The Power of Silence by Carlos Castaneda(?)

#8, and this is were I leave you. The story does continue, you'll find it if you want to...

The Fire From Within by Carlos Castaneda (?)

This is the 7th book. It keeps going!

The Eagle's Gift by Carlos Castaneda (?)

Number 6.

The Second Ring of Power by Carlos Castaneda (?)

Book #5!

Tales of Power by Carlos Castaneda (?)

Book Numero 4.

Journey to Ixtlan by Carlos Castaneda (?)

Book 3 in the series.

A Seperate Reality by Carlos Castaneda (?)

The second book of the Don Juan series! If you read the first one this is the next.

The Teachings of Don Juan by Carlos Castaneda (?)

One of my favorite series of all times, only second to Harry Potter.

This is the first of a series that spanned many books and many years. Take a drug induced journey with Carlos Castaneda, a young Anthropologist who befriends a mysterious and wise Toltec Nagual by the name of Don Juan. Don Juan posses a great knowledge of an ancient world almost forgotten. He would like to share this knowledge with the young Castaneda if he his willing. In "The Teachings of Don Juan" everything that Carlos Castaneda has ever believed to be real, will be challenged...

reader's note: most people quit after the first book because they do not like the ending, I encourage you to read on...

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown (non-fiction)

Unfortunately this book is non-fiction. If you like books with happy endings I strongly suggest that you DON'T read this one. This book made me cry more then "Old Yeller" and "Dancer in the Dark" combined. This tells the story of the demise of the indigenous people of (mostly western) North America. Whites were not nice to the indigenous people of North America. (or South America for that matter) The story ends with the murder of Sitting Bull, one of the greatest warriors and leaders known to the Lakota, and then is followed up by the murder of over 200 Lakota at Wounded Knee. Most of them women and children, almost all unarmed, and outnumbered at least two to one by soldiers from the US Cavalry and the Reservation Police. To make things even more one sided the US Cavalry lined up two Hotchkiss rapid fire guns on their outer defense and riddled women and children with bullets as they fled for safety. To top it all off eight "Medals of Honor" were handed out to the brave soldiers who murdered woman and children in cold blood. Some of the political actions by Americans and the atrocities they committed are hard for me to forgive. Imagine how the people of the once great Tribes feel.

Black Rage by Grier & Cobbs (non-fiction)

Two Afro-American psychiatrists take a deep look into the effects that slavery, segregation, and forced inferiority have had on Blacks in the United States. This book should be required reading for all students across the US. Wether white, black, latino, etc... I think this book would help different cultures have a better understanding of what has made Afro-Americans triumph as well as suffer throughout their history in the US. This book also helps to understand what must be done by Afro-Americans as well as society in order to keep moving forward in a positive way.

I suggest this book to everyone.

Black Players by Christina & Richard Milner (non-fiction)

Christina Milner becomes "Tiger Red" a topless dancer in order to infiltrate the underground world of "Pimps and Ho's". For over two years she and her husband immerse themselves in the lifestyle of Pimping in order to gain a knowledge and understanding of how this complex culture works. From their experiences and studies comes "Black Players: The Secret World of Black Pimps"

If you are interested in Pimpin or unique subculture this book is for you.

MacBook Pro

Just got a brand new 15" MacBook Pro! It was expensive, but worth every penny. Apple kicks a lot of ass...

FPR Podcast #13 Silvio Manuel

A new and exciting Podcast hosted by yours truly is available on iTunes! During this Ferrispark Podcast I play Silvio Manuels's "Master of Darkness" ep. Don't miss it...

In Belgium 2006 Journal Part Four

Ok, let's go back to the first Friday (17/03) after our arrival...

I have to say that I have never in my life played a better gig or have been more excited to play a gig than Clue's Bar in Deinze, Belgium. For me this particular bar is like a dream, let me explain why. First off, Clues Bar holds about 100 people maximum making it extremely personable experience for all. I would consider about 50% of the cliental to be friends, the rest of the people are potential friends, the sound system bangs for such a small place, as a DJ you can "hear" well because the monitor is in a perfect location, the owner is probably one of my favorite people I have ever encountered while on the Earth, FPR has a small and dedicated following, the DJ booth is slightly elevated so you are above the crowd but not far away, and they have shitloads of Belgian beer that I drink for free. There's more but for now, I'll stop.

We arrived at 8:30 to do our sound check and to feel out the vibe. As scheduled Bart started at 9:00 and would continue on till midnight at which point I would take over were he left off. An hour into my set Marvin would come up next to the booth and start the vocal performance. As the hour diminished and 1:00 am approached Marvin was nowhere to be found. I asked Chris Klooz, (the owner) "Hey, could you take a quick look around for Marvin and let him know its almost time for him to start. He should be easy enough to find." (the only brother in Deinze) Chris answered me, "I know were he is, I'll go get him." "Hmmm", I thought to myself. Why would Chris know were he was but I didn't know were he was and no one else did either. My questions were answered when Marvin finally turned up at the DJ booth led by Mr. Klooz. You have to understand that Chris Klooz is notorious for elevating his mind and helping others to do the same. One glance at Marvin and I knew he was resting his head in another world. He had that glassy eyed space cadet look and he also seemed to be looking at me when I talked to him, but not really following what I was saying.

