Khananirvana

Since we started this leg of traveling, I’ve played on the streets, in the homes of couch surfing hosts, and in the common areas of a few guesthouses. But tonight we actually found the open mic we’ve been looking for. We’re in McCleod Ganj, and the place was a vegetarian café called Khananirvana, about 200 meters from the residence of the Dalai Lama.

One thing I’ve been really impressed about lately: in NYC, there were a lot of musicians and there was a lot of ego, but in smaller scenes like the open mic at The Treehouse in Columbus, Ohio or this little traveler scene in India there has been a lot more raw, humble talent.

Also on the impromptu bill tonight were Ian from York (the old one in England), who sang humorous, self-effacing songs about trying to meditate and looking at water bugs, and Crystal, whose smoky vocals reminded me of Natalie Merchant and whose simple lyrics were appealingly accessible but still poetic. They were both much better finger pickers than me.

I tried out a couple of new songs tonight: Chasing Butterflies, my newest love song for Christin, Why’d I Have to Tell Her No, about dealing with beggars and possible scammers, and a really new one I just started writing yesterday that I might call I Don’t Wanna Buy It. All these songs will probably be on my next album, and I will try to put up some YouTube videos once I get home around Christmas time.

Maybe It's Love

I love theoretical physics, and now I might have stumbled on a quantum theoretical answer to the problem of love. Well, either way I wrote a song about one.

I was inspired by an article I read on NPR which was ominously titled Scientists Take Quantum Steps Toward Teleportation. It got me so revved up that this song just kind of poured right out of me.

We're Quantumly Entangled

They say when 2 electrons
get very very near
they develop a connection
Or at least that's what I hear
And these 2 tiny little electrons
discover harmony
They match each other's vibrations
at the exact same frequency

Some say it's teleportation
others telepathy
or maybe telecommunication
But I've got another theory

Maybe it's love

Now if you separate these electrons
over distances so great
they won't break their connection
they won't forget their mate
They continue to feel each other
like they did when they were tight
And the speed of communication
is faster than light

Some say it's teleportation
others telepathy
or maybe telecommunication
But I've got another theory

Maybe it's love

You might might not like my theory
maybe it's too mundane
Love is a force of nature
too powerful to explain
But just because you know how
doesn't mean that you know why
And even the things that we can see
have the power to mystify

Some say it's god-given
others destiny
or maybe chemical signals
But it might be all these things

Maybe it's love

Maybe not...

I've been working on some new material and I had some grandiose plans for recording and releasing an EP before I leave Japan next month, but maybe not. The new stuff is good, but it's just not where it should be. And I've learned from experience that attempting to rush the recording and release of music that's not ready is a bad idea.

So I have a new and less audacious plan. When I was traveling in SE Asia I was very productive creativity-wise. I just went into it with some musical ideas and the overnight Thai buses did the rest. Afterward, I came out with most of the material on It'll Never Come Again. So I'm gonna try it again. I'll take my ideas on the road through China and India and record whatever comes out on the other side.

Also, I want to apologize to my loyal followers (if you actually exist somewhere out there). I'll try to keep up on my postings in the future and let you in on the process in a more intimate way.

See ya soon,
Kyle

Taiko

The first time I saw a Japanese taiko group perform last year, I was impressed by their precision and the incredible amount of noise they made. I thought it looked like it would be fun to bang the shit out of those drums, but I never thought I'd get the chance.

Today I had my first performance with the taiko group I've been practicing with for the last six months at the Tanabata festival in Maebashi. I played three songs: Jyoshyu is a pumped-up anthem that would be right at home at a college football game. Karakaze is named after the notoriously powerful zephyr that blows through Gunma every winter. And Tsurunomai is supposed to look like a dancing crane (which is apparently what Gunma looks like on a map).

Taiko is a totally different musical experience than what I'm used to. It's very rigid and precise. There's no room for improvisation. And there's choreography to learn. This is all very counter-intuitive for me, but it's probably helping me grow as a musician so I'm gonna stick with it at least until we leave Japan.

Attention all Bootleggers!

