John Common & Blinding Flashes of Light: DPUMS Day 3: Goodwill Experience

John Common & Blinding Flashes of Light: DPUMS Day 2: After the Sketch Wine Bar Show

John Common & Blinding Flashes of Light: DPUMS Day 1: After the Michaelangelo's Show

John Common & Blinding Flashes of Light: DPUMS Day 1: Before the Michaelangelo's Show

Spoons

Years ago, I was standing in my kitchen one night, looking down into the silverware drawer. I noticed that there were more than a few spoons whose origins I couldn't quite pin down. Such as that really nice heavy one with the longish handle. Or that Mickey Mouse spoon from Disney World. Or that little ornate tea spoon. Or that strange-ish, wooden spoon with a Russian peasant-looking paint job. Or that funky modern one. And others.

And then it dawned on me that these disparate spoons all had something in common: I had stolen them, subconsciously, from ex-girlfriends over the years.

It's true. I was standing there in my kitchen, face to face with a new reality: I was a spoon thief. And it also dawned on me that it was a little creepy, frankly. Like some sleepwalking, totemistic, voodoo, final rites ritual. But each spoon reminded me of "her" and our happier times. I thought to myself "Weird, man." And... "I'm a weird man".

But then I thought about it a little more and I started getting a little misty-eyed. I mean, there's something endearing about this mild obsession, if you think about it. I was "just a boy, standing in front of a girl's silverware drawer, stealing a spoon to remember her by..." Kind of like this movie scene. Only odder and slightly less sacharin. And without Hugh Grant or Julia Roberts.

So I did what any self-respecting songwriter would do. I wrote a song about it:

spoons
(imagine the music being played by a full on, guitar-driven, rock band drunk on well tequila at Lions Lair)

i collect the spoons of my ex-girlfriends
they're all right here in my kitchen drawer
it's kind of a weird thing I admit
but it's the one thing that I still have

whenever I saw that the end was near
I'd steal to her kitchen and pocket a spoon
just a little something to remember her by
'cause the end was coming soon

have a good life
with your fork and knife
I got your spoon, got your spoon
makes me think of you
I gotcha spoon, gotcha spoon
gotcha spoon, gotcha

I've never been good at remembering when
like the time by the river or when I met her dad
but when it's 3 in the morning and it's cold outside
it's all right here in my hand

["FUCK YEH" GUITAR SOLO]

I suppose one day I might find someone
who'll put up with all the crazy shit I do
we'll decide on a pattern and get our silverware
and I'll give back those spoons

I'll record this song on an old tape deck
box it up with her beat up spoon
brown paper wrapping with no return address
just a note that reads..

"I enjoyed your spoon"
"I surely enjoyed your spoon"
"I sure will miss your spoon"

[REPEAT CHORUS... maybe twice even]

I got your spoon...
it makes me think of you

============================
What made me remember all of this was a recent Facebook IM conversation with my friend, A.

A while back, I told A. about my strange spoon stealing fetish. A. was going through a break up of his own, alas. So I recommended the spoon stealing move as a way to deal with his angst and grief. A. thought it was "funny". But today, A. popped in on me and we had this conversation:

2:45pm A.
I got a spoon!

its a great silicon spoonish spatula

she's pissed that i wont give it back

2:46pm John
i'm proud of you, A.

good job.

i would have liked to see you nab a metal one.

2:46pm A.
;)

naw

2:46pm John
a big soup spoon has been my specialty.

2:46pm A.
this one is amazing

2:46pm John
but hey, we're different people.

we like different things.

and i embrace diversity.

2:46pm A.
its true :):)

2:47pm John
it feels good... when you look down in the drawer, doesn't it?

surprisingly.

2:47pm A.
so great

i dont even use it

i just like to look at it and gloat

2:47pm John
oh... you're "using it"... you're just not using it.

2:47pm A.
zakly

So Dear Reader, I will leave you with this final bit of advice: The next time you go through a breakup, go ahead and nab a spoon. Do it. It's oddly therapeutic. And if you ever look down into your kitchen drawer and wonder, "Where the hell is that spoon?", don't get angry. Don't judge. Just smile.

Monday night (yes, Monday): JC&BFoL, Nathan Moore, Tyler Despres @ Walnut Room

Hellooooo,

We had such a great time playing at the Denver Post Underground Music Showcase this past weekend! We played three shows and had a blast at every one of them. Visit my blog (www.hitrecordandplay.blog

spot.com) to see some lofi videos that I made.