Let's say drugs, alcohol, and vocal performances don't mix. Let's also say, thank god these people didn't pay for the vocal performance. (It wasn't that bad, and it got better as time went on) So after three songs from Marvin's album, half of them performed with a different version of the lyrics, I decided that was enough and got back on the decks. I went from Bob Marley's "You Could Be Loved", to The Cardigans "Lovefool", all the way to old Chicago Acid house, from there to Classic Detroit Techno like Fix's "Flash", and Inner City's "Good Life" and closed it down at 8:00 am with Lightfoot's "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". A truly amazing night at Clues.

Now let's take a quick look at my alcohol consumption. At the beginning of the night I was pacing myself drinking about one beer an hour. (Not bad I think) I also decided on regular beer which is 5.2% alcohol as compared to other Belgian beers that climb above 12%. I assumed I was safe considering by the time I took to the decks I had only consumed 3 beers. As soon as I began to play the 1:1 beer to hour ratio, increased dramatically. In fact, so rapidly did it occur that I didn't even relies by how much. For you mathematicians out there heres a story problem.

Scott began playing records at 12:00 midnight and stopped playing records at 8:00 am. During the time Scott was playing records he drank 17 beers. What was Scott's beer to hour ratio of drinking?
The answer
Not Good.

I really, really don't know how it happened. I just remember constantly getting handed beer after beer and having a lot of fun. I love Clues! I love SATAN!

Saturday (18/03) I played at Decadance in Ghent. I played a good set, nothing to shocking and nothing to exciting just a set, that kept the party rockin till the break of dawn.

Black Mutiny by William A. Owens (non-fiction)

The story of the mutiny aboard the slaveship Amistad. A fascinating true story.

New Release on Deep Vibes Recordings (Germany)

Three new deep house tracks including an alternate take of Marvin Belton's "Any Day Now" and a remix of "I Cried For You" by Sascha Dive.

Buy SCOTT FERGUSON'S WALDEN PONDS EP on WordandSound

Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin (non-fiction)

As a life changing experiment John Griffin perms his hair and darkens his skin in order to take a journey through the Deep South of the United States. During his short travels as a black man, Griffin documents how truly different he is treated by both whites and blacks. This book is both sad and uplifting but more then anything it may make you rethink how you treat those who's features and culture is different from your own.

Ferrispark/Gravid Digital Joins WordandSound

Ferrispark Records and Gravid Digital will be availibale on the WordandSound Digital Music Store in the near future!

Black Boy by Richard Wright (fiction)

If you want to journey into the mind of another being and touch their soul, Richard Wright will take you there.

All I have to say is read anything by Richard Wright! A truly amazing writer.

Malcolm X (Autobiography) non-fiction

Here is an incredible book written about an amazing man with an extraordinary life. If you are interested in Malcolm X in any way you should consider reading this book. Its one of my favorites, following the man born Malcolm Little through his childhood, his teen years, and his growth to an adult and the evolution of becoming Malcolm X to renouncing the Nation of Islam before his death. It takes a great man to tell the world about his beliefs and a greater man to admit he was wrong.

FPR Podcast #8 through #12

More new and exciting Podcasts hosted by yours truly is available on iTunes! Get em all now! During these Ferrispark Podcasts I play records by Keith Kemp, Scott Ferguson, and Marvin Belton! Don't miss it...

In Belgium 2006 Journal Part Three

Ok, after a long and exciting first day of travel and then a nap outside on the porch in the cold, we finally made it inside the house, laid down what luggage we did have, and had a well deserved sleep. Later in the evening I awoke feeling much better. Bart informed me that there was food in the fridge and also that we should get to Clues by 8:30 to do the sound check for Marvin's vocal performance. Firstly, I enjoyed a little personnel pizza cooked in the oven and then I started getting everything sorted for the FPR presentation. With the tasty pizza in my stomach and music on my mind we set out for another dusk till dawn soiree.

Let's stop right there for now and let me push you forward into the future. I'd like to take this time to talk about last night and to weave in a few details about some more of the exciting events I have encountered while on this particular journey. In order for you to understand "last night" and its events as well as other events you'll have to be introduced to some new people and places. Let's see, how to start?...

