Now the time is right... The anguish of my Mothers passing has ebbed, and the valve is once again open. I have 3 new songs in the works...One is metal / rap and actually has the makings of one helluva song. This one will be called "You Talk Too Much"... And YEAH...it's about someone that just won't shut up!! Always on the phone or with friends yaking away with little reguard for anyone else's thoughts or point of view! Those people that you have to actually raise your voice to almost a shouting level to be heard over, or before they get the message that someone else has something to say. Then they get offended that you were yelling to be heard over them! Everyone know someone like this and I happen to know several!! Well...This song is for you guys (that probably don't even know it's written about you, even if I told you it was!) SHEESH!!!
Song #2 is very mellow- dramatic... Effects Bass driven in sort of a Tool gendre... And it's called "Sweat"... About all the things that cause sweat. From the heat & humidity, to stress, to passion, to having the shit scared out of you, or adreneline rush. I really like the way the music of this song makes me feel but the structure is quite tricky... Even tho the song is repetitiously laid out, trying to get the vocal melody line woven in so it stands out without drowning out the nuances of the instrumentation is where the challenge lays... Think along the lines of a mellow Tool song with Nine Inch Nails style vocals and you'll be in the ball park!
The third song is upbeat and acoustic rooted... Not sure what I want to call it yet but it's a fun one... All I have so far for this tune is the basic acoustic drive that is the foundation of the song...There is more development to work through but it has been resurfacing in my head and won't go away. So... I think it's telling me to get off my ass and nail something to it cause it wants to be heard!..SO ALRIGHT ALREADY!!
More as I go! LOL
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
My Mom
Since the passing of my Mom, I've got the first draft of a song I am writing as a memorial for her.
Here are the lyrics so far...
Oops...After considering the ramifications and legal black holes that scare the crap outta me, I decided not to post the lyics. I'm going to wait until I have the entire song recorded and copyrited. It's to important to me, to not let some asshole that can't create for shit. copy and pass off for their own, my work. Most of the time it wouldn't bother me but this is to important and too emotional to even consider that happening. Sorry idiots and assholes (and you know who you are) Not this time!
Here are the lyrics so far...
Oops...After considering the ramifications and legal black holes that scare the crap outta me, I decided not to post the lyics. I'm going to wait until I have the entire song recorded and copyrited. It's to important to me, to not let some asshole that can't create for shit. copy and pass off for their own, my work. Most of the time it wouldn't bother me but this is to important and too emotional to even consider that happening. Sorry idiots and assholes (and you know who you are) Not this time!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Correct Thinking about the Music Buiz!
This excerpt expresses EXACTLY my thoughts and sentiments, and the focal reason that I moved on from my last band and into Invoking Scarlett!
Below is an excerpt from Quit Rock: 10 Reasons To Give Up Your Dream Of Being In Music © 2011 by Scott Austin and Thirst Parlor Ink.
It’s been nearly five years since my last Tip Jar article, which I wrote back when I was an A&R executive for Maverick/Warner Bros. Records. My role as a creative liaison for one of the world’s biggest record companies gave me particular insight into the music business that I felt compelled to share with the throngs of talented young artists seeking to take their career to the next level.
A lot has changed since then. In fact, everything has changed. Now as an entrepreneur in the new model industry, I’ve found that segueing out of the confines of the traditional business has been both an arduous and enlightening experience. The New Game environment has meant that just like all of the emerging acts upon which my career depends for survival, I have been “encouraged” to look at the business in an entirely different way.
Like everyone who pursues a career in music, I had a dream of what the business was and could be. It wasn’t until I was able to look back on over a decade-plus of experience, however, that the ensuing successes, disappointments, and even failures along my journey pointed to the simple truth: Succeeding in music means ditching the dream, and subscribing to reality.
Rather than opine further, I thought I’d pass along an exclusive excerpt from my new book Quit Rock: 10 Reasons To Give Up Your Dream Of Being In Music to the readers of Music Connection. This excerpt, designated in the book as Reason #2, is just one of the reasons why success in music isn’t about chasing a dream, but facing the reality of the 2.0 business.
