him.

MEMORY, Part 3

2011-02-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Memory, Part 3.MP3

043/365

Austin

The next entry to the 6-part song cycle. I rather love composing music like this ... something about its refusal to commit to a blanket emotional state really resonates with me. It's almost like an anti-pop song (whose success is generally dependent on their ability to instantly communicate a very specific, usually very "primary color" emotion). This sort of floats in-between. (for the record I enjoy a good pop song like I enjoy a good cheeseburger ....)

Andy

Mmmm crown... good day to you all.

WHO YOU GONNA CALL?

2011-02-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Who You Gonna Call.MP3

042/365

Andy

Not too much to say here. Ask anyone in my family if Ghostbusters was an important part of my youth and you'll get a resounding yes. I think you'll get a similar answer from Austin's. Great fun piano piece today.

Austin

Without a doubt Ghostbusters is of central importance to both Andy's and my childhood. How to capture that ghost fighting team which was so crucial to the awakening of my imagination as a little kid? Well, the obvious thing was to tip my hat a bit to Elmer Bernstein's tremendous score to the film and its jaunty jazz piano main theme. Unrelated to this, I happened to watch Michael Ritchie's 1972 film THE CANDIDATE before sitting down to improvise this piano piece. My cynicism about politics tends to be 100% consistent, and this film only confirmed that. Watching the talking points and one-liners from 1972 politics was like watching CNN today. Somehow this influenced the piece, for better or worse. The childhood innocence of Ghostbusters, and the amazing fantasy that represented, looked back at through a slightly more cynical eye. There's something "off" and almost vilely circus-like about the improvised solo I performed (other than being fairly poorly performed) and I suppose I have politics, new and old, to thank.

Memory, Part 2

2011-02-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Memory, Part 2.MP3

041/365

Austin

Part 2 of the 6-part mini-song cycle. Lyrics by Céleigh Chapman, mandolin performed by Jake Monaco. Nothing to say I didn't cover before....

Andy

Took me forever to come up with something for today. I've been pacing around the apartment scrounging through a few different ideas. This one kind of fell into my lap on accident. I'll take it.

Setup: LP120 @ 28mm, 1/16, into an umbrella camera/me right. Canon 40D 28-135mm 3.5-5.6 IS @ 135mm, 1/250s, f/8.0, ISO 400.

THE HUNTSMAN'S PATH, Part 2

2011-02-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: The Huntsman's Path, Part 2.MP3

040/365

Austin

Continuing with the idea from yesterday, (though with a bit of irony today) here is a Bach-style canon for the same percussion quartet as before. This is even more strictly executed than yesterday's, and is probably the best canon I've ever written (though I suppose it's a bit of a cop-out since it lacks definite pitch).

Andy

Continuing with the concept of the hunter, today we move into the modern world. I just talked with my friend Lauren this morning about how tough the job hunt can be, how intimidating it is and how altogether isolating unemployment can be. That conversation steered the direction I took with this photo. I was quite literally very cold while taking this photo, which I felt was a good analog to how the job search can be. I have also been in the middle of interview season for med school. I feel it is important to keep the mindset of the hunter, sharp and focused, dedicated to making the kill. I'm checking my imaginary watch and listening to some pump-up music in preparation for an interview in this shot.

THE HUNTSMAN'S PATH, Part 1

2011-02-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

Listen: The Huntsman's Path, Part 1.MP3

039/365

Andy

The idea behind this short series is that of the innate memory for survival in each of us. We all hunt, for sport, food, to find a mate, et cetera. Used a warm gel on a flash to simulate early morning rays of sun. The hunter must start early.

Austin

Today's post began with Andy's rather beautiful and evocative photo, and for a good week or more I grappled with how to set it to music. Writing yesterday's fugue seemed to reinvigorate a long-held passion for Bach-style counterpoint, so despite the radically different subject matter of today (and tomorrow's) post, I decided to continue with some Bachian fun. A fugue, rather strictly executed, for percussion quartet is what resulted.

FUGUE

2011-02-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Fugue.MP3

038/365

Austin

I've been obsessing over Brahms lately and, by proxy, Bach. My whole life I've been fascinated by the intersection of "raw" musical ideas and the refinement of counterpoint and craftsmanship and technique. Bach is perhaps still the all-time great master of combining those while sacrificing nothing from either. Today's post features a fugue based on a subject I wrote while studying counterpoint with the great Morten Lauridsen. I never did anything with that melody, so this seemed like a perfect piece as a segway from the recent "Old Friends" series. The counterpoint is flawed, though hopefully minimally [and in a few places, deliberately], and admittedly this isn't playable by one person on a real piano. But still. Turned out nicely I think, all things considered.

Andy

Charlie just woke up like this. He couldn't remember anything. Sure he'd been having trouble with his memory recently, but that was the stress. This... this was different. Everyone. The whole village. Gone. How could this have happened? What had he done and why couldn't he remember the last two days?

Memory, Part 1

2011-02-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Memory, Part 1.MP3

037/365

Austin

This is the first of six mini-songs written on the subject of memory itself. The lyrics were written and performed by Céleigh Chapman, a fantastic singer and songwriter with whom I've worked multiple times. Her lyrics were simple and direct, but also subtly, darkly funny .... expressing her own frustration with memory and its unwillingness to cooperate. There was a nuance to the emotion they communicated. In an effort to capture that I scored the vocals' accompaniment for a plaintive solo mandolin (played here by the talented musician / composer / songwriter Jake Monaco). The music across all 6 parts tends to be emotionally ambiguous and rhythmically unsettling ...

Andy

Memories, memories... Love the music for this series. Still formulating where I'll take it visually. Here's the start. Far away eyes.

5 OLD FRIENDS - Part 5

2011-02-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: 5 Old Friends - Part 5.MP3

036/365

Austin

To round off this little tour of older works I end with my piece "Dance Under the Winter Skies" which I wrote as a senior in High School (and like parts 1 and 2, can also be heard on the album "Spirit of the Cosmos"). Originally the piece was written to showcase a violist friend of mine, with the intent that midway through piece in-concert, I'd walk out on stage sporting my accordion and we'd finish the piece as a duet (I hadn't considered at the time who stupid one looks while playing accordion). Only problem was I didn't own, nor know how to play, an accordion. So I bought one, and have played it pretty consistently ever since. This particular track takes my original tune as a sort of two-voice quasi-canon for two accordions, including a brief reminder of the original recording in the center. I suppose my plan was to end the series almost as if waking from a dream, leaving these old friends nostalgically, though firmly, in the past.

Andy

I've never really played around much with light painting. Writing backwards is difficult, especially when you're doing it in midair. Used a small LED flashlight, gelled with different colors for the word 'DreAm'. Danced around in the dark (thankfully) to make the ribbon. Anyway this one was purely in response to the airy romance that comes from my interpretation of today's music. I have a new appreciation for talented light painters, and although I'd hardly call it a future focus, it's really pretty fun.

