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duck box update

March 23, 2021 · 2 Comments

This morning we watched ten baby ducks jump out of the duck box. When I got up before sunrise I noticed the mama duck was out of her box and quacking repeatedly while looking up at the hole. I knew something was up so we were ready and waiting. Not long after, we started hearing a chorus of faint chirps coming from within the box. And then:

Since we were ready we were able to film the big reveal. Caroline flexed her Kitten School skills and edited the video for all to see (above). We wanted to be quiet and hidden to not scare the ducks so we watched from the screen porch — that’s why there’s an annoying screen grid through most of this. But that doesn’t dampen the cuteness in the least.

Filed Under: MEMORA8ILIA Tagged With: Lake Holden, Nature, Video

Incendiary and Extraordinary

June 18, 2020 · Leave a Comment

• Tomorrow is Juneteenth, and it’s the first Juneteenth that Bandcamp is donating all of its 15% sales take to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. They’ll also allocate “an additional $30,000 per year to partner with organizations that fight for racial justice and create opportunities for people of color.” I say it’s the first as Bandcamp pledges to make this an annual thing. Many artists and labels are following suit, promising their sales shares to civil rights organizations, too. So, hey — let’s grab some music. This event is an excellent opportunity to revisit this Reddit discussion on Black ambient and experimental artists to support and this searchable site of Bandcamp’s Black-owned labels and artists. 

• Here are a couple of quick links to incendiary and extraordinary examples of Black art: the 1986 film Handsworth Songs is experimental documentary filmmaking at its best, via John Akomfrah and the Black Audio Film Collective; and this NY Times article from Marcus J. Moore compiling ’15 Essential Black Liberation Jazz Tracks.’ [LINK] + [LINK]

• Twenty Thousand Hertz is an informative podcast that delves into the “world’s most recognizable and interesting sounds.” The latest episode is about a topic near-and-dear to my heart: music copyright lawsuits. The host, Dallas Taylor, examines the ‘theft or inspiration?’ dilemma and lucidly explains the legalities. The podcast episode serves as a good explainer for those who want to know more about the topic and has a few interesting new perspectives for been-down-that-road folks like me. For what it’s worth, I don’t think any of the cases brought up in the episode should have gone to court. I do understand the potential dangers of broadly loosening our parameters on copyright, but letting experts decide on music theft disputes rather than a jury is a better idea. I wrote more about this topic here. [LINK]

• As you know from previous ramblings, I’m thinking a lot these days about how I use the online medium and the digital footprint I’m leaving. I’m playing around more with micro.blog and this site’s connected ‘micro-8sided’ blog. I’m trying out an idea of the microsite as an idea repository — a placeholder for things I’m reading, listening to, and thinking. It looks like this: short ideas and notes jotted down in the microblog, longer and better thought-out pieces on this ‘main’ blog and the email newsletter. I can use the micro to access things that grabbed my interest, expanding on some of those topics here and in the newsletter. That means the microblog provides a peek at what I’m thinking about as a preview to topics appearing here. At least, that’s how it works in theory. I may chuck it all later this week, depending on how time-consuming a labyrinth of thought this turns out to be. Oh, and as I’m lessening my presence on targeted-ad-fueled social media, micro.blog now crossposts to Twitter, and I’ll aim to visit that place less and less. Bye-bye to Facebook, too.

• Here’s a gorgeous ambient track from Dedekind Cut, an artist (and song) recommended in the Reddit thread I mentioned above.

• Lake Holden held a surprise this morning at dawn. Spot the moon. [LINK]

Filed Under: From The Notebook Tagged With: Bandcamp, Copyright, Dedekind Cut, Facebook, Film, Jazz, Juneteenth, Lake Holden, Legal Matters, micro.blog, Podcast, Twenty Thousand Hertz, Twitter

Tornadoes

June 7, 2020 · 1 Comment

Do you get tornadoes? I’ve always lived in towns where tornadoes happen when you least expect it. Once, while at college in North Louisiana, a tornado passed through as I walked back to the dorm from a class. I hid under an open stairwell as nature wreaked havoc around me. And then my house here in Orlando had its top ripped off during Hurricane Irma — the roofers told me that a hurricane-wind inspired tornado hit my home. So I’m no stranger to tornadoes.

