Monday, October 12th 2004 - I bought my first Oregon record at age 14. The recording was called Winter Light, and thinking back, I can't remember why I purchased it. It must have something to do with the cover art and the back pictures of the band, seeing Colin Walcott playing sitar and tablas. I love this band, so I bought tickets to see them perform at the Athenaeums jazz series. Excellent concert, with so much change in the last 34 years. So funny to talk to people, hear their reactions to the music. Not positive or negative, but what they liked, why they came to the concert. I enjoyed the older material, with Paul playing oboe, while several people (notably Jon Garner) seemed to be more positive to more recent material. Can I tell you I'm still not sure about the drummer? The mid-40s Hispanic guy seated in front of me (with the vintage mid-70s Oregon vinyl) was very positive about his contribution. And I've been a huge fan of Mark Walker since I heard the Caribbean Jazz Project Record in 1996. But what I love about Oregon is the ability to move beyond genres, and I feel Colin contributed to a large part of that. For me, his small percussion/sitar setup allowed the compositions to give a sense of timelessness, in the space where hippy Oregon meets European forms meets Indian percussion. Stepping away from conventional "drum set grooves", allowing the pieces to breathe differently. Often, the titles added to these thoughts, and whether the composition was "At the Hawks Well" or "Distant Hills", this overall meditation on a single thought or topic seems to have shifted to a more "traditional groove" base in the more recent music. This definitely added more excitement for the jazz crowd at this concert. But for me it took away from the introspective quality that brings me back to their recording. However, Oregons continued work on music outside of fads and popularity still brings me much excitement.
Tuesday, October 13th 2004 - Still slightly high on the tour euphoria, I came home from work expecting a quiet night alone to finish up a few recent compositions concerning Encinitas. I stupidly turned on the TV, flipping between two strange shows, The Surreal Life and The Real World. The Surreal Life, were several aging celebrities gauge their position in the world outside their door and deal with how much they have in common with other people. The Real World, where everyday mid-20 kids make the mistakes everyone makes at that age, but have these mistakes broadcast around the world. I kept the TV on to see the Hip-Hop Awards, a slightly token, overdue look at the history of this music. I'm reminded of the Burns jazz special, where 90% of the artists are glossed over to fit everything into easily-usably categories. Several nice tributes to forgotten heroes, and Sean Combes "the hip hop nation must vote" speech was so-so ho hum. But Public Enemy's performance made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Here's what I saw- Chuck D ripped into "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos". The Beastie Boys joined for "Fight The Power", with Chuck changing the lyrics to "Reagan was a hero to most, but he never meant shit to me", which lead directly into "Bring The Noise" with Anthrax joining in. So fuck politics, fuck culture and social issues. It was all there. The best statement I've heard this year. With my adrenaline rushing, I see the differences staring me in the face. And I wonder if its possible to bridge what is happening today, the hopes and dreams of millions of people, with thoughts of distant hills and Ruth Larabee. As much as I love the thought of Chris Williams telling me that music is the one thing in the world free of connotations, I can't accept that. How does all of this fit in with what I've seen, experienced and lived? After listening to It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, I find myself in my backyard, smoking a cigarette, drinking water, listening to the crickets and the trains to the west. Thoughts of the last week on tour, Harry Partch and George Lewis, Oregon and Public Enemy. Still unsure of myself, I'm heading to bed. I love and miss Colin Walcott and would like to thank Chuck D for every word he has ever spoken.

 

Nathan Hubbard solo tour fall 2004 (the nate(squared) tour)
Day 1 (thursday september 30th 2004) - up early, load and on the road. arrive Bakersfield early, drive around, check out the sites. two performances, first, solo for Kris Tiners intro to jazz class, talking and explaining. lots of good questions. second, lead the Bakersfield College big band through where's han?, an interesting hour running parts, cleaning and a few run throughs. next, the road - to Sacramento, dinner with Lee, then more driving to Portland. several stops, including a hilarious pitstop in Coos Bay where we can't find the freeway entrance. crash about 5am, hour and a half outside Portland, can't see, sleep for a few hours at a roadstop. wakeup, drive into Portland, straight to Wards house.
Day 2 (friday october 1st 2004) - alive after a 20 minute nap, i head out Ward Baxters door to make soundcheck at the IFCC. get lost, late. find the place, drop my stuff off, set-up, head back to Wards. lunch, radioshack, etc. back to wards to build some contact mics, bought a bunch of funny stuff - suction cup mics, pillow speakers. get another 20 minute nap, then back to IFCC. short soundcheck, wait.
Day 3 (saturday october 2nd 2004) - Tom took us to the movies. Then i played at the Jasmine Tree.
Day 4 (sunday october 3rd 2004) - Late start, breakfast with the Baxters, then the road. Stop in Salem, lunch with my cousin Andy Collins. On to Eugene, late. Radio show with James Cervantes, talking and a few Born On Tuesday, Skeleton Key Orchestra and Return To One tracks. Record a metal sculpture on campus, head to Philomath. Pizza for dinner, get lost, find my uncles place.
Day 5 (monday october 4th 2004) - a beautiful morning in Philomath. Head into Eugene, lunch with Theresa Archer, hang out in a park. Nothing to do, hours to waste, trapped in Eugene, head east to check the sites, find a record store, buy some vinyl. Back to Eugene, setup, wait. Nice gig at DIVA (Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts), solo set then trio improv set with flutist Daniel Heila and bassist Rob Kollar. Meet some people playing next door. Back to Philomath to crash.
Day 6 (tuesday october 5th 2004) - another beautiful morning in Philomath. Late start, buy beef jerky and bratwurst for breakfast. South thru Oregon. Stop in Rice Hill, ice cream and trickets. Stop in Weed for t-shirts and crap. Solo at the Soda Creek Undercrossing, frame + pignose, lots of feedback. Nate2 takes pictures. Make it to Redding in time for dinner. More driving into Oakland, arrive about midnight, crash with Danny Cantrell. We ate to much beef jerky today - in loving tribute to Justin Grinnell.
Day 7 - Awaking to Oakland, back in California, up late for breakfast and hang w/ Danny. Head into the city, spend a few hours at the Exploratorium, back to Oakland, then back to the city later to drop Nate2 off and meet up with my aunt and uncle for dinner. Meet up later with Jesse Hix, end up crashing there, hang out, drink a few beers, talk about music (mostly metal) and the fine art of brewing beer.
Day 8 - wake up, try and get ahold of Nate2, head to breakfast. Nate2 takes the BART back to Oakland after a not so fruitful night in Daly City. Head to Davis for a duo gig with Lee Elderton (woodwinds) at a bombshelter in the backyard of a house in Davis. Buy some junk for percussive uses, do a bit of recording in the bomb shelter. Good gig, Alto/Tenor duet for opener, then Lee and myself. To my amazement, 15-20 people climb down the ladder into the shelter to listen to us play.
Day 9 - (day 8 continued) drive thru the night from Davis to SD. at around 2 we decide to call Justin every hour on the hour till we get home. Hit the grapevine about 3:30am, are in San Clemente by 5:30am. Stop for Denny's (first of the tour), bad breakfast, then head to San Marcos, trade cars, head home. Get stuck in a 45 minute traffic jam on a side street on the way to Encinitas. Nate2 falls asleep behind the wheel of his car in traffic. Home, crash, up in a few hours, return the rental car, lunch. Head to SD for the final gig, NWEAMO @ SDSU

