Welcome Home, ScoMo

Last Friday I picked Scott up from the airport.  He’s back in Nebraska now, after six months-ish playing music on cruise ships.  His cell number and email are the same, so welcome him home, see his photos, and hear his stories if you can!

I played a bunch of new CDs for him, he played me some South American music, and he heard h&s’ “Snow is a Bear” from XMAS for the first time (weird!).  I had only given him written instructions to record a lesser-known carol in A minor, and anything else he thought might fit my description of the tune (which is where is mini-fantasia on “Ukrainian Bell Carol” came from.  You can hear it during the song’s bridge).

Are you guys ready for another recipe?  I’ll try to post one (or more?!) this weekend.  -h

50B Practice Tape

Update – Thursday, 9:43 AM – The new jams are UP at myspace.com/fiftybearsinafight 

Hey all – just quick – Fifty Bears in a Fight, including Drew, made a five-song practice tape tonight just so we can hear what the hell we’ve been up to. I’m dropping it into ProTools as I type, and will have it up at our myspace this weekend. It’s pretty rough and out of control.

In a few spare minutes, I’ve also started tracking bass and keys for my upcoming There is Something and not nothing. That’s pretty wild, too, I think. I’ll probably have to do an acoustic version, just to prove it’s me.

5*Matt told me that 5*Joel has a gig this weekend playing guitar in the studio for a girl who’s going on America’s Got Talent! or some such show (I have a TV now, but no cable or even bunny ears, just DVDs). So he’s had to learn a bunch of Hannah Montana songs, but he’s getting *paid*! How rad is that?

Speaking of Hannah Montana, I’ve been arguing with my cube-mate at work about whether her music is great art or not. In the process, I’ve come up with a new way to talk about how I think aesthetic value works. Remind me to tell you next week; tonight I’m not feeling well, so I’m going to bed and read “The Golden Compass” while the practice tape continues to play through. -h

Byrne and Yorke on the Music Biz

See WIRED mag’s article “David Byrne’s Survival Strategies for Emerging Artists,” with links to his interview with Thom Yorke.

What is called the music business today, however, is not the business of producing music. At some point it became the business of selling CDs in plastic cases, and that business will soon be over. But that’s not bad news for music, and it’s certainly not bad news for musicians. Indeed, with all the ways to reach an audience, there have never been more opportunities for artists…

…So where do artists fit into this changing landscape? We find new options, new models.

Where there was one, now there are six: Six possible music distribution models, ranging from one in which the artist is pretty much hands-off to one where the artist does nearly everything. Not surprisingly, the more involved the artist is, the more he or she can often make per unit sold. The totally DIY model is certainly not for everyone — but that’s the point. Now there’s choice.

Byrne maps out the territory of the post-CD music business, and his six possibilities range from Madonna’s new deal at one end of the spectrum to the fully DIY at the other. All pop (in the broad sense) artists should be thinking consciously about where they’re trying to fit on the spectrum.

~

As I’ve distributed burned copies of XMAS this year, several people have tried to pay me for the discs. “It’s not like that,” I explain with some difficulty. “We give our music away.”

But in the interview with Byrne, Thom Yorke said something that’s nagged my memory since the start of Mr. Furious Records. He’s talking about Radiohead’s recent decision to let people name their own price, including zero, for downloading In Rainbows (my emphasis); “…it was really good. It released us from something. It wasn’t nihilistic, implying that the music’s not worth anything at all. It was the total opposite. And people took it as it was meant. Maybe that’s just people having a little faith in what we’re doing.

I’ve always been concern that the implication of Mr. Furious’ distribution model is that our music is worthless. In a consumerist culture, where price largely determines value, what is free is often understood as something that can’t be sold.

Radiohead (and, to be fair, other artists who pioneered the model in the past couple years) have found a way around this conundrum, creating a model that is both a critique of consumerism (you can choose to have the album for free) and allows for an expression of value in a way that is understandable in the wider culture (you can pay what you want).

So the question is;

Assuming the technical and person-hour obstacles can be overcome, would it be a good idea for MFR to release albums this way?

AV's Best of the Year, Archive, Fifty Bears, Something, and a Message from ScoMo

The Onion AV Club’s Best-of-2007 list is the… best… one I’ve seen around the web. Since I don’t hear *everything* like journalists do, and many of my greatest listens this year have been older stuff I’m getting into (Depeche Mode & Spoon are notable), I feel unqualified to offer a list. I’m sure Cory and I will cobble something together under a header other than “Best of 2007,” though.

