Yes – Big Generator

Ever listen to an album over and over? I’ve been doing that with something totally unexpected – Big Generator, Yes’s 1987 follow-up to their massive hit album 90125. I bought it when it came out, I was probably a senior in high school in Tokyo. I remember getting kind of sick of it, although there […]

Alembic doubleneck/Moog synth video

A few days ago, realizing there was a heat wave coming (among other circumstances), I managed to make a video that I feel expresses something I’ve been aspiring for: Performed “live” to iPhone, then multitrack audio recording manipulated in ProTools. I hoped that the iPhone audio would be good enough, but the Subharmonicon was too […]

Moog + Bass Experiments

My recent Moog experiments deserve some self-reflection. I began just by working with the synths – the Subharmonicon making harmonic and (poly)rhythmic sequences, the DFAM for percussion, and the Sirin played with bass pedals for added color, whether in the lower or higher register. I was finally inspired by Bob Moog’s birthday to go all-out […]

Happy Birthday Jaco!

Happy birthday to the late Jaco Pastorius – he would have been 70 today! He was a pretty big influence on me in my formative years. Probably due to Guitar Player Magazine, I “discovered” him while I was in high school in Tokyo. I had everything I could get my hands on – remember, though, […]

Dumbest Thing I’ve Ever Done With My Bass

This question – What’s the Dumbest Thing You’ve Ever Done With Your Bass – was recently asked on TalkBass. I’m interpret “dumb” to mean “ridiculous” and offered the following: Played my bass with a roast beef sandwich. I don’t remember if I did it on purpose – the band I was playing with (Jiggle the […]

Dagger of the Moog Part 1

Several things conspired to produce some new music. May 23 was Bob Moog’s birthday – he was a pioneer of synthesizers since the 1960s – that was the main thing that got me going. But I had also recently watched the “Dagger of the Mind” episode of Star Trek (“the original series”), and realized that […]

Why Bass?

I actually started on piano, but then guitar, then bass, with a smattering of other instruments. I love the sound of the electric guitar. I spent most of 7th grade listening to the Beatles – I remembering listening to Abbey Road on headphones, and the part before “The End” after the drum solo when they’re […]

hieronymous = gyokyo

Just in case there was any confusion, hieronymous and Gyokyo are two aspects of the same person – me! hieronymous is my musical identity – I have been a musician since taking piano lessons in the late ’70s as a kid. I switched to guitar and bass after we moved to Japan when I was […]

Fare Thee Well Reflections

On Sunday, July 5, 2020, the Fare Thee Well shows from Chicago, 2015 were streamed in their entirety. I had never had much interest, having seen the second of the two Santa Clara shows and being somewhat underwhelmed. But now I’m used to watching shows online, with Phish, Dead & Co., and the Grateful Dead […]

Spotify + The Mechanics

I’m not a fan of the “post 10 albums – no story, no review, just the picture” thing that’s been on Facebook recently. I want to hear something about the connection of the person with the album – it illuminates both the person and the music. We have more than enough disembodied images as it […]