nephew1983

Confusion and Frustration

Fri, 08 May 2009 07:41:54 GMT

I just don't know where I'm at a lot of the time......Up and Down, Up and Down...What am I going through???? I am actually pretty self aware most of the time, but it doesn't make things any easier.

Post SXSW Run down

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:06:21 GMT

SXSW: Didn't go as planned
Quincy Jones: Was an amazingly inspiring speaker at south by
The House: Cleaning it like a mad man
Guests: Rubia's Dad will be here tonight
New Saxophone: I am loving it and have hit a groove in my playing since the fest ended
Saxophone Students: Have been flaky and inconsistent
New Compositions and musical ideas: Are developing more and more everyday
New Saxophone Reed Methodology: Has improved everything.
Finances: Horrible
Relationship status: Has been smooth and pleasant since our mid SXSW meltdown.
Family: It was great seeing the uncle and the grandparents today, my mom and dad both seem alright

Out come of Rubia's Xmas party

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 08:17:12 GMT

I am upset, discontent, and disappointed. Tonight I only have my own shouder to cry on .... I feel pathetic. ........I refuse to feel sorry for myself....alcohol never makes things better.....Fuck....

White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 18:05:59 GMT

White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

"I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group"

Peggy McIntosh

Through work to bring materials from women's studies into the rest of the curriculum, I have often noticed men's unwillingness to grant that they are over privileged, even though they may grant that women are disadvantaged. They may say they will work to women's statues, in the society, the university, or the curriculum, but they can't or won't support the idea of lessening men's. Denials that amount to taboos surround the subject of advantages that men gain from women's disadvantages. These denials protect male privilege from being fully acknowledged, lessened, or ended.

Thinking through unacknowledged male privilege as a phenomenon, I realized that, since hierarchies in our society are interlocking, there are most likely a phenomenon, I realized that, since hierarchies in our society are interlocking, there was most likely a phenomenon of while privilege that was similarly denied and protected. As a white person, I realized I had been taught about racism as something that puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege, which puts me at an advantage.

I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege. So I have begun in an untutored way to ask what it is like to have white privilege. I have come to see white privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets that I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was "meant" to remain oblivious. White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools , and blank checks.

Describing white privilege makes one newly accountable. As we in women's studies work to reveal male privilege and ask men to give up some of their power, so one who writes about having white privilege must ask, "having described it, what will I do to lessen or end it?"

After I realized the extent to which men work from a base of unacknowledged privilege, I understood that much of their oppressiveness was unconscious. Then I remembered the frequent charges from women of color that white women whom they encounter are oppressive. I began to understand why we are just seen as oppressive, even when we don't see ourselves that way. I began to count the ways in which I enjoy unearned skin privilege and have been conditioned into oblivion about its existence.

My schooling gave me no training in seeing myself as an oppressor, as an unfairly advantaged person, or as a participant in a damaged culture. I was taught to see myself as an individual whose moral state depended on her individual moral will. My schooling followed the pattern my colleague Elizabeth Minnich has pointed out: whites are taught to think of their lives as morally neutral, normative, and average, and also ideal, so that when we work to benefit others, this is seen as work that will allow "them" to be more like "us."

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Daily effects of white privilege

I decided to try to work on myself at least by identifying some of the daily effects of white privilege in my life. I have chosen those conditions that I think in my case attach somewhat more to skin-color privilege than to class, religion, ethnic status, or geographic location, though of course all these other factors are intricately intertwined. As far as I can tell, my African American coworkers, friends, and acquaintances with whom I come into daily or frequent contact in this particular time, place and time of work cannot count on most of these conditions.

1. I can if I wish arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time.

2. I can avoid spending time with people whom I was trained to mistrust and who have learned to mistrust my kind or me.

3. If I should need to move, I can be pretty sure of renting or purchasing housing in an area which I can afford and in which I would want to live.

4. I can be pretty sure that my neighbors in such a location will be neutral or pleasant to me.

5. I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed.

6. I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented.

7. When I am told about our national heritage or about "civilization," I am shown that people of my color made it what it is.