I was mildly surprised by the presence of Low’s record in the # 17 slot because it hasn’t been on a lot of other lists. Same with Jesu at # 12, Bloc Party at # 10, and Band of Horses all the way up at # 5. But that’s why I like the AV Club’s list; they seemed to step back and take the year as a whole, seriously considering who made great music this year (as opposed to what has been fashionable (Pfork) or indie-popular (everyone else) in 2007).

The AV Club’s flexible points-based rating system is also a cut above the standard procedure; they explain their methodology in the article.

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Archive.org has been slow this week, making it hard for some folks to download or stream XMAS. We apologize. Archive.org does us a giant kindness – makes MFR possible, really – so please be patient with them!

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In project-news Matt and I rocked with Drew as Fifty Bears in a Fight last night, and that was exciting. You may know Drew from such Lincoln bands as Rent Money Big. We are now seeking a singer with some kind of Big Rock Voice; a howl, growl, bark, or wail. This someone may or may not be influenced by metal or blues music, and may certainly be of any age, gender identity or orientation, cultural background, etc; voice is all that matters to us. Some singers we would have taken if they were available include Lemmy from Motorhead, Ozzy, Dave Grohl, the guy from Ladyfinger (ne)…

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This week I also finished writing a new record called There is Something and not nothing. It’s different, it’s catchy, and Matt will play drums on it. Beyond that, I don’t know what to say yet.

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Scott sent this message from south of the equator.  “These tracks” are his horn and flute parts in “Snow is a Bear.”

Yo h, It’s probably too late, but I checked and I recorded these tracks in the Atlantic at approximately

Lat: 25* 31′ S

Long: 44* 11.70′ W

I repeat…

Lat: 25* 31′ S

Long: 44* 11.70′ W.. wait I guess you don’t have to repeat over e-mail. Hope the holiday season is treating you well. Good to hear from you. Can’t wait to see you. Merry Christmas

sm

Nov/Dec Project Update

XMAS – It will be ready, in one week; same bat-time, same bat-channel. My new original song, “Snow is a Bear,” is nearly mixed and sounding pretty good. It’s nice to hear the sound quality and production improve from 2005. Not that I’m down on that stuff; but I’m happy for concrete evidence I’m not in aesthetic stasis. Cory may also have a new song – TBD.

5*C – I’ve started mastering for a new CD release that will combine our two EPs, and maybe another track or two. The Red EP has been criminally underheard; our own fault. But we aim to correct it in big way. We have also received our original sessions and stem mixes from Westend Studios, and we’ll be experimenting with re-recording some parts of songs (keys/guitars), without any expectations for what the results will be. At the very least, the new disc will bring together the original mixes from Sleepless Nights and Red, and that will be fantastic in itself. Anything more is pure frosting.

The Combine – Two more hours in the lab will knock out mastering on The Combine’s debut, and its banging. The guys are in the planning stages for a CD release. MFR will release an EP from the Combine simultaneously with their album; the EP will contain 2-3 album tracks and 2-3 exclusive songs. We are very excited to add The Combine’s considerable talent, and their status as our first hip-hop artist, to the MFR catalog.

I’m also writing/demo-ing a new record. It might be done before Boots, depending on the Boots cast. I don’t know what band-umbrella it’s going to fall under.

See my recipe for Sweet and Sour Winter Veggie Soup, as promised, below!  Fury gots to eat.

50 Bears, Rap Humor, and

Three great links this week.

http://www.myspace.com/fiftybearsinafight – The other weekend, Matt and I laid down a practice tape for ourselves and for prospective singers. I think you can hear pretty well what Fifty Bears in a Fight is all about!

http://www.jamphat.com/rap/??/ – Rap represented in mathematical charts and graphs. You can see the positive arithmetic correlation between money and problems.

http://www.cracked.com/article_15699_
9-most-badass-bible-verses.html
– Cory’s pick.

Sorry for the delayed post this week; next week, I’ll give you a new recipe AND a blog, OK? -h

Guest List: Cory Kibler

Welcome to the MFR edition of Pitchfork’s Guest List. This week, I asked Cory to fill you in on what he’s been up to lately: which tracks he can’t stop spinning, what books he can’t put down, and what new bands he’s caught on tour.

>> Favorite New Songs of the Past Year:

“Finer Feelings” and “The Underdog” off of the newest Spoon record Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga are both huge favorites. Hmmm… “Divisionism” by The Return off of The Arsonist (Plays the Architect). “New Slow Sea” by Sally Ride! Was that more than a year ago? I don’t give a crap! “Angel In The Snow” off of New Moon by Elliott Smith, which is an old song but the record is new, so I think it counts.

