Tag: mp3s

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Too many downloads??

One of the uber-cool things about having this new webserver is that I’ve got a really excellent stats program that tells me all about who’s been visiting which pages they’ve been looking at, and what they’ve been downloading. I had no idea I was getting so many downloads!! hundreds of MP3 downloads a week, it’s remarkable.

Which begs the question, is there too much audio on the MP3s page? Is it stopping people from buying the CDs, cos the MP3s are enough? It’s a pretty bleedin’ selfish thing to do to download all the audio, burn it to CD and never buy the proper CDs, but maybe that’s what people are doing – I’ve made it too easy for people not to buy the CDs… I mean, I’m still selling CDs, but not in the quantities you’d expect given the amount of downloaded material there is off the site…

So, here’s the challenge. If you want more downloads, you gotta start buying more CDs! Lots of CD sales = lots more MP3s being made available. If you’ve not got all the CDs yet, then shame on you – go and get them now, via the paypal links etc…

And if you have got them, er, convince someone else to buy them…

What have I been up to? Well, on the music equipment front, I’ve bought a Mindprint Envoice preamp, which is absolutely lovely – really nice clean tube sound, with a great compressor and parametric EQ as well. I’m running it in the FX loop on my MPX-G2, and it just sounds delish.

I’m also in the process of negotiating a new amp deal, after finishing my working relationship with Ashdown – I’ve been using Ashdown stuff for about 5 years, and they make great amps, but a solo player doing what I do needs a certain kind of support from a company like that, and I wasn’t getting it. They seemed to have lost interest in helping to promote what I do, so it was time to head elsewhere. A shame in some ways, given the length of my time promoting their stuff (most of my students use ashdown amps, and I get about 15-20 emails a week asking questions about ashdown related stuff – BTW, from now on, it’s probably better to direct those questions through their website…) but also an exciting time, as I’m in the process of finalising a deal for a ‘signature’ powered cabinet – I’ve been after these for years, and Ashdown never made them. Finally, it looks like I’m going to get really hi quality full range powered speakers so I can start running in stereo. It should all be finalised by the end of the week, so I’ll post more about it then…

I’ve also spoken to Modulus, and my new bass should be ready in about a week! how exciting is that?????

Soundtrack – Zakir Hussain, ‘Making Music’; Three Prime, ‘Three Prime’.

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orders come flooding in…

…big thanks to everyone who’s bought the CD so far – lots of orders are in already, well on the way to covering cost before the CD comes out, which is always nice – it’s a slightly precarious thing this releasing your own CDs. Modern computer recording has made that side of it a lot easier, but without the funds to do blanket advertising etc. we rely on word of mouth more than anything, so please let your chums know about it…

Anyway – what’s been happening over the last few days? Well, Saturday was the Stop The War march in London – somewhere between 20 and 100 thousand folks out (usually split the difference is close – so say 50thousand), marching from Hyde Park to Trafalger Square. Much was made of it not being as big as February’s march, which is quite honestly shabby journalism – since when did marches protesting the complexity of requests to withdraw troups and playing poodle to Bush ever gather the same emotive response from the general populace as stopping the government going into a war that was at that point still avoidable?? Nonsense. It was a huge display of public unrest, with lots of the banners calling for an end to lies and spin, sick of Blair’s failure to engage with public opinion or even his own party. With the Labour conference going on at the moment, he’s getting a bit more of a battering, but still not enough. The party are refusing to allow a debate on Iraq at the conference – knowing obviously that Tony’s position is completely out of step with just about every labour supporter in the country. So much for living in a democracy.

Anyway, the march was good – it’s always nice to know that you’re not alone in finding the actions of the leaders of the west dispicable. Nice to stand alongside lots of very normal, but very pissed off people. The most moving group I saw was the ex-servicemen against the war group – decorated servicemen from the second world war saying enough’s enough…

So on Monday I went down to Eastbourne – firstly to fix Tess’ Echoplex, which wasn’t broken at all, and then to check the chromalin artwork for the new album, which was approved and sent off, with the delivery date set at the 13th october! how exciting – get those orders in now! :o)

Came back and headed over to have a play with BJ Cole and Orphy Robinson – our new trio of Pedal Steel, Bass and Steel Pans is really exciting – it’s cool because we haven’t taken written tunes in at this stage, just jamming to find the sound of the band, what works, what doesn’t, and lots of what we did on Monday worked. Hopefully we’ll be gigging soon

and talking of gigs, I’ve got a few dates coming up, it seems. Lots of unconfirmed but highly likely stuff. Just need to sort out logisitics to firm them up. And now I need to sort out a date or two with theo over the coming months…

Oh, and talking of Theo, there’s a new MP3 up from the extra disc – ‘It’s Not Gonna Happen’. The track’s called ‘As Long As My Arm’ and the MP3 is a 6 minute edit from a 15 minute track!

enjoy.

