Tripecac - Chuckadee (2002-2004)

  1. Improv [5:41] 2002-04-02 - 2004-06-08
  2. Logic Crash [3:15] 2002-04-03 - 2004-06-14
  3. Contact [5:40] 2002-04-05 - 2004-06-17
  4. CRT [5:17] 2002-05-01 - 2004-06-23
  5. 68tan [4:12] 2002-05-02 - 2004-06-29
  6. My Old Tune [1:40] 2002-05-03 - 2004-06-30
  7. Inna Funk [4:23] 2002-05-03 - 2004-07-06
  8. Yet Another Improv [10:10] 2002-05-04 - 2004-07-08
  9. Chickadee Scratch [7:52] 2002-05-20 - 2004-07-21
  10. Sea Dogs [8:47] 2002-05-23 - 2004-07-31
  11. Westy [6:27] 2002-05-24 - 2004-08-03
  12. Drop [7:52] 2002-05-26 - 2004-08-10

Chickadees are the tiny birds I see out my window almost every day while I work. They jump from branch to branch, chirp noisily, and scatter birdseed all over the ground and porch. Those who don't like birds would probably never notice them (or would get annoyed at the mess), but I enjoy watching them because they're cute, agile, and perpetually active, seemingly incapable of remaining still or quiet.

Chuckanut is the nearby "hill" that I've been jogging or hiking almost every week for the past 3 years. Although it's dwarfed by the "real" mountains to the East (the North Cascades), it's super-convenient, full of animals (rabbits, snakes, birds, deer, salmon), and has tons of trails along ridges, lakes, waterfalls, open glades, and deep, tangly old growth forest. I love its variety, accessibility, and liveliness: its "modest majesty".

This album is about tiny, "overlookable" pockets of life, and the enjoyment you can derive from constant activity. The music is simple, inelegant, energetic, and messy, like the birds. And like the mountain, there's dark nooks, chaotic thickets, sudden drop-offs, dead ends, and occasionally a clear view... and then it's back into the underbrush... with the spider webs... and thorns... and little hopping birds... and a fresh sea breeze... and lots of chirping... and bunnies... and flowers... and feathers... and memories.

Gear:

These songs were started in the spring of 2002 using either Sonar, Logic, or the Triton's sequencer. They were finished in the summer of 2004 using Sonar 3.1.1. "Contact" has vocals. The rest of the noises come from the Triton.