I love kids... I love teaching... and I love working at Rock & Roll After School... but the past two weeks of summer camp have really worn me out!! Between camp, my R&RAS students and my private students, I've spent over 120 hours teaching in the past two weeks alone. What's reassuring about my career choice is the fact that I'm still looking forward to my next lesson that starts in about 2 hours. If 60 hour weeks with electric guitar-wielding children don't burn me out, I don't know what will!
For those of you who didn't know, I also got engaged to the lovely Lauren Vasellas two weeks ago! I write for days about that, but since this posting is SUPPOSED to be for my music, I'll summarize by just typing ":-)".
In other, slightly less exciting news (comparatively speaking haha), I'll be playing some HUGE shows with Panic Years in the next few weeks. The weekend of the August 5th is going to be a blast, since we're playing live on the air for RADIO 104.5 LIVE AT FIVE on Friday the 5th, as well as the RADIO 104.5 SUMMER BLOCK PARTY on the 6th. We'll be opening for The Airborne Toxic Event and The Naked & Famous. They're expecting 4,000-5,000 people to be there, so without a doubt that will be a great time! It's free AND all-ages, so if you're anywhere remotely in the Philadelphia region, you should come out!
The Day Life is having our EP release party at Triumph in New Hope on August 12th with our good buddies Cheers Elephant. Good music, good people, good beer... I'd go even if I wasn't playing! We have some other big news coming up soon, but things are still hush-hush for another few weeks. Sorry to be secretive, but it will be worth the wait if everything works out...
I'll be recording with Julie Slick next week, putting together a duo EP. The following week, Julie and I will also be recording with Mike Lorenz. Julie will be engineering the session, but I'll probably end up trying to convince her to play on a track.
Finally, I'll be playing one more big show with Panic Years, this time at the Theater of the Living Arts on Saturday, August 27th. We'll be opening for The Damned Things, who I've never heard of until about two weeks ago: it turns out it's a supergroup with Scott Ian from Anthrax, some guys from Fallout Boy, and one of the members of Everytime I Die. I know you're probably thinking "what the..." and trust me, I'm just as curious to see what THAT is going to sound like!
Sorry for the lengthy post, but August is definitely going to be a big month! If I don't see you at the Mi Hed Ur Hed show at Kung Fu Necktie tonight, I'll hopefully see you soon!
Til then,
Carl
Monday, July 25, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
New Directions
Hey friends,
For any musician that is trying to both create AND promote at a professional level, finding a balance without hired help is always a challenge. I've been spending a lot of time over the past few weeks trying to get my promotional "ducks in a row" so to speak, and it started to get in the way of my composing and practice. Last night I had a great gig with The Dirt Party, but the most rewarding part about the night was the 5 hours I spent in the car with Mike Lorenz.
Mike posted an insightful article about the state of the Philly jazz scene's musician/audience disconnection. During the conversation we had on the way to Mount St Mary's University for the gig, I realized that I've been guilty of being absent from seeing the many phenomenal acts that roll through the area. Far too often, we musicians are far too busy (or at least think we are) to be going out on our off nights to see live jazz. A lot of us are wrapped up in our own world - promoting, teaching, rehearsing, and just trying to pay the rent.
Talking to Mike about this not only exposed my own hypocrisy - I've been promoting my own shows and cds, even though I haven't been to anyone else's show in over a month. This was a gut-check for sure, but it brought back my focus into why I do what I do - for the love of music, not for the love of self-promotion.
I definitely recommend that you read Mike's post, and I also urge you to check out his latest quartet release on BandCamp: http://mikelorenz.bandcamp.com/album/two-quartets.
For any musician that is trying to both create AND promote at a professional level, finding a balance without hired help is always a challenge. I've been spending a lot of time over the past few weeks trying to get my promotional "ducks in a row" so to speak, and it started to get in the way of my composing and practice. Last night I had a great gig with The Dirt Party, but the most rewarding part about the night was the 5 hours I spent in the car with Mike Lorenz.
