THINGS YOU OUGHT TO KNOW -- 28 JANUARY 2009 -- 21H49
i move quick, and i move a lot. i'm heading back down to new orleans, therefore i will not be available for shows in the northeast, as i had previously announced in the last post, BUT i will be available for shows in the south now!!! that's exciting, because i never get to play there. maybe florida? send me an e.mail at meagainbooking@gmail.com if you've got any ideas!
otherwise, the songs i'm working on are already coming together! this is good news! it's going to be an interesting little album! i'm feeling it. hopefully soon i'll be able to start recording them for public ears.
stay well yall .. RAMÓN
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NEW NEW NEW -- 16 JANUARY 2009 -- 23H23
so, it's time. i've started buckling down, and finishing all the songs i wrote after the boy who floated freely. yeah, it's been a while, but i've been busy building things with my hands, building things heart to heart, trying to gain knowledge of the things i find necessary for me to live in this world, making tortillas, making bread, making toothpaste, building tables and bunk beds. but i think i'm ready now, to complete some old songs that have gone unfinished and unrecorded for too long! here goes. i've given myself a deadline, and i will try not to break it. i'll keep in touch. for now, drink some hot kakao it's fucking cold outside!!!
and to anyone who would like to include me in a show, i have an open schedule and am excited to perform. if you are in the northeast of the united states of america and want to have me out for a good time, just e.mail me at meagainbooking@gmail.com! sweet as sugar, you'll probably get to hear some new songs too!
oh and i guess it's worth mentioning, so if by chance you happen to already have tickets, i'll be opening the show for cursive at the barbary in philadelphia this coming tuesday.
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JOEY -- 26 SEPTEMBER 2008 -- 19H47
hey! my friend joey just put up some photos from his summer adventures around the US and mexico - 52attacks.com/joey
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THANK YOU! -- 17 SEPTEMBER 2008 -- 18h38
it's been a while since the tour with françois virot ended, and actually since the shows in mexico too, but i still want to say thank you to all the promoters who put on the shows, and all the kids who came out and showed true support and interest in what françois and i are doing.
for that, i put the boy who floated freely album up for free download on the sound page. donations are appreciated. whatever you want, even a penny helps. for those who still appreciate having a real cd, the physical album is available.
i also put some new photos on flickr, from some past months of traveling and touring.
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DON"T COME!!!! I QUIT = NEW YORK!!!! -- 04 JULY 2008 -- 16h40
?"+rt\]]7777777712y
i can't do it. sorry. i won't be playing the show i just announced. françois will be though!!!\
NO MORE SHOWS!!!
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SECOND CHANCE -- 03 JULY 2008 -- 19h44
COME! i'm playing one last show in new york!
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NEW YORK NEW YORK -- 27 JUNE 2008 -- 11h19
hi!
-i made it through canada fine. and i'm on my way through the rest of everything.
-françois will be meeting back up in new york to finish the tour!
-and the information for the show in new york is up. so come!
-see you!
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REST IN PEACE FRIDO -- 21 JUNE 2008 -- 14h21
frido korea, bless his little heart, passed away the other night before the madison show.
yes, the truck is dead.
i'll be continuing the tour by public bus and some help from friends...
françois is not going to make it for the canada shows, burlington vermont, or biddeford maine.
he might meet up in albany to continue the tour through the end, or it might just end up that he plays cambridge, baltimore, philadelphia and new york as his last four dates.
let see!
oh and ann arbor is not gonna happen tonight... sorry!
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THIS TOUR IS GREAT! -- 04 JUNE 2008 -- 18h14
camping, cooking, drinking, driving, playing, befriending, relaxing, sun shining!!! updates on the performance page, with several new shows and more details on the exsisting ones.
PLEASE CHECK THE PERFORMANCE PAGE THE NIGHT OF THE SHOW to make sure that none of the details have changed!
see you!
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AND WE'are OFF! -- 28 MAY 2008 -- 17h55
yeah! françois is here safe and sound! tommorrow - him, my brother and i will head up to seattle for the first show.
very important!
the show in olympia has been moved a few blocks away to the finger complex - on the corner of rogers and harrison! easy to find!
other than that, if you're trying to attend any of these shows please check the performance page on this website the day of the show, to make sure nothing has changed. this tour'is a little loosey goosey!!!
oh, and i'll be trying to keep up with some stories and photos along the way for those interested!
let the 2008 north american summer begin!
