Rather than write about my Saturday night, why don't I just show you?
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Professors Cornel West & Robert George
My aunt works at a Catholic center for evangelization in Madison, NJ, called St. Paul Inside the Walls and last night the center hosted a discussion on the nature and basis of human dignity with Professors Cornel West and Robert George. I've been a fan of Cornel West since the first time I caught him on Real Time with Bill Maher, so I jumped at the opportunity to see him - becuase he always makes me THINK.
Now I won't get into the specific details of the discussions and topics, but time was spent on the fact that people are the ends that societies means are supposed to serve and not the other way around; abortion; same sex marriage; the current struggle of American society; and whether or not christianity has been thoroughly highjacked by those interested in taking advantage of people for nothing more than their own benefit. Organized greed is a dangerous thing, and human beings have a value that you cannot put a price on. Again, it's all about making you think about the world around you, perhaps from someone else's perspective.
After the discussion I got a chance to meet Professor West briefly and hear him field direct questions from some of the event attendees. I didn't get a chance to ask my specific question during the event, but I was lucky in that the final questioner touched on the topic that I was going to raise. So, I simply listened to the ideas being passed in the very intimate after-event setting. However, on my way home I thought of a question that I would like to ask Professor West should our paths cross again: "Why is it that in New Jersey none of the gas stations that I come across have convenient stores attached to them? Every station that I pulled into was attached to a garage, and all I really wanted for my 10PM drive back to Poughkeepsie was a snack. I mean, what does a guy have to do to get some combos in this state?"
Now I won't get into the specific details of the discussions and topics, but time was spent on the fact that people are the ends that societies means are supposed to serve and not the other way around; abortion; same sex marriage; the current struggle of American society; and whether or not christianity has been thoroughly highjacked by those interested in taking advantage of people for nothing more than their own benefit. Organized greed is a dangerous thing, and human beings have a value that you cannot put a price on. Again, it's all about making you think about the world around you, perhaps from someone else's perspective.
After the discussion I got a chance to meet Professor West briefly and hear him field direct questions from some of the event attendees. I didn't get a chance to ask my specific question during the event, but I was lucky in that the final questioner touched on the topic that I was going to raise. So, I simply listened to the ideas being passed in the very intimate after-event setting. However, on my way home I thought of a question that I would like to ask Professor West should our paths cross again: "Why is it that in New Jersey none of the gas stations that I come across have convenient stores attached to them? Every station that I pulled into was attached to a garage, and all I really wanted for my 10PM drive back to Poughkeepsie was a snack. I mean, what does a guy have to do to get some combos in this state?"
Friday, April 1, 2011
ASCAP New York Sessions 2011
Allow me to give you some highlights from yesteday's ASCAP New York Sessions conference:
-Hearing Jeff Price, founder of TuneCore, get really emotional and pissed off about companies in the indusry who rip people off by saying they can deliver things that they cannot (i.e. getting your music on Pandora, etc.). Certain four-letter words were used to punctuate his anger.
-Around lunchtime, I got a text from a number I didn't recognize, area code 415. It said, "Grabbing lunch at the conference. In the lobby if you want to join." Who could this be? I responded, "Um...who is this?" And as soon as I hit send I looked up and saw, standing in a group three feet from me, Ken Flagg, who I met 2 years ago at the ASCAP Expo in LA but haven't seen since! Crazy. We went to lunch and then spent a good part of the day together. According to my Twitter account, we "hooked up." Awkward...
-I was surprised to hear Gregg Wattenberg (Five For Fighting, Daughtry, Train) say that the first band he worked with in a producer's role worked in Poughkeepsie. He then went on to say that if you've ever been to Poughkeepsie, the only thing there is to do is work. Hilarious. And true.
-The master session with Stargate & Sandy Vee was alright. They played a broken-down version of Katy Perry's "Firework" to show how they construct a song; they played a newly remixed version of Rihanna's "S&M" to show the things they do with time-stretching elements of a song to make a slightly different product; and they played a clip from one of Britney Spears' new songs, "Selfish," with a story about how Ester Dean has originally called it, "Man-Bitch." One word can make or break a song!
-Sometimes it's just painful to watch people get up on the mic to ask a question only have them ramble on about themselves and then ask the speaker if they would take their music. The more successful the panel, the more absurd and time-wasting the questions get, but it's like that everywhere.
This was the second ASCAP New York Sessions that I attended, but I do have to say that I thought 2009 had more energy, and that it doesn't even compare to the three-day expo in LA. But it was a good experience, and great to meet some people, reconnect with some people, and spend time with some of my fellow SongHall Writer's Workshop alumni.
After the conference, I went to The Bitter End for the SongHall New Writer's Showcase, featuring the band of Jeff DeVito, Particle Zoo, who I was in the workshop with and have written with. They kicked ass and were the highlight of the show. "B" Group rocks.
-Hearing Jeff Price, founder of TuneCore, get really emotional and pissed off about companies in the indusry who rip people off by saying they can deliver things that they cannot (i.e. getting your music on Pandora, etc.). Certain four-letter words were used to punctuate his anger.
-Around lunchtime, I got a text from a number I didn't recognize, area code 415. It said, "Grabbing lunch at the conference. In the lobby if you want to join." Who could this be? I responded, "Um...who is this?" And as soon as I hit send I looked up and saw, standing in a group three feet from me, Ken Flagg, who I met 2 years ago at the ASCAP Expo in LA but haven't seen since! Crazy. We went to lunch and then spent a good part of the day together. According to my Twitter account, we "hooked up." Awkward...
-I was surprised to hear Gregg Wattenberg (Five For Fighting, Daughtry, Train) say that the first band he worked with in a producer's role worked in Poughkeepsie. He then went on to say that if you've ever been to Poughkeepsie, the only thing there is to do is work. Hilarious. And true.
-The master session with Stargate & Sandy Vee was alright. They played a broken-down version of Katy Perry's "Firework" to show how they construct a song; they played a newly remixed version of Rihanna's "S&M" to show the things they do with time-stretching elements of a song to make a slightly different product; and they played a clip from one of Britney Spears' new songs, "Selfish," with a story about how Ester Dean has originally called it, "Man-Bitch." One word can make or break a song!
-Sometimes it's just painful to watch people get up on the mic to ask a question only have them ramble on about themselves and then ask the speaker if they would take their music. The more successful the panel, the more absurd and time-wasting the questions get, but it's like that everywhere.
This was the second ASCAP New York Sessions that I attended, but I do have to say that I thought 2009 had more energy, and that it doesn't even compare to the three-day expo in LA. But it was a good experience, and great to meet some people, reconnect with some people, and spend time with some of my fellow SongHall Writer's Workshop alumni.
After the conference, I went to The Bitter End for the SongHall New Writer's Showcase, featuring the band of Jeff DeVito, Particle Zoo, who I was in the workshop with and have written with. They kicked ass and were the highlight of the show. "B" Group rocks.
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