Here's a self-portrait I did in 2018, or was it 2019?

June 2020 update

Since last summer, Dark Entries Records has released the Dark Day - Darkest Before Dawn album on vinyl.

I have continued with my weekly internet radio show The Dark Day Escape Pod, Monday nights 11pm-1am EST on Luxuriamusic.com

...and since July, I have operated a tarot deck related review channel on YouTube called Toadstool Tarot.

On May 3, 2020, I designed (in a single day) my own rudimentary 23 card majors only tarot deck called The Open Face Tarot. It is available for ordering at https://www.makeplayingcards.com/sell/open-face-tarot in a number of various formats.

CDBaby has closed up its shop taking my artist page/website with it. Currently my domain has no home, but all my daily exploits can be found on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/robin.crutchfield and my music can still be found on Amazon, iTunes and YouTube as well as other popular music streaming sites.

Update on the 4th of July, 2019

Hello one and all. Sorry I've been so negligent with this blog.
I guess on this Independence Day, I'll note that I've been asserting my independence.

Since last posting, there have been several vinyl reissues released of my early Dark Day recordings by the Dark Entries label with another coming very soon.
http://www.darkentriesrecords.com/

In addition to my Eleven Faerie Tales book, a collection of my drawings "A Few Lines - The Art Of Robin Lee Crutchfield, is available at Lulu.com
http://www.lulu.com/shop/robin-lee-crutchfield/a-few-lines-the-art-of-robin-lee-crutchfield/paperback/product-23198664.html

I've also been attending a number of writing groups and have been prolifically penning new short works and poems for an eventual collection.

And I've discovered the highly therapeutic art of crochet, which has kept me busy with countless sculptural objects and wearable and useful items, as well as contributions of a charitable nature.

All of my random thoughts and current endeavors can be kept up with at my Facebook page, and its various albums and folders.
https://www.facebook.com/robin.crutchfield

An Overview of Affordable Harp-like Instruments

This is called a Spring Lyre. It has 7 metal strings. It is affordable, if you can still find them online, under $100 I think. Though aesthetically pleasing in its shape, it has almost no volume as it has no sound box, and being very small (you can scale its size by the size of the tuning key which fits in your hand). The wood is raw and unfinished. I love the shape but was extremely disappointed in its brittle and difficult to tune tone as well as its lack of volume.

8-string Mid-East Lyre. This one runs for about $200-240 and may be aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but it's tuning is a bit off. It has 8 metal strings and fine tuning balls under the strings below the bridge (which I couldn't master) The soundbox shell is very thin and mine cracked in almost no time. I don't recommend it. I believe it is made in Pakistan.

This is a Mini Kinnor Harp. It is also made in Pakistan and has 10 nylon strings. It is small and can be cradled across your chest like a baby. It goes for about $89 and you can get a cute little quilted gigbag for it. Because of its small size and nylon strings, it has a bit of a muted sound to it, but is rather nice. There is also a much larger, more expensive model which I don't recommend. The larger one is rather unwieldy and I found the strings difficult to keep in tune. It's okay if you want a quiet bedside instrument for your own meditative sense of peace and contemplation.

This is the Lil Lyre made by Musicmakers, a kit company. You can buy one fully assembled for $69 or you can buy a kit and make it yourself for less. It has 10 metal strings and has surprisingly decent loud tone in a tiny soundbox which is rather deceptive. It is a bargain at the price, and has a pleasing shape and appearance. It also has the bonus of having a stand-up base for display when not cradling it in your arms for playing. You can also easily play it across your lap like a zither. If you order from MusicMakers i.e. Harpkit.com, they let you choose from a number of different decorative rosettes over the soundhole. I highly recommend it. The only drawback is that they don't offer a gigbag, though I doubt many would be travelling to shows with this, even though it is very portable.

This 10 metal-stringed Lyre Harp goes for about $150. It has a very small soundbox and very little volume. You can also get a little gig bag for it. I don't recommend it because of the limited volume.

