Last Barb Jam on Earth

ἀποκάλυψις: apocalypsis... Gr. for "lifting of the veil"

It is predicted by the Maya Long Count Calendar that December 21st, 2012 will be last day of the era. Since dudes can't be bothered to put themselves in a room with recording equipment more than once a year, let's make this one count.

I have goosebumps people. - W. Harrelson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiWPmLjp1aE

Death Is a Beautiful Car Parked Only

Death is a beautiful car parked only
to be stolen on a street lined with trees
whose branches are like the intestines
of an emerald.

You hotwire death, get in, and drive away
like a flag made from a thousand burning
funeral parlors.

You have stolen death because you're bored.
There's nothing good playing at the movies
in San Francisco.

You joyride around for a while listening
to the radio, and then abandon death, walk
away, and leave death for the police
to find.

-Richard Brautigan

I Know You - You Stole My Bike

How do I explain this without mentioning time-travel?

... I guess it's not possible. Look, there's a few ways this stuff happens. Either the two guys in the video went back in time from 2007 to tell their past selves about our song, or this video is merely doctored to look like it was shot in the 1970-1980s.

The most likely explanation, however, is that we Barbarians are pulling themes out of the same zeitgeist, the same collective human consciousness, as these other people.

The links on this page are from major sources of mainstream popular culture, not marginal or esoteric sources from search-engine deep-dives. Further, they come from disparate sources, not one media, not one publication, not one era. This stuff is all out there, for everyone to see. It's around you, all around everyone, all the time. And they are converging on the same messages that we sing.

The best art taps into deep human themes not dependent on time and place. Humans come back to the same kinds of stories again and again. Each time, this reinforces the power of the art.

Keep it up, Barb. You're doing it.

Where is my spaceship?

Add this to the list of things Barb did first.

In December, 2008, our boys sang of a missing spaceship, inquiring as to its location.

Now this:



As the name implies, the Tide rolls in first. The other waves of people follow behind.

Pantsoff

In yet another example of The Barbarian Tide setting a trend in contemporary culture, the latest issue of Cosmo magazine drives home a point first made by our favorite Barbarians back in December, 2009 (Boxing Day to be precise).

This all begs the question - what about the cupcakes?

!Yaru Mavoc!

...he yelled from the mountaintop, and then begun to descend, his pantaloons a khaki shroud upon the very tops of his head."

Book of Tset Tsiu, pp. 45-47. So it was written and so it shall, forevermore, be....

It was a brilliant, balmy summer weekend in the swamp near the intersection of the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers. The bottom was foggy and the air was thick with reunion.

And we made sweet, raucus, explosive, wailing music.

What can you do now, at this late stage, to be a part of that day?

Open your ears and listen.

Boxing Day in Luxembourg

Gentlemen,

This was our most ambitious adventure yet. Never before have we endeavored to host an international jazz ballet event. Nevertheless, with a panache and savoir faire that has come to define our work, venne vide vette. 


From a news story, commenting on our event:

During the weeks before Christmas, markets flourish all over the country. From wooden huts that are set up on town and city squares, all sorts of christmassy goods are on sale: locally produced arts and crafts (candles, Christmas trees and decorations, cribs, music, etc), and of course plenty of food and drink to warm you from the inside. The latter include the obligatory mulled wines, as well as the stronger stuff (eg Schnaps, known as "Drëpp"). Foods on sale include various soups (with or without Mettwurscht [a local sausage speciality]), pancakes, Thüringer, ... , plus the unpronounceable: "Gromperekichelcher". The bandstand in the centre of the square is also very much in use: A whole host of local bands, fanfares, choirs, etc, are performing, bringing to life the true Christmas atmosphere.

(Original article here.)

We left behind many signs of our visit, but most critics agree that the most valuable deposit of this year's Boxing Day endures in the audio recordings. Indeed, they capture only one of the eight dimensions in which we paint. Still, Guiseppi and Yosh Ra lost years of their lives producing these tracks, and the result is golden like Christmas mead. 

Cheers!

Dear Odin (God), please make it so that no one gets too messed up at the jam tomorrow. Thanks.
Have a good night barbarians, tomorrow some of us may bleed.

