NOW what's he working on?

Right to the point...

1. Kevin Brislin's thesis video, "Alternative Music Education", is on its third (and hopefully final) edit, and the entire project is being submitted for formal review this week. This is a 15-minute video detailing how music education is taught, and how to expand music programs by integrating the non-traditional music student. This video will be hosted here at a later time. Contact Brislin for more information at dkimchee@earthlink.net.

2.  TV Production II, III, and IV classes at North Port High School, North Port, FL, are in the production phase of the horror movie they are producing for the annual Kaleidoscope performance this year. The movie is based on an original screenplay written by the TV III and IV students. The premier for this will be at the NPHS Performing Arts Center on May 20. Brislin is directing and will write the score for the movie.

3. The Recording Engineering class at NPHS is just finishing rehearsals for a 4-song EP that is being produced by the class. Instructor Kevin Brislin chose four songs that the musicians of the class had to learn, then adapt to be played in another style. For example, the song "Everybody Hurts" by REM has to be done in the style of The Cars, and the song "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" by Melanie is to be done in the style of Pink Floyd. The class plans to record the results of the project and have CD's available for sale by May 20. The class also intends to perform all four songs live the same day before the Kaleidoscope premier of the horror movie. Brislin is producing the CD, and will play keyboards or sing on all four songs.

By the way, the picture you see in this post is the new corporate logo/photo for deep kimchee. It just looked so relaxing and, when people see it, they always ask where it is. 

2009 FMEA Conference

On Jan. 8 and 9, Kevin Brislin and Owen Bradley made two presentations at the annual Florida Music Educators Association conference. They dealt with the Kaleidoscope project at North Port High School in FL as a model for alternative music education. Both have been spearheading the use of non-traditional classes (such as electronic music, recording engineering, and "guitar" classes) to engage the non-music student at NPHS. The presentations also were the first time that Brislin's thesis video on the subject was presented to the public. Owen Bradley is the music director and Music Department chair at NPHS. Brislin teaches TV Production, Electronic Music, and Recording Engineering...but not at the same time.

The Last 2008 Post for deep kimchee

Here's a recap of what's happening in all things deep kimchee...

1. Kevin Brislin's thesis film for his MFA from National University, Los Angeles, has to be re-edited and the narration rewritten. This will probably take up much of the time he had earmarked for other projects, but this takes precedence for now. Deadlines are tight, so he is hoping to have this completed in January.

2. Cor Mulhern's next guided imagery project will soon be remixed, but no plans have been solidified as to when it will be released or in what form.

3. now that they're here's next CD is still in progress. Guitarist Glenn Banish and Brislin's schedules just aren't in sync yet to finish the remaining tracks. Soon...very soon.

4. The first song from the collaboration between the Brislin Brothers (Jay and Kevin) was completed in November. The song, Aldino, is a poetic piece that evokes memories of their home in Maryland when they were growing up. Sadly, the debut of this song was at the funeral service of their mother, Ruth Brislin, who died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 86. 

There are a few more projects that are rearing their ugly heads for 2009, but let's keep them a little close to the vest for now. Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year!!

Current Projects

An update on what has been happening with deep kimchee and The Barn.

1. Work continuing on the third CD by now that they're here, "Pacific Radio Fire". Kevin Brislin has started working with guitarist Glenn Banish, a local North Port, FL musician who Brislin has known for about a year. Banish added acoustic and electric guitar tracks to the title track for the CD. Banish is attending a local community college and studying to be a music journalist. 

2. The working mix of Cor Mulhern's next meditation project, "Peace and Health" has been reviewed and requested changes are being implemented by Brislin at The Barn. It is unclear at this point how, when, and where it will be released.

3. A new collaboration between Kevin Brislin and his older brother Jay has been started. Jay Brislin plays electric guitar and both are co-writing songs for inclusion on a shared CD project. Since this is a long-distance recording effort (sending files over the Internet between The Barn in Florida and Jay's loft studio in Massachusetts), it will take time to iron out song issues and production schedules. In any event, both are having a good time with the project.

4. Straight A Productions of Florida has tentatively contracted to use Kevin Brislin to produce foley sound effects for one of their film productions. Brislin's extensive library of sound effects and ability to create custom sound design is a definite asset. More on this later as this develops.

The Barn has been updated further to incorporate a new Digidesign Digi003 Rack interface using the latest version of ProTools LE, a M-Audio Nova large condenser microphone, and a set of new plugins for ProTools. See the website for more details.

The Barn

At long last, after three years of delays and headaches, the recording facility known as The Barn is completed and ready for business. Located on three acres in a country setting, The Barn is a smaller space that is suitable for ensembles and solo musicians to write and record. Audio post-production capabilities are also available, as are video editing services based around Final Cut Pro.