5 OLD FRIENDS - Part 4

2011-02-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: 5 Old Friends - Part 4.MP3

035/365

Austin

This piece, like yesterday's, dates from my time as a student at NYU and has never been heard by anyone. In fact I myself had basically totally forgotten about it, only stumbling onto it by accident while looking for a different piece to arrange for this post. But something about this piece makes me smile; on the one hand, I really had quite lacking composition technique, but there is a sort of fun to this piece. The original version was scored for Piano Trio, so this is a reworking of the entire piece for two pianos instead.

Andy Most of the ideas I had for this one died when I ran out of daylight. Then I figured I'd just take a nice night time exposure and let some of the house lights bleed in. No lights were on. It was freezing and I didn't have much of a jacket. So this is what I got. One out of focus night shot of a house with its lights out. But this is no ordinary house. This is a house I spent quite a bit of time in growing up. My esteemed collaborator's childhood home. So needless to say it was a little strange to see it with no lights. I was going to scrap the idea, but when I told Austin how creepy it was, he insisted we use it.

5 OLD FRIENDS - Part 3

2011-02-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: 5 Old Friends - Part 3.MP3

034/365

Austin

This piece dates back to my undergrad days at NYU, and has basically never been heard by anyone (thus making it a very private old friend). The original form was an orchestral work called "Passion," which sort of told the story of a lover who's obsession destroys him. It began with this very lovely little tune here, before progressing into an orchestral maelstrom. In no way is the orchestral work re-created though ... Instead I decided to create these clouds of electronics, hovering behind the solo oboe (here performed spectacularly by Alison Lowell on her special extended-range oboe). The result is quite different than the original piece. To me it almost feels like listening to the work of two different composers simultaneously, considering how I've evolved in the time since first writing it.

Andy

Some stock photo styling. Mmm mmm.

Two things behind this one. We got a 486 when I was maybe 8. Like the rest of my generation, I've been more or less dependent on the computer since then. The keyboard is, as such, a dear old friend of mine. The gel color on the flash is cerulean blue. I spent innumerable Friday nights as a child at Austin's house. We also watched The X-Files routinely. I remember that color from one episode. The specifics of the episode are lost on me, just that the color was central to the plot. So in the spirit of memory, I went with it.

5 OLD FRIENDS - Part 2

2011-02-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: 5 Old Friends - Part 2

033/365

Austin

Part 2 of this series revisits a fairly popular old piece of mine titled "On the Seas", originally written High School but sort of re-worked multiple times subsequently. The more or less original version can be found on my album "Spirit of the Cosmos." The piece was my attempt at capturing the sort of Errol Flynn swashbuckling adventure movie sound. For this (hopefully final) return to the piece, I thought it'd be fun to write a jaunty little bassoon solo for my friend Maciej Flis with an all-percussion accompaniment.

Andy

I have an extreme love for paisley. I also like ties. Strangely, I can barely stand wearing ties. Anyway paisley is an old friend of mine. I do not care if it goes in or out of style. It's simple, but I love it.

5 OLD FRIENDS - Part 1

2011-02-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: 5 Old Friends - Part 1.MP3

032/365

Austin

As February has begun, with so much emphasis last month on birth and creation, it seemed refreshing to look backwards a bit. Here i've revisited a work I wrote at age 17 called "Furious Filaments" (performed here by Utah Symphony from my first album, 'Spirit of the Cosmos'). It's a remix, of sorts, putting a sort of electronica slant on this otherwise very neo-Baroque piece (in fact, I taught myself the basic fundamentals of Bach-style counterpoint for the purposes of writing this piece ... something I look back on with amusement considering how flawed it is in that light).

Andy

Meet Patrick. He's one of our oldest friends. He also happened to be in Denver at a time when I could take a quick photo of him. It was miserably cold and windy. Optimal conditions, of course.

A NEW BEGINNING

2011-01-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: A New Beginning.MP3

031/365

Andy

Another iPhone photo. Really no thought given to the composition, but this one's all about the feeling for me. Whenever I look out the window of an airplane in flight I can hear Going to California by Led Zeppelin playing in my head.

Austin

This was one of the very first photos Andy took, and I sat on it for seemingly ages before deciding on a direction to go with musically. One morning, weeks after he'd sent it, I happened to be reading over the score to Brahms' "German Requiem," and this photo flashed in my mind as the opening line came in: "Selig sind, die da Leid tragen / denn sie sollen getröstet werden." This translates to "Blessed are they that mourn / for they shall be comforted." This seemed to perfectly fit into the "New Beginning" concept Andy was pursuing with the photo. What you hear is the melody the sopranos sing in the opening bars of Brahms' "Requiem," set to my own quasi-folk arrangement (with just a little bit of production on the vocals). The guitar is played by Tom Strahle and the soprano is Ayana Haviv.

LIVESTRONG TO INFINITY

2011-01-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Livestrong to Infinity.MP3

030/365

Andy

...Advice for the newly born.

Austin

This penultimate entry for January began with Andy's photo. What I must say I reacted to most powerfully in his photo is the glossy, glassy quality of the reflection, more than the band itself. For whatever reason, that was tremendously emotionally evocative, so I sought to compose something which eloquently and simply summed it up (including the obvious association of the wrist bands to cancer research, survival and all the associated tragedies and triumphs). Apparently that resulted in this little miniature for solo piano. I spent as much of the time composing as I did configuring the reverb, and how the piano sounds in it (as an obvious analogy to the reflection in the photo).

BIRTH OF A UNION

2011-01-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Birth of a Union.MP3

029/365

Andy

Two great friends recently got engaged. This was a shot from the engagement photos that I borrowed for the project. It was a blast taking their photos and, rather conveniently, it fit the theme. Call it sappy, but marriage (or engagement) makes me happy.

Austin

Andy brought me this photo taken of his recently-engaged friends and by chance I was at that moment contemplating the composer John Cage. Cage had explored this notion of trying to remove the composer's ego from the composition, and he'd used various tools like the Chinese I-Ching to do it. Obviously he also once rather famously used silence itself in his work 4'33". The idea, it seems, is that a composition isn't really a subjective entity resulting from a series of decisions by its creator, but rather that it exists in some pure, spiritual, almost ethereal sense and that it's the composer's job to reach into that ether and capture it. The more the composer's ego interferes, the less pure the result will be, and hence the implementation of 'universe-controlled' random chance. It's all very intriguing, and an area which I've more or less never explored in my years of composing, and so, staring at those interlocked hands with the nice engagement ring, now seems like the time! I brought my wife into the studio, played around with a few pitches and musical ideas, then showed her Andy's photo. She was then told to sing how it made her feel (The sort of 'amateur musician' quality from this sort of unrehearsed and unprepared setting is another parallel fascination of mine, principally inspired by Bartòk). What results is exactly what you hear, and I didn't change it a bit (including the hilarious and adorable hiccup-like sound at the end) ...

UMBILICAL CORD

2011-01-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Umbilical Cord.MP3

028/365

Andy

I can't decide if this is a cop out or a statement on my part. Anyway, these are electrical conduits and cables that provide precious internet to me at work. Quick iPhone photo.

