auld loud syne?

a solid article at rollingstone.com, "the death of high fidelity" by robert levine, provides an introduction to deteriorating sound quality in music production. this essay offers insight into current listener habits and attitudes, and strikes me as a not-so-distant relative to r. murray schafer's comprehensive book soundscape: our sonic environment and the tuning of the world.

on influence, copyright, plagiarism

jonathan lethem's fine article in harpers ("the ecstacy of influence: a plagiarism," february 2007) is worth a read. incorporating phrases such as 'usemonopoly' and 'imperial plagiarism,' lethem careens through theories and practices of appropriation.

lemon hound on stuart ross

how's this for a lovely, insightful holiday gift? sina queyras interviewed stuart ross!

Hoflehner's Iceland photography

Recently dubbed the nature photographer of the year, Josef Hoflehner photographs remote locales worldwide. His site includes a series of snaps from Iceland taken between 2005 and 2007 -- of black-sand beaches and cliffs of insanity, waterfalls and fjords, ice and grass. This Gullfoss photo is breathtaking (and gasping increases with first-hand memory of the dangerous outcrop on which he must've stood to snap the shot).

sing

"singing is just like speaking except louder and longer and you move your voice up and down."

will ferrell, elf

Reykjavík! in Tdot

ALL SHADES OF YESNESS! Reykjavík! has been booked for Canadian Music Week.

ice loss

wow. huh.

Sound poetry on CKLN

This Tuesday, December 11 from 2-3pm, Camille Martin's guest-hosting an upcoming episode of 88.1 FM CKLN's In Other Words (listen online here). Her program will feature "folk traditions of sound singing with dad and other sound poetry performances." With work by Annie Johnston, Giacomo Balla, Sainkho Namtchylak, mIEKAL aND, Funginii, cris cheek, Jackson Mac Low, Anne Tardos, Robert Ashley, Vernon Frazer, Robert Creeley, and Lake Affect.

Novembrous

November was nutty with activity. Saw lots of theatre, attended several readings, caught up on work and a little much-needed socializing.

• (1-4) The month started in British Columbia.
• (4-9) I returned to ryan fitzpatrick (fake math), Natalie Zina Walschots (Thumbscrews), and William Neil Scott (Wonderfull) in town to carouse and launch their shiny new books. I hosted ryan chez raw, and the week was packed as I also instructed workshops on interviewing at Marc Garneau everyday.
  
• (8-10) I traipsed down to St. Catharines to read for Grey Borders Reading Series alongside Bill Kennedy and Darren Wershler, hosted by Greg Betts. The following night, Brea Burton and Jill Hartman flew in from Calgary to launch Booty: Hurricane Jane and Typhoon Mary. And the next day, Carousel Players premiered Bluenose, a children's play about pirates in which Conor's currently yaarrrring.
  
• (11-14) Calgarians followed me to Tdot. A few days later, Mercury launched our fall season of books in Toronto. Launch was packed and celebratory, so excellent to see awesome friends, colleagues, readers, writers out for the event.
• (15-23) Carolyn Smart hosted me at Queen's University in Kingston, a positive memory. I scurried home quickly after the meeting to attend my first board meeting for bluemouth inc. This kickstarted my week of theatre, as soon after Theatre Gargantua's Raging Dreams had me rapt. Toronto's first snowstorm couldn't keep me from seeing One Little Goat's new play, Antigone: Insurgency.
  
• (24-30) Test Reading Series featured Oana Avasilichioaei and Angela Carr. They shared similar pacing in how they delivered their texts, so it proved a musical symbiosis. Susan Howe read at Ryerson University; check out Carl's excellent recount. I spent the week at Victoria park Collegiate facilitating workshops in creative writing. And pics were posted from Brian Joseph Davis' launch for I, Tania.
• Throughout it all, I've enjoyed a constant soundtrack with aural ecstacies by Nico Muhly, múm, Regina Spektor, Reykjavík!, and Sonic Youth.
  

environment canada

i'm addicted to the 'weather warnings' portion of the environment canada website.