Fstars.com: Blog

Genes, again!

2007-08-28T12:23:00.000-04:00

No wonder I fail. (Yahoo News story on perfect pitch gene, 28Aug2007)

Well, I'll stop trying then and concentrate on things I can win at, like writing and recording. Of which, I've done neither the past month.

Is there a gene for laziness? If so, how do I remove mine?

Shift in music

2007-08-07T01:54:00.000-04:00

There's been a serious divide in music recently. Some say that the new market is the internet and myspace and webTV. Others side on the trad norms of hollywood, commercials, touring to get the word out. But popularity is a crime the moment it's sought - it's a virtue only if you don't care. Or so the maxim goes.

The debate is useless. What works for some will not for others. There is no set way to get the word out and artists/musicians/creatives will always toil away for sheer soul satisfaction regardless of popular opinion. What matters most is content. Without that, all media forms are moot.

Words. It all comes down to words.

Been a long time

2007-06-15T01:06:00.000-04:00

Since I rock and rolled...and posted. So, I'm back. Some new concepts, some new sounds. The web and music industry has changed drastically these past two years. Old style rock star is fading. New style musician is emerging.

Good to see that the gimicks will lessen and quality will grow. At least that is the hope with Web 2.0

Wait and see. But I am back at least to pollute the 'net with more of my ramblings, rants, and musings.

Musical Hallucinations: Scientific discovery

2005-07-12T13:27:00.000-04:00

Neuron Network Goes Awry, and Brain Becomes an IPod - New York Times
So does this mean that come age 78, I'll be subjected to constant repeat of "I think and I fall, and I fall, and I fall..."

Just hope that I'll be able to hum along.

Recording EP

2005-06-28T13:52:00.000-04:00

Entering the final stage of EP recording and subsequent release. Expect something tangible in late Sept. 2005. It's been a long time, living with these songs and now I think we have done them justice in arrangement and execution.

I hope that they continue to connect with you as they do for us.

Junoon and U2 AND Live8, Damn!

2005-06-26T13:49:00.000-04:00

Junoon[dot]com
Just an expression of "wow" towards Junoon, the Pakistani Sufi Band. Paki-pop was always a step ahead of India, but this takes the lead.

Now, if there was a champion to root for from India....ahem, self-promo opp. ;-)

MP3 of India Mela 2005

2005-06-22T10:13:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note that the MP3 from the StarPlus India Mela 2005 show is now online at FSTARS.com

Give it a listen and send comments/praise.

After the India Mela 2005

2005-06-21T10:08:00.000-04:00

Well, we arrived for our 4pm slot on Father's Day - June 19th, 2005. Due to IST (Indian Standard Time), we didn't take to the stage until 7pm. So, basically we were upgraded from standard performers to closers. An honor, in the rock world, though I don't think any thought was given to this by the organizers.

We were missing Aron on the drums - prior engagements that he couldn't get out of. Since we had rehearsed the Friday before, giving our setlist an acoustified feel, we were confident to carry on with the aid of a simple drum machine. And I think we did great as a band.

Not only I share this belief. The crowd applause, cheers, and invite from the organizers to OPEN the event next year are my proof of a good show. So, approximately 18 months into this creative venture and we are still on schedule.

ROCK ON!

What goes up...

2005-06-06T11:22:00.000-04:00

Stays up for some, or comes crashing down for others.

I've been here before and this is what I've learned: Forge ahead. Inaction is worse than wrong action. So, expect much more music - yes, that is the intent behind this venture, no? And sooner than later on all accords.

Perhaps this realization will keep things positive and continue the ascent that happened early on. I think it must - or else, I've sent these words to a wasteland of dejection.

Low, low low...

2005-05-19T16:30:00.000-04:00

Do bands go through PMS? I can name a few instances that recur monthly where we start on a high and then progress to irritable and finally to a complete low. This is one of them.

Played DesiVision.tv's Crash Mansion gig to a smallish crowd. Probably had something to do with the wall collapse on the NYC train line. Abe was on the train that was stuck...so we played without a bassist. Tom and I were predicting that this would be a life-deciding moment - venturing out into the city for weekly gigs. It was, but not for the one intended.

Nothing is perfect. Not my singing, not our band politics, not our direction at the moment. But I am trying (with singing), with direction and from engaging in politics. Still, I favor optimism, even in the face of sheer negativity. Some disagree with this stance. So be it.

The DesiVision stint was good for us as we received good feedback, a positive vibe (to counter the flow of internal critiques), and confirmed that we are ready to compete for our place in this business. And we shall, once the current mood lifts.

