Well it’s been in the works for a while but it’s finally done and on its way – my first EP, Peace In Outer Space, comes out June 23 on most major digital markets, including iTunes, Amazon’s MP3 store, Real Rhapsody, and Napster (although really…does ANYONE use anything but the first two?) I would encourage you to purchase it.
It’s acoustic-centric but definitely not just acoustic. There are electronic elements to be found as well and a little bit of rock. One of them is an instrumental. Overall I’d say it has a somewhat indie feel to it. The EP is comprised of six tracks:
The Last Free Place (Exit Strategy)
Adderall
The Ballad of Charlie Dreher
Airport
Orchid Song
Peace In Outer Space
I’m proud of this record. I’ve put a lot of work into it and I think it sounds pretty good. I’d really appreciate you giving it a try.
Shawn isn’t either. Although apparently I do have tonsilitus, and it sucks the fat one. I’ve been really sick for about the last five or six days and I finally had enough today and went to urgent care. Everyone there was so warm and helpful.
No, actually they were all assholes, every last one of them except for the actual doctor that I saw, who was a really nice guy. The ladies at the front desk were rude and, I later discovered, incompetent, and after waiting for an hour I was treated to the most royal bitch of a nurse I think I’ve ever encountered.
All’s well that ends well though; I was given some antibiotics and told to take Ibuprofen and Mucinex along with them and I should be fine in a few days.
I’m going to try to get back into the habit of blogging here, and I do indeed have a lot to blog about.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 @ 10:38am
by Patrick (Music)
It’s troubling times, folks.
Banks are failing, massive conglomerates are asking for bailouts, the job market is in shambles. The economy as we know it is circling the drain. And with money being so tight, the last thing on most people’s mind is paying for things that are not technically a necessity, like music.
Never fear; Del the Funky Homosapien is here.
I’ve recently been getting into Del – in fact, am seeing him at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro this coming Friday – and it’s been awhile since I’ve been this impressed by hip hop. You may remember Del, whether you realize it or not – he guest-rhymed on Gorillaz’s breakout “Clint Eastwood” (and, being a part of the Gorillaz canon as a spirit who was possessing the band’s fictional drummer, he also guested on another single of theirs, “Rock The House.”) Del is a great lyricist and can put together a beat like no one’s business. Anyone that knows me knows I appreciate good, thoughtful hip hop, and I would certainly place Del under this category.
I’m just about to discover his latest album, Funk Man, which you should do too, especially since Del has pulled a Trent Reznor and released this one as a free download – or as he puts it, “stimulus package.” Not unlike the free NIN release, the album is also available in a variety of formats and qualities – high quality MP3, iTunes AAC, FLAC, Apple Lossless, and several others that you probably don’t even care about.
So here’s a little nugget of intolerance courtesy of the Miss USA pageant. Here’s what Miss California had to say about same-sex – sorry, I mean “opposite” marriage:
For fuck’s sake. It’s 2009, Miss California. “Not to offend anyone,” my ass. You offended me and quite visibly Perez Hilton (which is probably about the only time in my life I’ll ever feel any empathy for that guy, but that’s another blog post) and, I can’t speak for them but I’m willing to bet, the entire gay community. Can we talk about the “I was raised to believe marriage is between a man and a woman” horse shit? “I was raised to believe” is just code for “I’m a fully formed adult who still cannot formulate my own moral stance on what should be a pretty obvious issue so I stick with the one my intolerant parents forced onto me.” Congratulations; you’re a fucking idiot. The sooner we start bringing our kids up to be decent, tolerant individuals, the sooner we can do away with this bullshit, spineless excuse. If anything, my kids will be “raised to believe” in being compassionate human beings. Any two consenting adults that want to get married should have the right to do so and it’s no one’s business but the two of them. If two dudes want to get married, that’s between them. If I want to get married to…well, any girl who would be dumb enough to go for that, that’s our business.
Jesus. Someone set this chick up with Chris Brown.
