CUT OF THE MONTH is a very special song by Aiko Shimata. Aiko contacted me
to record two pieces for a Japanese label that is collecting her career's
work into a sampler. These two pieces are new versions of older material.
Aiko's songs are beautiful and visual. The is music simple but provides the
solid base for Shimata's poetic lyrics to swim atop. I don't know if you'll
be able to tell from the RealAudio stream, but there is a three part
harmony swell toward's the end of the song that just sends a shiver up my
spine.

July was finishing month. Several long album projects were completed
recently. Most notably, OTA PROTA! This fantastic album bubbles with
greatness. This is the end of a year of fine tuning, tweaking, obsessing
and creating. The final album is being shoped right now. Hopefully you will
see it in the next few months. The music has hints of Tortoise, Tricky,
Amon Tobin and Bjork. RealAudio file will be available soon.

CLIMAX GOLDEN TWINS put the final touches on their rock album. Several
people that have heard this exclaim, "that's exactly what I thought their
rock album would be". I'm particularly proud of this album because it is
the rock album I've always wanted to make. Every weird recording technique
in the book was employed from speakers as mics, mics swinging, nit picking,
tiny shards of digital sound accenting steady, heavy beats. Humour abounds
in this left field effort from this talented group of insubordinate sound
artists.

KYLE HANSEN was in several times with LORI GOLDSTON and others to finish
partial tracks for an upcoming 33 Fainting Spells performance. This dance
piece contains music by the BLACK CAT ORCHESTRA and other combos, ranging
from circus music (yep! with tuba), spy music (yep! with koto as lead?!?)
and various sound effects. More on this project later.

LUMINOUS FLUX (aka Black Eyed Susan) finished mixing their album of
Portishead influenced, sequenced oriented, and dare I say early, early,
early Human League (do you have a copy of "Being Boiled"?) music that is
just beautiful and full. It features an amazing guitar sound that was
created using the second room at the studio (500 sq ft). The Marshall was
at one end with a 57 off the cone and a AKG C3000B at the other end pointed
away from the amp and up towards the ceiling. It's huge. This project also
employed the automated capabilitys of the Yamaha 02R to make it just right.

LYNN SHELTON and LORI GOLDSTON were in the studio to work with me on a film
by Shelton titled "The Clouds that Touch Us Out of Clear Skies". Goldston
did all the music for the film and Lynn and I did the sound design. It was
a long day but the results are powerful. This film has impressionistic
images with voice over which is interviews with women about miscarriage. We
hope to see this film in a festival or two and hopefully on PBS since it is
the kind of informative, heart felt, dialog that needs to be portrayed on
this most emotional of women's issues.

See you in the woods or at the fishing hole. As my best bud Dave says, "a
bad day of fishing beats a good day at work" ....true....true