NASA EDGE - Geeky Cool and the Transit of Venus

Last Tuesday, if you were paying attention, you had what's likely your last chance of a lifetime to experience a transit of Venus in person. You'll need to stick around until 2117 if you want to see the next one. If you missed it last Tuesday, sorry to break the news to you, but don't panic, you're still in luck. Technology captured all sorts of video, photo and raw data of the event and you should be able to relive it fully when your schedule allows.

My family and I started out our transit experience at Bobcat Stadium here in Bozeman, where the Montana Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) had organized a viewing event and presentation. There was a good crowd, including lots of kids. The display area was packed with people and really the only (literal) damper on the afternoon was one of the heavier thunderstorms we've had this Spring, perfectly timed to interrupt the main talk. As we were huddled under shelter to stay out of the rain and away from lightning strikes, I discovered NASA's live feed of the transit on my iPhone. Since it was so overcast with the thunderstorm, the NASA feed really gave us our only decent view of the phenomenon.

Of course, parental life being what it is these days, we then had to run around town to get Zane to soccer practice and Kiley to her swim lesson. I had to go home and work a couple more hours in front of my laptop, but wanted to stay in touch with Venus' progress. Initially I restarted the live feed on my iPhone, but quickly realized I was better off loading it on the iMac right next to where I was working. I discovered quickly that the broadcast wasn't just video feed of the transit itself. They were cutting to play-by-play from a number of very cold scientists at the top of Mauna Kea, and switching periodically to studio segments on some of the scientific basics surrounding the transit and NASA's work in general.

Now, I'm old enough to remember live television broadcasts of the lunar missions and completely recognize how immersive and engulfing those were, but as the space program has evolved, the coverage has been less gripping and easier to ignore. As I watched the NASA EDGE broadcast (a USTREAM channel) I couldn't help the smile on my face. It seems NASA's finally figured out something my father and I have talked about quite a bit. Kids find it way too easy to get immersed in video games and brain dead TV shows, and it's only the rare geeky kids (like me) that would rather dig around to learn more about NASA, evolution and robotics. But NASA EDGE has taken some lessons from NFL and Olympic Games broadcasting, while retaining the unique flavor that science and technology bring to the table. In the process, they've generated an entertaining and educational collection of programming that really ought to appeal to the masses, much in the same way that MythBusters does.

You see, science isn't all lab coats and thick, black, plastic frame glasses. I grew up backpacking with two other families, at least one trip every year. All three fathers were professors of chemistry, and the group expanded over the years to include other academics, physics professors, chemistry graduate students, etc. There were some high-powered intellects on those trips and yet there were no lab coats. We definitely had a crew of misfit, fun-loving folks that could easily get lost in discussions about astronomy or the trajectory of the sun. But scientists are just people, and our family backpacking trips melded the intellectual focus of two (and now three) generations, while absolutely focusing first on fun.

Last Tuesday after the kids and Nancy came home from their late afternoon activities, I started up the NASA EDGE feed on our iPad and used AirPlay to push the signal over to our TV. We watched the coverage for at least another hour and it triggered a lot of fun conversation and Wikipedia digging. I honestly think NASA is onto something. If we can get the next generation of kids to spend more time pondering orbits, space debris and planetary trajectories, we will raise happier more productive adults. It was clear from NASA's coverage on Tuesday that the scientists covering the event were having a blast, being themselves and that science is both simulating and silly.

If you missed the coverage on Tuesday, check out the NASA video archive and keep an eye on NASA EDGE programming. Next time you're thinking of sitting down with family to watch a movie, consider NASA EDGE instead. You won't regret it. Technology and science are cool, really!

The Quest: the metal heartland

As I mentioned not long ago in my article about my next project, I'm striving for something new. The ingredients for my next album need to be fresh and unique, yet still completely aligned with my love of heavy, melodic music. Although I have recently become friends with a number of metalheads here in Bozeman, the common theme amongst them leans too heavily toward death metal and guttural vocals to be the right fit for me. I need the contributors for this next album to come naturally to melody; they must be forceful and graceful all at once. And, as I previously mentioned, the most sensible place to look for those musicians is where most of my favorite bands come from: Finland and Sweden.

The plane tickets are purchased, my family's summer has been scheduled. In mid-August we will embark on our quest, combining the goal of seeing Amaranthe perform in their home territory, with my own goal of making the first round of connections I need for the next album. Earlier this year we had hoped to accomplish the family goal, and see Amaranthe at the House of Metal festival. Nancy, Kiley and Zane are all crazy about Amaranthe, and we were immensely excited until we learned that the House of Metal show was not all ages; neither of the kids would make the 13 year old cutoff. Those were sad days in the Hearst-Reynolds house but they planted a seed that continued to grow. A few months later, while preparing my Amaranthe blog article, I was looking at their website and noticed a show planned for August at the Liseberg Stora Scenen. Being part of a family-oriented amusement park, I quickly contacted the park representatives and learned that, yes, there will not be an age limit. With that information, the quest became reality.

