The New CD...A Real One, Too!

Today I'm taking a little time to enjoy the new CD that I and the other Shelter Dogs have been working on for a while...and hey, it's sounding pretty dang good! It took a good long bit for Pete to mix it down (there were some issues in the original recording) and a bit more for me to do my impression of a Mastering Engineer, but I think for a first album it'll do quite well. I've got the artwork finished (I'm starting to actually understand Photoshop now) and we'll do a short production run here in my studio, just to have some physical product. I know it would be cheaper and less hassle to send it out, but I have all the facilities here and I might as well use what I've got...for now, anyway. I'll send the next run out to the shop.

It took some time to massage the tracks into shape (I think next time we'll use the facilities at my place...my studio computer was down when we did this), but really, we did all the recording in about 12 hours! Two nights, everything live, no overdubs except for vocals which we did all the second night. Very Chess or Sun Records style! After doing one of my very technical records for the Beowulf Kingsley thing, all by myself for three years at a time, that's really refreshing. And I've got to say, the playing is marvelous. I'm so lucky to have gotten together with Tom and Pete, they're both such amazing musicians and the chemistry between us is so good. Those tracks were a joy to lay down! I'm looking forward to where this project takes us in the future.

I'm starting to feel that the physical CD is becoming an anachronism, though...how many people buy them these days? Anybody? I know I often don't bother and just go for the download these days, mostly because all the local record stores are mostly gone (with the exception of the soulful Encore Records in A2, selling used stuff), and because most of what I'm looking for is...well...eccentric, I'd guess. At least eclectic. But not having a physical package bothers me. Not only because of the very real danger of losing all your music if your hard drive blows out without backup, but because for the most part there's no feeling of connection, it's all much more abstract. Yeah, it lives on my PC and on my iPod, but I can't pick it up, I can't see the art, and liner notes? They're gone, baby, gone. Although there's no reason why a digital package can't have all that (and more), most don't seem to bother. So future listeners won't have any idea of who played on what, or who wrote it, or what the original art on classic LPs looked like, or how the artists felt about it, unless they go diggin' online. And how many will? I'm thinking very few.

But at this point I'm still reveling in putting together a CD. I enjoy mixing and mastering, and designing covers and labels...and at the place we're in right now as a band that's just starting out, really, having something to give to a club owner or to sell off the stage is very useful! And I'm proud of this band, I'd like to have people be able to take a little of our music home with them, maybe turn on their friends to it. Share out some of this good time! And I'll figure out a download site later on.

The Joy Of Promo

I've been working recently on getting The Shelter Dogs, our lovely and talented band, out in front of crowds that can appreciate them...and I tell you, I don't think I was born for this side of the business! Most of my life as a musician I've been a sideman, which has its positives and negatives...the negatives include having little or no say on creative input or song selection, being at the mercy of the bandleader's (sometimes questionable) instincts, and having no control over when and where you'll play. The positives are that you don't have to do promo, or to deal with bar owners, festival promoters and booking agents...stuff I'm now learning to do. In some respects its a very good thing, and when everything works out it's great, but it's a lot of hassle too mostly and a LOT of time on the phone, on the web, and designing and producing the material you need.

There are a lot of useful tools these days that we didn't have till just recently...Facebook, Reverbnation, Twitter (still have to work on that one), Electronic Press Kits, and just getting around on the web makes things a lot easier. But each of the social networks, promo sites, etc. all have a learning curve to them...which takes more time...and also, seeing just how MANY bands and performers there are out there is kind of intimidating. Not that I'm really too worried...I actually think The Shelter Dogs are an amazing band that has a great future...but just getting people to see 'em is the challenge. And hopefully not just at some sports bar where the big screen TV behind the stage is broadcasting the game! I did a sub gig with my pals The Blues Owls last month where we were doing that very thing...crazy.

So I've got some challenges ahead, trying to make ends meet while doing all this promo stuff (hey, and I still have to work on my playing and to rehearse with the band!), while dealing with family, friends and my lovely fiance. Oh yeah, and the seven cats...maybe I should talk about them in a different post though. That's a WHOLE other subject. Anybody want a cat?

Halloween Party!!!

