Jody Whitesides

Category: News

  • 70 Weeks of New Music: Jody Whitesides Epic Re-Releases

    70 Weeks of New Music: Jody Whitesides Epic Re-Releases

    I feel like you might be finding me for the first time, all over again. Not like I ever really went away, though playing live hasn’t been on the radar for the last couple of years while I was taking care of things behind the scenes.

    TL;DR: As I’m ramping up into all of this, more things will come online and there is a lot of stuff to unpack as we go. Plus I will return to Social Media.

    The Phoenix gave rise a few days ago. Hell, if you’re reading this by browsing by, you figured something out that people on my email list still haven’t heard yet. That my first re-released song happened last Friday August 22, 2025. It was quite the time in the making and I’m still spinning some wheels to get ahead of the curve.

    Here’s the plot…

    For the foreseeable future of about 70 weeks, there will be a new song released each Friday. Unless it’s a version of Do You Want to Play, which would release on a Tuesday. For each of those songs being rereleased, there is new cover art (because these came off albums, there wasn’t individual art the first time around). As an added bonus, there are animated versions of each cover, that currently only shows up on the website and on Apple Music.

    There’s another new feature happening as well. That is, you can purchase a full quality WAV copy (i.e. 48/24, or 96/32) of the individual songs you like directly from me on my web store. Or the entire album. For either version of audio purchase, you will also get a link to the download a high quality MP3 version of it with the artwork embedded. Purchasing directly from me is the coolest thing you can do as there is no middle-man. It’s just you and I and the exchange of goods for payment. A true win win.

    While I like Apple Music and Qobuz for their audio quality, you still can’t beat downloading the full WAV (and/or MP3) from me. It’s akin to sitting in the studio with me and hearing the true depth.

    If there is enough of a cry from people, I will also make the Dolby Atmos versions available for sale, but hot damn those are extremely large files and I know of no-one actually selling them yet. Would love to set that trend, but would need to figure out the logistics of housing the files on the store.

    Are you truly here for the first time? If so, joining the Jody Army will result in me emailing you a discount codes from time to time in the future to purchase most things on the store.

    Cool items

    Speaking of which, there are official transcriptions of all the guitar parts and all the bass parts for each song. I know when I was learning to play it was a real treat when Guitar for the Practicing Musician would have transcriptions in their magazine. It was the perfect combo of standard notation and Tablature. That concept has returned. Who better than the artist who played the material to do the transcription?

    These transcriptions are done in standard notation and TAB. They are in PDF format, and the only official versions available. God I wish I had that when I was learning to play. Because with Guitar for the Practicing Musician, it was a crap shoot what they would transcribe from month to month.

    Along this journey, each week there will be a new set of items on the front page, the store front, and the bio. That’s right, there’s a new bio each week to coincide with the release du jour. It’s been a tonne of work and it’s on-going.

    At the end of this re-release path will be new music. That newer music will be releasing roughly about a year prior to it hitting streaming services. Meaning I’m looking at pressing CDs, Vinyl (for the first time) and Cassettes again. Hell, there’s a good chance I’ll do it for the re-releases as well. Nothing beats being able to open an actual tangible product and feel the weight in your hands.

    Social Contact

    Social media got you by the tits or balls? I can say from experience: it’s a good idea to take a break from it now and then. Which is essentially what I did whilst working on all of this material. As the wheels get back into motion for all of these re-releases, expect to see more posting on social media, whether you like it or not. Oh, and make sure you join BlueSky, it’s been a nice jump off the toxicity of Twitter (fuck Elon and the switch to X). Yes, that old Twitter/X account is there, however, I’ve deleted everything I ever tweeted, and it is no longer a platform that I will use.

    Another stop coming along the connective journey between you and I is email. In the not-so-distant future I will be bringing my email list back in-house. It always made my skin crawl a bit to use an external email service, but at the time I made the jump – doing it in-house and by hand wasn’t a bowl of cherries.

    Now that I have the updated server, I have found a software for doing email similar to the big boys, but without big brother watching over it, and without them telling me how I can use it. That will benefit both of us. Along with allowing me to tailor things just for you.

    If you’ve hit this point, thank you for your attention into my career. It truly means a lot to me and I look forward to seeing you on the road again.

  • The New Era of I Don’t Blame in Pop-Rock

    The New Era of I Don’t Blame in Pop-Rock

    This is a New Learning Era

    A new era is starting up. One that I didn’t think I’d approach in a million years. It’s the culmination of roughly 2 years of BTS work. I’ve mentioned it in posts and hinted at it on the podcast I co-host and produce. Today is the beginning of that journey.

    What was that BTS stuff? The long and short of it is: Remixing. Lots and lots of Remixing. I tore through my catalog—remixing first, then remastering every CD for a new era of sound.

