The gazelle who trampled the elephant eyes her next prey
9 November 2009

"The gazelle who trampled the elephant eyes her next prey" or more simply, "Abby", is a previously unreleased song and will not appear on my compilation so enjoy the video! There will be 2 or 3 tunes released via YouTube that will not appear on the compilation, so check back next week when Geoff and I release our next promotional video. And don't forget to check out Geoff's new website!

Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?
1 November 2009

As promised, the above video is our first official promotional release this month. There will be another video next week. Let me know what you think. Geoffrey Osborne's website is now live, go check it out, the rumor is he's got a good sense of humor. While you're here sign up for my mailing list (on the top right-hand part of this webpage) - you'll get access to exclusive music and other media before anyone else.


Happy Halloween
31 October 2009

Happy Halloween and happy daylight savings to my friends here in the U.S. We get to sleep for an extra hour tonight... except Hawaii... and probably most of Arizona. Today I went up to Winchester, Virginia to see a Picasso and Matisse exhibit. I really like Matisse, but I love Picasso. I was also reintroduced to some great work by Jean Lurçat, definitely check it out if you ever get a chance.

Speaking of French and French-influenced art, I was introduced to some music this past week from a band called Flotilla, based in Montreal. They just released their second album "One Hundred Words for Water". I listened to it from start to finish and Veronica (the lead singer) has an amazing voice. Somehow it's airy like a cloud, but it still has power behind it. Listen to my favorite song from the album, "Charlie, I'm Through", below. Oh and they're playing in New York soon!

Don't forget to check back tomorrow because we're going to be releasing a video weekly during the month of November (beginning tomorrow!). Geoff's new website, GeoffreyOsborne.com, will officially go live tomorrow. I will also be sending out my first newsletter, so sign up for my mailing list (look at the top right-hand side of the screen) now! You'll get exclusive music no one else can get and see our videos before they are officially released.


If you've heard this story before, don't stop me, because I'd like to hear it again
19 October 2009

I've been so busy lately - I designed a new website for my guitarist Geoff (GeoffreyOsborne.com) and it will officially launch on November 1st, 2009. To promote the release of his EP and my compilation album, which are both tentatively scheduled for release on December 1st, we plan on releasing a new song on YouTube once a week throughout the month of November. The songs being released on YouTube are from a performance we did that was filmed at Lynchburg College for a television pilot. Other promotional activities and appearances are in the works, but for now we've got a show booked up in Arlington the day after Thanksgiving.

While I was checkin' the tubes I came across a forum post by Trent Reznor about the ever-changing music industry. It made too much sense. If you are a budding musician, I recommend you read it. I also found a short interview on YouTube with Tom Harrell. When he's playing jazz trumpet, he's a genius. When he stops, he's completely disabled by schizophrenia. His story is absolutely incredible; read more about Tom Harrell by clicking here.

I've been listening to a ton of female vocalists lately so below I've posted "At Last" by Etta James and "Pussy" by Brazilian Girls. "At Last" is my favorite recording and favorite vocal performance of all time. "Pussy" is crude and some would say in bad taste while others will love it, but the music, man! The music!


Become a product of your imagination
7 October 2009

Wow, this past month flew by. I spent a a week in Old Lyme, Connecticut and performed this past October 3rd at The White Hart with Geoffrey Osborne (our first time performing all original material). We had a great audience and great food. We also finished recording Geoff's songs last night for his upcoming CD release. Now we just have to get the packaging and distribution together, then release his new CD along with my compilation album. Then onward to our first co-written album.

Soon we will debut Geoff's website with his new songs and speaking of websites I created a website for my local music scene, uncreatively titled LynchburgMusicScene.com. Well today was a good day, I even got another email from someone in charge of licensing songs at MTV. I've been so busy with traveling, booking, recording, and performing that I haven't been able to keep up with the latest music trends. In fact I've only just read my new issue of Tape Op; will someone please introduce me to some new music?


The grass is always greener in a parallel universe where you did different stuff
8 September 2009

I can't believe it's almost autumn. Where did summer go? I just spent a week in Florida and didn't have time to post an update on the website, but our last show at Starbucks in Boonsboro was knockout! The picture of us performing was taken by my friend Bri, Kenya dig it? After the show a big group of us went out for mexican food and drinks - it was aces. I believe I'll be heading up north to Connecticut again in a few weeks, but when I return Geoff and I will be playing a show at The White Hart on October 3rd.