No Overnight Success
Let’s continue our cautionary tale with what might just be, at its core, the single greatest reason why most people will never succeed in music: the belief in overnight success.
This is the second of many reasons that might make some of you want to put my book down and dismiss my musings as negative and pessimistic.
That is exactly the point.
Today’s environment is the most difficult in the history of the business, so you can forget the fairytales where the artist discovery process is glamorized; rags-to-riches stories are a fantasy. If you want to truly create opportunity, you must always keep your heart and your mind anchored firmly in reality.
Being an artist in today’s industry requires more than luck and high hopes. It’s also more than just a job; it’s a standalone business. You must be a pioneer and a maverick if you are going to emerge a champion. The only one that can help you achieve your goals is you; waiting for figurative (or literal) rescue is not only detrimental, it’s futile.
You must become an entrepreneur. True entrepreneurs are risk takers who toss a typical existence out the window in exchange for a chance to make an impact on their own terms. Fortunately, there is no better place to have entrepreneurial spirit than in the current state of the music business.
The fleeting thought of overnight success is counterintuitive to the entre-preneurial spirit altogether, as it forces you to rely primarily on odds; and the odds of success in music have always been slim. Even in its heyday the business was more of a dictatorship than a democracy, with only a select few artists from a select few labels getting the kind of top-down marketing push that is necessary to create a “breakout star.”
Now It’s Worse
The universal ability to make and self-distribute quality recordings, although positive for artistic creation, is wreaking havoc on the economy of the industry. Thanks to new technologies, consumers are now able to hear music from thousands of new acts each year, though their incentive to invest in any one of them has been severely dampened by these very same advancements.
It’s the sheer volume of available new music that has made conversion of interested listeners into actual revenue for the artist and songwriter extremely difficult. Compounding the issue is the diminished value of recorded music in the eye of the fan. The view by many that music (and content in general for that matter) should be free has ushered in the need for fan-building skills that can create and develop ancillary sources of revenue.
The very premise of overnight success invites a flawed approach on two levels: First, as mentioned above, it requires you to rely almost entirely on chance. Second, it gives the false impression that the steps necessary to attract the attention you seek can be skipped or avoided.
Being in the right headspace means not just talking about all of the things you want to accomplish, but actually going after and achieving them now. Whether the goal is to write, record, tour or all of the above, everything is in your hands. Only you can take the first steps, and only you are responsible for making progress.
Contrary to what wishful thinking might suggest, there are always multiple factors that contribute to success, and in music it is never overnight. It is the combination of years of hard work and bits of luck and timing that creates career anomalies, making them less mysterious than they are practical results of a well-executed plan.
Remember, there is no finish line to cross with a career in music; the primary goal is quite simply to always be moving forward. Maintaining your relevance in the marketplace is the difference between triumph and defeat, and your ability to recognize that the blueprint for success is never written in a day, month or year will make all of the difference in how your story unfolds. (End of Excerpt)
What confuses the crap outta me is that no matter how hard you try to inform and educate most of the "aspiring" artists out there, they either don't get it or don't want to get it! After talking with many AR people, recording engineers, producers, indie labels, music writers & critics, through various lists and blogs (and occasionally on the phone) the overwhelming census is that there is very little new and exciting material from a creative standpoint out there anymore. Most of what they see is the same old regurgitation of copied styles and licks from the rock side mimic-ing the likes of Hendrix, Page, SRV, Gibbons, and so on. And the pop side is getting so obese with record label generated acts reminiscent of the 80's big hair band formula they relied on to keep them afloat!
Here is an excerpt from an interview that Liz Tracy did with Nikki Sixx in the New Times Music;
"If there's ever a time in history when we need rock 'n' roll bands to be real, we need it now. We need young bands that are hungry and going to give 100 percent visually, musically, lifestyle-wise. We've been doing this for 30 years; we won't last forever. The wheels will fall off the bus someday. I hope to God someone's out there cultivating the danger. Because it's fucking like watching paint dry out there. It's really boring, I'm telling ya."
Sound Familiar??
