journal
Viral Christmas video that is going around
By Dave on Thursday, December 23rd 2010 12:32 pm
The Swedish band Somewhere put together this little 12 Days parody with a prog bent. If you are a prog fan and haven't seen it yet take a time to give it a watch. It's Brilliant!
Notes in the Margin Makes Top 10 Prog CDs of 2010
By Dave on Tuesday, December 21st 2010 6:32 pm
USA Progressive Music has rated "Notes in the Margin" the 7th best prog album of 2010. It is of course quite an honor to be associated with so many really talented artists. Many thanks to the USA Progressive Music staff for their consideration.
Some Music for the Season
By Dave on Sunday, December 12th 2010 9:59 pm
These are a couple of tracks my wife and I recorded way back in 2002. At the time I didn't actually have an acoustic guitar so I did the accompaniment on electric guitar which sounds a little odd with the flute. The CD was a little rough around the edges but some of the songs we recorded came out ok. We did a second Christmas album in 2005 that was a lot stronger. Neither is available commercially - just a thing we did for my folks.
The first one, Skating, is from The Charlie Brown Christmas, whose sound track (by Vince Guaraldi)is IMO the best holiday album ever. The second track is my arrangement of Greensleeves/What Child is This.
download mp3: Skating
download mp3: Greensleeves
So far as the shoulder goes, it has been 6 weeks since the fall. I see the doc again for another round of x-rays this week. Hopefully I'll get some good news and I can get a bit more aggressive with the Physical Therapy. Progress is as expected but slow so far. The nasty bruise has cleared. I still can't move my left arm very much, and attempts to do so usually end with various amounts of pain. In fact it is barking pretty good right now from typing so I'll wrap this up. Haven't attempted to play a guitar yet.
Review of NitM from USA Progressive Music
By Dave on Saturday, November 20th 2010 3:18 pm
Erik Pseja writes:
As the listener finishes consuming the album, all that will be left are scattered crumbs, a warm, full feeling, and the knowledge that this particular sandwich is destined to become one of your favorite comfort foods. Thank you, chef Kulju.
Read the entire review at USA Progressive Music.
The review uses a lot culinary imagery. Luckily I did better than the "Shark Sandwich" review from This is Spinal Tap.
New Toys & Broken Bones
By Dave on Saturday, November 6th 2010 10:01 pm
So the good news is I have finally pieced together a nice rig. For recording I use a rack based setup, but I didn't really have a proper guitar amp suitable for live performance or just for jamming.
Over time I was able to acquire a Pearce G1 and G2r amps. I had custom cabs built for them by Miyako Designs in California. The cab dimensions are modeled after the original Pearce cabs. But these are loaded with neodymium speakers and are constructed out of solid pine so they weigh in a full 15lbs less than the originals. And they are open/closed back convertible.
The custom padded slip covers were made by Studio Slips.
Essentially I'm configuring the two amps as a 4 channel 200 Watt stereo amp using a TC Electronics G system to handle the effects and channel switching.
The bad news.... I can't play with my new toys for
awhile. Monday, I fell down the stairs of that deck in the amp photos and broke
my shoulder in two four places (not to mention sprained my
ankle and smashed my head into a post). My left arm is immobilized for awhile (I
can now testify that typing w/ one handed sucks) and after that I'm looking at a
long rehab process. Doc says I can expect considerable pain for 6 months.
The good news about the bad news is they
don't think I need surgery and when all is said and done I should recover almost
a full range of motion from the shoulder. 90% or better.
The bruise on my
bicep is pretty gruesome.
Shot photo in mirror so it is reversed, it is the left shoulder that I
fractured.
Progression Magazine's 15/16 rating review of NITM
By Dave on Sunday, October 3rd 2010 5:49 pm
Rick Tvedt reviews Notes in the Margin in the new issue (Autumn 2010) of Progression Magazine.
Known primarily for instrumental prog with his band Electrum, Dave Kulju presents his second solo album, which thematically affirms the common man's struggle to realize his artistic vision amidst the setbacks of everyday life. The title refers to that struggle but also to the literary influences inspiring each track.
Opening instrumental "Skating on Europa" (Arthur C. Clarke) is a tour-de-force, cued from an indecipherable otherworldly phone message. Porcupine Tree motifs abound, especially the Richard Barbiere-like keyboards, though Kulju successfully melds his many influences into something uniquely identifiable.
The nearly 30-minute epic "A Poet's Talespin" is very well conceived, and the brilliant adaptation of two poems by Amanda Joy (sung by Annie Oya) make Kulju's first foray into lyrical matter a triumph. Equally adept at guitar and keyboards, Dave excels at transitioning between the two.
Elsewhere, "Get the Hell Off My Lawn" (book on organic lawn care) exhibits symphonic rock grandeur, while "Know Again" (Greek Tragedy) is another excellent instrumental.
Notes in the Margin is a labor of love that is surprisingly strong and bears repeated, joyous listening.
- Rick Tvedt