Hello world!

Thank you WordPress!

Blogging? Looks like I’m late to another tech party…

Oh – well, that’s cool. I hope to make up for lost time. And hey, at least I’m never late for *real* parties…

Now, let’s have some fun!

How to transfer or import Google Chrome bookmarks to a new computer

SIDEBAR: A TECH-TIP from DJ Adrian? No way…

Well, this info proved to be impossible for me to find, so I discovered my own solution and it worked! Since I figured I couldn’t be the only one having this issue, I thought I’d post the solution here for permanent reference.

Here’s the scoop:

I had a laptop with Chrome and a ton of bookmarks that I wanted to still have access to when it went down.

Luckily, I was able to get the HD out and mount it in a box that could be USB’d to my new laptop, but even if I couldn’t have, I could have gotten it off a backup file previously taken. Anyway…

The problem was where the heck the file was. Intuition tells you to, in XP, go to the Programs file on your C drive and it should be easy to find, but alas, no. The entire Chrome operation was nowhere to be found.

So what I did was plug in the old HD and right-click on the old desktop shortcut that I used to open Chrome. Then I selected “Properties”. This told me where the shortcut was going to open the application.

It turned out to be in My Computer/Local Disc C/ Documents and Settings/

Click on YOUR username’s folder.

Then, you will NOT likely see the file you are after, which is called Local Settings, so what you do is go up to Tools/Folder Options/ View and select “Show Hidden Files & Folders” and Apply.

Once you have done this, you will see Local Settings… click it and then click Application Data.

Once you are in there, click Google, then click Chrome. Then User Data, then Default.

INSIDE you will find a file called “Bookmarks” and also “Bookmarks.bak”

I dragged those off my (USB-attached, remember?) old hard drive and dropped them into the *exact same location* on my new computer’s drive (do the same steps above on the new computer to get there) and it will ask you if you want to replace the existing ones with the ones you are dragging. Say “yes”.

Now, open Chrome on your new computer and voila! the Bookmarks are there!

As Brian Wilson, the closer on the 2010 World Champion San Francisco Giants, would say, “you’re welcome!”

: )

NOTE: I am not a techno guy. If this process doesn’t work for you I am sorry… I tried. But I will not answer any tech-related questions pertaining to this, as I would probably be almost as lost as you are.

“Rock ‘n Roll, son…”

GREAT story:

One time, a friend of mine’s dad was on a flight that landed at this tiny little airport in Southern Cal.

He gets off the plane, walks along the tarmac and enters a small building. He needs to go to the second floor so he gets into the elevator to go up, and notices a guy standing in there already. Her dad just walks in, but then something starts tugging at him.

It’s just the two of them in the elevator. The guy is kind of older, wearing sunglasses… but there is just something about him. Her dad gathers the courage to look up and take a good, long look at this guy. He definitely knows him from somewhere.

Then, he notices the hair. Auburn. Wild once, but reluctantly tamed in its later years…

And then it hit him.

He smiled. Looked at the guy one last time, tilted his head slightly back and said in a slow, descending, reverent cadence “Jerry-Lee-Lewis.”

Jerry Lee looked up at her dad, nodded his head slightly and answered: “Rock ‘n Roll, son”.

Adrian Cavlan joins Monterey Bay Wedding & Event Professionals’ Board Of Directors

There is a great new organization that has sprung up this last year in the Monterey Bay Area called Monterey Bay Wedding & Event Professionals that is making quite a mark here in the Monterey Bay wedding & event industry.

This organization is dedicated to top-level professionalism and making sure that people have a trusted source to find these service providers. Each new member is hand-picked and sponsored by an MBWEP board member and then must go through a rigorous certification process and interview. It is not easy, and not for everyone.