JC&BFoL SHOWS THIS COMING WEEK!
We are playing an EARLY SHOW this coming Monday night, August 3rd, with the full band at the Walnut Room. I you hope can come -- Nathan Moore is a great writer. And Tyler Despres and Adam Exra aint too shabby either. We'll be playing with the full band that night. Here's the schedule for the night:

10:00 - 11:00 John Common & Blinding Flashes of Light
8:40 - 9:40 Nathan Moore
7:45 - 8:30 Tyler Despres
7:00 - 7:35 Adam Ezra

Two days later on Wed, August 5th, Jess and I are opening for David Lindley of Jackson Browne fame. He's kind of a legend. Google him. Come check that out for a different kind of show.

Love ya,

John
johncommon.com
twitter.com/johncommon
facebook.com/jcommon
myspace.com/johncommon
hitrecordandplay.blogspot.com

============
SHOW DETAILS
============

Mon, Aug 3 2009 7:00PM - EARLY SHOW
John Common and Blinding Flashes of Light
at Walnut Room with Nathan Moore, Tyler Despres, Adam Ezra
3131 Walnut Street
Denver, CO 80205
21+ / $10

Wed, Aug, 5 2009 7:00PM
John Common & Jess De Nicola
at Soiled Dove
Opening for David Lindley
(of Jackson Browne fame)
Denver, Colorado
21+ / $15

Calling All Filmmakers

Production notes for one instrument on one song

Some times, making a record is just about hanging a microphone in a room, inviting in some friends and hitting record... Mostly it's not though.

Here is an example of the kind of detail we've put in to the new record -- these notes are for one instrument (cello), on one song (Turnaround).

intro
- i'll need to hear this against the organ/rhodes stuff. it'll probably work

verse 1
- i'll probably use all / some of this

chorus 1
- fucking gorgeous.
- check tuning

verse 2
- give it to me, probably too busy - fights the vocal often, but i might grab a phrase or two.

chorus 2
- fucking utterly lovely
- check tuning

bridge A
- honestly, i think these ideas are the ones we should go with. the tuning, timing and specific note choice of some of the "connecting phrases" just need to be improved/tightened.
- seriously, this general approach is gonna work! we just need to commit to it.
- on the chop parts - i hear two cellos doing really tight / tempo-locked harmony chops - with the note(s) you currently have. just thicken it.
- the "connective phrases" between the chops sound out of tune and maybe a bit to obvious / "i'm an orchestra guy". having said that, I don't think they need to be "weird / out there". I'd go for subtle harmonic color, actually. don't feel like you have to do the heavy lifting - let the vocals do that.

bridge B (speak up, hold on, walk away)
- love the pizz

solo
- heart breaking
- love the top notes in the 2nd half
- don't change a god damned thing

verse 3 - empty / quiet verse
- yes. nothing here.

verse 4 - building verse
- this feels like 10 pounds of cello in a 5 pound bag. BUT - give me them all and I'll pick the ones that work with the organ/rhodes tracks. you're fine.

final chorus(es)
- lovely.

descent into outro
- god damn -- gorgeous

outro
- yup. you're done. i might do some trimming / slimming, but it's all there.

churchy final outro
- lovely
- some of the notes need to be more in tune



John Common
-------------------------------------------------------
email | letters@johncommon.com
web | johncommon.com
blog | hitrecordandplay.blogspot.com
facebook | facebook.com/jcommon
twitter | twitter.com/johncommon

Remote recording.

My friend Evan sent me this, thinking I'd like it. He was right.

Reice Hamel, in 1960, at the Hungry I in San Francisco. This is the uncle of bassist Edo Castro... He was one of the pioneers of remote recording. He built his own portable mixers when none existed and also created other mic'ing techniques for recording live.

So many cool things to tell you... Grab a cup of coffee.

Hey Summer Squash,

Sorry I've been incommunicado lately. We've been sequestered in the studio wrapping up our new record. And man... I think you're gonna like it. I hope you're gonna like it. I've never made a record like this. It's orchestral and patient and quiet and lush and layered and very, very real. And it has a name: Beautiful Empty.

We'll be releasing it this fall (late September). But you can come get a sneak listen to it on Saturday, July 18 at an incredibly cool event called the Common Box Project at Abecedarian Gallery in Denver. It's an entire art exhibit of assemblage/box art made by 60+ different visual artists -- each box was inspired from a song from our new record, Beautiful Empty. I've seen some of them boxes -- they're amazing. I want to especially thank my dear friend Alicia Bailey (owner/founder of Abecedarian) and her right hand, Ella Trujillo for the LARGE amount of work that's gone into this exhibit. Details are here and below. Check out all the artists' websites -- you'll be blown away.

