My Writings. My Thoughts.

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals: Paris (Oh Oh La La)

// August 27th, 2010 // No Comments » // Music & Entertainment

It’s just nice to find some great rock and roll.

Love this album.  Get it on iTunes or Amazon -

via hulu.com

Influence

// August 24th, 2010 // No Comments » // Music & Entertainment, life

I’ve had a post in draft mode for months talking about influence in music and how we create what we create—  I deleted it today.  Simple reason.  My friend Matt Stanfield said it in a few short words and nailed it.  So today.  It’s his words:

Influences aren’t ideas we copy, they are concepts we assimilate. Those concepts merge and mingle, and the collective result is what sets you apart. It may even push you to do something new.

Tom Petty Makes Me Think Like An Old Dude

// August 13th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Music & Entertainment, Technology

I’m about to sound really old so here goes…


“They just don’t do it like they used too…” I’m talking about music.  Music in general.  The recording, the band, the sound, the writing, the live show, the professionalism…  Bands these days are trying hard to stand out for 5 minutes.  Many have a gimic or are trying to think about that one thing that can launch them to stardom.  Now I don’t blame the bands.  Currently we have access to hundreds of thousands of bands online.  We also have access to their fans telling us to listen to this one and that one.  Again, not knocking the band or the fans-  I’m guilty.  I try to share good music and artists that may otherwise go undiscovered by my friends.

The process of writing great songs,  being in a band, building a following and working your ass off to get noticed has moved to sitting at a computer, recording pieces/ideas (not days in a basement rehearsing) of a song, finding followers on one of the many social media networks, uploading a song to sell THEN start thinking about how do i play a live show and we should probably learn these songs as a band soon…   Yes, I know that is a bit of an exaggeration, but if you’re in a band you probably know what I’m talking about.

Wait! What does this have to do with Tom Petty???  I’m getting there I promise.  I’ve been to a ton of shows in this short life of mine (a way of saying I’m still young).  My first show was Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in the early 80′s at Starwood Amphitheater right outside of Nashville.  I remember it vividly.  It was awesome.  Crosby Stills & Nash actually opened up for Tom Petty last night… so it came full circle for me.

So… Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. I’ve been a fan for a long time.  I own most all his albums.  Last night I saw him live and it just hit me-  ’They just don’t do it like they used too…”.  Petty has written hit after hit after hit and continues to put on an amazing show to back up those hits.  He’s the total package-  he doesn’t have a gimic, he doesn’t change his sound every album to match what is out currently and he just does what he does.  Rock.

I’m not saying that Tom Petty is the only guy who has this figured out.  There are a lot of great artists and bands out there doing this.  This is just something that stood out to me last night.

Here’s a question.  Do bands like Tom Petty, U2, Rolling Stones, Metallica and other ‘supergroups’ have an advantage since they went through the old school music system?  They had heavy radio and video play back in the day when that was one of the only ways to discover new music.  Has the internet and new media outlets changed the music game that much?  I say, yes.  I’m not complaining-  it’s a fine line.  I love these outlets and discover great music that I’d otherwise not find but sometimes I just want great music that is consistent, real and a true reflection of who the artist/band is.

What do you think?

Goodbye AT&T. Goodbye iPhone.

// August 9th, 2010 // 3 Comments » // Technology, life

Yes.  I’ve given up my iPhone.  Don’t get me wrong.  I liked my iPhone.  A lot.  However, from a personal and business position I had to evaluate more factors than “is it an iphone?”.

I have many friends who have no problems with their iphones or AT&T.  I’m glad they don’t and I’m not here to bash the iphone or AT&T.  I do want to share some factors that brought me to this decision.

First reason, OPTIONS.  For a while, there were no real options for me.  I was in a contract with AT&T and I dug my iphone.  It was light years beyond other ‘smart’ phones.  Times have changed.  There are many options now including the Google Android platform… which is really cool.

Second, COVERAGE.  Yes, AT&T claims to have the best coverage.  And they may-  however that includes their Edge network which is not data coverage for me-  meaning, it’s not fast enough to be traveling and use.  I travel a lot.  I want 3G coverage everywhere.  Our new service has lined the interstates (where I travel most) with 3G coverage.  I now have fast data and phone service in the majority of places I travel.

