More cowbell

Music humor: a few months ago, on a bandtrip, I finally saw the legendary "More Cowbell" SNL recording sketch. If you have seen it, you know what I am talking about. If you haven't, go to More Cowbell. Ever since we've seen this, "More Cowbell" is always good for some laughs in rehearsal - and even more so in recording sessions. Bruce Dickinson..... I mean Christopher Walken.... rules!

Ukelele & Hawaii

Waiting for my next classes to start at Berklee today I spent some time in the student chatroom, and met Brittni Paiva from Hawaii. Brittni is 18 years old, well, she will be in three days to be really accurate :), and she plays ukelele, among other instruments. I went to her site and checked out her music - and promptly went to iTunes and purchased some of her songs. Her CDs include originals as well as covers, and the music is simply delightful. I highly recommend you check it out - I am sure we will be hearing more from this Hawaiian girl.

ArtWorks

Friday night we played for the opening of a monthly art exhibit at a gallery called ArtWorks. Their goal is "to make art available to Richmond collectors, buyers and the public and to provide a warm, open environment for artists and patrons." They have 75 studios where local artists show and sell their work, and some larger areas, one of which we played in last week. It was a lot of fun - a lot of people and contacts, btu most of all it was fun to be around totally different artforms like painting and sculpture - and still feel that same connection of creativity!

The Future of Music

One of the Berklee College of Music online courses I just finished is "The Future of Music and the Music Business" - a fantastic 12-week course for anyone working in the music industry at any level - or having an interest to do so. It's about the changes in the music industry and the near endless opportunities that are rising out of those changes, and if that sounds dry at all, it isn't. The course is both informative and entertaining, and approaches the music industry from a wide variety of angles.
If you are not able to take the course, consider reading one of the textbooks - "The Future of Music - manifesto for the digital music revolution".

Diana.....

... Krall, that is. I am a huge fan of hers, having discovered her music only a few years ago. Her new project was just released, it is called "From This Moment On", and the Cole Porter-penned title track happens to be one of my all-time favorite songs. I just bought the CD on iTunes earlier today and have not had the chance to listen to the entire project, but I love what I have heard so far.Krall has an amazingly sultry and warm voice, and it amazes me every time I listen to her that she not only sings but also plays piano on her albums. A quote from the liner notes from one of her earlier CDS: 'Diana Krall recalls her first conversation with the great composer/arranger, Johnny Mandel, she told him that she was both a singer and a pianist. Mr. Mandel replied, "Oh, so you're a hyphenate! Are you a singer-pianist or a pianist-singer?"'

Recording and Creativity

I spent about four hours last night at a local recording studio where our band is recording a song for a compilation CD that will be released in the Spring of 2007. The song is an original I co-wrote with two of my songwriting partners called "Grace in my pocket". I love recording - not that I have extensive experience in any way, but I love what I have been involved with so far, (four full-length CD projects and two singles). This coming Friday we will be heading back to the studio to continue working on our third project as a band, an album with primarily original music.

At first recording is weird, and tense (at least it was for me). It is an artificial environment, everything is augmented and amplified, and you hear every mistake you make. But what I love about recording is the creativity that comes with being able to take something you do and then improve it. Add to it. Change it. Experiment with it. Usually when you create music in a live environment, it is there and then it's gone. You as the performer, as well as your audience, are left with the memory of the experience - which hopefully is a good one. In the studio, you take what you do and then have the chance to make it into the best thing that you are able to - within the limits of your skills and the finances available of course. In the studio I feel the freedom to try things I would never try in a performance, and I also have the fortune of being surrounded in the studio with some people who can push me in directions I usually do not go by myself. Some of it is an experiment, and not all of it will ever see the light of day on an actual CD (actually most of it does not). But it is an amazing creative process and I love being back in it.

NPR Live Concert Series

Someone just directed my attention to the NPR Live Concerts site last week. A fantastic place to catch (online of course) concerts of artists you may not know - or maybe yo do know - I am definitely spending some time on this site!

The Business of Music

I am the lead singer, booking manager, administrator, and it seems like a hundred other things for a local Richmond VA band called Offering and this summer I have been taking music business courses at Berklee College of Music Online. One of my final assignments was writing a business plan for our band, and that is why I have not posted for a few days...... I have been buried in executive summaries and market analysis and product development and long term vision and cash flow statements. All I ever wanted was sing and play music and write songs :)..... but actually this business side of music can be a lot of fun too, it is just different, and it is hard work, like anything done well is.

Wired

The music industry has been going through a lot of changes in the past ten years, including the introduction of digital music downloads, the rise and fall and rise again of Napster, MP3 players that are smaller than a deck of cards, decreasing CD sales, satellite radio to just name a few. Wired Magazine has a great article this month on the current state of the music industry called "The rebirth of music". Thought-provoking, and with interesting profiles on artists, companies, and newer concepts in music like ringtones, simulcasts, and online music site Last.FM. Worth reading!

My love affair with my iPod

I have to admit it: I love my iPod. I am currently on my third one, a shiny black 5G 30 GB iPod with video capabilities (not the new one that was released yesterday, but the one that is about a year old). I started out with a silver iPod mini, because "4GB, 1000 songs.... there is no way I would ever fill that up".... yeah right. My 30GB iPod currently has 26GB nicely filled up, mostly with music, but also some TV programs, a few music videos, and a selection of pictures from my iPhoto library. I love the unlimited ability to make playlists, I love putting my iPod on shuffle and letting it surprise me with the soundtrack for my day, I love that it is small and looks cool, and is supremely easy to use.

Apple just released a new version of "my" iPod, and while it looks great, it does not have enough new features for me to even dream about upgrading. But they also released a brandnew version of the iPod Shuffle, which so far has been the format of a pack of gum, and either 512 MB or 1 GB of space. The new Shuffle - see picture - is positively tiny, clips on to your pocket, or belt, or bag, has a gig of space which will fit approximately 240 songs of average length. I have not seen it in real life yet..... but it looks perfect to work out with, and to take with you on places where you cannot or don't want to take your full-size iPod. I am going to have to check it out, and perhaps suggest to Santa that this might be a cool idea for under the tree this year :).

World Music

Currently I am listening to several CDs that have one thing in common - they are all on the Putumayo Label. It's a world music label that releases mainly compilation CDs with themes/titles like Euro Lounge, World Groove, and Acoustic Brazil. As I am writing this I am listening to Sahara Lounge, combining Western beats with distinctly Middle Eastern melodies. To me it is perfect music to have in the background when I am working, and it is definitely unique. Putumayo has more than 80 different albums available and this will be one label that I will keep in mind when I want to expand my music collection!

All things music

Do you love music? Do you find new ways of experiencing music - listening to it and creating it - energizing and interesting? Come hang out at the musictrends blog - I am a singer/songwriter/musician and love discovering new things about music - and I will try to post them every day!


For today, the actual start of this blog, I visited with friends of mine in Boston last week, and got some amazing recommendations on new music. One is a duo called Iron & Wine, a brother/sister combo from Miami. Great folk music, excellent lyrics, and one of their tracks was featured on the Garden State soundtrack. Check them out, I think you will not be disappointed!