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March 30, 2005

Being Healthy on the Road

So as I'm sitting on Mark Hosler's beautiful porch in the countryside east of Asheville, I'm beginning to feel rejuvinated from my few days of sickness, and I just wanted to say a few words. Advice to anyone travel along the US highway system: Subway is your friend. Much better option than the other fast foods (of course local eateries and local home cookin is even better).

I've had the privilege of staying with a lot of people who've helped me out with food and a place to sleep. Last night was particularly amazing, as I slept in a school bus turned home by Jynx, the Asheville artist I mentioned yesterday. The other key to staying healthy is that I have been taking Vitamin C and a multivitamin, almost daily.

Other than that, I've benn laying off the drugs and alcohol, and trying to focus on food and sleep. So far, I've had just this one sickly cycle, which will hopefully be complete today.

Posted by Colin at 03:32 AM | Comments (0)

March 28, 2005

off to asheville

I'm sorry I haven't been able to write more (see the photos), but I had a music video shoot on Saturday, and got a little sick and had to take some time to recover. I'm feeling better now, and am about to drive off to Asheville, NC . One of the folks I'm gonna connect with there is this really interesting artist named Sean Pace, who drew me this drawing of his plans for an amazing multimedia mobile (he has a better name) that runs on bio fuel, and he thinks I may be the perfect person to ride it around. Maybe that will become the Free Culture Tour 2. Be well.

Posted by Colin at 10:19 PM | Comments (0)

Duke Coffeehouse show was Awesome!

I'm sitting in bed exhausted from a great day, and I wanted to make sure to write a few words before tomorrow. The show tonight at the Duke Coffeehouse was by far the best show, and I'm feel a similar sense of pride as I did after the New York show at the Bowery Poetry Club. The best part for me was leaving the stage and seeing almost everyone engage in conversation with each other for another 45 minutes. The buzz was exactly what I'm trying to cause.

Special thanks go out to my sister Erica who reached out to her people, connected me with Andy Kay and Lauren who secured the funding, and said that the show better be good cause her reputation was on the line. Thanks also to Dan Sellars of Dare Daniel, who flew down to NC from New York to film the show, and ended up helping out so much with the setup and also with my mental preparation and the new Tour Story element of the show. Thanks also to the love and support from folks like Sid, Kerry, Tassie, Neeve, and all of you others.

Posted by Colin at 10:07 PM | Comments (0)

March 24, 2005

Lots of new photos, off to Durham

Ever since my last post in Starkville, MS, I travelled through Montgomery, AL and had a great day with Ashley Day of the Southern Poverty Law Center, and then drove all the way Athens, GA. The last few days in Athens have been great, mostly seeing my good friend Cecilia Torres, and performing last night at a benefit for Common Ground Athens. Lots of new photos.

I don't have much time for details, as I need to get on the road to Durham, where I'll be picking up Dan Sellars, whose gonna be filming me over the next fews days for a possible documentary.

The only thing I'll say is that yesterday, I thought that I had lost my wallet for about 6 hours, which were not my most proud moments. Now I'm back on track and looking forward to my Duke show tomorrow night at 10pm after the basketball game.

Posted by Colin at 07:34 PM | Comments (0)

free wifi in the south?

In my two weeks on this tour, it's been interesting to notice if and where there is wireless internet access. Here's a quick summary, in addition to this amazing gas station in alabama that didn't have wifi.
1. SXSW/Austin - conference had free wifi, hotel had it in the lobby.
2. New Orleans - coffee shop in a cool neighborhood had free, Starbucks had pay, house had one computer online
3. Road through LA and MS - not much free wifi in the rural parts - the Comfort Inn there had one really slow PC online
4. Jackson, MS - didn't look for it. But in Starkville, I was at an apartment with free wifi from downstairs
5. Montgomery, AL - didn't look
6. Athens, GA - several coffee shops have free wifi

Posted by Colin at 06:51 PM | Comments (0)

March 21, 2005

New Music tracks and a Remix

Before I left on tour, I did some recording with Dien Vo of Amplus Media. He finished new versions of Destination Non-Specific and Break Free, two of my older songs, and uploaded them to my ccmixter.org page. As you can see if you go there, an artist named veru already remixed Destination Non-Specific. Check it out.

Posted by Colin at 11:19 PM

Fill out a Fair Use Survey

The good folks at the Free Expression Policy Project (FEPP), part of the  Brennan Center for Justice, are conducting a study to learn how well "fair use" - an important defense under U.S. copyright  law - is working for artists of all kinds, including writers, filmmakers, "culture jammers" and other media producers. Fair use allows limited borrowing of copyright-protected works without permission, for purposes such as parody and commentary. Please help by going to the FEPP Web site and filling out their Fair Use Survey. Check out the intro