Austin

The quiet morse code which ended yesterday's piece leads us today into symphonic instruments that have been transformed into a sort of electrical haze. They build around the sound of the morse code, growing, then suddenly cutting out and leaving behind only a wisp of electrical life. The fragility of our technology ...

THE NEXT CHAPTER

2011-01-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: The Next Chapter.MP3

027/365

Andy

This symbolic (in that this is not the actual car the trip to California was made in) photo is a tribute to our friend who just moved out to LA. From the Eisenhower Tunnel in Colorado to the Arizona border it was snowing. It was a trek.

Austin

A dear friend of mine recently moved to LA, so we staged this photo as a representative of his cross-country trip. In keeping with the (apparently) recurring theme of sculpting raw sounds to form a musical final product, I decided to create a quasi-realistic portrait of the journey. There was something more appealing about highlighting the humble sounds of a cross-country, life-changing drive, instead of some big rousing MAGNIFICENT SEVEN-type call to adventure.

BIRTH OF AN APOLOGY

2011-01-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Birth of an Apology.MP3

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Andy

I had a bit of an imagined narrative that went with this photo that Austin has explained well. Yeah, it's just a payphone, and not all that captivating. No fun angles or narrow depth of field. Yet, for some reason the payphone holds a strange romantic quality for me. Just this strange relic of how communication has changed in my life.

Austin

I was very intrigued by Andy's picture. This was a classic example of a photo's title completely altering the implied or even obvious meaning. He saw the payphone as a place where the call can be made to mend some derailed relationship (and thus, by implication, that same phone was maybe the location for the derailment originally). That inherent sort of tension became my jumping-off point for this piece. It was also irresistible to restrict myself to phone-related sounds. Dial tones shifting up and down (almost sounding like an engine revving) form the backbone, while the various other familiar sounds chatter along as commentary ...

I ALWAYS BRING PROTECTION

2011-01-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: I Always Bring Protection.MP3

025/365

Andy

If January is a gauge of my maturity level...

Still I had to do it. Pretty simple setup again, just a single strobe, I think at 1/32 in a 43" shoot-through umbrella, camera left.

Austin

Andy brought me this photo, and I struggled a bit more than usual with where I wanted to go musically. I knew I didn't want some big Hollywood action hero-style music, so I decided to try and capture the brief journey my eye took over the photo. In this case, the generally dark color, and obviously the gun caught my attention first, so I responded with this aggressive Timpani material. But then my eye wanders over to Andy and particularly to his face, and there's a compassion there, even while the photo tries to suggest otherwise. I've known Andy for almost 20 years, and I know that beneath a photo like this lies a huge-hearted softy of a guy, and hence the ultra-romantic violin solo interrupting the percussion (performed here beautifully by composer and violinist Nathan Lanier).

FIVE STUDIES FOR ENGLISH HORN or BIRTH OF HEALTHCARE - Study 5

2011-01-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Five Studies for English Horn - Study 5.MP3

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Austin

This is the final study in the piece, and certainly the most contemplative. It ends the series on a quiet, somewhat unresolved note. Maybe that's a fairly direct healthcare statement too, though I can honestly say it wasn't intended to be. By the end of composing these 5 studies, they had turned into a work of their own and no longer leaned on any political notions (as a general rule I don't typically write politically-charged music). I wrote so much music early in my life and career that almost compulsively ended with a bang that lately I've been almost obsessively writing pieces which do the opposite, and just drift away ....

Andy

All this anxiety aside, I would like to view the current health care reform possibilities as an open door. Sure that can be a little scary, but there is also opportunity. Plus I feel like 'doctor' is a decently stable career path, but it will still be interesting to watch the short and long term effects of any reform.

WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS

2011-01-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Where The Magic Happens.MP3

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Andy

The subject of birth offered far too many obvious jokes to not take advantage of. Also, this is about as made as my bed gets.
I love where Austin went with this. He took a lame gag and gave it wings. Reminds me of living in LoDo and the train that would occasionally lay on its whistle for a solid minute in the middle of the night. When I moved I really missed having that train go by.

Austin

I confess that this piece was dreamt up in conjunction with the pair on Day 13 ("Where Babies Come From"), and hence it owes existence to that glorious thing we call dramatic irony. In this particular case, Andy sent me a beautifully composed photo of rumpled bed sheets and clothes. As I thought about it, a narrative fiction came to mind of a young man living in an urban center somewhere, who thinks of his bed as where the magic happens, but in reality what that means is what you hear in the piece: the thumping bass of a club next door, the persistently irritating sounds of traffic below, and the occasional sigh of the man tossing and turning in an effort to finally fall asleep.

FIVE STUDIES FOR ENGLISH HORN or BIRTH OF HEALTHCARE - Study 4

2011-01-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Five Studies for English Horn - Study 4

022/365

Austin

The sort of agitato excitement of an earlier movement has returned for this one, though notably different in character. Normally when I work out multi-movement pieces I agonize over the inter-movement structure and architecture. However, for some reason in this case I decided to deliberately not do that, and let the ideas evolve in a more 'stream of consciousness' style. Therefore here we are 4/5ths of the way through with a quasi-recapitulation of the opening.

Andy

Just another brick in the wall. Not a subtle look at anxiety here. I went again for a narrow, constricted feeling. I lit only myself attempting a spotlight look. As a potential future doctor, there's quite a bit to consider on health care reform.

FIVE STUDIES FOR ENGLISH HORN or BIRTH OF HEALTHCARE - Study 3

2011-01-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Five Studies for English Horn - Study 3

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Austin

This third section continues the forward trajectory from the first two, having become slightly less tense and perhaps more thoughtful and introspective. Dare I say that? I hate overly describing my music. It either dictates how people feel about it, or it turns them against it for its failure to do so. Best to let it speak for itself, in general (there is the occasional exception). Let people form their own opinions about what's "being said," etc. Uh oh, I'm sensing a tangent ....

Andy

Again continuing on with the anxiety motif. I stumbled upon this chair behind a tall fence. It was quite out of place. It made me uneasy. Seemed to fit.

FIVE STUDIES FOR ENGLISH HORN or BIRTH OF HEALTHCARE - Study 2

2011-01-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Five Studies For English Horn - Study 2.MP3

020/365

Austin

This continues from the last study 2 days ago. It's simple, to the point, no time wasted. As I stated before these works aren't overtly programmatic and 'about' the healthcare debate, so much as informed emotionally by my own time spent watching the news for hours on end. They all have a unique quality, this one seeming to twist around like a venomous snake hanging off a tree branch. Ok maybe it is somewhat literal ...

Andy

Focusing again on anxiety, I tried to create the feeling of twisting down a long corridor, lost and confused as in a dream. A shallow depth of field and some overkill post vignette help create the lack of clarity.