Soundtrack – Joni Mitchell, ‘Hejira’; Jughead, ‘Jughead’; Prefab Sprout, ‘Jordan The Comeback’; Steve Lawson and Theo Travis, ‘For The Love Of Open Spaces’.

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Evolution or Revolution?

The music industry is changing, that’s for sure. To do what I’ve done even 10 years ago would have been a heck of a lot more difficult and expensive to get off the ground. The cost of recording studio set ups has plummeted with the home computer market, the net has thrown the doors wide on forming underground niche networks through which to make a small-scale name for yourself, and online shops are waking up to the growing sales of independent albums (interesting that while the majors are all crying ‘foul play’ over file sharing, the indies are selling more records that ever…)

Maybe people respond well to having the chance to buy CD directly from an artist – I know I do! I love browsing CD Baby looking for interesting music, having a listen to the streaming stuff and then buying a CD or two, knowing that the artists are getting the dough for their hard earned work.

So is this a natural shift, or are we about to see the collapse of the industry as we know it? The mainstream charts are getting less and less relavent to your average joe – how many ‘big’ albums have I bought in recent times? Right now, I think I own two CDs in the top 40 – Athlete’s ‘Vehicles and Animals’ and Coldplay’s ‘A Rush Of Blood To The Head’ – that’s a pretty high proportion for me! A large amount of my time is spent listening to indie stuff, self produced CDs (with nothing to distinguish them as self produced other than the care and attention that’s gone into them, and the rather more matey sounding sleeve notes!)

But, if the truth be told, there are times when I wonder if the record company route might be easier – someone else to do the work. Then I read articles like this one by Steve Albini – he produced In Utero by Nirvana, and here outlines the details of a major ‘rock’ deal (some fruity language again, so avoid if easily offended). Thanks, but no thanks, I’ll stick with ‘jamming econo’ as the mighty Mike Watt calls it – the DIY ethic is a powerful one, and it doesn’t take much searching to find like-minded souls with whom to share a thought and a word of encouragement. I’ve met loads of indie musos through Looper’s Delight, the solo bass network, and just through gigs, web surfing, at NAMM and so on. Tomorrow I’m meeting up with a very fine solo bassist called John Lester, another solo bassist ploughing a furrow in London, and making some amazing music (check out his site, he’s great).

Anyway, I thank God I had the chance to go indie when I did, and that it’s all working out so well… looking forward to putting out the new record with theo, and then starting work on the next solo one! I’ve done loads of practicing over the last few days and am getting a few ideas together for new tunes… what fun…

Soundtrack – Terje Rypdal, ‘Skywards’, Duke Special, ‘Lucky Me’, and an advanced copy of Andre LaFosse’s album ‘Normalise’, which is marvellous. I mean, really really good! not easy listening by any stretch, but some of the most adventurous, funky, glitchy fascinating sounds ever to come from a guitar… Go and have a listen to some of the tracks in Andre’s MP3 archive, and then order the CD…

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Another MP3

Added another MP3 to the site, from the new CD… well, I didn’t add it today, it had already been added, but only the Street Team had access… …you should sign up for the street team if you want to swap your help in plugging the music for some exclusives, and hopefully cheap tickets to gigs in the future…

It’s be a webalicious couple of days – today I added a page to the site for the new album, and yesterday, I designed the site for the London Guitar Festival. I played at the festival last year, opening for Antonio Forcione, which was great fun. This year, I’m just on web duty.

oh, maybe you’d like the see the cover of the new CD –

– there you go.

The picture on the cover there is of Union Square in San Francisco – an urban open space! The rest of the sleeve is very nearly finished – I just need to add a picture of me, and we’re done.

Been listening to Sigur Ros a lot lately, and it inspired a couple of new sounds – some really mad distortion/reverb type things. Very nice.

Soundtrack – Right now, I’m listening to WYCE – Sarda’s laydee-friend is presenting the show. other recent stuff – Talk Talk, ‘Spirit Of Eden’; Sigur Ros, ‘Agaetis Byrjum’; Mo Foster, ‘Time To Think’; and the final mix of ‘For The Love OF Open Spaces’, and boy, does it sound fine!

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Updating the site

Did a bit of a site update yesterday and today – firstly I added a Paypal feature for selling CDs (and sold a load within minutes of it going live!), and then added a new MP3 from the new album with Theo Travis, called ‘For The Love Of Open Spaces’. The album is sounding so good, I’m really excited about it. The track in question is called ‘Uncle Bernie’ and I’ve taken a four and a half minute excerpt from the middle, just to whet your appetite for the rest of the album… I’ll change it in a week for another clip… :o) Had lots of good feedback already, so feel free to go and have a listen.