Mike posted an insightful article about the state of the Philly jazz scene's musician/audience disconnection. During the conversation we had on the way to Mount St Mary's University for the gig, I realized that I've been guilty of being absent from seeing the many phenomenal acts that roll through the area. Far too often, we musicians are far too busy (or at least think we are) to be going out on our off nights to see live jazz. A lot of us are wrapped up in our own world - promoting, teaching, rehearsing, and just trying to pay the rent.
Talking to Mike about this not only exposed my own hypocrisy - I've been promoting my own shows and cds, even though I haven't been to anyone else's show in over a month. This was a gut-check for sure, but it brought back my focus into why I do what I do - for the love of music, not for the love of self-promotion.
I definitely recommend that you read Mike's post, and I also urge you to check out his latest quartet release on BandCamp: http://mikelorenz.bandcamp.com/album/two-quartets.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
C&C CUSTOM DRUMS endorsement!
I think I've finally recovered from last week, so I suppose it's time to buckle down and catch everyone up to date with some big news:
I'm very proud to announce that I am now endorsing C&C Custom Drums! They make beeeeeeeautiful vintage-style drums, and I'm really excited for my new kit to be finished. You can see some of their kits HERE and HERE. Many thanks to Chuck Treece, Dom Billett, Dave C and Jake C for helping to make this all come together!
Julie Slick and I will be playing together again later this month as well as a trio gig in July with John Swana. I was finally able to post one of the live snippets from my first duo gig with Julie Slick back in March. Here it is...
| Bahner Slick Duo Live 3/26/11 |
The Day Life just finished our PICK ME UP EP, and all four songs are available for download HERE. Please listen and pass it along to friends and family! We're currently planning an EP release party for the summer, and I'll post more info about that ASAP. For now, you can catch us at two different shows this month.
I'm also trying to keep updated with all of my social networks. I'm even considering getting a little hired help for that, so if you know anybody fluent with all of the necessary networks, send them my way! :-)
Monday, February 28, 2011
Older Blogs
I'll be posting on carlbahner.blogspot.com from now on, so here are the last few blog entries from my website. Enjoy!
February 24, 2011:
I'm completely convinced that the bad things in life will always be balanced out by the good things in life. When my girlfriend's car finally kicked the bucket last week, we were really stressing out about money (considering I just bought a new car less than two months ago). Then, in the span of about 48 hours I book 5 gigs, including one playing with Pablo Batista. He's played with some tiny little unknown artists like Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, and Bono (to name a few).
All obvious sarcasm aside, it's weird how much life balances itself out. The skeptic in me still believes that when things are going great, inevitably something bad will happen to keep the balance - but that's a conversation for another time!
Back to positive thinking...
This year is really looking to be fantastic. I've been invited to be a part of an arts and sciences project with the genetics department at Temple, and I'm also starting to piece together my first instructional book. I'm tossing around some ideas on how to raise funds for a few new art/music projects I'm involved in, but more on that as things develop.
I've also posted a few new tracks to the music player:
1) "To See About A Girl" is a track by Former Belle that turned out even better than I had hoped! Listen close for my stereo dueling snare drums. :-P
2) "Movement Two" is a free improv during a duo recording session with Jarrett Gilgore. The album should be released in the next few weeks.
3) "Dig Yourself" is a new tune from The Day Life. So hot, we didn't even release it for sale yet - Here's a sneak preview!
4) "Plan B" is a composition of mine, also from the upcoming Bahner Gilgore Duo record. Enjoy!
If you've made it all the way through this long (and hopefully semi-entertaining) blog, you're my hero and thanks for reading!
February 3, 2011:
Greetings y'all!
After 24 hours of craziness, I have a ton of springtime drumming updates to share with you! Not only did I add a few more perfomance dates and a (tentative) improvisation workshop to the "tour" page, I also will be teaching an eight-week hand percussion/rhythm workshop at The Lighthouse Lounge in Phoenixville.
The classes begin on March 6th and will be held on Sundays from
2-4pm. I'll post registration information shortly, but if you're interested please let me know through the "contact" page message form.
