I'm writing two new blogs and I am determined to keep them going. They are both music related and have been kept up fairly well so far. The first is about the Southern California Creative Music scene. It will cover avant-garde music from Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and San Diego areas, as well as everywhere in between. http://www.socalcreativemusic.blogspot.com I also have my more personal blog about my various musical thoughts and what not. http://www.urbannerdsmusic.blogspot.com My band Onibaba in the LA weekly Read here: http://www.laweekly.com/2009-11-05/music/brick-s-picks-the-real-mccoy/

Read here: http://www.laweekly.com/2009-11-05/music/brick-s-picks-the-real-mccoy/

Had a great recording session with the Improvising Composers United last weekend and now back on the road with Kid and Nic. Going to be in NV for two weeks starting on Wednesday.

 

I am excited about a recording session I have coming up with Wadada Leo Smith, Scott Collins, Sarah Phillips, and Craig Bunch. We are recording 4-5 tracks of my music at Wayne Peets studio on the 23rd. The album is about political freedom fighters and prisoners of conscience over the past few decades with pieces being written for: Fela Kuti, Goyathlay (Geronimo), Mohandas Gandhi, and Aung San Suu Kyi.

 

I hope to get Onibaba recorded in the fall and start chipping away at other projects like 36 Ghosts and such.....

Pasadena Library 03-30-09: http://www.darenburns.com/music/Onibaba/onibaba_Pasadena_Lib_033009.mp3 (Apprx. 50min.) Tribal Cafe 04-19-09: http://www.darenburns.com/music/Onibaba/onibaba_tribal_cafe_041909.mp3 (Apprx. 43min.) Vinny Golia - Kaval, Soprano Sax, Bass Clarinet George McMullen - Trombone Scott Collins - Guitar Craig Bunch - Drum Set Me - Bass Segued Tracks: Van Gogh Hymen Lipman Anesthesia Non-Breakable Dogs Shorn Wryly. Stop! Hammertime!

A mighty thanks to Greg Burk and the two 'shoutouts' he gave on his MetalJazz Blog to two groups, the Improvising Composers United and the World Ambient Symphony, I am involved with:

 

WAS CD Review: Fall into the physical dream universe of World Ambient Symphony, the trio of multi-instrumentalist Matt Piper, electropercussionist Koorosh Daryaie and bassist Daren Burns. If I were unsure of WAS's honesty, I would have been incredulous about the group's claim that their album "Random Walk out of the Sun" was improvised live with no overdubs or edits -- it feels like a composed Symphony in a real sense. A cosmic whale calf moans, an electro-gamelan bongs, alien ululations zap across the sound field, digital monkeys chatter, effect following effect with steady purpose and natural blend. I was wrapped into a state halfway between attention and trance, buffeted and rubbed by a huge bass or yanked by the ears down stairsteps of echo. "Photosphere" would make a great alarm clock; its laptop skronks and gearbox tornadoes are irritating enough to wake you, yet comfortable enough to avoid cruelty. The 19-minute "Convection Zone," after making me feel I had been pulled upward into a spacecraft by some kind of alien beam, built a rhythm of psychedelic dance and squealing intersphere friction to accompany the inevitable lab experiment, painlessly conducted under semialert sedation. It's a trip indeed; turn off the lights and play it loud. Check out music samples and find purchase options here. - Greg Burk, www.Metaljazz.com

 

Also Thanks to all who came out to The Wulf last night, you made the event absolutely amazing!

Features four new compositions by myself and one I co-wrote with David Mills. The CD also include the fantastic piano playing of David Mills and drumming of Craig Bunch. Engineered and mixed by Wayne Peet at Killzone in Los Angeles.

Interview of John 'Drumbo' French (Beefheart/Zappa/Crazy Backwards Alphabet) by Billy James Here Drumbo Interview. John was nice enough to give his current band, myself, Scott Collins, Eric Klerks, Craig Bunch, some kind words and some props.... Some shows to be coming soon!

World Ambient Symphony @ Royal/T's New Years Eve Party. Right click, or control click to see full size: Royal/T - is a playful collision of spaces—café/shop/art space—presented in stunning fusion. An eclectic mix of retail and contemporary art reimagined in the surrounds of LA's first Japanese-style cosplay café.

Two new videos up from the Improvising Composers United (ICU) show last Saturday, enjoy! Ulrich Krieger-Sax, Andre LaFosse-Guitar, Me-Bass, Craig Bunch-Drums, Kio Griffith-Video:
We Are Not Alone from Daren Burns on Vimeo.

Misuzu Kitazumi-Piano, Motoko Honda-Piano, Sarah Phillips-Piano:

'3' A Piano Trio from Daren Burns on Vimeo.

Got a new hard drive so have had time and room to edit some more video. I re-posted the video of "Thirty-Six Ghosts" on Vimeo. It is a much better video of the performance. Enjoy!
"Thirty-Six Ghosts" by Daren Burns from Daren Burns.