HELP

2011-01-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Help.MP3

019/365

Andy

An iPhone photo while out to get a breakfast burrito in "Sweetridge" aka Wheatridge, Colorado. Modified, like most of my iPhone photos, with Best Camera. This sign caught my eye, it invoked nostalgia for a simpler time I never knew and may not have even existed. Most importantly: proof of economic recovery! Having served my time in the restaurant industry, I am particularly fond of today's track. Genius juxtaposition of the audio clutter of a restaurant with the music.I feel like I'm on the expo line and the printer won't stop printing tickets. I love it.

Austin

This was a bit of fun, blending an emotional interpretation with a literal interpretation. A day in the life. Real-world restaurant sounds blend with their emotional counterparts. Actually I composed 10 different small pieces, which were all stacked on top of each other. The resulting texture is a bit of an emotional maelstrom, which hopefully speaks pretty concisely for itself ...

FIVE STUDIES FOR ENGLISH HORN or BIRTH OF HEALTHCARE - Study 1

2011-01-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Five Studies for English Horn - Study 1

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Austin

The correlation between these 5 works and the current healthcare debates (at least current, as of when I wrote this, and presumably for all eternity thereafter) is really only that I wrote these while the cable news pundits endlessly yammered in the background of my studio (though I admit I eventually muted them so I could actually focus). But I think the result is that there's a certain tension and anxiety in each movement, even the more plaintive ones. This movement, somewhat animated in nature, is rather simple and I think will generally speak for itself. The English Horn was performed by Tom Boyd.

Andy

I started off with the obvious here. Again in response to what Austin had written, and the way each has a very anxious feel to it. Although my photos tend to be pretty apolitical, there is an undeniable tension right now surrounding health care reform. For the rest of the series I focused on trying to convey a feeling of anxiety.

BIRTH OF WRATH

2011-01-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Birth of Wrath.MP3

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Austin

I found myself spontaneously wanting to write an acapella choral work, and probably because of 100 years of cinematic programming, I can't help but feel that this sort of music evokes a rather biblical epicness (aided by the fact that choral music essentially began in service to the church hundreds of years ago, where much it remains today). I chose "wrath" as a vague reference to the "Dies Irae" (which is quoted rather transparently towards the end of this piece) of the Requiem Mass, meaning "Day of Wrath." Something so 'end of days'-ish seemed like a great counterpoint to all the incessant 'birthing' we've been doing ...

Andy
It took me forever to try to shoot something that could do visual justice to this choral piece in one still shot. I contemplated interjecting humor, shooting something very dark and foreboding, attempting some epic scene... but nothing quite clicked in my mind. I decided to focus on the idea of retribution. Here we have our subject. Dead. Poisoned for perpetrating some untold sin.

BIRTH OF ORIGINALITY - Part 7

2011-01-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Birth of Originality - Part 7.MP3

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Austin

Ok this time I basically completed that which was done only halfway the last two days: every element you hear is now totally new. As per the parameters of this exercise, I restricted myself to the musical palette of the original loop, and I also stuck to its general structure. However each rhythm, exact sample choices, and all melodic ideas and their subsequent manipulation. So finally I can ask with a bit more meat whether I wrote this piece? Certainly you could argue it both ways, and I have a definite opinion ...

Andy

It's alive! And so concludes the series. Plenty to contemplate about what makes something your own. Time to take it in and move on.

BIRTH OF ORIGINALITY - Part 6

2011-01-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Birth of Originality - Part 6

015/365

Austin

This iteration is exact opposite of Part 5; I retained all the original drum loop's rhythms and sample choices, and wrote my own melodic ideas. As with the last one, I didn't change the palette or step outside the world of this piece. Just worked within it. Did I write something new? I'm trying not to answer it though, I think strangely it's less debatable today than it was yesterday. That's strange, especially since rhythm is usually the last place to find originality, but I think this case I feel that way because the piece is essentially entirely about rhythm ....

Andy

Again the clay begins to take a more defined form, much like the hand that carries it.True originality can be hard to come by. Particularly when the hand you're cradled by is all you know. With media being what it is today, I am surrounded by influences. This is both inspiring and suffocating. I love how easy the internet has made idea sharing and self-publishing, but sometimes it leaves me with the feeling that it's all been done. A constructive exercise can be born from this though. If it has been done then it warrants a good study. Ask of it any question you can think to. Can it be done anew? How can you make it interesting? How can you add your mark to it?

BIRTH OF ORIGINALITY - Part 5

2011-01-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Birth of Originality - Part 5

014/365

Austin

Returning now to the 5th installment of my pursuit for defining the precise moment of originality ... this time I decided to keep all the melodic elements (ie the stuttery, staticy stuff) 100% intact from the stock loop, and write my own rhythms to accompany them. I followed the basic structure of the original, but all the rhythms and exact choices of which drums/percussion samples to use were my decision. Have I finally crested into originality?

Andy

The once lump-o-clay is really coming into its own, which is surprisingly similar to the hand holding it. Although I again stress that photographically this series isn't all that appealing, it really got me thinking about originality and mimicry. There are quite a few photographers whose style I both love and envy. What better way to improve my own skill set than to study and practice their styles? No one wants to be a copycat, but at the same time there's little sense in reinventing the wheel. There is lots of experience to build on and gradually incorporate into my own unique style.

THIS IS WHERE BABIES COME FROM

2011-01-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: This is Where Babies Come From.MP3

013/365

Andy
Tequila makes her clothes come off... and I'm a man who enjoys a good tequila. Again the joke speaks for itself, so I'll talk about the shot setup. Really basic, a strobe set high camera left through either a white umbrella or beauty dish, I forget. The bokeh (blurred background) are my LED Christmas lights.

Austin

Another brief break from the 'Originality' series, this time once again first inspired by a photo of Andy's. He took this rather gorgeous shot of alcohol but obviously completely spun its meaning with the title. Not to be out-irony'd, I decided that that bottle needed to have something very against-the-grain to musically accompany. So I wrote this very lyrical, rather sentimental passage for strings and a solo soprano (performed here by my wonderful wife). But on reflection somehow the straight-forwardly ironic approach seemed a little too on the nose, so I went and started re-working it to include this sort of "off-stage" alto sax to give it that proper dose seedy back alley-ness...

BIRTH OF ORIGINALITY - Part 4

2011-01-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Birth of Originality - Part 4.MP3

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Austin

For this iteration I restricted myself to "shuffling" only, meaning that all original sounds/instruments were maintained, and all original rhythms maintained, but I re-arranged when exactly things were happening. This was basically done two ways: 1. by taking whole chunks out and inserting them elsewhere, and 2. moving around constituent parts within the overall flow. You can really hear this towards the end, when the 16th-note offset of some of the drums creates a very unpredictable, sort of disjointed sense of rhythm (I must say, I rather like it this way!). Again I ask ....