2011 is panning out to be a year of growth. Fingers crossed, I hope this continues!
February 1, 2011:
If you go to the "tour" page of my website, you'll see a few new dates, but also the poster I designed for the upcoming clinics I'm doing. The first of three is less than a month away, and all of the information is listed there.
Feb 26th @ The Lighthouse in Phoenixville
Mar 25th @ Music & Arts in Newtown Square
Mar 31st @ Harrisburg Media Arts Center
Hope to see you there!
January 24, 2011:
One of the most rewarding parts of what I do is the chance to meet all sorts of humans - from the cool and collected to the crazy and comical, the challenging and perhaps even the certifiable. I'm lucky to have so many friends, bandmates, and students that fit into one (or more) of those categories.
I have to say, I'm very lucky to have so many unique people cross my musical "path".
That pretty much sums up how I'm feeling on this chilly January afternoon while trying to stay warm and reflect on where 2011 is already taking me.
January 18, 2011:
This morning I finished mixing the new Bahner Gilgore Duo album (title TBA), and we're both very happy with how it turned out. We've been talking about doing a duo album for years but never had the opportunity. Our patience paid off, and we I truly feel we've made some beautiful music.
Two tracks, "Plan B" and "Movement Two" are now in the music player, and I'll be sure to keep you posted when we set up a release date this spring.
Many thanks to Scott Herzog at Third Story Recording for engineering, and to Chris Richards for lending me his beautiful 18" Gretsch bass drum. :-)
More clinic updates to come later in the week!
Much love,
Carl
December 30, 2010:
R.I.P. Claudette, Trusty 1996 Mercury Sable.
You were a fine car, safely transporting me to countless rehearsals, gigs, Starbucks runs, and other such necessary rituals. Wise and overflowing with integrity, you never allowed newer, fancier vehicles make you feel like less of a car.
You were trusted (and rightfully so) by three generations of drivers, until in September of this year, when... well... quite frankly you let yourself go.
The radiator fluid was the beginning of the end, when you began to leak antifreeze all over the %&#*ing place. Even after I gave you a clean slate with a totally new coolant tank, you still managed to burn away more of that stuff than a Cheech & Chong movie. So much, in fact, that the steam and smoke eventually warped a gasket and you became... unfixable.
*tear*
You just... couldn't get enough, COULD you?! You had a world's supply of antifreeze but you ALWAYS... WANTED... MORE!!
Well, now it seems like your addiction finally got the best of you. $2000 of rehab later, it was all for nought! I hope you're happy...
...you devil whore.
*ahem* Sorry, I... I... don't know what came over me. I guess the car has made me so frustrated over the past few months that I needed to just let it all out...
My apologies for doing so at such an inappropriate time. This is a time for mourning the loss of a close friend, and celebrating the joyous times spent together.
...
Ah, screw it. Rest In Pieces, you four-wheeled pile of junk.
February 24, 2011:
I'm completely convinced that the bad things in life will always be balanced out by the good things in life. When my girlfriend's car finally kicked the bucket last week, we were really stressing out about money (considering I just bought a new car less than two months ago). Then, in the span of about 48 hours I book 5 gigs, including one playing with Pablo Batista. He's played with some tiny little unknown artists like Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, and Bono (to name a few).
All obvious sarcasm aside, it's weird how much life balances itself out. The skeptic in me still believes that when things are going great, inevitably something bad will happen to keep the balance - but that's a conversation for another time!
Back to positive thinking...
This year is really looking to be fantastic. I've been invited to be a part of an arts and sciences project with the genetics department at Temple, and I'm also starting to piece together my first instructional book. I'm tossing around some ideas on how to raise funds for a few new art/music projects I'm involved in, but more on that as things develop.
I've also posted a few new tracks to the music player:
1) "To See About A Girl" is a track by Former Belle that turned out even better than I had hoped! Listen close for my stereo dueling snare drums. :-P
2) "Movement Two" is a free improv during a duo recording session with Jarrett Gilgore. The album should be released in the next few weeks.