Last night I was preparing dinner, and, out of our large window that looks over Lake Holden, I caught a weird blue flash. I was already on edge due to a ‘tornado warning’ in effect and incredibly ominous low-hanging inky clouds on the horizon. So I looked up and just past the lake I saw a huge tornado funnel traveling north.

For context, here’s one of my daily dawn photos of the lake to give you my vantage. And now here’s a video someone took of the very tornado I saw. Luckily, I wasn’t as close as the person who made that video, but I was close enough.

About a quarter-of-a-mile away from me, there’s a lot of damage. Fortunately, there are no reports of fatalities or even injuries. I’m unnerved and in awe. That tornado funnel on the horizon — with occasional blue sparks and flashes lighting its interior — is an image that will stick in my head for a while.

I woke up this morning with the Butthole Surfers’ “Tornadoes” in my head. The song really does sound like getting swept away by a tornado.

Filed Under: From The Notebook Tagged With: Butthole Surfers, Lake Holden, Orlando, Tornadoes

What Am I Doing Now? (February 2018 Recap)

March 1, 2018 · Leave a Comment

  • I’ve brought on a couple of new clients for publishing representation: San Francisco’s Sleight Of Hands (check out their excellent cover of “I’m Not In Love”) and Nathan Maners. There are others in the works. Exciting times here at 8DSync.
  • I’m also working on two new projects in an advisory role: an upcoming EP from Arthur’s Landing titled Spring Collection; and a single from Terry Grant’s More Ghost Than Man project, taken from his stunning 2016 self-titled album.
  • A major project this month was the launch of Snax’s PledgeMusic campaign for the vinyl version of his excellent Shady Lights album. I was closely involved in putting this together and enjoyed collaborating with Snax and the PledgeMusic team. This company has a great crew working behind the scenes. If you are a fan of limited edition vinyl in a deluxe package or solid electronic funk music in general, then I implore you to check out Snax’s Shady Lights campaign.
  • Eagle eyes may notice that I’ve removed the Services tab from this site. I’ve decided to do fewer label services projects and focus more on music publishing, licensing, and consultancy. I’ll be revamping things here over the following weeks, and will be offering a new way that I can help independent labels and self-released artists determine and implement innovative strategies. Stay tuned.
  • The weather is warming up in Florida. We’ve already hit the mid-80s a few times, and we’re not yet out of February. I’m torn between being worried and overjoyed. Regardless, I’m resuming my Lake Holden paddle board sessions, a highlight of my day and the preferred way to meditate and think.
  • What I Read This Month:

    The Founder’s Dilemmas
    Finish

  • What I Watched This Month:

    The Square
    Hiroshima, Mon Amour
    BPM (Beats Per Minute) (my favorite 2017 movie, I think)
    Phantom Thread

  • What I Listened To This Month:

    Deutsche Elektronische Musik 3: Experimental German Rock and Electronic Music 1970-82
    Palta – Universel
    Pendant – Make Me Know You Sweet
    Patrick Cowley – Afternooners
    San Mateo – Breather
    The House In The Woods – Bucolica
    Kuniyuki Takahashi – Early Tape Works (1986 – 1993)

  • A Few Other Things I Enjoyed This Month:

    Seth Godin has a fantastic new weekly podcast titled Akimbo
    If you make true crime documentaries then act quickly to acquire the rights to this tale of the Worst Roomate Ever
    I like the writer Steven Johnson, and I’ve been wrapping my head around blockchain, so I found this article fascinating: Beyond The Bitcoin Bubble
    Artist Winston Smith designed all those Dead Kennedys album covers I loved as a teenager. It’s a pleasure to find out he’s a pretty cool dude, too.

Filed Under: From The Notebook Tagged With: 8DSync, Book Recommendations, Buddhist Army, Lake Holden, More Ghost Than Man, Movie Recommendations, Music Recommendations, now, Snax

8sided.blog

 
 
 
 
 
 
8sided.blog is a digital zine about sound, culture, and what Andrew Weatherall once referred to as 'the punk rock dream'.

It's also the online home of Michael Donaldson, a slightly jaded but surprisingly optimistic fellow who's haunted the music industry for longer than he cares to admit. A former Q-Burns Abstract Message.

"More than machinery, we need humanity."
 
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