8. I can be sure that my children will be given curricular materials that testify to the existence of their race.

9. If I want to, I can be pretty sure of finding a publisher for this piece on white privilege.

10. I can be pretty sure of having my voice heard in a group in which I am the only member of my race.

11. I can be casual about whether or not to listen to another person's voice in a group in which s/he is the only member of his/her race.

12. I can go into a music shop and count on finding the music of my race represented, into a supermarket and find the staple foods which fit with my cultural traditions, into a hairdresser's shop and find someone who can cut my hair.

13. Whether I use checks, credit cards or cash, I can count on my skin color not to work against the appearance of financial reliability.

14. I can arrange to protect my children most of the time from people who might not like them.

15. I do not have to educate my children to be aware of systemic racism for their own daily physical protection.

16. I can be pretty sure that my children's teachers and employers will tolerate them if they fit school and workplace norms; my chief worries about them do not concern others' attitudes toward their race.

17. I can talk with my mouth full and not have people put this down to my color.

18. I can swear, or dress in second hand clothes, or not answer letters, without having people attribute these choices to the bad morals, the poverty or the illiteracy of my race.

19. I can speak in public to a powerful male group without putting my race on trial.

20. I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race.

21. I am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group.

22. I can remain oblivious of the language and customs of persons of color who constitute the world's majority without feeling in my culture any penalty for such oblivion.

23. I can criticize our government and talk about how much I fear its policies and behavior without being seen as a cultural outsider.

24. I can be pretty sure that if I ask to talk to the "person in charge", I will be facing a person of my race.

25. If a traffic cop pulls me over or if the IRS audits my tax return, I can be sure I haven't been singled out because of my race.

26. I can easily buy posters, post-cards, picture books, greeting cards, dolls, toys and children's magazines featuring people of my race.

27. I can go home from most meetings of organizations I belong to feeling somewhat tied in, rather than isolated, out-of-place, outnumbered, unheard, held at a distance or feared.

28. I can be pretty sure that an argument with a colleague of another race is more likely to jeopardize her/his chances for advancement than to jeopardize mine.

29. I can be pretty sure that if I argue for the promotion of a person of another race, or a program centering on race, this is not likely to cost me heavily within my present setting, even if my colleagues disagree with me.

30. If I declare there is a racial issue at hand, or there isn't a racial issue at hand, my race will lend me more credibility for either position than a person of color will have.

31. I can choose to ignore developments in minority writing and minority activist programs, or disparage them, or learn from them, but in any case, I can find ways to be more or less protected from negative consequences of any of these choices.

32. My culture gives me little fear about ignoring the perspectives and powers of people of other races.

33. I am not made acutely aware that my shape, bearing or body odor will be taken as a reflection on my race.

34. I can worry about racism without being seen as self-interested or self-seeking.

35. I can take a job with an affirmative action employer without having my co-workers on the job suspect that I got it because of my race.

36. If my day, week or year is going badly, I need not ask of each negative episode or situation whether it had racial overtones.

37. I can be pretty sure of finding people who would be willing to talk with me and advise me about my next steps, professionally.

38. I can think over many options, social, political, imaginative or professional, without asking whether a person of my race would be accepted or allowed to do what I want to do.

39. I can be late to a meeting without having the lateness reflect on my race.

40. I can choose public accommodation without fearing that people of my race cannot get in or will be mistreated in the places I have chosen.

41. I can be sure that if I need legal or medical help, my race will not work against me.

42. I can arrange my activities so that I will never have to experience feelings of rejection owing to my race.

43. If I have low credibility as a leader I can be sure that my race is not the problem.

44. I can easily find academic courses and institutions which give attention only to people of my race.

45. I can expect figurative language and imagery in all of the arts to testify to experiences of my race.

46. I can chose blemish cover or bandages in "flesh" color and have them more or less match my skin.

47. I can travel alone or with my spouse without expecting embarrassment or hostility in those who deal with us.

48. I have no difficulty finding neighborhoods where people approve of our household.

49. My children are given texts and classes which implicitly support our kind of family unit and do not turn them against my choice of domestic partnership.

