DM SHOWCASE AT ACADIA IN MAY

MARV WILT COVERS ERIC VANKIRK

I had a great time opening up for Hyphon, Witness, and Def Mek at the Eagles Club on Friday. I was able to perform some solo material as my alter-ego Marv Wilt with friends and fellow Brilliant Beast bandmates Eric Whalen (drums) and Jordan Porter (bass on two songs). Below is a video of Mr. Whalen and I covering the song Expletive Deleted from madcap Rochester, MN songwriter Eric VanKirk's album Acousticalia. Click HERE to hear Eric's original version of the song. Click HERE to hear some of the original material I've recorded at Brahman Shaman's Ghost in My House Studio.

CHORUS + VERSE = NICK SHATTUCK + BRAHMAN SHAMAN

Congrats to Nick Shattuck, whose debut album will be released next week.  He is also on the cover of today's issue of Second Supper. His album, Chorus and Verse, was engineered and produced by Driftless Music's own Brahman Shaman at his Ghost in My House Studio. Nick had many good words to say about working with him:

• When asked to describe Olson’s producing style, Shattuck praises both the helmsman’s forthrightness and restraint. “I would recommend anyone to go to his studio. Matt’s got great equipment, but more importantly he has a lot of experience. He knew that it was my first album and pretty much my first experience in a studio environment. He knew how to play to that and when to be demanding. At the same time, he realized that this is my project and that I have the ultimate say.”

I had the pleasure of booking Nick for one wild night at the Hei 'n Low Tap in Winona a few years ago and can say with certainty that he is one of the more passionate and determined musicians playing in the Driftless Region these days.  I wish him nothing but the best with the new album and beyond.
 
Read the entire Second Supper article HERE
Check out Chorus and Verse HERE

NEW LIFE FOR A PAIR OF ST PAUL THEATRES?

I've been following the stories of two vacant Saint Paul theatres for a while now and they both seem to be catching my attention more and more lately...

One is the Victoria Theatre located at 825 University Ave, between Victoria and Avon, in Frogtown. As THIS article in the Star Tribune explains, it used to hopping place back in during the prohibition era and an amateur historian recently discovered that one of the 84 songs from the 1952 "Anthology of American Folk Music"--a collection cited as a major influence of the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, the Byrds, and the whole folk music revival of the late 50's and early 60's-- was recorded there. The song is actually called "Moonshiner's Dance" and was recorded by the house band as an"audio flier" . Needless to say this caught the attention of the feds and the speakeasy was eventually raided.

AW2H ALBUM NOW ONLINE (FREE DL)

My first real foray into to the music business happened in 2004 when I formed a power trio called Accident Waiting to Happen with Root Note booker & co-owner Alex Johnson and Imaginary Jack drummer Eric Whalen. In 2006, we were very fortunate to have Eric's extremely generous uncle fly us to Memphis, put us up in a downtown 4-star hotel, and arrange for two nights of recording (enough for 3 songs) at the legendary Sun Studio (i.e. the "birth place of rock n' roll").

We released them along with some other tracks recorded in St. Paul on a nine song album in June of 2007 called The War Over Who Loves Who More. I remember playing some memorable shows that year too: The Lounging in Romance Festival; Stasiu's Place with Jacques Wait as our soundman; the Varsity Theater with ZibraZibra; the Turf Club with First Communion Afterparty; the Warehouse with Awesome Car Funmaker; and one of the last shows at the Acadia Cafe's old (and more music-friendly) location on Franklin & Nicollet. We disbanded on good terms after a Big V's show in March of 2008 (with Monica & the Molecules!)

STUDIO UPDATE: IMAGINARY JACK

Local folk-rock quartet Imaginary Jack is in the process of inking a record deal with Darren Jackson's indie label Speakerphone Records. Jackson is currently been producing and recording the bands forthcoming (and still untitled) full-length album in his personal studio. The word is that he has been a very "hands on" producer thus far, pushing the band to dig deeper and record a "great" album.


Jackson is no novice, with over a decade's worth of experience making "great" records with Kid Dakota, The Hopefuls, and Alva Star, among others. He shared some insight on producing albums on the Creepy Sleepy Show Podcast in 2006. Have a listen HERE.

Imaginary Jack has developed considerably over the past several months since versatile drummer Eric Whalen (The Brilliant Beast, ex-High Fashion Wigs, ex-Accident Waiting to Happen) joined the group. Many of the songs they are currently recording and performing live were already released on one of their previous albums or EPs. Those recordings do NOT do justice to where the band is at now. The difference between today and 2007, of course, is the confidence and cohesiveness the band exudes. Whalen's addition to the group is no small part of that--The former drummer had an 18-piece drum kit and a busy, thrash metal style that did not complement the band's overall sound well. Their growth is also a testament to the idea of "living with songs" for a while before you record them. Their live show (and most likely their upcoming album) is very tight and nuanced; showcasing their musicianship, unyielding unity, and clear knack for textured arrangements.