Early version of Friday 13th

2005-05-13T15:40:00.000-04:00

NYC Bridge/Wall collapse stalls trains

So there we were: Tom, Dox, and I enroute to Desivision.tv sponsored event, "Time2Shine" at the Crash Mansion in NYC. Soundcheck was at 8pm, which the three of us did well. Everything set to go smooth...so it seemed.

8:25pm - Call comes in from Abe that he's stuck on the inbound train to NYC, between Newark and NYC and the train is not moving.

We have an obligation to honor our agreement but on the other side a vital member is not present. Plenty of bands go through this - it's how they survive in the aftermath that's the distinguisher.

From what I heard after our set, we came out relatively unscathed...

May is Asian Heritage Month

2005-05-12T11:12:00.000-04:00

And to do our part, we are performing tonight, May 12 at Crash Mansion. Actually, we've been invited to play a song or two from our upcoming EP at the South Asian Talent Contest organized by DesiVision.tv

More details found at: crashmansionnyc.com

Genuine or prank: either way, he got his 15 min/15 mb of fame

2005-05-06T14:59:00.000-04:00

Amal K. Dorai: Time Traveler Convention at MIT

At first, I saw the headline on yahoo, in that prominent side box and was intrigued. Time travel convention at MIT? And then, I clicked on the article and saw that a DESI was behind this hoopla.

In doing so, he's got the most widely covered "party" on the net and probably won't do so bad with the 15 mb of fame that's been afforded him as of this coverage.

And still the question remains: genuine or prank?

Amitabh Bachan: Lincoln Center Honor/Charlie Rose Interview

2005-04-22T10:16:00.000-04:00

Wow.

First Ash Rai and now AB. Madonna may have ushered in the wave of Indian culture with her belly rings, bindis, and salwaars, but this is genuine fascination and respect from the West.

And at 63yrs, AB still cuts a daunting figure in Indian Cinema. Incidently, he disapproves of the Indian Film Industry playing parody to Hollywood by being coined "Bollywood". Exuding national pride, he suggests that our films be taken with their own merits, without comparison from the West. Afterall, we have the technical expertise to produce well over 200 films yearly, whereas Hollywood produces a mere 30.

The "DESI" swell has been building for several years, going back to Bally Sagoo's remixes in 2000 and the "art films" of Mira Nair, Deepa Mehta, etc. But now, in 2005, the tide has come in for us. And I believe the waters of recognition will continue to flow for a long time.

Wow.

Brilliant strategy and execution

2005-04-21T15:56:00.000-04:00

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Frenchman buys 25,000 Indian songs
From a non-Indian, we see brilliant market capitalization, strategy and execution. And he's not merely in it for a buck or two. Paid $3mil, will collect it back within the next few years and then go beyond by strategically placing the 25K catalog.

Sort of what Silverman (sic) did with the Elvis catalog. Took it from RCA, which was not managing it properly and with some intuition and foresight, leveraged it to contribute over $2mil last year.

More and more, it's a musicBUSINESS.

Original Poem: National Poetry Month (April)

2005-04-20T11:45:00.000-04:00

April Fool's day losing significance in a Politically Correct world

2005-04-01T15:51:00.000-05:00

Haven't seen any creative April Fool's pranks today. Except if you count the posting that Encyclopedia Britannica was taking over Wikipedia - assuming that these are entities you care about. Erudite laughter aside, there hasn't been much in the blog/web world making the significance of today.

So, it poses the question - are we becoming so sensitive that we are losing our humor? It is possible. Today's world will fire you for stating that the town Mayor is dead (Opie/Anthony - Boston Radio DJ prank, circa 2000) or admonish you via the comments link on your lack of political correctness (ie, Wikipedia example).

What a waste. Today celebrates all things creative, for to fool one person is easy, but to fool an entire community takes a certain brand of misplaced creativity. And I revel in the latter.

Links to good April Fool's pranks are appreciated.

Dylan's trick

2005-03-26T01:52:00.000-05:00

Someone asked me to translate a portion of Dylan's autobiography, "Chronicles, vol.1". There was a chaper in there where post accident, Dylan remembered an old music theory taught to him by his then mentor in the blues. Basically, it was a way to strike the listener with his guitar patterns, while varying the style of his singing. An Eastern modality, played out on the guitar.

In a nutshell, Dylan was told that in order for his songs to really standout, he had to abandon the norm of playing an even bar measure for an odd bar measure. So, instead of the 4/4 time, he had to play 4/5 or 4/7 times. But what works for the blues and jazz, doesn't for a band. This method assumes no more than two voices. Once you start adding other voices of a band, such as drums, bass, piano, lead guitar, etc, it makes the sound atonal and murky. Dylan learned this the hard way.