One of my friends (and former Disney World bosses and son of Foghat's lead singer) runs a music-based blog called The Peverett Phile and posted an interview with me. Thanks Jason!

Occasionally I like to include music news on this website, but I have intentionally kept quiet about Michael Jackson... until now. I just want to say, after all the hullabaloo that went on in the media - I don't care about Michael Jackson. However, he did own part of the rights to The Beatles catalogue. It seems anywhere I go now I see The Beatles because of the new Rock Band game. The commercials trip me out for some reason. In any case, it's time to stir the pot again.


She picked me up when I was down on the road with the wind and the cold
27 August 2009

Geoff and I are doing a short acoustic set at Starbucks (4925 Boonsboro Road) this Friday, August 28th (tomorrow!) at 6:30pm. It's free so I expect everyone to show up and buy me a White Chocolate Mocha... not really, but that would be delicious.

Apparently the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) has been going round making claims that if piracy continues then musicians will stop creating music and have no incentive to write new music. This is a complete fabrication. This is a lie. If you're pirating my music, more power to you. Many other musicians are itching to take the place of those who have already given their souls away to a major label. I don't even have to mention all the smaller, independent record labels that abound - giving us great music without shoving it down our throats or threatening to sue. Music is meant to be shared, interpreted, and even reinterpreted, but most importantly music is meant to connect us all.


Blues BBQ Co.
22 August 2009


The show this past Thursday at Blues BBQ Co. in Roanoke was so much fun! Geoff and I met some great people and having been the first time we played in Roanoke we definitely plan on returning. Thanks to everyone for the wild cheers, the support, the advice as to what's happenin' in the local Roanoke music scene, and the joyous atmosphere. Special thanks to Caleb for making the trip with us and helping us out. Extra special thanks to whomever rode his horse in from Stuartsville - a surprisingly effective way to meet new people. Our next show is Friday, August 28th at Starbucks on Boonsboro. It'll be a shorter, more intimate set, but everyone who comes gets a free album!


Voulez-vous danser?
18 August 2009

Look at this cool picture of me gambling. Know what's not cool? Losing $30 dollars in five minutes.

Autumn is just around the corner and I just returned to Virginia after spending two weeks in Connecticut at the beach - two weeks which absolutely flew by. I had a great time; life slowed down to a rational pace and I enjoyed the company of friends as well as a plethora of drinks, a bevy of beverages, and a cornucopia of cocktails. What's more is we caught and ate fresh lobster from in between Groton and Long Island, saw the presidential helicopter flying up the shoreline, eventually passing directly over us (Michelle Obama and the kids on their way to Nantucket?), and hiked, biked, and kayaked nearly every day. I also went to see Cirque at the MGM Grand - good show. I am golden brown from being in the Sun almost every day for two weeks. I will miss the beach at night when the moon is full and the sky is clear.

Geoff and I have an upcoming performance this Thursday, August 20th at Blues BBQ Co. in Roanoke. Definitely come hang out with us if you're in the area! While I was on vacation the late great Les Paul passed away and he had a huge influence over modern popular music. Apparently Bob Dylan was picked up by a police officer who didn't recognize him and thought he was acting strange. Click here to read the story, though it is written by The Daily Mail so take it with a grain of salt. It fits into Dylan's invented narrative though so it's an entertaining read. Lastly, Smashing Pumpkings gets a new 19 year old drummer. Remains irrelevant while doing so.[1]


Hands across the water
26 July 2009

Wow, nearly a month since my last website update! My guitarist Geoffrey and I have been working diligently on recording three new tracks for the past couple of weeks; they will be debuted very soon on Geoffrey's upcoming web site. My compilation album is basically complete except for the packaging and distribution details, so that will be released some time this fall.

I am headed to New England for a couple of weeks, but when I get back I am tentatively scheduled to do a performance at Blues BBQ Co. in Roanoke, Virginia on Thursday, August 20th. Details will be forthcoming. Geoffrey and I will also begin working on a new album of original material. We're planning a few shows around Virginia in the not-to-distant future so I recommend signing up for the mailing list - it's on the top right hand side of this page - that way you'll be notified when we're playing and get even more free music.

In recent music news, a Modest Mouse moved to my home town. In completely unrelated, but really cool news, new Mozart piano music was discovered.


