Xmas Breakfast at the Saloon

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Wagon Yard Saloon in Phoenix, Arizona

Fuck Christmas, we want to drink and get wasted, that’s why we’re at the Wagon Yard Saloon on Christmas morning. So maybe that was a bit harsh and out of line, because the truth is I don’t drink and Caroline doesn’t get wasted….as for the rest of the sentiment, well. By the way, there was nothing really out of the ordinary with having breakfast here on this day as we eat here almost every Saturday and Sunday and for about $15 for a couple of eggs, potatoes, toast, and coffee for Caroline and eggs, tomatoes, sausage, and water for me it’s quite the bargain. Saving so much money on breakfast allows us to buy a larger Christmas tree too…okay so we’ve never actually ever bought a tree and if you want to know why, because bah humbug that’s why.

O|D ER-301 Arrival

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ER-301 packaging from Orthogonal Devices

Back on October 31st on the way to dinner I panic bought a new sampler due to the hype around it I was reading about. Brian Clarkson of Orthogonal Devices over in Tokyo, Japan had built up a reputation of being a quality engineer who put an incredible amount of work into his first offering, the ER-101 and ER-102 sequencer combo. Something clicked as we were driving and so on my phone out in the middle of the desert on the way to Cave Creek I made my first large purchase of Eurorack modular gear over the phone on an impulse. The confirmation of my order took another week for Brian to get to and then a few more weeks would pass before at the end of November I received a shipping notification. A week after that and my ER-301 Sound Computer arrived in this beautiful wood box with a sliding top panel.

While I thought I was buying a sampler as that was the feature I was most focused on, it was in reality a sound computer in that not only could I record and play samples, I could also create full synth voices in this device. At $875 it easily qualified as the most expensive bit of gear besides my cases that I’ve purchased so far and it’s seriously well worth the investment. The firmware is pretty rough at this early stage, but Brian gave warning that this was better suited to the enthusiast who could be patient rather than the person who wanted instant results. It’s fun to be along for the ride.

Sahba Motallebi at The MIM

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Sahba Motallebi at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona

This is our last concert of the year and the first time we are seeing Sahba Motallebi. She is a member of the Iranian National Orchestra and is a renowned virtuoso Tar player. Tonight’s performance is once again at the Musical Instrument Museum in north Phoenix and we were some of the lucky few that had this opportunity to witness such a marvelous artist practicing her craft.