still hot? yupp.

as i was driving home from the studio today i saw a VW van just like this one on the side of the road, engulfed in flames. the whole thing was filled with bright red and orange fire. smoke poured from all the windows and the engine was spitting out flames as well. it was 112º outside and that air cooled engine couldn't take it. sad, it was a nicely restored van. made me think what the hell are we doing living here in the first place? if you have an answer to that question, let me know. have a nice day folks.

working round the clock for a better tomorrow

here at the ambient studio. were working round the clock to bring you the latest innovations in modern art. 

working small

this my friends, is what i completed today . i have another one that is nearly done, but for now i can show you this one. i don't think, at this point , i will be back in the studio until saturday morning. of course i will post the other piece when i finish it for you to check out.

ok i think im gonna go to bed now.

somethings going on here

as you can see. i have many things in progress now. smaller pieces are where it's at for me right now.... having said that i'm sure tomorrow i'll work big. always happens. the grass is always greener on the other size canvas.

monkey love

today was a good day at the ambient studio. progress on several new pieces that i have been working on for a bit. nothing finish, but none the less i did spend a good 3 1/2 hours in the intense heat painting away. i think i was a bit ahead of myself thinking that i would get the holes in the wall patched. silly me.....here's some monkey love for you......

take a look at this

it was 115º here in phx today. yeah it was freekin' hot. all i managed to do was update my facebook profile picture. sad i know but did i tell you it was 115º today ?

i hope you understand.

awesome record

follow me. a soundtrack from the movie of the same name.

dino desi and billy rockin some way hip southern california tunes for your pleasure.

dig it man. dig it.

lost and found

this is from a sketchbook i found in a box, under a stack of stuff behind a bunch of books, on a shelf, in the garage, at my home. about 3 years old. i like it.

magooba

todays playlist

im gonna get shit for some of this by in the name of full disclosure here we go.

dan fogelberg- captured angel

the cure- head on the door

residents- theme from the teds

roland kirk- don't cry for me beautiful edith

the mood mosaic- the sound bullet-vol.9

rapoon-library of the dead

susumu yokota- grinning cat

keane-under the iron sea

you like indian right?

for my money there's nothing like an old scratchy record from india.

i always get excited when i run across something like this at a yard sale or some thrift store.

lata mangeshkar and hemant kumar rock. gotta love it.

www.theambientstudio.com

how do you spend a hot sweltering afternoon in phx

well......... after giving it much thought & deciding that i would wilt. i didn't go to the studio today.

no a/c there.

after a morning of running the dyson over the rug. i settled in for a mid-morning session of electronic keyboard goodness. guess what folks, it lasted well into the afternoon. in addition to the fun i had with the ol' korg mini synth, i for the first time plugged the iphone into the mini cube and passed the time away on beatmaker with added echo effect stomp box. what fun i had. hours of me just droning on and on and on. and on and on...... and on.

made loops with the iphone/beatmaker and enjoyed the hell out of the korg. this i must say will happen again and again. i'm simple that way.

no work at the studio today

i was a total waste today and didn't get down to do any work. saturday i hope to have something productive for my efforts.

today's turntable whoopdidoo

colleen-everyone alive wants answers

tad jones.mel lewis-central park north

agf-head slash bauch

flim-holiday diary

jack kevorkian-a very still life

akira rabelais-eisoptrophobia

oum kaltsoum-(1933) vol.IV

hey mister. what'cha listening to?

currently on the ambient playlist:

gas-pop

piano magic- low birth weight

eno- before and after science

sun ra-singles collection

stan getz-sweet rain

to rococo rot- veiculo

radiohead- the bends

fatagaga-laudaum

captain beefheart- bat chain puller

no reason what so ever.......

another green world

i personally could not go on without this "album" in my collection. yes i have the vinyl. two copies since about 1976. one domestic. one japanese import. that's the way we use to do it "back in the day". eno has been a very important figure in my creative life. this is some of what i would consider , the most beautiful music ever committed to tape. pop music that isn't pop music. ambient music that you can forget, yet it's always there when you need it. filling the void of your humdrum day to day.... at least it has been for me. the first time i heard it was long ago. this cat named dave that worked at the local record store played it for me one night. he had this amazing house with a bad ass sansui stereo system, with a jungle like back yard, a pool and a giant picture window off the living room that looked right into that private oasis. he said "check this out", put on the album and sky saw the first track freaked me out. the music was like nothing i had ever heard. well, as you can tell. it's something that i carry a vivid memory of in my lil' skull some 30 something years later.

people say a "record that changed my life". eno's another green world did just that for me. i was totally blown away. it had space to breathe. it had beautiful washes of sounds like i hadn't, till that point heard. it had what, at the time i thought were odd lyrics that were simple yet fit perfectly. this to me is just that. a perfect album. i also think it might have been the first album i had played that didn't have vocals on every track. it has influenced me in a zillion ways. my art. the name i gave my studio. that way i think about painting, oh the list goes on and on. my point is that if you have not had the pleasure of sitting down & listening to this fine recording. do it. all of eno's stuff rocks. i tend to like his "pop" records best, the one that followed this, before and after science , ranks right up there too.

in my book eno is the man.

true story: i got to meet him once long ago in new orleans at a WEA convention when his opal label had a deal with warner brothers. i talked with him for a bit and asked when he would do another "pop" record. this was 1988. he was only doing ambient stuff at that point. eno put me in a head lock. and said "why does everyone always ask me that". dude, brian eno had me in a head lock. im not too big on idol worship, but, that also is something i will never forget. funny thing the next record he did was a "pop" record with john cale. hum ? go figure.

anyway there ya go. a story about my favorite record and a funny aside to go with it.

magic.

hey i know that guy.

....and now for a current picture of me at the studio. everyone is always asking me to post something that shows a reasonable likeness of myself..........so there you have it. i honestly hope this makes all your dreams come true.

photo by jeff newton.

www.jeffnewton.com

studio shot

this is the front of the studio. the natural light in this space between 10am and 3pm is awesome.

these are peeps.

these are peeps. i have posted this for the simple reason that they are very very colorful and i thought that they would look good against the black background. i would not suggest that anyone eat a peep. ever. i think they are made out of the same materials as packing peanuts. enjoy them for what the are.

this is important

hello everyone-

this is the first entry of the ambient studio blog.

the focus of this blog will be to update everyone on what's going on with the studio and with me as an artist living here in phoenix az. the struggles and the triumphs of creating art, but this blog will also deal with other impressive interests such as, but not limited to, music ( the kind i like, and the kind i don't ), where to get the best iced coffee in town, my liberal political views, the hot new dance moves, and the ever important subject of how to select the proper lunch meat.

this is all very exciting i know. heck it’s a blog, and from what i hear on the street “blogs is what it’s all about cat daddy” ( i walk the streets of the late 1950's ).

i will attempt to post things of interest to me and subsequently i hope that some of it, if not all of these items, are of interest to you, the valued blog reader.

so please spend as many waking hours as you can hitting the refresh button on your web browser, tracking my every move. let's start a wonderful relationship where we never have to see each other. we can pretend that we're both beautiful shapely models from sweden. no one will ever know. i will believe each and every word you say. honest.

you, of course, are invited to comment on anything you’d like. disagree with me, razz me, yank my chain, caress me, hold me, love me......or......... ignore me.

i look ever so forward to seeing just what the heck might happen with this forum and i hold my head up proudly as i announce to the world "i too have a free blogging account " !!

eternal reverence-

your pal-

d.