Rockstars Don’t Make Good Pro Football Players
I’m a pretty sporty guy. I do a lot of different sports at various levels of awesomeness. However, there is one sport that I pretty much stayed away from, Football. Not the European version of it, known as soccer in the U.S., rather the American version. Last weekend I was invited to the PDFL (professional developmental football league), pretty much the D-Leauge of Football. I got asked to do something at half-time that left me saying that rockstars don’t make good pro football players.
The team who’s game I was at is the Utah Argonauts, also known as the Utah Argos.
During the game I was approached by someone working for the team asking if I’d be willing to get out on the field during halftime in order to participate in a kicking contest. They had no idea my background as a rockstar. Meaning a kicking a field goal contest. While I had never kicked a football, I figured why the hell not? What could possibly go wrong, and what do I really have to lose? Famous last questions that cross the minds of rockstars who jump at the chance to get in front of a crowd all in the name of fun and sport. Right?
Below is video of the event.
As you can see, I know that I wouldn’t make a very good kicker. At least not without some coaching. As a bonus, I did actually receive tickets to the rest of the Argonauts home season games. That’s a nice consolation prize for getting up in front of a crowd and professional football players only to make them look like they really know what they’re doing by comparison. I believe the winner also got a signed set of autographed photos to go with their seasons tickets.
– Jody
p.s. – if you’re not aware what the D-Leauge is, it’s the developmental league or the minor league of the NBA.
Maggie May Cover
I’m not often prone to doing cover songs. Mostly because I’m usually so busy writing and creating new music. However, I’m being asked more often to realize songs by other people. Thus, right now, you get to witness an experiment utilizing the power (or lack thereof) of the internet. I’m posting a video on YouTube of myself doing a Maggie May cover of Rod Stewart with my friend Chris Hellstrom.
Mind you, be aware neither Chris or I had ever “Jammed” over Skype before. We now know why. It’s not an ideal way to play music live, specifically because of the massive delays between participants. Chris and I did our best to make it work and there are a few stumbles. That’s to be expected when you’re flying blind. There’s so many variables that apparently go into this. Connection speed, something that isn’t as much an issue for me as it was for Chris. I enjoy a speedy 10Mbps up and 50Mbps down. Chris on the other hand not so much. Video obviously adds a lot of data to the bandwidth. I hear there are other things like data packet loss and such. Either way, if Skype really wants to make it’s world domination complete, they will have to figure out how to reduce these delays down to milliseconds. Enjoy our little escapade.
Since I’m a glutton for punishment, I just made arrangements to do this again with another friend. The twist is next time I’ll be playing guitar and he’ll be singing. My goal is to gather video from both sides so it can be side by side.
For now, I’d be happy to have you share this barebones rendition of the infamous (well, ok, it’s famous) song written by Rod Stewart called Maggie May.
– Jody
p.s. – don’t tell Rod I screwed some of it up.
p.p.s – this was posted before the video went entirely live on YouTube, so you’re an early watcher!
Organic Homemade Pizza
Besides being known for music, I’m also considered amongst friends to be a foodie. Mostly because I cook awesome meals. One of my favorite things to make is pizza. Could be because I worked a bunch of years in a semi-famous pizza joint while growing up. Nowadays I’m prone to making organic homemade pizza before I call for delivery.
In the video below, I show a method to making of my infamous organic homemade pizza. Plus I share a song called Clouds by Zach Sobiech.
Zach Sobiech Clouds
If you’re not aware, Zach is a young man who was diagnosed with a type of cancer. Sure a lot of people are having issues with cancer these days, however Zach has written a touching song about it called Clouds. The song gained a bit of notoriety online and went viral. His friends contacted other famous people and put together a touching video for Zach and that’s what prompted me to spend a little time learning the song.
If you’re coming here from YouTube looking for the recipe for the dough and the sauce, you’re in luck, it’s here:
Dough:
1 ⅓ cups of warm water
2 tblsp organic sugar
2 ¼ tsp of organic yeast
1 ¼ tsp of Real Salt (by Redmond)
2 tblsp olive oil
3 ½ cups of organic flour
Watch the video for the directions on it.
Sauce:
1 – 6 ounce can of organic tomato paste
6 ounces of filter water
2 ½ tsp of organic sugar
1 ½ tsp of Real Salt
2 to 3 cloves of fresh crushed garlic
add some fresh dried thyme, basil, and oregano
Watch the video for blending it.
