music film life
I’ve got two shows this weekend. On Friday, April 4 I’m at Unurban for a short 15 minute set at 7:15. And then on Sunday April 6 at 9pm I’ll be at Air Conditioned on Pico in Santa Monica. It’s going to be good to sing and play because I miss that stage. See you there. April, 4 2008 at Talking Stick
1630 OCEAN PARK BLVD, santa Monica, California 90403Cost : Free
3 song, 15 minute set
I’m practising in public. That’s really the behind the fence. I’m not brave enough to put an open guitar case on the ground for tips.
I played a real fun gig a couple of weeks ago at Nocturnal in Santa Monica. I hired a bassist and drummer to back me up with zero rehearsal. It was Anna Rosales on bass and Alexa Brinkschulte on drums. They worked off of mp3’s and charts. We met at the bar before going on stage. It was a crazy little experiment that almost worked. The main problem was that I didn’t really know the lyrics. And the John Keats poem is a bit hard to remember. Alas, I did record some of the show with a MOTU 8Pre. The tracks are clean. I had 6 mics. Kick, snare, mono overhead, bass cab, guitar cab, and my vocal. I’ll finish up a mix and put the best one up here for fun.
I finished the 13 songs right around Christmas. But going back and putting a little final mastering touch has been eluding me. Time to put the nose to the grindstone. I guess there’s been plenty of time. Though I’ll blame it on moving my studio into storage. I mean that sounds fair enough. It’s such a different vibe doing it at home. The songs really were born in that other room.
Anyhoo, tomorrow I’m going to start chipping away at it. I want these tunes to see the light of day on iTunes.
Ha! I’ve made my avator for Second Life after reading about musicians playing gigs in the virtual space. It took some time to figure my way around. No way to run in and make a fast buck. Flying, designing my hair, it all took some poking around. Because of a glitch I didn’t realize I was walking around in my underwear. I’m classy like that.
It’s the birth of Elvis Duffy. That’s my avatar name. People are setting up myspace pages for their avatars. I’ll probably do it too. But, man, how much web presence is needed? I was hoping to manage another webpage. That’s a joke.
First thing I’ll do is learn to take a picture of Elvis Duffy in his world. I tried to make him look a bit like me. He looks pretty young, tho. There was nothing I could figure out about making him look my age. I did have control over how fat he is. Somehow I chose to make him a little slimmer than the real me. Stay tuned for an appearance by Elvis…Duffy
Well, it’s been nearly 2 months since I put my recording studio in storage and started working from a little desk at home. The big shock was how refreshing it’s been not to have to worry about the studio all time. I’ve been getting work done by hiring out an occasional studio to track a live part. It turns out that what suffers the most from a lack of a studio is the free stuff I’d so. Co-writes and such that turn into productions I’d need to churn out on my own time. I’ll get that next location cause there’s times when it’s important to be able to host a big session. But I’ll always remember this time fondly.
Thanks to Vivien for modeling the new iPhones we got.
At first I was put off because it’s a slippery little devil. But the ipod has won me over. I have wanted one. For a long time. The box of 120 vinyl records is have digitized. I don’t get much personal listening time cause I can’t listen while I work. Graphic designers always seem to have music playing while working. I’m stuck making more music. lol. And I don’t have a commute. So the drive to work isn’t for that. Anyway, walking Vivien, when it’s just the 2 of us, has turned into an amazing listening experience. I find myself programing the music in advance.
All of eastern europe it’s International Women’s Day. It’s every March 8. Much bigger than Valentines. It’s a little off topic from my usual music bits. But, I got my other half roses and candies. And why not show a little extra care toward the ladies in your life. It’s not just romantic relations but is meant for moms, sisters, you know… all the ladies.
It was a fun three days in Santa Ynez at the Durango Songwriters Expo. Several folks I already know were there which made it even more cool. I’ve got a coupl new contacts for my future songwriting success. There wasn’t much brain juice left after listening to at least a hundred songs and networking all day. I joined Songsalive. It’s a non-profit that’s for songwriters to network and develop better songs. 
Here’s me with Songsalive co-founder Gilli Moon.
I’m all set up at home with a little home rig. The studio is in a 10×10 storage unit. Man, I’m just glidin’ along. It’s the first time I haven’t had to worry about a studio since 1991. I can’t work this way for too long. But for now it’s a blast being at home. I’m finally trying a demo of Amplitube. Pretty darn cool. I’m going to have to take a pic of my new rig and post it!