Also: we're putting together a Short Film Festival in conjunction with the release for Beautiful Empty! Are you an indie filmmaker? Know any filmmakers? It's like the box project, but with FILM -- and it's open to anyone who makes art with film. Read all about it here:

http://hitrecordandplay.blogspot.com/2009/07/looking-for-filmmakers-short-film.html

We're doing some really cool things in the next couple of weeks:
- An outoor show this Wednesday sponsored by Swallow Hill (full band)
- A duo set (me and Jess) at a benefit at Meadowlark for Flobots.org
- I'll be speaking at Action Figures (Katie Taft is Denver's Terry Gross and Action Figures is her Fresh Air)
- The Common Box Project / Sneak CD Listening Party
- And then several appearances at the Denver Post Underground Music Showcase. All the details are below.

Cant' wait to see you at any or all of them!

Love,

John
johncommon.com
twitter.com/johncommon
facebook.com/jcommon
myspace.com/johncommon
hitrecordandplay.blogspot.com

---------------------------
Upcoming Events
---------------------------

Wed, Jul 8 2009 6:00PM
John Common and Blinding Flashes of Light
Swallow Hill's Outdoor Concert Series
at Four Mile Historic Park
with Jen Korte
715 S.Forest Street
Denver, Colorado 80246
seating: gen admission
all ages, non smoking

Sat, Jul 11 2009 9:00PM
John Common & Jess De Nicola
at Meadowlark
Benefit for Flobots.org
2701 Larimer St
Denver, Colorado

Tue, Jul 14 2009 7:00PM
Action Figures Series
with John Common
at Abecedarian Gallery
910 Santa Fe, #101
Denver, CO 80204
www.myspace.com/selfmadedenver

Sat, Jul 18 2009 7:00-10:00PM
Common Box Project Exhibition
and CD Listening Party Denver
60+ Works inspired by new recordings from John Common & Blinding Flashes of Light
910 Santa Fe, #101
Denver, CO 80204

Thu, Jul 23 2009 7:30PM
John Common
Denver Post Underground Music Showcase
at Michaelangelo's
1 Broadway
Denver, CO 80203

Fri, Jul 24 2009 10:00PM
John Common
Denver Post UMS - Sketch Wine Bar Denver

Sat, Jul 25 2009 3:30PM
John Common & Blinding Flashes of Light
Denver Post Underground Music Showcase
at CarToys Outdoor Stage
Denver, Colorado

Mon, Aug 3 2009 7:00PM
John Common and Blinding Flashes of Light
at Walnut Room
with Nathan Moore and Tyler Despres
3131 Walnut Street
Denver, CO 80205

Fri, Aug 21 2009 7:00-8:30PM
Parfet Park
Downtown Golden, CO
(10th Street and Washington)
We play then there's a movie in the park
All ages

Looking for Filmmakers - Beautiful Empty: Music+Short Film Conspiracy

BEAUTIFUL EMPTY
A CD Release Show + Short Film Conspiracy + Box Art Exhibi + Written Word

THE BASIC IDEA
• A non-competitive short film festival inside of a CD release show and box art exhibit all inspired by the upcoming new record, named Beautiful Empty, from John Common & Blinding Flashes of Light to happen in Denver, CO
• Filmmakers from all backgrounds, skill levels, and artistic points of view are invited to make a short film inspired by a song from the new JC&BFoL record
• Filmmakers would pick a song from the new record (it will be made available to hear -- confidentially) to use in their work
• The goals are simple: creative collaboration, cross-pollination (of music, film, visual art and written word communities) and throwing a beautiful, memorable, one-of-a-kind event

PROJECT GUIDELINES
Great art often comes from constraint... Here are the guidelines that filmmakers should stay in during this project:
• COST: Free - no submissions fees
• DEADLINE for submission: September 15th, 2009
• QUICK AND DIRTY: This doesn't have to be your Citizen Kane! Creativity trumps perfection here. So with that in mind, think 3 X 24 = you have a 24-hour period to shoot. You have a 24-hour period to edit. You have a final 24-hour period to actually finish editing.
• VOLUNTEER ARMY: No paid actors, editors, directors, gaffers, craft service providers, bookies, Columbian drug lords, gun dealers, etc.
• LENGTH: your finished short film must be less than 4 minutes in length.
• INSPIRATION: must pick a single song from the new JC&BFoL record as your inspiration. Beyond that, you are free to take it anywhere you want to.
• SONG: Must state the song you chose at the beginning of the film
• INTRODUCTION: A representative of the film will introduce their short film the night of the show, tell a story about the making of it, talk about the inspiration or vision for the piece, etc.
• SONG AUDIO: the song’s audio should be incorporated into the short film somehow – it doesn’t have to be a “music video” but the music of the song should play a role in the movie somehow
• ONE CAMERA: the film must be shot with a single camera
• RIGHTS: Filmmaker retains all rights to their film – but the JC&BFoL would love to be able to use online versions to help promote the project, filmmaker, band, etc. – cross pollination! JC&BFoL retains all rights to their music.
• Up to 6 short films will be screened the night of the CD release, however all submissions will receive promotion and screening online at www.johncommon.com.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS INTERESTED
Send an email or call BEAUTIFUL EMPTY's Festival Director, Darci Alishouse dalishouse@gmail.com and/or (720) 298-5747 we'll get you a top secret link to inspiration and other materials.