Below is an excerpt from Quit Rock: 10 Reasons To Give Up Your Dream Of Being In Music © 2011 by Scott Austin and Thirst Parlor Ink.
It’s been nearly five years since my last Tip Jar article, which I wrote back when I was an A&R executive for Maverick/Warner Bros. Records. My role as a creative liaison for one of the world’s biggest record companies gave me particular insight into the music business that I felt compelled to share with the throngs of talented young artists seeking to take their career to the next level.
A lot has changed since then. In fact, everything has changed. Now as an entrepreneur in the new model industry, I’ve found that segueing out of the confines of the traditional business has been both an arduous and enlightening experience. The New Game environment has meant that just like all of the emerging acts upon which my career depends for survival, I have been “encouraged” to look at the business in an entirely different way.
Like everyone who pursues a career in music, I had a dream of what the business was and could be. It wasn’t until I was able to look back on over a decade-plus of experience, however, that the ensuing successes, disappointments, and even failures along my journey pointed to the simple truth: Succeeding in music means ditching the dream, and subscribing to reality.
Rather than opine further, I thought I’d pass along an exclusive excerpt from my new book Quit Rock: 10 Reasons To Give Up Your Dream Of Being In Music to the readers of Music Connection. This excerpt, designated in the book as Reason #2, is just one of the reasons why success in music isn’t about chasing a dream, but facing the reality of the 2.0 business.
No Overnight Success
Let’s continue our cautionary tale with what might just be, at its core, the single greatest reason why most people will never succeed in music: the belief in overnight success.
This is the second of many reasons that might make some of you want to put my book down and dismiss my musings as negative and pessimistic.
That is exactly the point.
Today’s environment is the most difficult in the history of the business, so you can forget the fairytales where the artist discovery process is glamorized; rags-to-riches stories are a fantasy. If you want to truly create opportunity, you must always keep your heart and your mind anchored firmly in reality.
Being an artist in today’s industry requires more than luck and high hopes. It’s also more than just a job; it’s a standalone business. You must be a pioneer and a maverick if you are going to emerge a champion. The only one that can help you achieve your goals is you; waiting for figurative (or literal) rescue is not only detrimental, it’s futile.
You must become an entrepreneur. True entrepreneurs are risk takers who toss a typical existence out the window in exchange for a chance to make an impact on their own terms. Fortunately, there is no better place to have entrepreneurial spirit than in the current state of the music business.
The fleeting thought of overnight success is counterintuitive to the entre-preneurial spirit altogether, as it forces you to rely primarily on odds; and the odds of success in music have always been slim. Even in its heyday the business was more of a dictatorship than a democracy, with only a select few artists from a select few labels getting the kind of top-down marketing push that is necessary to create a “breakout star.”
Now It’s Worse
The universal ability to make and self-distribute quality recordings, although positive for artistic creation, is wreaking havoc on the economy of the industry. Thanks to new technologies, consumers are now able to hear music from thousands of new acts each year, though their incentive to invest in any one of them has been severely dampened by these very same advancements.
"Ditch the dream, subscribe to reality."
With so much more content available, it would seem that the circumstances should favor the independent artist, with dozens of promotional tools at his disposal. In actuality, giving the consumer more options to choose from in an age where individual attention spans are continually shrinking, means that every impression that you make is not only relevant, it is integral to the fabric of your career. It’s the sheer volume of available new music that has made conversion of interested listeners into actual revenue for the artist and songwriter extremely difficult. Compounding the issue is the diminished value of recorded music in the eye of the fan. The view by many that music (and content in general for that matter) should be free has ushered in the need for fan-building skills that can create and develop ancillary sources of revenue.
The very premise of overnight success invites a flawed approach on two levels: First, as mentioned above, it requires you to rely almost entirely on chance. Second, it gives the false impression that the steps necessary to attract the attention you seek can be skipped or avoided.
Being in the right headspace means not just talking about all of the things you want to accomplish, but actually going after and achieving them now. Whether the goal is to write, record, tour or all of the above, everything is in your hands. Only you can take the first steps, and only you are responsible for making progress.
