Sander Roscoe Wolff

My first and only kitty, Barney, left us recently, as did Shari’s much beloved cat Shogi.

I created wee tribute pages for Barney & Shogi.

Please post comments here.

xoxo

srw

I was talking to a friend the other day, discussing the 45 second track I produced for the upcoming vinyl compilation I was invited to participate in. I learned that another compilation was in the works, but this one had a slightly different spin.

The project, “Sloppy Seconds,” will feature 80 one minute tracks. Each one minute track will comprise 60 one second submissions, each from a different artist or group, totalling at 3600 individual submissions. Of course, I had to make one.

If the player, above, doesn’t work, you can

.

Also, you can

that has my one second composition in it.

Please leave comments, as I always welcome feedback!

I created another 45 second track, yet still this is not the one I planned to create from the very beginning. This is a purely vocal exploration…

Please note that, even though the track is short, I’ve posted the uncompressed WAV file, which is actually rather large.

Or click

to hear the track!

I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying that dogs and their owners eventually begin to look alike. Well, although it isn’t often discussed, this can unfold and reveal itself in surprising ways. For example, I don’t think that anyone would claim that my dear friend Elayne looks anything like her dog, Scooter….

Or would they?
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Lauren’s school had a fund raising event and she did quite well. In addition to raking in money for the school, she also got a ton of prizes. For example, she got a wee digital camera, some free music downloads, a phone, and an inflatable chair.

Here she is enjoying the latter.

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As a result of my last gig I was invited to participate in a compilation album that’s being produced by a young fellow I met at the gig. I guess that the plan is to produce an LP (those 12″ vinal things…) with up to 40 tracks, each no longer than 45 seconds. To be honest, I love stuff like this. So far, I have produced two tracks.

is from my performance, the middle bit with my Lap Steel, that runs about 12 minutes or so. Using special software, I reduced the running time to 45 seconds. Thus, the entire performance is represented, but it happens at a much faster rate. The pitch would have stayed the same but I decided to drop the whole thing down one octave, just because it felt better to me.

is more of a multi-track studio affair. I built the thing up one track at a time, improvising each track as I went. For example, I recorded the first guitar track, then improvised the 2nd and 3rd tracks just listening to the 1st. These three tracks became the 3 note chords. I then recorded the 1st 1/4 note arpeggio, also an improv, and then the 2nd without listening to the first. I improvised the bass part while listening to the chords, then added the 3 vocal tracks, the lap steel, and the bells.

It wasn’t exactly what I had in mind for the project, but I do like it. It is simultaniously lilting and wacked… (BTW, I described it to my wife using the same two words and her reply: “Lilting and wacked… Just like you!”)

Enjoy!

This song, called

, was written a few years back when I was recording songs as birthday gifts for my friends. At a local farmer’s market, I found a small stone heart that was carved from some sort of crystal. It looked rather dull and gray until the sun hit it. When it was illuminated directly, it sparkled and shined, refracting the light from within. This became a lyrical metaphor for me, and sparked the song. My singing, especially at the beginning, is a bit ragged. The harmonies are all staggered and informal. This was all planned. The guitar solo is perhaps one of the best I’ve ever recorded, not for its technical skill, but because to me it is filled with feeling. As the solo progresses, the rest of the music fades away. To me, this was also a metaphor for being couragous in letting one’s heart shine… At the end, my vocal is softer, warmer, and more intimate…. Almost a whisper.

To me, this is a very special song. I don’t know if anyone else likes it much, as I understand that aspects of it can be challenging. Still, for me, I felt like I reached a place in the creation of it that was emotional and personally profound.

Having said that, I absolutely welcome and encourage any and all feedback and impressions you care to share, positive or negative.

Here are the lyrics:

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In the process of sorting through the detritus of my life I happened upon a cassette tape labeled “Sander’s Apology.” I had no specific recollection of recording an apology, but did remember making tapes of radio broadcasts when I was a kid living in Santa Monica. We lived in Santa Monica from about 1968-1971. The tape was full on both sides, and contained a few surprises. Here are some excerpts:

is, well, an apology to my father. The context isn’t exactly clear, but I can tell I’m trying very hard to be sincere.

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When the organizers of Dung Mummy invited me to participate, I was told they would have a video projecter in the space and, if I chose to, I could provide them with video that they would project behind me as I performed. I’d never really had the opportunity to do this before, and the prospect was thrilling.

Over the course of several days, and in several locations in and around Long Beach, I shot video of water in a variety of settings. Moving water has always had a certain fascination to me, and also felt somehow appropriate for the gentle ebb and flow of the music I planned to do. Much of what I shot was taken at the Japanese Garden at CSULB. One bit was taken at the El Dorado Duck Pond. Another was taken at the beach.

Because posting and hosting streaming video of any quality is problematic, I decided to post some still images gleened from the video.

Here they are:

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With the kind assistance of a volunteer, I recorded my performance at Dung Mummy on my video camera. The performance, in its entirety, was about 25 minutes. This excerpt, about 11 minutes in length, comes from the middle, when I had switched from my gretsch to my Industrial Guitar Indy Rail.

Click here to hear audio. Note: the file is about 10 MB.

If you’re interested, you can see pix of the guitar effects I use and read about what they do.
Enjoy!