December 2011 Issue:
Welcome to the Ancient Future Times
Twitter: Ancient Future Band (Ancient_Future)
Facebook: Ancient Future Fan Page • Matthew Montfort Fan Page
In this issue:
A Direct Appeal from Ancient Future's Matthew Montfort
•Recovering from Wrist and Shoulder Injury. Financial Help Needed for Medical Bills and Living Expenses.
Help from A.F.A.R. Aids Healing
•Your Financial Contribution Adds Tracks to the Archive and Supports the Music!
Holiday CD Sale
•Three Latest Releases on Sale. Money Goes to Pay for Recovery Expenses AND They Make Great Gifts!
New Youtube Video from Ancient Future 'World Without Walls' Reunion
•Live Version of 'Turkish Taffy' Recorded at Yoshi's, San Francisco
Skype Lesson Sale and Free Introductory Private Lesson in San Rafael
•Help Support the Cause and Learn Something at the Same Time!
A Direct Appeal from Ancient Future's Matthew Montfort
Recovering from Wrist and Shoulder Injury. Financial Help Needed for Medical Bills and Living Expenses.
It is hard for a normally self-sufficient person like me to write an appeal for help, but I'll do my best.
It all started when I increased my computer usage in order to try to find a way continue as a musician in an environment in which all of my income sources, very modest though they were, became severely impacted by the economy, the collapse of the music industry, and cutbacks in the arts.
I tried to make up for these problems by increasing my promotion efforts. This was a great success in terms of the amount of publicity I generated, but had only a small effect on my income, and worse, last spring my shoulder froze due to excessive computer use. In order to continue to play gigs, I had to change how I held the guitar in order to get my arm around it. This put an extra strain on my wrist, and due to that and the high action on my scalloped fretboard and flamenco guitars, on October 12 I woke up with a very severe case of wrist tendonitis. I had to cancel most of my concerts for three months.
Due to all of this, I found myself needing to raise money to pay living expenses, medical bills, upgrade my computer system so it can work with voice commands to save my hands, and repair my guitars. Fortunately, Mariah Parker was able to help me apply for a grant from Musicares (affiliated with the Grammy's) and the Actors Fund to cover my rent for the past two months, and also the Musicians Foundation awarded a grant for me to have my guitars repaired by San Francisco Luthier Alan Perlman. Alan did a wonderful job on my guitars, both of which are in excellent shape now due to much needed repairs. Fans of Ancient Future and fellow musicians came through with some online donations, violinist Dr. Patti Weiss gifted me a copy of Dragon Dictate, and my friend Dr. Behzad Mohit helped with a grant from the Health and Nature Foundation to purchase a refurbished Intel Mac.
Thanks to all of this support, I'm left with just needing to raise money for the next few months of living expenses and medical costs while I rehabilitate myself and concerts can be booked starting in the spring of 2012. I'm hoping to do this with a combination of sales at Ancient-Future.Com, teaching and coaching, record production work, and direct donations.
Check out the rest of this newsletter for ways to support my work through subscriptions, purchases, and engaging my services. Historically, Ancient-Future.Com generated $1000 monthly from record and book sales, but CD sales today are just a small fraction of what they used to be. I'm hoping that someday soon people will develop a nostalgia for the wonderful ritual of sitting down and listening to a physical record on the best stereo in the house and really enjoying all the work that goes into producing a great recording. Physical CDs make great gifts, and deep listening parties are a great way to share time with friends. This way of sharing music is so much more personal than clicking like on Facebook.
Thanks in advance for anything you can do to help! If you are in the position to make a much appreciated direct financial contribution, click here.
Sincerely,
Matthew Montfort
Help from A.F.A.R. Aids Healing
Your Financial Contribution Adds Tracks to the Archive and Supports the Music!
Recording Newsletter: $15 (receive 128 kbps downloads). Subscribe @ $15. Download Supporter: $25 (320 kbps downloads). Subscribe @ $25. Limited Edition CD Sponsor: $50 (all previous plus CD-R upon completion). Subscribe @ $50. Honorary A & R Representative: $75 (all previous plus DVD-R upon completion). Subscribe @ $75.
The Archive of Future Ancient Recordings concept is to involve you, fans of world fusion music, in supporting the creation of a collection of new live and studio recordings that are available to subscribers as they are created. There are already seven expertly mixed and mastered live tracks totaling 50 minutes and 42 seconds in the archive available to subscribers immediately!
On April 1, 2011, basic tracks for two songs were recorded featuring original Ancient Future tabla player Benjy Wertheimer, Mariah Parker on santur, and Matthew Montfort on scalloped fretboard guitar. Then on October 9, 2011, basic tracks for a version of 'Purple Haze' featuring Vietnamese dan bau (a one string instrument with an indigenous version of a whammy bar) master Bui Huu Nhut were recorded. To date, we've raised $2530 towards our goal of $25,000 for the project, and we are now just hundreds of dollars away from adding the first brand new studio track to the archive!