50. I will feel welcomed and "normal" in the usual walks of public life, institutional and social.

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Elusive and fugitive

I repeatedly forgot each of the realizations on this list until I wrote it down. For me white privilege has turned out to be an elusive and fugitive subject. The pressure to avoid it is great, for in facing it I must give up the myth of meritocracy. If these things are true, this is not such a free country; one's life is not what one makes it; many doors open for certain people through no virtues of their own.

In unpacking this invisible knapsack of white privilege, I have listed conditions of daily experience that I once took for granted. Nor did I think of any of these perquisites as bad for the holder. I now think that we need a more finely differentiated taxonomy of privilege, for some of these varieties are only what one would want for everyone in a just society, and others give license to be ignorant, oblivious, arrogant, and destructive.

I see a pattern running through the matrix of white privilege, a patter of assumptions that were passed on to me as a white person. There was one main piece of cultural turf; it was my own turn, and I was among those who could control the turf. My skin color was an asset for any move I was educated to want to make. I could think of myself as belonging in major ways and of making social systems work for me. I could freely disparage, fear, neglect, or be oblivious to anything outside of the dominant cultural forms. Being of the main culture, I could also criticize it fairly freely.

In proportion as my racial group was being made confident, comfortable, and oblivious, other groups were likely being made unconfident, uncomfortable, and alienated. Whiteness protected me from many kinds of hostility, distress, and violence, which I was being subtly trained to visit, in turn, upon people of color.

For this reason, the word "privilege" now seems to me misleading. We usually think of privilege as being a favored state, whether earned or conferred by birth or luck. Yet some of the conditions I have described here work systematically to over empower certain groups. Such privilege simply confers dominance because of one's race or sex.

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Earned strength, unearned power

I want, then, to distinguish between earned strength and unearned power conferred privilege can look like strength when it is in fact permission to escape or to dominate. But not all of the privileges on my list are inevitably damaging. Some, like the expectation that neighbors will be decent to you, or that your race will not count against you in court, should be the norm in a just society. Others, like the privilege to ignore less powerful people, distort the humanity of the holders as well as the ignored groups.

We might at least start by distinguishing between positive advantages, which we can work to spread, and negative types of advantage, which unless rejected will always reinforce our present hierarchies. For example, the feeling that one belongs within the human circle, as Native Americans say, should not be seen as privilege for a few. Ideally it is an unearned entitlement. At present, since only a few have it, it is an unearned advantage for them. This paper results from a process of coming to see that some of the power that I originally say as attendant on being a human being in the United States consisted in unearned advantage and conferred dominance.

I have met very few men who truly distressed about systemic, unearned male advantage and conferred dominance. And so one question for me and others like me is whether we will be like them, or whether we will get truly distressed, even outraged, about unearned race advantage and conferred dominance, and, if so, what we will do to lessen them. In any case, we need to do more work in identifying how they actually affect our daily lives. Many, perhaps most, of our white students in the United States think that racism doesn't affect them because they are not people of color; they do not see "whiteness" as a racial identity. In addition, since race and sex are not the only advantaging systems at work, we need similarly to examine the daily experience of having age advantage, or ethnic advantage, or physical ability, or advantage related to nationality, religion, or sexual orientation.

Difficulties and angers surrounding the task of finding parallels are many. Since racism, sexism, and heterosexism are not the same, the advantages associated with them should not be seen as the same. In addition, it is hard to disentangle aspects of unearned advantage that rest more on social class, economic class, race, religion, sex, and ethnic identity that on other factors. Still, all of the oppressions are interlocking, as the members of the Combahee River Collective pointed out in their "Black Feminist Statement" of 1977.

One factor seems clear about all of the interlocking oppressions. They take both active forms, which we can see, and embedded forms, which as a member of the dominant groups one is taught not to see. In my class and place, I did not see myself as a racist because I was taught to recognize racism only in individual acts of meanness by members of my group, never in invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth.

Disapproving of the system won't be enough to change them. I was taught to think that racism could end if white individuals changed their attitude. But a "white" skin in the United States opens many doors for whites whether or not we approve of the way dominance has been conferred on us. Individual acts can palliate but cannot end, these problems.