    As a perfectionist, and sometimes its a quality about myself I dislike, I felt it was a needed detour through my past. Namely because of a circumstance of waiting on a new gig. It was a way to twiddle my thumbs and be productive at the same time.

    Learning new skills was also part of the game. Once I knew I’d be shaping other artists’ music in 360RA, I set out to master Dolby Atmos at the same time. What better way to ingest that skill than to apply it to my past catalogue and come out swinging.

    Release Plans

    I’m unleashing this music straight into the ears of people ready for the sounds coming out of my brain.. Initially I thought I’d do it all quick like by putting the whole album out one week and then the following week I’d put the Dolby Atmos version. With a 3rd version for 360RA the week after that.

    What sounded like a great plan that would take roughly 21 weeks suddenly needed a detour. Due to the shifting nature of the music business and the uncertainty of when this new gig will actually start, I decided it was better to drip it out at a much slower pace, i.e. song by song.

    The journey unfolds in singles that build toward full albums. Then, the Dolby Atmos versions hit a week later—followed in time by the 360RA experience.

    I’m making cover art for every single. With 12 songs per album, that means a ton of new designs, each shaped by the music it represents. Oh, and each one also gets an animated cover for the Apple Music service.

    Beginning with

    Today, that journey starts with song one off of album one. I Don’t Blame kicked off my very first CD, back when I released music as Amalgam. Today, the song returns—this time under my real name.

    Beyond the music itself, I’m going to be updating my bio page for each song, each album, etc. That’s a weekly change, so for the truly diehard types, you can bookmark that page and follow along. Or bookmark the site because the blog posts will also go weekly as well, though obviously they’re easier to go back thru to read and catch up with.

    Along with that, I’ve done transcriptions for every song for both guitar and bass. What better way to learn any song you fall in love with from a playing standpoint to get it from the source. Plus there will be an official piece of merch and if you’re truly excited about higher quality audio than what streaming services provide – you can purchase a high res file.

    Jump ahead of the crowd—own the music before I release it to the streaming platforms.

    Starting now, enjoy the updated version of I Don’t Blame and rock the world loud and proud! It’ll make you smile and I’ll wear a super big grin from ear to ear all because of you!

  • When Your Birthday Horoscope Says “Turning Point” — And It’s Right

    When Your Birthday Horoscope Says “Turning Point” — And It’s Right

    Multiple things are afoot. There’s more server updates. There’s more music updates. There’s a live concert excursion. Plus it’s finally cooling down in the temps while heating up in the Politics. Plus some strange shit revolving around my birthday.

    Sometimes I read some really weird shit online. A couple of days ago while on a weekend trip with my girlfriend, I came across an article relating to Horoscopes. What caught my eye on this article was the headline. August 12th of 2025 is apparently a turning point for all the zodiac signs!

    You might ask yourself: Why did this catch your attention Jody?

    I’ll tell ya – it’s my birthday! So sing along with me: Happy birthday to you…

    Do I really believe in Horoscope stuff? No.

    Despite the fact you might be sick of hearing about the server. There’s another update. One that is fun for me, and probably even noticeable for you. I have the ability to now clone the site and test it away from the front facing one you’re reading this on right now.

    Which allows me to test major changes first, then if they work – deploy it for real. Such is the case for something I did last night. Which means you’re getting a noticeably faster experience here now. The speed increased dramatically from 700+ milliseconds to 25 milliseconds. That’s pretty substantial.

    Last week a buddy of mine came thru town and had my girlfriend and I out to a show. It was the Rick Springfield I Want My 80s tour. It was 4 old acts from the 80s singing their hits and putting on a show. As the night went on, each act got progressively better. For guys in their 70s I’ll say that John Waite and Rick Springfield are putting on some amazing shows. Compared to most older acts.

    It was an added bonus to get to spend some additional time after the show chatting with my buddy and catching up.

    Enjoying the fact that days are cooling off. It’s a nice reprieve from the heat. At some point it would be nice to get some rain. On the flip side, we’ve definitely hit maximum crazy with a shift into American dictatorship. That is wholly disappointing. Pure American Mayhem from a dickhead of a president attempting to deflect from his pedophile past.

    On a brighter note… Another week and another addition to the Do You Want to Play lineup. This time for the Washington Commanders. Oddly it’s one of the teams I remember rooting for when I was younger and they were called the Redskins.

    I have zero issue with the change in the team’s name. I have no Native American friends, or relatives (that’s right, Whitesides is not a Native American name). I haven’t a clue if it was an offensive term for our land’s ancestors. If it was, so much the better for the change.

    All I know is, if you’re a fan of the team – play it loud, and share it proud with this version of Do You Want to Play – Washington Commanders! Then make sure to send me that proof. I’ve been known to share it on social media.

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