Sunday, April 19, 2009 @ 8:31pm
by Patrick (Music)
So as you can see, the last 40 posts have been from Shawn John. Okay, not really that many, but you know, whatever. Thought I’d give you a break from possible video overload to spill on what’s going on with my upcoming record. So here’s the rub:
It’s almost done. It’s constantly changing and I am constantly writing new stuff (as recently as last week) that is bumping much older songs off the record entirely. I am steadily becoming more and more proud of it. As it stands, I THINK I only have a little left to go. One song, probably, and some more mixing, but I’m going to sit on it, and I’m going to record a few extras as backup.
Last night Gary Ruschman sent me the artwork and it looks fucking awesome. I’m using it (with one or two minor tweaks) so that’s completely done and squared away. Once I know I’m happy with this thing I will be submitting it to TuneCore and it’ll be about six weeks before the album is on iTunes. I’ll give them a release date (as long as it’s six weeks or more into the future.) In all likelihood, if I finish writing this last song (note: recording it will be a quick job, as it is not only just acoustic guitar and vocals but intentionally lo-fi) in a timely manner, the record will be out mid-to-late June. In the meanwhile, I’d thank you to check out the MySpace and listen to the few songs that are up there streaming right now – there is a new one called “Airport,” please give it a listen will ya?
You know, it’s really weird being on the other side of this particular fence, now that I think about it. The tides have turned – now I am frustrated with other people for not supporting the president, instead of the other way around. Say what you will about me drinking the Barack Kool-Aid, but I love the guy, and it infuriates me to read shit like this, where the former Vice President says we’re all gonna die because of Obama’s policies. Just because I vote Democrat does not mean by any stretch of the imagination that I think we should be soft little pussies on terrorism. It’s a very real threat. I just think it should be handled a little differently than the past administration. So with that little rant out of the way, here’s a shortlist in no particular order of people who, because they insist that Obama is a wimp who will get us all killed, can go fuck themselves:
Dick Cheney
Newt Gingrich
Bill O’Reilly
Glenn Beck (Really, Glenn Beck? Waterworks?)
Sean Hannity
Anyone employed by Fox News
Dick Cheney
You may notice a pattern here with these political commentators. Most of them fall under #6 in some form or fashion. Really though, as fucking frustrating as Fox News is to me, I take solace in knowing that they’re the only major news outlet that’s so full of abrasive pricks. If they would just go ahead and drop the “fair and balanced” bullshit and own up to being one-sided, I probably wouldn’t even think twice about them.
Edit: I would like you to note the intentional absence of George W. Bush from this list. While he can go fuck himself for other reasons, I respect the fact that he’s going to refrain from public opinion on current policy.
If you find yourself in a very trip-hoppy/electronica kind of place as I frequently do, this album is a must. Amon Tobin’s Bricolage has some pretty cool ethereal beats to it, and incorporates elements of jazz, trip-hop, drum ‘n bass and general electronica. Some might argue that it’s better for background noise. That may be true but I still like it. Occasionally some tracks feel a little repetetive, but other than that it’s a solid electronica album and good for relaxing.
Here is the track “Easy Muffin” off this album (I don’t know why the title isn’t showing up in the player today).
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Edit: I just realized, the download that I posted contains the album in iTunes AAC (.m4a) format (at 128kbps, btdubs.) This isn’t a “problem” per se; it just means you can only listen to it in iTunes/on your iPod or whatever inferior media player can handle the format. If I get around to it I’ll convert them to MP3 and re-post, but if not – well, it’s 2009, and you still using Windows Media Player is just plain retarded on your part.
Hey folks. Just wanted to take a second to bring to your attention that today is World Autism Awareness Day. Since my brother is autistic, and I also used to work with disabled individuals I’m a very strong supporter of those with special needs, so if you wouldn’t mind taking a minute out of your day to maybe learn something new, you’d probably feel good about it.
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(Note: I’m fully aware that I sound like a retard here, to which I can only say: *shrug.*)
Well it’s been in the works for a while but it’s finally done and on its way – my first EP, Peace In Outer Space, comes out June 23 on most major digital markets, including iTunes, Amazon’s MP3 store, Real Rhapsody, and Napster (although really…does ANYONE use anything but the first two?) I would encourage you to purchase it.
It’s troubling times, folks.