Andy

Here the ball’s appendages are becoming quite noodly. I should have scrapped my idea and just sculpted the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

NOT EVERYONE GETS TO BE AN ASTRONAUT

2011-01-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Not Everyone Gets to be an Astronaut.MP3

011/365

Andy

And yet there is nobility in any profession. Albeit tongue-in-cheek, this was not meant as a jab at truck drivers but rather an acknowledgment that our childhood dreams sometimes, sadly, go unfulfilled. When I was maybe three years old I wanted to be an elephant when I grew up. As of today, that dream remains unfulfilled. I'm still holding out though. I took this photo on a walk around town just to see what I could see. Sort of an empty slate day creatively speaking, but I like doing that from time to time, every once in a while inspiration finds you. Austin This is one of my very favorite photos of Andy's thus far, and one he took very early on. I spent several weeks debating how best to try and capture it with music. It seemed it needed something special. What I've ended up with is something actually quite simple ... a longing French Horn solo over a humming choir. This piece of music is a particular example which makes me desperately wish it was feasible to record live orchestra each time I need it. How I would kill to hear one of my LA horn players on that melody ... but alas I have to live with samples for now. In any case, the sense of nobility, and quite humility, which leaps out of this photo for me is obviously the final direction I went in. No irony, no hidden winking or any of the sort. Just warmth.

BIRTH OF ORIGINALITY - Part 3

2011-01-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Birth of Originality - Part 3.MP3

010/365

Austin

This time I modified the stock loop by what I refer to as "element shifting," meaning I modified the constituent elements without changing any of the stock programmed rhythms (I also did a tiny amount of deletion, though for all intents and purposes this is exactly the same as the stock loop). The result is that different instruments are playing the rhythms of the stock loop. It's comparable to re-orchestrating a string quartet into an choral work. The fundamental music has remained, but the sound of it is different (though in this case I'd say it's like going from a wind ensemble, to a differently balanced wind ensemble, since it's not a radical shift in colors). Did I write this? I think it's somewhat debatable yesterday, but today I feel pretty strongly ....

Andy

Progress-ish.

BIRTH OF ORIGINALITY - Part 2

2011-01-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Birth of Originality - Part 2.MP3

009/365

Austin

My first method of manipulation from the stock loop (heard in Part 1, yesterday), was using exclusively deletion. That is, I modified the piece by deleting things and never by inserting or otherwise changing things. I deleted whole phrases or bars, or in some cases just some instruments or sub-elements. So again I ask, did I write this?

Andy

In going with the idea of creativity and originality my weak metaphor comes in this ball struggling to take shape.

BIRTH OF ORIGINALITY - Part 1

2011-01-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Birth of Originality - Part I.MP3

008/365

Austin

Ok this piece, and it's subsequent 6 Parts began with me mulling over the notion of originality and creativity itself. My actual work begins tomorrow, on Part 2. This track I didn't write ... it's a 100% stock drum loop. The idea was to begin manipulating one element of it at a time, to try and determine at one point I felt I could safely say "I wrote this!" Clearly today, I can not.

Andy

This series was a response to Austin’s 7 part exploration of originality. My contribution is far from photographic genius, but I like the raw idea and view my part here as sort of a primer for something that would be far better suited for claymation.

PRIME MATING MATERIAL

2011-01-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Prime Mating Material.MP3

007/365

Andy

That I am. What more can I say that wouldn’t be blatant self promotion. Besides, you’re already looking at least 1000 words here.

Austin

I dare not waste any extra words on this one. If the last entry ("Start") was a sort of winking musical joke, this one is a sledgehammer. Andy sent me that picture of himself, with that exact title, and this piece came to mind rather instantly. On the nose? Certainly. Tasteless? Presumably.... fun though!

LET'S START SOMETHING

2011-01-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Let's Start Something.MP3

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Andy I was feeling a little pyromaniacal. A little bit of dual meaning here, if it isn’t blaringly obvious. It could be the flame of inspiration, or a darker, more sinister desire for destruction. Combine that with the music and take from it what you will.

Austin

This began with Andy's photo, which I rather liked. However, for the longest time no specific musical ideas came to mind. I was stuck .... 6 days in and already at a loss of ideas. His original title had been "Let's Start Something," and I think it was inspired by the beginning of our project in general. So the idea of 'starting' in a more general sense and less a flammable sense started to percolate and I wound up with what is, essentially, a little musical joke. Basically, it's an intro, with no actual piece. It's the start of a piece, sort of a jazz band-type thing you might expect to hear kick off "Sing Sing Sing." Yet nothing ever comes...... (I'm here all night ...)

BIRTH

2011-01-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Birth.MP3

005/365

Andy

Another iPhone shot. This one of my niece being lifted into the air. In using birth as a topic it really seems only fair to see the recently born and I can’t think of much better subjects than my nieces and nephews. Uncle is really one of the best titles a guy could ask for, but I digress.

Austin

Again we began with a photo of Andy's, and it seemed fun to revisit the compositional palette of a film I scored last year called GRACE. For that film I recorded a friend's newborn baby for about a month, gathering up a rather exhaustive library of cries, laughs, coos, coughs, and endless other alien-sounding baby noises. They became, after a fairly considerable amount of finessing and programming, the main 'instrument' of my score. So, staring into the eyes of yet another baby, I thought it would be fun to reopen those old sessions and create something new entirely from those recordings. It's a simple two-part piece, starting with pure baby recordings and moving toward a hazy, distorted cloud.

AFTERBIRTH

2011-01-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Afterbirth.MP3

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Austin

Andy shot this photo first, a clear sign of 'The Simpson's' long-term cultural impact. I've been a loyal fan of the show its entire 20-year run, and so this image was instantly very charming to me (Andy pointed out to me that there are kids in college now who've been alive less time than 'The Simpsons' have been on the air ....). I thought my own little homage to Elfman's timeless 'Simpsons' theme seemed best (scored for solo flute and performed wonderfully here by Amy Tatum). This is not a true variation on his theme, but more a quasi-improvisational fantasia on 3-notes. They just happen to be same first 3 notes of 'The Simpsons.'

Andy

I was walking down Wewatta St in Denver after a Nuggets game when I saw this clever Simpsons-inspired tag. I had to have a photo of it so the iPhone came out.

BIRTH OF A MOVEMENT

2011-01-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Birth of a Movement.MP3

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Andy

Aptly tagged on the old Gates Rubber building in Denver. I don’t think this will convince them to stop using oil, but I still love socially conscious tagging. I titled this with the idea of using art to impact social or political change. Not something I’m doing right now, but it’s what it made me think of.

Austin

Again, this began with Andy's photo. Something about the nature of its tilt and sort of "off" angle made me feel something visceral, almost violent should be written. So I did sort of a musical rendition of a protest rally. Large drums marshal a crowd of protesters and rioters. Over time, the drums fade, then stop, and the sounds of the crowd gradually fade and distort, drifting away. The crowd gets quieter and quieter until finally disappearing, but in such a way to suggest (hopefully) that at least the message won't die. It will live past the individual rallies.

