Tapping Workshop - Austria

I’m back home and settled in from the European Tapping Seminar. This took place in the majestic Alps of Innsbruck, Austria. Markus Reuter and I were the hosts/leaders of the week. Though huge kudos goes out to Markus’ very dedicated team of players who have been working with him over the years.

The week was quite amazing. For all of us. I saw some outstanding improvement in the players present. And, for myself, I gained some tremendous insights. Not to mention that my playing was lit on fire for a good chunk of the week.

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Original Voice

My presentation on "Original Voice" that I gave for the Seattle Office of Film and Music mixer.

Mali, West Africa (Part Two)

Bamako

It has been a fantastic day. After breakfast we had a superb two-hour djembe lesson with Madou at the Palais de Culture just around the corner from our hostel. Alonso had met this women eating breakfast at The Sleeping Camel, Tina from Slovakia, who had come to study with Madou. We figured this guy must be something as Tina has come to Mali four times just to work with him. We got his number and completely butted into her lesson. We played outside among the big trees next to the Niger River. A perfect setting.

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I have a bias

I have a newly noticed bias.

I realized, during a coaching session yesterday, that I was working with a personal bias.

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Mali, West Africa (part one)

We left for Paris uneventfully. Though it was our first day of taking malaria pills.

After having had no vaccinations for about 30 years I opted for the full dose of everything. Which meant 10. Many shots and oral solutions later, I was ready to combat the elements. I have no doubt growing up in Texas in the 1960s and 70s had hardened my system to pesticides and questionable food sources, but I didn’t feel like wrecking this big trip by spending it doubled-over in some kind of obscure agony. We are armed with three means of purifying water, several types of antibiotics, a full on first-aid kit and our daily does of malaria pills, pro-biotics, neem and pepto-bismal.

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David "Fuze" Fiuczynski & the Musical Toolbox

A friend of mine passed this over to me and I send it out to one or two people. But seeing part two now, I think everyone should check it out:

Part one:

Guitarkadia Session: David "Fuze" Fiuczynski

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Tapping Workshop in Europe

Trey Gunn and Markus Reuter
Music and The Tapping Technique
For all tapping instruments and all levels

Innsbruck, Austria
June 18 - 23, 2012

I'm very please to announce this tapping workshop I'll be doing with Markus Reuter in Europe this summer.

To get involved and reserve your space head over to HERE

This has been a long time coming for me. For years and years

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into West Africa

I'm heading into a journey of a lifetime next week. I'm going to Mali, in West Africa.

The big picture:

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Invisible Rays (of Antarctica)

The latest disc is now out. Invisible Rays with guitarist Henry Kaiser and drummer Morgan Ågren.

In addition to his guitar wang-fanglings, Henry is also a research diver in Antarctica. He took some of his incredible diving footage and merged it with one of our tracks:

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IB Expo 2011 - Halmstad, Sweden

October 30, 2011 -- Iceland

I was just in Sweden for a week with the IB Expo 2011. IB stands for Isidur’s Bane, the name of a music group based in Halmstad, Sweden. (Not International Bride, as some youtube clips would lure you into believing.) The IB Expo’s have been going for several years and I am now a complete convert. The basic idea is that IB brings in a group of very different musicians to work with them, and each other, for a full week of intensive rehearsing/arranging/writing followed by a concert on the Saturday night. My buddies Pat Mastelotto, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Jerry Marotta, Markus Reuter and Marco Minnemann have all participated in the past. So, now I am in the club.

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Mastery and Innocence (SF Aikido Project)

Beyond a certain point there is no return. This point has to be reached.”
- - Franz Kafka

 I am coming to this entry much later than I thought. However, Life has pulled me forward more diligently than my typing fingers could keep up. So I am now taking this moment to return to June 27^th, when my son and I left San Francisco after spending several days at the San Francisco Aikido Project.

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Texas with TU & Chrysta

April 25-30, 2011 Texas

Another wonderful trip with family, guns and music. What could be better?

First out to West-ish Texas to blow cans, buckets and pumpkins to smithereens with large amount of firepower. Yes, it is possible to vote progressive AND shoot things. Just as it is possible to vote conservative and support Planned Parenthood.  Both of these happen more often than you would suspect, even here in the Wild West of the Tejas Territories.

Artistes with Guns (myself and Phillip Schalekamp)

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The Gap of Frustration

I don't usually share insights from particular meetings with my coaching clients but, following on from the Ira Glass quote above, I did see something the other day worth sharing.

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Sweden: Coaching and Performance

I am just on my way home from ten days in Sweden. I was invited over by Thomas Olsson as part of the music education IB Expo. Also along for the journey were guitarist Henry Kaiser, drummer Morgan Ågren and the Swedish group Midaircondo.

We basically set up camp in Varberg in this fantastic hotel and traveled out to different cities each day. The hotel was probably the nicest place I have ever stayed. Not because it was a fancy place – it wasn’t. But it was just right. Small nice rooms, open buffet for breakfast 6-10am and for dinner 6-10pm. It had a wonderful open dining area around the entire main floor. There was a whiskey bar and smoking room. And the ‘special sauce’ on the place was a bathhouse on the first floor that was a remake of Lenin’s favorites bathhouse in St. Petersburg. More than a wee bit strange to have busts and photos of Lenin all over the place, but it was very, very nice being down there. See the photos:

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Travels in Russia with TU & KTU

Pat and I went completely around the planet on this tour. I don't think I have ever traveled so far and so fast. We were in Russia for 16 days and having been home for over a week now, my body's clock is still completely miswired. Fun, fun, fun!

Our first gig was in Vladivostok, which is basically right next to Japan and practically touching North Korea. Seven (that's right, SEVEN) time zones east of Moscow. So, being right next to Japan you would think I could just fly straight there from Seattle. But, no Mr. Wizard. Nyet, nyet. I left Seattle on Monday morning and flew overnight to Amsterdam. Then to Moscow, arriving on Tuesday. After about five hours in Moscow with my pal Pat, and our promoters <the Two Dmitry's>, we got on another plane and flew overnight to Validovostok. Arriving on Wednesday afternoon.

VLADIVOSTOK

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