Here, from the MBWEP website, are some of the highlights of the requirements & code of ethics:

- Hire and train the most professional staff available
- Treat each client fairly and honestly, providing all contracted services in a timely manner
- Use honest and factual advertising
- Have a personal sense of obligation to each individual client
- Do whatever necessary to make sure that the event is a success
- Operate a business that is a credit to the organization and the community
- Do not offer or accept monetary compensation (kickbacks) for referrals or recommendations
- Must have a physical business address in Monterey or Santa Cruz counties
- Must be a licensed, insured business
- Must have been in business for at least two (2) years at the time of application.
- Provide written contract to all clients

I am proud to have been elected to serve on the MBWEP Board Of Directors as the Programs Manager, which means that I am responsible for procuring speakers for our continuing education series, among other things. Having been a speaker on a national level as a DJ/MC company owner, I feel like I have a good understanding of how this kind of operation is supposed to work and am excited to be in a position to bring new knowledge and perspectives to our group.

If you are a local event professional and feel like you can step up and meet this group’s criteria, we invite you to learn more about how you can be part of our organization. Visit our website at mbwep.com for more information!

New mixtape uploaded & available!

I like it all, ya’know…

Here’s a low-fat mix of bangin’ club action: DJ Adrian – Fire One!

Listen here: http://soundcloud.com/scruzdj/djadrian100331

… and enjoy!

A song is (re)born

This is a fun story from back a few years ago, and is certainly one of the coolest and most fulfilling things I have done as a wedding DJ:

In September of ’03 I got a call from a very cool girl named Alyssa, who was friends with Lupe and Joe, and (Lupe’s sister) Claudia and Dave, both of whose weddings I had DJ’d years earlier. We hit it off on the phone right away as she was explaining her vision of her wedding to me: elegant yet casual, and definitely fun and unique – all the right buzzwords for the typical Adrian client : )

Then she told me about this song that she loved. A rather obscure song, she said, but she loved it. It was called “You’re Not Alone”. Right on cue I said, “oh – you mean the one by Olive?” She was quite surprised I knew it, and delighted when I told her that it was one of my favorites from it’s time as well. She then proceeded to explain to me that the song had a lot of meaning to her (a really great set of lyrics, IMHO) and that she wanted to know if I’d ever heard a slower version of it because she really wanted it to be her first dance with her new husband (Thomas) at the wedding.

After a bit of research, we concluded that a slower version did not exist. She was disappointed, but I had a bit of a far-fetched and certainly somewhat risky proposal for her: I had, unbeknownst to her, gone online at eBay and found a person in England who had the 12″ vinyl single of this song, which also included the a capella vocal track on its flip side. I had won the auction and was having the record shipped to me. From there, I explained to her that I wanted to explore re-creating the music for the vocal track and making a ballad out of it for her to use at her wedding! Now, I had not really done a project of this magnitude before, so we decided to invest a minimal amount of time and resources into it to see if it was possible to even just put a string section behind it to make it usable at the wedding at some point, if not the first dance.

What unfolded was a month-long project for me in my computer-based recording studio at home, using Propellerhead’s brilliant Reason and ReCycle software packages, Bias’ Peak editing suite, my electric guitar with an amp modeler and a MIDI keyboard for inputting all other instrumentation.

When I emerged from the studio with a result that I felt I could live with, I sent it to Alyssa and Thomas, and on September 25, 2004, they danced for their first time as husband and wife to it.

Want to hear some samples?

OK – here’s an excerpt of the first instrumentally-backed verse and first chorus out of the break from the “Original Mix”
click here – 917k mp3 @ 128 kbps

Now, here are the exact same parts excerpted from the “A&T Mix”
click here – 930k mp3 @ 128 kbps

: )

Viva Las Vegas, 2010

Well, here we are in 2010 and I just got back from five days in Las Vegas at the Mobile Beat industry educational conference. What a great time! Lots of very useful information gathered and shared, and lots of time spent around many friends from around the country (and world) who are also DJs. Sound In Motion DJs & Video surely benefits from these trips we take.