ABOUT JOHN COMMON & BLINDING FLASHES OF LIGHT

John Common sometimes wishes he were a filmmaker or a painter, but due to a run-in with his older brother's record collection at an impressionable age, he ended up with an obsession for making music instead. He's constantly writing songs... they range from raucous and snarly, to beautiful and introspective.

John plays with an incredibly talented group of musicians, artists and friends, drawn from Colorado’s indie music scene: Jess De Nicola Mefford (voice), Wes Michaels (cello, saxophone), Carl Sorensen (drums), Jimmy Stofer (bass, vocals) and Jon Wirtz (keys). They are that unique kind of band where each player is a genuinely talented artist in their own right, but when they play together something extra happens. Something larger.

John Common & Blinding Flashes of Light are currently in the studio finishing a new record slated for release in late September 2009. Beware: the new record will cause short films to spontaneously appear in your head with its lush arrangements, gorgeous harmonies and cinematic lyrics. It’s music that can pin you to the wall, break your heart, or just send you off thinking for a while. Visit www.johncommon.com for more information.

PRESS
2009 Lyons Folks Festival Finalist
2009 Westword Nominate Best Pop Artist
2009 Denver Music Scene Top 10 Songwriters
2008 Telluride Troubadour Finalist
2008 Westword Nominated Best Singer/Songwriter
2007 Lyons Folks Festival Finalist
2007 Mover and Shaker / Best Local Release -- Westword
2007 Best Local Release -- The Denver Post
2006 Most Intriguing Discs - The Onion
2006 Westword Nominated Best Singer/Songwriter

"Hard to classify, John Common plays a brand of upbeat indie rock that makes use of a wide array of instruments from trumpets to xylophones. His band Blinding Flashes of Light is comprised of several talented musicians culled from the vibrant Colorado indie scene who provide the backdrop to his insightful and powerful lyrics." -- DENVER METROMIX

"A brilliant, extremely ambitious disc... Denver's finest rock recording of the past decade." -- WESTWORD MAGAZINE (Good To Be Born)

"Why Birds Fly is even more uncommon than its acclaimed 2006 predecessor...the aural environment Common creates is so sumptuous that it rewards repeated listens even as it confounds expectations." -- WESTWORD MAGAZINE (Why Birds Fly)

"It may seem difficult to imagine a guy named John Common living a highly individual life, but believe it... his creative curiosity and detail-oriented aesthetic distinguish him from the drooling pack of earnest singer-songwriters." -- DENVER POST

"Raw, yet sophisticated pop." -- THE ONION

"Every aspect of Common's squirrely melodic sensibilities and unerringly tight playing and production are featured here." -- THE DENVER POST

"Common has achieved the musical equivalent of picking up seven tiles in a game of Scrabble and being able to lay down “bezique” on the first turn. " -- FIVE MAGAZINE, TAOS, NEW MEXICO

"Common writes a great song just about every day... 'Good To Be Born' is a Matthew Sweet-meets-Queen rock opus filled with catchy songs and layers of clever vocals... Damn him." -- 5280 MAGAZINE

"There are songs that make me want to drink till morning you see... Songs that make me wish I'd somehow gone home with that handsome stranger who smiled when I looked up from my book... Songs that make me want to be loud and messy and get into lots of trouble, when normally I am quiet and neat and only get into medium amounts of trouble... Songs I've caught myself putting on repeat when it's 2 am and I have to wake up at 6..."
-- A GIRL

Why I Like My Friend Julie

An excerpt from our Facebook status tete-a-tete:



be my friend on facebook :: facebook.com/jcommon
i'm learning to twitter :: twitter.com/johncommon
shall we myspace :: myspace.com/johncommon