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WELL ALRIGHT! -- 10 MAY 2008 -- 18h27
what we have here, is an updated and finished website. it's all that i can offer you at the moment. still, the content is a bit more than i've ever offered out to the public.
planned, is a new adventure with my friend françois virot. we'll be playing music all around the united states and parts of canada. should be fun, if my truck holds up... my brother manuel is coming along too!
i suppose i should mention that i haven't written any new music, or finished any of the songs i had begun while i was touring around europe and asia. i just haven't felt quite right about it these days. this little trip with françois is going to be fun though. the travel is going to bring me to places i've never been, and i really look forward to meeting and talking with people who come to our shows. if the night is right, i should have some good stories to tell.
alright then.
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ANSWERS -- 12.29.07 -- 00h15
i had planned to say a lot. i've been doing as much research as my mind can handle. trying to truly soak up, learn and understand, as much as i can, as quickly as possible. i had hoped that i might be able to say something powerful, persuasive, poignantly profound...
not to say that i still won't try, but for the last few months into a year i have been realizing that many people throughout history had become aware of what i am only noticing today. many people have made efforts to cultivate awareness in people.
in the last two hours i have been put right and properly in my place. as i watched the film zeitgeist, brought to my attention by a sparkling, intelligent myspace user, i was shown that everything i would love to say to you has already been said in the most concrete, securely backed-up document about america and the state of the world today...
i strongly recommend that you take the time to watch zeitgeist in it's entirety. it's not for me that i ask this, it's not for you, it's for the benefit of every living breathing thing on this planet, and every ounce of matter that naturally makes up our world.
-- www.zeitgeistmovie.com --
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SCIENCE FICTION -- 12.15.07 -- 23h57
the sequence of the past few nights has been interesting to say the least. on thursday csilla and i proceeded to start reading the bible (the new testament). we agreed on how interesting it could be to read it as an adult, or at least in a different head then when we both had read most of it in the past. so far, it's been as enthralling and amusing as a well written science fiction / fantasy novel. at this point, to me, "god" is just a young spirit in another realm who decided to engage in an experiment on "atoms" in a relatively controlled environment, this being "humans" in "earth"... we got to genesis chapter six.
the next night our minds proceeded to coax us into reading "the universe" (time-life books) written by david bergamini. this book so far, is an incredibly perfect introduction and explanation of the current (1962) understanding of the universe and how it's exploration began.
the same night, csilla and i watched "in america"... i have never seen this film like i saw it that night. i never truly saw the strong under scripts of believing in "magic" or things beyond this world as we know it. i never realized how many ironies exist in this film.
my mind is left curious as hell...
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CHILD 'WITCHES' OF THE NIGER DELTA -- 12.10.07 -- 00h17
i read about this today on the gaurdian:
right now in the niger delta, children are being burned with acid, hung from trees by their ankles, and impaled with nails in their heads. these are efforts by family and community to "cure" the believed children witches...
--CLICK HERE TO SEE THE GALLERY RELATED TO THE ISSUE
--CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL REPORT
--CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO RELATED TO THE ISSUE
11.27.07 -- 03h42 -- BIG LAKE, ALASKA
: written to my friend sharif in philadelphia :
sadly alaska is only beautiful to the eyes, and only in the right light... certainly not to the ears, or the nose (i was really suprised about this. upstate new york has better air!) it's a shame. csilla and i would love to leave at this point actually, but it's unlikely a realistic thought. it's just not very inspiring here. i think you'd have to live way far west, where the roads don't go, or on one of the islands in order for it to be anything worth an hour. although, everyone here has a little airplane so i'm sure the whole land is filled with right winged religious assholes who love to pollute the land and act like idiots crying for more oil in the alaska pipeline... it's crazy up here. it's actually a lot like a nightmare. i cried the other day, but that was just because of the republicans who were speaking on the radio. i feel trapped, and i just don't like USA's general mentallity at all, so maybe that's part of my giving alaska such a hard time. anyway, it's just mountains and snow... and flat land too. you'd be better off visiting scandinavia or vermont. truly. truly...