>> Favorite Older Songs at the Moment:

I just got Revolver and Abbey Road for my wedding, and my favorite songs off of those guys are “For No One”, “Here, There, and Everywhere”, “Eleanor Rigby”, “Something”, “Here Comes The Sun”, “Because”, and “Come Together”. I’ve heard both these records before I officially owned them, but I love getting new Beatles records because you just know it’s going to be awesome no matter what.

>> Favorite New Band:

My new band, The Sleepover! And, what else… new bands to ME include Led Zeppelin, Centro-Matic, and Neil Young. And I like these a bunch.

>> Best Recent Concert:

Ladyfinger (ne), Ideal Cleaners, Her Flyaway Manner and Paper People at Box Awesome this last weekend. I wasn’t able to actually see Paper People, but I heard they rocked. You read my mind, Muchacho.

>> Favorite Song Ever:

“Say Yes” by Elliott Smith is up there. “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea” by Neutral Milk Hotel is as well. A lot of songs off of The Photo Album by Death Cab for Cutie are favorites. My favorite MFR song lately has been “The Picture Song” by tape/echoes HOWIE BABY BOY-NASTY! I love that song. Out of all the songs Howie has written, this song is the song I wish I wrote the most. Or at least, it’s probably the one I could have written the most, if that makes sense.

>> Last Great Film I Saw:

Um, I saw “The Darjeeling Limited” and I liked that a lot. It’s much more of a drama than Wes Anderson’s other movies; it doesn’t have the same inane silliness. So it was hard to get used to. But I really liked it. I’ll be able to say more after I’ve seen it a few more times.

>> Last Great Book I Read:

“Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates” by Tom Robbins! I read this while in Jamaica on my Honeymoon and then finished it up just recently. Excellent book. I like reading Robbins at a slow pace because there’s so much literary awesomeness to appreciate.

>> Favorite Piece of Musical Equipment:

Um, my iPod or guitar? I don’t really have anything that cool.

>> Favorite Record Shop:

Salzer’s Records in Ventura, CA does the trick. And not just because I worked there; it’s AWESOME. Amoeba Records in Hollywood and Berkeley is probably the best place to records, though. Cheap, and they have EVERYTHING.

>> Best Purchase of the Past Year:

My guitar, I think? I bet that’s it. It’s a red Ovation fiber-glass backed job. It sounds great, especially since my old guitar (a learner’s guitar) kind of suuuuucked. But I feel bad saying that, since it was my first guitar that I owned. But yeah, it buzzed and didn’t say in tune.

>> Best Thing I Did This Year:

I got MARRIED, ladies! It was awesome!

>> Favorite Music Venue:

The Zoo Bar, Duffy’s and Box Awesome are pretty rad! The Orpheum in Omaha isn’t too bad, either; I’m going to The Slowdown this weekend though, so I’ll be able to tell you if that’s as awesome as everyone says it is. www.theslowdown.com is the link, I think!

>> Favorite TV Show at the Moment:

Grey’s Anatomy is always pretty good. Campus Ladies is awesome, but I haven’t seen it in forever. Is it still on? There’s some other show that’s awesome that I can’t remember. Maybe that’s it?

>> Favorite Radio Show:

None! NPR? UNL’s radio station, 90.3?

>> My Ringtone:

“AAANSWER YOUR PHOOOOOONE!” It’s me singing it! Over and over!

Boots Session

Cory came down to KC last weekend, and we held sessions for his songs for Sally Ride’s upcoming record You Have To Wear the Boots.  Friday night he tracked vocals and guitar in one live take for “Easy Kill” and “Into the Fire” – Saturday he did “Cracked Piece of Sky” and together we played “Harvest Moon.”

The main tracks for the album are now complete; next steps are adding the cast and company vocals, and adding some additional instrumentation (light drums, bass, and keys on various parts of various songs).

I’ve listened to it all once in the car, and am pretty durn happy with it all.  The extra vocals will add a lot, too.

We’re looking forward to a release in the spring.

Robot, Creep Closer!’s farewell EP, Real Awful, Real Quick will be released one week from today; same furious-time, same furious-station.

Cory, you left your toothbrush at my house!

Cory and I continue to improve our in-studio rapport; I hope this one was basically painless for the little guy!  Seriously, I used to stress him out while recording.  Now we have a pretty good time, including songs, jokes, salsa, babes, Mastodon, and walks to the pastry shop around the corner.

Artists out there; you should consider recording at my place, if only for the Boulevard Pastries!

-h