OK! Time is flying by. I have been keeping very busy with new projects and my main project of, well, readying my mind for Japan! It’s pretty sobering to realize my move is only 9 weeks away… But, I am doing my best to remain present – even though I’ve begun studying Japanese at my desk at work.
For those of you in Chicago, I will carve a few hours out of my thus-far hermetic style to spin records at Sonotheque with some fellas from Tortoise:
Tuesday, May 27th, 9:30 PM – 2:00 AM, FREE!
Bird & Whale Showcase @ Sonotheque
1444 W. Chicago Ave, 312-226-7600
DJ sets by: Bundy K. Brown, Caural, John McEntire, and DJ Alo.
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I’ve been recording new material for Boy King Islands, a “group” of sorts I have with friend Jason Hunt. There have been some label woes which have pushed back the release date, but we plan on mixing 3 or 4 brand new songs and hopefully having the project out later this year, at least for sale digitally. You can check out sound samples and keep up with us on our Myspace page:
www.myspace.com/boykingislands
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The fruits of my recent work with friend Stuart Bogie are now online as well. When not recording with Antibalas, TV On The Radio, The Sway Machinery, Celebration, and Scarlett Johansson – yes, Scarlett Johansson – he has been focusing on his new solo effort, Super Human Happiness. In October, I co-produced and played on two songs for his upcoming album, tentatively titled “Bogie Nights.” The album features performances by members of Antibalas, the Dap-Kings, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Lone Wolf, guitarist Ryan Ferreira, and a slew of fantastic players from in and around NYC. The album will be mastered over the next couple of weeks and released shortly thereafter. You can listen to the almost-finished material here:
(On his site, I co-produced the songs under working titles “Jonjon” and “7,6,5,4,3,2,1”)
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Finally, as my close friends know, I am nostalgic to the point of obsession. Being that I have been wrapping up my first day-job in years here in Chicago, I have had plenty of time over the last eight months to type. So, I have used off-time at work (um, most of the day) to digitize old journals! I have posted what I felt was “fit for print” on a new blog, and have published everything from obnoxious high-school tidbits through lengthy entries from excursions abroad, my three-months on Semester at Sea, recent tour stories, and the somewhat harrowing summer with hippies in rural Connecticut:
http://zacharymastoon.blogspot.com
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And, new Caural material is coming slowly – I promise!