: written now (12.09.07 in second thoughts) :
today, jim, who delivers wood to csilla and i, stopped by. he was delivering more upon our recent request. the first time he was here, he spoke with us for a few minutes after dumping the wood, inquiring a bit about us and our situation as far as how long we've been in alaska, and if we were prepared for the cold weather and all that goes along with it. after our conversation there was a pleasant pause where all of us pined quietly for something to continue the engagement until eventually we fell silent too long and decided to declare our goodbyes. today when jim stopped by for the second time, he brought us cookies and pies! we talked a bit, and this time it lead to me asking him if he'd like to come in for some warm ginger tea.
now, jim is a wise man in his 60's. a real traditional, broad-minded gentleman with a black beanie to keep his head warm and a well worked flannel, hiding a thermal that peaks out above the last closed botton at the top of his shirt. his suspenders hold well worn pants that fall to rubber toed duck boots. we sat drinking tea, talking about alaska, about him, about us. he invited csilla and i to go ice fishing with him some time this winter!
in all of this, coupled with other recent thoughts, i've realized that as painful as this experience in alaska has been, and will continue to be, there are a lot of things to be had here. there is already so much that csilla and i are learning and discovering about ourselves and the world. it truly has been a great painful experience so far, and without the extreme concentration of bullshit that resides deep in the hearts of people around here, i might never have been able to open my eyes this wide.
11.24.07 -- 18h49 -- BIG LAKE, ALASKA
this summer i moved to alaska. more on this soon...
03.30.07 -- 15h05 -- ROMA, ITALY
this event in rome is going so well! it's really such an experience, and i'm meeting so many interesting people. my situation for this event isn't nearly as strange as i had thought it might be. initially i knew i would be wearing a costume, and placed in a birdcage hanging from the ceiling. now i know that for this performance i AM in a birdcage hanging from the ceiling... but i've actually been so fortunate to wear my own clothes! rafaele, the art director of this experiment, as they like to call it, prefers my own style and taste in fashion over the fashion of the costume that was made for me! the costume was made with great care, and was ultimately very nice, but kind of akward.
so... this is really an art exhibition, a moving art installation with many parts to it. it's very interesting, and i'm really glad to be a part of it. i've really enjoyed seeing this art experiment birth from an idea, and progress and develope, through many stages, to what it is now - a finished product.
so... one day during a break from rehearsal, the "firemen" who are part of the performance, gathered around me and started shouting things in italian. i didn't really understand everything, but i got the point that they were interested in my funny voice. well, the other day i finally realized exactly why all the "firemen" were so curious looking, when they had approached me before. once again, the large group of them confronted me. huddled close around me, they asked me to sing. so i did a little. they all shook their heads in confirmation. apparently they didn't believe that it was really me singing up there in the cage. they thought it was some effect from a computer!
so... i've never been to such a posh party. last night was a big press night for this event, and afterwards we went to fashion designer alda fendi's house for drinks and... eggs. yeah hard boiled eggs. one long table of 700 hard boiled eggs filled with different things, like asparagus, chicken salad, tuna fish and olives, etc... then another table filled with 700 assorted hollow dark, milk, and white chocolate eggs. then several rooms filled with funny people, well dressed, drinking red wine, white wine, or water.
03.03.07 -- 18h35 -- PORTLAND, OREGON
i just witnessed something so heavy. it made my heart hurt. as i walked west toward The Artistery i noticed a heavy set couple sitting in front of a cafe. with the girl's back facing me, i glanced at the boy as i walked up to the entrance. he sat, staring across the table at his partner, holding her eyes patiently, waiting for a response. i had witnessed his lips forcedly still themselves from the weight of the heavy words i knew had just finally escaped his mouth. i saw his breath. as i passed, to open the door to the cafe, i glanced casually over my shoulder. her awkwardly small pink face instantly began to swell with sadness as her eye's glazed in tears. it was such a sad feeling, knowing exactly the conversation they were having. imagining the situations, reasons, circumstances of his clear decision. it made me so sad.
>>
i've never been to portland, oregon. i've last lived in philadelphia.
the rest of the day was equally as interesting. my first stop, after corey's house, was a cafe on belmont street. i sat in this cafe for a few hours writing a long letter. as i was sitting, i overheard a boy talking about money gaurantees, and musician contracts. then to my right passed a boy talking about a band his apparent label was inviting to portland to record. someone else was talking about their band, and someone else's band. it became very apparent to me that portland is a land of bands and musicians. this scared me. portland is a potential new home to me. being a musician, the last thing i want is to be surrounded by musicians talking about music all the time. then a boy sat next to me and mumbled something friendly as he sat down and opened his laptop. a few moments later his phone rang. he had a conversation with a girl, apologizing about not being able to hang out on his busy night before, and setting up arrangements to hang out soon. as he closed his phone and placed it back on the table he said, "man, why do i always do that!" - i replied naturally, "you sounded pretty true to me." - "i was being true," he said, "but i don't want to do anything right now but my homework! i don't even want to go to work." we quieted and got back to our typing. later he spoke across me to the person on my left. they were talking about their shitty laptops and admiring mine. we got to talking again, and i made mention of the fact that the new macs seem to be truly working out some kinks, as i have a few friends who have faced seriously disappointing situations with their new mac books. we introduced ourselves.