Well, I have to say our Halloween party at the Tap Room with the Six Foot Poles was an complete success!! Not without its little bits of drama...I didn't realize the Ypsilanti Halloween Fun Fair was gonna be quite as huge as it was. All the streets to the club were blocked off when I got there! Luckily a friend of mine was at the barricades and let me in to unload. The streets were chaos as was the inside of the bar...when I got in the Poles were setting up, equipment was all over the place and for some reason water was pouring through the ceiling onto the floor everywhere!! I set my upright up in a dry corner and went to find Cynthia and Joelene, the singer for the Poles, who were both out on the street doing face painting for the kids (Joelene's regular gig). They had a line up the block of kids waiting! I stood by them for ten minutes but they were so busy they didn't even notice me. So I went back inside and helped set up the band.

All the mess and the water got cleaned up well before the audience arrived! A little later on the fair ended and the streets returned to normal, and people started flowing into the bar. Some of the best costumes ever were on hand, and a lot of people intent on having a great time...we Dogs played a big hour and a half set, and then the Poles did two hours, I think. Lots of fun was had for sure! I can't post up all the pictures here, but if you go to HERE (which is The Shelter Dogs Facebook site, a place you oughta know about anyhow), and go to the photos page, you'll see them. I had a blast! Hopefully we can do some more shows with the Six Foot Poles, they're an excellent band and great people, and it's just a super time doing events with them. Thanks especially to Joelene, who took the time to share her makeup talents and made up the entire band as werewolves!! We loved that...what's more fun than being werewolves? Not much, I tell you.

Farewell Calvin

On a sad note, this month I had to say goodbye to my little ferret pal Calvin. He'd been doing fine, jumping around and bothering the cats like always, but apparently he had a stroke and died while we were at work one day. I know that these guys don't live long...he was our 3rd one...but it's really heartbreaking all the same. He was a fun-loving, affectionate, hilarious weasel and gave us a lot of laughs and love. He also had a great life of fun, and was healthy and happy right up to the end, which is something we would all want I think. If there's a ferret heaven, he's up there, playing around...ferret heaven would be a very exciting and delightful place, I'd think.

In other news, one of the nicer gigs The Shelter Dogs have had happened last Friday...we engineered a Halloween party at our old haunt (sorry) The Tap Room with our friends in The Six Foot Poles, a great local band. Their lead singer Joelene, who is a professional makeup artist for film, worked the band up into werewolves for the show! It's fun to be a werewolf, by the way...Lon Chaney Jr. had it all wrong. Anyhow, many fantastic costumes were displayed, lots of great music played, creative hijinks were had by all and everybody seemed to have a great time! Hopefully we can do a few more things like that...

Return To The Blog

After a Spring and Summer of much activity and many travails, I think I'm up to starting to post some blogs again. I haven't been around, but man do I have some good excuses! It's been a pretty difficult period...at one point I had two funerals and two weddings in one month, I'm trying hard to get my new band off the ground (check out their site at www.theshelterdogs.com, by the way), Cynthia and I have been scuffling to try and just make ends meet with our business suffering in this crazy economy, and of course my "Little Friend" Bipolarity knocking me periodically into...well, if not total catatonia, then a sort of Walking Pneumonia state of depression where I get my essentials done and then just go lie down...so, as I said, I've got my excuses.

A hopefully quick update then: My old band The Anti-Gravity Kings is no more. While we went on hiatus for a few months (everybody was busy with their other lives) my dear friend and Kings Keyboardist Tom Wall died, quietly at his home from natural causes probably quickened by his alcoholism. He lay there for the better part of two weeks before he was discovered by Cyn and I...it was a very grim and sad thing that still haunts me. I had been calling periodically and getting no reply...and hoping that it was because he'd entered the rehab he'd been talking about...but apparently he'd just lain down on the couch, fallen asleep and his body had just shut down. He'd been so sick for so long, and he'd driven so many of his friends and family away...I hope that wherever he is, that there's some peace for him, and some really great music. It's still very hard to write about this.