Some of the above models come in various woods and finishes. Most of mine were darker (Rosewood) finishes. They are generally tuned to a pentatonic scale (as the black keys on a piano). You have some leeway for retuning them. I choose a different scale myself.

There are a couple version of this Melody Harp, which is a 15-string hognosed psaltery or lap harp. You can get a nice little gig bag for it and they usually come with a few sheets of follow the dot music that fit under the strings and guide the unmusical along the melody visually. They have metal strings and are around $50 or less. Not bad tone for such a small instrument tuned generally chromatically (i.e. the white keys of the piano).

Musicmakers makes this gorgeous hognosed psaltery, considerably larger and better sounding than the little lap harp above because the soundbox is bigger and the strings are longer. It operates in the same manner (putting music sheets under the strings), or you can simply pluck or strum it to your heart's delight. It is beautifully finished and sounds incredible for the price, about $150. A BARGAIN! You can also purchase a gigbag for it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

The 8 nylon-stringed Lily harp is a little Rosewood beauty made in Pakistan and going for around $150. As it is tiny and the strings are so short, the top several are rather blunt and brittle sounding. Not really an adequate instrument for playing, you might still want to pluck at it when laid up in bed.

This is the Baby Harp, pretty much my standby. Made in Pakistain, again, it is a 12 nylon-stringed version of the one above, but with better tone. I enjoy its size and handling. It is also cradled like a baby, fits easily also in your lap. Not enormous volume, but very nice for intimate playing. I am very happy with it and have used it in numerous recordings. I see listings for this on Amazon at $119, cheaper than the smaller one above. Go figure!

So far, that pretty much sums it up. I have a larger, more expensive harp (about $650) from another company, better made, with 21 nylon strings, and beautiful sound, but it is just large enough to make it unwieldy, and thus I find myself reluctant to drag it out, pick it up, and play it. I find the most enjoyable instruments are one's at arm's length that you can grab at any time and pluck a note or two, doodle or noodle on musically. I also own a lovely pineapple-shaped ukulele which fits this category, but is not a harp or lyre, so more on that some other time.

Robin Crutchfield - Elf Trail from Toadstool Soup

Robin Crutchfield & Nina Canal meet after 30 years and reminisce.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDrNak4hYAE
Nina Canal and I met in November 2010 during her brief stopover in New York for the Mudd Club 57 New Wave Vaudeville Reunion and some reunion gigs with Ut, and we had a chance to sit down in my apartment and chat about the old days: art and music in the 1970s and how we came to New York and formed our first bands.

 Apologies for the quality of the clip, due to the limitations of Apple's Photobooth which we relied on. The images are reversed, the visuals slightly out of sync and the length of the piece cut short. We actually rambled on extensively for about an hour and a half and most of it was lost. But, at least, this bit was saved and I think fans may find a few interesting back story bits and insights here. Enjoy!

What's new with Robin Crutchfield and Dark Day

Thanks loyal followers. This note is long overdue. I'm not as attentive as I should be to technology.

So sorry.

Thought I'd catch you up on Robin Crutchfield and all things Dark Day.

San Francisco fan Josh Cheon reissued my second Dark Day lp "Window" on limited edition vinyl on his label Dark Entries this past year and sales are quite brisk. Appreciation is greater than first time around when Plexus mishandled the project and it ended up immediately in bargain bins then disappeared. I've had fans from Germany, Belgium and Italy literally begging for copies ever since. So, now they are available through darkentriesrecords.com. If you don't have a turntable, but still would like to access this music, the digital downloads for the album can be sampled and purchased at http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/darkday

Plans are in the works to release the Exterminating Angel lp on vinyl this summer, and eventually a 12 inch of Hands In The Dark/Invisible Man backed with the 6 Exterminations and possibly some remixes.

In the fall, Nina Canal passed through New York City reuniting with Ut for a few gigs and we had a chance to sit and reminisce. I recorded our conversation in a half hour Mac photobooth session and will make that available when I can figure out how to post a 38 minute video clip somewhere.

Important Records has promised to release my next solo harp and drone album sometime this Spring, so that's something to look forward to and I am currently available to guest dj and looking for opportunities.

Be well one and all.