Friday, April 06, 2007

Backwards looking forward



Been meditating a lot on music lately - it could be because I've been making a point of playing regularly, working with a band and writing songs again. Back in the mid-90’s, I was working with a bass player named John. His house in Mill Valley had piles of artwork he'd done everywhere - hundreds of stunning pieces equipt with vibrant colors. I would frequently sort through his vast array of work that included anything from NYC skylines to extraterrestrial/people hybrids and other visual impressions from the road.

John's work was expressive, inspiring and awesome - to me he represented the complete artist. The other day I stumbled upon this sketch I did of him when we were working on a record together back in 1995-96 (he died in May of 1996). I slammed this out while we were on a break from recording my first album. It captures the basic vibe of who he was - cigarette dangling & always cool demeanor. His rock & roll star friends all nicknamed him "Mule"...