Contrary to what wishful thinking might suggest, there are always multiple factors that contribute to success, and in music it is never overnight. It is the combination of years of hard work and bits of luck and timing that creates career anomalies, making them less mysterious than they are practical results of a well-executed plan.
Remember, there is no finish line to cross with a career in music; the primary goal is quite simply to always be moving forward. Maintaining your relevance in the marketplace is the difference between triumph and defeat, and your ability to recognize that the blueprint for success is never written in a day, month or year will make all of the difference in how your story unfolds. (End of Excerpt)
What confuses the crap outta me is that no matter how hard you try to inform and educate most of the "aspiring" artists out there, they either don't get it or don't want to get it! After talking with many AR people, recording engineers, producers, indie labels, music writers & critics, through various lists and blogs (and occasionally on the phone) the overwhelming census is that there is very little new and exciting material from a creative standpoint out there anymore. Most of what they see is the same old regurgitation of copied styles and licks from the rock side mimic-ing the likes of Hendrix, Page, SRV, Gibbons, and so on. And the pop side is getting so obese with record label generated acts reminiscent of the 80's big hair band formula they relied on to keep them afloat!
Here is an excerpt from an interview that Liz Tracy did with Nikki Sixx in the New Times Music;
"If there's ever a time in history when we need rock 'n' roll bands to be real, we need it now. We need young bands that are hungry and going to give 100 percent visually, musically, lifestyle-wise. We've been doing this for 30 years; we won't last forever. The wheels will fall off the bus someday. I hope to God someone's out there cultivating the danger. Because it's fucking like watching paint dry out there. It's really boring, I'm telling ya."
Sound Familiar??
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Been A Day Or Two
I know I haven't written for a while but things have been busy. Not only with work (yeah I got a "real' job!) but with the band. We have been able to acquire matched recording platforms so now the digital work and ideas can flow more freely! Just a little downtime for James to learn all the nuances of this new system and then we roll. James is a very complex guitarist and overly accomplished in his stylings which places a great challenge at my feet! I have always been a simplistic bassist that could find the bottom end and drive with the drummer. I never grew into that maestro bassist because I always found myself in the spot of being the best vocalist in the groups I was in. Holding down two jobs like that never allowed me to become outstanding in either, but the tenacity of my personality did let me develop into a journeyman musician in both areas. Now I find myself in an envious position with the best guitarist and drummer I have ever had the pleasure of working with. And another vocalist that can sing where I no longer can! So I can actually focus on just bass lines (and with James's song construction I really need all my brain power to sort his complex writings and get then down) I know this process will make me a better bassist, and after all the time off, I need it! (AND am looking forward to it!)
Friday, May 27, 2011
You Never KNow About People!
I did a search the other day on Twitter for an old friend. When I found him and browsed his page, I came to the realization that 95% of all the "people" he follows are attractive Women. Now being a man I have no problem with that, and never have. But being a man in a committed relationship, to me that would be crossing the line! And I'm just in a committed relationship! He is married, and his wife is ALL about him! I wonder if she knows about his "followings"?? I mean he's a Big time Baseball fan and is into street biking and stuff and could be following baseball tweets like a groupie, or all other kinds of sport tweets. But then I guess I would be "assuming" that they have the type of relationship that allows this "innocent" wandering eye! Even tho I'm no big fan of his wife at all, I think this type of behaviour is detrimental to the health of the relationship, or ANY relationship for that matter...But then...That is just MY opinion!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
I do appreciate you all!
I am overjoyed to find that some consider my last post funny! THAT alone proves my point about those that cannot grasp the fundamentals & mentality of our industry's new era beyond a shadow of a doubt. They may hate my post, dismiss it, deny it, make fun of it....yet they read it, and keep returning to pour over my posts to see what else I might say, like an addiction that cannot be easily overcome. I am impressed that I have made that big of an impact, or have been unknowingly handed some control over a small portion of anyones life! Another reason why my blog is so popular and just another proving point! Thanx to ALL my readers! I love you all!
Monday, May 23, 2011
The Law is the Law!