For musicians
25 June 2009

This update is mostly for musicians and music lovers. The only personal news that I have to report is the near-completion of my compilation album (the new track sounds great thanks to my guitarist Geoff's rhythmic precision and skillful use of a wah pedal). We're also recording three of Geoff's original tracks which will appear on his upcoming website. We're working diligently on booking more performances. A non-sensical aside: check out this hilarious story from the BBC entitled 'Stoned wallabies make crop circles' - Australia sounds fun!

For the music lovers a 35,000-year-old flute was found, making it the oldest musical instrument on record. From the article: The wing bone of a griffon vulture with five precisely drilled holes in it is the oldest known musical instrument, a 35,000-year-old relic of an early human society that drank beer, played flute and drums and danced around the campfire on cold winter evenings, researchers said Wednesday. Legendary.

For the music makers, you might want to check out Twitter. Twitter users are apparently big music lovers. In case you haven't been paying attention to the news recently and don't know what Twitter is, Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read each others' updates, known as tweets. The internet is an invaluable resource for musicians, especially forums such as the HomeRecording.com board. A recent thread on Reddit details some great ideas about booking live shows as a new act.


Florida follow up
10 June 2009

Geoffrey and I have already begun booking more performances in the past two days. We've also begun recording several of Geoff's original songs which will be posted on his new website once it's complete. This week should be the last week of recording for my compilation album as well.

Before the Florida tour began Geoffrey and I hit the mean streets of downtown Lynchburg, Virginia late one night and ended up doing an impromptu performance at the Farmer's Market. So if you've never seen us perform live before then definitely click here to watch it - it was pretty windy that night!

As for the Florida tour check out the freshly uploaded pictures on my Flickr photostream. Again I'd like to thank everyone who helped us out along the way during this past tour. It was the best tour I've ever been on.


Florida tour a success
8 June 2009

I had such an awesome week in Florida. The gig in Orlando was great and everyone at Meridian Hookah rocks. We spent the entire day Friday walking around Epcot and Hollywood Studios at Disney World! The following day we traveled up to Tallahassee where we performed at the Crawfish Festival at Po Boys with the Drew Tillman Band. There was a great crowd and good food. We met some extremely cool folks that are into music as much as we are (hi Linda and Kevin). Thanks to everyone involved for a great time. Geoffrey and I plan on going back to Florida again, but now we're back in Virginia getting ready to record and do more performances around the area. I'll try to get some more pictures posted soon.


A hookah smoking caterpillar
5 June 2009

Yesterday Geoff and I ate Italian food in Orlando for lunch before heading to Downtown Disney where we walked around for awhile before it started raining. Afterwards we went to Pei Wei and ate some delicious Asian cuisine. Last night we played our best show during this tour at Meridian Hookah in Tampa. We met some great people (hey Kate, Amanda, and Kim!) and everyone working there was amazing. Tonight we play the Meridian Hookah in Orlando and if last night is any indication then tonight is going to be incredible.


St. Augustine
4 June 2009

Yesterday we spent the better half of the morning searching for a PA rental and after much frustration we found someone who would rent us a PA and it sounds amazing! I don't know why we didn't rent one before. Afterwards we traveled for about two hours over to St. Augustine and according to the wholly unreliable Wikipedia it is the oldest continuously occupied European city and oldest port in the continental U.S.

We saw the Castillo de San Marcos, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine, the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse, the St. Augustine Lighthouse, and we walked around Flagler College. It was great - we had no real plans until our performance later that night so we stumbled upon all of these great sites by chance. It felt like we walked everywhere in St. Augustine! Pictures will be forthcoming.

Later we played a rockin' concert at Zhanras, perhaps one of our best. Everyone was great and following our show we made our way to Orlando to cut down the drive time to Tampa. Now we're relaxing in Orlando before we head over to perform at the Meridian Hookah lounge in Tampa. Then we'll be back in Orlando tomorrow playing the Meridian Hookah lounge here.


Is this thing on?
3 June 2009

Last night was our first foray into the cultural lives of Floridians and all things considered it wasn't bad for a Tuesday night. Our PA broke though, so we had to play the entire show without amplification, but it was an intimate crowd so it worked out. Everyone was really great last night - thanks to Sharab Lounge, Shimal, and Eric for letting us do our thing. Our mission today is to have a working PA by 9pm, or at least amplification for our vocals. Now we're off to St. Augustine and then Tampa!


Once more unto the breach
29 May 2009

Dear friends, it is with great pleasure that I announce a tour of Florida in the coming week. It will be acoustic and I will be accompanied by my friend Geoffrey Osborne. Here are the dates and times:

I'll be updating this website from the road and when we return we will continue performing indefinitely within a 200 to 300 mile radius. We'll also begin recording.