BIRTH OF PRODUCTIVITY

2011-01-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Birth of Productivity.MP3

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Andy

It really is 2010 and I am ambitious. I want to be nothing short of productive, prolific even. Coffee should help. Here’s a Domo coffee cup. I’d be lying if I didn’t get a bit of Domo inspiration from Dustin Diaz, whose macro shots I really enjoy.

Austin

This began with Andy's wonderful monster coffee cup shot, and I think helps kick us off very well after yesterday's much more 'thoughtful' and/or 'cerebral' entry. Basically (as with the photo), I'm having a bit of fun. I suppose you could say this piece is a little musical snapshot of a caffeine trip (at least, someone else's ... sadly caffeine long-ago ceased to have that effect on me). This was rendered entirely in my studio using nothing but my own voice (for which I offer apologies).

BIRTH OF ALLOGAMY

2011-01-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Birth of Allogamy.MP3

001/365

Austin

Here begins what will probably be one of my single most prominent activities for all 2010; an extensive series of photos and music we're calling "Allogamy." There isn't really one particular goal or reason for this project. It is, essentially, a very large experiment. As a composer it is my daily task to try to uncover new ideas, new sounds, new means. The sheer volume of writing required for this project (365 total pieces, with an arbitrarily-predetermined average length of 60 seconds) will mean that I either learn A LOT and grow A LOT, or will otherwise crumble and be ruined as an artist. I can't help but feel a tiny bit like Major Kong riding the bomb out of the sky ....

Basically, each day for the entire 2010 calendar year we will post one photograph by Andrew Berglund, and one piece of music by me. In some cases, he went and took a photo and I studied it, and wrote a piece of music somehow inspired by it. In other cases, I went and wrote a piece of music, and he then reacted with a photo. Still others involve us mutually discussing an idea, and separately going off to capture in it and combining the results.

This first piece is sort of a mirror. It began with Andy's photo of his camera. Appropriate enough ... start with the origin of the next year's work! I decided to write a piece which was essentially about music itself. What resulted is basically a very short trip through the first 12 pitches of the overtone series, the foundation of sound itself.

Andy

Happy New Year and welcome to our 365 Project! I’ve followed/adored/envied several photographers’ 365s in 2009 and decided I wanted to take on my own. I explained the idea to Austin and he saw an opportunity to collaborate creatively, something we have not really done probably since middle school. We were both immediately extremely enthusiastic about the prospect and got to work.

I have a few goals for the year. Like just about anyone who embarks on this journey the big one is artistic growth. Photography is a passion of mine that I all too often leave on the backburner. This is an attempt to remedy that. This being a collaboration, I am also extremely glad to get the opportunity to share an artistic vision. Photography to this point has been very much so a solo sport for me. Getting the chance to make it a more social team exercise is going to be an incredible opportunity.

A brief explanation of the project. I’m taking photos, Austin is writing music. Sometimes in that order, sometimes the other way around, sometimes at the same time. Together they are magic. Because we’re working together this is an atypical photographic 365 in that I’ve started ahead of time (still taking on average a photo a day) but in order to have both together we had to stockpile just a tad. Don’t hate on the method. Also when I get my act together we should be transferring from blogger to Word Press for JavaScript compatibility reasons. Things will get prettier then. Stay tuned. Also look up allogamy, it's one of them sciency words. If you know the word, you'll understand why we chose it.

And finally, the photo. It’s a camera. "Soft focus", glamour shot goodness. Seemed appropriate.

The Phoenix

2010-12-16T00:01:00.001-07:00

Listen: The Phoenix.MP3

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Andy

Austin

The phoenix, presumably originally of Greek origins, was the fire bird that has come to symbolize rebirth. It is hope. It's actually a beautiful image when one stops to really think of it, forgetting for a moment the bombardment of pop-culture references to it. A soul transcending the ashes. Today's transcendence comes courtesy of bassoonist and composer Damion Montano.

2 Farewells - # 2

2010-12-10T00:01:00.002-07:00

Listen: 2 Farewells - #2.MP3

344/365

Austin

The second farewell is of the more poignant, almost biting variety. Here is a goodbye which actually hurts, but in that way soulful way. Not in some wretched way like a severe tragedy. It's the bittersweet which draws a bit too heavily from bitter. Again written as a multitrack solo cello etude, is also again performed beautifully by Andrew Schulman.

Andy

Infamy

2010-12-07T00:01:00.002-07:00

Listen: Infamy.MP3

341/365

Andy

Austin

FDR spoke truly immortal words about this day. Despite a few recent declarations to the contrary, no real equivalent has ever occurred. It would seem very easy to tastelessly address this through music. Hopefully I have not done so. This piece is a chaconne of sorts, pitting a growing wall of angst against the pleading violin of the wondrous and legendary Bruce Dukov.

2 Farewells - # 1

2010-12-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: 2 Farewells - #1.MP3

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Austin

Farewells come in many forms, and with widely varying emotional intensities. For this series I'm contemplating two of the most common (in my life, at least). The first is the farewell tinged, but far from overwhelmed with sadness. However, there is just enough sadness that we can't help but cling on as long as we can (for example, by refusing to finally end the conversation and actually say 'good bye,' something I've been guilty of myself on many occasions). This solo cello etude is performed by the magnificent Andrew Schulman.

Andy

Give Thanks

2010-11-25T00:01:00.002-07:00

Listen: Give Thanks.MP3

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Andy

One thing that will never be cliché is being thankful. It's good for the soul. So thank you everyone. Thank you family. Pictured here is one of my amazing nieces.

Austin

The aim here is very simple; giving thanks in its true spirit is a profound and primal act. True recognition of our fortune. Today I am thankful for so much... my family, friends, but perhaps most of all for having been put on his path of discovery and eternal curiosity.

Halo

2010-11-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

Listen: Halo.MP3

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Austin

Seemingly every religious doctrine, faith and mythology has halos or circles a prime symbol for the divine. Presumably a hand-me-down from prehistoric sun worshipping, nonetheless halos are a fascinating and timelessly simple image. In that spirit, today's musical halo is a recreation and elaboration of what happens when I draw halos at this nifty website (thank you to my dear friend Susan Hill for emailing me the link).

Andy

The Hero's Journey - Rebirth

2010-11-22T00:01:00.006-07:00

Listen: The Hero's Journey - Rebirth.MP3

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Austin

The final stage of the hero's journey. Return; rebirth. Death is transcended. For this last leg, viola wonderfully performed by Kaila Potts.

Andy

The Hero's Journey - Abyss

2010-11-21T00:01:00.001-07:00

Listen: The Hero's Journey - Abyss.MP3

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Austin

At the culmination of the trials and suffering, there comes an abyss. The hero faces death. Destruction. A revelation. Here again, viola performed by Kaila Potts.

Andy

The Hero's Journey - Threshold

2010-11-20T00:01:00.001-07:00

Listen: The Hero's Journey - Threshold.MP3

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Austin

Along his path, the hero reaches the threshold. It is here the transformation begins, paving the way for trials. Struggles. Once more, viola solo by Kaila Potts.

