Furious World Blog

Peter Himmelman’s Furious World – Feb 24, 2009

Directed by Michael Sean Wright, nicefishfilms

The Band:

Peter Himmelman, lead vocals, guitar, keys
Willie Aron, guitar, backing vocals
Al Wolovitch, bass
Andy Kamman, drums

Marc Jacobs, sound, live switch
Daniel Vendt, doing-a-little of everything

Special Guest:
Tom Morey

Recap by Ellen J. Berman

Apparently it was hot in the studio, but you wouldn’t know it by the knit caps o’ plenty on the band – one on Peter’s head and one on Al’s. According to Peter, having the AC on would blow the power. As a result, the viewing audience contemplates the next generation internet experience known as virtual smellovision : )

Song: Something That Just Blew My Way (Album: Himmelvaults vol.2) True to the groundbreaking spirit of this show, Peter and band launched the set with this totally obscure track, which happens to be one of my very favorite songs on Himmelvaults, vol. 2. For those of you not familiar with the Himmelvaults, they are a series of releases that come deep from Peter Himmelman’s archives of songs that haven’t previously found a home on any of his releases. Other times, the tracks are fabulous live recordings that capture something really special about a song. On some of the earlier vaults, there are also tracks dedicated to some of the stage banter and musical improvs we come to know and expect from Peter Himmelman. If you don’t own any of the Vaults albums, you’re missing half the story and a lot of great music!

The bottom line is this – When you hear a song from the Vaults on Furious World, you realize the precious quality of each and every episode of this amazing show. Diehard fans will hear songs on this program that Peter has NEVER played in concert. And new listeners get to enjoy a diversity of tracks which represent a lifetime of hard work and a catalogue of music that is as deep in quality as it is copious in nature.

Song: Only Innocent (Album: From Strength to Strength) What a great follow up to the first track. This has long been a fan favorite that in recent years has gotten very little air time. Only Innocent hails from Peter Himmelman’s album: From Strength to Strength, which is like an unofficial greatest hits album for many fans. More song requests probably come from this album than from almost any other. The title track of Peter Himmelman’s official “Best of” album is Mission of My Soul, which is also a track that first appeared on From Strength to Strength. You get the idea…

Segment: Phantoms of the 405
Peter reminisces about a beloved family pet from his childhood, his dog Reggie.

Special Guest: Tom Morey
What an interesting guest! Tom Morey is perhaps best known for his innovations in the surfing industry as the creator of the boogie board. But he’s much more than that. Tom showed us his intellect, his sense of humor, his skills as a musician, his modest nature, his thought processes as a true philosopher, and also a soft spoken generosity in sharing his surfing knowledge with Peter, who very much wants to be able to find a level of comfort with the sport to be able to go surfing with his 12 year old son who loves it. I find myself completely stunned by the support being given to Peter Himmelman’s Furious World by so many remarkable people across a wide variety of industries and disciplines.

Song: Georgia Clay (Album: The Mystery and The Hum) This is an early fan favorite on Peter’s upcoming album which will be released on March 17th. Stay tuned for details!

Song: Theo (Album: My Lemonade Stand) This track immortalizes Peter’s sweet faced border collie Theo in song.”Early one Sunday morning – The family piled in our car. We set out to buy a regular dog. But we came back with a superstar.” : ) Shout out to Willie Aron for great backing vocals – Great job by our special guest Tom Morey, who sat in on drums.

Segment: Turtle Talk
Who knew someone’s beloved pet turtle could impart so much wisdom in so few words?! This week’s Turtle Talk features the sage King Ferdinand dispensing very important career advice to Peter Himmelman’s intern Daniel Vendt. Amongst various pearls of wisdom he dispensed, King Ferdinand tells Daniel we must be passionate about what we do to be successful in our careers.

Song: Trembling in the Beams (Album: The Mystery and The Hum) Peter moves to the piano to play this beautiful new song, which was well received by the folks in the chatroom during the live broadcast of this episode. Some commented on the similarity from an instrumental standpoint between this track and a song called Gravity Can’t Keep My Spirits Down, which appears on Love Thinketh No Evil. From a lyrics perspective, Trembling in the Beams doesn’t tremble at all as it stands solid in its own right.

