Monkeyclaus» Monkeyclaus Studio

Magnifico of Upliftment – Alex Schein

koblitz — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 21:54:47 +0000

Philadelphian Alex Schein is the Magnifico of Upliftment. With a voice and a microphone, an acoustic guitar, and a Line6 digital delay pedal, Schein achieves something special. Out of the darkness comes the dawn, the dawn of light, and come on, can't you see it people ?
"Out of the ashes comes the music ....."

Alex Schein's 2006's "Speed Of Light" CD, released on Schein's own SkyHunter Music imprint,
is written, performed, and produced by Schein. Schein himself is truly a modern testament to positivity. While many contemporary artists stake claim to holding the torch of the positive,
few can even begin to match Schein for authentic, pretense-free, vital-spirit communication.
Schein is on a path of giving and searching. He gives us his view of "the universal"
and the need for all of Planet Earth to unite, overcoming differences and embracing the congruity and similitude amongst us all. Schein is searching for "a timeless place" that is a manifestation of light, with light being the central image and concept for Schein's CD.

Alex Schein - Audio Collage
Audio Collage
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This ain't some Hip-Hop bullshit. This is elevated music for elevation. Frank and honest lyrics combine with stripped-down rhythm tracks that buoy Alex's "sense of awe of himself and the world around him". Minimal melodies reinforce the clarity of the vocal messages and the notion of the "self-awareness" we all possess. Schein shares the themes of "personal reflection and spiritual renewal" and "deeper levels of understanding with ourselves and the world around us".
The 11 songs on "Speed Of Light" are smooth and rooted in nature. Tracks such as "Knot Poetry", "Gift Of Gabriel", "Mind Of The Maker", "On Your Side", and "Rise Up" are particularly nice and exhibit Schein's style and method.

Schein's "Speed Of Light" was recorded at Monkeyclaus Studio in Nelson County, Virginia, with Abel Okugawa engineering and mixing the record. Additional recording and mixing was done at
Playback Recording Studio in New York City. The CD was mastered by Mike Wells in San Francisco.

Schein earned a B.A. in Religion & Philosophy from Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg,
Virginia. Schein has spent time in Durban, South Africa, and Mali, West Africa. Schein also acted as management for the Bosnia Peace Project Tour with The Dave Matthews Band. Additionally, Alex has worked for non-profit organizations focusing on youth development. He is a member of
Hip-Hop Congress, performing at the Midwest Hip-Hop Congress Summit in 2002, 2004, and 2006.

Schein has been working closely with climbing and bouldering filmmaker Josh Lowell recently.
Lowell, who runs Big Up Productions, has featured Schein's music in the films "Pilgrimage", "Dosage III", and "Dosage IV". Schein has said he is very appreciative of the support he received from the rock climbing community. Lowell also produced a music video for "Rise Up", which is the first single from the new "Speed Of Light" CD. The video is to premier this Fall. It features breakdancing in caves. And that's Fresh. Schein will be performing this Fall on the Reel Rock Tour.

"Speed Of Light" is available at alexschein.com and also through iTunes.

Abel Okugawa: Keyboard Clairvoyance

koblitz — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 21:48:22 +0000

Abel Okugawa is an electronic musician whose sounds and beats echo the sublime eloquence of his person. Abel is the primary Recording Engineer for the Monkeyclaus studio and had an integral role in building, wiring and refining the studio, which over the years metamorphesized from an old barn into a magical full-fidelity production facilty. Some of his past work building studios in New York city also received the attention of Source Magazine. Abel works prolifically as a solo musician and collaborates with many folks as producer, bandmate, beat generator, and guest musician. Okugawa states simply that his recording philosophy is rooted in "ease and inspiration".

His most recent CD-R release, "Magic Cuts" is available in both mini and full size CD-R with handmade packaging as well as by digital download. These "Magic Cuts" are cinematic, sexy, and infused with infectious grooves. His "816"vinyl, Monkeyclaus' first record release, is an underground classic full of crucial beats and haunting samples. Both releases feature gorgeous vocals provided by Rahimah von Briesen, whose voice summons mental imagery of a silver-tongued vixen wandering the desert from oasis to oasis taming birds and making men faint. Live tabla beats from local prodigy Loren Oppenheimer also grace both recordings. Buy the Vinyl through AbelOkugawa.com, alternatively, download it here. Abel's catalog additionally includes three releases from his old band Avon Force, and a high profile track on the Dosage Three Rock Climbing video from Big Up Productions.

Born in Los Angeles where he lived until age 14, Abel then moved to Charlottesville, Virginia. As a child Abel met King Crimson guitar guru Robert Fripp in a castle in England, where Abel's unique spirit inspired Fripp's League of Crafty Guitarists to write the song, "Are you Abel". In his own words Okugawa recounts one poignant exchange between him and the prog-pioneer Fripp. "I was about eight years old and at a seminar my Mom was teaching for the League of Crafty Guitarists. I was there as a guest. We had to eat spaghetti with peanut butter most nights. And I finally asked Robert (Fripp) at the dinner table why he liked the peanut butter spaghetti so much. So he called me a name and I called him a 'toad'." Though surrounded by much music growing up, Abel is mostly self taught and completely original.

Please listen to this melange of Abel's tracks to get a taste for his sounds and styles. One clip herein features voice samples of Joe Maynard, a Charlottesville denizen who was William S. Burroughs' official bibliographer and is known as "the last of the Beats".
Please enjoy Abel Okugawa's work and for more information visit his official website.

Early Sweet Crude Bill Podcast from the Vault

koblitz — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:44:43 +0000

The following is a podcast using the Podpress plugin. To subscribe, open iTunes -> Advanced -> Subscribe to Podcast and paste the URL:

Early Sweet Crude Bill Podcast from the Vault

http://www.monkeyclaus.org/?feed=rss2

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Abel Okugawa Magic Cuts mini CDr release

koblitz — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:36:15 +0000

Magic Cuts

Keyboard clairvoyance.
Incantation and anatomy of a beat.
Beat with a capital B.
Soaring female vocals.
Allurement. Captivation. Ritual. Rite.
Charming and glamorous.
Magnetic and street-wise.
Global interactions.
A hex for poseurs and Ponzi schemers.
Six cuts of pure hypnosis.
The magic formula.

www.abelokugawa.com

Bucks & Gallants Burn Rubber

koblitz — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 21:42:18 +0000

On February 3rd and 4th, Charlottesville band Bucks & Gallants entered Monkeyclaus Studio and proceeded to burn their way through nine tracks of high octane, poignant shred. Bucks & Gallants is composed of four C-Villians: Darren Hoyt (keyboard), Josh Lowry (drums), D.R.Tyler Magill (vocals, keyboard, melodica), and Davis Salisbury (electric guitar). Did the muscle car veer out of control and end up twisted wreckage ? Hardly. With Messrs. Hoyt, Lowry, Magill, and Salisbury in full control, the ride accelerated to the point where g-forces are almost bearable. As the vehicle began to melt into silver streakings, with nods to The Fall and Pere Ubu along the way, the dream of completely burning rubber was realized and the four rockers stepped out of the SS Chevelle unharmed and rejuvenated -- only to turn around and douse the car with kerosene and set it on fire. It was not spectacle, but rather spectacular. The following nine songs were recorded: "Broken Hands", "Interesting Chinese Cigarette", "Hey Bartleby", "Magic Caucasian", "Cecil", "Medea", "Paid Professional", and two cover songs ("Totally Wired" and "Navvy"). Anyone desiring to know where the real rock is in Virginia need look no farther than the ennobled Bucks & Gallants -- towering and outsized in their own way, all the way.