Escape the Clouds

I went to my first .snap photography meetup on Sunday, at the . What a fun experience with tons of photogeaphers. They encourage you to get in front of the camera yourself, so I took a couple self-portraits amidst the awesome machinery and scenery.

Jamming on some bass tonight and doing some songwriting before I head out for the evening to a classical guitar concert.

Just received my BYOK yesterday, a Bring Your Own Keyboard writing device that I helped fund via Kickstarter. It's designed to be a portable, distraction-free means of getting writing done, with an automatic sync to the cloud. It delivers on that aspect, but with some caveats.

What I didn't realize was that it was also *formatting* free. I've used their online cloud writing app (app.byok.io) for a bit, which allows you to do the usual formatting: bold, italic, underline, center justify, outlines, etc.

However, I was disappointed to find the unit itself only uses straight-up text (.TXT) files. When you allow a cloud file to sync to the device itself, it strips out all formatting. Of course, you can't format any text on the device either. Not cool. Even just B/I/U would be very welcome.

Other things I hope they address:
1) Allow text selection and cursor movement options (as listed on the image.)
2) Remembering the last keyboard you connected, so you don't have to fully re-pair the same keyboard every single time you turn on the BYOK. That's annoying.

It's an interesting unit whose basic functionality is there, but there are some definite shortcomings that should be addressed. Looking forward to more firmware updates and getting some undistracted writing done!

My new single "Rising Tides" is out today... coincidentally during an actual flood warning here in Seattle! Link in the description.

The song is inspired by my friend's debut novel Breakwater, set in a near-future Miami, FL that's drowning under the effects of climate change. A pregnant teacher and her mother must navigate rising floods, the quickening collapse of civilization, and answer the question: "How much change can one survive?"

Breakwater by Vivian Wilderbridge is available everywhere in both eBook and print formats.

She and I are both ex-Miami residents and she really captures the feel of the city. It's a powerful, beautifully written novel and I couldn't recommend it more.

Jamming and songwriting on bass guitar tonight. I do love me some things with four strings. Bass was my first instrument and--many, many years on--I continue to find joy and inspiration while playing it.

Tracking vocals for the new album in the early AM.

I love portable music machines, and I don't believe there's any that--gram for gram--matches the amount of power packed into the .

It's a strange little beast. At first, I didn't gel with it and it sat in a drawer for the better part of a year as I debated selling it. This week, after installing the latest 2.0 update and approaching it again with a clear mind, I'm really enjoying it finallly.

It's really a deep piece of kit with so much capability, not just for its size, but in general.

Making music on a mountaintop. I climbed Little Si on Friday and spent a while on the summit, by myself, having a snack and making some music on my Lofi-12 XT. (Swipe right.)

Of course, out of courtesy, I would silence the music if anyone else appeared. I didn't want to override someone else experiencing nature's own music: wind, rustling leaves, and birdsong. A fellow hiker did pass by at one point; I offered to take a pic of him and his doggo, and he took a shot for me. But otherwise, I was on my own, taking in the vistas and feeling at peace.

We went to see last night, my favorite band of all time and a huge influence on my music. It was my fifth time seeing them, but first time in over 25 years. My lady's also a huge fan, but it was her first time seeing them. They absolutely killed it with the energy.

Afterwards, we got to meet Chris, who was super nice and chill. I managed to snag a setlist; Chris and Walter both signed it and a couple of CDs, including my pretty rare copy of their single from 1993, "Violent Mood Swings."

It was just a great night. They say never meet your heroes, but Stabbing never disappoints, both as music makers and people. I hope we get to see them again soon.

We also enjoyed openers and their tight set of atmospheric music. I'm looking forward to the release of their new album in a couple months, and catching them live again soon.

(Re-post due to unexpected image cropping.)

So pumped to see tomorrow night here in Seattle. I've been a huge fan since the early 90s. Their music helped me through some tough times and is a huge influence on my own music. This will be my fifth time seeing them, and first time doing so in 25+ years.

My collection of their CDs runs from their initial 1993 "Violent Mood Swings" single through their latest 2021 album Chasing Ghosts. My copies of Whither, Blister, Burn and Peel and Darkest Days are signed by the band's lineup from when I saw them in the mid-late 1990s.

I can't wait! I'm also looking forward to seeing locals open for them! I've been listening to their EP What Remains throughout this week. "Watery Grave" is a favorite track.

On the scene at ! I'll be at the Cotton building until about 3:30pm, then playing the Hootenanny tonight! Doors at 3:30pm.

Feeling a little under the weather, but the show must go on!

Lots of activities happening! Tea dueling, live music, typewriter duels, dancing, vendors, tons of great costumes, and more!

My newest original creation, made exclusively for this weekend! A glides past the Point Wilson near . Another in my series inspired by the history and natural wonders of the , I hope this will be the first in a series of wildlife studies.

I'll be on-site all day Saturday, June 14th, and performing Saturday night. Come by, say hi, and explore the festivities! If you're interested in my merch, along with copies of the orca, Tahoma, and Skyline prints, I'll also have pins, music, drawings, and more available.