Sean Ongley

Author: Sean Ongley

  • The Baton Has Passed with Twin Balance

    The Baton Has Passed with Twin Balance

    We are standing at the foot of the bridge preparing to cross, pontificating on the possibilities of the other side. Mesmerized it may appear, but this is just theater. Promotion is an illusion.

    What is happening is the universe exerting its will through its honorable vessels, that is us. Twin gets into right away, discovering we both have arrived at the place of letting go and letting God, as it were.

    Twin is ready to let go of his business, Held Gear, and rather than take an offer from an investor, he decided to hand it off to a friend, which turns out to be me. I am humbled that he would observe consistency in my behavior and bestow the honor of trusting his integrity with mine, in essence.

    All he wants to do is vibe on his land, make it an expression of sustainability, transmitting good vibes through the only FM signal in Why, Arizona, at 106.9. It is not a commercial operation, it is anarchy.

    I am a former radio engineer. I could build a radio station on his property from scratch, given the time and budget, all with my hands and standard power tools. This is only one way that my life path intersects in a way that I can benefit him by leveraging Held Gear.

    We discuss the brand, its ethics, its concept and his life story in the first hour. In the second hour of this talk, it is more like another casual livestream. We get into old Portland and anarchistic cooperative artist lifestyles we lived. It’s a good talk.

    And the internet held.

    Exciting as this project is, it is always a grind, but it can be joyous. Much more will be written and published here, but the real place to follow Held Gear is heldgear.com.

  • LoveStreaming with Larry Yes

    LoveStreaming with Larry Yes

    Larry Yes has been finding a new audience, a new art form, by tripling down on LOVE. Long time songwriter beloved by many, he finds himself painting rainbows and words of encouragement, especially the words love and peace.

    My own heart has been breaking through those layers of bitterness that keep us from seeing life as it is, from enjoying it to its fullest, from our heart’s desire.

    There was one day that I had when the ego dissolved and I knew I needed to have Larry Yes on to talk about it.

    We discuss this love vibe, its impact on daily life, drug use, his Sun Ra moment, and more.

    Our conversation was enjoyable, although in retrospect I would say his live painting demonstration put a little more pressure on me to fill in the conversation.

    Once again, the internet was rough, but the audio held together. These are still kind of in test mode for me, and what I’m going to have to commit to is ensuring that my guests are prepared.

  • Finding God in Anarchy with Chad

    Finding God in Anarchy with Chad

    Chad breaks the spell of bad internet with an ethernet cable. The saga of my livestream has light at the end of the tunnel.

    I enjoyed my talk with Chad, the man from Men of Order, the great white Hotep, co-host to Aquarian Anarchy Podcast, and former Adam Kokesh operative. He is passionate and committed, but he discusses his weakness and near-resignation to mediocrity.

    Our conversation gets a little bumpy in the middle, and this is a Livestream, so if things go south you risk cutting your losses. No edits. Sometimes he glossed over some perspectives that I don’t totally jibe with.

    I remain very much aligned with the spirit of lefty politics. I continue to hang out in this community while making new friends in conservative circles. Whoever I talk to, I want to find the common ground that we share.

    That is what I do with Chad.

  • All the Stores Are Closed to Open Jason Morales

    All the Stores Are Closed to Open Jason Morales

    10,000 Hours with Jason Morales

    My old friend Jason Morales has been in a bunch of bands, performing 10,000 shows. The time has added up and now he is on a roll.

    His music is being published as All the Stores Are Closed on indie labels and continues to explore new avenues to produce music, not just at shows. Jay has also been published as Abusive Delay aka ABSV.

    We played in bands, and we got to know each other for a year between 2005-06, it was called History of the Future. I wrote about it in my music memoire. In that band, he was the drum set player.

    We also played in Fiasco Free Improvisation countless times, where he would usually toggle between hand drums and electronic bits. I have watched him pivot from full time percussionist to electronics to both.

    It’s great to me to see things get better with time. Neither of us seem to be willing to quit music because it pains us more to let it go than to be obscure players forever. You never know either when you’ll put out a hit.

    So we talk about that, against the crappy internet. I swear, this will get under control for me.

  • The Genesis of Forest Mommy

    The Genesis of Forest Mommy

    It was fun to talk with Forest Mommy, but it was a bit disastrous. At the beginning, I’m fidgeting with my angle because the lighting is off balance — it is too easy to accentuate my nose. After I handle that, her internet gets progressively worse.

    My goal at the beginning was to clear up some general information, maybe take a little mystique out of her character. We got into it, but the internet was such a drag that we agreed to cut it short and try again later.

    After the talk, she tagged me in a yoga demonstration video referencing our conversation, where she called me “O’Grady,” but it’s the thought that counts.

    Then we did a part two. This one was better, but I have to admit, there must be something up with my own streaming service. It is delayed and choppy, but we hold it together.