Hi-de-ho

It's 2021.04.01 on the lunar calendar today.

Hi-de-ho, neighbor! I've been continuing Ballads by Baguette on Saturdays at 8pm and incrementally solving livestream audio issues along the way. My attitude toward technology can be summed up by the first line of the Serenity Prayer, "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change" but I finally got my computer fixed and my microphone taken in for repair and have started tracking for my next album from home.

It's a funny, strange world we live in. I messaged a friend, excited to see her in the lineup for a Carnaval livestream. It turned out she didn't know she was playing for the venue. To be performing in a concert and have no idea you are a part ... 🤣 It almost ranks up there with the time my dad introduced himself as Paul at a block party. My mom arrived later and when a neighbor asked her, "So what business is Paul in?" my mom replied ... "Who's Paul?"

A Cool Story 😎

My Arts for LA cohort colleagues and I met with an assemblymember's office to advocate for legislation to increase arts funding in California. The first words out of the seemingly gruff staffer's mouth were "What do you need?" which made me second-guess whether I should go on with a song I had prepared for one of our asks to break up the talking. I thought he'd think it was stupid.

I went ahead with the song anyway and was bewildered in the best way as we witnessed the staffer's body language and demeanor totally change in response to the music. He thanked us for changing it up and conveying the points in a memorable way. I was inspired to see music making an immediate and direct impact on the situation and to be reminded of the power of the arts, and of song, in particular. Watch below.

I've started working in Gather.town, which functions as a virtual co-working space. It was a rough start, getting stuck in the wall for a half hour, but it quickly grew on me. It reminds me of going to the Main Stacks to study with friends and is far more productive than Animal Crossing (which I don't log on to anymore because I feel kind of bad about abandoning my villagers and don't want to deal with the weeds that have grown in my absence).

Sometimes family trees cut cruel 🪚

For my friend Julian/No-No Boy's Carnegie Hall debut, I contributed a cover of a song off his new album "1975," which is named after the year Saigon fell. The livestream is over but you can still watch my excerpt and listen to the album. My favorite track is Honouliuli (and I added harmonies on another track).

Currently listening to Magnetic Vines 🎧 For instant ambience and home improvement, put on this album about the secret world of plants.