Long Time, No Post

Yes it’s been a long time since my last post here. A very long time. I’m not happy about that, but sometimes that’s just the way it goes. We all get sidetracked/busy/complacent about things we want to or should do. This blog is a great example of that.

I had started and then stopped a number of blogs in the past for the exact thing I did here — not making the blog an ongoing concern. So bad Jamie. But I’m back now and (hopefully) I’ll be (somewhat) more consistent with my posts. That’s the idea at least.

So… what have I been up to? Well lots and lots of different stuff. I suppose the BIG news is that I formed a band with singer/keyboardist Wendy Irvine and drummer Dave Patel. We’re called Sixteen Different Minds and we’re just finishing up our debut album. The record is called Dancing Castles and stylistically it’s a mix of folk and pop. I could probably throw a few more genres in there, but I’ll let you decide exactly were to place this band. If you’re interesting in taking a listen to the band, check out the Sixteen Different Minds website.

I’ve also continued playing mandolin. I truly LOVE the instrument! I don’t have nearly the facility on the mando that I do on the guitar, but that’s okay… I’m absolutely enjoying the challenge. I’ve mainly been playing classical music on the mando and I’m currently working on Bach’s Prelude from Cello Suite #1. It’s a incredible amount of fun and I’m learning a lot.

I’ve also started thinking about my next solo record. Over the last year or so, I’ve written quite a bit of new music, but I’m not sure where I want to go in terms of a production or style point of view. For me, liking so many different styles and ways of making music is both a good and bad thing. That said, I do have an inkling of a concept of an idea of what might work for my next record. Clearly it’s not clear where I’m going musically speaking and I suppose to some degree this has always been my artistic process. And I suppose I like it that way.

Best wishes,
Jamie

This Side Up

I played on two beautiful tunes (“Green Eyes” and “After Hours”) on Barbara Jones & Henrik Bridger’s just released debut album, This Side Up. In addition to some absolutely terrific writing and playing by Barbara and Henrik, This Side Up features performances by saxophonist Eric Marienthal. Thanks to Barbara and Henrik for including me on this record — I had a great time recording my parts! If you have a moment, please head on over to BridgerJones.com

Chris Thile: Tips on how to crossover from guitar to mandolin

I’ve just started learning the mandolin and came across this great Chris Thile video on crossing over from guitar to mandolin. I think Chris is exactly right about the challenges guitarists face when making the shift from guitar to mandolin. The string spacing is definitely a challenge, but I’m finding the biggest obstacle is the tuning. Going from standard tuning on the guitar to the mandolin’s fifths based tuning is a real brain/finger tester! Still I’m absolutely loving playing the mandolin and I’m sure the instrument is going to end up on some future recording and on stage.

TEDxOakville

I’m going to be playing at the TEDxOakville Launch Party on Tuesday, June 22! This should be a fantastic event and I’m thrilled to be working with New Media artist Faisal Anwar. You can check out some of Faisal’s work here.

The TEDxOakville theme is: “Can an individual in Oakville really make a difference and change the world?” If you’d like to learn more about TEDxOakville, please visit thispage.

To learn more about TEDx, click here.

Thanks and bye for now,
Jamie

Water (Video)

If you have a moment, please check out the brand new video for "Water"! This is the first of two videos my brother, Randy, has created for my latest release, Side B. I hope to have the second video up sometime next week.

For those of you interested in the creative/tech side of things, Randy created the "Water" video completely in Motion and edited it in Final Cut. Yes, that means it was more than a little bit of work. As a side note, the molecule at the beginning and end of the video is, oddly enough, a water molecule! Of course I’m biased, but I think Randy did an absolutely amazing job!

If you’d like to see more of Randy’s work, please visit his company’s website at Showstogoya.com

And lastly, if you like the music for this video, you can download the track for free on my BandCamp site.

Thanks and bye for now,
Jamie

Auction for Pete Seeger Signed Banjo

My union (Local 1000) is auctioning off a “Pete Seeger-Style” Vega Longneck Banjo (made available by the generosity of the Deering Banjo Company). This banjo was played and signed by Pete himself! The proceeds of the auction will benefit our Emergency Relief Fund and our Organizing efforts to bring the benefits of our union to other musicians.

Check out this video of Pete Seeger playing and signing the banjo!

If you’d like to place a bid for the banjo, please visit this link.

Thanks and best wishes,

Jamie

Side B

I’m happy to announce the release of my new album, Side B! As the title suggests, Side B shows a different side to my music making — the focus on this record is electronic and orchestral textures. I’ve had a long time love of electronic-based music (I started out on my brother’s Jupiter 4 back in the late ’70s) and ended up studying electro-acoustic/computer music in school. To date, all of my albums have been guitar-based — the electronic and orchestral elements were generally in support of my guitar playing. With Side B, I wanted to bring those supportive sounds to the front. I also wanted to free myself from “standard” song/production formats, so some of the tracks were built around sound design or were developed from a drum/bass groove. I had a great time writing/recording this record and I hope to do more music in this style in the future.

For anyone concerned that I’ve dropped the acoustic guitar (that would NEVER happen), there are absolutely no worries. I’m currently working on a new guitar-based record that’s heavily influenced by bluegrass and roots music.

You can listen to Side B in it’s entirety on my BandCamp site. The first track on the record, “Water” is available for free download and the entire album can be downloaded in just about any audio format for $5. I hope to have Side B available on iTunes and other sites shortly.

As always, thanks and bye for now,
Jamie

Sony Music to drop promo CDs

Sony Music to drop promo CDs

I actually thought this would have happened a long time ago.  I understand that some people in the industry (reviewers, radio stations, etc.) still want a physical product, but CDs make little or no sense in 2010. There is far less environmental impact from digital downloads and digital files are far easier to manage from a delivery standpoint. They’re also easier to use. Finding a particular track amongst ten thousand songs in an iTunes-like system is a breeze. Finding that same track on one of 1,000 CDs is, to be charitable, a challenge.

As Sony’s CEO, Ged Doherty, says:

“Digital promo is set to become an industry standard as other major and independent music companies also make the switch. Physical stock is expensive, difficult to store and environmentally unfriendly. The digital e-card system that we have developed and tested in-house will provide all our partners across radio, television, press and retail with the same sound quality you are used to as well as artist images, pack shots, press clippings and other content to give you a complete picture of each release”.