Ben Alman » News

Time Off for Good Behavior

Ben Alman — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:34:52 -0800

It's not that I didn't want to update my News, it's just that I wanted to wait until I had all my photos from our recent trips to Cancun and Puerto Rico sorted, tagged and uploaded. It just took a lot longer than I thought it would, because there were so many good photos (and because I took my damn time).

Robyn and I don't have any more vacations planned until next July, so I should have no excuse in the future to keep things updated. That being said, I've been busy lately..

Let's see.. I've been collaborating on some music with musician and friend Dan Abreu, I created a small corporate website for Viewpoint Lifestyle, and I've even found some time to play Little Big Planet on PS3, which by the way, totally rocks. And of course, with the holidays coming up, there are lots of presents under the tree, so Robyn and I are both pretty excited.

If I get any good loot from Santa, I'll write about it here. I promise!

NYC, The Sox, My Studio

Ben Alman — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:16:52 -0700

Recently, Robyn planned a little weekend trip for us to New York City. We walked around Times Square, Central Park, saw Young Frankenstein on Broadway, and Larry Carlton at the Blue Note. Robyn took some photos too, so check them out (I especially love her Trump Tower shot).

Even more recently, we saw the Red Sox of Boston take on the Indians of Cleveland. And in the end, the Red Sox triumphed by hitting a spherical ball made of leather through a big field. It was a most ripping victory. Ok, it wasn't even close to a most ripping victory, but the first inning (and maybe a few other things) were entertaining.

Last, but not least, I finally upgraded my home music studio to a brand new machine running SONAR 7. The photo I uploaded to Flickr was, ironically enough, featured in an article on optimizing SONAR 8 for Vista. I don't even run Vista.. but shh–don't tell anyone, okay? Either way, I'm working on writing and recording music again, so expect more tracks from me, soon!

Newport Jazz Festival

Ben Alman — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:03:23 -0700

Robyn and I recently attended the Newport Jazz Festival, for our third year in a row. Let's see.. this year, we got to see Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Aretha Frankin, Ledisi, Chris Botti, Brian Blade, Charlie Haden, Bill Frisell, Chris Potter, Dave Holland, Christian Scott, Esperanza Spalding, Fred Wesley, Lettuce, Soulive.. the list goes on and on.

And for the last few years, Robyn and I just went to relax and listen to the excellent music, and maybe get a sunburn or two.. but this year we went not only to listen, but also to take a lot of photos. And we did! Check out my Newport Jazz Festival 2008 photos, and also check out Robyn's Newport photos as well.

Keeping Busy

Ben Alman — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 01:02:46 -0700

I just posted a few photos from our recent trip to Rockport, MA. Also, check out Robyn's photos if you have the time.

We went to the Newport Jazz Festival again this year, for both Saturday and Sunday. It was excellent, we had a great time, heard some amazing music, and took a ton of photos (I'm still sorting through mine). I should have those up sometime next week.

I'm also trying to get back into recording some of my music as well. I've been sitting on four or five completed songs plus a ton of ideas, and just need to spend some time working out the details. Hopefully I'll be able to spend some more time collaborating with Ben Hillman, since we've been exchanging song ideas here and there for a while now.

And finally, I'm looking forward to beta testing and then playing the upcoming MMORPG Warhammer Online with Robyn and some of my crazy "online" friends. We all used to play World of Warcraft together, but got tired of the end-game loot/rep farming grind (that's MMO-speak for "repetitive, boring crap") so this might be the change of pace we're looking for. We'll see.

More Family Fun

Ben Alman — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:31:55 -0700

Robyn and I have been pretty busy lately. First, we celebrated Kara's 30th birthday. It was fun, and Nick got to use his blowtorch, so it was a win-win, as far as everyone was concerned.

Not too long after that, we went to my parents' for the annual Alman family barbecue, where two 60th birthdays, a one-year wedding anniversary, and the successful migration of my parents' email accounts to google apps were celebrated.

And finally, last weekend we went up to New Hampshire to visit Nonni and Chet. It was a great visit: we relaxed, ate some of Nonni's super-tasty home-cooked food, and their dog Ollie is super cute too, so yet another win-win there. Sweet.

iPhone Madness

Ben Alman — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 01:02:19 -0700

Well, Robyn and I are officially insane, as if you didn't already know. We waited in line for the iPhone 3G on launch day, didn't get much sleep, went into work late.. etc. But we do have these shiny new phones, so it's all good.. right?

Wow, One Year Already

Ben Alman — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 01:23:25 -0700

Robyn and I recently spent a relaxing long weekend in Kennebunkport to celebrate our first wedding anniversary (June 30). And even though the weather was overcast and rainy, we had a great time. All I can say is kudos to Robyn, who did all the planning. I just wonder where we're going next year! Check out my photos from the weekend, as well as Robyn's photos.