DIGITAL SIGNAGE & THE ANIMIST IN ME

I am a big fan of Music Think Tank--a blog that has been generating some very constructive dialog about the future of the music business from a diverse cast of writers for some time now. My favorite writer happens to be Bruce Warlia. A brief post of his called "Keep Shooting HD Music Video and Related Material" caught my eye back in November. The post got me thinking about the explosive growth that the digital signage industry is going to experience over the next few years.

Audio & music go hand in hand with video and I get excited thinking about the mass-exposure potential for music and other multi-media art. I thinking here about retail establishments, bars, music venues, art houses, cafes, etc. Messages / markets are targeted and the need to post fliers or other print media is also reduced. I saw a post recently (I can't find it right now!) that had pictures of stackable LCD cube screens, similar to the ones used in sporting areas, configured in a unique concert stage set-up. The creative, educational, or artistic potential for this increasingly accessible technology is exciting.

However the animist in me is disgusted by what this means for billboards--on highways and in our parks, scenic areas, and neighborhoods. Saint Paul has the most billboards of any city in Minnesota with 561. Although, it should be noted that one of the many reasons I enjoy working downtown Saint Paul is its character--no billboards, Victorian Architecture, and a few red-brick streets & intersections. Compare that description with the much more vibrant, yet more aggressive, downtown Minneapolis landscape--a pair of large digital signs at 7th and Hennepin, lazerbeam-focus speakers pumping muzak from restaurants & hotspots, lots of bright lights & billboards, and a post-modern blend of various architectural styles. Sure its got it goin' on, but downtown Saint Paul just feels like home to me.

AUDIO-MASTERING: Dynamic Range Explained - Thoughts from Ghost in My House Studio

What is audio-mastering, what does it do, is it necessary, and most importantly, why is audio-mastering important to an independent musician?  Before mastering my new double-album Animist, I spent a lot of time trying to answer these questions.

Simply put, audio-mastering makes your music louder.  In other words, mastering is the difference between the volume level of (insert any major commercially released album here) vs. the volume of the album you recorded on your laptop or 4-track recorder.  If you are not sure what I mean, just compare the volume of your favorite major label CD vs. the volume of a CD you recorded yourself.

Although the subject of mastering is much more complex than this, volume level is good place to start.  Volume, or how loud a CD sounds is directly tied to the dynamic range of the recorded audio.  Dynamic range is simply the range in decibels between the softest and loudest parts of a recording.  However, it is important to remember that dynamic range is measured in the aggregate, i.e the dynamic range of a particular recording is based on a collection of the peaks and valleys of the audio signal as opposed to anyone particular peak or valley.

For example:

AKAI

The Driftless Music monthly concert series on third Friday of each month begins February 19th. Performing at 10:30pm or so will be 8-piece Saint Paul indie/pop rock band Akai. Their CD release show will happen in March across the street at the 400 Bar, but you can hear their new material with us at Acadia for free.

The core of the band has been together since 2000 and people have told me since booking them that they are a very tight ensemble. Their web presence is absolutely elegant. Kudos to their web / graphic designer. Their video for the song "Breath" includes a man in a bear suit inside of a snow globe and has a very professional, cinematic look to it.

• Akai Website
• Akai MySpace 

LESS IS MORE - Thoughts from Ghost in My House Studio

This is the first of a regular series of blog posts by Brahman Shaman from his Ghost in My House Studio. Look for more posts from Driftless Music artists and partners in the future.

Less is more.  The less we have of some-thing the more we enjoy it. Whether that thing be music, relationships, food, alcohol etc... Contrast is the spice of our corporeal reality.

In our youth the value of a $ is much higher than in our adult life. Aging not only changes our value systems but also changes what we value.

I recently sold all my cds (those in good enough condition for re-sale) to the local Deaf Ear Records.  I have about thirty cds left that didn't go to Deaf Ear or Goodwill.  I got rid of the cds because the mp3 revolution reduced their use.   Ironically, since I got rid of the majority of my cds I have actually been listening to cds more often.  Because I have less choices it is easier to make a choice.  I have rediscovered the value of the cd by having less of them.

The mp3, ipod, web 2.0 revolution has altered our experience of music in amazing ways.  One now has the ability to store hundreds of albums worth of music in a handheld device, purchase music online and discover and enjoy millions of artists from around the world.  In other words there is more music available, more ways to hear it and more ways to store it for later listening.  This "more" has altered our perception and enjoyment of music.

The iPod and similar devices are great tools for musicians.  The ability to store and have ready access to the entire catalog of music I have written all on one device is very useful.  Besides my own music, I have hundreds of my favorite songs and albums on my ipod.  While very convenient, this has reduced the value of any one album, artist or song because there is always more to listen to.  For example, I often find myself downloading a new album I am interested in, loading it on the ipod, I will listen to it once, but, if it doesn't grab me right away it inevitably becomes lost amongst the hundreds of albums already on the ipod as I choose something more familiar.

Any independent musician would be a fool not to embrace the web for networking and promotional reasons...