portland is so friendly! as i left the cafe i encountered smiling faces everywhere. one boy looked up at me, smiled and said hi. one girl looked up at me, looked me down to my shoes and smiled at the velcro i have tightly buckling them. "this is not bedford avenue..." i said to myself, "people there have something to prove. points to keep. pride to manage. they can't even look at you in the face, let alone compliment you." i noticed that within two long strips of street there were more great, cheap and friendly cafe's and bars then philadelphia has in the whole city. the things at all the trendy second hand stores were of such quality, and so cheap too. something you would not find in new york or philadelphia. the high end second hand stores there are starting to seep "old navy", "gap" and "express" items onto their racks because of the high demand of fashionable, used, vintage looking clothes. right around the corner from all this happening were little houses with front, AND back yards, with streets you could throw a ball back and forth on in the summer. streets you could skateboard on! streets you could throw a slip and slide on. there was a park! a real park. not a city park. a real one with a proper slide and grass and space. the best part, is that when you look down these two long stretches of hawthorne and belmont, you can see trees and mountains and a beautiful sky! AND on my way to the artistery two different cars on two different blocks pulled past the crossing area at the stop sign. and at first glance of me, they backed up so i had room to walk. like it was their duty. that is so nice. that does not happen in philadelphia. and there are so many vegan, vegetarian friendly places to eat, that i will be spoiled by the end of my stay in portland. it is also clearly west coast, which is new to me. just the feeling, the air, the bums are even different. the cars are all clean! and there is such a huge abundance of classic and vintage cars. that is not the case on the northeast by any means. the cars here in portland have no rust!
i know, i sound naive. but i felt like it, like a little kid in a huge playground! it was great.
the night of the show i was able to hang out and bond with my new friends ashod and erin. we drank a couple of bottles of wine until our hearts were full. i woke up to ashod making breakfast - chila quiles! a few hours later, interesting friends came over and we drank bloody mary's and played HOT DICE. ...i realized it was sunday...
truly,
ramón
01.31.07
i posted the USA tour today. i'm really excited about it. it starts in the north east, where i'll get to see a lot of friends i haven't seen in a while. then i'm flying to seattle to start the west coast tour! i'm really really excited about this. i've never toured the west coast with my music, and i am especially anxious to see the north west. i'm also really excited to have the company of Laura Gibson on the tour. she'll be with me for the all the dates i have on the west coast up to phoenix. ...including the 11th, when i'm going to get to see my grandmother Ramona Córdova in bullhead city, arizona where she is living! where i used to live when i was a little little kid! i can't wait. i haven't seen her since i was 16! she's 84 now, so i'm glad i'm getting to see her soon. i will speak to her in spanish!!! i can't wait.
truly,
ramón
01.18.07
soon to come:
USA tour. and more.
so i've been taking it easy. after six months of the most rigorous touring schedule i've ever been part of, i need time to reflect. to rest. to kiss my beautiful friend's faces. to plan and prepare.
there's honestly loads i have to share with you. but i'll have to get to that soon.
love,
ramón
10.11.06
two sunday's ago in rome, i went to my first fútbol game ever! (soccer) i've always wanted to go! it was funny because everyone was yelling dai dai. i think that's how you spell it. it sounds like die die. it means GO! GO! it was, of course, kind of funny. and then there were these teeny tiny kids screaming at the top of their little italian lungs "YOU HAVE TO DIE!" (in italian). it was mostly hilarious. but the game was great. rome won!
right now i'm in barcelona. this past friday i tried to climb a mountain. it ended up being a couple actually. it took a long time. i had seen something at the top of one of these mountains that i really really wanted to see up close. it looked like a ferris wheel. so i kept my eye on it and started walking in it's direction. after a few hours of walking through people's property and strange little trails that would appear from no where, the roads and path's stopped, or started to go back down. so i then proceeded to literally climb the mountain. eventually, i came to this garden where two guys were working. they wouldn't let me pass! i was so close. i could see the road i needed to get on to go round and round, up and up until i reached it! i could see the glorius ferris wheel! and now... a roller coaster!!! but they wouldn't let me pass. so i trudged back down through thick thorns and brush and woods until i made it back down to the normal road, where i then headed home really... really pissed off.