Let me offer a direct quote to anyone that might need this info from Lisa Alter of Wixen Music Publishing, Inc.
http://www.wixenmusic.com/
She wrote:
COPYRIGHT OWNERSHIP....Copyright in a work automatically vests in the author upon creation of the work. Authors of joint works are co-owners of copyright. Authors of works contributed to collective works own the copyright only in their contribution, which is distinct from the copyright in the collective work. In the case of a work made for hire, where a work is created by an employee within the scope of his or her employment, copyright belongs to the employer.
JOINT WORKS....In the United States, a composition written by two or more authors is generally deemed to be a "joint work," which is defined as "a work prepared by two or more authors with the intention that their contributions be merged into inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole." Ownership of joint works is presumed to be shared equally by the authors, absent an agreement to the contrary. Each author of a joint work is free to enter into a non-exclusive license for the entire work, provided that the author issuing the license accounts to his or her coauthor( s). In some cases, co-authors enter into an agreement among themselves, agreeing to work cooperatively in issuing licenses. As a practical matter, licensees of music publishing rights often insist on obtaining approval on behalf of each author of a work even if the grant of rights is nonexclusive.
So irreguardless to any speculation as to whether my lawyer exists or not, this is still the law and it cannot be changed just because a person's belief in this matter might be arbitrary to reality.
http://www.wixenmusic.com/
She wrote:
COPYRIGHT OWNERSHIP....Copyright in a work automatically vests in the author upon creation of the work. Authors of joint works are co-owners of copyright. Authors of works contributed to collective works own the copyright only in their contribution, which is distinct from the copyright in the collective work. In the case of a work made for hire, where a work is created by an employee within the scope of his or her employment, copyright belongs to the employer.
JOINT WORKS....In the United States, a composition written by two or more authors is generally deemed to be a "joint work," which is defined as "a work prepared by two or more authors with the intention that their contributions be merged into inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole." Ownership of joint works is presumed to be shared equally by the authors, absent an agreement to the contrary. Each author of a joint work is free to enter into a non-exclusive license for the entire work, provided that the author issuing the license accounts to his or her coauthor( s). In some cases, co-authors enter into an agreement among themselves, agreeing to work cooperatively in issuing licenses. As a practical matter, licensees of music publishing rights often insist on obtaining approval on behalf of each author of a work even if the grant of rights is nonexclusive.
So irreguardless to any speculation as to whether my lawyer exists or not, this is still the law and it cannot be changed just because a person's belief in this matter might be arbitrary to reality.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Wow! Let's be realistic!
Unbelievable spike in activity from readers yesterday! I know there are those that fail to realize or understand how it all ties together and would rather mentally pass it off to some back ally third party money under the table to bolster these results, and in reality that is fine that they have that miss-guided attitude... Gives those of us that do understand the process and result structure and are able to adapt to it more room and flexibility to take advantage of it. This is a case result as my marketing management predicted it would be... After showing me the numbers from yesterday, it really is unbelievable the number generation that occurred. I may have offended some, even pissed off one or two, for that I am man enough to apologize, but this is my blog, and these are only my personal thoughts and opinions... I am not here to please everyone all the time...This is my space and all are invited into it. Should anyone not like it or disapprove of it, then, like the old saying goes.."Change The Channel!" Or start your own blog and say whatever you like...even to blow off steam about me! If that makes you feel any better, then I encourage you to do so...Blast me all you want and call me all the names in the book... Tell your readers that I am a liar or insane... That would be better than sitting still and complaining about it! Be pro-active instead of re-active! By coming here and blowing off steam you are unknowingly helping me! You don't have to believe me but the stats speak differently, whether you deny their existence or not. Is that what you really want? Or should I just leave it at saying, "Sorry but Thank You!" in the same sentence?
