eMusic, housecleaning and Ender’s Game

I was walking through a mega store yesterday and saw some mops on display. They had this scrubbing pad dealybobber  in the middle.  I guess that’s what caught my eye at first.

Then, I noticed an eMusic logo on the mop label.  Interesting.  I forget the catch phrase, but it was something like, “Rock while you mop!”. They’re giving away 50 free downloads with the purchase of the mop. Each label has a code on the back to redeem at eMusic.com.

I’m not sure how I feel about it.  I understand it.  It makes sense.  It’s just not very exciting.  Buy a mop and get some downloads?

This is the future, I suppose.

I am all about creative marketing.  Shawn is the king of creative marketing.  He could write a book about it.

I just don’t feel good about getting music from a mop label. T-shirts, shoes, a coffee cup, but not a mop.

They’re not aiming for me, though.  They want to get the moms.  They’ve probably bought a few.  So, good for them.

Hey, I’ve got stuff on eMusic.  Maybe they’ll check me out.

I just finished reading Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card.  My friend Dave lent it to me (or did you give it to me, Dave?) the night of the first episode of the new BSG season.  I’ve become one of those guys that has shows he’s got to watch.  It’s  pretty ridiculous.  Fringe, Lost, Battlestar and The Office.  Man, it looks worse when I list them all like that.  Whatever.  They are all awesome. Anyway…Ender’s Game.  Incredible book.  If you love Sci-fi you’ve got to read it.  I can’t believe it took me so long.  Here’s a summary.  I’m not going to try, because I won’t do it justice.

I’ve been busy writing and recording for this year’s project – The Coward’s Choir.  I’m not ready to reveal anything more yet, but you’ll get to see and hear some things soon.  Hopefully, by March when I’m going out on tour.  Dates should be up in the next couple weeks.

Microphone + pedal board + new songs = big sounds

I spent the evening singing through my pedal board(mostly the Line 6 delay loop), and layering a bunch of vocal/ebo tracks onto my new Boss RC-2 loop station.  The result is more a like vocal keyboard swell than ordinary stacked vocals.  There are a lot of cool things you can do to manipulate your voice with the Line 6.  Like recording a melody in half time, speeding it up, then reversing it.  These vocal pads are going to be fun to incorporate into my live band show.  With the RC-2, I can save 11 loops.  So awesome.

This is something I used to do when I was seventeen, in my parents basement.  Only, I just had a lame Ibanez delay pedal – with a home-made 9 volt adapter that my older brother made in shop class.  Hilarious.

The difference between the “songs” I wrote then and the ones I’m writing now is that I finally feel like I’ve got something to listen to… I have a direction, but I know I still have a lot more to learn.

It takes 10,000 hours, according to Malcom Gladwell.

Not sure what hour I’m on, but its not 9,999.

Brooklyn Gives All

Some one took a video of last night’s show at Roots Cafe.   This is only a small piece, but I hope you enjoy it.  I was playing through my friend Jamey’s PigNose amp.  Nice and gritty.

I’m coming back soon.

Gran Torino

I went to see a matinee showing of Gran Torino today.

I knew I was going to like it, but I didn’t know it was going to be so moving.

I am a Clint Eastwood fan.  Sometimes I joke about wanting to be like him when I’m old.  I’m kind of serious.  I think every guy feels a little like that.  There is that part of us that wants to be Dirty Harry for one second of our life and kick some ass, with reckless abandon.

So, going in I was ready for a good story and a good beat down.

Well, I got much more than that.  Good fuel for the fire.

Some of the characters lacked dimension, but I was pleasantly surprised over all.

Jamie Cullum provides a some decent music for the soundtrack too.

Check it out.

Neil Young, playing My Bloody Valentine, after listening to Under A Blood Red Sky

I just got this loop pedal.

Endless sounds.  I love, love, love  it.

I’ve been writing a new song based off of a progession that I made with it.

I told someone today it was kind of  like Neil Young, playing My Blood Valentine,  after listening to Under A Blood Red Sky.   Sort of .

Listen to these and you’ll get the picture.

Goals, not resolutions

I’m working on something I’ve never done before.

Last year was Pfriends on Pfilm.   I’ll continue to do those shows when I can, but I needed to come up with something different for 09.

I’ve got it.  No clues yet, except it’s not a puppet show.

I’d like to give you bits and pieces of what we are up to here.

Happy New Year.