My Weblog

1666

johnprassas — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 03:12:36 +0000

In the past I would go to the MIA and look at their permanent collection. One of the paintings is Lucretia by Rembrandt painted in 1666. I was not involved with photography at the time, but the lighting in that painting helped form who I am as a musician. In one form or another I knew that I loved the contrast and drama in that painting and I wanted to incorporate that into my music. As I slowly starting to learn about photography on the side and I am finding I have all of the same influences just learning new ways of expressing them with photographs.

I still have not bought a calibration system – so it is a bit hard to say if the saturation is to high low etc since it varies monitor to monitor. Non the less the light was a step forward for me in this photo.

light

johnprassas — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:48:48 +0000

11-08-2011
I have not had a lot of time for photography lately. A friend who I have been waiting to take photo’s of had some free time this last weekend. So I stopped by and we caught up on life etc. Hard to tell if this photo is over saturated or not (depends on the monitor) and I do not have any suction cups on my monitor to calibrate it. Non the less the lighting is a big step forward for me.

Finished up some more recording and took some photo’s

johnprassas — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:14:50 +0000

11-23-2011

Finished up some recording with Meliesa McDonnell last weekend.
Before she left for the airport I had some time to
take a few photo's.

Last few weeks of fall and finished up some recording for “States in Mind”

johnprassas — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 04:28:53 +0000

10-03-2011

Finished up some recording with Kassandra Gruszkowski last weekend. Also been going outside as much as possible to enjoy the last few weeks of fall.

Attrition Remix and Photo’s from Greece

johnprassas — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 20:04:56 +0000

Editing some more photo’s from my last trip to Greece

09-13-2011

A few years ago I was asked by Martin of Attrition to do a remake for his upcoming remix album. I finished the remake/remix but never found / put the time into finding the right vocalist to record the song. So here it is with snippets of the original song as the vocal. May be something to put time into finding the right vocalist to record it? Martin says the original vocal track is long gone.

Attrition – Which Hand – Aesma Daeva Remix

09-04-2011

Lots of updates

johnprassas — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:37:27 +0000

Sunsets have been very warm for the past few weeks

09-02-2011

I have not been to good about updated the web sites lately. Mainly because I have been so focused on finishing up the new album I am working on. It is tenatively titled “States in Mind”

This is part of the intro to the album. This album will not be released under Aesma Daeva – but it will have a few members from Aesma Daeva (past and present involved in it)

Intro to States in Mind

08-14-2011

I would put this photo with this piece of music that I am working on

The Three Spirits

A Meeting with Juan de la Cruz
06-25-2011

Experimenting with the idea of manipulating photo’s into forms similar to Japanese Calligraphy.

06-21-2011

06-17-2011

Sun was setting and the humidity was so high that some fog started to show up in the valley I was walking through. I put a bunch of filters on and made a 30 second exposure. While I moved the camera side to side.

06-18-2011

Some of the tones in this remind me of rembrandt

06-18-2011

Realized summer was slowly passing me by so I went out side and took some photo’s

06-01-2011

I took this photo on a very foggy day in Feb

02-10-2011

Recently I got a chance to start demoing a song with Matt of Gracepoint.
Its just a demo but the character in the song is truly starting to
come alive with his voice. Matt is great at singing straight tone
(no vibrato) and hitting the notes pretty much dead on. (not an easy
thing to do when it comes to certain vowels)

http://flash-mp3-player.net/medias/player_mp3_mini.swf

11-28-2010

I assembled

all of my time lapse photos and video footage from this year. Looks
like it will be another year (maybe less who knows) before I have
enough quality

footage to make a full video. Anyways here is an unfinished video
with some good parts. Far from finished though.

Aesma Daeva the Loon from john prassas on Vimeo.

11-10-2010

Album is pretty much done (writing wise). Now recording and producing
etc from start to finish. This is part of the intro.

http://flash-mp3-player.net/medias/player_mp3_mini.swf

10-01-2010

Assembling all my photos, and time lapse photos from this summer.
HopefullyI will have enough for a full length video at some point.

08-28-2010

Getting closer and closer to finishing this next album. One goal
of mine was to have more than just Metal guitar tones.

http://flash-mp3-player.net/medias/player_mp3_mini.swf

Bonus Material for Thalassa

johnprassas — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 04:39:52 +0000

03/06/2010

I have just updated the online bonus content for “The Thalassa Mixes” I put up 2 new instrumental tracks.

Tisza’s Child – Instrumental Mix
The Camp of Souls – Instrumental Mix.

Not sure what to title either of them. The Camp of Souls reminds me of this quote by Joseph Campbell:

Moyers: What’s the mythological significance of the belly?

Campbell: The belly is the dark place where digestion takes place and new energy is created. The story of Jonah in the whale is an example of a mythic theme that is practically universal, of the hero going into a fish’s belly and ultimately coming out again, transformed.

Moyers: Why must the hero do that?

Campbell: It’s a descent into the dark. Psychologically, the whale represents the power of life locked in the unconscious. Metaphorically, water is the unconscious, and the creature in the water is the life or energy of the unconscious, which has overwhelmed the conscious personality and must be disempowered, overcome and controlled.personality and must be disempowered, overcome and controlled.

I will have a 5.1 mix of Tisza’s Child done by the end of this year – just in time for the repressing of the album. Along with a few other tracks. Including Edwards remix that he started of the Loon, and hopefully a full setting of the “The Camp of Souls”

I am putting it in writing so hopefully someone will hold me to it if I do not come through.

Update on Recording and New Music

johnprassas — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:33:54 +0000

12-16-2009

It has been 2
months of recording writing and recording.

Stefan of Grace point stopped by and we recorded some guitar parts from
11 am till Midnight. We still have more to do but so far things are
turning out very nicely.

On the non-electric side of things I have been recording a lot of
acoustic instruments. I had a hell of a time getting this Banjolin
of mine to stay in tune with the mandolin and 12 string guitars.
- Reason being it is old, and I had it tuned down an octave.

www.johnprassas.com

to listen

4, 4 on the floor from a 5 , 4 ?

johnprassas — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:04:33 +0000

About 6 months ago my friend Edward asked if he could have the vocals and backing to “The Loon” for a remix idea that he had. I said “ok – but what kind of remix just out of curiosity”. He then told it was for a dance remix idea. I was not sure if I was insulted or confused when he said that. How is he going to make a song in 5/4 into a 4/4 on the floor song? Yesterday he showed me what he began working on – It is just a start but it is actually pretty cool.

Out on the Plains I’m a mystic

johnprassas — Tue, 05 May 2009 19:01:02 +0000

I have been working late this week recording acoustic guitar. I live in a neighborhood where it seems like everyone knows I am recording so they floor it while driving past my home. The only solution to this is to record late at night and maybe rising gas prices.