Special Guest – Tom Morey – Part II
This segment really highlights Tom’s philosophical, broad thinking nature as he shares his thoughts about the world economy and the nature of time.

Segment: Furious Folks
Furious Folks features various people in Peter’s world outside the studio. Continuing on this week’s dog theme, which probably began with last week’s revelation regarding the passing of drummer Andy Kamman’s dog Chloe, may she rest in peace, Furious Folks introduces us to Bernardo Alejandro (sp?) – the dog whisperer. : ) Actually, I think Bernardo is more of a dog trainer and doggie daycare guy who gives our four-legged friends long walks in the sunshine when their families are all cooped up in offices, classrooms, and studios. Peter hops into Bernardo’s van which is loaded with a bunch of canine clients including Theo. The group arrives at a very scenic spot for a glorious long walk. Out in the serenity of nature, Peter contemplates what people would be like if we each had a Bernardo to take us away from our daily grind. This segment takes a philosophical bend up until Peter announces that on the way back, one of the other dogs urinated on Theo’s white fur, and Peter makes a point to remind himself to wash Theo before petting him : )

Song: Flown This Acid World (Album: Flown This Acid World) – This song which represents breaking away was a perfect segue as we transitioned from the Furious Folks segment on being out in nature.

Song: Wet Matches (Album: Imperfect World) – This track’s a total rocker featuring Peter Himmelman on lap steel.

Song Teaser: Iron Man

Song: Racing Off to Nowhere (Album: Unstoppable Forces) – There are various forces in this world that seem unstoppable. For Peter, one of them is the great bass player, Sheldon Gomberg. For a long time Peter was really sucked into the tv scoring world, and it was Sheldon’s persistence that got Peter more forcused on recording his own music again. Sheldon was definitely a serious force behind both Unstoppable Forces and Imperfect World, plus his bass on those albums was just AMAZING.

Song: Discipline of Rain (Album: Unstoppable Forces) – I was so happy when this song finally found a home on a recording. It’s a song that has its roots in rabbinic teachings about the way to live our lives. As with rain, if we are too forceful or not forceful enough, problems ensue.

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After Show -

Tape rolled again, as Willie Aron and Tom Morey performed a brief jazz jam.

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After After Show -

Tape rolled yet again featuring Peter and Tom continuing their earlier discussions about surfing and music.

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Post Show Chat:

Peter Himmelman, Tom Morey, and Director Michael Sean Wright popped into the chatroom to say hello and announce that Peter Himmelman will be at SxSW Interactive performing March 13th through the 17th at the Belmont in Austin. More details to be released at http://furiousworld.ning.com

Peter Himmelman’s Furious World – Feb 3, 2009
Directed by Michael Sean Wright, nicefishfilms

The Band:

Peter Himmelman, lead vocals, guitar
Al Wolovitch, bass
Andy Kamman, drums

Jim Hershleder, camera, lighting and visual design
Marc Jacobs, sound, live switch
Daniel Vendt, doing-a-little of everything

Special Guests:
Sharon Waxman
Chris Pirillo
Guest Backing Vocalist???? (name please?)

Recap by: Ellen J. Berman

Song: Easy to Be Broken (Album: Skin) – What a great surprise!! I don’t think I’ve heard Peter do this song since he was touring in support of Skin, the album on which this track appears. Skin was a controversial album for Peter – People either loved it or completely didn’t get it. Skin was created as a concept album about survival of the soul and reincarnation. The longterm goal for the album was perhaps to bring it to Broadway. The Skin tour consisted of incredible live shows where Peter Himmelman and his band played the album from start to finish and would then go on to play a second set of assorted fan favorites from previous albums. Fans have long hoped that a soundboard recording of one of these gems will someday surface – In the meantime there are a couple of audience recordings floating around which at least give you a flavor of these shows.

