Coming around the final bend of March. There’s quite a few entries in the Contest from the Clubhouse. Good luck to everyone that has entered. I’ll announce the winner on April 1st. Along side that winner I’ll be posting the contest for April and you can enter all over again.
I’m also coming up on the final few songs that have been being converted to the new format for our live show. It’s a great feeling to finally nearing the finish line on that. Also along those lines, I’m nearly finished with the music bits for the licensing stuff I had mentioned before. I feel like when I get it done, I’ll be able to quit music and move on to another profession. Doh, I’m kidding – poor attempt at pre-April-fool’s humor.
The live show has really come together. The show at the Knitting Factory was highly impressive not only for the audience for us as a band as well. It feels like everything is finally in the right place and we’re going to start kicking some major musical ass. Now if I can just get that pesky film crew to stop following me around. Oh, wait, that’s me thinking like I’m famous already. Speaking of film crews… I’ve put it upon the director of the All The Things video to re-tweak it. I know you’ve not had a chance to see it yet, due time, due time. But I feel the song will be better suited if we manipulate the image and give it a different look. So it’s back to the computer editing and time to hit After Effects. So when we do release the CD/DVD you’ll get the initial version and the MTV version in the package. I swear it’ll be cool.
To further push the film thing, here’s my Movie Pick of the Week: Beauty Shop. Yes, I know you’re shaking your head. What the hell is a white boy from the big apple and Utah ‘burbs doing going to see that. Well, I have to tell you it was funny. I never did see Barber Shop, I didn’t get it then, but I do know. I imagine that Beauty Shop is the exact same movie. Queen Latifah did a fine job, but the real standouts here were the supporting cast who include: Alicia Silverstone, doing a great southern accent, Kevin Bacon – playing a retarded hair dresser, and two surprises in Djimon Hounsou and Paige Hurd. Some of the laughs are pretty cheesy and obviously there strictly for the slapstick. While most of the other parts are quite natural. There are a few breakout moments like when the “white” girl finally gains acceptance and the daughter plays her piano solo. This is a fun movie and I recommend seeing it.
Getting some radio play. Starting this weekend I’ll be getting airplay on Music Highway with Sheena Metal and WPMD’s UNsigned Music Show with Mike Stark http://wpmd.org. Sheena will be playing the song Age from A Natural Leap Forward, Tee-m from WPMD hasn’t informed me as to which song he’ll be playing, but hey, tune in and request more.
The Knitting Factory show was great! We had a great time and the response from the crowd was awesome. I’ve even got pictures and I’ll be checking out the video in the next few days. The new technology we’ve been so feverishly working on has come through with flying colors and it showed. The next step is to put all our stuff on the laptop and just play air guitar and lipsync (just kidding).
If you’re on Rhapsody, my CD “A Natural Leap Forward” has finally made it onto their network. Long after it’s launch on iTunes. Do an artist a favor, go stream some songs from Rhapsody.
It’s a killer day. I hope you have a killer weekend. Well, at least a really fun weekend. Go color an egg or eat some great food. It’s Easter and all.
Jody
Been a busy little bee for the past couple of weeks. I got called upon to do a bunch of audio editing – in addition to the self imposed stuff I’ve been doing. Now I’m mastering audio for a new book coming soon on Drum Loops. I’ve also finished up some audio editing for a financial course. Now it’s back to my regular self imposed editing as I’m almost finished with making my licensing library.
I did play a show in Huntington Beach a week ago friday. I played in a songwriters in the round. I shared the stage with Warren Sellars, James Grey, and Dee Biggs. It was an interesting evening. I did what I could do to keep up with these songwriting heavyweights. All of whom who’ve had cuts on some major records it seems. In the end I apparently woke the crowd up and stole the show. Heck I even got a great compliment from Warren, on stage and in front of the whole crowd. That was cool. James Grey talked to me after the show and has asked if I’d play some other venues on his bills. So expect to see more of me in the O.C.
Another cool thing was I was approached by and Artist in an earlier round who proceeded to tell me he never wanted to be on the same stage with me at the same time. He felt I was “too good”. A rather nice compliment. Overall the evening was a success and I enjoyed my time there at Martini Blues.