Often creativity is stifled when money gets involved, listen to this heartbreaking phone call between Buddy Holly and his former record label essentially revealing that Holly's contract won't allow him to make use of his own songs even though the label won't release them. At the moment I am label hunting and stories like these are frightening. For now though I need not worry about what I do with my own music and as such I can give it away for free or allow others to modify my work. Geoffrey Osborne, who will be touring with me, arranged a song of mine called 1952 in the style of a Super Mario Bros. video game. It rocks! Download the original song as well as Geoffrey's arrangement (chronologically titled 1982) below.


Cognitive Dissonance
19 May 2009

Geoffrey and I are rehearsing for our upcoming tour in the South. He and I will be doing more performances regionally in the coming months. That compilation CD of mine is still in the works and I've got plenty of original material too. I finally have more time to work on music! I also updated this website in a subtle way - on the "Events" page it is now possible to view pictures that were taken. Below is a demo song I recorded recently, but don't think I'll use, although I would love to hear some feedback about it. I think I'll post a Mario Bros.-themed cover of one of my own songs next time.


The White Hart
28 April 2009

Not much of an update other than to announce that I will be playing a show at The White Hart this Saturday, May 2nd at 7:30 pm. It's going to be fun. Other than that I'm ridiculously busy finishing a thesis. I have had a dry spell lately in finding new music that really excites me, but that dry spell is over! I have found Dr. Dog! And they've only been around since 1999. ;)


I speak in codes
20 April 2009

One of my friends suggested I discuss what it is that I actually do as far as the business of music goes... how I write songs, how I organize concerts, how I record, etc. I ruminated on the subject for some time before I realized how difficult it would be to describe, almost as difficult as maintaining the discipline necessary to be a modern musician. I hear "no" a lot, which is why persistence is vital. Persistence does pay off - I just got an email from MTV asking me to send in my albums.

I could go on about how I have been involved with music since before I can remember being conscious. Although without the Internet I wouldn't have been able to teach myself how to play guitar. I could go on about how every song I write originates from my environment rather than my imagination and I steal quite liberally - "Fall in love again" is a rip off of The Beatles song "If I fell" in my mind. Likewise "Go back" is a cheap rip off of "Hey Jude". They may sound nothing alike, but to me they've got the same essence. Booking a live show is very tedious. I set up a database of venues and make cold calls all day, follow up with a demo and literature I put together and hope I get someone that knows what they're doing and has the authority to schedule live music at their venue.

Essentially it comes down to good old fashioned hard work. I put in the hours practicing, I put in the hours learning how to record, I saved up my money and got the equipment I needed, I put hours upon hours into research about booking, marketing, and promotion. The whole time I have to be able to separate the art (writing, recording, performing) from the business (booking, distribution, promotion, and marketing). It's just a lot of work - like starting a new business, I have to put in about 80 hours a week to make a living at it and must think of clever new ways to bring in money. CDs just aren't enough anymore. It's doable if you are dedicated and disciplined. I would love to focus solely on the music though.

These days it's difficult to give your music away, but I am doing just that. You may have noticed a place to enter a "code" on the left-hand side of this website. I am doing a social experiment of sorts - at Lynchburg Music, The White Hart, and Speakertree Records you can pick up a code card which will allow you to download an advance copy of my upcoming album for free. The code works five times so you can share it with a friend. Sign up for my mailing list (top right) and get even more free music!


Charity gone Mad Hatter
9 April 2009

Last weekend was a blur. We started the weekend by performing at a charity show on Friday night. It was held downtown in an old Firehouse. Several hundred people showed up and we opened the night, rockin' out with the likes of Blake Reams and Spuknof. The next day I made my way to Farmville and played to the most intimate, yet attentive audience ever at the Mad Hatter. The manager, Seth, was awesome too. Afterward Geoff and I were invited to a grand Sunchase party. If any photographs make their way to me from either event I'll post them on Flickr.

Spinal Tap has announced a one date world tour! I also found an interesting, albeit brief article called "Why do songs get stuck in my head?".

Haven't been paying attention to the music scene lately? Check out this article detailing how to fake being a music expert. For every musician and musician-to-be out there I found a great tutorial outlining a step-by-step approach to songwriting - follow this guide and you'll be writing hit songs in no time. My own approach to songwriting was very similar when I began, although I doubt I could have articulated it as well as this guide does.


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