Posted by Colin at 10:23 PM

A great day in Mississippi

Read the most full account to date of a full day of the tour. Overall, I was happily surprised to find allies in a small christian ministry college near Jackson, MS. After finally leaving the hotel at around 11:30 AM, I was feeling a little lonely on my rainy drive through Natchez. After pulling into the Natchez Trace Highway historic site, I read about the history of the trail, which had first been used by the Native Americans, and then later build to connect to Nashville when it was the last frontier. I ended up talking with this older couple from Ontario Canada, who invited me to join them in their RV for lunch. Good conversation. Good food. The rest of the drive on the beautiful highway was beautiful, first listening to Ron Sexmith, then to a podcast of On the Media. At one point, I took a left and ended up a little lost. I stopped into a country store to ask for directions, and wanted to stay and hang out with the locals. It was definitely a different culture, but of course I just said thanks and went on my way. By the time I got into Jackson, I had finally connected with Mixon and Imhotep, my two local contacts. I drove out to the christian ministry school and met Imhotep and his roommate Devon, both very cool people who are living the word in the best sense. It was refreshing to talk with them and agree about how so much of our mainstream culture is over-commercialized and void of spiritual meaning. I was also happy to find common ground with regard to how many religious leaders, out of touch with the spirit of Jesus, focus on judging homosexuals and others, when Jesus is all about love and acceptance. At 6pm, we went to Pentacostal service. Even though I had actually been to a Pentacostal service once before during college, I was a little nervous for the talking in tongues, etc. When we arrived, Imhotep said that he liked to sit in the front, and so I went with him. Within the first minute, he and Devon were both going full out dancing in the front. Instead of feeling weird and uncomfortable, I found myself clapping along and freeing the white booty a little with the crowd. I realized that if I was at a party, I would have contributed my full energy, and I might as well do the same wherever I am. I didn't understand some of what was happening, but since this trip to the South is as much about listening as it is about sharing myself and my work, I opened myself up to the experience. The preacher gave a long sermon that at times was not that cool, talking about submitting to the authority of the church / head / man (and not thinking for yourself), but overall it was a positive experience. Afterwards Devon, Imhotep, and I went to McAllister's Deli and had some great food and talk. In the two of them, I may have found one of the things I was looking for on this trip: Christian leaders who are concerned by the concentration of power in this country and want to help build a dynamic and diverse media network for the future. After that, I met up with Amanda Mixon, who has a great new truck (like most other folks here in Mississippi), and we stopped by her parents house, where I'm sleeping tonight, and went off to a chill gay bar and had a Bud. Overall, the first adventurous great day of my trip. It's great to be with such different, interesting people. Hope tomorrow is just as cool.

Posted by Colin at 09:18 PM

March 20, 2005

New Orleans and Mississippi

It's been an interesting and fun last few days since leaving Austin. After a long drive to New Orleans, I spent the day Thursday meeting with youth media folks from NOVAC and NOCCA, which has an amazing facility. I had a lot of fun Friday night with college friend Andy Friel and his girlfriend, going to a "State of the Nation" performance and walking through the French Quarter and beyond.

So far, I've found myself thinking a little more about religion and conservatism while I've been in the South. Yesterday was my first adventure day, driving toward Baton Rouge on the famous River Road, through what has come to be know "Cancer Ally" because of all the oil refineries and the cancer they've caused. Check out the flickr photos for more.

Posted by Colin at 03:59 PM | Comments (0)

March 18, 2005

The first Remix

In only a few hours, John Holowach of Tryad has already submitted the first of hopefully many remixes of Language of My Reality from the remix project. Now let's hope we can get some designers to start mixing up the images. Spread the word.

Posted by Colin at 05:15 PM | Comments (0)

March 17, 2005

Introducing the Remix Project

In the spirit of free culture, today we are launching the first phase of the remix project, which will encourage people to remix images and/or sounds from the Free Culture Tour.

The first is the spoken word piece from the show, Language of My Reality, which includes mostly Colin's photographs, but does include some from the commons and some from copyrighted sources. Can you help improve either the audio or visual elements of this piece? Can you help make it completely of the creative commons so we don't have to deal with legal issues? Check out the project page, download the mp3 and the images (28 MB zip file), remix, and send me your updates by email at remix@activefreemedia.com. Also, special thanks for Pravin Sathe of Solid Hang for the design and all around support.

Posted by Colin at 06:45 PM | Comments (0)

Comments Disabled, Email instead

I just found out that my gracious web host, ibiblio, has disabled comments because of all the comment spam that has been hitting their servers over the last several months. So if you're reading the tour blog, and want to respond or say what's up, please do it by sending an email to colin@activefreemedia.com.

Posted by Colin at 03:25 PM | Comments (0)

March 15, 2005

SXSW: The Rise of Remix Culture

After a successful performance on Sunday, I entered into the 2005 SXSW Interactive vibe. Among those in the audience were local Austin folks, SXSW participants, and Robin from the Copyright Society at Belmont college in Nashville, where I'll be on Wednesday March 30th. Check out the tour schedule for more dates.

This year has been a little colder than last year, but the panels and participants are still geeky cool, and there's a great fun crew of talented people committed to building good tools and an improved democracy. I was particularly excited to hear about Downhill Battle's not yet public software project that's gonna bring internet tv to the masses. Last night's big party was fun, although not as great as last year (flickr pics). Also, below are some notes from a panel relevant to the free culture tour. Hope all is well.