To redesign social systems we need first to acknowledge their colossal unseen dimensions. The silences and denials surrounding privilege are the key political surrounding privilege are the key political tool here. They keep the thinking about equality or equity incomplete, protecting unearned advantage and conferred dominance by making these subject taboo. Most talk by whites about equal opportunity seems to me now to be about equal opportunity to try to get into a position of dominance while denying that systems of dominance exist.

It seems to me that obliviousness about white advantage, like obliviousness about male advantage, is kept strongly enculturated in the United States so as to maintain the myth of meritocracy, the myth that democratic choice is equally available to all. Keeping most people unaware that freedom of confident action is there for just a small number of people props up those in power and serves to keep power in the hands of the same groups that have most of it already.

Although systemic change takes many decades, there are pressing questions for me and, I imagine, for some others like me if we raise our daily consciousness on the perquisites of being light-skinned. What will we do with such knowledge? As we know from watching men, it is an open question whether we will choose to use unearned advantage, and whether we will use any of our arbitrarily awarded power to try to reconstruct power systems on a broader base.

Peggy McIntosh is associate director of the Wellesley Collage Center for Research on Women. This essay is excerpted from Working Paper 189. "White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming To See Correspondences through Work in Women's Studies" (1988), by Peggy McIntosh; available for $4.00 from the Wellesley College Center for Research on Women, Wellesley MA 02181 The working paper contains a longer list of privileges.

This excerpted essay is reprinted from the Winter 1990 issue of Independent School.

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Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:28:39 GMT

My grandfather has been staying at my house for the last 4 days. My uncle and I have been busting our asses to find my grandparents a new home. It has been a challenging and stressful endeavor....I have felt moody lately, I shift from angry to anxious to disappointed.... I almost snapped at a Vietnamese restaurant. I have mostly neglected my life for the last week.....I am glad that I am in a position to fully help my grandparents....I have been frustrated lately with personal friendships, creative relationships, business relationships, and corporate America in general.... I am keeping it together. I am blessed to have a wonderful romantic relationship. I am blessed to live in a wonderful place. I am blessed to have a loving family. I am blessed to be a musician.

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:32:46 GMT

Aashram will officially be launching the new Austin lineup this Saturday the 6th at Kick Butt Coffee (By Highland Mall on Airport Blvd). Aashram will be performing at 6pm.

5775 Airport Blvd. #725, Austin, TX 78752

Aashram

Joshua Thomson-saxophone
Eric Fillip- drums
Adam Engelmeyer-bass
Victor Bustos-guitar

Aashram EPs are currently available through paypal ($5 plus shipping) through this myspace page.

http://www. myspace. com/aashram

Recording, Recording, Recording, Music, Music, Music

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:59:46 GMT

Since I have recently have declined an offer to gig with a straight ahead jazz combo, I have had more time to develop some of my musical ideas. I have fragments of compositions here and there that I am in process of refining and extending. Some of these are new ideas and others can be traced back to my time in Barcelona and last summer in Ann Arbor.

On Wednesday I reconnected with my friend Adam Kallad who is a musician and sound engineer. We both decided that it was time to start tracking once again (Adam engineered my session in June for the Fractured Dimension). I arrived at 2:30pm and left his studio at 8pm. I did 14 takes in total. I must say that it was productive session. Much of the material recorded will be used, other takes will serve as a reference for me. I will eventually be sending some these tracks off to Daniel Llanes, Eric Fillip, and Shane Dignan for further development. First and foremost need to spend some time analyzing each take.

I was happy to also assist Adam with his current rock project. I lent my ears to him and we analyzed some of his tunes together. I will be getting together with Adam again soon. Each time we meet serves as a learning experience for the both of us.

Back in Austin

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:24:29 GMT

Detroit was a non stop endeavor that involved a side trip to Toronto, a few gigs throughout the metro area, and a wedding. It was great seeing my family and many old friends. It was a challenging trip partially due to the grind, but also due to emotional stress induced by familial circumstances and my best friend growing up getting married. I have been recuperating from the trip and have come down with a cold. Blowing saxophone was tough last night.. This sore throat today has been annoying. I'm resting up for Saturday's recording session.