Andy

The Hero's Journey - The Call

2010-11-19T00:01:00.002-07:00

Listen: The Hero's Journey - The Call.MP3

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Austin

The hero's journey must begin with a call to adventure. A purpose, a summoning. That first step down the path. Viola solos performed by Kaila Potts.

Andy

Faith

2010-11-17T00:01:00.003-07:00

Listen: Faith.MP3

321/365

Austin

In the simplest, most distilled sense faith is a reliance in the unknown. It is a conviction in the unseen, the unprovable. It is, in its true form, unwavering; for many, mechanical.

Andy

Waiting on interviews is tough. Especially given my history here. And yet, I am confident, confident enough anyway.

Tango

2010-11-16T00:01:00.003-07:00

Listen: Tango.MP3

320/365

Andy

Just a little too tired to be inspired.

Austin

Arguably the best way to experience the divine is in other people. In their company, in their shared spirit. A tango, of all the dances, is the most electric expression of that. I have a long-running love (indeed obsession) for tangos. Here is a somewhat quirky tango, a revisiting of one I wrote for Michael Gunn's wonderful film "Workshop," earlier this year (executed in a way that would have made no sense for the film).

Mantra

2010-11-08T00:01:00.002-07:00

Listen: Mantra.MP3

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Andy

As a note, I'm not making fun of the mantra, just the absurdity of the sign.

Austin

Similarly, this music is simultaneously directly inspired by Andy's photo, as by the broad notion of a mantra. At once holy, deeply and personally spiritual, and yet also irreverent for ... well, bizarre.

Bokononism

2010-11-06T00:01:00.003-06:00

Listen: Bokononism.MP3

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Andy

Live by the foma that make you brave and kind and healthy and happy.

Austin

Accordingly, here is a calypso in honor of my chosen foma.

Sell your Soul

2010-11-05T00:01:00.002-06:00

Listen: Sell your Soul.MP3

309/365

Austin

As a composer in the abstract sense, music to me is like a form of divine communication. George Crumb once said that "music surpasses even language in its power to mirror the innermost recesses of the human soul." It is the art to which all the arts aspire.

However, I am also a working composer. With that comes the periodic scenario wherein I must write music I otherwise abhor. I do everything I can to imbed it with deeply felt artistry .... but sometimes it's nonetheless just plain awful.

Andy

Helios

2010-11-01T00:01:00.001-06:00

Listen: Helios.MP3

305/365

Andy

A ritualistic offering to the Sun King, every morning.

Austin

I wish I could offer an intellectualized explanation for this music; instead, only that it communicated to me precisely what a morning dedication to the Sun King must sound like. Barbaric, yet not particularly evil or twisted.

Risen From the Dead

2010-10-31T00:01:00.004-06:00

Listen: Risen from the Dead.MP3

304/365

Austin

Today, Dia De Los Muertos, the dead shall rise. So too shall Allogamy ... (with a nod to Camille Saint-Saens, and featuring the glorious cello warrior Tina Guo).

Andy
There isn't a whole lot of 2010 left. It's time to take these last 60 days by the horns.

Halloween (observed)

2010-10-30T00:01:00.002-06:00

Listen: Halloween (observed).MP3

303/365

Andy
One word: Vuvuzela.

Austin

The Finale (from the previous Zombie Apocalypse series) has spilled into this post. Tomorrow will bring us some vuvuzela action. The long-awaited (by me, at least) zombie scherzo rounds of the series but with a decidedly Halloween flair. Special thanks to Camille Saint-Saens, to whom we are indebted for this delightful danse.

Zombie Apocalypse - Run Like Hell

2010-10-29T00:01:00.002-06:00

Listen: Zombie Apocalypse - Run Like Hell.MP3

302/365

Andy
Cardio is definitely important. With zombies, it's life or death.

Austin

The Postlude for string orchestra (as a sort of passacaglia). Running will only last so long. Can the infection be overcome? Are we lost forever?

Zombie Apocalypse - Incognito

2010-10-28T00:01:00.001-06:00

Listen: Zombie Apocalypse - Incognito.MP3

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Andy
For the living, a good zombie disguise might come in handy. Maybe the infected are too dumb to know the difference?

Austin

The Intermezzo for string orchestra. Stealth and creepiness amid a bed of aleatoric pizzicati.

Zombie Apocalypse - He Seems Nice Enough

2010-10-27T00:01:00.002-06:00

Listen: Zombie Apocalypse - He Seems Nice Enough.MP3

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Andy
Luckily, Mormon zombies seem to be pleasant folk.

Austin

A misnamed Gigue for string orchestra gives us the zombified Americana appropriate to the Mormon zombie.

Zombie Apocalypse - The Resistance

2010-10-26T00:01:00.002-06:00

Listen: Zombie Apocalypse - The Resistance.MP3

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Andy
It's kill or be eaten, and not just for the already heavily armed. Resist the scourge.

Austin

The March for string orchestra. Stand and fight ...

Zombie Apocalypse - Medical Staff

2010-10-25T00:01:00.002-06:00

Listen: Zombie Apocalypse - Medical Staff.MP3

298/365

Andy
Let's be honest, one of the first places the initial crop of zombies will be brought is the hospital. Medical staff will constitute the second wave of infected.

Austin

6 movements for string orchestra guide us through the Zombie Apocalypse, beginning with this ominous Prelude.

Longitudinal Waves

2010-10-23T00:01:00.003-06:00

Listen: Longitudinal Waves.MP3

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Andy

Sweet, sweet sound waves.

Austin
The Vuvuzela.... not the most versatile of instruments, but compelling in its own way. A sort of pure sound wave.

The World According to Einstein - 4

2010-10-20T00:01:00.002-06:00

Listen: The World According to Einstein - 4.MP3

293/365

Austin

The final part in the tribute to Albert Einstein, featuring soprano Angie Solomon and violinist Yelena Yegoryan:

"He who joyfully marches to music in rank in file has already earned my contempt; he has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice."

And my personal favorite (and Einstein's most poignant) quote: "A perfection of means, and confusion of aims, seems to be our main problem."

Andy

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex… It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction. ”

The World According to Einstein - 3

2010-10-10T00:01:00.002-06:00

Listen: The World According to Einstein - 3.MP3

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Austin

Today two interleaved Einstein quotes, again performed by the wonderful violinist/soprano duet Yelena Yegoryan and Angie Solomon:

"He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead; his eyes are closed."

"Anyone who can drive safely and kiss a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves."

Andy

The World According to Einstein - 2

2010-10-08T00:01:00.002-06:00

Listen: The World According to Einstein - 2.MP3

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Austin

Returning to the mind of Albert Einstein, today with: "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... it takes a touch of genius, and a lot of courage, to move in the opposite direction." Once again featuring soprano Angie Solomon and violinist Yelena Yegoryan.

Andy

A World Out of Sight

2010-10-05T00:01:00.000-06:00

Listen: A World Out of Sight.MP3

278/365

Austin

Andy

Yog-hurt has been enjoyed since antiquity. All thanks to the science of fermentation wherein microorganisms, such as bacteria or yeast, break down sugars typically into lactic acid or alcohol. In the case of yogurt, bacteria converts lactose from milk into lactic acid, which acts on the high protein content of milk to make yogurt.