My cat population has increased by two, now making seven and putting me firmly in the Crazy Old Cat Man category. Tom's cats, trapped in his house, had broken out through a screen window and were living out in his backyard, totally freaked out and dispirited. The detective who had interviewed us on the night we found Tom had left some kibble outside, but they'd run through that, and they were so traumatized. There was no one else to take them in...so now they're here. Anyone want some lovely cats? Both Winthrop and Inkster were in great condition, I think that at the end Tom was just buying whiskey and cat food. Nice animals...both glossy black cats, one small, one about 25 pounds! I guess we'll just have to keep 'em...they're very sweet and easygoing, and I guess I can deal with the Crazy Old Cat Man thing as long as I can afford the kibble and litter.

My new Beowulf Kingsley CD is essentially done...the mastering just needs a final tweak. I have the art and all ready to go, but my finances are so low that I've had to wait on it. Making these albums that only connect with an eclectic few (like hopefully some of you out there) are NOT something I do for profit, they're something I do because I must. That said, I think this one sounds really good, perhaps better than Arphus, and I liked that one a lot. Perhaps there's some genius marketing agent manager Brian Epstein kind of guy somewhere that can find the audience that will love my stuff, I don't know. As I say, I've been busy, and that kind of thing is obviously not my forte...but you can never tell what'll happen. Hopefully though, I can get some of these out before the holidays.

The OTHER band, my Rockabilly/Swing/Country/Old-School Rock ensemble The Shelter Dogs, are a going concern these days. We're playing out a good bit (check that website for dates!) and people seem to like it a lot. They were originally an excuse for me and Pete Bullard to mess around as a duo (and for me to get my chops up on the Upright Bass), but Tom Twiss wound up playing drums for us and it's just a really fine sounding trio! A lot of great standards, and of course some of the Beowulf Kingsley tunes get inserted...Bazinga, Hoodoo Stick, Gumbo and others. Apparently we have a CD coming up with them as well...Recorded in the good old-fashioned way, live in two nights. That was refreshing, and the guys are such good musicians it was easy and fun to do. I'm STILL waiting for Mark from Mac's Traxx to get the mixing done though! It's a little frustrating...I know he's got other fish to fry and he's doing us a big favor, but I coulda got that part done pretty fast myself. I'm gonna try and just get the raw tracks and do that, too, if he doesn't have time in the next week. We'll see what happens!

Booking The Shelter Dogs is part of my life right now too. I was always a sideman, so this is one of my infrequent forays into the world of booking and I have to admit it's one of my least favorite things to do with the world of music. I'm making a LOT of phone calls, and getting the ball rolling is painfully slow. I figure it's 30 to 50 phone calls apiece to venues before I even get a yes or no...I'm not kidding. Where IS that Mr. Epstein anyway? Oh yeah, right, I forgot.

In the mundane world of survival, Cyn and I are hanging on for dear life to our downsized cleaning company. Due to the economy we've lost several clients, which I hate to see but totally understand. This is not the business I'd choose to be in, but it's been keeping us in groceries (and kibble and litter) for the last few years and till our other ventures take off it's what's for dinner. I'm starting a new Di Medici Cleaners ad campaign this week, hopefully we'll have a few new places soon.

My folks have now got Personal Care Assistants in at their house 12 hours a day, mostly watching Dad and making sure he doesn't fall over or forget his meds. It's a great company and allows me a lot of peace of mind...neither I or my Mom can keep track of him every minute, and he's not always gonna use his walker. For a very careful man he's got an incredible talent for denial when it comes to his physical abilities. I'm just glad that his meds are keeping his Parkingson's mostly manageable, and he seems much more with it these days.

I'm starting to realize that I'll have to finish this update in segments, as this is getting to be a much longer post than I anticipated already! But it feels good to get some of this down, whether it's read by anyone or not. At any rate, for those that are interested, yeah, I'm still alive! Sometimes it's good, sometimes not, but there's a lot to like in life, and I'm gonna try to appreciate as much of it as I can. More later.

A much less serious statement of intent

I'm gonna make sure that I wear something colorful enough to scare the cats at least once a week.

I intend to post up songs that nobody cares about to a website nobody goes to for no particular reason.

I may stop over to your house and tapdance on your roof...don't shoot me.

I'll try to tell stories that amuse you, and play music that moves you, and if I don't suceed, let's neither of us get mad, OK?

I'm gettin' a massage once a week. Or more.

I'll try to get to be a better musician, and a better friend, and more psychic, and richer too...that part might be a trick though...

...And I'll try to make my next post make a little more sense.