Welcome to the August Edition of the Nailing list Newsletter.
A.K.A.
the Nailing list Newsletter of the unknown
The Lockdown Edition: Vol. 3
Greetings dear friends and fans! I hope you’re well and hanging in there during these trying times….
It certainly feels just a little more apocalyptic every day, with the Pandemic, and now the explosion in Beirut plus the recent blackouts in our neighborhood from the Hurricane Isaias... it just gets more and more interesting. But we keep it together and keep going because that’s what we’re good at – humans, I mean – and the alternative is not really that great. Besides there’s an election coming up, and we need to VOTE!
I’d really be remiss at this point if I didn’t mention 2 close friends we’ve lost in the last few weeks. The first was an incredible Violinist/Violist and an even more amazing human being, our dear friend Karen Marmer. Karen, along with her husband and partner Jorg-Michael Schwarz managed an incredible world-renowned early music ensemble called Rebel. This group could make that music come alive in a way that simply has to be experienced.
The second was a dear friend and brilliant artist, guitarist and engineer Ted Orr. A longtime member of the Creative Music Studio in Woodstock, Ted introduced me to the Woodstock scene in the mid 2000’s, connecting me with all kinds of great people. Our hearts go out to their friends and families. My life is immeasurably richer because of these truly great people and they will be genuinely missed by all who knew them.
Now: Because there’s not really a lot going on in the performing arts world (at least in my corner of it) I’m going keep this newsletter simple and short, abandoning the usual format. Some restaurants are open (mostly with outdoor seating), and there are some venues having Live Music outside (I did a show last month with Cloudburst at the Brewery at Orange County Hops in Walden), the scene is still a shadow of its former self. There are other options – I did some live streamed concerts recently (and will do more soon); I put a couple of videos out, with people like Bob Meyer, Chris Pasin, and Grant Calvin Weston, created by having everyone “phone in” their parts -
There are more of those in the works. And I’ve been trying to put out CD’s on a regular basis – once a month at least, to coincide with the first Friday of the month - “Bandcamp Fridays” – in which Bandcamp waves all artist fees and we get to keep 100% of our sales. But for the most part I’ve been idling – practicing, programming, trying to write.
For August there are actually a couple of things going on which I’m proud to share with you, including 2 online performances this month.
First of all – since this is still the First Friday of the month (as of this writing) I’ve got new music up online. The 3rd offering from Nail Jung is titled “Check Your Vibration” and features new and old Electronica and Ambient experimental tracks.
In addition, guitarist extraordinaire Rez Abbasi’s new record “Django-Shift” comes out this month (August 28th), and is now available for pre-order. Featuring Rez, drummer Michael Sarin and myself, the record digs deep into the music of Django Reinhardt with incredible arrangements by Rez. As an added bonus, the record is available on VINYL, which marks the first time I’ve appeared on vinyl in my nearly 45 year career. Check it out Here: rezabbasi.bandcamp.com/album/django-shift
We’re in August now, and that’s usually when the Hudson Valley Jazz Festival is in full swing. Obviously, that can’t happen in the usual way but festival organizer Steve Rubin is a creative type, and he had the great idea to have people do jazz performances at their homes and stream them online. I’m proud to welcome my old buddies Robert Kopec (bass) and Dean Sharp (drums), a group collectively called “Supercluster”, to our backyard on Thursday August 13th at (rain date Sunday August 16th) where we’ll play 2 scorching sets. Local saxophone giant Eric Person will join us for the second set. It will be streamed on all my usual channels:
And we’re working on an Instagram live stream as well.
The donation links will be live as well – if the music moves you and you’re feeling generous we would be most appreciative. We’ll start around 5 pm.
And lastly (but not least!) my intrepid 21 ear project NAIL will perform a lunchtime concert for the Orange County Arts Councii on Friday August 28th from 12:30 to 1:30. I’m so thrilled to have Nadav Snir-Zelniker and Brian Mooney back together again! You can tune in to that show via the Orange County Arts Council Facebook Page, as well as one or 2 of my channels and my website as well (look for announcements on FB etc).
So that’s what’s happening here in Nail’s world. I sincerely hope things are well in YOUR worlds – that you’re staying safe and healthy, and staying creative. I miss you all very much. We just need to mask the hell up until we can get thru all this.
Peace, Love and good health to you and your friends and families –
- Neil
New CDs!
It’s August 7th as I write this. Late last night I finished up another CD. I use Bandcamp for CD & Download sales, and to support artists they are once again waving all the artist fees for
#BandcampFriday (the first Friday of the month, August 7th). So far they've put over $10 MILLION into the pockets of musicians and small labels at a time when so many are really struggling. This month's offering is another in the ongoing saga of Nail Jung, titled "Check your Vibration".
I have 2 discs still available from last month, both exciting collections:
Nail Jung “Orbital Mechanics”
Orbital Mechanics contains both new and older unreleased tracks under the Nail Jung moniker (solo electronic music). The music ranges from Ambient & glitch to drum ‘n’ Bass and drone, and There are 2 live gems mixed in with the studio tracks.
Neil Alexander “Solos/Duos/Trios”
Solos/Duos/Trios contains a collection of improvised pieces in collaboration with some old friends - Bob Meyer, Robert Kopec, Chris Pasin, Dean Sharp, Karl Berger, Charlie Burnham and others. It also features several live tracks, plus a brand new track called “Requiem” (with video).
If you’re interested in picking up this new music head on over to music.nailmusic.com.
Several other cd’s which never got finalized are also in the works. Among them are ‘Planetarium Music’ with Bob Meyer and Charlie Burnham, and a duo album with the great Karl Berger. Stay tuned for those.
As some of you may have guessed, my income (along with most performers I know) has basically been reduced to almost zero. Many people are struggling in the current climate.
If you'd like to help us out, go to sites like Bandcamp and purchase music directly from the artists. They have an enormous selection.
If you'd like to purchase any of my music you can do so at this link.
As for the aforementioned live-streaming, you can find my own broadcasts on Twitch, Facebook Live or on my YouTube channel. If you enjoy what you see I hope you'll consider donating thru one of these services.
Many thanks in advance!
That’s all I have for right now. Be Safe, be careful, be strong, and be forgiving with each other. There’s never been a time like this in history before. Let’s at least try to get it right.