But then, this modality has been prevailing in Indian classical music for ages. A sitar and tabla instrumental displays this nicely. Most of the tabla's "taal" is in an odd metered count, not the westernized "teen taal" that we associate with mix-tapes. So again, the West perfects yet another ancient Eastern tradition and profits.

When will we heed our traditional teachings and rise above materially? Some of us are trying...

Downtime

2005-03-15T11:53:00.000-05:00

The Fstars are in a downtime run. Nothing happening as we wait for Dox to recover from pneumonia. These large spaces of inactivity are troublesome for me. I tend to let my mind wander down ill-trodden paths and obscure confines. The product is more things to worry over, more things to think upon, and less focus in the near term.

So, to keep busy, and my mind off the negativity that's always lurking - I've given the band some exposure among the litter of net-working sites online. Also included the verified ones on the bandpage, under links [//fstars.com/Links.html]

I'm always thinking two years ahead and it is a changing medium for us artists. More on that later, but the definitive truth remains - art is still a personal creative and needs aknowledgement to breathe. Afterall, art without recognition is just isolation.

Till next blog...

Discourse on creativity

2005-03-11T10:20:00.000-05:00

gapingvoid: how to be creative

Found this while surfing and it is a great discourse on the creative element. A good read and even livlier discussions.

On THE FSTARS front: Dox is out sick with pneumonia (yes, the full blown version with potent antibiotic meds) and thus we are grounded at the moment musically. But he will get better and then also, Spring will be here - so, should make for better gigs.

80 min CD: fill it up

2005-03-09T11:07:00.000-05:00

There have been 80 minute CD's out there for some time now, but still the Industry has been lax to grasp the idea of filling it up. One thought is to put a few bonus tracks, like outtakes at the end of a movie - except here, it would be studio outtakes of the songs in progression. Kind of what the Beatles did in their box sets. THE FSTARS have this on the web as well [check Rehearsals page].

And why not? Often times, I've been more inspired by the fumbling of music creation than the glossy image itself. Or another idea would be to do some of the music unplugged - to showcase musicianship. I know I'd be impressed if any of these "POP" bands [read: Britney, Christina, any-EMO band, etc] would be able to transcend with just the basics, sans effects and overdubs.

There are so many possibilities. So, why put out less when there's room (literally & figuratively) for more.

Signal or Noise: the Future of Music on the Net

2005-03-02T16:40:00.000-05:00

Signal or Noise: the Future of Music on the Net

And I thought my coined phrase of "15mb of fame" was wholly original. Seems like this Harvard prof. beat me to it, in 2000. Okay, will have to give him credit for 'inspiring' the website/org (should it eventually take off).

Maybe he'll write the bylaws...

Try again

2005-03-02T08:36:00.000-05:00

Last week's scheduled performance was canceled due to snow and flu. So, this week we will try again. Also, have the podcasting element figured out and set up, now just have to concentrate on something meaninful to contribute. I secured the domain '15mg.org' to showcase people/groups that ought to get their 15 minutes, or now that we're immersed in the digital age, their 15mb of fame. Mid-year, I'll start that endeavor.

On the band front, until we get ourselves a decent band picture representative of ourselves, I'm sticking with our logo. At least it's somewhat recognizable. Also, been mulling the idea of two EP's per calendar year instead of one full length. This way it keeps The Fstars primed with musical energy and the fans get good doses of our songs (5-7 each LP), without either one of us getting "bored". I've got the lyrics and music for this - hey, even on this approach, it'd take me 20 years to exhaust my current catalog. Also, by the time we rehearse/record/showcase the EP, we are mentally leaning towards something else, so why be married to the same 10-12 songs for the tour, when we can accomodate our creative muses. My thoughts, as a musician.

Anyway, first matter is to showcase and record the current 5 song EP. And that we are in the midst of doing. So, as I stated previously, this week we resume our performances.

Up all night

2005-02-25T13:46:00.000-05:00

I was up most of the night surfing the internet educating myself on podcasting and how-to's. I think I have the hang of it now. Will test out from another blog and then should be ready for broadcast.

On band news: The Fstars are scheduled to play this evening at Fat Tuesday's Cajun Bar and Grill in Rahway, NJ - however, snow may dampen the travel. We'll see in a few hours.

Podcasting to arrive

2005-02-24T10:51:00.000-05:00

Wired 13.03: Adam Curry Wants to Make You an iPod Radio Star

Have to get into this and I will. Give me a few days to experiment and then decide if it'll be this blog or the website that hosts the podcast.

Tech is great!