I figure enough time has passed this year without an entry, especially considering how the last entry, months ago, was somewhat suspenseful. Sometimes I think plans that get changed the most on this project are plans to keep this blog, which is saying a lot, so that's probably an exaggeration.
Also, I've taken a little extra time figuring out how to revisit all the relevant, project-based experiences that I've failed to write about over the last year. I'm going to post them all (write about them) as recollection entries over the next few months, months that I will be home in LA.
Right now I'm still on the East Coast, nearing the end of this trip. For those of you who don't know how I went from: attempting Mt. Adams in Washington state last August -to- leaving the East Coast in November after months here, I will give a detailed synopsis below.
1. In early August I summitted Mt. Adams but failed to record my music and almost lost my life coming back down. More details in the coming entries/recalls.
2. A couple of weeks later I summited Mt. Adams again and successfully recorded my Cambient music at the top, making it back down off the mountain safely this time (a lot more details pending). You can see a clip of that music session here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1DO20CrnWo&feature=related. Help me to build up some views on it. ;)
3. I spent the next few weeks music-mentoring a friend-and-colleague in Tacoma, as well as preparing my music (cover songs and originals) for the other 4 mountains. They were: Hood, Rainier, St. Helens, and Shasta. Being near these mountains for periods of time is what inspires the music ideas, but the music still takes far longer to prepare than it looks like it will. It soon became a panic.
4. After realizing that it was now too late in the season to summit the bigger mountains, I decided to at least climb Mt. St. Helens and get that out of the way this year. I summitted St. Helens (for the second time in life) but failed to record music at the top. Excuse: a close friend and fellow recording artist died back in LA while I was at the base of St. Helens trying to prepare the music. The time I had set aside for St. Helens prep was mostly spent contacting the friends and family of my deceased friend in LA.
5. After running out of time and good weather at Mt. St. Helens, I left in a frantic rush to keep a year-long appointment back in LA. That appointment: a year earlier I had booked an entire East Coast mini tour with fellow ambient musician Vic Hennegan.
6. After making it back to LA, I had two days to get ready before hopping on a plane with Vic on the 28th of September.
7. We played a week-long mini tour in the Jersey/Philadelphia area, with one gig in Atlanta, hitting events and fm radio programs. Plenty more details later.
8. After the tour ended, I began Travels Rendered again. I went to DC to visit friends and family for 3 weeks while recording-and-filming music sessions in that area.
9. Then I took a train to Connecticut where I stayed with more family for three weeks, recording ambient-music sessions in the turning-leaves Autumn and attempting a few sessions in NYC, like a commute.
10. Not having planned to be out here so long, I got Thanksgiving out of the way and tomorrow I now leave for NYC where I will stay and finish all NYC sessions before hopping on a plane back to LA this Friday. I plan on recording live vocal cover songs at Grand Central, Times Square, The Empire State, The Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, Central Park, and the Hospital where I was born (right next to Central Park).
Perhaps now you will have some idea of why I haven't kept the blog updated.
Although, there really is no excuse for not at-least posting up a few sentences before each relevant occurrence, huh? That is basically what keeping a blog is supposed to entail, right? Well, my only drawback lies in the fact that I like to keep a well-written, well-illustrated account of these projects. I want to honor them, and express them, not merely update them. So, perhaps some of you can shed light on this little dilemma... Please feel free to contact me with any suggestions you may have. Whether or not I can actually take you up on it, ;) I'm open to hearing them.
The next entry should be from home--LA. Let's see if we(I) can stick to an estimation this time. ;) I've been away from home now since last June, and I miss Lisa and everyone there.
It's really only these projects that remain a menace in my mind. I will be on the road most of the year next year, from late March until early October. And most of that time I will be doing difficult things for these projects: hiking, climbing, driving crazy hours, rushing, meeting-and-greeting, partying, having tantrums, burning up, freezing, etc.. It's hard to believe whenever I think about it; after everything that's happened so far, I get a three-month rest period before the biggest trip of the whole deal. Better make it count.
FYI, while I was staying with my friend in Tacoma, before Mt. St. Helens, I went to Seattle to interview for a college newspaper, regarding The Summit Music Project. The paper is called the Whitman Pioneer and, although it was a little brief as far as length and description, they honored the project, and even drew a cartoon caricature of it. :)
Article:
http://whitmanpioneer.com/arts/2011/09/08/dean-de-benedictis-embarks-on-mountainous-musical-odyssey/
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