Pheroze

Dang, we doin’ it up right.

Just a bit over half-way done recording guitars for my next album. Things are sounding great! We wrapped up the drums two weeks ago and started the guitars earlier this week.

10 songs total for this album. And we are giving the utmost care to these songs – making sure the tones and performances are just right. Each song has a unique vibe so each song gets a unique sound. Clay Holley’s been working the board and making everything sound just right. He’s also been great and coaxing exceptional performances out of me. So it’s been a pleasure working on this so far.

We’ll wrap up the guitars this week, then we’ll fly Shane in to lay down some bass next weekend (or maybe he’ll just drive over). After that, it’s time for vocals. Then we’ll sit back and see if we need to add anything else – like sousaphone, saxophone, telephone, gramophone. Then das mix. Then das remix. Then das mastering. Then das remastering. Then das boot.

I took some time this year to explore what’s out there in the rock scene and listen to albums, see some bands, pay attention to what people are doing. I didn’t like much of what I heard. Bands have gotten fucking lazy. Song-writing, tone, performance – it’s by the numbers and it seems people pay absolutely no heed to the actual creation of music. I have made it a point to stay out of the music scenes for a long time now. Scenes never seemed to be about music – just about being part of something. I’m confident enough in my “belonging” that I’d rather just make music.

Everyone is an amateur musician these days – I don’t mean amateur as in “indie” or “undiscovered”; I mean amateur in terms of musicianship and attitude. Fuck these amateurs. Time for the real deal.

I am going to enjoy changing that mindset over the course of my career. Let’s bring it back to the music.

Don’t forget the Oil Spill Benefit show next week.

love

-pheroze

Friends-

I’m entering the studio at the end of July to start recording my next album. It will be the greatest thing you will ever hear ever in the history of recorded music (until either my next album or the release of “Sounds from the Monkey Cage vol. 3″). I’m in the process of writing and polishing up the songs that will comprise the album – so forgive me if I’ve been more reclusive than usual.

Want a sneak peek? Well I’ll be playing some of these new songs live this Friday, June 4 at Fontana’s in Manhattan. I have an 8PM set time and it’s an $8 cover – so just bring 8 of your friends and you’ll have a nice eight-fold path set up for you. See, I treat you nice baby. You still not satisfied? Want more? Well check out the info on the shows page.

I do hope you can make it – and remember, I have demo versions of two of the upcoming songs available for download. Just go to my music page and you can grab Kingdoms and Conversations With a Knife.

See you on Friday my little June Bugs.

-pheroze

The only thing that I “wrote” are the main melodic line and the simple thumping rhythm that make up the core of the song – Joe Renaud added his spice to the rhythm while keeping the simple pulsation cemented. We would play off of each other for the dynamics and the changes, and we would get fed the rest of the song from the audience at shows.

Hopefully, if you came to a show in 2008, you remember the song (for it had no name at the time). I’d start by asking the audience to think of one word or concept, and then tap into the collectively focused energy of the room and channel the lyrics and song structure from there. For me it was a public marriage of my spirit and music connections – and I’d like to think that for you it was, at the very least, moving.

In short, people loved it – and when it came time to record a demo of new songs last year, I really wanted to record this one. Capturing the same feel and intensity of a life improvisation, let alone one that was channeled through the audience’s energy, was a challenge to put together- and when the time came I just had to say “fuck it, it’s a demo”.

Well I think we fucking nailed it. And when I say we, I truly mean the big whole fat mass of collective “WE” (that includes you bucko). I’m just your medium on this one. It’s simple, haunting and beautiful.

If you came to a show in 2008, you wrote this with me. Your thoughts, energy, and feelings are in it. And for that I thank you. And, no, it doesn’t mean you’re getting any of the royalties so suck it.

Thanks again, and I’m looking forward to collaborating more with ya. Make sure to go to the music page to stream or download Conversations With A Knife, or just right click here and save it to your computer.

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:

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

What is Best in Life? Downloading Lorelei!

Unless I get gored during the week by a runaway wildebeest- I’ll be playing this Sunday on June 21st at 7PM at Otto’s Shrunken Head in Manhattan. Come on down for, much like that wildebeest, it’s free! Unless it gets abducted by an alien and becomes a prime representative of our species for exploratory dissection. Thanks wildebeest! Details on the show can be found on my Tour page.

This show will also mark the first live show I’ve played with a bass player in the fold! Please welcome Joe “Joey Baby” Pepitone to the fold. He’ll be holding down the low end and I’m very excited to have him on board.

In two weeks I enter the studio to start demoing songs for my next album. The new songs are coming out great and I look forward to sharing some early recordings with you soon! This time I’ll even remove my bodily fluids from them. If you want a sneak peek soon, then come to the Otto’s show – where we’ll be unveiling at least 5 new songs. Who knows, Fred Hardcastle might even show up.

Joe Renaud, Joey Pepitone and I have been polishing these new songs up – and I think you’re in for a treat. So go to the fridge and make yourself a brownie sandwich or fried cat salad,

mmmm..... Cat Salad

then put on your reading glasses and peep these new song titles:

Show Me Tomorrow

Conversations with a Knife

The Stolen

Old Sad Laughter

Kingdoms

Wreckage of Liars

Caught in the Wheel

They’re so awesome I italicized them.

More soon, things are in the works.