That’s all there is to it. Pick your own toppings and above all else, don’t forget to use a pizza stone in your oven! Enjoy the organic homemade pizza and the song Clouds re-imagined by myself and Dave originally by Zach Sobiech.
– Jody
Successful Crowdfunding
I got hooked up with a new PR firm a couple of weeks ago. One of the things we talked about is getting funds together to break through the stratosphere for music promotion. Part of that goal includes making use of a style of funding that I had been loath to attempt – crowd funding. They helped me to see to some light on the subject and now I’m gearing up to go for a campaign for successful crowdfunding with you and me. New territory.
Hesitations
What I’ve seen from a vast majority of bands/musicians that have attempted this route is utter failure. Mostly because they’re underestimating what they need to get something done right. Then they’re not pushing it correctly with enough help and without a compelling reason. All that = a recipe for disaster.
Getting It Together
Mind you, I’ve done my budget. I’ve got it all figured out. While the amount I know I need isn’t realistic from a crowd funding situation, I do believe that I can achieve the goal if it’s done in stages and with help. Thankfully I’ve got the initial step of help. All the people who are going to be involved with the recording have stated they’re up for helping out too. First step is the recording of 18 songs.
Currently I’m in the midst of researching all sorts of things involved with doing a successful crowdfunding situation and started putting together the initial information for a site called PledgeMusic (they’re the peeps I’m going to use for this adventure). I’ve got one more book to devour about how to do it right. Then it will be off to the races.
Your Ideas
I’ve put together most of the levels of funding/donations for the campaign. Since it’s still in flux, I’m happy to accept input as to what you would want from me as a gift and what it’s worth. I’ve got some good ones, but I can always use more.
Once my new PR partners feel comfortable, we’ll launch it. It’s bold. It’s exciting. Being that I’m taking a leap of faith to attempt something I’ve poo-pooed in the past. I’m understanding why lots of them have failed and I don’t wish to make that same mistake. It also helps that I just came from a meeting about angel investors and they were talking the glories of crowd funding as well. Didn’t hurt that I also met a couple of angel investors whom may want to jump in on the situation.
Here’s my early desire from you
I’m going to need your help when I get this campaign going. Thus, if you’re not on my email list – please fill out the Unity 42 list by clicking on the link in the upper right (I know you see it). I’ll keep you informed as to what day it will launch and how you can help. I’ve got some great things that will happen if I happen to overshoot my goal. Be a part of the magic and a successful crowdfunding campaign with me and a great batch of music.
Iron Man 3
Oh hell yeah. Today is the day that Iron Man 3 opens in theaters. As rockstars go, I’m an Iron Man geek. The first Iron Man is likely my favorite superhero movie of all time. Robert Downey Jr. has been the perfect choice for Tony Stark – no if’s and’s or but’s. The right amount of wit, sarcasm, narcissism, and fun = pure entertainment. Thus I decided to put my little cap on and mash up the video of the early trailers for Iron Man 3 and added Hero Unexpected as the soundtrack.
Here’s my result:
Why would I do such a thing?
The answer is: for fun.
However, there’s another reason, that reason is, I’ve had numerous industry friends tell me that Hero Unexpected would be perfect for superhero movies, but in particular it’s this movie they cite – you should have it in Iron Man. Mind you, it’s not for a lack of effort to get it in the movie(s). Well, for the first one it was. For the second one, the song did get into the hands of the music supervisor – who apparently really loved the song. For whatever reason the stars weren’t aligned for him to make use of it in Iron Man 2 and instead they opted to roll with AC/DC’s Highway To Hell.
At some point I believe Hero Unexpected will make the jump to the big screen. Until then – enjoy this video mashup of Iron Man 3 (and some Iron Man 2) clips as edited to tell the story of Hero Unexpected. Share amongst your Marvel friends and fans as well.
*** UPDATE ***
I wanted to reserve judgement on Iron Man 3. Mostly because between Iron Man and Iron Man 2 – my favorite was Iron Man. Having now seen Iron Man 3, I believe I have a new favorite with Iron Man 3. Holy shit, this movie had it all (with minimal flaws). Action, humor, and great visuals. I did see it in IMAX 3D, which is something I only do if I’m a real fan of the franchise – as I normally hate 3D effects. The only movie so far where I felt the 3D was done right and didn’t irritate my eyes and give me a headache was Prometheus. While the 3D effects in Iron Man 3 were really great, there were still elements of it that gave me a headache. This was a minimal issue. If you want my recommendation – GO. SEE. THIS. MOVIE.