80s Poison in my subconsciousness?

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:08:21 GMT

Last night I had the most amazing dream. I dreamt that I reformed Aashram as the sleaze metal band Poison. All of a sudden we all had these amazingly bad hair styles.We all had aviator sunglasses on; For some reason I suddenly though It would be a good idea to start chain smoking. I had that Dog the Bounty Hunter massive mullet look with the unlit cigarette hanging from my mouth, wow that was intense. The entire band was decked out in leather biker gear with the sleaves ripped off the of the leather jackets. I think one of us was sporting the cross earring....Could you imagine jazz world beat meets Poison....that would be paradigm altering....how about a smooth jazz version of "Every Rose Has Its Thorn"....wow I couldn't handle that.....

Detroit Red Wings 2008 Stanley Cup Champions!!!

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:13:31 GMT

Wings took care of business this year and reclaimed the coveted Stanley Cup. Finally there is something to celebrate in the motor city. It has been a rough few years back home. A championship always lifts everyones morale a bit in Detroit. Hopefully this generated some revenue for downtown's local business owners. I've been pumped since last night! The cats in red and white played their asses off this spring! Go Detroit!!

Now if we could only keep Kwame out of the parade....

Thu, 22 May 2008 06:40:18 GMT

This is amazing, Miles talking about his career, his miami vice roll as a pimp, brazilian women, and features a sleazy performance with George Duke on keytar, gotta love the late 80s!!!

Sunday's Gig at the Red 7

Tue, 20 May 2008 18:52:55 GMT

This is the more tame, in the box stuff we played. This group is Donald Mohr's motley crew of musicians known as Nuclear Powered Winnebago. The ensemble was picked by Mohr. Donald has recently been giving me tips on playing and has shared has Berklee knowledge with me. Yes there are two bassists....one with a mask......I don't know why.....

NEW TRACK!!!!! Maalem

Wed, 07 May 2008 16:38:55 GMT

Greetings,

I have posted a new track from the Aashram Remixed Project up on myspace named Maalem.

myspace.com/joshua_thomson

This track is available on the recently released Aashram EP.

The Aashram EP is NOW AVAILABLE through Paypal $5 (plus shipping).

To purchase an EP send an email to jcthom@gmail.com, or aashram.music@gmail.com Or you can simply reply to this post!!

Maalem personnel:

Daniel Llanes-production, composition, mixing
Eric "Fil" Fillip- drums, percussion, composition
Joshua Thomson-composition, rhita, alto saxophone
Omar Taji-piano
Jeremy Olsen-Bass

New Track!!!!! : Maalem

Wed, 07 May 2008 16:36:16 GMT

Back in Society

Tue, 06 May 2008 22:40:04 GMT

Yes it has been a long time since I've posted on live journal. I haven't had much to say of late. I have spent the past 5 weeks in and out of the Cedra research facility. I did a clinical study that paid me 4k for my time and blood. It was an economic move for sure. Things were really getting tight financially before this past study. I finished the study yesterday morning, uncle benson was kind enough to pick me up once again. I enjoyed our visit over thai food. Thai food never tasted so good I'll tell you. We then saw Iron man at West Gate which was sweet.

I now am trying to get back on track with my life. The clinic is was conducive to getting nothing done between the drugs and the overall slacker mentality of the majority that rubs off on one. Currently I'm taking a pause here at Halycon between applying for jobs... So far today I've

> Dropped Rubia off at work
> assembled an Ikea bed
> Cleaned the kitchen
>made coffee
>Cleaned the bathroom
>made lunch
>listened to Sonny Rollins, Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer
>Applied for jobs
> found Rubia's parking spot downtown for her
> talked to Mohammed

I now need to practice and find more jobs to apply for. I have several jam sessions planned this week. It will be good to play some music with some people again. Hopefully my sax holds up until I get it fixed later this week.
.

