I’m posting this piece today in honor of my good buddy Pepper Coyote and his shiny new Patreon. It’s about time! Are you thinking of jumping on Patreon or Bandcamp or some other straight-to-fans subscription system? Righteous. It’s exciting and fulfilling, but could also kill your career entirely. (Paying attention now? Good.) I’ve been doing […]
I recently announced on Kickstarter that I would trade my art budget for the chance to record real (not digital) piano tracks. Most people will never notice the difference, but I believe the money was absolutely well spent. The difference is subtle, but an important part of album creation. Take a listen: The first half […]
We just spent two full days replacing the drums and re-amping guitar/bass parts at Mad Oak Studios. Many, many thanks to Shelly, Greg, Karasu, Richard, and Earl for coming to the recording session, I hope you had a great time! As I said on the Kickstarter page, the drums sound ENORMOUS compared to the basement […]
Cognitive dissonance is more than just inconsistency in your stated beliefs (i.e. “but her emails” vs. “Pence’s personal AOL account”). It’s a breakdown of critical thinking that allows you to believe in contradictory concepts without resolving them. Or, to put it simply, it’s a lack of questions. Or maybe just a lack of answers you’re […]
I’m never sure what I’m trying to say. I’m never sure what I’m thinking, usually. My head is always full of questions. Yours is too, I’m guessing. But that is okay. Our determined stares hold back the flood of questions, but we must let them flow. The time to question is always right now. Question […]
One of the challenges that comes with every new album is wrapping a complete creative package around the music. You need photos, you need album art, you need posters and shirts and little promo graphics for emails and websites and GODDAMMIT CAN’T I JUST MAKE MUSIC?!? Making a creative brief isn’t my strong suit. Some […]
Time to start educating those who were duped by fake news NOW. Before it gets exponentially harder to spot. Last night Aaron and I ended up watching some old TNG episodes… specifically “Reunification”, the two-parter with Leonard Nimoy as Spock. 20-year-old-spoiler-alert: The entire plot hinges on a holographic fake of Spock. According to the Romulans, […]
Here is the complete list of browser extensions, either released or in development, that will alert you when you’re looking at fake news, misleading stories, or outright propaganda:
(Or “A Guide to Managing Your Robots Responsibly”) Robots are a dangerous thing. It’s no secret that I love my robots. After all: time flows like a raging river in one direction, money is just this thing that surges in and out of your life like a tide pool. Automation is what saves me the […]
So… that just happened. I am sorry, Earthlings, but we have failed you. We tried to warn you; we seeded every conceivable villain into the heads of your best writers. Not to make your entertainment better, mind you, but to prepare you for what evil looks like. There weren’t many templates to remember, but most […]
It occurred to me recently that booking is the absolute worst thing a musician has to do. More than hauling a 75-pound keyboard onto the stage, more than constantly warming up and rehearsing and keeping the little throat-flaps in shape, more than moderating your liquor/smoke/coffee intake to protect those throat-flaps from damage, and even more […]
I never really wanted to do it, really. I looked down on motorcycles, in fact; that people would take that much risk when there are plenty of fun options with seat belts, air bags, and roll cages just confounded me. Then two days in a parking lot with some qualified MSF instruction happened. Aaron and […]