Third, the $$$AVINGS.  With our new service, we will be saving over $50 a month AND we have more features, all that I will use.  This is where I can break it down and say this was a common sense move for me.

Our base plan on AT&T was the Family 1400 which was $80-
The second phone was $9.99
Data plans for both of these phones is $60
Text Messaging for each phone (basic 200) was $10
Data tethering for the iPhone  $20

That total plan is $179.99 –  That does not include tax and services.  We hit $200 pretty easy.

The new plan with Sprint and the HTC Evo 4G is base @ $139.00  (that is for two phones.  Unlimited data, unlimited texting, mobile 2 mobile calling on any network)

I added the Hotspot option for $30.  This lets me turn my phone into a wireless router so that up to 8 devices can get on the internet at any time.  No need to ‘tether’ one device anymore.

This brings our new phone plan to $169.00.  We are saving $10!  Wait, actually because of my business we were offered a corporate discount of 23%.  We just saved another $40…  In the end we save $50 a month AND have increased our data usage and eliminated our overages on texting… which happened a lot!

One other bonus is the 4G network that is rolling out this year.  The download speeds for data will be close to cable modem speeds.  Pretty fast for mobile computing!

For us, it was easy to make the decision.  I’ll keep my old iPhone-  it’s now an iPhone touch.  :)  I’m still a lover of Apple products.  Always have been and always will be.  My iPad will keep me happy no doubt.

Manic Bloom : New Music For You

// July 21st, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Music & Entertainment

As many of you know I’ve been playing and fighting this music business game for over 15 years now.  I’ve got a distribution label called Tone Box Records and it’s been fun.  Recently I started Velvet Farm Records as an off-shoot of Tone Box.  However, I teamed up with some pretty smart kids-  kids as in 13+ years younger.  All who are very active in the music business.

Our goal was to start an indie label and focus on bands we love.  We’ve taken our time and have recently signed and launched our first band.  Granted these guys were doing good things without us but they’ve decided to let us drive a little.  Manic Bloom.  These guys are great and I’m really enjoying working with them.  The music is good and right up my alley.

This is my post to ask for your support.  Today Manic Bloom’s album “In Loving Memory” hit the different digital outlets.

Not sure you wanna buy it?  Visit their site @ www.manicbloom.com // Like it and want a free track?  visit manic.velvetfarm.com to get your free download (in exchange for a tweet of course).

Get it on either of these sites (or your favorite digital spot):

Thanks for checking them out and even supporting indie music!

Double Rainbow!!! Double Rainbow!!!

// July 11th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Funny, life

This is ‘so intense’. This dude is awesome and it’s amazing how excited he gets over this! Not making fun. Would be cool if we could all wrap our minds and hearts around something that took our breath away.

At the End of Slavery

// July 9th, 2010 // No Comments » // life

This film takes you inside the violent and ugly business of modern-day slavery — the buying and selling of human beings — from the brothels of the Philippines to the brick kilns of India.
via attheendofslavery.com

Who Are The Influencers? You May Be Surprised.

// July 9th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Technology

Really interesting experiment by Fast Company to determine who the ‘real’ influencers are online.  With so many self proclaimed gurus, rockstars, experts this little test takes a look at real influence.  The only problem?  Not everyone will sign up to use it! And how many times do I have to repeat on Facebook and Twitter??  (don’t worry, I’m not going to bombard you).

So here I am asking you to sign up and be apart of this little project-  who do you influence online?  You may be surprised at how many people actually care you ate at McDonald’s this morning!

Give it a try-  you may even end up in the Fast Company magazine this fall.

Click Here To Sign Up…  Thanks for playing!

Let The Good Ole’ Boys Clean The Oil

// July 7th, 2010 // No Comments » // Technology, life

Probably need to stop the ‘leak’ first BUT this is pretty amazing. I think we can find enough people to buy hay right?

The World’s Reaction to Landon Donovan’s Game Winning Goal

// June 25th, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

via youtube.com

Truthfully, I don’t watch soccer. Haven’t seen a single world cup match… ever.

However, I did watch the last 15 mins or so of the USA game yesterday and was pretty impressed with how awesome that win was.

More impressive? The reaction of US fans. This video literally brought chills and happy swells in my eyes. Why? Not sure, I just love happy endings. Granted I know this isn’t the end of the tournament but just the end to that game. It was awesome.

Posted via email from This Is Pro-Posterous!

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