The Remastered CDs are Ready to be picked up!

Since I had to remaster my CDs I had to get them reburned but I used the wallet cases from the first mastering (the one that I butchered...). Anyways, they are ready for pick up!

The next step after picking them up will be printing out my one sheet presskit and getting some mailers together for college radio, magazine and music blog review and radio play.

I just had to get the "glamour" ones. Oh yeah...

"Burial Ground" the first single from new album "The Longest Moment is Now" has dropped.

Burial Ground was a song that came together quickly. I'm glad it's on this album, I'm glad it turned out as well as it did, I'm super glad that Paul O'Brien, audio engineer and friend, recorded it with me.

We played a genuine hammond organ on the track with spinning speaker and all. I wish I showcased it more in the mix. Oh well, each part relegated to their position.

Here it is at last, out in the public.

Do It Yourself Music Video - Not Easy, But Sure is Fun

So I made my own music video... Now while that may have many people assuming it's gonna suck, just hold on.

Granted it's not slick but you can do some really super cool things with a laptop and a smart phone with a decent camera (which is every smart phone these days).

Firstly and most importantly, envision your music video. I sat and thought about it for maybe a week as I also was filming stuff around my neighborhood that I thought might be cool to be in a video.

Actually, the first ideas I had were epic. It's important to get these ideas out. and then out of the way. So then I moved onto thinking about practicality. I needed to be able to make a video for next to nothing.

After another week of mulling and shooting more video I felt like I had it figured. I would make some sort of trippy footage and then rear project it onto a screen behind me while I played my guitar in the fore ground. In a nutshell and that's kind of what I did except rear screen projection turned out to be disappointing and very difficult to look good. I managed to figure out green screening and that worked out best.

I should explain. I thought rear screen because green screen used to be a technicians job, not something I could do. Turns out I could and did do just that because technology has become so fluid and easy (hah, well comparatively) that I figured it out with a few youtube videos and some articles.

Oh, and a lot, a lot, a lot of experiments and tests. Making art, film, music is a lot like engineering. You've got the blue print, the plans, you understand everything pretty well, but until you lay your hands to the materials you won't really know if the peg will go in the hole, or the rocket will fly straight or the 10$ green screen made from wrapping paper, will actually work.

Yes, 5 rolls of wrapping paper. I did this set up twice for 10$. 

 I'll expand this post.

    

Mastering is Complete and sounds Amazing

So, one thing you should never, ever do is master your own music...

I did!

And then I pressed 100 cds and then... it sounded so bad I had to throw those 100 cds in the trash! When your life partner listens to the newly MASTERED music and says, "Hm... I'm just going to adjust the bass... Nope, that wasn't it maybe the treble is off... hm... nope...hm."

Then you know you're deeply fxcked.

And then when the president of your label calls you and has listened to 10 seconds of the newly MASTERED music and says, "What the fxck is this bullshxt?! Redo it, fix it! Holy fxck attack! No radio on the planet is going to play this shxt!" Then hangs up abruptly. You really know you fxcked up...

100 of these recycled... But hey 100 new ones on the way!

I then called Eric Williamson at IndiePool (who pressed the 100 cds) and humbly explained that I screwed up and would need ACTUAL mastering done.

Well, I just got it yesterday: played it in the car, the bad stereo, the good stereo, the mini speaker, the iphone, and the head phones. Sounds amazing. And I know because MY mastering sounded like garbage on everything 'cept headphones... So there you have it.

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I have to thank Eric so much for his quick responses, patience and understanding and Indiepool for being a low cost solution to my big problems. God damn, pay for the mastering...

Yes, I will shamelessly plug these helpful people called http://indiepool.ca/ for many reasons plus the ones cited above. I look forward to working with them in the future 'cause they so damn nice.