I’ve also been toying with the concept of giving the option for HTML e-mails to those signed up on my e-mail list, however, I’m not sure I’ll go through with it just yet. It’s an involved process and I don’t want to use an outside company as I value your information. In fact, I’ve just been upgraded to an SPF account on my e-mails at my domain. Meaning you can authenticate that I actually sent you an e-mail, the spam stops here.
Movie Pick of the Week: The Upside of Anger & Robots. I’ll be brief, I know it’s a Monday morning. First, The Upside of Anger is an outrageously good movie. I’d put it up on par with something along the lines of Ordinary People. Its a movie about life and how we as people deal with it when shit goes wrong. The two main characters are played by Kevin Costner and Joan Allen. Awesome performance. Unfortunately I doubt it will do well at the box-office as it has no cars blowing up. On to Robots… Now, I got the chance to see this in IMAX. Visually this movie is astounding along the levels of The Incredibles. Storywise, this movie falls a little flat. There’s tons of gags, and a hint of something heartfelt, but it really failed to pull me in. It was enjoyable for the references to Star Wars, and other movies and did have some touching moments but they were kinda few and far between.
Jody
WIN WIN WIN… That’s right you can win a signed copy of Delicate Stretch of the Seems. How do I do that is probably your next question. Well, just go to the clubhouse link above. If you’re a member, login and answer the question, you’ll be entered to win. If you’re not a member, you’re in luck, it’s free to become a member. Sign up, sign in, answer the question, then keep your fingers crossed.
I’ve been in the studio remixing alternate mixes of A Natural Leap Forward, in my never ending quest to get the music ready for film, radio and tv. I’m also putting the thinking cap on as to which songs I’ll be performing on the 11th. I think I’ll do one cover song, just for shits and giggles. The Knitting Factory show should be a blast! This will be the bands first performance where we’ll be able to make those cool adjustments to the songs that i’ve been talking about recently.
I’ll be posting another video clip from the Keyclub on Sunday. So keep your browser set to the clubhouse.
Movie Pick of the Week: Be Cool. I really enjoyed Get Shorty a few years ago. So I have a feeling that I’d enjoy Be Cool. Instead of Chili Palmer being in the movie business, now he’s getting into the music business. As the movie started I thought it was a bit weak. It certainly doesn’t have the same strength in the story as Get Shorty did. John Travolta is certainly very much the same Chili that I remember, so he’s definitely carrying the movie. Despite the weakness of the story line, I enjoyed the gags of Vince Vaughn attempting to be a jewish black man. The Rock was extremely funny as a gay man. Cederic the Entertainer was ok as an educated Gangsta rapper, and André 3000 of Outkast was really funny as Cederic’s dopey cousin. While not on the same level as Get Shorty, Be Cool is certainly enjoyable.
Have a great weekend!
Jody
March Madness is coming…
To recap about England. My girlfriend Claire and I had a fantastic time. In fact if it weren’t for her I wouldn’t have even gone. The sights, the sounds, and of course the smells, and food all combined to one of the major highlights of my life. I don’t know why a bunch of the English people I met thought I was Canadian though. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been to Canada, and I even roomed with a Canadian while going to music school. I dig Canada, but I don’t think I even come close to qualifying as a Canadian. But I did find it funny and had a good laugh with it.
While in England I started a new game that I call “Spot the iPod”. I couldn’t believe how many of the little white earbuds I saw, especially in London. In fact I thought it was so much fun that I’m creating a website called strangely enough SpotTheiPod.com. I’ll be getting around to making a bare-bones version of it soon, but the domain is already working.
Musically speaking, I’ve been getting more and more people interested in the music via Myspace. That’s been a plus. I’ve also been making little changes here at jdub.com. I’ve been posting new videos in the Clubhouse and planning a new monthly give-a-way in the Clubhouse. In fact the give-a-way concept starts today and the winner will be picked on the 31st of March.
I’ve also been busy making alternate mixes of every song I’ve ever released. Breaking them up into instrumental pieces to license to radio, film, tv, and of course the new kid on the block – video games. So if you’re in any of those mediums, contact me and we’ll work out an agreeement.
