Iron Man + Caps

I thought this was a natural fit and googled for pictures bringing together 2 of my faves but could not find any. So i just had to make it myself. Here you go:

Right after i made this, the Washington DC Capitals got destroyed 5-0 in game 7 of the 1st round. So perhaps it wasn't the best idea.

Ulm PinballCenter Festival Preview

Just came back from my first real pin tournament this past weekend.
Had a blast.
Reminded me that i never posted this...
Click for more.

An Homage and A Prayer for Ayurveda

April 17th. Victoria Beckham aka Posh Spices's birthday...

On that same date, 2 years and 22 days ago, I had set up a fantastic line-up for my band Iritis to be part of. I somehow lured Ayurveda from Ithaca, NY to headline. It was their very first show in the DC area. Local prog metal prodigies Iris Divine rounded out the bill.

Today none of these 3 bands are active anymore.

Life happens... but I was particularly crushed to learn recently that 3 members of Ayurveda had spun off as a different outfit with a new musical direction. You see, the 5 musical alchemists of Ayurveda were true masters of their crafts and together weaved sonic tapestries that defied categorization and often made converts of any first time listeners.
Plus they f'n rocked live.

I'm a picky critical bastard, but damn i love Ayurveda's music.

If you'd like a primer, this video is a good place to start,
feat. the Alash Ensemble Tuvan Throat Singers:



That concert was also the first time I got to witness them live, having made the trek from VA to upstate NY. Beth and I are actually visible in the crowd at 0:07 into the vid.

Well, at least for now we can still revel in their stellar precious few studio releases and numerous live "tapings". The taping from the same concert as the video above is particularly fantastic.

And I shall always harbor hope for a reunion. always.

Paco de Lucia & John McLaughlin - 1987 East-Berlin

Pinball Mag Article

'wrote this for PinGame Journal, a national print publication!

 

Full article here:

http://tiny.cc/fxm15w

Clips from my last gig with Iritis

Before leaving town, i played one last gig with Iritis back at the Velvet Lounge.

Here's your own private little virtual concert:

Intro


Caravan Instrumental

Our latest composition, Foolish Heart

Konfusion, written by Neguine

The closer, Gates of Dawn

There's more Iritis vids up here.

Meet the Tulip Snail from Sarasota, FL

Cakerific

Butterfly at The Velvet Lounge

written by Neguine, based on poetry by Rumi

Bring it to PAPA: Pinball to the Max

My very first trip to the annual Professional and Amateur Pinball Association (PAPA) event in Pittsburgh was a phenomenal time.

It was far better than anything I had envisioned:
the venue was larger, there were more games than i imagined (450 is just a number... seeing them all... wow), everything was well organized, the facilities were top notch, clean and modern, and the games were in great condition.

Sweet artwork by Mike Budai and Brian Holderman:





The place is just huge and comfortably spacious



The machines were in great shape. With several techs roaming (wearing the black shirt), any issues were fixed swiftly...

There were 3 overhead HD TVs where you could follow the action.
Watching some of the Masters do their thing was pretty darn impressive.



I left some High Scores behind and hope they will hold

Battling the silver ball for 12-15 hours a day was a grueling and blissful experience, i was aching but no way i was stopping!

I already can't wait till PAPA 14 next year.

Pre-Chewed

Ash and Lightning over Eyjafjallajökull

My Sister's First Sculpture

Well she has been drawing for years.
But for a first sculpture it's just stunning.
yay sis!

A Dream Gig

Just last summer I got to witness Ayurveda live for the first time.
While getting my CDs autographed I told the lead singer Tom how I'd love to get them to DC and have my band Iritis open for them...

With perseverance and lotsa hard work, it's happening!
And I enlisted local prog-metal phenoms Iris Divine to join us on the bill too.

A true dream gig. YES!

Iritis Rocks the Red

Pj Harvey and Björk

Icons Synergy
wow

Orianthi

A gorgeous young woman who can shred like the best of them,
has played with legends already and is backed by PRS guitars.

With her power girl pop leanings and insane guitar chops,
she's about to reach a whole new audience and hopefully
get them into pure guitar like Santana did.

Watch out!
From the Land Down Under, this is Orianthi.

A Local Pinball Oasis

Moving to my new neighborhood has been a spectacular pinball blessing. Not only is there's a classic dive bar not too far away with some 10 machines, but I also got to meet a fairly close neighbor with an incredible personal collection of pins.
He has 9 more machines not even pictured here!


He's generously had me over a few times and has been phenomenally helpful in introducing me to the surprisingly thriving national pinball scene. Under his expert friendly guidance I'm also learning lots about how to BUY a machine.
that's right baby.....

Stiletto

"Sharing" the stage with Zakir Hussain

Following our dream gig with Kehkashaan opening for the B-52's back in May, the members of Iritis have been hired back to support bollywood singers Minakshi and Simha for a couple more gigs.

One of them is at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst on November 7th. Get the event and tickets info here.

This event is organized by the Asian Arts and Culture center at UMass.
Another event they are hosting this season is an appearance by
Zakir Hussain and his Masters of Percussion.

So one *could* say that we'll be performing on the same stage as the one and only incredible virtuoso, teacher, trailblazer, innovator and master: Ustad Zakir Hussain.