Tsunami Warning

According to the Tsunami Warning Centers, a Tsunami Warning means that a dangerous tsunami may have been generated and could be close to your area.

When faced with such news, we promptly headed to Mr. Satdog's casa for a jam - which is where we received the message that changed everything.

It said: kim over now. And we did.

So please, download the resulting 14-song jam and listen carefully - an America Tsunami is just not something that happens every day.

this

November Grapes

May it please the Barb Council,

On November 14, 2009, Joseph Foti, Isabel Munilla, and Sidharth Uberoi entered a room in the house at 201 Morgan Street, Washington, DC 20002. The room held three synthesizers, a drum machine and a now infamous bowl of grapes.

Two hours later, they walked out of the room having achieved the near impossible. From one of many articles on the subject,

"...[such] events have so low a probability of occurrence that it is necessary to use a high flux nuclear reactor to study it."

Messrs. Foti and Uberoi continue to experience a wide range of symptoms associated with exposure to such an event. Ms. Munilla has, thus far, shown no such after-effects.

In the week following the meeting, Mr. Foti worked tirelessly into the mornings of several weekdays to mold the raw material into foot-tapping, and sometimes educational, booty-shaking songs. You will recognize it as a truly Barbarian experience, 3,000 miles due east.

You, among the Council, are lucky enough to hear the product of this meeting, in the Music section of the website herein.

Blazars in Outest Space

Hear ye! Hear ye! This just in!!!

Scientists confirm the discovery of Blazars in Outest Space!!

From the article:

The English language simply lacks the ability to get across the staggering scale of these events - because it doesn't have a case above upper or letters bigger than capital. You can try writing down the values as numbers, but they end up being so stupidly huge that our monkey brains, programmed to deal with "one two three lots", just don't comprehend them.

Full article here....

Needless to say, this development is a huge boon for the Barbarian Tide. We're going to be rich, guys. Richer than in your wildest dreams. And you can take that to the bank.

We did it. We finally did it.

Rusty Beach Shack Blues

Barbara,

We need to get away. Let's take a trip today. We can find a place far far away - a place we can just set up and play, every day, every single day.

We don't need much, no no. We only need to go go. Once we do, you'll know, why oh why.

So please say that you'll come with me. Please say you'll bring your trumpet case key. Please don't wait for anything. Just leave your stressful things.

The sun the beach the sand the guitar, the beer the song the way we are.

It's all we need.
Nothing else.
Just click that mouse.
We'll do the rest.
Say you're down.
And get a move on.
We'll all be here.
Gettin' our groove on.
Ten of us,
in that tiny tiny room!

Yours Deep in Love,
Henry

Tiny Tiny Train

Dearest Barb,

I write to you these words on a handheld mobile device from inside a train moving away from the home of the tiny tiny dog and her giant dark family.

I carry a message from Her Majesty The Dog. With this post I that promise fulfill:

"The Lords of Kobol are a fiction. There is no Earth. The children of men will taste revenge."

Tiny Tiny Dog

Blazers in Outest Space

We had to get them all, we had to get the best. After three months, the Blazer jam is finally up. On November 28th, 2008 The Barbarian Tide set a new endurance record, completing 27 tracks totaling over 2.5 hours. We set it up. We sat on top of the world. We definitely got ourselves into the f***ing vortex.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find my spaceship. Where did I leave it?


Since it's no fun downloading 27 separate tracks, this album prompted a new feature on the site. Now, by clicking on the name of an album from the main music page, you can get to a page where you can download an entire album as a zip file.

Enjoy.

-J

Titee Uitees - Rockin' The Citadel (twice)

Tracks have been posted. Feast your ears.

Barbarians Are Not Always Smart

Fact

All barbarians are bodybuilders.

BLAZERS FOR ALL

Let's get it started.

Fotolog

I really like Chachi's photo journal of our last Barbarian Jamasamabamagon: The Final Frontier. It was perfectly artistic and gave a stylized glimpse into the Voodoo Garage, like the flame of a monster's hearth through the slit in a door you pass on a busy city street. I couldn't find the proper image on the Internet to illustrate that last description.

