slowdunk express

EP Annie Hedonia

2011-08-06T09:24:20Z

I have my recent EP - Annie Hedonia - on bandcamp. Take a listen and let me know what you think.

Annie Hedonia by Daniel Heila

Snowman

2011-04-13T22:40:02Z

This is an iPhone recording of a recent tune. I had been working on this over 3 months or so and it just kind of came together one afternoon. I didn't want to forget this version so I did a quick rough recording. I like the sound of the file played back on my iPhone as it distorts nicely and adds a fuzzy sort of tube mic sound. Not available when listening to the file on anything else. Too bad. Enjoy. Here are the lyrics as well.

copyright 2011 Daniel Heila published by Indestructible Beat of Podunk Press, ASCAP

St. Patrick pays a visit to Old Joe/Old Joe Clarke (trad. arr.)

2010-06-27T21:37:14Z

Wrote the first tune on St. Patty's day after a party. It was during the same time that I was working on the arrangement of Old Joe Clarke. I am enjoying working on my flat/cross-picking and plan on doing more of this sort of thing.

copyright 2010 Daniel Heila
published by Indestructible Beat of Podunk Press, ASCAP

At the Fair

2010-06-25T21:20:02Z

Another song from my demo CD Daniel Boone's Fault. It's called At the Fair

At the Fair

It's the end of summer
and you're bored to tears
killing time, looking forward to the fair

You'll probably sneak in
through the hole in the back gate
it's easy to do during the firemen's parade

at the fair

Sno Cones and taffy
sausage and peppers
trying not to notice some carnies look like lepers

An empty beer can
in your hand
you're too young to drink but you pretend you can

Chorus
at the fair
meet me at the fair
all our friends will be there
we can hang out on the midway
ride the ferris wheel at the end of the day

Verse
Teenagers gather
behind the livestock hall
the boys have the girls pinned up against the wall

Fat girls flirting
with skinny fags
they carry goldfish in plastic bags

at the fair

You freaked out on a ride
so the carny let you off
people laughed so you walked home in a huff

later that night
sleeping in the backyard
the lights from the ferris wheel compete with the stars

Chorus
at the fair
kiss me at the fair
hug me and I'll smell your hair
lead me on in that special way
break my heart by the end of the day

copyright 2009 Daniel Heila
published by Indestructible Beat of Podunk Press, ASCAP

The Browns

2010-06-25T00:43:30Z

First song from my demo CD Daniel Boone's Fault. It's called The Browns

Here is the Lyric:

Mr. Brown lives with his wife
in a bungalow he restored
with money he saved
in the good times before the Gulf Wars

He believes that working hard
and staying out of debt
are all the tools he needs
to achieve his life long dreams

Mr. Brown prides himself
in his modest means and health
he harbors no ambition
to improve or better himself

He's satisfied with life
his is a well managed existence
if you don't believe that's true
just go and ask his wife

Chorus
Meet me at the overlook
on the outskirts of town
troubled city shining up
quiet lovers gazing down

If you put away your ring
I'll hide my frown
meet me at the overlook
sad Mrs. Brown

Verse
Mr. Brown prides himself
in his modest means and health
he harbors no ambition
to improve or better himself

He's satisfied with life
he has a pretty wife
and though sometimes she's blue
he believes she's happy too

Chorus
Meet me at the overlook
on the outskirts of town
troubled city shining up
quiet lovers gazing down

If you cannot leave your man
I can't stick around
just forget the overlook
and remain sad Mrs. Brown

copyright 2009 Daniel Heila
Published by Indestructible Beat of Podunk Press ASCAP

Long Time Away

2010-06-24T18:03:46Z

I have been a long time away from Slowdunk Express. Time to update. I have been writing tunes and songs over the last year or so that I have compiled in a demo CD called Daniel Boone's Fault. Kind of a concept band. I am the only member. I want to see if I can interest other folks in the work and not promote myself as a singer-songwriter necessarily. Have been advertising for players to get together and arrange the material for a more serious recording in the future. I will look into posting some tunes and getting the lyrics up for folks who have the demo already. Take Care

TRIO: Cascadia Wild 2

2009-11-05T05:39:26Z

DUO: Cascadia Wild 1

2009-11-05T05:32:31Z

TRIO: Dahlia Show 2

2009-11-04T05:28:13Z

TRIO: Dahlia Show 1

2009-11-03T05:26:35Z

DUO: Japanese Garden 3

2009-11-02T05:21:27Z

Comment on DUO: Japanese Garden 2

2009-10-28T05:01:25Z

I have two versions of this work. The version on the blog now is the 2nd. In the 1st version the images never quite line up. They are always moving away or toward each other. This makes for very taxing viewing. When I watched the 1st version all the way through I found it too long.

After watching the 2nd version (the end came sooner than I expected) I realized that the traveling in and out of sync was much more engaging. I feel this variation gives the work more form and causes it to live more dynamically in the time it takes to transpire. In Ten on Ten his master class documentary on the making of the film TEN, Kiarostami talks of the importance of challenging the audience comfort zone. He also tells of his efforts to not "tax" the viewer unnecessarily. I appreciate his concern.

The work of Stan Brakhage is unquestionably masterful in its ability to challenge viewer comfort zones and thereby deepen the viewing experience. In my mind Brakhage's films (especially the earlier work) can be unquestionably taxing to view. At the time of their creation these works' frenetic, flickering, constantly changing character was a vital contribution to the deconstruction of traditional attitudes about film.

Although I understand the exhaustion I feel after an evening of viewing Brakhage's painted film works is an important aspect of the works themselves, I am of the mind that the appropriateness of this response is historical. In the films' time this response served a purpose and I appreciate it for that fact - it physically changed the way viewers saw film. I find in some of Brakhage's later work more meditative, contemplative tones akin to those found in Kiarostami's film FIVE. I find the later works of Brakhage and the current films of Kiarostami offer vitally important responses to cultural norms that perpetuate disconnect, superficiality, structural violence, distraction, and the demise of civility.

These are cultural norms whose validity, I believe, deserves to be challenged. It is my intent that my video works embody that challenge.

DUO: Japanese Garden 2

2009-10-28T02:58:21Z

DUO:Japanese Garden 1

2009-10-23T06:27:06Z

From a recent trip to PDX Japanese garden. 2 layers composited (DUO). Initially there were artifacts that looked like over saturation when I adjusted the opacity of the frames. Not sure why it happened. I then adjusted the brightness and HLS settings a bit to highlight this result.

TRIO: Reflecting Waldo

2009-10-14T04:27:03Z

Waldo Lake is a lonely place. Beautiful, but lonely. No fish, no raptors. Just deep sad blue below and merciless brilliant blue above. Surrounded by the hulking dark green or ghostly skeletal gray press of pines, spruce, cedar.