USMAN408

Hello all!

A lot has happened since last time I updated. For anyone unaware, I am the keyboardist/pianist in Phonofield, an indie post rock band. Check us out on Myspace, Youtube and Facebook if you have time. We’re really good ;-).

In, November, Phonofield had their full band debut at Hotel Utah Saloon, a sold out and jam packed event. Joy! We spent the next couple of months recording and producing a demo CD, which can be listened to

HERE

At the begining of this month, we (Phonofield) headlined at Cafe du Nord, a landmark venue for independent music in San Francisco. It was great fun in which all our friends, family and fans partook in.

Heres a couple of video clips from our latest concert (be sure to watch in HQ):

I took the time in the midst of grueling Phonofield practices to put up a new Mega Man cover….cause I never forget my ROOTS. I recorded earlier on the home piano but it was horrendously out of tune. There was an oppurtunity to record with my Yamaha after I brought it home from Warren’s house where its been sitting a while for band practice..

Mega Man 9 has only been out 2 months but its soundtrack is already a classic IMO. Mega Man music is the best….poppy, catchy but occasionally has a darkly epic flair….like this song. The sound of Mega Man running towards his archnemesis’ fortress through a flurry of laser fire, explosions and spikes…while vanqushing fearsome mechanical beasts. What more do you want from life?

I wore a nice shirt for the video to impress my imaginary girlfriend. The fact that I would do a cover of this song should explain why I have an imaginary girlfriend. Enjoy.

I got to see Radiohead for the 3rd time in concert in Golden Gate Park. It only further reinforced the belief that they are the best band of our generation. There were more popular songs in this setlist that I never saw live before including “Fake Plastic Trees”, “Just” and “Karma Police”. The “Paranoid Android” performance like so much more incredible due to the upgraded lighting, compared to the 2003 Hail to the Theif tour….which was also very epic.

The Radial Remedey is now known as Phonofield. Next week, I’m going to be joining Nick and Warren for a few songs on piano at Mission City Coffee Roasing in Santa Clara and the debut band perfromance will be at the end of November at Hotel Utah Saloon in San Francisco. It will be amazing and make you crap your pants!

More videos up should be soon, including my own stuff and clips of upcoming Phonofield performances….

Peace.

Warren’s blog revolves around the idea of listing at least ten things that you appreciate or want to remember during the course of the day. He is more organized and manages to update it almost daily, but I’m going to be a failure and just do a comprehensive one for the last few days.

6/8/2008-6/10/2008:

1.) Osman and Amber’s wedding festivities

2.) Warren buying me a USB cable for my Yamaha.

3.) Starting my tile laying project in the front yard.

4.) Taking my gear to practice for the first time.

5.)The ending to Postures (a song the band is working on).

6.) Fantasizing about my next Youtube extravaganza.

7.) Car battery dying. Having to call AAA.

8.) Me and Koosh meeting up with Michael for the first time and completely nerding out.

9.) Hanging out with Imran at CS and late night eating at Franky John and Luigies….and laughing hardcorely about Granada memories.

10.) Helping out in my moms office. Having to hold down a screaming girl who didn’t want her shots. Me commenting to her mom that she could be a drama major…and her getting mad and retorting “NO SHES A SCIENTIST”.

11.) Finishing VTA application

12.) Omer Iverson hosting this website.

13.) Leaving for Flint soon.

In the latest development in my job search I did something pretty out of character. I managed to burn a bridge pretty cleanly. In what was supposed to be a ballsy humorous reply to a rejection email, I instead managed to link them to some shady looking website(instead of my youtube profile)  and sound like an ass in the process. Heres hoping for NO LAWSUITS AGAINST USMAN408.

It sucks cause a big part of me actually wanted the people who interviewed me to see the latest Muppet Babies video. Cest la Vie…If they cant see it, you still can:

What a friday night…if you asked me what motivated me and my good friend Imran to work on the latest video, I wouldn’t be able to answer you. Imran and I were discussing that a lot of events had to go down in almost clockwork like fashion, since the era when the World of David the Gnome was first on the air for this video to be possible and probable. We had lots of fun making it though….whatever “it” is…

Rather than analyze the details, I suggest we just take some life lessons from David and BELIEVE.

I posted the Bubbleman Jam almost a month ago but I never had an official update about it. Here it is now! Me, Salman and Koosh doing our version of Bubbleman’s theme. When we get better recording equipment, I eventually want to get some mp3s out.

I first played Megaman 2, in 1991 at the tender age of 6. My mom bought it for me on the last day of first grade. Incidentally, I watched my cousin play Megaman 3 the year before but I didn’t realize that there were gameplay differences, mainly the inclusion of being able to slide and the Rush transformatoins. The summer following first grade was defined by the soundtrack to Megaman 2.

Who would have thought that almost 17 years later, I would be so passionate about performing music from games. I suppose its my way of cherishing the past and having my own little sanctuary of hope. As you age and are faced with the harsh realities of life, its important to hold on to memorable aspects of your childhood and if possible, present them to the world in an artful package.

1.) For my latest video, I decided to stray away from my usual game music covers and delve into more exotic territory. Thats right friends, yours truly tackles 2girls1cup. These shock sites are something that have always intrigued me. Is it staged? Are the people in the videos/pictures drugged or coerced into doing what they do? Or maybe its the real deal…people actually living life to the fullest and having a beastiality orgy in a vat of human diahreah. My latest piano video does not attempt to answer any of these questions. In fact, you probably wont even get it if you havent seen the legendary 2girls1cup or its myriad of reaction videos on Youtube. Whatever.

2.) I joined a band. My new associates include

Warren

and Nick. Myspace page is a secret as of now. The idea is to play some sort of instrumental rock type of music a la Explosions in the Sky. We’ll see how it goes.

3.) Last Saturday, I graduated from the Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering at San Jose State University with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. I was really getting comfortable there and I feel it ended prematurely. I will remember the long nights in room 211 and some of the wackiest teachers I’ve ever had with fondness.

Zero is awesome. Arguably even cooler than X. His flowing blond hair and powerful Z-sabre he always saves the day even in death. He wouldn’t be as cool without his awesome music themes. So here it is. Me and Salman giving it our psuedo-best shot at playing his anthems from Megaman X, X2 and X3.

I like to reminisce. I like to reminisce a lot. Lately I’ve been thinking about the nature of time and how we perceive it. You may remember some event in your life very clearly but at some given time span you start to question whether that event even happened. I think this happens when you become preoccupied with some new aspect of your life and your old aspects get smothered away. You later recall the old aspect and enter a state of shock because you had forgotten that part of you for so long. For example, seeing an acquaintance from first grade after 15 years or seeing a teacher from high school long after graduating act as beacons that direct you to your former self. This realization of your past generates a sudden wave of nostalgia and longing for the past. You lose all your ambition and go to your favorite childhood park and sit there slumped on the swings, desiring more simpler times. I think this human longing is the same reason why people cried during Optimus Prime’s monologues in the new Transformers movie. Ok, maybe not people…but me definitely.