I'm playing a short-notice gig at Trabant. I'll be opening for Michael Trew and his band, the Sun Bears.
I haven't been playing out as much this year since I've been pouring all my energy into making the new album. I'm looking forward to getting back in front of some people again and knocking the rust off some of these tunes.
And I'll be happy to play your requests, provided they're songs I wrote and can play really, really well so as to spare us both the heartbreak.
Posted March 22, 2008
Remember how I bought a Peavey T-40 bass? There's a reason for that. I've joined a band, playing bass for Explone. We rehearse once a week or so, and we'll be recording (in a real studio!) in June.
I've been a big fan of Patrick's tunes for a few years, so I thought the gods were testing me when I saw his ad on Craigslist for a bassist. It's taken me a little while to get back on the horse after being a solo musician for so long, but I'm learning to re-socialize myself. It's also the height of awesome to rock out again with a group, work on my chops and engage in music scene gossip with real, live beer-drinking humans.
That's something I'm not getting from kicking it with FL Studio in the Folkhole. Anyway, I'll be posting about my New Adventures In Rawk as they happen, but you can check out some current Explone tunes here.
Posted March 20, 2008
So here's an update on my old-school publicity efforts for Save You From Yourself. I've been working on and off at it since February, mailing out CDs to press, radio and elsewhere, and I have to say: what a total PITA.
I started out pretty good. I did my research, carefully chose my targets, dutifully asked permission before sending anything, and diligently mailed out a handful of CD every morning or so. It felt good. Yeah! Gettin' things done! But things got hairy, fast.
For one thing, it's just so easy to fall off the wagon. You end up skipping a day or two -- oh, I don't feel like stuffing envelopes tonight, maybe I'll watch Lost instead -- and suddenly it's two weeks of nothing! In other words, it's a lot like going to the gym.
But that's easy to fix. You say "hm, I have fallen off the wagon," and get back to it.
No, the hardest part is following up. Which is also the most important part. For every CD sent out, you're supposed to follow up. Wait two weeks, send a message: did you get the package? Just checking! Wait another two weeks, send another message: get that package yet? Think you might listen to it soon? Rinse and repeat.
Eventually you reach a point where the energy you're putting into following up overtakes the envelope stuffing. Now you're spending those two hours each evening writing emails instead of sending more CDs out into the world. 98% of those emails will go unanswered. When answers come, they will be brief and often...terse.
Now, I'm not dumb. I know that writers have always on deadline, have slushpiles of CDs a mile high, and it can take weeks or months before CD gets listened to. I also know that releases being "worked" by known publicists and labels will take priority.
It's just repetitive, slightly demoralizing work. If I believed that CDs had a future, I'd recommend paying an expert to do this, next time.
That said, I'm going to continue. After what seems like weeks of work, it turns out I've only mailed out around 40 copies. Whaaa? That's not nearly enough to declare defeat. But man, it sure looked easier on paper.
Posted March 18, 2008
This article at Coolfer pulls together recent examples of musicians asking their fans to help fund new album releases. Jill Sobule raised over $80K from her fans, while the venerable Marillion raised over $725K. By the way, I was a huge Marillion fan during my college years, but I fell off the wagon not long after Fish left. Sorry.
I learned a lot when I did my own fundraiser and I'm eternally grateful to the folks who chipped in to make it happen. My advice, if you care (and you might not), is if you have any sort of fanbase, it's totally worth a try.
And if you don't have a fanbase yet, write a bunch of songs and give them away for free on the internet.
Posted March 13, 2008
I've been meaning to write about my publicity efforts for Save You From Yourself, but we have a FAR MORE SERIOUS matter to discuss, people:
I think my new album may be cursed.
Some evidence:
I sent a CD to a writer at No Depression. Two weeks later they announce the magazine is folding.
Then I sent one to an associate editor at a local arts weekly. She just got laid off.
And then I contacted a local radio show that features singer-songwriters, offering to send a CD. Guess what? They're discontinuing the show.
Coincidence? I have several theories:
I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions.
Unfortunately I can't really use this to my advantage. "Hey you! You'd better review my album, or I'll...I'll...send you one." That doesn't even make sense.
Posted March 12, 2008
Well, that didn't take too long. Use the link below to grab it:
Scott Andrew - Save You From Yourself - iTunes Music Store
...aaand, just a reminder that I'm still giving away bonus MP3s, posters and acoustic CDs to anyone who buys two or more CDs from Amazon, CD Baby or directly from me via Paypal. Just make sure to email me your Amazon receipt (with your sensitive info removed), because they won't send me your contact info.
Posted March 11, 2008
This is a song that didn't make the cut for Save You From Yourself. Not that there's anything wrong with it. It's a perfectly good song! But I didn't think it fit anywhere on the album. It's also thematically similar to "You Are Loved," except it's way more unsubtle with the flying/falling hubris metaphor, and I liked that song better anyway.
I originally planned to record this as an acoustic demo with the ashiko, but I already had the "real" drum track finished so last winter I laid down rock guitars and rock bass and rock stuff. Then it sat for awhile while Jim and I finished the record. I finally recorded the vocals last week. Lyrics-wise I'm pretty proud of the verses.
Lyrics after the jump.
[audio:/demos/Scott Andrew - Up In The Air.mp3]
This audio work by Scott Andrew is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.You're up in the air again now we lifted you up and now you're coming back down You're up in the air again now and now you're coming back down
I wanted to see you stumble just to see you in a less than perfect light the jealous ones, when you caught their eye you wrote them off with the perfect rhyme pretending you don't care enough but I think you just might you set yourself up...
You're up in the air again now we lifted you up and now you're coming back down You're up in the air again now and now you're coming back down
I wanted to write this all down so I'd remember what this felt like years from now you slipped away like we knew you would it's ten years gone and it still feels good remembering how I lied to you just to prove I could you set yourself up...
You're up in the air again now we lifted you up and now you're coming back down You're up in the air again now and now you're coming back...
[gtr solo]
Did you really think they were gonna let you win? you set yourself up...
[chorus]
Posted March 10, 2008
Posted March 7, 2008
This primer on how to read music is basic but still pretty awesome. I've always been a complete muggle when it comes to music theory. Years and years of lessons and one semester of Music Theory 101 in college -- none of it stuck.
Posted March 5, 2008
Overheard at a birthday gathering last weekend:
"Here's how you know: if someone refers to a regular die as a 'six-sider' -- like, 'hey, hand me that six-sider there' -- you know right away he's played, because that implies that at some point he's used dice with more than six sides."
See also: best Mefi obit ever.
Posted March 4, 2008