The studio uses ProTools LE on a Macintosh computer and a small arsenal of outboard gear (see website for a list of equipment used.)

Use of the studio can be arranged by emailing producer Kevin Brislin at dkimchee@earthlink.net.

Fees are variable, depending on the level of involvement by Brislin and the scope of the project.

Jeez, yet another update?

Seems that all we do anymore is update readers on the continuation of the continuation of projects and plans. That's OK, though...at least things are progressing.

The Barn isn't doing that badly; the siding is installed on the interior. The walls have to be painted, the carpeting installed, then the studio equipment has to be taken out of the old studio and installed in the new. It will probably be some time in late June before all of this is completed. One can only hope.

The latest update for ProTools LE has yet to be released, so most (if not all) production work is at a standstill since the computer systems used in the studio have been updated to Macintosh OS X 10.5 Leopard. There are a few ways around this problem, but none exist to help finish the latest now that they're here CD, nor remaster the Mulhern projects (see previous posts for details.) 

One of the projects that is progressing is the Masters thesis video of producer Kevin Brislin. A documentary about alternative music education is in the editing phase and hopefully will be in rough form by the end of May. One of the few recording projects at The Barn will be the recording of the narration for the video and the creation of some of the background music.

Brislin also provided information about teaching TV Production, which can be seen at

(http://wikispace.ci.fsu.edu/LIS5313/index.php/

Spotlighting_Teen_TV_Production#Reference).

Also, the Electronic Music class taught at North Port High by Brislin will be part of a presentation at an international symposium of music educators in Taiwan in June by C. Victor Fung, the Director of the Center for Music Education Research at the University of South Florida, Tampa.

"Calm and Healing" Pre-Release Info

The recording label deep kimchee has taken on the project of re-mastering and re-releasing the phenomenally successful guided imagery project "Calm and Healing" by Cor Mulhern, RSM, D. Min. This 1997 release was a pair of relaxation exercises for pre-surgery and overall well-being. The initial release of this project was extremely well received, even though it was only available in cassette form. Producer Kevin Brislin was recently in talks with Dr. Mulhern to release a new set of relaxation exercises, which is in final production, and the concept of re-releasing "Calm and Healing" was broached.

As of this date, "Calm and Healing" will be released electronically only (no CD pressings are planned), which will allow prospective buyers to download the sessions onto a portable player of their choice.. Further information on where this will be available will be announced when the final details are worked out.

The new guided imagery project, tentatively entitled "Peace and Health", is being presented for chemotherapy recipients and for general well-being. Dr. Mulhern has received a multitude of praise for her work in helping others to achieve an inner balance to aid in combatting illness. At this time, this project is being mastered. Both "Calm and Healing" and "Peace and Health" will be released simultaneously.

For more information, contact Kevin Brislin at dkimchee@earthlink.net.

Change in Plans

Due to severe time constraints and a misunderstanding of what was really being written, the rock opera "The Gods Themselves" is now an oratorio and will not be presented live at North Port High School. The principal writers (Tiffany Stone, Glenn Banish, and Kevin Brislin) are continuing work on the oratorio and will eventually record the entire performance in the NPHS production facility or at the still incomplete studio in The Barn (see previous posts for details.) The documentary is still being worked on and will include scenes from various writing sessions of the oratorio, but will concentrate on past Kaleidoscope performances and interviews with educators involved with alternate music education. More on this as the documentary progresses. (BTW, the picture shown is a pre-performance conference with some of the principals involved in the movie, "So the wind won't blow it all away." Brislin is the only one not smiling and has his arms crossed.)

Speaking of The Barn, the interior is slowly (s-l-o-w-l-y) being finished. Brislin is hoping that the last of the interior issues will be taken care of by the end of March and equipment installation can commence at the same time. The Macintosh-based system has recently been upgraded to include a new operating system, the latest version of ProTools LE and the use of the Digi002 Rack system. The studio also has incorporated an Emu Proteus 2/XR synthesizer, a dbx 386 tube preamp, a Blue Ball powered dynamic microphone, and a Sony CDR-W33 compact disk recorder for mastering.


Potential clients can contact Kevin Brislin at dkimchee@earthlink.net for information on availability of The Barn for audio and video recording projects.

New Projects

Working once more with high school students, Kevin Brislin has taken on the science fiction book "The Gods Themselves" by Isaac Asimov as the text for a rock opera being written for North Port High School's annual Kaleidoscope performance. The opera will integrate rock and classical instrumentation to convey the intricate story of the book, which is considered one of the top 100 science fiction books ever written. Brislin is being assisted by two student co-writers; senior Glenn Banish and junior Tiffany Stone. This small ensemble will not only help write the opera but will also constitute the core performance group for the production at its premier on April 17, 2008 at the NPHS Performing Arts Center.