Having such a visual record of our works, workings, and workons is really invaluable. As we grow older and our memories turn to dust bins, we should use our digicams to capture our lives.



Therefore, I propose that from now on, we take Staff Photos or Member Photos like mug shots to catalog the participants of our pagan rituals. I think we should also continue to have stylized photo journals of the events. Before we start sessions, we should take individual pictures of everyone. I see this as merely next step in our attempts to document the Jamasamabamagon. First, we created an online catalog, then we created instrumentation guides, now we should create a Fotolog.

Look Into the Mirror, Dude

Friends, so inspired was I by "Gunfight" that I recorded a cover version of it today. Since we all composed it together, my interpretation of it will only be my own. I may have inadvertently veered away from your contribution to the song, or I may have inadvertently jettisoned some aspect you view important. Think of my version as a mirror on ourselves, one person's reflection of what he hears in front of him.

Read more about the song here, and then listen to it here.

It would be great if this were the first in a long tradition of Barb Tide covers.

The Voodoo Garage

"The Voodoo Garage" is posted. Download either MP3 or AAC files from the MUSIC section of the site. Here's the track list:

1. Humpbacks
2. Big Spin of Life
3. Sand Headache
4. Until I Die
5. Mexico via San Jose
6. Flight of the Flagpole
7. Now
8. Package Man
9. Learning
10. Toward the Moonlight
11. Country Club
12. Last Night
13. The Lair's Train
14. Squandered the Lead
15. Gunfight
16. I Know You (Took My Bike)
17. Too Many Turns
18. Wake Up Scarlet
19. Firecracker
20. More For Me
    

I guess we were really saving up because together the 20 tracks are over 2 hours and 26 minutes. If you're thinking, "that's way too much for one sitting", no worries. Try nibbling on Toward the Moonlight, The Lair's Train, Squandered the Lead, or I Know You (Took My Bike) to start with. They're tasty...

As long as there has been Barbtide, there have been mysteries, such as: "Who's playing that harmonica?" or "Who's funky enough to be responsible for that bass line?". Thanks to this handy instrumentation listing (which is also linked from within the metadata of each file) we'll never wonder again. Hallelujah, yahweh.

Holiday Hambone

Check out these excellent photos from the recent jam, courtesy of Chachi.

I'll try to get the tracks posted soon... stay tuned.

#455A7D... more than letters and numbers

jomies,
while going through my morning 'look busy' web rotation i stumbled on this cool little utility http://chir.ag/phernalia/name-that-color/

basically, it shows you the crayola name for any color you select. pretty toight i think.

anyways, i shiet you not... first click fell on #455A7D

poice

How bout some fresh hambone?

With a swirling wind, I tornado back into town with this question. And yet, even though I have just set down, I have plans to alight once more in less than a fortnight. "What brings you back, Sid?"

My answer is simple and elegant, pulsating with the wisdom of ages:

"Hambone once. Hambone twice."

Who will join this Fellowship of the Ham con Queso?

Loop it. (you should really click here)

¿Cuál canciones son sus favoritos?

There are currently 92 songs posted. 92 SONGS!!! OKay, song might be too strong of a word. I should say there are 92 individual improvisational recordings, ranging in length from 57 seconds (wait stop) to 15 minutes (Cuban). These recordings have been made in a variety of places, using equipment ranging from a hand-held dictaphone to Tascam 4-tracks, to multi-channel, hi-resolution DAW interfaces. So my questions is: what makes for a good jam? Is it the location, the state-of-mind, the persons present, or the sweater Will happened to be wearing? And does everyone agree on which jams are the best? I'm curious... So, I'm proposing that everyone post their favorite jams. Try to keep your list to between 10 and 20 tracks.

Ready, set... GO!

The Force Of Our Endeavor

I present you with our latest offering in the Hard Listening category: sixteen brand spanking dirrty tracks, a whopping 81 minutes, recorded in Fremont on November 24th, 2006:

1. TRUE
2. She Called Me (Between The Leaves)
3. When I Was A Boy
4. When I'm Done I'll Tell Ya
5. Dirrty (Dirty South...Bay)
6. Four Days Walk
7. Minor Song
8. Impaired
9. Right Turn
10. She Was
11. I See The Future
12. Money Maker
13. Can We Take The Chevy?
14. Tai Chi (Yakatori Johnson)
15. Force Of My Endeavor
16. Steak & Eggs (I'm Black Baby)

Who are we? Why are we here? Mommy!