The first Saturday I was in Belgium I played in Ghent at Club Decadance. (I'll give a semi detailed account of this affair later in the journal) After my set I was sitting at the back bar with Marvin discussing what we did right and what we did wrong when an interesting chap sat down next to me and introduced himself as "Marcos Salon". He explained that he felt compelled to speak to me because of the quality of my set, and Marvin's performance. He gave me a basic history of himself explaining how he had worked for R&S records for 12 years, been responsible for the first Belgian "New Beat" record, and currently owned a recording studio in Ghent. None of this was said with any boasting or exaggeration, it was just delivered as facts like reading from a textbook or listening to a wise man that truly had experienced extraordinary things during his life. Our discussion whent on till dawn and ranged in topics from Detroit, to electronic music, politics, technology and software, and even just general chit chat. He invited me and anyone else I conspired with to join him at the recording studio, suggesting we could put our heads together musically. I accepted and we arranged to meet the following week.

The following Wednesday Marvin and I caught a ride with Bart's nephew to Ghent. He was able to drop us at Music Man, the premier record store in the city, where we were set to meet up with Marcos, eventually continuing on to the studio. When Marcos arrived he introduced another interesting Belgian named "Sandro", the other owner of the studio. Marvin, Marcos, Sandro, and I set off for our first collaboration in the country.

I have really no way of putting a good description of the studio into words. I guess I should start by explaining a bit about Ghent in which, I think will help project an image into your head. The studio sits in the center of the city and the majority of the center of the city was constructed in medieval times. Most churches and structures that reside centrally where built from the 10th to the 14th century. One of the church's on the river, "Jerard de Duival Steen" which translates "Stone from the Devil" or basically "The church of the Devil" is one of the most sinister looking churches I've ever laid eyes on. For a man who is completely and utterly terrified by all churches this particular church felt warm and inviting. I took some time to get a picture of myself next to the church smiling and throwing up the horns. The studio is located several blocks past the church in this amazing area.

We entered thru an automatic door that opens up into a very large parking garage with floors and walls made of stone. Once into the parking garage you have to pass thru a long and dark driveway made of stone and brick, wide enough for a car to drive down. On the left we proceeded thru a large wooden door into a dark stairwell. The stairwell was completely cement and stone and led down two flights of steps into the basement. When we crossed the threshold into the studio It was like entering a strange dream. The studio was a single elongated chamber shaped like a giant cement tube that had been cut in half. The dead center of the ceiling was no more then 8 feet in height and the outer edges curved down to the floor. From front to back I would say the room is 25 to 30 feet in length and one tiny 1" x 1" window resided on the back wall. Sitting slightly off center to the left was a large desk and rack with a computer, two viewing monitors, a pair of studio monitors, several keyboards, turntables, a mic booth for recording vocals, guitars, basses, records, percussion instruments, and other various odds and ends for creating music or creating atmosphere. Connected to the right-hand wall three tiny lights controlled by a dimmer along with one lava lamp centered behind the desk, illuminated the room. I was in heaven. My worship of "Jerard de Duival Steen" was paying off.

Our collaboration worked out very well and we planned to meet again on Saturday (25/3) night. Saturday night also happens to be the "last night" mentioned above. Last night began by going back into the studio and working very hard with very good results. Around 1:00 am we left the studio to go over to Marco's freind's living space to attend a party she was having to celebrate her boyfriend's birthday. They had required our attendance along with a request for a DJ set. I was told before hand that this space was really incredible and was definitely one of a kind. What I was told was dead on point. I could not believe how unbelievably amazing the space was. To enter the actual living area of the house you had to pass thru a large black metal door and down a long hallway I'm guessing was about 30 yards in length. Once down the hallway you entered thru another large door into the living room. The building was an old office that the owner bought for 30,000 euro and converted into a house. From what I am told, the old office was in shambles and therefore worth very little money, but you would have never been able to tell by looking at it in its current condition. I'll try to explain the house as best I can.

The house is a square with a garden or courtyard in the center. The rooms were built within the square, basically you had three connecting parts of the square that are composed of a living room, kitchen, two bedrooms, and a bathroom. The 4th section of the square was the hallway that led from the street back into the house. Every room, minus the bathroom, had large glass windows and doors that led to the courtyard. In the courtyard were flowers and a tree, a small table and chairs, a heated Jacuzzi, and was illuminated by white christmas lights and candles. The whole thing from top to bottom, inside and outside, was extremely beautiful. One of the bedrooms, the master I'm guessing, was the entire opposite side of the hallway.

The event mostly took place in the living room and kitchen. Including Marvin, Marcos, Sandro, and myself around 35 to 40 people attended the party. There was a DJ rig with two Belgian DJs playing old disco, a table packed with tasty food, and a fridge full of Hoegaarden and champagne. I ate, drank, mingled and danced, and then when the time came I played my records. I played a great set filled with disco, soul, rock, and pop that never really climbed over 115 bpms. I closed the decks and the party out at 8:00 am Sunday morning with Stevie's "I Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer" and Nick Drake's "One Of These Things First". I had a great time from beginning to end. Bart was playing at a party in a town half-way between Deinze and Ghent so it was decided we would meet him a Decadance at around 8:30 am to catch a ride home. By 9:30 am we were back in our beds in Deinze.

To be continued...