Skiing At Deer Valley
Every once in a while it’s a good idea to get outside and do something else other than what you do for your career. It’s a great way to recharge the batteries. One of my favorite ways is via skiing.
Background
For me, I grew up skiing. Initially I hated it. Hated it so much that I literally sidestepped down a very flat slope that today I’d never be able to ski, only because it’s to flat to get anywhere. From there I learned to ski, eventually started competing in traditional ski racing of: Slalom, Giant Slalom, and Downhill.
Finally after a couple of years of traditional racing I grew bored with it. A year later I was asked to join a ragtag bunch of peeps that were into skiing moguls and voila, I became a freestyle skier. I got good. Really good. So became a competitive skier on the Freestyle circuit in the Intermountain West division. I started out as a combined skier doing Moguls, Aerials and Ballet. Ballet?!? Yes, they used to have a portion of freestyle skiing discipline that was Ballet. After a few years I was consistently making nationals and dropped ballet to concentrate on moguls and aerials. In my final year of competition I nearly made it to World Cup and the Olympics – missed it by >< that much – one place away. Ouch. I enjoyed it anyway. (Below is a picture of me flying high over some trees.)
The 2012-2013 ski season has come to a close, despite more snow falling well into spring. Here’s a little video of me skiing with some friends at the infamous Deer Valley ski resort in Park City Utah.
Yes, I ski. I ski hard. I ski fast. I do it without a helmet! Enjoy a little spring skiing break.
p.s. – I’m saddened by the news of the explosion at the Boston Marathon finish line. I actually had friends there and they’re ok – that’s a big plus.
In The Cat’s Den
Last week I was in the AMR.fm studio with Johnny Cat for his show The Cat’s Den. We got off talking about a couple of the new things I’m working on at the moment. Shortly after a brief impromptu plug for the infamous Starbucks we got into a discussion about digital royalties and services such as Spotify, Pandora, et al. Especially in how it relates to what an artist really makes [smallest sound recording royalty I’ve gotten is: $0.0007].
Digital Royalties
One of the biggest things that so many people are unclear about in this day and age is how digital streaming services pay out royalties to the various people involved in music. As services like Pandora, Spotify, Deezer and more come under fire for paying tiny slices of cents to the creators, it really helps to find out how all of this breaks down.
Sound Recording Royalty
Specifically in this clip from the Cat’s Den I’m explaining the sound recording royalty that is paid to the owner of the master recording. Generally that is the record label or entity that put up the money for the artist to record their music. In the grand scheme of streaming royalties, this is the highest royalty in the pie. Other royalties include the writer’s royalty, the publisher’s royalty and the mechanical royalty.
Other Royalties
Since I didn’t go into the writer’s, publisher’s and mechanical royalty streams in the discussion, I’ll add a little about them here. By comparison, the sound recording royalty is the highest paid – despite it’s average of about $0.007 (that’s pretty tiny). Now imagine getting about 1/7th that amount and you’re understanding the portion that the other 3 tend to split up into. Meaning that the writer gets about $0.001 per stream. The publisher gets about $0.001 per stream. And the mechanical is about $0.001. To the Cat’s Den listeners it’s a bit of shock. To you the reader, it should be a shock. And that’s because these digital services are getting a discount on the royalty rate.
Imagine putting in 100’s of hours into writing and recording a song that costs upwards of $1,000’s to get to the public, and then you’re return on investment is $0.001 a stream. That takes 100’s of millions of streams in order to get recouped and or to be able to make a living at all. With that information in your head, is it any wonder why musicians are unwilling to have services like Pandora lobbying congress for additional discounts on royalties?
Enjoy this video snippet from the entire 2 hour interview. Audio of the entire interview will be added shortly elsewhere on the site.
Stay tuned, more coming soon.
Millions of Listeners
What’s it like to have millions of listeners of your music and yet a vast majority of them have no idea who you are? Well, find out if you’re one of the many. If so, now you’re aware of who I am and that’s a good thing.
Getting further and further with the reach of the recorded note. It’s the kind of thing that can make a musician smile, but at the same time wonder, how the hell can people find out who is the mastermind behind the sonic goodness that is filling your ear-hole when watching your favorite TV shows. I know it’s awesome to think of the fact that I’ve got millions of listeners via TV.