 

(tuesday september 7th 2004)

the man
with the wispy beard
tells me mine is to wispy
"i've never had a romance",
he says,
"but lets play my romance"
has anybody seen the bass player?
i get the feeling his absence is the reason
the slightly tipsy late 40s woman
at the table directly in front of me
keeps giving me dirty looks
and, along with her date
laughs at the band-
or am i being to sensitive?
my friend lin
says we should play mas a nada
and as we play
with his wife singing along
i can't shake the memory of playing this toon w/ pholtz
and to many nights playing with sprigle
and how old i'm getting
and the patrons at the bar continue to ignore us

 

recording Cosmologic III July 24th 2004

 

July 7th 2004 "Whatever rules we have we put on ourselves" Joey Carano

 

(late June 2004) About a year ago i had coffee with George. We were looking a few of my scores and he asked me where i usually worked. He asked me to imagine an artists studio, with lots of space and room to work. A place to spread stuff out and allow the space to become part of the piece.

 

June 19th 2004 after a concert at Voz Alta (listening to my stereo to much)
voicemail numbers on an old computer screen rows of lovers parked forever in a dream screaming sirens echoing across the bay to the old boats from the city far away - homeless heroes walk the streets of their hometown rows of zeros on a field thats turning brown they play baseball they play football under lights they play card games and we watch them every night - need distraction need romance and candlelight need random violence need entertainment tonight need the evidence want the testimony of expert witnesses on the brutal crimes of love - i was to tired to see the news when i got home pulled the curtains fell into bed alone started dreaming saw the rider once again in the doorway where she stood and watched for him watched for him - i'm not present i'm a drug that makes you dream i'm an aerostar i'm a cutlass supreme in the wrong lane trying to turn against the flow i'm the ocean i'm the giant undertow - Neil Young "I'm The Ocean" 1995 Mirror Ball

 

our new puppy rocky

 

here is what I've been listening to for the last two weeks (may 24th-june 7th 2004) -
Lou Donaldson The Scorpion Live at the Cadillac Club
Joe Cocker
Genesis Trespass
Bruce Springsteen Darkness on the Edge of Town
Herbie Nichols The Complete Blue Note Recordings
Mick Karn Dreams of Reason Produce Monsters
Lita Ford Lita
Emperor IX Equilibrium
Napalm Death From Enslavement to Obliteration
Schuller/Lewis/Guiffre/Johnson Music for Brass
Joe Jackson Body and Soul
Marillion Misplaced Youth
Ralph MacDonald The Path
Paul Bley Blood/Live in Haarlem
Edgar Varese The Complete Works
Ned Rothenberg The Crux
Phillip Greenlief Stalking Andrei
Merry Go Down
Trummerflora Collective No Stars Please
Krzysztof Penderecki Anaklasis, etc.
Iannis Xenakis Jonchaies-Shaar-Lichens-Antikhthon
Soul Coughing Irresistible Bliss
Primus Sailing the Seas of Cheese
Olivier Messiaen Et Exspecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum, etc.
Mike Keneally Wooden Smoke
Roxy Music Stranded
Reynols Blank Tapes
Zappa/Boulez The Perfect Stranger
Tricky Pre-Millenium Tension

 

Cosmologic with Vinny Golia Spring Reverb May 5th 2004

 

Nathan Hubbard, George Lewis, Miya Masaoka - Final Ideas at The Space March 20 2004

 

Cosmologic - Zeitgeist @ the Mat Bevel Institute - Tucson AZ February 2004