Fans: Letters Are Awesome

January 9, 2012

I came home today and checked my mail. Not email or missives from my trained flock of rabid carrier pigeons- for the former I bear the affliction of being tied to a ‘smart’ phone and the latter died 2 years ago and/or live only in my mind- but my physical mail. Stuff printed on 12th generation papyrus reeds and beyond.

Usually this is a pretty mundane act wherein I simultaneously curse the biller for not enabling digital opt-in and thank them for giving my shredder a new playmate.

But today was different.

The envelope had a hand written address. At first I thought, oh damn, they know I’m the Nigerian prince who can’t access his inheritance- time to move. But no, this was nice and legit.

I had a received a really lovely and considerate letter from one of the winners of a CD copy of Crows Into Swine on the giveaway contest MetalSucks.net had in December.

Here it is:

Vaughn. You rule.

That’s fucking righteous on so many levels. It’s just so great to take messages and convey things out of the digital realm sometimes. Thanks so much Vaughn- you made my week. I’ll be sending you thank you note back with a little something extra Crows Into Swine related that I have here. And I have no clue how you figured out Parasympathomimetic Thrombophlebitis; I can’t even type it without referring to it 15 times for spelling.

And thanks again to MetalSucks.net- you and your readers are fantastic.

On the Value of My Music

January 4, 2012

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve dropped the price of my music on my website store significantly. Crows Into Swine is $4.99 for a download that gives you the option to grab the entire album in whatever format you wish. (Side note: Please for the love of scented towels, choose a lossless format. You can always down-convert but you can’t up-convert an mp3 to lossless. Don’t be lame.)

Most people who come to see me play know that I pretty much give out my CD’s for free at my shows, so why don’t I just post my music for free or under the Radiohead-pioneered ‘pay what you want’ plan on my website? There are a few reasons, but here’s the primary one: value.

Let’s skip to a related sidetrack here: I use Google Alerts to help me keep a pulse on whether anyone is linking to, berating, or pondering my music (or hairstyle) on the internet. Around late December I started getting flooded with links to torrent sites where people had posted my music for free. I checked them all out and there were comments and people thanking the poster for posting it. And no it wasn’t me.

Which is awesome. It made me very happy to see the sheer number of torrents that my music was reaching. I didn’t even have to do anything.

Seriously I fucking love this.

For the past decade we’ve heard the record industry state that torrents are killing music. Killing MUSIC?
Hell no. Torrents are exposing the over bloated completely artist-unfriendly infested belly pustule that the record industry has become, yes.

But music? No. You can’t kill music. How do you kill art practically? You can kill someone’s drive to make art – but if you did I would argue that maybe they weren’t really making ‘art’ to begin with or that they should toughen the fuck up. You can’t pursue this seriously with any degree of happiness unless you have a do or die attitude. (But I digress into a tangent of a tangent aka another topic for another time.)

We’re just shifting the dynamics of power here. The music industry has essentially been under an ‘Occupy’ movement for the better part of the past decade. The power and the choice is shifting back to the artist and more importantly the PEOPLE.

When I was signed and touring in the early part of the 2000′s I had to protect the CD’s and music we made like a farmer constantly under threat of weevil attack- I wanted to give it out for free, but in order to sell MY OWN CD’s at shows I had to buy them from the label at $7 a pop and then sell them back to you at a price that would enable my band to keep touring. Plus, the entire band made just about $1 per CD sold in quarterly royalties. One. Fucking. Dollar. How the hell is this scenario fair to the fans or the artist? The labels are the only ones making money here. The realization: Maybe my band had made that music, but the label now owned both it and the physical means to hear it.

Nowadays the only people who have control of my music are my self and my audience. That’s some shift in the dynamic alright.

Take the music you want. It’s not stealing. If anyone tells you it is, they’re out of touch and clinging to a dinosaur’s breaking back. EMBRACE the music and art you want. Who cares if people think it makes music ‘disposable’? Great songs stay in your soul and mind – a great song will reverberate in your skull even when you’re not listening to it. Disposable music will remain disposable no matter how it’s obtained (remember the used CD stores of the 90′s?) and GREAT music will stay with you like a cuddly Bush Baby; adorably bug-eyed, smiley and sinking its fangs into you when you least expect it.

So out of touch- don't be him

You’re getting music. Not a product. An experience.

The bottom line is that there are places you can get my music for free. And I encourage you to do so whether listening through a service like Spotify or grabbing it on a torrent site.

But why am I charging 5 bucks for my new album on my own site if I think this way? Well again, value. I personally like paying for my music. When I go see a band play and I like their stuff, I will buy their music and/or merch- simply because I want to show some direct support. I appreciate the value of what they’re giving me and I want to give something back in return.

So I keep a price up on my site because I respect that there are people out there who would like to know the value of what they’re getting. And $5 is reasonable to me. Again, you can grab it for free in many many places out there – so please do so if you’d rather do that. Just make sure you get the music if you want it.