2008 Great Boston Beer Marathon

Ben Alman — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 01:41:46 -0700

So, Jeremy picked up this cool gig for us, taking photos for the Great Boston Beer Marathon. What's that, you say? Boston, beer AND marathon? Hell yes. We're talking about an all-day, 26-bar Boston pub crawl starting near Fenway and ending in Allston.

So, were you there? Did you see thousands of people wearing red shirts and viking helmets? If so, you know exactly what i'm talking about. If not, you missed a great time, and had better go next year. Seriously, promise me you'll go next year. But wait--don't do it for me, do it for the beer.

Either way, before you do anything else, check out some of my photos from the event.

Relay For Life

Ben Alman — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:11:32 -0700

Along with thousands of people across the country, Robyn and many of her coworkers from Watertown Savings Bank participated in The American Cancer Society Relay For Life this weekend. I managed to catch up with her just after work, then again much later in the evening.. and while I was visiting, I took a few photos. Robyn brought her camera with her, and took some photos of her own, so be sure to check them out too.

Wii, Mii, Dance Recital

Ben Alman — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 02:26:25 -0700

The other night, Robyn and I went over to Dan and Michelle's place (wih Jeremy and Kristin) for some dinner, booze, and Nintendo Wii. Michelle was cooking, so the food was good. Dan was bartending, so the booze was good. And there was a big-screen TV, so the Wii was good. I'm personally not really into Wii Sports, but it's a lot of fun if you get a group of people together (booze mandatory, of course). Check out the photos.

And today, Robyn had her annual dance recital. She says she flubbed part of it, but nobody noticed. I didn't notice, at least. Of course, maybe that was because I was taking a million photos of her. Either way, it was great. She was great. She is great. Etc. Here are the photos (and there are a few funny ones of the requisite disorganized little kid dancers too) so take a look.

Martha's Vineyard

Ben Alman — Thu, 29 May 2008 20:41:42 -0700

I'd never been to Martha's Vineyard before, but Robyn, Jeremy, Kristin and I all took a trip down there together for the Memorial Day holiday long weekend. The weather was pretty much perfect, and we had an amazing time. I took a ton of photos from all over the island, so check them out.

And I actually ended up heading down there a day early with Greg Luttrell to do a friday night gig with Blacksnake at the Ritz Cafe in Oak Bluffs. The gig was a basic trio with Tony Hall on drums, and was a lot of fun. Normally, I'm just too busy to be able to find the time to do a Vineyard gig, but because I was already heading down there for the weekend, it worked out perfectly.

Also, if you're ever down that way, be sure to stay at the Clark House Inn in Vineyard Haven. It's a fantastic bed & breakfast run by Lisa and Bud Rusché. Not only was the bed super-comfy, but the breakfast was super-tasty. Good on both counts!

The New Deal

Ben Alman — Fri, 23 May 2008 13:12:26 -0700

Playing to a sold-out Paradise Rock Club in Boston last night, The New Deal broke beats left and right. These guys are all about the groove. up-tempo, down-tempo.. mid-tempo.. They're tight and when they're playing, you can't not move your body to the music.

The drummer (Darren Shearer) beatboxes, plays kit, and percussion.. and is usually doing at least two of those three things at any given time. The bassist (Dan Kurtz) plays his Fender Jazz through the mothership's control board (apparently, since everything he plays sounds like it's from outer space). And the keyboardist (Jamie Shields) is surrounded by a half a dozen synths and god-only-knows how many delay pedals.

I'm not sure, but I'm guessing these guys *live* on Red Bull. It's the new coke. And I don't mean -a-cola. Check out my photos from the show!

Drumming Fun with Robyn

Ben Alman — Thu, 22 May 2008 18:24:46 -0700

It was great to see Robyn play out with her drum ensemble at the Drum Connection's "Acacia in Kenya Scholarship Fundraiser" benefit performance last weekend. I've been playing music for a long time, and I've had countless gigs.. but it was a real treat for me to get to see Robyn having fun, playing djembe and dunun, on stage in front of people. I managed to get some decent photos of the group (ok, mostly of her) playing.. check them out!

Photo Fun with Robyn

Ben Alman — Mon, 19 May 2008 20:26:25 -0700

Robyn recently decided to pursue her developing interest in photography by purchasing a used Nikon D70 DSLR camera and signing up for a photography class - and in celebration of the wonderful weather, we went for a nice walk along the Charles River bike path in Waltham, cameras in hand.

So, for a change of pace, you can check out not only my photos from the day, but also Robyn's photos. (warning: lots of canada geese photos ahead)

Karen and Pat

Ben Alman — Tue, 06 May 2008 07:42:39 -0700

So, everyone gathered at Skellig the other night to wish a fond farewell to Karen and Pat, the two most recent casualties in the Cosmic Blender - Broad Street - Evoke Interaction roller coaster ride from hell. It seems like just the other day that we were saying goodbye to Michael and goodbye to Samantha and goodbye to JB and Erwin.. and me.. of course.