Centered around the Amaranthe concert, we will spend a week in Sweden and a week in Finland. I hope to make advance contact with various studios and engineers in Helsinki, Stockholm and Göteborg. I'm attempting to find someone that can act as a champion and coordinator for the project, someone that I will pay for their responsibilities but who will also immerse themselves in the vision. Ideally, this person will be able to assemble a collection of musicians, a drummer, a bass player, a keyboardist and a singer, that are perfectly suited to this project. Then, the coordinator/engineer/producer will help me establish the monetary and temporal logistics for the project. I hope to visit with various engineers and producers, and tour their facilities, so that we have enough opportunity to recognize the right fit when it shows itself.

As a family, there will be more to this trip than architecting my next album. We will see the sights, experience the culture and, hopefully, spend some days outside the city, most likely exploring the Finnish wilderness. But, for me, the trip really hinges on my quest. I will strive to gather enough data to make the path to the next album clear. I will also endeavor to gain enough familiarity with the cities and their music scenes so that I'm prepared for a potential return trip. I suspect, budget-wise and time-wise, it will make sense for me to track guitars here in Bozeman, however, I do think that it makes sense for me to take part in as much of the other tracking as possible. Depending on scheduling, perhaps I can be present when basic tracks and vocals are being laid down.

We will see how it all comes together. If you are a heavy musician in Finland or Sweden and have an interest in the project, please contact me. If you are a recording engineer, producer or studio owner in Göteborg, Stockholm or Helsinki and think you could help me accomplish my vision, please let me know. I would be happy to communicate before and to meet with any and all of you in August. If the vision seems still a bit nebulous, you are right, I'm trying to leave a lot of room for it to define itself, based on the creative people involved. I firmly believe in the magic of collaboration and that "my" vision is really more of a catalyst than an exacting road map. For more information, clarification and questions, please do not be shy, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

The Merits of Kissin' Dynamite

Those of you that have been paying attention will know that I have relatively broad tastes in heavy music. I'm not one of those who believes that a single sub-genre from a particular 3 year period is the sole defining element to good metal. I remember a time when there was no metal, period, and I've enjoyed watching the evolutionary development and ever-broadening of the metal umbrella. Even with that in mind, though, there are some areas of more commercially "polished" metal that lead to a little guilty pleasure for me. I was going to G.I.T. in Hollywood right in the middle of the hair metal boom and MTV's rotation of bands like Ratt, Van Halen and Poison. I recognize that era eventually reached levels of excess that burned it down and opened the door for grunge. No arguments there.

With that background, you can understand the twinge I got when I saw a promo picture for Kissin' Dynamite. Like some strange convergence of the classic Judas Priest leather and mainstream hair metal excess with an unexpected infusion from Flock of Seagulls, clearly these guys were not in any of the goth, symphonic, thrash, death or black metal camps. Fortunately, my first exposure didn't involve any promo shots, just MP3 audio plus the album front cover and all it took was a minute or so of "Money, Sex & Power" to get my attention.

Yes, there's a dose of good ol' 80s hair/glam metal. But somehow Kissin' Dynamite has straddled the line between the Scorpions/Judas Priest branch of straight ahead, upbeat, melodic metal and riff-based, tongue-in-cheek glam metal seasoning. Powered by a wall of Germanic guitars, and straight-ahead bass and drums, Kissin' Dynamite immediately made me feel at home. Hannes' vocals often make me think back to Axl's work in the class Guns N' Roses material, but that's more about the timbre and edginess; his melodic lines fit more closely in The Scorpions and Accept camp.

I recommend listening to their latest release, "Money, Sex & Power" from top to bottom. If you need an entry point, "Club 27" is a great song to whet your appetite. If you are a big fan of a little fun in your metal, how can you not like a band that writes songs like "Dinosaurs Are Still Alive"? And just when you think you've got the band figured out, they hit you with the closing song on the album, "Six Feet Under", revealing both a lyrical cleverness and musical breadth that's surprising. I'm sitting here right now listening to the album, and I just can't keep that stupid smile off of my face. Good stuff!

Music Tech Center business model - call for assistance

Today's article is related to the "Help Wanted" page I just added to this site. The Music Tech Center is looking for a qualified contractor to a help solidify our business plan, so that we can proceed with renovation. The motivation behind our search is outlined in the following text.

The vision for the Music Tech Center (MTC) has been evolving over the last three years. Most of my time has been focused on the mechanics of acquiring an appropriate building here in Bozeman and how to renovate the space accordingly. My background is not in business and, hence, the part of this project that is still a challenge is the cash flow model and overall business structure. That also is complicated by the unusual nature of the vision, sitting philosophically smack dab in the middle of "not for profit" but not necessarily warranting the complexity of a board of directors and the complicated bureaucracy that goes along with 501(c)(3).

