I wanted to begin this hopefully informative spread fresh off of listening to Clam Date (a Human Conduct Records release), maybe three times in a row. Having recently unearthed my copy from a hidden box of packed goods that I had been keeping in storage, you can now hear all about how this soundtrack tape was like the missing link in my understanding and reconnection to cassette culture and the power of analog. For years, I didn't have an adequate stereo tape listening facility, unless I was plugged into phones. No excuse, I know, but so many great, mind blowing releases from the last couple years being put on hold in my life solely for their "obsolete" format? Unacceptable. Absolutely. And my Walkman was hissy crap, so it didn't help much.
Now on to bigger and better stereos, (I swear I have a point here), about a year and 1/2 ago, I finally got back to basics. Nowadays, it's rare that I spin a disk that I haven't MP3'd up to my computer, but tapes, records, and lathes have taken those digital files places. Why? Maybe they have more personality. More presence. Maybe the sound of digital skipping is so much more unbearable than the sound of a record skipping. And so on. So now that I can preach with great authenticity about the power of non-digital listening formats, I still hope to convince you of how some of them, way too many to mention here, have changed my life for good.
Dinner Music is the moniker Rick Weaver chose for his tape spliced, organ and piano infused, drum machine, noise, and sonically all over the place soundtrack recordings. Live, this can be anything from soundscapes improvised to suit the mood of any surroundings, to song performance and re-creation. In addition to Dinner Music, Rick also plays in/has been a part of the following acts: The New Flesh, Form-A -Log, Ruined Frame, Female Topics, and also with Age Wave in the Age Wave/Dinner Music "Alley Vision" cassette collaboration with Form-A-Log member Ren Schofield.
(Dinner Music Live @ The Bank)
Multi-instrumentalist, vocal contortionist, and purveyor of the unexpected, Rick's music and label Human Conduct Records, http://humanconductrecords.blogspot.com are steadfast examples of the validity of analog musical archives, and more so, the importance of listening to space apart from time, sounds that rattle, shake, and ease the spirit simultaneously. Why did Clam Date change my life? How have other releases like "Electric Hukam" and "Alley Vision" shaped the way I see and hope to create music as well? By taking apart the complex, and reconstructing atmosphere, sound, and musical influence as one addictive and cathartic listening experience. You really should follow the link above to his label homepage and create your own HCR perspective.
His newest DM release can be ordered and previewed here:
Rick lives in St Louis, MO, and can be found working on original film and music projects with the likes of Wendy Hyatt, Larva Lu, and other gifted contributors. Many surprises on the horizon, most likely. Don't say I didn't warn you...