My live performances shall henceforth be preserved for posterity at the Live Music Archive at archive.org. My show at Kishin on April 24th is now up and ready for download. Here's a preview:

At this time I would also like to invite all of you secret bootleggers to come out of the closet and share all those recordings of my live shows that you've been hoarding in your crawl space. Or, for the rest of you, you can feel free to tape my live performances and share them in accordance with my official taping policy:

Fans are free and welcome to tape and upload any audio or video of any of Kyle's live performances to archive.org, youtube.com, or any other site for non-commercial use. Fans are also free to distribute Kyle's recorded music in accordance with their Creative Commons licenses.

Thanks and I'll see you at my next show.

The Life/Art Integration Project

We made some changes to the website. We added new download links, a brand new photo page with pictures from our travels, and our travel blog.

First, we separated the download page from the listen page. On the new download page there is a link where you can buy my music at CDBaby. There is also still a link to download it for free directly from me, or you can download it from The Internet Archive. At the archive you can find the higher quality .wav version of my album along with the .mp3s.

Also, there is a new photo page. We picked the best images from our travels throughout Asia and put them together in a slide show. You can also view our travel blog, Have You Had Your Rice Today? through the website now. We are doing all we can to merge Kyle Butler the musical image with Kyle Butler the actual human being, whereas before we thought for some reason that the two should be separated. (Christin calls this the Life/Art Integration Project.) Also, to that end, we are going to try to make some music videos with footage we get during the next leg of our travels. So as always, there will be more to see.

Novice monks in Chiang Mai.

Finally, we added more info to the listen page. While you listen you can peruse my album notes and bio. We're working on adding the lyrics, and we'll have them up as soon as we figure out a seamless way to integrate them into the site. (We haven't forgotten about you Khris. Also, the lyrics are attached to the .mp3s. Just right click the song in iTunes and look for the tab that says "lyrics." Or, just turn the volume up and listen real hard.)

Please Buy My Music

I changed my mind. Give me back all that free music. >:-[ whyIoughta...

Just kidding! ;-) (I promise that this will be the last time I use emoticons in this blog.)

I've put my music up for sale at CDBaby.com. You can buy the mp3 version of It'll Never Come Again for $9.99 or $.99 per song. It will also soon be available on iTunes, Amazon, etc. I would recommend CDBaby, though, because (selfishly) I get the biggest cut from them and (unselfishly) they are currently donating $1 from every album sold to the American Red Cross and to Mercy Corps, a Portland-based relief organization with a large presence in Haiti.

I'm still giving my music away for free at the website and at archive.org, but if you have the money and you want to support my work, then you can also purchase it. Either way, the best way that you can support me is to play my music for your friends and join the mailing list.

Also, I just want to say thanks for all the support you guys have given me so far.

love,
Kyle

What's up with the Downloads? Or, The Down Low on the Downloads

So apparently the download links have not been working properly (I thought you guys just didn't want my music). To rectify the situation, we've put the album up at archive.org. Point your browser to http://www.archive.org/details/ItllNeverComeAgain to download it from their server. You can download individual tracks if you want, or for the full album download the .zip file underneath the "whole item" heading. We're working on the website, and we'll have something new up and running soon.

Please Steal My Music

You may have noticed a new button at the bottom of every page that looks like this:

That means that anybody (including you) has permission to distribute, remix, or use the songs on It'll Never Come Again under a Creative Commons license. There are, however, a few catches: The tiny man (BY) says that you have to give me credit. The crossed-out money symbol (NC) says that my music is only available for non-commercial purposes. (If you wanna make money, then I wanna make money. We can work something out.) The little circley arrow (SA) says that if you rework, remake, or remix my music then you have to freely share your rework, remake, or remix the same way I have freely shared the originals.

Why would I leave my car door unlocked with my intellectual property sitting in plain view on the front seat and a big sign that says "Please steal me!" on the windshield? (What a metaphor!) I think that the internet is an amazing distribution outlet for creativity and people should be free to use it without fear of legal retribution. This way, the free flow of ideas will not be hindered and our lives will be richer for it.

Here's what the Creative Commons people think:

So if you want to make a techno remix of I've Been Stuck in New York City for Way Too Long and put it on your Myspace page or put Origami under a slow motion video of your uncle getting hit in the nuts by a tennis ball, or (better yet) share It'll Never Come Again with your friends via a P2P file sharing site, you have my blessing. I love watching other people get hit in the nuts with stuff.