We are very, very close to being able to submit for a building permit and ask the subcontractors to start the renovation in earnest. But I sit here still wondering if we have a model that can keep the facility going while still achieving the vision. We want to make sure we satisfy some key goals:

• make sure that local bands will always be able to play at the venue
• make sure that local musicians, especially kids will be drawn to the facility, collaborating with each other and gaining experience
• make sure that all local fans have access, not just drinking age patrons
• make sure that the acoustics, audio, video and networking are cutting edge
• make sure the MTC is an asset for the local music scene and source of enjoyment for southwest Montana

I've observed many years of local music business and recognize that it is rare for bands to get paid sufficiently for their live efforts. I know that the typical bar venue generates most of its income from alcohol sales, and sometimes bands get a (small) cut of that. The thing is, I want to see the MTC operate as part of a healthy eco-system. Obviously we need some income to pay for loans, property tax, insurance and utilities but there's a point where there's enough to cover the basic expenses. I'd like to see us establish a model that honors that spirit and makes sure that performers take the same responsibility and reap the same benefits that we do. Perhaps we can establish a monthly threshold and work to satisfy that throughout the sum total of all events for the month, then share all profits beyond that with the performers. Perhaps we take a similar approach but handle it on an event by event basis. Once we hit the (low) threshold for a given night, we simply share the rest between the bands.

For zoning reasons, the MTC cannot be a bar or a restaurant. We can partner with caterers to provide food and drink for shows, but cannot run those services ourselves. I understand that typically such catering agreements allow the caterer to keep the money they make on food and beverage sales. That makes sense and simplifies the model because the catering monies aren't part of our equation. Unfortunately that also means we don't have what's generally considered the best source of income for a venue.

We also struggle to make heads or tails of the for-profit vs. not-for-profit question. Our spirit is very much "not for profit" but the administrative and bureaucratic responsibilities of running this as a true not-for-profit appear to be a poor match for the project. How then do we run this in a more typical "for profit" model without maximizing profits and the never-ending quest for business growth?

So, the renovation plans are nearly complete and we could start demolition within weeks, immediately followed by construction. However, we could use some mentoring, support and guidance on the business model and projecting a target for the next three years. Do you have the unique set of skills, experience and interest necessary to help us get over the hump? We welcome your input and are flexible on terms. Mostly we just want to settle this issue and move forwards. Please contact me or reply below if you can help.

Charon: Sorry to see you go

I have VonGoober radio to thank for my first exposure to Charon. This was back when Steve Shumake ran his own Live365 station and I was a loyal listener. Every time I tuned in I discovered bands that I'd never heard of, many of them hailing from outside the U.S. During one such listening session, I heard "Unbreak, Unchain" from Charon's album, "The Dying Daylights" and my musical life changed.

Charon's music captures a unique blend of melancholy and power. Typically they are classified as gothic metal and utilize keyboards and female harmony vocals, traits consistent with the style. Many of their lyrics involve fire and death but the effect of their music for me is mostly soothing and engulfing. Their strong, steady rhythm tracks and harmonic motions lay down the perfect foundation for Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto (aka JP).

This in no way is meant to detract from the contributions of his bandmates, but Charon's sound, their entire mood, is thoroughly entwined with JP's voice. He has an incredibly deep, rich timbre, which allows him to communicate deep emotion without relying heavily on rasp or growl. His voice evokes some hints of Sisters of Mercy, while capturing some of the darker side of Johnny Cash and yet, JP is unique and stands on his own.

I spent much of my musical growth years admiring vocalists like Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford and Klaus Meine, all great singers in their own rights. Heavy metal has a long, glorious history of near-operatic vocalists, male and female singers that deliver power in their upper registers, many of them delivering their melodies without much rasp or grit. When I discovered Charon, my definition of a great metal singer expanded to cover a much lower range of pitch. I still love the bands whose singers are way up there, the ones who can hit unbelievable highs and leave you imagining shattered wine glasses. Honestly, thought, if I actually had a say in it, I'd be in a band with a singer like JP. Or better yet, the singer would be JP.

Sadly, Charon only released one more non-compilation album after "The Dying Daylights". In 2005 they released "Songs for the Sinners", an album that has grown to equal status with its predecessor in my collection. It's hard to pick favorite songs, but I highly recommend starting with "Unbreak, Unchain" and "Religious/Delicious" from "The Dying Daylights". On "Songs for the Sinners", I suggest listening to "Colder" and "Deep Water", then go on from there. After a long period of inactivity in the studio, Charon released "A-Sides, B-Sides and Sucides" compilation in 2010. Then in 2011 they announced their final performances would occur in their home country of Finland, during the midsummer.

I am deeply sorry I never got to see Charon perform live. My family's trip to Sweden and Finland this coming summer will happen too late for that. Instead, I will go on treasuring the music they recorded and hope that perhaps, someday, I'll at least get to see JP perform live.

If you were lucky enough to see Charon perform, would you share your experiences? Those of us in the Americas would love to hear what that was like, to be in the same room, listening to and watching the band perform. If there's a next chapter for the band's members, will we get a chance to experience that outside of their home turf?