SXSW Interactive, Film, and Music Festival 2008 Part I

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:22:25 GMT

In late February I moved to back to Austin 2 weeks early to prepare for South by Southwest 2008. Final mixes and graphic images were completed by benson and Daniel Llanes in time to have the Aashram EP duplicated before SXSW. Eric Fillip, benson, and I worked to smooth out details with a duplication company located in Detroit. Everything came together and now Aashram has a solid product that now is available for purchase (myspace).

Once the final product was shipped to me, I immediately started promoting Aashram at the Austin Convention Center. While there, I worked and promoted with the SXSW promotional materials department (March 5^th-14th). The 10 days of non-stop action and stimulus was well spent. I was able to connect with everyone from filmmakers and musicians to industry promoters, producers, and engineers. It became the perfect time to distribute a pre-released version of the Aashram EP. I was pleased that the feedback that I received regarding the EP was insightful and encouraging.

During the festival I had platinum access to movie premieres, private parties, showcasing artist performances, and the trade show. It was a privilege to connect and interact with like minded people from different parts of the globe. This year there seemed to be a high concentration of musicians performing from the UK, Spain, Australia, and West Africa. Most of the Filmmakers that I met were based in Los Angeles, New York, and Austin.

The beginning of the week was dedicated to the film and interactive portion of the festival. When not working at the trade center, I would bounce around downtown Austin, from film premiere to film party. I caught the premieres of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Bela Fleck’s Throw Down Your Heart. I did make it to several film parties including The Toe Tactic (which included a performance by Yo La Tengo). The premiere party for Throw Down Your Heart also included a live performance by Bela Fleck and some killer barbeque ribs and brisket.

The vibe was intimate for those fortunate to be admitted. It was a mixed crowd that was divided between those who were there to see Bela Fleck, and those who were there for the free barbeque. I had interesting conversations with and indie filmmaker from Alabama, a consultant from Los Angeles, and two individuals who worked for an internet film networking service. We networked and I gave them copies of the Aashram EP. I left the show feeling rejuvenated by Fleck’s playing. It was an honor to meet the man after the show.

Cedra Clinical Research

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 22:42:47 GMT

I have joined a research study here in Austin that requires me to be inpatient for the rest of the week, a total of 3 weeks inpatient with a week break between periods. So, I am looking forward to catching up on some reading, writing, and movie watching. I am glad I didn't bring my sax here there would be no place to play. Also I am sharing a communal living space with others so, you need to watch your bags. It's definitely a motley crew of individuals here. Some people have seen the harder side of life. You can see it in their eyes. All these people are just like me, in need of some fast cash.

My fellow volunteers are mostly nice, except for this ass from Royal Oak, MI. How typical right? Yesterday was quite rough, with 16 blood draws. Something like 8 within 2 hours. The morning was rough. Now there are only 6 more draws in total, including tonight's draw. So, the first day is the roughest apparently. I can anticipate 2 more rough days over the next 4 weeks. They need to find another vein because my " good vein" is fatigued. It sucks getting jammed at 3 times before they find one. This one bloke here got stuck like 6 times. That must've sucked.

Hell, I'm looking forward to getting my sax fixed. It's been a bitch playing on a broken horn. We all do what we have to do. My May rent will now be covered and that is a good thing. So apparently, I am not supposed to drink coffee during my week between studies, Does anyone know if it will show in my system if I ween myself off it like 2-3 days before I return? That's what I did this time around and I was accepted into the study. I've felt lazy these past 4-5 days even before the study. I miss coffee.....I think its probably due to the lack of caffeine, the naltrexone doses, and the sporadic sleep schedule. I've lacked motivation and enthusiasm in general. I must work to fight through this.

SXSW 2008

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 02:55:16 GMT

Saturday I made my SXSW debut with showcasing artist Boubacar Diebate from Senegal. The following is a clip from the show at the Copa Bar here in Austin, TX.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v161/benson3/?action=view&current=MOV02007.flv

Aashram EP Now For Sale $5

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 02:41:24 GMT

Aashram is now selling their newly released EP through the Aashram myspace page. Copies are $5 (shipping included). To place an order contact Aashram by sending a myspace at myspace.com/aashram or through email

aashram.music@gmail.com

SXSW Throw Down Your Heart

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 21:12:58 GMT

I will be attending the premiere of Throw Down Your Heart which documents Bela Fleck's journey through Central Africa in search of the banjo's historical roots. The show is tonight at the Alamo Ritz on 6th. I have been looking forward to this! The discussion panel alone, I'm sure will be worth attending.