change of thought...
i bought a skateboard!!! i haven't skateboarded in six months. mine got stolen outside of my mansion in philadelphia. i left it in front of the steps, to move in a couch i was balancing on my skateboard on the way home. the next day, when i remembered i had left it outside, i went to get it and it was gone!!! what the! yeah, so i've been skateboarding all around barcelona on my new ride. it's like a friend. my skateboard, my guitar and me. we got each other you know what i'm saying?
friday i'm heading back to rome to continue working on a music video! cool!!! i was really relluctant to make a music video. it's something that means a lot to me. it has to be well done! i don't like cheese. or corn. (get it?) anyway, after some probing i thought of some cool ideas. the video is going to be really charming, hopefully. i'm working with a guy named paolo who has a good camera and good equipment, and my friend emiliano is helping to make the characters! it's going to be fun, but we don't have a lot of time! the video is going to create itself based on circumstance. i know it. could be a very good thing.
at the end of october i'm heading back to the lovely little spain country to start a continental tour with shugo tokumaru. he's flying in all the way from japan to do this tour! i can't wait to meet him! his music is wonderful wonderful! we'll be going all over the place! a lot of places i've never been. i honestly can't wait! i better see lots of snow. i need a good winter. i'm going to be taking lots of photos and videos and putting them online. i'm going to keep in touch more like this too. it's good for me honestly. i want to remember these things, and i need to share it! i've only got my guitar and my skateboard!!! ...they need names...
keep it real,
ramón
09.22.06
the other night in rome, i went out for a couple of drinks with some friends. as we were drinking and talking i realized that we were leaning on a nice looking BMW. i looked behind this nice car i was leaning on with my friends, and realized that we had our bags on it, our drinks on it, our tabacco on it, everything we had with us, including our bodies, was on this car. i looked at the car behind it, and it was also covered with people and their stuff. "is this car one of yours?" i said. "no..." they said and we continued to drink and laugh and use these cars as our tables and shelves. i thought it was hilarious.
ramón
09.22.06
honestly, at this point this film is probably the best way to get the mass public concerned about something important.
please if you are at all concerned, visit the "YACHT" (k records) website as well. Jona Bechtolt (YACHT) suggests some other films that i haven't yet seen, so i'd rather you read it from him than me. he's a smart guy, i'd say the films are certainly worth seeing if you want to better inform yourself. click here.
yours truly,
ramón
09.03.06
hey. there is so much to say. let's start here... how have you been?? it's been a while, i know... sorry the site has been down for the past few weeks. it been a lot of trouble. lots of trouble. lost files, re-building, blah blah blahing all up in my little ears. grrr... but it's better now. clearly... because the site is back up! man, i've been touring and performing around europe since the twenty fifth of may. i can't begin to express the things i'm learning, the things i'm seeing, the people i'm meeting. it's overwhelming in such an inspiring way. blah blah, that's what they all say. i'm going to start getting you involved more. it needs to happen. i need to share. so i've decided that the best way to do this is to start uploading the photos and videos i've taken. i can tell you the stories behind the photos and videos. i think that'd be fun to see. i know i always talk about things i want to do like writing little books and making little films, but i have to be honest... this is the first time i have ever had the time without distractions to create freely with a clear open mind. it's good.
i'm working with a new label called sleeping star in italy who will be putting out "the boy who floated freely" this september. this is great. i'm really excited about working with these new friends. we hung out for a week while i was in italy playing a festival they put on, and we left with embracing arms and family kisses. it's a real pleasure to have them working with me along with eca records and clapping music who have helped so much already. there are new tours up as well. dates are being added very frequently, so check now and then if you are looking to see ramona córdova perform. some of the shows are by myself, some are with thee, stranded horse from france, and some with shugo tokumaru from japan. his music is amazing by the way. i can't wait to meet him.
dave from eca and i have been talking about a new record. just talking. these things are in the works. but, i'm still writing and creating and thinking and developing. it would come out next fall if i record it this spring.
other than that... hmmm, i think that is it. oh and to my friends in the US. please hold tight. suprises are coming your way too!
truly,
Ramón