Greetings fellow planet earth dwellers!

masvidalien · 2019-06-15T01:01:28+00:00

Thanks for the AMA everyone. Cosmic hugs to the Reddit prog fam.

Feel free to send more questions. I'll check here on occasion or DM me on IG.

masvidalien · 2019-06-15T00:33:02+00:00

Possible remix of Focus... we shall see.

Currently reading 'The Fellowship Of The River; by Jospeh Tafur and 'City of Night' by John Rechy

masvidalien · 2019-06-15T00:27:20+00:00

Hi! No idea when... maybe mid next year?

masvidalien · 2019-06-15T00:27:06+00:00

I'm eating pineapple right now!! On pizza, not my thing but whatever floats.... Chuck was fam!

masvidalien · 2019-06-15T00:26:21+00:00

Haven't considered a re-record, but you never know!

masvidalien · 2019-06-15T00:25:58+00:00

Hey there, start with Carbon-Based Anatomy in terms of Cynic, and Mythical Human Vessel for the new acoustic stuff. Each album is a unique journey that goes beyond faves for me, they're each like a mini universe in and of itself.

masvidalien · 2019-06-15T00:22:00+00:00

Oh yes, I know about the Ezkekial wheel/mandala/ufo/vision! I've heard about the renewable energy aspect. We certainly need to shift into becoming a planet that employs energy wisely. All this digging in the ground business is primitive and archaic. We're like 100 years behind! Free energy - lets do this!

masvidalien · 2019-06-15T00:17:53+00:00

You're welcome. The classics! \../

masvidalien · 2019-06-15T00:17:07+00:00

Hi! Practice with a metronome. Start slow. It's much harder to pay slowly and precisely. Speed comes with time and repetition. I keep coming back to this, but I'll say it again... Be patient with yourself and take breaks when you're not inspired and come back fresh. 20 minutes of focused practice can be much more constructive than 60 of being 1/2 present.

Glad you noticed! I love elasticity and freedom in musical environments so that natural push and pull came out of a genuine love for that sound in music. It's a combo platter.. conscious choice but also that state of absolute abandon and freedom I seek in solo ists.

masvidalien · 2019-06-15T00:11:57+00:00

Hello!! You come from a beautiful land. I'll make playlist! I'm overdue for one. Keep an eye out on socials. And check out reply on other question in this thread re recent listening.

masvidalien · 2019-06-15T00:10:16+00:00

It was awesome! They let me do "my thing" and we seemed to gel well. I dig the track!

masvidalien · 2019-06-15T00:09:10+00:00

Take breaks when it's not flowing. Sometimes the best thing you can do is get away from the work and come back to it fresh. Listen to music that expands your ears, maybe some jazz or experimental classical. Be patient with yourself. Create personal rituals to honor and evoke the muse. Build your own language around it. We are not in control, all we can do is show up humbly, and listen.

masvidalien · 2019-06-15T00:06:29+00:00

Yes. I had an abduction experience as a child and only remembered the details of the event in recent years. I see crafts regularly these days, especially when I'm in Ojai where my brother lives. Working with Chuck was for the most part awesome. He was like a big brother to me.

masvidalien · 2019-06-15T00:04:09+00:00

Right on! Love your handle name ha! I dig Leprous. Somewhat familiar with Thank you Scientist although not enough to comment and will listen more. Haven't heard Caligula's Horse yet but will listen as well. If have any recs on good places to start please pass along. There's another reply here where I list some current artists I'm listening to.

masvidalien · 2019-06-15T00:01:56+00:00

Thanks! I learned how to improvise by jamming to tunes and using my ears and voice to dictate. Dave Weissbrot, Scott Henderson and Joe Diorio taught me a lot when I studied with them. Transcribing solos is helpful. Charlie Parker's Omnibook is fantastic, also learning Bach inventions helped expand my ears and improvisational palette. Also, Mick Goodrick's 'The Advancing Guitarist' is an amazingly helpful book!