Been an interesting day chez stevie – the small person managed to spill tea all over her imac keyboard, which out of protest stopped working for a number of hours. much time was spent researching replacement keyboards and shops open on sunday. By about half an hour ago though, almost all the keys are back working, presumably as they dry out… hopefully by tomorrow morning it’ll all be back to normal.

Still, it was great fun dismantling the keyboard and washing all the keys individually!

soundtrackSigur Ros (can’t remember how to spell the title), Pierce Pettis, ‘State Of Grace’, Francis Dunnery, ‘Man’ – Francis is playing in London tonight, The Cheat has gone, and I was going to go with him, but never got round to it…

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(In)Discipline

In the middle of an interesting musical challenge. Am currently in the process of transcribing, and learning so I can record, a bass solo piece by someone else, for a UK guitar magazine. Normally, when I learn a piece, I’m asked to inject some of myself into the process – people tend not to ask looping fretless 6 string bassists to play generic parts, funnily enough – but this time, my job is to sound as much like the original as I can. How bizarre does this feel? very bizarre indeed. It’s not that it’s particularly difficult (bit’s of the tune are tricky, but not of it is actually ‘hard’), it’s just that it feels… alien! My tendency is to reinterpret the piece, make it more ‘me’. Not allowed this time.

Anyway, it’s all good discipline. I’ve got a couple of weeks to do it in, which should be fine, even with all my teaching in between, and finishing off the album with theo…

talking of which, Theo came round this morning to make sure the mix/eq on all the tracks was where we wanted it to be. So I reinstalled my fixed harddrive, which is working marvellously (God bless Ted!)

So we tweaked some of the EQ, I added a tube amp simulator to one of the bass tracks, and we listened. And we liked what we heard. And got all animated about how much we’re looking forward to releasing the album. Which should be available for preorder in the next couple of weeks. I’ll be putting another MP3 on the site before too long… maybe later on today. Watch this space.

Soundtrack – last night, top banana radio was back on air – paul’s v. fine show. other than that, Talk Talk, ‘Spirit Of Eden’ (on of the world’s perfect albums) and lots of the track that I’m doing for that guitar mag I mentioned above.

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amusing article

DIY Glastonbury – it’s not a new article, but I was just emailed it without the credit, but this seems like the source…

Soundtrack – nothing! I haven’t listened to a single piece of music all day, and I think that’s a first for me, for a heck of a long time. I’ve not had the radio on, not put a CD on, or an MP3 or anything. Nothing, nada, nowt, bugger-all. Very bizarre. All I’ve heard is the sweet sound of tennis ball on tennis racket. Ah, wimbledon fortnight – gotta love it!

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You've Never Seen Everything

a new Bruce Cockburn album is always a pretty big event in Stevie-ville. The new one, You’ve Never Seen Everything, arrived yesterday. I’d been forwarned by a couple of MP3s on the Cooking Vinyl website, but hearing the whole thing was still a delicious experience. Continuing Bruce’s flirtation with jazzier harmonies and more improv stuff than his late 80s/early 90s stuff, it’s also a surprisingly immediate album, with the usual inspiring and challenging lyrical stuffs. Some stellar basswork from Larry Taylor, John Dymond and Steve Lucas, and even a little loopage courtesy of violinist Hugh Marsh. All in all, destined to be a Brucie classic. Can’t wait for the UK dates later in the year.

Soundtrack – apart from the obvious, also been spinning Seal’s first album, Don Henley, ‘End Of The Innocence’ and more Coltrane. Oh, and MP3s of all the tunes I need to learn for the Lovesjones gig on Friday night

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I Don't Know What You Did Last Summer

right, I’m getting complaints that I haven’t done any top 5s for a while… so, in the spirit of the pathetic suppliment that came with this month’s Q magazine entitled ‘things to do this summer’ or something like that (that included stuff like dressing up as famous people and ‘buy these trainers’ – yeah, right….), I shall give you my alternative top 5 things to do this summer…

  • spend as much time as you can outdoors, but don’t get sunburnt.
  • go and see at least one gig a month by an artist you’ve never heard
  • read. lots.
  • If you’re going to go to festival, ignore all the crappy ones listed in Q that involve having your tent stolen and getting showered with piss whilst watching soem bunch of half-assed stoned clothes-horses play poorly, and instead, go to greenbelt
  • watch all the cartoons at www.homestarrunner.com.

a much better way to spend your time.

And if you want something to do now, email 3 friends telling them about the new MP3 on this site, and suggesting that they check it out before buying all of my CDs… ;o)

Soundtrack – today, it’s been King’s X, ‘Black Like Sunday’ – new album, got it through the post this morning. v. good indeed.

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