Highlights included:

• Watching the Super Bowl in the sports book area of Caesar’s Palace: If you aren’t going to the game itself, watching it here is pretty much the next best thing. Just a phenomenal atmosphere… kind of like being at the game, but in a GIANT luxury box! Here’s a video clip of what it was like: it’s the video review of the New Orleans Saints‘ 2 pt. PAT conversion, and the group’s reaction – I’ll never forget the experience!
• Traditional Ethiopian dinner and coffee ceremony at Merkato Restaurant: As is our custom, Raffi & I chatted up our cab drivers the whole trip, which led to some amazingly funny, informative and even bizarre situations, but hands-down our favorite was Eyasu. He is of Ethiopian descent by way of Cairo, and has been living in the USA for many years now. If you ever are feeling sour on this country or what our situation is here, there is not a better dose of reality available than spending ten minutes with someone like Eyasu, who reminds us all of what life is like in so much of the rest of the world. Look, I’m not one for jingoistic patriotism, but Eyasu’s love for his adopted country is very inspiring indeed. We are very, very lucky to live here.

  We asked Eyasu if there was a good Ethiopian restaurant in Vegas and he turned us on to Merkato at 855 E. Twain Ave. We walked in, and it wasn’t until three hours later that we left. It was incredibly good! The food was outstanding (particularly the Kitfo) and the coffee ceremony was really unbelievable. They pan-roasted raw coffee beans over an open flame right before our eyes as we sat around the fire with the owners and their family talking about everything under the sun. They pan-roasted fresh popcorn as well, and we all got to slow down and know a little bit about each other. In a way, it was quintessentially un-Vegas, if that makes any sense. Anyway, when you go, ask for Rahel, our waitress : )

  PICTURES!

  

  Meat and vegetables, salads, and the wonderful injera bread - wow!

  

  Rahel roasting the coffee

  

  Raffi about to enjoy some of the coffee while Merkato's owner looks on

• Hanging out with all of our DJA friends at the piano bar at New York New York and watching Prior Lake, MN’s inimitable Bill Hermann serenade Rebecca Ferrell (and all of us, really) with his confident, soulful rendition of Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally”!
  
  

  LL Bill H!

• Catching several seminars that offered great information, like Nick Covino’s on VJing and Jeff Meuzelaar’s on SEO, as well as great inspiration, like Kent Julian’s “Live It Forward” and Don Piper’s “90 Minutes In Heaven”.

Again, all in all, a great trip. Lots more to tell, really, from the business development side, but let’s just summarize by saying we spent some very, very valuable time with friends old and new and look forward to applying many new ideas to our business in 2010 and beyond!

I Love Jazz: Part 2

Here are some albums that you should check out!

—————————————————————————————————————————-

Eric Dolphy

Eric Dolphy: Out There (f. Ron Carter on bass) – his 2nd album as a band leader and some generally more “accessible” groundwork before he broke down all the doors with “Out To Lunch” four years later.

—————————————————————————————————————————-

Bill Evans

Bill Evans: Waltz For Debby (recorded live at The Village vanguard days before legendary bassist Scott LaFaro passed away) – Amazingly intimate, emotive sessions by a trio that could take you to another world. Amazing to hear the sound of the people clapping at the end of the tracks. To think that this heavenly art was available and happening and so few people were there.

—————————————————————————————————————————-

Rahsaan Roland Kirk

Roland Kirk: We Free Kings – His story alone is one for the ages: blindness, the dream/vision and playing three horns at once. You have to hear this to believe it.

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Art Blakey

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers: Moanin - A drummer as band leader with the fabulous and under-appreciated Lee Morgan on trumpet. All tracks are great on this legendary session.

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Sonny Rollins

Sonny Rollins: Saxophone Colossus (f Max Roach on the skins) – the album that elevated “Newk” to the tenor major leagues.

—————————————————————————————————————————-

John Coltrane

John Coltrane: Giant Steps – Buy this if you always wanted to know what all the fuss was about… And, if you want to see why he became the most important saxophonist of his generation and one of the great visionaries who began to take jazz and music into the highest, most spiritually experimental places, also see his album called “A Love Supreme”

—————————————————————————————————————————-

Jimmy Smith & Wes Montgomery

Jimmy Smith & Wes Montgomery: The Dynamic Duo – A cool jazz marriage made in heaven! Featuring Jimmy’s Hammond B3 and Wes’ inimitable, octave-driven sound. Waaaaaaaaayyyy cool, baby.

