Sacred Vibes

I was talking to my friend Mike yesterday and he mentioned that he liked the more personal aspects of my blog... especially those that refer to him....so, first, let me just say, this is a weblog, not a diary. This is a public document and I never forget that. I also have a journal that I have been writing for 30 years. It's very, very different from this log. Think of a ripe, juicy orange, from which all juice has been sucked.... and then you have my blog.

If my life is ever made into a film, I'm sure every actress in town will want the role. But, the journals will not be made available until after my death, unless Woody Allen, or someone of his stature, (ok, anyone with a camcorder...) expresses interest in the project. Like Deep Throat, I appreciate privacy, at least while I'm alive.

Also, I wonder about throwing out too much about a film project in process, there is a tendency to want to protect your ideas, projects and co-workers in that way. I understand copyright protection from both sides. I will say this though, the name of the film has been changed from Suite:Heart to Valley Fog and now addresses themes relating to the changing winds of fortune in Silicon Valley and race issues as well as the emotional entanglements and social commentary. We've shot a lot of footage, it looks good and will take a lot more time to complete, most of it in the editing bay.

But, I can talk a bit about my new band, Sacred Vibes, who I am absolutely in love with. I've talked about the appropriateness of names on this blog and this is no exception. There was a very homey, comfortable, spiritual feel. It's all acoustic right now and we all sat close to each other, very intimate. The sound is most like CSN&Y, lots of great harmonies. James, who is incredibly nimble on a twelve-string has a Van Morrison-type voice. Matt, on rhythm, has a wonderful Neil Young-type voice and I spend most of my time in my vocal comfort zone, down low, but fill in all sorts of high notes when needed.

We did about half originals and half covers, mostly rock classics, CCR, the Band, mucho Dead as we're all Jerry-lovers.... after a while I felt so comfortable I started chipping in on the guitar, something I never do in bands. I've also been getting more into percussion. Craig, our percussionist came in with a giant bag of percussion instruments, plus congas, and I had been getting more into percussion with Rick Powers, so I started doing it on some of the songs.

I'll tell you this, I really respect the few drummers I know who can sing while drumming. Levon Helm could do it well, but it's hard and requires focusing on two disparate things at once. I found that when I was doing percussion I felt this obligation to responsibly keep that beat. I remember once asking a drummer, "What do you think is the most important attribute in a drummer?" I was expecting something like speed, creative fills, power, a big kit, etc... (remember my Dead background, intense double drum solos featuring creative pounding)... anyway, he goes, "a steady beat".

Since then, I have checked this out with many musicians and they mostly feel the same way. In drumming, I found I had to really center inside myself to keep it steady. You start ramping up the speed when everyone gets excited and things can head south. At that point, the last thing I wanted to do was start exploring vocal creativity. And, that's really my thing, so Mickey Hart can rest easy.... he's already given me many sacred vibes and I know I'm in for lots more.