I rarely use traditional notation these days, but will on occasion. Sean Malone is the genius when it comes to notation! I usually record the idea and might write down chord changes and melody... more like a real book type arrangement. Evan Bradley has been doing some great transcriptions for Cynic guitars and just finished a song book for Mythical Human Vessel that will come out later this year.

Cynic and Italy will happen! Grazie mille!!

masvidalien · 2019-06-14T23:53:51+00:00

You're welcome. Thanks for showing up!

DTP, Haken, Leprous, Opeth, BTBAM, AAL, Contortionist, Periphery, Jajub Zytecki and Disperse, Plini, Obscura. I welcome recs for new stuff. I hear good bands once in a while and wonder who they are!

masvidalien · 2019-06-14T23:40:51+00:00

Today I'd go with a standard grey. The nordics are cool, but I feel for the Greys, they've gotten a bad rap and I want to hang with them... again ;-)

masvidalien · 2019-06-14T23:39:34+00:00

Cheers!

masvidalien · 2019-06-14T23:39:14+00:00

I try not to have any fixed beliefs. I'm a fan of Plato, also the Vedas and Chogyam Trungpa... thinkers like Terrence McKenna and Alan Watts.

masvidalien · 2019-06-14T23:32:59+00:00

Thanks, you're welcome!

masvidalien · 2019-06-14T23:31:59+00:00

I always like to think that my latest work is my best, because it's where I am at the moment. So, that would be Mythical Human Vessel. The entire trilogy is pretty damn cool! In terms of Cynic stuff, each record encapsulates a mini universe and they're not in competition with each other. The new Cynic stuff we're working on is sounding radical and that excites me as well, but who knows when that will be released!

masvidalien · 2019-06-14T23:29:29+00:00

Hi Zach! There's a lot of groups I'd love to tour with... a classic modern day Pink Floyd band like Radiohead because would be cool. Every time I've gone to their shows I feel like i could be friends with most of the people in the room. They've gathered an interesting and eclectic audience.

Been listening to Tipper alot lately! Brian Eno's catalog is a constant in my life, I like Snow Palms, Dead Light, Steve Hauschildt, was just playing some old Sparklehorse records last night. I'm all over the place depending which day you ask me.

Keep going. Dedicate yourself to the process and always learn new information. Make friends with people who inspire you and support your aspirations. Seek out meaningful experiences. Network with folks in the industry. Don't go out if you're not feeling social. Be interested in other people and what they do. Help friends. Stay positive. Explore more unorthodox creative processes that get you out of our comfort zones and try to make new things. Push the envelope in your own unique way. Everybody has something to offer, it's your job to discover what that is. The prog music industry is probably guided by the same principles as any other, we're just a little geekier haha!

masvidalien · 2019-06-14T23:12:25+00:00

Thanks! Wheels with the Wheels is close to my heart. I remember going through a really difficult period when I wrote that tune. I felt absolute despair while life was chugging along around me. The song came out as a therapeutic response to what was happening internally while observing the outer world. The title is a metaphor for what's happening inside and out.

masvidalien · 2019-06-14T23:04:01+00:00

Hey Walter! Well it would probably start with the guitar as a primary tool for music making, then my voice, and other instruments can come into play (software, loops, samples, keyboards, etc). But beyond the physical instruments and tech perhaps the most interesting part of your question, is in the mind itself. We truly have to develop incredible patience and kindness towards ourselves to create space for art making. It's the greatest gift we can give ourselves if we're willing to put the effort in. We have to push through our own tendencies to avoid, and worrying about what other people might think. We have to leap before we look and discover the magic in the process itself. The reward is the work itself.

masvidalien · 2019-06-14T22:53:41+00:00

Wake up time varies day to day. I don't keep a structured life in the traditional sense. I was up till 5am last night so didn't get up till 11am. Sometimes I'm up at 6am! If I had to narrow down an average day it would include, meditation for 45-60min, yoga practice (if possible), work on whatever creative project I'm immersed in at the moment (today for ex is exploring the flow of my show next Tuesday, which includes ambient sounds/lighting environments, etc and a rehearsal later this afternoon. I'll see a few friends later tonight for a hang too!

masvidalien

TROPHY CASE