Recently, as I uploaded some Barb tracks to iTunes, I became confused when I attempted to categorize our band.
While I have always felt that "experimental" was the best way to describe our music (mostly in terms of our process, i.e. improvisation), I began to think that those who listen to the tracks, or perhaps some of my fellow Barbonies out there might feel differently.
So, conversation initiated.
I don't know how important it is, but well, to quote Nate: "My heart took a dump... and left a big red shit pile."
I hope this makes sense to all of you. nanana. (new favorite track)

would like to wish a Big Ol' Happy Barba

rian Tide Whussup?! and howsitgoin?!

To the entire Barb Familia.

The last jambon was cooked just right, and with a little fromage and a whole lot of lovin', we may just sit down to breakfast with some new tracks before the new year (you can't rush milagros yo), which would be awsome. Nothin like a holiday on a stomach full of jambon and cheese. Let me tell you, plenty of cheese on the tracks that I've heard--especially one I like to call "Dirty South... Bay." Someone needs to check Satdog's pants because he just kept gettin' dirtier, I mean dirrtier.

Is how you feel, is how you feel. Know what I mean? Nice to add a tentacle to the jellyfish of barb, or put another way: The stinging structure, which varies according to species, but generally consists of a hollow coiled tentacle with barbs lining its surface, is unusually sonorous in the Chachifish. Somehow reminiscent of ASDIC, but not to be confused with ass-dick, that would be unfortunate.

W: gone 20-27 dec.; finals 12-13?dec.; barb bef. 20, after 27 dec. mega.

Them Bones

Whar dem tracks boy?

YO, IS IT TRUE??

EDIT'N AIR A BRA, B!

It's been building...

The time has come for another jam... mark your calendars for Friday Nov 24. Location will be in garage of the owner of this priceless bit of facial hair:

In other news... barbtide now has a home on myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/barbtide
Noice.

Chicken Apple Sausage

Why Josh gotta play Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" e'rytime I
play some tasty chords??



Seriously, tell me why.

Summa Jam 06'

sunny jams are fun. if anyone is around this summa. starting:now (May), ending:november (lets give ourselves some time to work with here) LETS DO DIS!! Post some availability to this blog here and we can getit togetha.

oh, and for the commitment challenged among us, a comment of "X" will sufficiently alert all of us to your having read the post... No Sat, Im not just talking to you.

Killa, you are beautiful.

Killa is a long over-looked musical masterpiece. If you have yet to ride its wave, allow yourself three minutes and thirty seconds of happiness. Do so while you look at your stomach and ass in the mirror, or while you perform oral sex. Killa, you are beautiful. A song for the killa in all of us.

Beefcake Lando?

Have you seen Josh's new Profile photo???

I'm speechless.


This goes far far far beyond all bounds of decency.

whatchalltink?

[taps mic, sharp feedback] Sup Yall.

Which songs from the last jam are your current favorites? Let's hear some nominations. Post 'em.

Man, there are so many good ones...
I like Lay Down, Wedding Song, and Something On Your Mind the best right now.


Also, do you listen to jams at which you were not present? Is physical presence at a jam required to care about it?

(Update 5/8/06) I gotta admit that it is hard to get interested in a sans-Sid jam. I fight that urge, though, because I realize it's an expression of selfishness. Indeed, these jams are not about egocentric glory or competition. Listening to them is not about individuals. It's about a collective, synthetic (i.e. "from synthesis, the integration of disparate parts'') product of a group of dudes in the moment. Inherent in 'being in the moment' is a relaxation of one's Ego, one's sense of Self, and of all artificial boundaries, to be open to all possibilities. In those moments, we discover our true natures as open vessels of flowing transient sensations. Like smoke in a vase, we take on the characteristics of our experiences. Thus, these recordings are then actually the sounds of those Moments (the smoke), not the sounds of the people there. This is why the cast of any particular session or track is irrelevant to its substance and value. Every Moment we capture is worth everyone's attention. Even yours.

shoe

yeah.. and here is a shoe... write a song about it.