Some of Peter’s strongest material to date at that time appeared on Skin, but for some listeners, the strength of the music
got lost in the format of the concept album. Not every diehard fan lists the album as a favorite, but I will say that my most
successful fan contest in terms of overall participation occurred when for the 10th anniversary of Skin, I gave away a CD of
the album signed by all the band members. Many people were anxious to weigh in on their favorite track on that album to compete for the prize!

Interlude:
After the song, Peter comments that since doing Furious World there’s been more smoking of cigarettes in his backyard than he’s seen in a long time – And as much as he personally hates smoking, the only thing he hates more is the idea that nobody smokes! : ) He jests that someday we’ll find out that smoking is actually good for you : )

Song: Consumed with Evil (Imperfect World) – When Peter was touring with the Israeli rock band The Flying Baby to support the album Imperfect World, Peter would generally play this song on lap steel – This year, I’ve heard it done both acoustic and on electric guitar, and I think the song has been sounding really great!

Segment: Phantoms of the 405
As Peter’s driving, he recounts the experience he had with Neil, a massage therapist who helped Peter resolve an issue he was having with lower back pain – Within a couple of treatments, Neil healed Peter, but one day showed up to work with a cast on his leg from a fall he had taken. The way Peter was positioned for the massage, his face was directly in contact with a very foul odor emanating from Neil’s cast. Rather than saying anything, Peter began to contemplate how he would fare in a torture situation of this nature. : ) Instead of being honest with Neil and asking him to wrap a bag around his cast, Peter said nothing. All along, Peter thought he was being nice by not saying anything, but as a friend later pointed out, it would have been nicer to be direct – since as a result of not saying anything, Peter has never hired Neil back.

Special Guest: Sharon Waxman, editor in chief of http://thewrap.com – According to Sharon, the LA Times laid off 300 people and is a veritable ghost town now- At a time where we’ve seen the music industry crumble and the news industry following suit, Sharon states that the only way for people like her and Peter to keep doing what they love is to reinvent themselves. As Peter reinvents himself through Furious World, Sharon seeks to re-invigorate her career through the launch of her new site http://thewrap.com – This emerging on-line resource focuses its reporting for those customers who are “interested in understanding the changes going on in entertainment and media culture, and navigating a global industry.” Sharon firmly believes that “If (what you’re doing) is good, then people will show up.”

Segment: Chip Lundeen
This week Chip demonstrates karate strikes to disable an intruder – According to Chip, if you use karate to defend your wife
and children, they’ll love you for it. : )

Song: One Shot at Love – (Album: Love Thinketh No Evil/Unstoppable Forces) Originally released on Love Thinketh No Evil, this song was re-recorded and later re-released on Unstoppable Forces. When I first heard the newer version, I was surprised the song had found a new home and thought it sounded very Springsteen in that particular incarnation. Only later did I find out that Shane Fontayne of Springsteen fame played guitar on that track. D’oh! : )

Song: Dozen Roses – (Album: the Grammy nominated, My Green Kite) This is one of Peter’s kid songs that works well for any audience! Tonight’s performance of Dozen Roses features great boogie woogie piano by Daniel K man – Daniel’s been doing some touring with Peter over the last few years and is an amazing pianist!

Soft and Wet Jam – vocalization by Connie/Bonnie (name please!!) – Wow she was GOOD. Peter commented that she sounded like a blonde haired, Jewish, Macy Gray.

Segment: Turtle Talk
King Ferdinand delivers pearls of wisdom on the topic of Aging – claiming “we only truly manifest our potential in our adulthood” and we should not be swayed by popular culture’s addiction to youthfulness. In seeking to move toward a world that embraces the rich rewards of maturity, King Ferdinand sagely reminds us that,”Revolution starts in the mind.”

Special Guest: Chris Pirillo of chrispirillo.com/live
According to Chris’ site: “Chris Pirillo has been participating in Internet conversations since 1992, having
launched Lockergnome.com as a content publishing network and building Gnomedex to be one of the blogosphere’s highly regarded conferences.”

Song: Improv: Searching for the answers to hear the sound

Peter sings as Chris gets a headset on to be able to hear Peter for his segment of the interview.