In no particular order, here’s where I’ve been getting heard on your favorite visual video box:
NASCAR on Fox
OH Sit!
The Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Design Squad Nation
American Digger
American Ninja Warrior
Angel’s baseball
Atlanta Braves baseball
Auction Hunters
All My Children
Bang For Your Buck
Brave’s Live
Big 12 Live
Beverly Hills 90210
Brothers & Sisters
Cardinal’s Live
Cowboys Game Night (NFL)
Detroit Tigers Live
Dodger’s Live
E! News
High School Scoreboard
High School Spotlight
How I Made Millions
Lonestar Conference Showcase
MLB Tonight
NASCAR Raceday
On The Fly
One Life To Live
One Tree Hill
Rangers Insider
Rangers Live
Samsung Mobile 500 Preview Show
Selection Sunday 12
Sportsday NFL Draft Special
Sportsday On Air
The Rundown
Tigers Live
Veronica Mars
Worlds Strictest Parents
Not bad. Not bad. The idea is for me to get more placements next quarter. I’m betting the news will be even better at that point. Meanwhile, I’ll be putting my brain into some new ventures that I’ll be sharing soon. Stay tuned. Same bat channel, Future bat time.
p.s. – if you’re finding this page due to being a fan of one of the shows, I implore you to join my email list, browse around the music page, and share amongst your friends!
Baltimore Ravens Fans
If you’re a Baltimore Ravens fan, then there is a good chance you’re aware of a little ditty I penned. Earlier today I wrote how I’ve never visited your fair city or state, but that doesn’t mean I love you any less. Especially when you’re snatching up that ditty for your favorite team. If you haven’t heard it, you can hear it by following this link to iTunes. Or by visiting the music page here on my site.
As it turns out, I’d love to walk out on to the field and lend my coin flipping abilities to determine the kickoff. I’d even give a command performance of the song Do You Want To Play for half time too for the same game. It would be a great opportunity to see the Ravens lay down some pigskin law and visit one of the places in the U.S. that I’ve yet to see. If you’re part of the Baltimore Ravens marketing offices, let’s chat and make this a reality. I do believe you’ll gain bonus points from your fans and of course it’ll make fun news bringing in a musician who isn’t any good at football. What do ya say?
Thank You
A big thanks to every Ravens fan who has purchased the song. I appreciate your team’s fandom and I ask that you introduce all your friends to Do You Want To Play – Baltimore Ravens and encourage them to get on the bandwagon.
Please leave a comment in the section below letting me know how you came across the Baltimore Ravens version of Do You Want To Play, and how you use it to get amped up about your favorite team in the NFL. Or maybe you’d like to put in your local expertise as to what things I should see when I make it your fair city.
Baltimore Orioles Fans Get It
I don’t know if this is really something I need to admit to Baltimore Orioles fans right now, but… I’m pretty sure I’ve never been to Maryland. I suppose I could ask my parents if they ever took me through the state as a wee little toddler. Somehow I’m going to figure the answer is no. Mostly because they were from Utah and brought me into the world via New York.
Don’t kill me. I do intend to visit sometime in the future. It’s part of my life list to visit all 50 states, I’ve been to and through many states, but Maryland has somehow still escaped me. This doesn’t mean it’s not in my heart as I’m well aware that Fans of the Orioles are snatching up their version of Do You Want To Play for the Orioles. This gives me added incentive to get there. Believe me it does. Hell, I’ll even put it out there that the peeps in the Baltimore Orioles front office should consider bringing me in for a first pitch situation and a possible 7th inning stretch song performance. That would be something Orioles fans would dig right? Seeing a musician attempt to toss a strike and then sing their team’s song, yes?
What would give me an added and more urgent sense of making that visit is to be invited to toss out the opening pitch, especially if it’s tied to performing the song for their awesome fans. It would be a special treat for everyone involved, plus I’d get the added bonus of seeing their lovely state.
Until then I’ll hold a little bit of warmth knowing that Oriole fans are diggin the song and showing it off to their friends when they buy Do You Want To Play – Baltimore Orioles. Enjoy their season.
Go ahead and comment below to let me know where you first heard Do You Want To Play – Baltimore Orioles. Then go on to tell me where in your great state I ought to visit to get a true taste of the culture that defines Maryland. Even better if you tell people how much you love the song. If you’ve not heard your team’s song, do it here via iTunes or here on my music page.