3) "Dig Yourself" is a new tune from The Day Life. So hot, we didn't even release it for sale yet - Here's a sneak preview!
4) "Plan B" is a composition of mine, also from the upcoming Bahner Gilgore Duo record. Enjoy!
If you've made it all the way through this long (and hopefully semi-entertaining) blog, you're my hero and thanks for reading!
February 3, 2011:
Greetings y'all!
After 24 hours of craziness, I have a ton of springtime drumming updates to share with you! Not only did I add a few more perfomance dates and a (tentative) improvisation workshop to the "tour" page, I also will be teaching an eight-week hand percussion/rhythm workshop at The Lighthouse Lounge in Phoenixville.
The classes begin on March 6th and will be held on Sundays from
2-4pm. I'll post registration information shortly, but if you're interested please let me know through the "contact" page message form.
2011 is panning out to be a year of growth. Fingers crossed, I hope this continues!
February 1, 2011:
If you go to the "tour" page of my website, you'll see a few new dates, but also the poster I designed for the upcoming clinics I'm doing. The first of three is less than a month away, and all of the information is listed there.
Feb 26th @ The Lighthouse in Phoenixville
Mar 25th @ Music & Arts in Newtown Square
Mar 31st @ Harrisburg Media Arts Center
Hope to see you there!
January 24, 2011:
One of the most rewarding parts of what I do is the chance to meet all sorts of humans - from the cool and collected to the crazy and comical, the challenging and perhaps even the certifiable. I'm lucky to have so many friends, bandmates, and students that fit into one (or more) of those categories.
I have to say, I'm very lucky to have so many unique people cross my musical "path".
That pretty much sums up how I'm feeling on this chilly January afternoon while trying to stay warm and reflect on where 2011 is already taking me.
January 18, 2011:
This morning I finished mixing the new Bahner Gilgore Duo album (title TBA), and we're both very happy with how it turned out. We've been talking about doing a duo album for years but never had the opportunity. Our patience paid off, and we I truly feel we've made some beautiful music.
Two tracks, "Plan B" and "Movement Two" are now in the music player, and I'll be sure to keep you posted when we set up a release date this spring.
Many thanks to Scott Herzog at Third Story Recording for engineering, and to Chris Richards for lending me his beautiful 18" Gretsch bass drum. :-)
More clinic updates to come later in the week!
Much love,
Carl
December 30, 2010:
R.I.P. Claudette, Trusty 1996 Mercury Sable.
You were a fine car, safely transporting me to countless rehearsals, gigs, Starbucks runs, and other such necessary rituals. Wise and overflowing with integrity, you never allowed newer, fancier vehicles make you feel like less of a car.
You were trusted (and rightfully so) by three generations of drivers, until in September of this year, when... well... quite frankly you let yourself go.
The radiator fluid was the beginning of the end, when you began to leak antifreeze all over the %&#*ing place. Even after I gave you a clean slate with a totally new coolant tank, you still managed to burn away more of that stuff than a Cheech & Chong movie. So much, in fact, that the steam and smoke eventually warped a gasket and you became... unfixable.
*tear*
You just... couldn't get enough, COULD you?! You had a world's supply of antifreeze but you ALWAYS... WANTED... MORE!!
Well, now it seems like your addiction finally got the best of you. $2000 of rehab later, it was all for nought! I hope you're happy...
...you devil whore.
*ahem* Sorry, I... I... don't know what came over me. I guess the car has made me so frustrated over the past few months that I needed to just let it all out...
My apologies for doing so at such an inappropriate time. This is a time for mourning the loss of a close friend, and celebrating the joyous times spent together.
...
Ah, screw it. Rest In Pieces, you four-wheeled pile of junk.
Global Domination, Day One
I'll apologize in advance for such a short posting, but this is mainly for testing purposes. The "real" blogs will start in the next few days. Promise. :-)
For now: www.carlbahner.com
For now: www.carlbahner.com
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