Once the tech issue was resolved, Peter and Chris discuss the future of technology as Chris thinks it could evolve over the
next 5 or 10 years.

Song: Time Just Flew (Album: Love Thinketh No Evil) – nice segue from talking about technology as it relates to the time space continuum -

Segment: Furious Folks
This segment is new on Furious World and focuses on the people in Peter Himmelman’s immediate world.

Tonight’s Furious Folks introduces us to Avi Rokah – Peter’s Karate Teacher, who is a former Karate World Champion and five times US National Champion. According to Peter, learning from Avi Rokah is like learning baseball from Hank Aaron – This segment is a fun insider’s look at one aspect of Peter’s life outside the studio.

Song: Impermanent Things (Album: From Strength to Strength) I found this to be an interesting song choice – I think it’s the
musical expression in this case of what Avi was trying to convey about the role of karate in his life – According to Avi,
eventually it’s not about winning or losing – I think he was trying to tell us that for him Karate became something much
greater on a philosophical, spiritual level. I think Impermanent Things ties in well with this notion.

Song: Mission of My Soul (Album: From Strength to Strength) Always great to sing along to this song and a great way to end
the show!

Peter Himmelman’s Furious World – Feb 10, 2009

Directed by Michael Sean Wright, nicefishfilms

The Band:
Peter Himmelman, lead vocals, guitar, keys
Willie Aron, guitar, backing vocals
Al Wolovitch, bass
Kristin Mooney, backing vocals
Andy Kamman, drums

Marc Jacobs, sound, live switch
Daniel Vendt, doing-a-little of everything

Special Guests:
Jon Gibson
Robert Scoble
Brian Roy
Marc Cantor

Recap by Ellen J. Berman

Tonight was an incredible night for Peter Himmelman’s Furious World – a night of life altering music and great talent from both the music and technology communities.

Song: Raining Down from Satellite – (from upcoming album) well received by the audience – Way to set the tone!

Song: Sit Tight (from upcoming album)
Great song – I first heard it last summer at an artist showcase Peter did at one of my favorite little clubs in NY in Soho called The Living Room. To see live footage of this song, check out my youtube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gu92Ms5idE

Segment: Phantoms of the 405 – latest episode
Features Peter reminiscing about celebrating the Passover seder at his cousin’s house back when Peter was in high school in MN. That day Peter’s father purchased his cousin Doug’s guitar, and Peter was sure the guitar would be his “liberating Moses.” — What can I say? Even as an adolescent – the guy knew his destiny.

Be Part of Turtle Talk!!!
Love King Ferdinand? Want to tap into wisdom of the ages?!
Film Yourself asking a philosophic question. Must be 20 seconds or less in length.
Submit it to Peter at http://seesmic.com/kingferdinand

Special Guest: Jon Gibson of Prince and Stevie Wonder fame – Phenomenal r&b soulful Solo Performance (not sure of song title)

Latest installment of Turtle Talk featuring the oracle otherwise known as King Ferdinand : )

Song: Beneath Your Watching Eyes (Synesthesia) – Peter Himmelman did a great duet with Jon Gibson! Wow that guy Jon has a gorgeous voice!

Special Guest: Robert Scoble – videoblogger at FastCompany.tv — an ultra nice guy who was truly sharing the love of Peter Himmelman’s music and our Furious World! : )

Song: Fatherhood (Himmelvaults — probably vol. 3???, which was bundled with Unstoppable Forces)

Song: Ever So Slightly (from upcoming album) – great song – has an anthemic quality – Kristin Mooney and Willie Aron on backing Vocals.

Special Guest – Brian Roy – Emerging Technology guru at Intuit – created a special app called the Wombat Tracker for our new furiousworld.ning.com community. The app pulls from twitter to alert us of other Furious World/Peter Himmelman fans – so cool – Brian’s a long time fan of Peter’s and discovered Furious World through a twitter message
from Leo Laporte who was a guest on Furious World a few weeks ago. It’s great when technology actually works the way
it’s supposed to! Yay, Leo! Yay, Twitter! Yay, Brian! : )

Another tech guru and fan by the name of Marc Cantor was spontaneously patched in during Brian’s segment which
prompted:

Song: Waiting for Things to Happen Improv (good job, Marc Jacobs, on making things happen!)

