Joe Myers and Linda

Joe Myers is a stunning guitarist, singer, composer, artist... and one of my favorite people in the whole world. Often something magical happens when Joe and I play together and I don't take those moments for granted. It is what we all work for each time we step onto the stage. Sometimes the more magical moments are the happy accidents that occur when just letting go and really 'playing.' Been sitting in a lot with Joe at some of the venues around town (Phoenix, AZ, U.s.), and Joe graciously gives me the freedom to just let me play my guts out and be myself. It's "have POD, will travel" and I carry only the Chapman Stick and the HD Pod 500 in its wonderful little Swancase and I just plug right into the P.A. or sometimes into Joe's set-up. He helps to make playing music fun, easy and highly creative for me. Thank you, Joe.

Find Joe Myers and his music at : www.joemyers.net

Photo by David Campbell

Espiritu Savaje

Sí, me encantaría volver a este hermoso país y reunirse con amigos especiales. Amor y paz, Linda

Jon Anderson @ Piper Repertory Theater/Mesa Arts Center, AZ photos by Bill Lantz

Jon Anderson performance at the Piper Repertory Theater at the Mesa Arts Center, Arizona -- photos by Bill Lantz

Facebookless

Hi. Linda Cushma from Oxygene8 here. I haven't posted a blog in years, however, being that I cannot commit my time right now to keeping up with a Facebook page, I thought I would just say hello and let you know that I am happy to announce that I will be playing in Prog'Sud Festival in May 2012, to be followed by an extensive tour of Italy as well as concerts in Spain. I'll be playing with my dear friend and collaborator, Guillermo Cides and drummer and solo artist, Alex Leys. Oxygene8 webmaster and valued friend, Bill Lantz, will post our tour dates and venues on the O8 site in the near future.
Here in town, (Phoenix), I will be playing soon with amazing guitarist Joe Myers on Saturday, February 18th. Joe and I recently opened for the Allan Holdsworth Trio with Virgil Donati, Jimmy Haslip and Dennis Hamm at the Rhythm Room, also in Phoenix. Incredible musicians, composers, performers. They were all so warm and generous to their audience and Virgil Donati was absolutely stunning! okay, that's all for now, just want to check this and see if anyone even reads blogs any more. Might have to create that Facebook page. Best Wishes, Linda

photo by Francisco Rangel Huacuz

Jerry Marotta

In my recent travels to Europe, I had the privilege and honor to share the stage with great drummer, Jerry Marotta.

I was listening so hard to hear everything Jerry was doing .... he is an impeccable time keeper and deep rhythm painter, ......there are subtle and sensitive undertows in his playing....like a gang of butterflies flying to the beat of a hummingbird's heart.... I think Jerry carries 'gentle winged creatures' around in his stick bag or something. Seriously, there is a feeling that a whole different level of composition is going on beneath a rock hard beat...it was really weird, you can hear it if you listen to him play closely and you can really feel it..... a pull....that subtle undertow of complexity even though on the top it is a solid wall of rhythm that you can lean into and immediately trust.....and lots of space... he lets the music breathe. What a great experience....... I'm really excited and inspired by this drummer and this whole musical encounter. It was so lovely to play with both Guillermo and Jerry in France and Madrid; it was an experience I will remember all my life.

Love and peace to you and all in your heart, Linda

Dalmatian Car w/RecliningBassLinda

Oxygene8 webmaster, Bill Lantz, posted this flyer on the O8 site, and when I saw it, I began to think of this project and wanted to write about it a bit. This concert was my Chapman Stick "debut"....... I had been playing electric bass, both in vertical, horizontal and supine positions..i.e., "reclining bass" before receiving the loan of a Chapman Stick from Stickist/Warr guitarist, Ian Variale, the Chapman which I eventually purchased and still play.
The concert at Alice Cooperstown was the first time I played the Stick in concert and I was very nervous, of course because not only was I playing the Stick the first time live, but we were opening for Tony Levin! We were going to play only a few songs with the Stick, but, thank you, my dear friends that came to see us for support.... I still remember how just knowing you were there calmed me down and held me up!
Thanks, Tres, for reminding me about the Brides. The Brides "Dalmatian Car" was another recording project with Tim Alexander..... him and I went nuts on the album..... Tim and I played bass, guitar and even some of the drum stuff on there together. I played the "reclining bass" on this album as well. It is a very self-indulgent artsy CD! The BRIDES was a cool little band with incredibly creative guitarists Jay Jones, then Tres Ikner and drummer John Henry Hilton, or "Hank," wonderful friend and musician from a past project, Brides of Science --a whole different story! We shortened the name to The Brides, but found it was taken by another band, so we looked to the title track of the album and began to call it Dalmatian Car and about that time began working with amazing drummer Christian Alvarez......these guys are really great players and were so crazy and so much fun to play with....I never knew what would happen next! I remember one night Chris jumped from his drum seat, over his cymbals and onto the shoulders of Tres while he was playing a frenzy of guitar. We just kept playing away, and amazingly there weren't any broken bones! Dalmatian Car morphed into something a bit more serious with the addition of Frank D'Angelo on guitar and "Hank" back again on drums. Actually, Hank drummed on a couple of tracks on The Brides "Dalmatian Car" cd as well. To get back to my original thought, Hank and Frank (a smile here) joined me on stage for the concert with The Tony Levin Band and I remember much about this concert...... especially when Tony laughed when he saw the "reclining bass." I was so nervous speaking with him about it that I kept clocking myself with my bass and the bass recliner! Very fun and dear times!
If you are reading this, thank you for your interest and friendship..... love and peace to you and all those in your heart. Peace to our world, RecliningBassLinda

photo by Aurelio Chung