As four guys dressed in various levels of rocker attire, from the most basic jeans and T’s to the full-on lead guitarist rockstar wardrobe, walk into the studio they exchange the same familiar barbs and ribbing that they have for the last 5 years.
The jokes about each other’s style, equipment preferences, and state of facial hair upkeep are old. What is new is the status of signed band they acquired last year when signing with independent label Filament Records; their first professional music video for Second Time Around; and the songs they are currently to laying down with producer Jamie King.There is a nervous excitement about this event, the untested songs, and the band’s first experience with King, after dropping the 2010 Second Time Around demo produced by the revered Jim Wirt (Incubus, Hoobastank, Jack’s Mannequin, Live).
The band said the decision to go with King had a lot to do with the quality of music he is becoming known for regionally, the work he has done with their label mates Irvine, and with the ability to work around schedules by going with a local producer to complete the album.
“Our label (Filament Records) always supports us in our artistic decisions and never tries to interfere with our music, but Tony (Andrews, Filament CEO) strongly encouraged us to take a long look at Jamie King. We heard some of the music he was putting out and felt like he could add some diversity to the album while maintaining the high quality that we required to go along side the work Jim had done with us.”
“Jim is like a coach, a member of the band almost when you work with him. He pushes you hard toward being the best musician you can be, and getting the best take possible. He doesn’t like to splice together two half-decent takes to make it sound synthetically correct. He prefers that everyone play their parts how they are meant to be played, rather than use a computer to make you sound ‘good.’
Jamie has a different style than Jim which we respect as well. We knew going in that we had to push ourselves and he would give us back as much as we gave. All in all, it drew us closer as a band, having both experiences. It also gave us two different sounds, which we feel like our fans will really appreciate when they buy the CD. This album will have the kind of diversity that we want to hear on a CD we purchase.”A release date has not yet been set, but the label is more “Thrilled” than Michael Jackson with the preliminary rough mixes they are hearing coming out of the studio so far. Filament owner Tony Andrews continues to rave about the edge that King leaves on the songs and the pure rock sound that brings out. Second Time Around
The Second Time Around video portrays Modena’s vision of the title track. Complete with smashed glass, beer bottles, and the tell tale text message on the iPhone left behind, it’s a story of breaking up in the new millennium.
Currently available on youtube it will soon be added to rotation on over 22 MusicDish TV stations and web programing.
I saw this Mashables Cover Song Faceoff today and it reminded me of how powerful doing cover songs on YouTube can be especially if you do it right.
The two things I noticed is how some of the artists are really missing the boat and how others are really maximizing the exposure. Let me explain. Read the rest of this entry
One of the most common things I hear from fellow guitar players when I ask them if they’ve been playing at all is “man I just don’t have the time”. I totally understand since I’ve been there before myself so I usually throw out this simple guitar playing tip.
It’s real simple….make sure you see your guitar at all times. Just set that sucker next to the TV, computer or somewhere else where you will be able to see it alot. If it is there you will pick it up, trust me. It will call to you. I started doing it with my PRS Guitar all the time and it worked like a charm.
Hell, even if you pick it up for just two minutes and it doesn’t do anything for you that time, that’s fine, I guarantee there will be that time where a quick pick-up turns into a stress relieving marathon or an inspiring journey of learning and discovery (how’s that for cheesy?). Read the rest of this entry
Ready for some inspiration from one of indies most innovative and rising stars? Great, then I have a podcast for you to check out.
Not exactly sure how my friends Greg and Jay from Social Blend were able to swing it, but they have Nataly Dawn from YouTube/ video song superstars Pomplamoose.
She talk about the following:
How Pomplemoose started and gained popular using YouTube
Their early struggles
Using covers to make fans aware of your music
How they choose covers
What music inspire them and their work
Why they are indie
What it means to be indie
Upcoming collaborations
Where she thinks she looks like a hooker
How they are able to keep their sanity as their popularity increases
Her new Kickstarter campaign she started to raise money for her latest project
And more..
Bottom line, whether you are a music fan or musician, there is a ton of great stuff in this interview. Very inspiring!
Anyway, enough outta me. Go listen for yourself by clicking here.
OH and one more thing, please share this podcast with anyone your can. Greg, Jay and Nataly all work very hard and deserve to have their work heard.
This is about as indie as it gets. Here is a very cool cover of Princes “Purple Rain.”
The interesting thing here is, Prince HATES people covering his music. So much so that he wants to outlaw (yes outlaw) cover songs (wtf ?). I can’t even imagine a world without cover songs. Hell think of a artists that have benefited from their songs being covered and I know there are songs out there that were actually better when they were covered. Read the rest of this entry
Marketing music online isn’t an easy job these days. There are many places to be and a gazillion tools to use. With all the learning and managing required your head can start spinning pretty quickly and your precious time can evaporate quicker than Windex on sun-drenched windshield. But I think Google Plus might just help us with that.
Brogan Knows
At first thought Google Plus looked like another take it or leave it ploy by Google to grab some attention away from the Facebooks and Twitters of the world. But after reading Chris Brogan’s Google Plus 50 post, I have changed my mind, BIG time. Read the rest of this entry
Check these guys out! Dino Planet is a new groove-based power rock trio from the Bay Area. Focusing on updating classic funk and reggae stylings with a modern edge, their do-it-yourself attitude, catchy tunes and musical aptitude are winning over fans by the dozens.
Want to seriously improve your listening skills? Here is a great exercise that you can easily set-up in your home recording studio.
1.) First, prepare some audio files you are currently working with. Any complete song will do whether it is already mastered or not. Open it with your favorite recording software or DAW.
2.) Now that you can see the audio wave, select at most 15 seconds of audio from it typically starting at the chorus section of the song.
3.) Copy that 15 seconds audio as another wav file, then save it as original.wav. Make sure to save it at highest resolution as possible: 24-bit, 96Khz. Read the rest of this entry
This is a guest post from Jennifer Hawkins (aka Jen The Music Maven ). Jen’s career includes expertise in: recording, production, publishing marketing, promotion, branding, merchandising and distribution. Jen currently teaches music business courses at Houston Community College, Spring Branch Campus.
Why I use a 3 step approach to music success that starts with: your music!
The brutal truth about the record biz: a song needs to grab it’s audience in the first 10 seconds. Don’t believe me? Consider this: when you’re surfing radio stations trying to find a good song to listen to…how long do you give an unfamiliar tune before you decide to continue listening or go on to the next one? Answer: the same amount of time label execs, publishers, and A&R execs give new song submissions: 10 seconds.
Ready for some inspiration from one of indies most innovative and rising stars? Great, then I have a podcast for you to check out.
Want to seriously improve your listening skills? Here is a great exercise that you can easily set-up in your home recording studio.