Brislin is also directing a documentary of the entire process involved in getting this production off the ground, which he is submitting as his thesis project for an MFA.

Summer 2007 Update

Songwriter/producer Kevin Brislin spent the month of July in L.A. working on his M.F.A. (Masters of Fine Arts) by completing the residency component of National University's Digital Cinema program. He and nine other candidates worked on three different industrial shorts. Kevin performed as a production manager, field sound person, and camera operator during the production phases of the projects. During post-production, he edited one project using Avid Express Pro and did audio mixing/final mastering for two projects using ProTools HD. Brislin will declare his thesis film project in September and start pre-production as soon as possible. Further news on this front as it becomes clear what the project will be.

In other deep kimchee news, the siding for the interior of the new recording studio has been chosen and will be delivered in the next few weeks. It is supposed to be very easy to install, so the goal is to have the siding and flooring finalized by the end of September and have the studio up and running by October.

The next now that they're here CD is still on hiatus until a guitarist is found. There is a possibility that this has been worked out by including a guitarist that lives in Tampa, FL to work on tracks via the Internet. The actual production flow is being worked out, so no names until it is official.

2007 Update

Music

Work continues on the third "now that they're here" release, Pacific Radio Fire. No new guitarist has been added to the lineup and it is looking increasingly like this release will be a solo effort on songwriter/producer Kevin Brislin's part. Most of the twelve songs for this release are in final mixing, save for one song that is about to be totally rewritten.

The Deadwood Zen project has been cancelled as a separate release. Some of the instrumentals may be integrated into PRF, but most are to be abandoned. Brislin cites the overuse of available loops as a main reason for the project being dropped. Rather than try to reconfigure the songs, it was easier to just let them go for now.

Film

A new cut of the Kevin Brislin/Stephanie Scott film, "So the wind won't blow it all away" was finalized in January 2007. The original movie was cut to drop six minutes of footage deemed unnecessary and the movie was rescored by Brislin. While searching for a few movie festivals to enter this into, they are looking into having the entire film on Google Video. More on that when it happens.

Recording Studio

No good news on the studio. It is no closer to being finished than it was six months ago. Interior siding still has to be chosen and installed, as well as floor covering. Only when the structural elements are completed can the studio be moved from its current location.

Other

Brislin will be in Los Angeles, CA for the month of July finishing up the classwork for a Masters Degree in Digital Cinema. After that, he will be working on his as-yet unchosen thesis film.

Projects Update

The third release of 'now that they're here', entitled "Pacific Radio Fire" is about two-thirds completed. We are still looking for a new guitarist and not having any luck. The project will be on hold until this issue is resolved, however songwriter/producer Kevin Brislin is still adding new material to the project. So far, the CD will consist of a dozen new songs.

As part of an effort to separate genres, Brislin has also decided to take all of the recent techno/electronica/ambient compositions he has created and release them under a different name. These pieces will be released under the group name 'Deadwood Zen' and the CD entitled "Noises from signals coded differently." There are about eight different instrumentals at this point, which are constantly being redefined and enhanced.

The recording studio Banzai Tollbooth is close to being moved into a new building. While still a small space, it is dramatically larger than the current room used for all recording activities. Construction problems are still being addressed, but it is hoped that the studio will be open for business by October 2006. There have been some equipment changes; the studio utilizes the following at this time:

Apple G4 computer running ProTools LE with a Digi001 interface
Other software: Soundtrack, Peak LE. Live, Reason, Pluggo, and a host of software plug-ins and instruments.
Kawai K3m synthesizer
Alesis D4 drum module
Alesis Quadrasynth Plus Piano keyboard/synthesizer
Akai S-5000 sampler
Realistic MG-1 Moog Analog Synthesizer
Kat DK10 drum pads with fatKat floor pedal
Boss SE-50, Lexicon MPX-100, Lexicon Alex effects processors
Mackie 1202 12-channel mixer
Alesis Monitor One monitors driven by a Samson Servo 260 power amp
Samson C*que 8 headphone amp
Sennheiser HD414 headphones
Microphones: Oktava MK219 condenser, Superlux PRA-H7A condenser, Electro-Voice PL77B condenser
Various percussion instruments and odd noise toys

This space will be available for your recording projects soon. Contact Kevin Brislin via email with questions.

Movie - "So the wind won't blow it all away"

The unreleased movie "So the wind won't blow it all away", produced and directed by Kevin Brislin, was completed in April 2006 utilizing a core group of high school students as cast and crew. This was a monumental project taken on by classes that Brislin teaches at North Port High School in North Port, FL. The screenplay was written by a group of students in a Creative Writing II class, then massaged by Brislin and Asst. Director Stefanie Scott (a junior at the school during that time.) Ms. Scott was also given the roles of Director of Photography and Editor.