—————————————————————————————————————————-

Miles Davis

Miles Davis & Gil Evans: Sketches Of Spain – Third stream indeed! One of the most soul-stirring marriages of the jazz soloist with supporting orchestra ever. Gil and Miles were really something else. Others tried to do similar things, but no one touched these guys… well, except…

—————————————————————————————————————————-

Charles Mingus

Charles Mingus: Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus – Legendary bassist? Yes. Accomplished pianist? Yes. Known eccentric and bi-polar personality? Oh, yes. One of the greatest composers of the 20th century? Y E S . That is Mingus’ truest legacy. This album is just a beginning of the depths at which one should explore Mingus.

—————————————————————————————————————————-

It is my hope that you will experience these albums for yourself soon, and that they will speak to you as they have to me.

: )

Jocelyn & Eric October 10, 2009

On October 10, I had the distinct pleasure of being the Master Of Ceremonies, Music Programmer, Deejay and Sound Engineer for Jocelyn & Eric’s wedding celebration at the beautiful and historic Hollins House at Pasatiempo in Santa Cruz.

They were a fabulous couple to work with: mellow, nice, intelligent folks who, over time, were able to really hone in on the most subtle and important details of how they wanted their wedding day to unfold. In every nook and cranny of their wedding, you had a palpable sense of the fact that you were at Jocelyn and Eric’s wedding, not just “a wedding”, and I was so proud to be a part of making it all happen.

The ceremony was outside on the gazebo lawn, with a beautiful vista of the Monterey Bay off in the distance. Jocelyn and Eric had a quartet of their college friends come up from Southern California to play as a string quartet for the ceremony and I mic’d that separately so that it would come through the PA and enrich the overall coverage of the music: it worked beautifully! And this quartet – let me say that I have heard string quartets far and wide, most of which are passable, some of which are quite good and others which, truth be told, have been an audible embarrassment to themselves. This group of young ladies, however? This group was tight. They were in-tune, had great intonation, nice tone and had obviously played together for many hours (if not presently, at least at some point). It was a pleasure hearing them, as they rendered the pieces with tasteful detail and dynamics. Bravo!

Jocelyn’s uncle from Ohio led the proceedings in a very nice and personal way, and then, it was off to the cocktail hour and reception!

Hollins House Wedding Gazebo - The ceremony's over, but the glow lingers into the night.

For the cocktail hour, Jocelyn and Eric wanted a real signature sound, featuring the music of Belle And Sebastian, Vampire Weekend and other like-artists. They burned me a couple of CDs of all of their favorites and then I keyed and BPM’d all of the songs and set about putting together a smooth, musically sensible playlist that would get all of the songs in. Again, after a little bit of time spent, it worked beautifully!

Dinner was… wonderful! You cannot expect it to be anything else with the crew at the Hollins House in charge! Margy Siefert, my long-time friend, is one of the most experienced and respected wedding professionals in the Santa Cruz area, and her seamless, sure-handed control of the execution of every aspect of this wedding paid off as it always does with her and the Hollins House: perfection.

The Hollins House table setting... what a view, huh?

Then, of course, it was time to dance. I was lucky enough to be able to play a dance set that stretched for well over three hours (although for me, that is a walk in the park – I have DJ’d weddings that have gone 10-plus hours before… and no repeats, either! ; ) and featured a wide variety of hit music from all eras and styles. And the neat thing is that when you have that much time to dance, you don’t need to just skim the surface of each genre: you can really dig in and play some exciting, atypical, great music! The dance floor was moving the whole time to all of it, and I was happy that what I did ended up working so well.

Jocelyn, Eric, families and friends enjoying a spin...

In the midst of it all was a cake cutting that featured a whiskey toast to all of their guests from Jocelyn and Eric. This was carefully planned in advance by them, myself, Margy and the catering staff at the venue, and as a result, went off perfectly, without any delay, and was a signature highlight of the reception. Fantastic, fantastic stuff, huh? : )

The whiskey toast - a signature moment... I'll have mine after I get home!

