Bounte » life beats

What I learned from Paris

Dean Dunakin — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:48:29 +0000

I recently returned from a week in Paris, and here is what I learned about the music there. I didn’t go to any specific clubs or seek music out, so this is an ambient impression.

Dr. Dre Monster Beat headphones are a MUST-HAVE accessory. The ear-buds are acceptable, but the giant metal circumaural ones are preferable. As long as the cord is flame-red, you’re good to go.

The accordion is not dead. It is alive and well in the subway, on the train, at sidewalk cafes, wherever the wandering street musicians decide to go. Concertina is strictly for serenading your own friends.

While I know hiphop is popular in France, the music wafting out of stores and other places is predominantly electronic/dance. You’re more likely to overhear the Chemical Brothers than Beyonce, which is just fine with me.

Open Mic Success

Dean Dunakin — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:06:40 +0000

The open mic showcase at the Cubby Bear went very well last night. I was surprised at how good all the bands were, and how well the sound and organization was run. It was a room filled with people who care about the music they do, as well as about other people’s music. I was expecting a night full of suck, but all the bands were better than many paid-admission shows I’ve been to. I’d definitely recommend playing the showcase to bands who want performance experience or just some laid-back fun. Hell, you could practically use it to rehearse 3 songs a week with a full sound setup.

Going Out Tonight

Dean Dunakin — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:14:55 +0000

Would you believe I’m playing a show tonight? Not a bounte show, but I’m playing bass guitar in a rock band called Mom, Dad, It’s Evil. I haven’t promoted it because it’s basically a practice for us. We’re playing a 3-song set at the Cubby Bear’s Local Music Showcase, which is a free open mic for bands. But you’re welcome to come out to see and hang with us. 9pm, Cubby Bear, free.

I think the open mic for local bands is a really great concept. Starting bands who don’t know the ropes, or don’t have a fan-base can get their feet wet without having to guarantee a crowd number, and the venue can support such bands without feeling guilty for not paying.

Life beats

Dean Dunakin — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 17:57:55 +0000

So what have I been up to? Other than shoveling snow, plenty. I’ve got 3 new music projects that I’m exploring. I’ve been writing a slew of songs and playing (bass guitar) with some other guys, which I always enjoy. Also producing some new electronic tracks, and beginning some great new ideas with an old friend.

I’ve been taking guitar classes at the Old Town School. I’ve self-taught myself some guitar, but never enjoyed it enough to self-correct any stumbling blocks. So I’ve been learning solid foundations and know what a guitar player does now. A lot of it is pretty darn easy (seriously, ADGCE for 90% of everything?), so guitar players: you’ll have to work harder now to impress me. But the upshot is that I can write songs with guitar playing in mind, I’ll be able to record some guitar riffs myself, and I’ll know enough to learn more properly on my own.

I’ve been looking at other ways of releasing music, perhaps starting a record label collective centered around local or midwest music. Chicago has a rather earnest DIY approach to music that lets a lot of great music fall through the cracks. I’d like to help people keep that from happening.

That’s all pretty vague, I realize, but I’m in the exploration phase of a lot of things, and I’m sure it will all be whittled away and refined in time. It’s an exciting time of new things!

ForSeven

Dean Dunakin — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 18:40:02 +0000

I was trolling the music posted in the Ableton forums, and came across ForSeven. The more I listened, the more in took me by surprise. Here’s a guy going creative sample sequencing with a very personal ethic. It sounds very original and exploratory, and catchy without being derivative. It reminds me of stuff I’d find on the old mp3.com back in its day. Fun.

Breath for Me Instrumental by ForSeven

Transition to digital…

Dean Dunakin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 18:08:57 +0000

…from digital. I bit the bullet and ripped my entire CD collection to iTunes. Most of my new music purchases in the last few years have been digital downloads, and my listening habits have been geared now towards iTunes on my computer. I only listen to CDs in the car (especially since my iPod was stolen), or occasionally on the big stereo.

It took a few weeks of swapping CDs in and out of the computer, but it’s done, and kind of like being rescued from a desert island. Yeah, I had my one or two desert-island albums, but I’m suddenly reunited with all the musical bounty society contains. It’s like restoring a lost part of my identity.

Another part of the ultimate goal is to start DJing again. It’s fun, I like going out, I like sharing music, seeing other people have fun with the music. I just have to finish prepping clips for my laptop software.

Kinetic Playground

Dean Dunakin — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 17:41:59 +0000

In an effort to start injecting myself into the music scene again, I visited the Kinetic Playground last night. I’ve been there before, but I have to reiterate that it’s a weird place. I previewed the myspaces for the bands that were playing and expected lo-fi crap rock. But to my surprise what took the stage was blazing acid jazz. The first band was even playing jazz standards, from Freedom Jazz Dance, to John Scofield’s Hottentot. A pleasant surprise.

The crowd at KP was all over the place, not surprising considering the location in Uptown. There was a large group that probably wandered down from Little Vietnam, one of whom was hitting on my wife and asked my permission to dance with her (say what?!). There were hell’s angels types, hipsters, metalheads, slick old italians, panhandlers, some girl dancing with a hula-hoop all night, and a sprinkle of plain old boring people. All good, all good, but please, PLEASE, get rid of the attendant in the men’s room. Putting up with that scam really takes the place down a huge notch.

Back from the southwest

Dean Dunakin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:06:42 +0000

I took a week’s vacation to see the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. Here are some of my observations:

You can’t appreciate the immense size of the Grand Canyon until it kicks your ass with a 10-hour hike.
The VAST majority of hikers in the Grand Canyon are European. The Americans are more evenly represented in the cafeteria.
Too much salt makes your fingers fat.
A dry heat IS better than a humid heat. No dispute. The difference is that at say, 80 degrees in Chicago, you can stand still and end up with sweaty, slimy, grimy underwear. Even at 110 degrees in Las Vegas, you end up crispy clean and fresh.
A cover band can probably make a good living in Las Vegas.
If you don’t gamble, Las Vegas holds about 6 hours of interest, which are filled with shows, kitsch, looking at beautiful people, and some general “wtf?”.

Stop the car, or tame the bass?

Dean Dunakin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 20:58:08 +0000

I was going to invest in some acoustic treatment for my studio, but I’ll have to maintain my car instead. My studio has some odd bass rumbling, so I’ll need some bass traps, but my car had some odd rumbling in the brakes. I figure the priority is in stopping the car before stopping the bass.

Portable Air

Dean Dunakin — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 14:58:54 +0000

Holy cow, does it ever get hot up here. My studio is basically in an attic with little circulation. I was constantly opening and closing the door and window, and putting a window fan in and out, turning the ceiling fan on and off. It became especially annoying during recording. I got tired of working in 90 degree temps all the time, so I got an AC unit to boost our central air.

This portable AC I got looks incredibly boring, but it cools the room like the breath of ancient gods. Can’t say it’s an arctic blast, but it makes the room pleasant. The best part is the remote control, so I can flick it on and off when doing a vocal take.