A couple of weeks back I recorded a live set with my old UK friends Painter’s Radio (formerly Canteen.) We did a few of mine and a few of theirs- including at least one tune from me you’ve NEVER heard- and the whole thing goes out Oct 18 on Blow Up Radio.
Lazlo over at Blow Up has been a huge supporter, and now he’s trying to raise money for a cause dear to his heart- anklyosing spondylitis, (early onset arthritis to you and me.) It’s a great cause, and besides, some of the other acts on the bill are killer! It’s worth a click, a listen, and at least $10 of your cash - even in these meltdown days. You get a free CD with your donation, too =)
(ps for those of you wondering what the hell I’ve been up to- emigrating, moving house, and lately, changing nappies! Don’t worry- more music coming soon.)
For those who were asking for a link to the full preview of ‘Skin And Bone’, it’s on last.fm for your listening pleasure in its entirety. Enjoy!
I had the distinct pleasure earlier this week to see an old NYC friend, Lach, play at the Borderline and turn the smoking ban into a rather lovely piece of performance art. Arthur Delaney, who was playing support, was an unexpected treat. I have a little video to share- video after the jump! Read more…
My cockles were thoroughly warmed this morning when I saw that the editorial staff at Ourstage had featured ‘Drinking Gasoline’ in their ‘Daily Dose‘ blog.
I keep on meaning to find the time to explore the site in more depth, but suffice it to say that I’ve been hearing some great music there. And, inevitably, some terrible music. There doesn’t seem to be an exact relationship between the chart positions and the quality, but then again, there isn’t in the iTunes charts either, is there?
It may not be a perfect site yet, but I’m very heartened by the fact that the editorial team actually listened to the tunes. For an independent like me, that’s not something you can take for granted. And it may be the closest I ever get to Bon Iver, and that’s something. =)
In the middle of all this emigrating malarkey I somehow found time to co-produce and mix the new Costello album. Dan, the titular bandleader, is a long time collaborator who lives under the stage at the Brooklyn Tea Party- the venue he runs with his bandmates. We walled ourselves in there without the benefit of AC for three of the hottest days of the summer and made a fine racket. Anyway, the album is nearly done, and Dan has posted one of the cuts for a first listen. Have a listen to ‘Tape Recorder’!
I’m a self confessed gadget lover so naturally I was in hog heaven when the new iPhone hit. And I just figured out how to make ringtones- so I thought I’d share! Download a freebie ringtone for ‘Skin and Bone’ here.
Well, it’s a bit of fun, isn’t it?
I know, I’m probably about a year behind the times, but I uploaded a few songs to Ourstage. I’ve never really dug these online ‘battle of the bands’ sites, but I figured this one would be worth a go.
Pretty much every other similar site relies on bands and artists asking their mates to go vote for them. So nobody actually ends up listening to any music. Some of them even want you to get your fans to send text messages at 50 cents each… leading to the awkward spectacle of musicians buying dozens of pay-as-you-go SIM cards and setting up impromptu phone banks with ALL TEN of their fans, and spending hundreds of bucks/quid on trying to win.
Fortunately, Ourstage doesn’t require any of that ludicrous crap. You go to the site. You listen to randomly selected tunes from the genre of your choice and you rank them. Since the songs are randomly selected, you can’t ask your mates to vote for you. And rather than text messages, they rely on the idea that once in a while you’ll hear something you absolutely love, and you’ll go buy it. So no cheating!
So- I’m NOT asking you to vote for me. But do point your browser at Ourstage and find some great new music. (Although, if you wanted to leave a comment on my Ourstage page, it would help me look more like a rock star.)
A couple of months back I heard that One Tree Hill were naming an episode after my song ‘Hate Is Safer Than Love’. I got all excited, seeing as the show has carried music from some of my favourite bands, but then I discovered they weren’t actually using the song. Bleh.
Hurrah, then, for Youtube user thexrafa, who made it possible for me to pretend, at least for a moment, that the CW played my stuff to 3 million people. Watch it after the jump- Read more…
NYC antifolk godfather Lach is coming to the UK for a whirlwind tour. He was a big influence on me when I lived there- he’s also a funny f*cker. see you on the 16th for the London show- full schedule after the jump.
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So it turns out that 2008 is the year that everything changes. About a month ago I left Brooklyn with Ms. Fishuncle to return to London. Emigration. Changing jobs. House buying. And here’s the biggie, parenthood. Coming to a crib near you in October! I’m off-the-charts happy, and everything rocks.
Here’s the thing, though. I love making records and sharing them with people. And that’s always been expensive and time consuming, and as any parent knows money and time are the two things you tend not to have a lot of with a kid around.
I’ve spent all this time trying to make the money required to not just make the record, but ‘market’ it. And the next record doesn’t yet exist, because I’ve been busy earning money and I haven’t had the time. See the problem?
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