All of the pictures you see above are from another good friend who is one of the top photographers you can hire, Steve Kurtz. He set the bar in Santa Cruz many years ago that all other area photographers aimed to reach, and after many years in the business, he hasn’t slowed down even a bit. He was a great match for Jocelyn and Eric; I can remember how delighted I was the day they told me they had chosen him: “a perfect match”, I remember thinking. Be sure to check him out if you want clean, classic, technically perfect photography that will never look dated or go out of style.

Flowers were by another good friend of mine, Wendy Melrose of Fionna Floral. If you are looking for a fun, friendly, artistic local florist who is one of the very best around, she’s your gal!

All in all, dear readers, a wonderful day that I won’t forget. If you’d like to consider me as your wedding DJ and MC, please call Sound In Motion today at 831.427.0700.

Jocelyn & Eric - Thank you for having me!

Emily & Brett July 18,2009

What a fabulous, fabulous time!

Emily & Brett are two very down-to-earth, fun-loving, genuine people who wanted to have their reception at their family home in the hills of Woodside, CA.

I have always believed that the best way to maximize the success of private residence weddings is to do a thorough pre-event technical and logistical walk-through at the site. This does a lot of good: it ensures that I know where it is, how to park and load in, and most importantly, what equipment and how much of it is needed to have the best coverage and “event flow” possible. I like to think that 20+ years in this business has allowed me to accrue valuable knowledge and experience that can be shared with my clients to both optimize the potential successes and avoid the potential pitfalls of their event. Think of it: I do this every week, yet they probably are doing it for the very first time, so I am just glad I can be of help!

The party went late into the night, with people of all ages having fun and dancing the night away. Emily & Brett danced their first dance to “Come Fly With Me” by Frank Sinatra, which was a fantastic choice.

Also, they selected Sound In Motion’s terrific “Love Story” package: DJ, MC, full sound coverage, PLUS we make a photo montage (set to music) in advance that covers everything from baby pictures to the engagement shot. We then shoot a full-length HD video of the wedding from pre-ceremony bride’s prep to the last dance and send off, edit it down and produce four copies of a custom-labeled and packaged DVD for the bride and groom and their families. Additionally, at the cake cutting, we bring in a full big-screen projection system and show the montage to everyone as part of the reception’s entertainment! It really is a great “personal connect” for our clients to their guests and tells the story of how we all got to be there on the wedding day!

Here’s some dance footage that will really give you the feeling of what it was like to be at this special celebration:

Again, it was indeed a grand celebration. Overtime? You bet we went overtime… thought we wouldn’t? : )

I Love Surf Music (or, “Evidence herein shows that reports of Surf music’s death in 1966 were premature…”)

Take Some Guitar, Add A Little Bass, & Some WILD Tom-Toms…

Well, here I go again!

“Surf music” is something that you may miss entirely if you blink your eyes at the wrong time.

Now, most folks will knowingly nod their heads when you mention Surf music because to them, it instantly conjures up images of fun, sunshine, surf and sand; of tan young men and women without a care in the world somehow stuck in a snow-globed ’60s time warp that they can glance at very occasionally as if it were stuck away on some far up shelf in their mental bookcase. They see Jan & Dean, The Beach Boys, The Ventures and The Surfaris… they hear “Surfin’ USA”, “Little Old Lady From Pasadena”, “Wipeout” and “Walk, Don’t Run”… they think of “Gidget”, Frankie and Annette, or The Endless Summer.

Since most of the groups were from Southern California, Surf music and surf culture were immediately identified with our great Golden State, but, ironically, the 1964 hit “California Sun” by The Rivieras was penned in that group’s home town of… get this… South Bend, Indiana!

From its birth in 1959 all the way into the mid ’60s, Surf music had a great run, but by the time of the birth of psychedelia and the Hippie movement, the carefree good-time vibe of Surf was passe, and the socially-conscious, introspective themes of those newer movements ushered away the innocence of Surf seemingly overnight. But, like any good music that has a relatively brief heyday, it never dies or goes away, it just goes underground. And the man who took it there for safe keeping was Mr. Dick Dale, one of the pioneers and true originals of the genre.

