Jeez it’s almost September!
Hi, to all of you! Hi, additionally, specifically, to those of you who signed up for The Keneallist at the Dreamsonic tour merch table this summer – it’s extremely great of you to join us here.
Hi, also and finally, to everyone who’s been coming out to the ProgJect shows that have been happening in the US over the past few weeks. Man these shows have been fun. As was the ArcTanGent festival with Devin in the UK, which was, like, a week ago or something. I’ve been traveling like crazy and have utterly lost track of time and place.
All the shows have been great though, and as always I’m very grateful to be able to go to a bunch of places and play music for people – it’s a true privilege.
GIT READY FOR WING BEAT ELASTIC ON BANDCAMP THIS FRIDAY
Listen, this Friday is BANDCAMP FRIDAY again, when the artiste (moi) gets 100% of the income!, and we’re adding a new title to our Bandcamp page. It’s WING BEAT ELASTIC – REMIXES, DEMOS AND UNHEARD MUSIC, an album of music related in various ways to the Wing Beat Fantastic album what I wrote with Andy Partridge.
WING BEAT ELASTIC is concocted from a variety of sources: demos that Andy and I made during the writing process (including a version of “Your House” where Andy and I trade off the lead vocal); additional music recorded during the WBF album sessions (including an eight-minute instrumental suite, heavily acoustic piano-focused, called “Wingbeat Fantasia,” which is really nice); and some special remixes, including a clutch of highly entertaining ones by Scott Chatfield and Mike Harris (aka The Glimmer Twins) which offer a highly creative, trippy and forensic examination of what exists on the multi-tracks of the parent album – I especially love the mash-up they did of “Land” and “That’s Why I Have No Name.”
I also did a pretty psychedelic deconstruction of “Bobeau,” executed in various hotel rooms while I was on the road with Satriani, which highlights the maddeningly fantastic drumming of Marco Minnemann. Rounding out the album is a beautiful remix of the title song from WBF by acclaimed Northampton-based producer Mark Vidler of Go Home Productions.
If you haven’t heard this release yet, please check it out!
A NEW COLLABORATION WITH MARCELO RADULOVICH, called MONDAY
Marcelo Radulovich, a San Diego multi-instrumentalist who I’ve known for almost forty years and is one of the most creative and visionary artists I know, was an immensely important part of my Wooden Smoke album, creating many of the background environments that were so crucial to that music. Twenty-two years on, we’ve collaborated again on a new 24-minute instrumental collection called MONDAY. (This is the opening salvo of an ongoing collaboration, as we also have an album of songs with vocals in the works.)
It’s very hard to know how to describe MONDAY. At first we were thinking that it’s our ambient album, but that’s really not an accurate descriptor. We both play multiple instruments on it, and multiple moods are generated. You should really just listen to it. I love it. It also premieres as a new BANDCAMP FRIDAY release this very Friday.
I’M ON A NEW ALBUM BY RAFA BONILLA, CALLED ALMA MATER
I’m on a song called “Answer to the Ego” on the new Rafa Bonilla album. Rafa is a phenomenally talented guitarist and this collaboration was born in kind of an unusual way… I’m gonna let Rafa tell the story:
“It was January 8th 2019. I met Mike Keneally in Joe Satriani G4 guitar camp, and as his student, after the class time I requested for him to write a random kinky melody on my guitar, and after that, unusual chords to fit that. And that’s it. From the genius and his generosity he gave me a song on my guitar. After that I started to work on an arrangement for it with my dear friend Ethan Weissman, and after some suggestions from Ethan, the song was born. We submitted the song to Mike later asking for his approval, and why not a solo to finish it?”
“That process took a lot of time, but those pandemic times were strange and beautiful to make weird music, and this song is something I am very honored to help make. For me that moment was just amazing from a creative, human, and musical perspective. A highlight in my journey!”
I too am honored that my random scribble on Rafa’s guitar has been fleshed out by Rafa and Ethan into a substantial composition, with some amazing playing on it. I was humbled to contribute my solo. Please investigate the song, and Rafa’s entire, excellent album.
MORE LIVE SHOWS A-COMIN’: PROGJECT in the US, ONE SHOT DEAL at the POTATO, DEVIN TOWNSEND in AUSTRALIA
The ProgJect US tour picks back up on Sep. 7 at Sweetwater in Ft. Wayne, IN, and continues until early October. There are more new dates being added even at this late date, so please continue to check our tour page for the latest info. Lots more ProgJect to come next year, including plans currently underway for Europe and Japan.
I’ll be a special guest with Joe Travers’ FZ unit One Shot Deal for three nights at the Baked Potato in LA, Oct. 25-27. I sat in with these folks at Alvas earlier this year and totally loved it, and this three-night run will be quite the celebration. Links to all the shows are on the Baked Potato calendar page.
And then, for my final live appearances of the year, I’ll be doing four gigs with Devin Townsend in Australia. This will be the end of this year’s Devin touring cycle, which has been such a fulfilling ride. Those of you reading this in Australia, please make it your business to get to one of these shows…this is a really special band and you should see us while you have the chance.
And then I’ll go home for the last six weeks of the year and just sit there and ruminate over the prior six months of incessant traveling and playing and think to myself “wow that just happened.”
THANKS EVERYONE!
Love,