Let me clear the air over some issues raised yesterday... On my Reverbnation site you will, or have found, in my song listing, works separated by the artists name. It is my site, so I will not list the name of a band I am no longer with, that were involved with their creation! I am not here to publicize them, give them free advertising, or kudos, that might take away from my personal promotional efforts... I am aware that they don't approve, but tough!... On songs where my name appears...the issue is that I did not write them... Truthfully..I was part of a 3 piece Band at that time, and these works (BY LAW) are perceived as "joint works"... Here is a direct quote from an email my lawyer sent to them some time back, when one of them fictitiously claimed these works had been registered and copy written by them (which proved to be false) and they were going to file a cease & desist... (Yes I have a copy of their email claims for posterity)
"What has happened is that "joint works" have been created of which you all were a part, and were also offered to the public as joint works through the Internet. Each songwriter has the right to license each entire song, subject to paying the other songwriters involved their share of any royalties, because each owns an undivided interest in the copyrighted songs. (Copyright Act of 1976). Even if you were to re-write lyrics, or music, to the same song it would then be considered a derivative work and the royalty load would be divided between all members, current and historical. Be aware that the courts will make the division of royalties based on the original members input (33%) and then decide to what extent the new members creative input actually changed the original body of work and break it down from there."
The works that I posted are in fact joint works that I was involved with the creation of. If you look into the lyrics of the song it states that the music was by the person that wrote the music and the lyrics were created by me...All three members were involved in creating the recorded version of the song. I only put my name on those songs to show the differences in style between myself and my new guitarist, that I would be collaborating with in the future (Invoking Scarlett)...Nothing more... When I get comments on Reverbnation about the great lead work...I respond letting them know that I was only the bassist and vocalist on that particular work, giving the praise to the actual guitarist. Legally I have rights to those works as does the rest of the people involved and will not apologize to anyone about laying claim to them. I have posted the original joint works and they have posted re-recordings (derivative works) with newer members. I invite all readers to compare the original works to the derivative works and make up your own mind which version you would actually pay for if given the chance!
All comments are welcome...Even the negative ones! But I do reserve the right to publish which ones I choose and that is the beauty of ownership! Not to hide behind an invisible Internet wall but to pick and choose which comments I acknowledge will be a positive influence to my personal upward movement, and not yours. So make it good and you might get posted!
Onward & Upward
Let me clear the air over some issues raised yesterday... On my Reverbnation site you will, or have found, in my song listing, works separated by the artists name. It is my site, so I will not list the name of a band I am no longer with, that were involved with their creation! I am not here to publicize them, give them free advertising, or kudos, that might take away from my personal promotional efforts... I am aware that they don't approve, but tough!... On songs where my name appears...the issue is that I did not write them... Truthfully..I was part of a 3 piece Band at that time, and these works (BY LAW) are perceived as "joint works"... Here is a direct quote from an email my lawyer sent to them some time back, when one of them fictitiously claimed these works had been registered and copy written by them (which proved to be false) and they were going to file a cease & desist... (Yes I have a copy of their email claims for posterity)
"What has happened is that "joint works" have been created of which you all were a part, and were also offered to the public as joint works through the Internet. Each songwriter has the right to license each entire song, subject to paying the other songwriters involved their share of any royalties, because each owns an undivided interest in the copyrighted songs. (Copyright Act of 1976). Even if you were to re-write lyrics, or music, to the same song it would then be considered a derivative work and the royalty load would be divided between all members, current and historical. Be aware that the courts will make the division of royalties based on the original members input (33%) and then decide to what extent the new members creative input actually changed the original body of work and break it down from there."
The works that I posted are in fact joint works that I was involved with the creation of. If you look into the lyrics of the song it states that the music was by the person that wrote the music and the lyrics were created by me...All three members were involved in creating the recorded version of the song. I only put my name on those songs to show the differences in style between myself and my new guitarist, that I would be collaborating with in the future (Invoking Scarlett)...Nothing more... When I get comments on Reverbnation about the great lead work...I respond letting them know that I was only the bassist and vocalist on that particular work, giving the praise to the actual guitarist. Legally I have rights to those works as does the rest of the people involved and will not apologize to anyone about laying claim to them. I have posted the original joint works and they have posted re-recordings (derivative works) with newer members. I invite all readers to compare the original works to the derivative works and make up your own mind which version you would actually pay for if given the chance!
