Home

back in Asheville after a long day's travel, (4am until 11:15pm)... aside from additional mixing/mastering and editing this project is done... I begin similar work with local youth tomorrow afternoon.
Music production education.
No regular studio appointments for at least a week...
Peace

"graduation" and coming home

I never thought I'd get to hand out diplomas... this was pretty close... they were very proud and so were family members... words were very grateful... I never thought I'd have so much fun at such a ceremony...

Poster on the wall for this event

Something for the Studio Wall back home...

aside from much thanks and praise there was also alot of talk about how they will continue without me, several perpoals have already been written (by the Jovenes, without solicitation). specific steps, schedualling, classes/workshops they have offered to their community.

Of course the best part was the freestyle with beatboxing, harmonica (by me) and the overall feeling of genuine appreciation all around.

Thanks for keeping an eye one this work, I will be headed home in the morning, and available in town sometime in the next few days. Peace.

planning my exit...

The most important thing to fulfil as I leave, give certificates of completion and say "Adios" is to be sure that my students understand enough to continue without me... out of the 30 or so students who have been learning to produce instrumentals, record songs, and to mix their recordings, less than 10 can really run the equiptment by themselves... there is some concern from those who run the comedor that those who understand it best are actually from other neiborhoods than San Nicholas... Soacha has about 1,000,000 people and this comedor is mostly for those in this Barrio. I am incuraging the leader to continue to include anyone who understands the equiptment and software and is willing to share their knowledge... It has been rushed and many technical issues have been dificult for all the students to understand. some understand mixing but not setup, others setup but not effects. at the end of the day tommarrow, I am confident that they will be able to continue to grow and to learn and to make peaceful music without me.

It turns out that the video from the 1st day did upload, it only took a while to be available... it is rough and improvized, anything else will come later and be more professional in both audio and video, but for now...

Today's event

Here are some (of the many) pics from todays event... my little speech went well... the event was a success hours of live music, break dancing and speeches for peace were well recived by all in the main square of Soacha...

... we have video too... including my speech (for later)

Some Pictures

since videos will be later... and songs are too amazing to release rough versions.... here are some pictures...

this is how we do it (how we have to do it...)



Teacher man in translation



Another Rapper para paz (for Peace)









Edge of the world, Center of Attention...







A privilege to (help) record... see how the jovenes (teens) are at the controls.. 

morning students day 1

day 2

it seems videos with good audio will have to come later... (mostly next week after I return)... there isn't enough time... I am exausted and still have to write a speech (for a public peace event tommarrow), and homework for my estudiantes... (they are co-editing and writing the recording workbook that they will need to continue when I leave...) Music today was probably the stuff that most deserved to be recorded that I've ever done... 

producing friends at home are strongly incuraged to send mp3 instrumentals... this is your last chance... dstreetstudios@gmail.com

I didn't really know fruityloops (an easy to learn production software) fortunently one of my students did... he was able to teach the main lesson on instumental production and will do the same for the other group on saturday... very impowering for them... more and more I can step away from the controls while we record and this is only the 2nd day!!!

day 1 video

 I can't post yesterday's video till tonight... it is upoading and should be searchable under "pan y paz" "colombia studio project" (dstreetstudios youtube account...) it will be here tonight... headed back to soach for another day... peace

Wow!

It is happening... I am more or less pulling it off some unexpected situations and unusual recording senarios are going on...The 2 groups of 4 student became 2 groups of 12 students. (I guess the comedor like D-Street studios in general has a hard time turning people away.)
 There is no way to condition the room for sound, there are too many holes between the walls and cieling, so we hear the guy across the alley's many cockfighting roosters crowing all day...
I lowered the gain and used a directional mic... even the babies and converations in the room haven't messed it up at all. Everyone is so grateful and incuraging. Rappers are very well practiced, no one did more than 2 takes, almost everything was done perfectly in 1 (including layers and fast parts).

We recorded 7 songs this first day, even as I explained nearly every detail of what I was doistopped sometimes to show them in small groups. The hope is that by the last day they will be doing the recording work. The only failing has been my spanish. as much as I prepared, it is really hard to teach or record in a second language, but I have plenty of help from others who are more fluent (but no nothing of recording). I will post a rough mix or 2 tonight, but realize this is from one day in a place on the edge of the country but totally urban, impovershed, at times hopeless and others hopeful, transendent in the face of for more than threats but "social cleansing" (paramilitary talk for political murder). outside smells like an open sewer, people clean up nice because apearance can be everything... but to me it is all about the music, this definitly deserves recording...

safely arrived...

I was greeted by a small group of young people, my host family's dad (greg walker wilson, and Carlos who has helped to organize the recording project on this end... I have around 30 groups to record this week and 18 teens to teach recording... they understand the limitations and gave serious encouragement... I am so excited to start work in the morning... buenos noches a Bogota

Free at last!

I got my new passport and I will soon be on my way... wonder what Panama is like? see for yourself in this video...

Feel free to ask any questions and I will do my best to answer them...

The song is by a local colaborator, DJ, Musician (Guitarist), and friend named Murli...

(anywhere in the video that says 2010 is a silly mistake, its all this year 2011)

A test

The blog looked too boring... so I figured as long as I have some extra time I should try out the windows movie editor... I never tried it before... pretty easy...

this song (by pink floyd) was how I was feeling... hopefully similar styled original posts can come out once I get rollin in Bogota... only with original music... might not have time to edit videos daily, music is the priority...

New plan

Basically everything is just pushed back a few days...

I've communicated with LEAF's Afterschool people... no problem... I'm not fired if I miss the 1st day,

 I mean this trip is a good excuse right?

 

I am therefore planning to extend the trip, and return on wednesday the 26th that will give me enough time to do all the initially planned apointments, and instruction... hopefully without messing up the schedualling too much...

With the extra time in Panama I will have an opertunity to perform (harmonica) with sort of a spanish techno-folk group and maybe even check out the city's jazz fest (which I had no idea was happening this weekend)...

do you see that silver lining? i do...

 

Thanks to everyone back home who offered help to figure this out...

Lost passport!

Before I went to Colombia I was stopping in Panama city to get some technical assistance from some bilingual sound guys and DJs... staying with my good friend Mario, and continuing with preperations...

 I won't take it as a bad omen, but definitely a setback, I must have droped my passport somewhere between the airport exit and his car... less than 150 steps... but it can't be found. wouldn't have been a problem except that the embassy closed at 10am (wierd right? ) so I am stuck here until tuesday (it is also closed on the weekend and on MLK day)...

I am hoping to extend the Colombia time on the other side of things so that I can still do all the work I planned... this was already a very tight schedual. I might need some teacher friend out there in Asheville to help...
I still have a class to teach on the tuesday after I return... I have a page for students to fill out and other than that they could just listen to hip-hop instrumentals... I should be there, but I won't abandon this project either...
If you think you can help... post something and I will be in touch...
If

The Plan

I am headed to Colombia to setup a recording studio and teach some people to run it... All funds came through LEAF international (an already existing non-profit) That pays for my flights... some food for participants and the equipment... check out the international part of my site for details... I will post updates daily.... maybe some with music, images and video... I will be back for some serious editing and other educational projects by the 22nd of January...