You read that right: This day had to come. We’re moving, and the time has arrived for me to send XyloVan (1) on to its next incarnation. Underneath the instruments, (and the patina of wonderful music, noise and love that thousands of people have laid on them during its 9.5-year existence), lies a sturdy old …
Veering off into left field – to build a marimbula
This is a long way from xylophones and propane-tank drums, but I’ve really enjoyed building cajóns and – for the first time – a marimbula. The marimbula is a Caribbean instrument, descended from the African kalimba, and generally functions as a bass. As you’ll see in the video at the bottom of the post, I …
Building cajóns – all of a sudden
The old-timey title for this post could have been: The Wisdom and Benefits of Contemplating a Temporary Shift from the Traditional Norm for This Institution in Materials, Methods, Design and Construction of Multi-Purpose Acoustic Percussion Instruments: Or, a “Box to Bang On” Because this post is about a kick in the head. A total world-shifting …
Photos, videos and thoughts from Burning Man 2018 – The Big WHY
It’s been four years since I first mutated XyloVan as “the Light Fandango” and cruised the playa dressed as a glowing ballroom ceiling. This year’s journey to Burning Man proved just as magical as the 2014 outing, thanks to amazing new campmates at OKNOTOK who helped me build and light it, a couple of excellent …
Percussion cruise to Sonic Runway and beyond
A percussion cruise is a pretty simple pleasure: Invite people onto the roof to play the drums and gongs, and drive across the Black Rock Desert. As I drive, happy sounds drift down – people lazily striking the gongs, and chatting passionately about their burns. The first part of this clip is the sound of …
Austin burns down Keyboard 1 at Burning Man, 2018
I built XyloVan to give others the joy of playing music. More often, they give me the joy of hearing amazing talent. This guy – who told me his name was Austin – really brought it.
Sweating the details – and XyloVan’s cruise schedule – for TTITD 2018
Preparing for Burning Man – the Thing in the Desert – consumes you. You sacrifice all your time to it, and much of your sanity. I’ve been too busy to even blog about this year’s preparations, which have included a slew of new instruments and a complete teardown/rebuild of the Arduino-controlled canopy-light system. As I’m …
XyloVan’s Light Fandango comes home to BRC in 2018
YES! “The Light Fandango” will return to Black Rock City this August in full dress. I just got my invitation from the Department of Mutant Vehicles. To say I’m excited is a bit of an understatement. I learned a lot in 2014, the last time she flew. The chief lesson was – assemble the chandeliers …
Tonepod 2 – A new, more-portable hank drum design
(edit: I quit Facebook in 3/2018, which accounts for the missing videos.) So, I make these musical drums out of up-cycled propane tanks. Click through for a demo video (and the build log) for Tonepod 2, the new model. Making this one, as with the others – gave me tremendous joy – which is good …
#7 – the Rat Rod
I’m not much of a player, but here’s a demo of a drum in C-minor – This is the seventh drum I’ve made out of a 20-pound propane tank. The discarded tank came into the shop in a thrashed, rusted-out pale blue, which looked amazing. So I kept much of the original paint, cleaning off …
Fireball XL-5 – Tank drum video demo
Here’s a quick demo of Fireball XL-5, which I made on commission for Burns. I’m not much of a musician and iPhone isn’t much of a sound-capture device, so the clip doesn’t quite do justice to how resonant it sounds in person. It’s glorious. If you would like me to make a drum for you …
Fireball XL-5 – the build log
I made Fireball XL-5 for Mykal Burns, a video producer, roller derby enforcer and erstwhile percussionist. The build went something like this: If you would like me to make a drum for you on commission, the price is $300 – $250 if you bring your own empty propane tank. Contact me for details.
Demo video – “Green Destiny” tank drum
A little demo of Green Destiny. Full build log here.
“Green Destiny” – How to build a propane tank drum
If you would like me to make a drum for you on commission, the price is $300 – $250 if you bring your own empty propane tank. Contact me for details.
The XyloVan Repair Fund: Handmade xylophone and gongs for sale!
Hey, friends! If you’ve ever dreamed of owning a handmade full-octave xylophone like this one – or an ornate custom-engraved ceremonial gong for announcing dinnertime, kickass achievements or the arrival of Friday, now’s your chance. But first, a story: So after our epic trip to Burning Man 2014, XyloVan’s transmission finally blew out and we’re …
Video: XyloVan at Burning Man 2014
A little sampler of the hundreds of people who played XyloVan at Burning Man, 2014.
Skipping the Light Fandango at Burning Man 2014
Here’s the finished product – lightbars strobing through the rainbow, chandeliers all aglow. Never thought we’d make it (all things considered), and the Light Fandango came out about 9 times as lush-looking as we could ever hope for.
Passing inspection at the DMV
I’ve often said, because I believe it to be true: A mutant vehicle is a hole in the playa into which you pour money, blood and tears. But it’s still a goddamn mutant vehicle. There’s nothing so thrilling and rewarding as crawling through the inspection line at the Department of Mutant Vehicles at Burning Man, …
Rebuilding The Light Fandango on playa
The trick with a mutant vehicle like XyloVan is that you have to disassemble everything you spent many weeks building, and then rebuild it on-playa in Nevada’s unforgiving Black Rock Desert in a reasonable amount of time. Last time (when we built Janus) the build crew was, um, me. I had a few hours help …
Our bumpy, gnarly, hair-raising road to Burning Man 2014
I’m writing this months later. The dust has settled. XyloVan and crew have made a truly epic appearance at Burning Man in late August. And we have survived. It’s only now – after taking time to unpack, clean up, de-stress, re-enter the default world and process all the wild stuff that we experienced – that …