THEE INDUCTOR - HANDMADE SYNTH!

My good friend and bandmate Sam Schauer makes various syth / light theremin / tone noise making devices out of old record players and transistor radios.  Check out THE INDUCTOR!

"Thee Inductor is a one of a kind hand made fully polyphonic analog synthesizer. Each of it's six keys actuates a sawtooth waveform whose tuning is set by the player. It also features 2 full range squarewave oscillators, 2 LFOs with rate/depth/shape controls, and 2 resonant filters. There is a tuner/aux out so it can be precisely tuned in silence. There is also an attenuated aux return. In practice, this means that the player can mix outboard effects (delay, phaser, etc) into the signal chain. Significantly, this signal returns before the filters, meaning that the aux input could also be used as a simple filter input for other instruments like drum machines or other keyboards."

WOW, sounds awesome, right?  Yes it does, and it does SOUND awesome!  Check out Sam's blog for more on Thee Inductor and pricing for having one of Sam's creations made for YOU!


http://theehumansound.wordpress.com/

HEY I'M BACK!

Hey there, I know it's been awhile since I last posted, but now I am back to my regular postings.  I had a blast of film work overcome me, but I have climbed out from the rubble juggernaut of film production.  So much has happened; PAPER / UPPER / CUTS release show, Bill Callahan & Black Mountain at Pickathon, my hopz & garden are blowing up, Totalfest is coming, and my Saison brewed at Coalition will be on tap soon!   More on this and everything else to come....

THE ORIGINAL SAPS - THE WEDDING PRESENT

Formed in Leeds, England, The Wedding Present has been bringing their sappy jangle jangle to us since 1985.  WP heavily influenced the forefathers of what has become indie rock.  Even with a hiatus from 97 through the early 2000s, they have managed to release over 30 studio albums, live albums, EPs, and compilation albums.  If you haven't heard them, check them out, I'm feeling a bit nostalgic today!  Here are some of my favs...

 

URBAN FARMER - GARLIC BLAST

URBAN FARMER - MY HOPZ

Third year growth on my Centennial Hops!  Looking forward to making many o' batch of TOTALLY IPA with fresh hops in a month or two!

 Anyone wanna make some beer?

2 DAYS TO GO - PDX PUCKERFEST 2011 - BELMONT STATION

Stopped by Belmont Station last night to try a few of the Puckerfest beers!  Definitely some interesting brews!

Walking Man Foot Funk!  An unblended lambic style beer.  Tart, funky, and fruity, with a little foot funk in there.  5.1% ABV

Cascade Sang Rouge 2009!  Oak-aged lactic Northwest Sour Ale.  Dark, a hint of chocolate, oaky, very tasty!  6% ABV

Gulpener Mestreechs Aajt (Netherlands)!  I tried to pronounce this one, but the bartender just laughed.  A Flemish Red Ale blend partially oak-aged with wild yeast.  Sweet, dark fruit flavors.  4% AVC.  This one was the highlight for me, but all where unique and tasty beers. 

Love me some Belmont Station!  Two days left of Puckerfest, get there if you can.  Grab a seat in the sun, and drink up!

I GOT ROCKED - FEDERATION X

I made it to FEDERATION X, but only got to see them.   That was enough, they definitely rocked me, Pink Mountaintops next time!  FX played some of my old favorites (The Hatchetman), and some new songs, said to have been recorded during this trip to PDX.  Looking forward to that!

PINK MOUNTAINTOPS VS. FEDERATION X - TO ROCK OR GET ROCKED

Toss up for tonight with so much going on this evening.  Hoping the sun with stay for the day, shining brightly for the onslaught of rockin' roll that will take over Portland this evening.  Torn between these two events:

ROCK! Canadia's Stephen McBean of Black Mountain gets together with friends and members of BM, to bring you his brand of psychedelic folk rock ala sex love!  Pink Mountaintops play Bunk Bar this evening!
http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/pink-mountaintops-and-1776/Event?oid=4027395

OR GET ROCKED!  FEDERATION X plays Rotture tonight along with Danava & Leaders.  This is definitely a rock show not to miss.  FX originally hails from the northern territories of Bellingham, WA., not sure if they are still calling that home, but pride of Washington they are. 
http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/federation-x-danava-leaders-and-gaytheist/Event?oid=4163565

PDX PUCKERFEST 2011 - BELMONT STATION

Hey y'all sour beer lovers, I implore you to check out Belmont Station's annual Sour Beer Festival.
http://www.puckerfest.com/
Love me some sour ales!  I stopped in the other night for glass of Upright's addition to the festival, the Belmont Station 14th Anniversary Ale, a special blend of four Upright beers; including three aged in Ransom Old Tom Gin barrels, two with brett and lacto and one with apricot puree! Holy cow, this one is a must!  The festival runs through the 24th, so there is still a few days to try some really unique sour beers!

BREWING AT COALITION BREWING - COALATOR SAISON!

The other day I brewed a Saison at Coalition Brewing.  Their Coalator Program is great; they invite home brewers to come in and brew on their 10 gallon system, and then they serve the beer in their pub.  It's a great opportunity to learn from more experienced brewers, brew on a larger system, and get your beer out to the public!

Thanks Lee, Elan, and Bruce for the great brew day!  Can't wait for my Saison to be ready, it's another variation of the Rapture Saison I brewed a few months ago.  I'll update on this throughout the process, and once the beer is ready to be served! 

After we finished up my batch, I stayed for a bit and helped Lee and Elan load up a keg of Hibiscus IPA that Lee and LOLA (Ladies of Lagers & Ales) brewed up for Saraveza's LOLA night celebrating women in beer!

The event is this Saturday, check in out here:
http://www.saraveza.com/site/events/

Cheers folks!