The World According to Einstein - 1

2010-10-04T00:01:00.001-06:00

Listen: The World According to Einstein - 1.MP3

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Austin

There are few people who have contributed to mankind on the level of Albert Einstein. Plain and simple. It is useless to try and enumerate his accomplishments, both here or through music. Instead I have chosen to set a few of my favorite Einstein quotes:

"Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler;"

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school;"

"A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be."

Violin performed by Yelena Yegoryan, and vocals performed by soprano Angie Solomon.

Andy
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”

Area 51

2010-10-03T10:53:00.000-06:00

Listen: Area 51.MP3

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Andy

We’re hiding aliens in Nevada and we filmed the moon landing in a Hollywood studio. Obviously.

Austin
I

Copernican Revolution

2010-10-02T00:01:00.003-06:00

Listen: Copernican Revolution.MP3

275/365

Austin
The etymology for "revolution" is bound up in the history of Copernicus, a figure who unites both meanings for the word (a political / social upheaval, and also the literal 'to revolve'). In my estimation, Copernicus' "De Revolutionibus orbium coelestium" is one of the most liberating documents ever loosed upon mankind; a sense of reality is far more warming to the soul than a false sense of centricity.

Andy
And what a nice star to revolve around.

H

2010-10-01T00:01:00.003-06:00

Listen: H.MP3

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Austin
H, Hydrogen. The simplest of all atoms and one of the most fundamental building blocks of the universe. One of the most amazing feats of a scientist is his ability to see and hear through all the noise, all the racket, and gain that little morsel of fact. That one small bit of truth, on which everything must be based.

Andy
We are all made of water and water is made so incredible in large part due to hydrogen. Hydrogen's small size allows for a special type of bond, the aptly named hydrogen bond. Due to the bond angle in water and the high electronegativity of oxygen, water is polar. These two facts allow an amazing intermolecular attraction to exist in water in which the hydrogens from one molecule loosely bind (as in something like 10% of a covalent bond) to the oxygen of other water molecules. Each individual hydrogen bond may be relatively weak, but when compounded they create a substantial bond energy barrier. This unique bonding in water also contributes to the crystal shape solid water takes. We know that solid water is less dense than liquid. Think for a minute what would happen if ice was instead more dense than liquid water. Ice would sink. Icebergs would sink to the bottom of the ocean. The ocean would freeze over. The global climate would cool considerably and we would have a permanent ice age. So thank you hydrogen, thank you.

Rooftop Ambushes

2010-09-29T00:01:00.002-06:00

Listen: Rooftop Ambushes.MP3

272/365

Austin

As children, Andy had a pretty faithful habit of walking to school together each morning. On more than one occasion I would be waiting for his arrival at my house from a rooftop vantage armed with some variation on a dart gun / squirt gun / paintball gun, etc.... (shenanigans today courtesy of Andrew Leonard on clarinet)

Andy

The Creator, part 1

2010-09-09T00:01:00.001-06:00

Listen: The Creator - part 1.MP3

252/365

Austin
Today is my birthday, so for it I salute my musical father: Derry O'Leary. Derry was my childhood piano teacher, and single-handedly responsible for my love of music which eventually led to my career. He wrote a piece called "Thunderwood," a fun Spanish fantasia, which was sort of my compositional 'gateway drug.' It was the first time I played a piece composed by someone I knew. It literally changed my life. Today's post is a series of variations on his wonderful tune, drawing partially from a recording of me playing it in concert in November, 2006 in Florida.

Andy
I present to you: Austin.

Never Forget a Face

2010-09-01T00:01:00.002-06:00

Listen: Never Forget a Face.MP3

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Andy
I'm terrible with names, but I never forget a face.

Austin
When I was 11 years old I recorded an album of piano music, which included the brilliantly titled "Piano Piece 1," my first real stab at composition. Inspired by Andy's self-portrait, here too is mine, using that original recording.

Austin: Air Guitar

2010-08-09T00:01:00.002-06:00

Listen: Austin: Air Guitar.MP3

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Andy
h

Austin

Perhaps it's the obvious approach, but it seemed the best way to musically capture the 'Air Guitar' is through an exploration of all the OTHER sounds a guitar makes. This piece is essentially a solo percussion work, using recordings made by hitting, scratching and otherwise abusing a guitar. Call the ending cliche, but the catharsis it renders seemed mandatory.

Austin: On a Bike, part 2

2010-08-07T00:01:00.005-06:00

Listen: Austin: On a Bike, part 2.MP3

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Andy
Up the hill.

Austin

Part 2 of the fictional bike ride, this time trudging up a steep hill ... near loss of control ... finally the view breaks before you (the question remains unanswered whether the romantic interest of part 1 has taken the lead, or is in pursuit, or perhaps didn't make it this far up the hill altogether)

Austin: On a Bike, part 1

2010-08-05T00:01:00.003-06:00

Listen: Austin: On a Bike, part 1.MP3

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Andy

On a bike ride.

Austin

As has happened numerous times throughout Allogamy, for this piece a sort of fictional narrative formed in my mind. For this particular one Andy had charged me with creating a bike ride. I suppose it could have been the musical equivalent, instead of a literal musical description. Nonetheless, a charming and romantic bike ride. Flirtatious, and periodically wobbly.

Andy: B&W

2010-08-04T00:01:00.002-06:00

Listen: Andy: B&W.MP3

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Andy
Just waiting for the end of the world.

Austin

Quiet contemplation of the apocalypse, per Andy's photo.

Austin: Digital

2010-08-03T00:01:00.002-06:00

Listen: Austin: Digital.MP3

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Andy

The digital counterpart to my analog, in all it's contrasted glory.

Austin

In direct contrast to "Analog," this piece is based entirely around the MIDI-based concept of digital sampling. This concept has become so commonplace that we modern composers have basically taken it utterly for granted. As with "Analog," the source material is 100% derived from me scratching a few notes out on an irish penny whistle. Unlike the previous piece, though, my exploitation of sampling allows for a creation beyond the scope of true analog electronic music (of course, in reality both are technically digital...)

Austin: Analog

2010-08-01T00:01:00.001-06:00

Listen: Austin: Analog.MP3

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Andy

Eaaaasing back into this after a bit of a hiatus. Here we go again. Analog.

Austin

In the very earliest days of electronic music, "digital" music did not exist. This music was created using very labor-intensive techniques involving tape loops and effects which were borderline mechanical in nature. Many amazing pioneers like Varese, Ussachevsky, Leuning and Stockhausen, among many others. While the glories of digital technology has allowed 21st century composers to do things vastly beyond the wildest imaginings of these humble origins, there is something to that aesthetic we can't quite reproduce. Today's piece is at least an effort to, using only analog procedures on a source recording of me (poorly) playing an Irish penny whistle.