UPDATE: Moving to Austin, TX

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:04:57 GMT

I was approved for the pending apartment, it's good to know I can pass background checks! Jenny and I will be moving down on the 12th with all of our gear.....It's going to be a busy week. It's finally time to get this show on the road...

New Track Uploaded on my Myspace page

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:26:22 GMT

I just uploaded a new song up on my personal myspace page titled "End of an Era". "End of an Era" was recorded back in 2006 with the progressive rock fusion group Timecube. This was recorded at Hood Productions Studio in Dearborn and was mastered by 54 Sound's Joe Gruska. The musicians on End of an Era are:

Eric "Fil" Fillip (drums); Shane Dignan (guitars); Omar Taji (wurlizter); Patrick Conroy (bass); Marco Coco (trumpet); and I, Joshua Thomson (alto saxophone).

Timecube is currently planning on releasing the entire Timecube record on the internet this spring.

Joshua

myspace.com/joshua_thomson

myspace.com/aashram

myspace.com/timecube

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 21:23:28 GMT

I've been going through my daily practice routine with a new reed. My girlfriend Rubia purchased a Fibracell synthetic reed for me as a birthday gift, and I am enjoying it. It is extremely responsive and is ready to be played immediately. I feel like I could record right away with this reed if I wanted to. It pleases me to witness the advancements being made with saxophone reeds. Vandoren is now sealing every reed individually to prevent moisture from entering the reeds. I recently purchased some classic reeds and they are playing on much better.

Today I have been spending some time experimenting with an English fife. The tone of this wooden instrument is incredible. Different woodwind instruments always intrigue me; playing different woodwind instruments prevents me from getting locked into monotonous patterns on the saxophone that prevent growth. A lot of players and jazz critics always wondered why Ornette Coleman plays the trumpet, and violin the way that he does.

Some claim, and have claimed that he wasn't "properly trained" even though Coleman did study both instruments extensively. To me his method makes more sense now. By playing different instruments (flutes, rhita, etc.), it allows you to re-approach your instrument differently. I begin trying patterns, licks, and melodies on the saxophone that I wouldn't have come to me if it wasn't for the rhita, or the flute. In my opinion those who criticized and continue to Coleman lack a comprehensive understanding for his approach to music. Perhaps purists are still turned off by the esoteric nature of harmelodic theory .

Only within the last 15-20 years has Coleman gained the respect and credit he deserves as a pioneer of jazz. Off I go to practice, it seems like it would take lifetimes to fully understand Ornette's music. It's possible though that it is easier that it appears, one should not be intimidated by complexity; it is better to be inspired by aesthetic breakthroughs from within the medium. Something tells me Coleman's work is counter intuitive. Remember then forget. Forget then remember....

Birthday Weekend in Chicago

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 05:02:27 GMT

Yesterday I returned from a weekend in Chicago. I was there celebrating my birthday with my girlfriend, Rubia. It was a cold, cold, cold, weekend in the windy city. I had an amazing time exploring the Art Institute of Chicago on saturday. We spent our entire saturday afternoon at the museum. Chicago has one of the best ( if not the best) collection of art in the country. There is just so much to see in such a short amount of time.

Everytime I visit a museum from out of town I never seem to have enough time. One can spend a life time viewing and studying the intricacies of the paintings. I just wish I had the chance to visit the Art Institute on a weekly basis. I felt ( as I always do) conflicted between trying to see as much as possible, and the time needed to absorb the works of art. I could've stared at some of the paintings for months. Being surrounded by Monet, Picasso, Kandinsky, O'Keefe, Rivera and all of the amazing impressionists, and modernists can be extremely inspiring and overwhelming. I was blown away by the experience. Seeing these masterpieces in person is unbelievable.