Here’s another fact:

Truth is, if you contact me directly for a link to download my album for free, I’ll probably send you one.  I value the fact that you want it enough to reach out to me for it. That’s fucking cool of you to do, so I’d like to reward it if I can; just like I give out my CD’s at shows because I love the fact that you decided to spend the evening listening to my music. I’m on Twitter, Facebook and my email is right up in the header of my site.

So buy, take, or reach out – you have the power of choice and, no matter what the record execs or fear mongers say these days, they’re all good ones! Just play that shit. :)

Music I Bought This Year 2011

December 23, 2011

I bought albums this year. Musical albums with sounds in them. Sounds that combine together to – hopefully- create relatable songs and compositions. Hmm, the red spell check line is telling me that ‘relatable’ is not a word. Fuck that, it is.

I’m not being facetious- I have gone through years in the past without buying ANY albums whatsoever and just living off of my kong-sized music collection and the sounds in my head. So buying as many albums as I did this year was a feat for me. Like emerging from some mentally jaded battlefield. Like crossing the proverbial river. Like eating undercooked chicken. Like punching a burro at the donkey show.
So here they are in no particular order- not including any albums that were given to me by industry friends and other bands; only ones that took some of my cold hard cash. Where I felt so inspired I wrote comments. Oh and I kind of lied about the order- the first 3 are my top 3, the rest are in no order:

Kvelertak- Kvelertak

Absolutely one of the best musical discoveries for me this year. I saw them at the same show I saw Skeletonwitch at and they absolutely killed it. Their album is fantastic too – one of my most listened to this year. It’s like these guys took mostly everything that’s good about various sub genres of heavy music, threw away the shit and dominated the rest. Plus they only sing in Norwegian- which is fine with me because I get to mouth along to different phrasing and vowel sounds like a douche.

The Joy Formidable- The Big Roar

Super happy I found out about this band. My friend Marc mentioned them so I checked it out and this turned out to be one of my favorite albums of the year. Some of the best female vocals in a rock setting I’ve heard in ages and just overall great songs and awesome production. This band’s doing something very right and I would say that Ritzy is my new celebrity crush but I’m still holding on to Cindy Crawford circa 1989.

Chris Cornell- Songbook

I saw him on this tour twice this year and it was incredible both times. If you like anything he’s done throughout his career then this album is a no brainer – it’s essentially selections of the first tour that he did. He’s my favorite singer and song writer, and the strength of both his voice and songs shine in a bare acoustic setting. Even songs I didn’t really like the original version of- like some of the Audioslave tunes- take on a whole new life acoustically. If you saw this live then you know he played a whole bunch of songs that aren’t on the recorded version and I do wish that some of those made it on here, especially more of the Soundgarden or Euphoria Morning tunes; but this rocks in a way that some of the classic Unplugged albums did in the 90′s. Wide Awake, As Hope And Promise Fade and his cover of Led Zeppelin’s Thank You are worth the price of admission alone.

The Black Keys- El Camino

A pleasant album. Nice to listen to. Hasn’t hit me with the same resonance as some of their earlier stuff yet but I think I just need to listen more. Dan Auerbach does have stellar taste in guitars though – a Guild Thunderbird? One of my dream guitars!

Mastodon- The Hunter

I never really got into Mastodon, mainly because I never really paid attention. That said I picked this album up based on the buzz about their foray into more ‘rock’ territory. And, hell, it’s actually quite good. Apart from some great musicianship, there’s good writing and the production is excellent. I may have to go and check out some of their earlier stuff now (I only have Remission).

Red Fang- Murder the Mountains

Got this on recommendation from a few friends. I don’t really know what they see in it. There are some good riffs and melodies in a few spots and then the band drops the ball and lose the song. Kind of disappointing. I can see the potential, but they gotta figure out how to tie songs together. I would check out their next album, but not playing this one much.

Skeletonwitch- Abomination

Went with some friends to check these guys out at their CMJ showcase in Brooklyn. They’re great live – super tight. This album is really good too. The vocals leave something to be desired to my ears simply because I’m pretty over monotone screaming (it is possible to scream with dynamics) but the succinct songs and the sense of melody in the guitar solos are nice – and I’m a sucker when a guitar player changes uses a neck pickup for a heavy solo. Pleases my ear canals like a sexy Q-tip.

Eddie Vedder- Ukelele Songs

I wanted to like this more than I did. I mean I love Eddie Vedder (go watch PJ20 if you haven’t already), but frankly 16 songs of just ukelele and voice is like a smelling a beautiful orchid only to get stung by a rabid penis that’s hiding within the receptacle. Better as an EP? His emotion is hard to deny  on this album, but maybe just choose something other than the ukelele next time?

Touche Amore- Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me

I like this. Reminds me of the late 80′s and early 90′s in delivery and energy. Like a lost (and good) Bad Religion album.