Filming was done using digital video cameras and edited using Macintosh G4 and G5 computers with Final Cut Pro software. Automatic dialog replacement was used for the first time at the school, which made the dialog much easier to work with since there was a lot of noise generated due to construction on the school at the time. The score for the film was a collaboration between Brislin, music instructor Owen Bradley, and students Tony Call and Jake Hatfield.

The film is to be entered into the 2007 Sarasota Film Festival student category. This film will not be released to the public at this time. A possible soundtrack may be released as part of a compilation of work from people associated with the school.

Release of "451"

The CD release of "451" by APG (Audio Production Group) is now available. This 4-part, 15-minute mini rock epic is based on the Ray Bradbury novel, "Fahrenheit 451". It was produced and written by myself and a core group of high school students as a project we have been working on for over a year. It was originally written as a live performance and debuted at the North Port Performing Arts Center in May, 2005. Two days after the performance, the entire piece was recorded live in one long session at the Production Studio at North Port High School.

The Audio Production Class at NPHS took on the task of cleaning up the recordings, added new vocals and bass tracks, then remixed and mastered the entire project.

The CD is available as a limited edition for $5.00 + $2 s/h. All orders must go to:

Kevin Brislin
North Port High School
6400 West Price Blvd.
North Port, FL 34286

All the news that's fit to...print?

History

This is to be a series of news-related announcements about the multi-media company "deep kimchee", and all of the endeavors of its participants. deep kimchee was started in 1994 by producer/songwriter Kevin Brislin as a vehicle for his then one-man-group "now that they're here" with the release of the synth-rock CD entitled "unplanned with explosion." The second release was in 1995, which was a cassette release of guided imagery/relaxation exercises, entitled "Calm and Healing", from noted therapist Dr. Cor Mulhern, D.S.M. This project was produced by Brislin. Sales of both projects went very well; "unplanned..." saw modest sales that spanned six countries while "Calm..." was hugely successful.

In 2002, the sophomore effort from ntth, "Auschwitz Bound" was released. Joined by guitarist Fred Nowicki, the nature of the music of ntth became more focused and more rock-oriented. While commercially the CD did not fair as well as "unplanned...", critically it is the favored release of listeners.

Availability of Releases

Both CD's are available from cdbaby.com for $10 each, along with being available on a per-song basis from iTunes, Rhapsody, towerrecords.com, walmart.com and about 35 other Internet-based music sights. It should be noted that both CD's are a limited release and when supplies dwindle, they will not be re-released in their current incarnation. No plans at this time are being made to re-record these projects, however it has been suggested that "unplanned..." could be re-recorded. Time will tell.

Dr. Mulhern's "Calm and Healing" is only available directly from deep kimchee. Please see the website start.earthlink.net/~dkimchee for ordering information.

Current Projects

deep kimchee is attempting to expand into new areas for 2006 and start exploring other media. In keeping with music, the third and fourth releases from "now that they're here" are being worked on simultaneously. "Pacific Radio Fire" and an as-yet-untitled electronica/techno set are due for release this year if all goes well. Sadly, the departure of Fred Nowicki has left a hole that ntth has not been able to fill, which has delayed the releases. FYI, this was an amicable split caused by time pressures from other priorities, not creative differences.

A second release from Dr. Mulhern, one that addresses chemotherapy and well-being during cancer treatments, has been completed. However, due to serious time constraints on Dr. Mulhern's part, that release has been delayed until she feels she can support the release in a proper manner. Currently, she is working on a series of lectures and possibly a book, but none of that work will be affiliated with deep kimchee.

In the past two years, Brislin has been working with a group of musicians to create the short rock opera "451", which is based on Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451", a seriously fantastic book about a future that makes reading and owning books a crime. This set of five songs was written and produced in 2005 as a live performance with a multimedia background. Performed in May 2005 at the North Port Performing Arts Center in North Port, FL, the one-time performance of the five songs was a hit. There are two elements of this performance that are under consideration for release. A free, online release of the actual performance is being considered, plus a studio version of the music is now being finalized and mastered for commercial release on deep kimchee. Once negotiations for this are completed, this site will make any necessary announcements.

In other areas, there are at least two short video projects (aside from "451") that are being considered under the production moniker "PocketChange Productions." Details of those projects will have to be minimal for now, but will be released as soon as possible. There is also the possibility that the abstract artwork of Kevin Brislin will be available for auction bids on eBay in the coming months. This is still in consideration at this time, so don't look for anything just yet.

Conclusions

It is a highly creative time for deep kimchee and all involved. We are excited by the new projects and excited to see renewed interest in older projects. This site will be updated with any and all developments of the projects. Thanks for reading!!