All Together Now

Posted: March 14, 2012 | Author: lennygonzalez | Filed under: music | Tags: kestra, moe!, oakland, uptown | Leave a comment »

I’m so glad I went to see Moe!kestra last night at The Uptown in Oakland. Moe! Staiano is a percussionist/composer. Last night he conducted a performance of his Piece No 9, When Terrie Had Six (a composition dedicated to the Ex). There were about 30 musicians on (and off) the stage playing his graphical score while paying attention to his cues via a baton, index cards, and a small hand held stop sign. Moments of repeated pattern were countered by spontaneous solos and silences. Once in a while he would step down from his conducting post(a wobbly folding chair) and run into a section of the band cueing individual members to come forward in the sound mix. Listening to a recording of this is almost missing the point – there is no substitute for experiencing this kind of music live.

Moe!kestra - there wasn't enough room on stage for all of them. There were 7 electric guitarists.

Moe! Staiano (yes, the exclamation mark is part of his name).

Index cards used to cue the orchestra to play certain parts of the score.

Go out to the Richmond neighborhood of SF and hear some great sounds

Posted: March 2, 2012 | Author: lennygonzalez | Filed under: music, So To Speak | Tags: life, mattson, mattson2, music, park | Leave a comment »

Coming soon to So To Speak will be episodes featuring the The Mattson 2.

Eat dinner at Burma Superstar and after, walk a block down to hear some great music at Park Life a fantastic gallery/bookstore.

Tomorrow, Saturday March 3. It will start around 7:30pm. The show is free and open to all ages.

Park Life Store
220 Clement Street
San Francisco, CA 94118

Bio:
With their signature suits in tow, both Jared and Jonathan have relentlessly toured venues throughout South America, Europe, Japan and Scandinavia, generating global acclaim while also further curating their sound into a musical kaleidoscope that brings to mind everyone from Charles Mingus and Chet Baker to the Smiths and the Jesus and Mary Chain. Having performed and recorded with the likes of Ray Barbee and Tommy Guerrero, the Mattson 2 have grown up quick, accomplishing more in a short time than many musicians in their entire career, and thus further providing a mature sound that is equally at home on the beach as it is in the smokey jazz clubs. Tighten that tie, turn up the volume, dig your toes in the sand and soak in the shimmery whitewash of the Mattson 2.

This has always stayed with me.

Posted: February 16, 2012 | Author: lennygonzalez | Filed under: admiration, music | Leave a comment »

There are many dimensions to LOVE. This has a thousand of them.
Bjork performs Jóga at Live at the Royal Opera House in 2002.

Who Loves Type?

Posted: February 7, 2012 | Author: lennygonzalez | Filed under: type love | Leave a comment »

Visit Montgomery and see for yourself.

Posted: January 16, 2012 | Author: lennygonzalez | Filed under: Photographing My Life | Tags: king, luther, martin, mlk, montgomery | Leave a comment »

Those before and after him, taken at Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church.

Its like a Lollapalooza of chamber music.

Posted: January 10, 2012 | Author: lennygonzalez | Filed under: music, recent work | Tags: chamber, de, friends, museum, music, sffcm, video, young | Leave a comment »

The San Francisco Friends Of Chamber Music realized they needed to up the ante for their grant proposals, so they hired me to make a highlight reel of their Chamber Music Day event at the
de Young Museum. I had a great time bouncing from stage to stage, shooting and recording.
Editing this piece was a joy.

I highly recommend this free musical event. It’s an all day affair, with 2 stages and a large variety
of genres. You will not regret it.

Click here for more info about the SF Friends Of Chamber Music.

Many thanks to Art Granoff and John Anaya for the sound recordings.