White Denim – D

Got this on a whim after reading a good review. Pretty cool album and band. Some truly beautiful and rocking moments only to brought down on occasion by explosions of musical irrelevancy that remind me of why I absolutely hate jam bands. But most of it is really nice.

—
The coolest part of this year was that listening to some of the music that friends have released. I get in a bubble sometimes where I am just not cognizant of friends and neighbors making their own music- and making it well. Super happy about and proud to listen to the following this year:

Ghost Robot Ninja Bear- Ghost Robot Ninja Bear

Oscar is one of my favorite guitar players. I’ve always liked the stuff he’s done with Nakatomi Plaza and De La Hoya (and the 30+ other bands he seems to be in) but his solo stuff that goes under the Ghost Robot Ninja Bear moniker surpasses all of that in my book. This is a really well written and produced album- check it out here.

The Stink- Royal Sampler

I met Dave and Dan of The Stink during the brief time I was in college. Like most people from that era of my life, I’m in and out of touch with them, but it’s great to see dudes as talented as they are making some music! This is a fun album in that old Van Halen and AC/DC style of things- showing some chops, cool arrangements and whimsy. Yes, I used the word whimsy. Fuck you. Check out The Stink here.

Flourishing – The Sum of All Fossils

This album rules. I really didn’t think I would like it because it’s been a while since I’ve liked a death metal album (as this has been described) – but it’s not straight death metal. There’s a lot going on and they move way beyond standard death metal riffs and drumming. I was in a band with the bass player Erik and I know Brian (who played with Scar Culture for a brief spell) and Garrett from Earache. Nice to see these schlubs making great music. That was a joke- I just wanted to use the word schlubs. I meant nice to see these upstanding citizens doing their thing and doing it well. Grab this album here.

Thanks Bitches, You’re the Best!

October 24, 2009

And by “bitches” I mean Microsoft. Remember when I wrote that Microsoft had selected my groovy track “Lorelei” to be part of a campaign centered on indie music and their Zune-pod?

Well, the campaign is over and “Lorelei” went all Hulk and SMASHED expectations. Reverb Nation and Microsoft had set a number of downloads they expected “Lorelei” to hit – well “Lorelei” did EIGHT TIMES that amount. Yeah, 8X that amount. Follow the eight-fold path bitches. If they gave me $5 for each download I could retire comfortably for a month. But they didn’t, it’s a flat fee. They gave me enough to update to Windows 7 or get the new Halo game.They’re cheap, but I love them now. No, you can’t borrow money. bill-gates-money

Thank you for downloading! And thank you for the support! And thank you for being a friend! You’re the best Golden Girls ever!

More free music coming later this week, and more NEW music coming soon.

Clippy Loves Me, Offers Free Song

June 25, 2009

Well folks- on the eve of my going into a studio to lay down some demos of songs for my next album, I get the news that one of my songs has been selected by Microsoft to be offered as a free download for a campaign they are running for Microsoft Windows Sponsored Songs.

What song was picked? Well none other than my lovely ditty “Lorelei” – a song that was about 7 years too late to make it into consideration for Gilmour Girls theme music. And for that I am thankful. Yet tearful.

So here’s the deal – I must make it clear that Microsoft is not sponsoring me as an artist. They just dig that tune and want to give it to you for free. And they are not making me fetch coffee for them or  rub the boils on their feet or even make claims like “Ballmer pwnz ur ass.” Peter Moore did call and say he would have gotten my name tattooed on his bicep if he still worked there. Then he snorted and cackled and made my phone disappear into a puff of smoke.

Well, the song is FREE. So go download it by clicking here:

 PherozeQuantcast

Even if you already have the song- be awesome and download it again. Even Clippy concurs.

What is Best in Life? Downloading Lorelei!

What is Best in Life? Downloading Lorelei!

Why You Should Always Keep A Picture of Dolph Lundgren Around

April 28, 2009

Most of you know that I am a huge fan of Dolph Lundgren – but holywhattheshitthisistooawesometobetruebutit’struelifenever

ceasestoamazefuckingtooawesomeforthespacebar!!!!111!!!1

Apparently armed thieves broke into his house, tied up his wife and forced her to give them cash and jewelry- now that’s not cool at all, but this is:  They fled as soon as they saw a picture of Dolph Lundgren in the house because they did not realize they were messing with Dolph Lundgren and they know, as you all should, DOLPH LUNDGREN DOES NOT FUCK AROUND! Read the whole deal here.

Seriously, Dolph Lundgren would be a ninja except he’s too fucking big (6’5″) and smart (160 IQ) to be a ninja – he’d hire a ninja to mow his lawn while he cured Swine Flu by punching it into submission and creating a vaccine out of it’s flu-tears.

I know I’m throwing out all my priceless antique art and portraits of Tony Danza and putting up only pictures of Dolph Lundgren around. Sorry girlfriend, Dolph’s picture keeps my wallet and cubicle safer than you do. Hell I’m gonna put another picture of him on this website so no one spams me or sends me a virus.

Dolph LundgrenSee? I feel safer already.