Lastly, my drummer Donny and I have worked out a way to be able to recreate the sound of the album live, yet be able to change the arrangements on the fly as needed. Thus we can speed up or slow down the drum loops, synth, piano and various background vocals and noises as needed at any given show. It’s an amazing concept and it brings a smile to my face. To the audience we’ll be able to deliver a live show that retains the feel of what I envisioned on the record without being confined to being on tape, it’s truly liberating. I know it will be that added little bonus that will leave audiences smiling.
Enjoy the music!
Jody
Monday: In total geek-like fashion, I’m here in London seeing the sights. One of the first stops had to be Apple’s largest store in the world. The one right here in the Regent House. So I’m updating my news one more time while I’m here in England right from a 12″ iBook at the Apple. Told ya, true geek.
Having a blast on my last day. I’ve driven, ridden a double decker bus, rode a train, and been in the Tube (the Underground). And not to forget an English horse. My movie should be: Plains, Trains, Automobiles, Subways, Buses, & Livestock. Of course I’d have to write the screenplay and the soundtrack.
Have a great day.
Jody
Sunday, sunday, sunday…
I always feel like I’m going to hear about the Bigfoot Monster Trucks and Hot Rod cars when I hear three sundays in a row. We were hosting a party here last night. Lots of music, laughter, chatter, alcohol and tons of smoke.
Today we went out to ride a horse. This was my first experience of riding English style. Though similar to the American West Marlboro-Man style, it isn’t the same. The saddle is smaller and the stirrups are shaped different. We took turns moseying around the corral, then we set up the jump. Now I’ve ridden a whole lot of western style riding out on mountains and rural west type things, but never have I jumped over a man made obstacle on a horse, on purpose. So, they started it gentle by putting the bar on the ground, then slowly raising its height. Eventually they put it up to where the horse left the ground and I was hanging on to stay on the horse. Up in the air, and whompf, I landed where one foot came out of the stirrup and my hand got smushed by the saddle. It was fun. I think there is video of my adventure and if I get a copy of it, I’ll post it.
Next up is a traditional English Sunday Dinner. Then its off to London to futz around a be a true tourist. I don’t think I’ll be around a computer so I’ll provide a wrap-up when I get back to the states. It’s been a great trip.
Jody
Oh the places of England. We spent time in the downtown area of Birmingham. The Bullring I believe it was called. But I’m forgetting the trip to it. We caught the bus, not just any bus, a double decker bus! I’d never been in one before. So what did I do? I went straight to the top of course! Like a little kid, grabbed a seat in the front of the second story of the bus. Ever see the movieDead Poets Society? There’s a scene where the professor tells the students to stand atop the desk to gain a different view of the world. Well, riding atop a double decker bus is much like that. At least for me it was. Silly, I know.
The Bullring is a massive shopping complex complete with modern stores, an ancient church, buildings with unique designs, and an outdoor market. The outdoor market was very reminiscent of those I experienced in Oaxaca Mexico. Throngs of people everywhere all shopping and visiting. We decided to pop into an HMV music store. I was impressed by the sheer variety of music they had and with the way they lay out the store. Another thing I noticed was an entire area of the store dedicated to singles. No, not people without mates, but CD singles of music. Tons, and Tons of them. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a thing in the states. Thus you freely purchase about any current single on the charts right there on CD. I guess being an American we’ve been trained to think only about the full album/CD/LP and not the 45 or the more modern CD single. No wonder we have such an issue with downloading music. It opened my mind to the fact that I’d prefer to sell a whole bunch of singles in case anyone didn’t care for the whole album. That’s a benefit of iTunes for me right now. But when I release Practical Insanity I will make sure that I do singles of several of the songs.
We rode the train back. That way I got to experience as much of the English transportation system as I could. Getting a ticket was similar to getting a ticket for the Los Angeles Subway – nothing like a New York one. You’re free to get on the train without a ticket, but they have a conductor who comes along to check for tickets. If you don’t have one, then you’re bumming. The fine for not buying a ticket is £10 + the cost of the ticket. So it totals out to about $20 in the u.s. Whereas the one way ride is £2.30 (approximately $4 u.s.).