All comments are welcome...Even the negative ones! But I do reserve the right to publish which ones I choose and that is the beauty of ownership! Not to hide behind an invisible Internet wall but to pick and choose which comments I acknowledge will be a positive influence to my personal upward movement, and not yours. So make it good and you might get posted!
Onward & Upward
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Relax! I haven't dissapeared!
This has been one helluva month already! Starting out with my amp blowing up and going thru all the processes to get a vintage piece of equipment repaired back to a working state, Mothers Day, Birthdaze, Remodeling a 100 year old house, landscaping, PLUS working too...Yaknow?? Makes focusing on musical projects, let alone delegating time to put forth a worthwhile effort into them quite a chore. All the guys in INVOKING SCARLETT would like nothing more than to spend all our available time rehearsing, recording, and such in a combined situation so that we can freely exchange ideas and move forward with as much haste as getting these great song ideas captured properly, will allow. But the distance between us is problematic. James drives an hour to practice and I have a two hour jaunt...So we have to work with reality and play with the cards dealt! This could be considered as divine intervention to keep us from letting our excitement level goad us into putting material out there, that is not well thought out, and not as good technically as it should be! It does give us time to mentally edit each song, each measure, change, note, bridge, vocal strength, harmony lines, and such... The business of Music has changed to the point that we as artists and performers had better be on top of everything we do if we even want a half ass chance in todays musical arena. I am aware in these times of marketing non- production and keeping the hype flowing, the equity level of any project takes a hit, and that is explained on the friviolities of human nature wanting everything now! So I have no problem in taking my time to make sure that what we three do will be worth their wait! The appetite of the public will be there waiting, with swelled taste buds, when we are ready to serve up our offerings!
Onwards & Upwards!
Onwards & Upwards!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Random Thoughts!
(Some of my personal quips!)
"Time to distance... The past has been passed.. The future awaits... And I'm standing at it's gates!"
"If a great musician lived and died before anyone heard or experienced his work... Was he a great musician?"
"The Three "M's" of Great Music! 1) Great Musicians 2)Great Material 3)Great Marketing"
"Thoughts and Prayers to those affected by the tornados in Alabama."
"Time to distance... The past has been passed.. The future awaits... And I'm standing at it's gates!"
"If a great musician lived and died before anyone heard or experienced his work... Was he a great musician?"
"The Three "M's" of Great Music! 1) Great Musicians 2)Great Material 3)Great Marketing"
"Thoughts and Prayers to those affected by the tornados in Alabama."
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
CAN I GET A HELLYEAH!
Seven grueling hours of the most intense and enlightening practice I think I've ever been involved in! Great songs are coming together and we are taking our time to contemplate every note and timing structure. We want this to be better than right... These works are to be perfect and we are going to work and rework them till they are! These songs are of the commerciality and quality to deserve our upmost time and effort! And the three of us desire that outcome. To finalize our rehearsal my oldest friend that I have had since 1978 (My 400 watt Peavey Mark IIII bass amp) blew up! First there was the popping, then the sizzle and poof...A plume of grey smoke! A Freaking Pyrotechnics show from my amp, and we haven't even gotten to the stage yet!! CAN I GET A HELLYEAH!!! Yeah I gotta fix it, replace it, or both...But that was AWESOME!! I'll probably go back to Bi-Amping my speaker cabinets with a slave amp like I used to in another time & place! But that was one helluva sign at the end of a great rehearsal! It don't get any better than that!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Left the Cheap talk behind!
Tomorrow is the day I get to spend at the studio in Oklahoma city with my band mates in INVOKING SCARLETT! We are set to rehearse & start recording on two collaborative works. "I'm In Love" & "Fate Lies"! I'm so stoked about the possibilities of these two songs and the talent that will bring them to life! James Kelly is such an over the top guitarist I feel a little overwhelmed by his ability & diversity. Yet he is such the humble soul you sould never think this man could slay the world with his playing. And then there is Andre, who freely admits being an early Phil Collins admirer.(He states to the time BEFORE Phil moved out from behind his drumset!) What a rythym machine Andre is... I feel overwhelmed at times with these two talents...And yet they tell me they feel the same about me! Go figure! No wonder this Trio has the makings of something great!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)