Also worth noting is Shedd Aquarium. They have an amazing collection of aquatic animals including the leafy, and weedy sea dragons. I also enjoyed the moon jellies.

Mange la Mode: Industry Reunion December 28th, 2007

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 07:13:00 GMT

Immediately following the 25^th of December, I began working full time on Mange la Mode's Industry Reunion fashion show. Principal designer benson required additional help during the three day stretch run leading up to the show. Since Mange la Mode's partner and operations manager Q was absent attending to matters in New Hampshire, benson needed a Detroit crew to assist with production, choreography, modeling, and general necessities. Jennifer Woys (fashion assistant, University of Michigan graduate) and I decided to commit to the project.

For three days benson, Jennifer, and I were based out of Utica, Michigan and commuted to the Eagle Theater (formerly Industry) in Pontiac, for rehearsals. On the Wednesday, and Thursday prior to the performance, we conducted rehearsals from 5:00pm-12:00am. During these sessions Jennifer and I assisted with the garments and collaborated with several of the models on the choreography. I was amazed at how efficiently the core group of models worked together.

After the first night we established a working framework for our main number, benson's murder tango. For myself, I quickly knew what steps I needed to iron out within the routine. The crew and I repacked the truck and we completed our first full day. I went back to the hotel and practiced saxophone until 3:00am in preparation for the Aashram remix recording session on the 30^th of December.

As I awoke late the next morning, benson had already been up throughout the early night answering various messages. At this time, benson had a list of tasks that he required Jennifer and I to do. The two of us bounced around town to Jo-Ann Fabric and Target. After a quick lunch, we met benson back at the hotel and packed the garments for the second day of rehearsal.

Once we were set up at the theater we spent the majority of the evening solidifying the roles of each of the models for the murder tango. We worked on individual parts and further choreographed the number as a team. Once we had the entire number complete, we spent time developing and fine tuning specific parts within the routine. I worked to keep the team focused when everyone wanted to break. benson would periodically check on us and give us input and pointers. We left the second night fatigued with a feeling of accomplishment.

On Friday the 28th benson, Jennifer, and I all arrived at the Eagle Theater at 12:30pm. Q and Terri Collins arrived via Columbus around 3:00pm as Mange la Mode reinforcement. Q and Terri took over production duties and Jennifer and I facilitated dance rehearsal at 4:00pm. Somehow I was able to squeeze in time to practice on the saxophone in between.

The team rehearsed for about 4 hours which allowed us to work on the emotional aspect of the piece. We were able to add more life to the dance number once everything became fine tuned. benson spent extra time with the group so that the routine would convey his message. The routine became lustful, passionate, and tragic. The murder tango became a fusion of dance and theater. We rehearsed it until we could do the dance in our sleep. We were finally ready.

As the evening went on, we entered crunch time. I assisted benson, Q, and Jennifer conducting various errands, and attending to various odds and ends. It was a crazed scene involving 20 plus models, 6-8 hair dressers and make up artists, 3 photographers, and the Mange la Mode production crew. We performed just after 12:15am and the crowd ate it up. I couldn't help but get butterflies like I always do before a performance. It was a special night, benson's 25th anniversary in Detroit, the reunion of Industry, and my first show with Mange la Mode since 2002. I had a great time performing in the murder tango.

For me, I always want moments on stage to last longer than they do. Everything happens so fast. I embraced the intense pace of the Mange la Mode production. It was quite a challenge and experience for me to be heavily involved in the production while simultaneously preparing for a Sunday recording session with Aashram. I learned a great deal from this experience. As I told photographer Daniel Rebb after the production "what can I say Dan, it was a show". Dan shook his head in agreement with a dramatic look on his face.

It was a privilege to meet so many interesting people. I was fortunate to be able to reunite with old friends and family members. Performing on alto saxophone for everyone backstage after the show was a treat. That was my own personal transition into the second half of my weekend. The scene backstage was rather inspiring.Who wouldn't want to improvise at a time like that? Many thanks to benson, Jennifer, Zachariah, Terri, Q, Steven, Cyndee, Dan, and the entire Mange la Mode modeling and production staff.