When the archive is complete, the best of the collection will be selected for release as the eighth Ancient Future release. Please sign up for A.F.A.R. now and help support the creation of this music and give Matthew Montfort some record production work he can do while recovering!
Holiday CD Sale
Three Latest Releases on Sale to Support Healing
This holiday season, the three latest releases on Ancient-Future.Com Records are on sale for only $11 each with any other purchase at Ancient-Future.Com. Just purchase any book, CD, or make a donation to support the Archive of Future Ancient Recordings, and you will have the option of purchasing any of the CDs below for only $11!
Planet Passion by Ancient Future (Ancient-Future.Com AF 2010) $17.98 list (Holiday Sale: $11 with any other purchase): Buy Link. (>audio.)
"If the members of the United Nations formed a world-fusion band, it might look and sound a little something like Ancient Future’s re-issue of their seventh recording. Planet Passion strives to preserve the world’s vast musical heritage via international collaboration: the idea that one protects the old by creating something new. This is at the heart of fusion music and the heart of Ancient Future’s global aesthetics, too: a diverse, unified world without borders, a multicultural community, a new, reconstituted sonic reality." — Ryan Allen, LEO WEEKLY, Louisville, Kentucky
Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar by Matthew Montfort. (Ancient-Future.Com AF 2008). $17.98 (Holiday Sale: $11 with any other purchase): Buy Link. (>audio.)
"This unusual guitar album brings together world instruments to complement the scalloped fretboard guitar. Starting with ‘Gauri the Golden’, an improvisational piece drawing heavily on Indian raga, this is an intriguing collection of the resulting compositions. I must admit that sometimes ragas played by guitar players seem to wander on forever, changing a note here and there and weaving a kind of slow, hypnotic journey. However, this guitar work is stunning, intricate and wonderfully melodic. If you are looking for good listening and something different for your CD shelf, this is it." - J.W. McClure, VICTORY REVIEW ACOUSTIC MUSIC MAGAZINE
Sangria by Mariah Parker (Ancient-Future.Com AF 2017). $17.98 (Holiday Sale: $11 with any other purchase): Buy Link. (>audio).
"Parker and friends blend the rhythmic syncopations of Latin jazz music with the entrancing, asymmetrical meters of East Indian rhythms resulting in first-class world music. Intriguing melodies that draw musical inspirations from the tempos of Brazil, Cuba, India and Spain make for an uplifting serene yet passionate musical journey into an ideal world." - LATIN BEAT MAGAZINE
New Youtube Video from Ancient Future 'World Without Walls' Reunion
Live Version of 'Turkish Taffy' Recorded at Yoshi's, San Francisco:
http://youtu.be/e0YyuM7YTIo
On June 7, 2011, the exact lineup of Ancient Future that performed on the band's influential World Without Walls recording reunited to perform for the first time in over 15 years at Yoshi's San Francisco, where this video of Doug McKeehan's 'Turkish Taffy' composition was recorded. Performing in the video, are Doug McKeehan (piano), Kash Killion (bass), Ian Dogole (percussion), Matthew Montfort (scalloped fretboard guitar), and Jim Hurley (violin).
'World Without Walls' by Ancient Future featuring Tabla Master Zakir Hussain on Capitol Records
To celebrate the reunion, Capitol/EMI Records has released the first ever digital version of Ancient Future's classic 1990 World Without Walls recording. As its name suggests, World Without Walls by Ancient Future depicts a musical world without borders. The recording features Ancient Future members Matthew Montfort (guitars), Jim Hurley (violin), Doug McKeehan (keys), and Ian Dogole (percussion), plus special guest performances by world music legend and tabla master Zakir Hussain. The inviting melodies and ingenious use of ethnic textures make World Without Walls one of Ancient Future's most accessible and broadly appealing releases ever.
While CD's are no longer available in stores, a limited number of rare collectible copies signed by Ancient Future leader Matthew Montfort are on sale exclusively at Ancient-Future.Com for $24.98. Proceeds go to support the cause.
Tabla master Zakir Hussain
'World Without Walls' by Ancient Future Debuts on CMJ New World and ZMR World/Ambient Charts
The World Without Walls digital reissue debuted at #34 on the CMJ New World Chart in the November 18 issue of CMJ, and at #39 on the October Zone Music Reporter World/Ambient Chart, which are very high entry positions for a digital-only release. The majority of college and public radio stations that report to these charts are still only equipped to program CD releases.
Skype Lesson Sale and Free Introductory Private Lesson in San Rafael
Help Support the Cause and Learn Something at the Same Time!
Prices have been temporarily reduced on skype lessons and consultations for the holidays. Online correspondence lessons make a great gift!
For those residing in Northern California, a free half hour introductory lesson is available to new students at Matthew Montfort's home studio in San Rafael for the rest of the year! Just email info@ancient-future.com or call 415-459-1892 and mention this offer.