Later I made pizza for everyone. I’m kinda famous for my pizza making skills. So I decided to treat eveyrone to my version of American pizza for the hospitality I’ve been so graciously getting. To my delight everyone loved it! Then we took off for the dog track. Now mind you I’ve never been to any race track. But we were given complimentary tickets and went to make an evening of it. So I sat down to my first dog race and looked over the stats of the dogs. I couldn’t tell what any of it meant. So I did my best to decipher what I thought was important and made my pick. The lights went down and the little rabbit thing went round the track and off the dogs went. Interestingly, I remember the Bugs Bunny cartoon where Bugs was at the dog track and playing with the motorized bunny. 🙂 Any way, I was watching the dogs going around and too my surprise… the dogs I picked to win were leading and in the order I picked them in! At the end of the race I was a winner. I’ve got to chalk it up to beginners luck as the dog that came in first was considered the worst dog in the heat. Go Figure.
Afterwards I was invited to my first official poker game. I went to a flat somewhere in the depths of Birmingham where there were a few blokes I had met over the previous couple of days. They were all in the throws of the game when we arrived. I got to buy in and start playing. Now again, I’m a complete beginner. I play a few hands and get into the swing of it. I won a few. In fact I won too much to be able to buy more chips at the last buy in. I kept playing and was happy that I wasn’t the first one out. Actually I lasted until the last five, then finally crapped out. That was the end of the evening.
More to come later… think London.
Jody
Hello everyone,
One thing I forgot to mention in yesterdays news was the fact that I got to drive here in Birmingham. After getting over the initial wow of actually being on the opposite side of the car and of course the opposite side of the road, it was quite fun. 🙂 woo hoo. Now I’ve driven in England, the US, Mexico, and France. What a treat.
Today was more of a lazy day in terms of going out for seeing the sites. Instead we went around town visiting friends and letting them all know that I’m an american musician – which seems to instantly mean I’m a rockstar. Well, I guess when you whip out a custom signature pick it sort of helps. Heh.
Visited the Cadbury factory store in order to purchase some chocolate. Now I’ve got loads of Cadbury chocolate to give out to friends when I get back to the States. Which reminds me… Geez, all these pints of ale must be screwing with my brain, I bought some serious English Toffee yesterday as well. Very, very tasty stuff.
Tomorrow it’s off to the races. I think we’re headed to the dog track where I can put a few pounds down. I’ve also started reading Sting’s book. It’s off to a racing start. Of course I’ll do a book report on it when I’ve finished it. I almost feel like I’m back in school, writing down what the hell I think about for reading a book. Does anyone really care what I think about it?!?
Jody
In case you haven’t been following up for the past several days, I’ve been in England. Check the news archives for my previous adventures.
Yesterday we went out to Wales, which originally due to my ignorance I thought was in the UK. However it isn’t, it’s considered its own country. Duh – silly American. The country side looks much like Birmingham’s, but the road signs all contain English and Gaelic signs (at least I think it was Gaelic). We hung out and had a dinner at a local restaurant. It was quite tasty.
Today we tripped out to Stratford Upon Avon. For those not in the know, this is where Mr. William Shakespeare was born. We strolled around the town. Got to see little shops, houses, and of course the insurgence of Americanism. I had no idea Shakespeare had an affinity for Pizza Hut. We went to the church were he was baptised and now where his bones are apparently at rest. Interesting enough, the church was built in stages a very long time ago, with the first part in 1331. We then tooled around to the house where he was born and the house where he died. The one thing I noticed was how short all the doorways are. I should have some pictures of it when I get back to the states, and I’ll post how tall I look in comparison.
We were shopping at a local market this evening and while we were in there over the store speakers comes on something that you’d never hear in the States… Ozzy Ozbourne was on the loudspeaker system in a grocery market! I had to stop and think about that for a second. Anyway, I guess it could be expected as Ozzy is from Birmingham. Heh. Tonight after dinner I believe we’re going out to the Jug of Ale in Mosely. To have a Pint and catch some live music.
Book Review: I finished Rich Dad Poor Dad last night. Here’s the premise: its about changing your thinking to help you be wealthy and not a slave to money. Instead it’s a way of thinking that money should work for you and not the other way around. I guess I just stated the same thing twice oh well. The most interesting aspect is the change in definition as to what an asset and a liability really is. Already it’s given me a swift kick in the butt. Its not an easy concept for most people to change their thinking about money, but if you’re willing, this book is probably your best start for doing so!
Again, check the archives for previous Englandisms and check back over the next several days as I plan on updating daily. Until then “Cheers!”.
Jody