Dick Dale - Surf Music Pioneer

(Note: If you are curious, there is a decent article at Wikipedia on the history of the genre)

Now, Add Reverb…

Reverb is the phenomenon of reverberation: a prolonged resounding succession of echoes. In the case of Surf, what could possibly be a more fitting signature for both the sound of the music and its enduring cultural relevance? In the early 1980′s, long-time Surf Music aficionado Phil Dirt re-emerged as a DJ on the influential Northern California college radio station KFJC 89.7 fm. Phil had a stint there in the early 1960′s but left due to “irreconcilable differences”. Upon his return, however, Phil began a journey into the deepest recesses of the genre that turned him into the world’s undisputed #1 Surf Music fan and keeper of all things Surf. You want to really check him and this Surf stuff out? Simple: go to Phil’s website at http://www.reverbcentral.com/ and live a little!

In 1985, under the influence of Dirt, the Bay Area’s Shockwaves were born from that very same scene at KFJC. On-air personality Jeff “Stretch” Reidle joined Randy “Rude Rudy” Hyden and Frank Novicki to form a formidable and authentic Surf band who scored a minor radio hit with their Surf reinterpretation of the Batman theme crossed with the Surf hit “Wipeout”, creating the infectious and fun “Batwipe” – a mash-up decades ahead of its time! The Shockwaves eventually put out a vinyl EP called “Primal Twang” which preserved their sound and influence on the local scene for posterity. Yes, I have one : )

Fast forward now to 1994 and influential filmmaker Quentin Tarantino’s landmark film “Pulp Fiction”. Thanks to this man and his film, Dick Dale’s career catches fire again and Surf music is formally introduced to the 20-something “quasi-hipster crowd” (i.e. hip enough to see the movie, not hip enough to know much about Surf music) who immediately embrace its wild, unbridled sound. Dale’s signature version of “Miserlou”, a traditional Greek song that is also popular throughout the Middle East, became the movie’s signature track, and other Surf songs from bands like The Tornadoes, The Revels and The Lively Ones added to the soundtrack’s Surf leanings that Tarantino described as “Rock ‘n Roll Ennio Morricone music, Rock ‘n Roll Spaghetti-Western music”.

And Dale’s “Miserlou” wasn’t done yet, because in 2005, the Black Eyed Peas took the song and transformed it into their multi-platinum hit “Pump It”, which begs the question: what exactly IS the shelf life of a Greek traditional song made into a Surf music classic back in the late 1950′s?!

What Now? Is That It?

One song, a cover song at that, being re-made and re-synchronized over and over again?

NOPE.

FAR FROM IT.

Which is why I bothered to sit down and type up this mess.

When Dick Dale took this thing underground, he planted seeds in all the subsequent generations of musicians and corners of pop music. So many bands of all styles have traceable Surf music influences, it’s amazing if you really look and listen.

But even more interesting are the keepers of the flame for this past couple of decades… the instrumental-peddlers and reverb-mongers who tirelessly tour the small clubs and occasional festivals. The bands who have not just been inspired by their forebearers, but have committed themselves to elevating and expanding the art form, sometimes even pushing it beyond its reasonable boundaries just to see what’s possible. These are the bands that have me curious and inspired.

So, with that, here is some more suggested listening for you!

Slacktone - Holy CRIPES, these guys can play!

Artist: Slacktone
Suggested Tracks: Rell Sunn Aloha, Mysterioso, Reflection: Life Or Lemming, Rosarito 3 Day, Nocturne, The Bells Of St. Kahuna

Artist: Laika & The Cosmonauts
Suggested Tracks: Crosstown Canyon, Fadeaway, NY 79

Artist: The Mermen
Suggested Tracks: With No Definite Future and No Purpose Other Than To Prevail Somehow, Quiet Surf, Ocean Beach

Artist: The Penetrators
Suggested Tracks: Deception Bay, Checkpoint Echo

Artist: The Vanduras
Suggested Tracks: In The Dark, Dinner With Robert

Artist: Los Straitjackets
Suggested Tracks: Pacifica, Dreamland, Challenger 64

And – be sure to keep your eyes & ears open because Fascinating Creatures Of The Deep are coming soon!
Enjoy : )