Song: Phone Call from Chicago (From Strength to Strength)
– Great to hear this gem performed on Furious World

Latest installment of: Intern Learns a Lesson

Peter Himmelman mentors his intern Daniel Vendt. The focus of the lesson was about turning a liability into an advantage : ) As Daniel’s ailing car billows vast amounts of smoke, Peter turns this trial into a great rock video effect!! Way to rock the adversity, Peter!!!

Song: Measure (From Strength to Strength) – Another Great one!! “There are no songs, no violins, no sweet perfume which even begins to say how much I love you.” Who writes like that? PETER HIMMELMAN. That’s what I’m talkin’ about.

Song: Jacked in the Board with Marc improv (very soulful groove – also highlighting the behind the scenes technical
prowess of the great Marc Jacobs!)

Song: Listen Up (pre-Peter Himmelman Band – first released on Sussman Lawrence’s Pop City) Tremendous rocker and the band did the song proud!

Secret Aftershow – Peter Himmelman with Jon Gibson

So secret I almost missed it as I was writing this blog…

Caught it already in progress – but with the help of the ustream archives, here is the complete review.

Peter’s guest Jon Gibson sings solo and then comments on the fact that he’s more of a folkie but sounds like Stevie Wonder.

Jon apparently started pursuing music after he got out of the Army. He never finished high school, and ended up in the Army because of deciding to follow in the footsteps of his brother. He realized he wanted to pursue a career in the arts, and started playing guitar after finishing his time in the service.

Jon and Peter get into a discussion about how Jon learned to play, and Jon mentioned having recently learned another way to play a Maj 7th chord, which prompts Peter to start playing Time Just Flew.

Jon Gibson mentions that he plays by ear, but isn’t the kind of person who can pick up a guitar and just play with anybody. He then refers to keyboard player Bernard Wright, who is apparently a genius at just being able to play anything with anyone. Jon had apparently asked Bernard how he’s able to do that, and Bernard’s response was: “I don’t hear notes, Jon – I see colors and I play them.”

Peter tells Jon about David Morgan, a fabulous pianist trained by Ellis Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis’ dad. According to Peter, David always seems to know where the music is going to go and can just hear it. On a personal note, I had the good fortune of seeing David Morgan perform with his trio at the Blue Note for a live concert recording years ago, and more recently, saw him join Peter at the Jewish Museum for a wonderful kids concert. If you want to have a good laugh, check out my youtube clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly2NEKon9UY – The guy’s so good, he even plays great with his NOSE. Yes, his NOSE.

Peter then goes into a Maj 9th jam and afterwards, he and Jon perform

Song: Amazing Grace

Peter starts playing really fast on guitar an intro which I think could have evolved into A Million Sides, but switches gear and performs:

Song: Georgia Clay (upcoming album)

Beat jam with Jon Gibson – scat singing by Jon Gibson – Jon claims to be a baritone who sounds like a tenor. He
apparently sings a full step down from Stevie Wonder who is a true tenor.

Song: Love and Pain – Great rarity of Peter’s – He and Jon jam on this song and start recording it live while ustream continues to broadcast!! Bird’s eye view into Peter’s work in the studio!! YAY!!!!

Peter talks to Jon about Alexander O’Neill and the old days of Prince who was in a band called Champagne. Morris Day was the lead singer of that band. Peter recounts the time he saw Prince do his first solo gig in North Minneapolis in support of his first album For You. Prince kicked Bobby Z off the drum – Peter wanted to quit music altogether because he thought Prince was just so good.

Jon vocalizes with Peter accompanying him on acoustic – FABULOUS.

Song: Solo finale by Jon Gibson – Stevie Wonder – Have a Talk with G-d

OUTSTANDING way to end the best episode of Furious World EVER!!!

Thanks everybody who participated and especially those who volunteer to help make this a great show and a great
community!