Can You Own a Sound?

My favorite album sophomore year in college was De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising, and my favorite single on that album was definitely A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays". But it wasn't until I had listened to the song a couple of times, that I recognized that among others, Saturday in the Park, by Chicago and Could you be Loved, by Bob Marley, had be sampled into it. Besides being one of the greatest records of the last quarter century, 3 Feet High was a turning point for sampling laws.

That's just a little background on where I was really going---last night I watched COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS on PBS. As an artist who helps others others produce their own work, I found this film to be so interesting. It addressed questions of ownership, the role of the producer, the artist, and the publisher. The main question the movie asks is--can you own a sound? As hip-hop rose from the streets to become a multibillion-dollar industry, artists started reusing parts of previously recorded music for their songs. But when record company lawyers got involved everything changed. The movie examines the creative and commercial value of musical sampling, including the related debates over artistic expression, copyright law and money.
Check it out, it's so good and hurts so bad (Little Anthony & The Imperials) at the same time.
Watch the trailer

Paper Capers

I'm not just saying this because I've been snowed in for two days and uninterested in the Superbowl....
You should watch this video. It provides a really fascinating look at how rag paper was made in the day at Crane's Bay State Mill. If you like paper, make paper, or just have a fancy for the 1920s, then check it out.


Many Thanks to Peter Hopkins for the original post, and for transferring the film to disk.

Snow Jesus

I'm pretty sure as a joke, our friends Jessica Calderwood and Amin Lahlou gave us a Jesus statuette.



Starting yesterday morning and ending today around 3pm, I took a photo of him every hour.You might notice that there is jump in the amount of snow in a couple of the photos. That is because it snowed all through the night, and when it was all said and done, we got about 32" of it. I've never seen anything like this! Here are a some more photos.
Maybe I'll bind the jesus photos into a flip-book.
Good times being snowed in!

What ho, life?

So I've been slacking in my posting. What have I been up to for the last two months?




Playing Honoria Glossop in Lumina Studio Theatre' s production of What Ho, Jeeves!
The lovely and talented Linda Parker took the photos above.





















Exhibition at McLean Project for the Arts, which opened on January 21 and runs until March 6.

Toodle-pip for now!