I can hear the verse:

Your soul was tired
cuz your sole was thin
and you backed your ass up
to the garbage can

I saw the sparkle in your
glitter face,
And saw the red that
ran in the rain.

chorus:

I was the back of
the tail of the train.

Whatever I said
I never would mean.

You were the bill
on the face of a duck.

You gobble up mud
and always get fucked.

Dwip.

Nyeah. So I talked to Joe Foti today, and it was cool. He was riding his new bike... said that some dude asked Joe if he could "please" have his bike. Joe said "nah."
Guy: "Gimme tha bike bitch!"
Joe rode on.
That was for everyone who always asks if I have heard from Joe. Yes. Thats whats going on with the Cobra. (for the uninitiated, the Cobra refers to Joey Cobra)

And for those who care... I can think of...uh... 4 off hand.
Old songs are in the works. And some should be available next weekend.. check back if u nyeckin and dont gimme the scrappy sonar till you smell the smoke. dubilous

Done...

Nice work gentlemen. 3/20/2006 had some noice tracks, Im sorry I didnt make that jam.

I have "Done" playin right now... who is playing guit on that?

Josh, we need to get that meta data thing going.

p

lay down

Was that the first time anyone ever fell asleep at Barb? My bad. I like how Josh and I almost came to blows over something, and I can't remember what it was... glad I can't remember, I already feel bad for dropping two beers. Keep me away from my right hand from now on, that thing could find alcohol anywhere. Thanks to the Lando for working so hard on the Jam and the Blog.

Blogging Makes Your Thingy Bigger

Location.
I think my house worked out well as a Barbarian Tide Venue. It's in Fremont, just yards from the original location (Will's house), so no one should have a problem getting there. Further, my garage is nice until 10pm, and the sunroom is nice for nighttime sessions. This should not preclude any jams in my absence, since I'm not home all that often these days.

Two Days.
An esteemed colleague suggested that we might benefit from a 2-day BarbTide jam since (a) it has started to take much longer to set up the gear to our increasingly high standards, (b) we all have less time to just hang out and play at this age, and (c) some fatigue sets in as the excitement and adrenaline wears off. These problems would all be resolved if one of has would sack up and buy a house with an extra room for a perma-studio. Until that happens, however, we can use my house to set up on one day, play for a few hours, and then do other things. The next day, then, we can return for the playing in earnest. We'll be fresh, we'll have some material from the first day, and the new day to devote entirely to playing (not setting up). Also, if you're busy one day, you should show up the other day. Or else face the wrath of us singing about you in your absence. Hey, those are the breaks.

I add one thing to this idea. Since the garage has a 10pm cut off, and a lot of our magic occurs after 10pm, we might try this 2-day session in my sunroom. That room is free of most time restrictions. Or, in the alternative, we can just try to limit the volume (with no acoustic instruments, this should be easy) in the garage so as to avoid neighborhood complaints.

Next Time.
I shall be home next for the entire end of May. Let's plan on incorporating the ideas above into that next session. My mommy will be home then too, so we'll probably have some excellent food to soak up all the beers. I hope my mom doesn't read this and see that I've volunteered her to cook for us 2 months in advance! Oh sh*t!!!

Post comments to this (in the Comments section)!! Let's see what you think!! Blogging makes your thingy get bigger. Ask Josh.

Got to check on the new jams

Looks like i missed a killer jam. Just the titles alone are peaking my interest....

New tracks posted

The tracks from the jam at sid's on saturday are up! Check 'em out and write some comments. Break the blog in... here's the tracklist:

1. lay down
2. double plays
3. wedding song
4. 404
   
5. done
6. rumour has it
7. holiday
8. its hard
9. clear your minds
10. something on your mind
11. chicken apple sausage

You can download them all from the music page
Just sort by album and look for Fremont, March 20, 2006

Barblog

After an excellent barbjam today, I felt compelled to post to my blog... then i realized - wait a second, I don't have a blog. So here we are: now we ALL have a blog. Have fun y'all...
Peace-
-Josh