Notes from The Rise of Remix Culture

Sounds like since the Grey Album, the climate has shifted a little, and there's been some interest in
mashups. Commercial opportunities are growing cause big companies "smell money" and want to cash in on the mash up craze.

Different camps of artists. Some: if they get permission and have to deal with legal agreements, the art is lost. Others: The more people that see it / hear it the better.

Examples:
Companies commissioning their own remixes, like "Adult swim" on the cartoon network (they make fun of older products of theirs). "This Place Sucks" remix of Office Space and Superfriends (on ifilm).

Historical fiction mixes real life events with fictional events. Adaptation. Curb your Enthusiasm. White House Press Corps. Blurring the lines between fact and fiction.

Magnatune uses the noncommercial license so that people use music in their film, but then if it becomes a hit and they want to broadcast it, then they'll have to pay.

Mashup software: Logic by eMagic, Live by Ableton, free ProTools by Digidesign, Cool Edit Pro, GarageBand, any program that lets you transpose.

William Gibson's book "Pattern Recognition". Next revenue stream is helping people find the original source.

DJ Reset: djreset.com

Other questions: What would need to happen in order to make the political and television mashups popular and relevant.

Next phase: How to facilitate business models for people?

Posted by Colin at 05:42 PM | Comments (0)

March 13, 2005

In Austin for SXSW Interactive, show today!

After two long days of driving from Durham, NC to Picayune, LA, and then all the way to Austin last night, I'm rested and ready to do the Free Culture show for the SXSW Interactive audience today at 12:30 pm (get a free pass) at the day stage at the Trade Show in the Convention Center. During my drive, I took some pictures and recorded some thoughts (wav files), which should be available in the podcast link to the right if you're set up for that (info at ipodder.org). Here's direct links to the intro/test, why free culture?, and blues in the bayou.

Posted by Colin at 03:27 PM | Comments (0)

March 11, 2005

The Tour Begins

After a nostalgic send off for my 5 week leave of absence from Listen Up!, I had my Stanford MBA interview yesterday morning, and got on a plane and flew down to Durham, NC. I was too exhausted to risk the safety of myself and others, so I chose to check out the Duke Coffeehouse, where my March 25th show is, for Active Arts, which had a bunch of people making cool tshirts from both digital (heat transfer) and analog (paint) sources. Some of the images of course came from the internet (illegally?)

Now begins the 21 hour trip to Austin for SXSW. (Also, anyone who wants to go my Austin show for free, go here). I'm guessing I won't find internet access until Austin, so take care and wish me luck on the road.

Posted by Colin at 12:36 PM | Comments (0)

March 05, 2005

Two Weeks of Building for Free Culture

The last two and half weeks have been a whirlwind of excitement and hard work as I updated and performed my Free Culture show with collaborative participation and feedback in the spirit of the movement. After the initial rehearsal three weeks ago, the feedback I got was that there was a lot of interesting material, but it was unclear what exactly my message was. I decided to try it out without the intense 5 minute Idioteque video, and added a major contribution from DJ and friend Boon, who pulled together 11 popular music samples that get the audience involved early and brings a fun element to the show.

After two more dress rehearsals that helped tighten up the show, I drove out to Bryn Mawr on Saturday, February 19th for my first college show. I was happily surprised by energy of the local Free Culture group. Special thanks to Rebekah Baglini and Nicholas Bergson-Shilcock (from Franklin & Marshal) for helping to set up the space, including a wireless network that shared Creative Commons licensed music, photos, and videos. It was also great to meet Luke Smith, one of the original pair that sued Diebold, who said that he liked that my show demonstrated a positive vision for free culture. Overall, it was a good first college show.

After taking out a lot of the fat from the performance, the show felt a little short, especially on performance. Along with feedback from the Bryn Mawr folks, I had another session with friend and seasoned performer Kymbali Craig, who made a huge difference in taking the performance to the next level. We added a cover song in the beginning, moved Language of My Reality to the middle of the show, and most importantly, tightened up the transitions to maintain a solid flow throughout. Kymbali also joined me for the improv session (pictured below).

All this to say that the big NY show at the Bowery Poetry Club this past Saturday was one of the highlights of my life so far. It was packed, and the show went so well that the place was buzzing for 45 minutes after the show, with everyone I talked to inspired to participate in helping to build Free Culture in their own ways. You can watch the 45 minute unedited video of the show on the Internet Archive. I'd like to have an edited version to send to press, etc., but not sure if I'll have time before I leave next Thursday.

Thanks to all of you, including the folks here at freeculture.org, who helped set me up for the tour in a powerful way. I'm looking forward to heading out to Austin, TX for next Sunday's show at SXSW Interactive. I'll be posting frequently at the Free Culture Tour Blog through the next 5 weeks, so stay in touch and spread the word!

Posted by Colin at 02:58 PM | Comments (0)