Did I tell you there’s a new EP on the way? Well it’s true!
Three years ago, I started a project in hopes of inspiring some of my wonderfully musically talented friends to stop waiting for enough money and time to go to an actual studio to record themselves, and instead to take advantage of all the wonderful technology we have now and just do it themselves. The plan was to use the simplest means possible to record at home, document how it was all done, and at the end have a finished EP’s worth of songs pressed and distributed on CD.
Little did I realize the task was larger than my enthusiasm. I started recording a few songs, made a few video tutorials, and even made packaging plans with the help of Mauricio Carey, but found myself quickly running out of steam. The whole thing languished till this month when I felt the need to clear it out of my head, as it had been nagging at the back of it for too long and I needed to move forward unhindered by yet another undone thing.
So now it’s ready (view the Truman’s Hat Project), and will be available this Tuesday, May 1st in a limited, handmade and hand-numbered edition of 100 6-song EPs. Downloads will be available too of course, but will only contain 5 songs, leaving off a song called ‘Such A Beautiful Bird’…
Hey, that’s the name of the downloadable song in this post! Why yes it is Seymour, but it’s not the same version. Oh no. The one above was just recorded quickly today specifically for this post, and it’s a time-twister because it was recorded later than but released before the one only found on the CD coming out Tuesday. Got that? It’s a song for my birdling.
I hope you’ll check back Tuesday, or consider tuning into one of the following for more details as they arise:
Well it’s the middle of the year, the 4th of July to be exact, and I’ve added a new free downloadable single to the catalogue. This one, Cliff’s Stupendous Margaritas, was first found on the out-of-print CD Jersey Shoreline back in 2002. People keep asking me about it, or mentioning it to me, so I thought I’d give it a bit of a better mixing to and also re-do some of the vocals and the bassline. It’s basically a noisy margarita recipe disguised as a rock song. Have at, and enjoy!
Also, don’t forget to come be a friend at the Facebook page, facebook.com/marbletea. There’s an exclusive and free EP you can get just for “Liking” the page!
I was very excited when my friend Ellen Luckett Baker asked me to do the music for the trailer of her new book 1, 2, 3 Sew. She’s amazingly talented and imaginative, and discusses really cool crafty things at her blog, The Long Thread. Plus, we like a lot of the same kinds of music, so I knew it would be a fun project.
The book trailer is above, as is the song in mp3 format that you can download and keep in your sewing basket for quick access whenever you need accompaniment for your spontaneous dancing. Ellen’s doing a giveaway of her book, but hurry as you’ll need to enter by this Saturday, June 18. If you run with a sewing crowd, please feel free to share this information (and the video!) wherever you feel appropriate.
And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention to you that I absolutely love doing this sort of thing, so if you’ve got a project that needs music – whether whimsical, sinister, or sedate – please contact me. I am, after all, your man (as Leonard would say).
Hey, come be a friend at the Facebook Page and a get an exclusive and FREE EP!!
So my friend Steven Wilson of the mighty Plasticsoul informed me about this thing called February Album Writing Month (FAWM) which issues the challenge of writing and recording 14 songs in the 28 days of February. I love this kind of stuff, I assume, because I’m addicted to starting things I never finish.
Well this time I did finish (just barely), despite birthdays and weddings and travels to the other side of the country, and I’m happy to let you have the proceedings as one nice bundled up album of demolicious noise as a completely free download (you don’t even have to give me your email address)!
Now, this is by no means an official album, but we can pretend it is if you like. While many of the songs were little more than sketches, a few turned out quite well considering the time constraints. I hope you’ll enjoy it….
[Click the image above, or use the widget at the end of this post, to check out the new single!]
I feel a special connection with the Gulf of Mexico, particularly that stretch of shore along Florida’s panhandle. My grandparents had a house on the beach in Panama City, so my summers growing up were filled with white sand and blue-green waters, as well as all the adventures of my mischievous father and his brothers and clan.
Teenaged and college summers were spent predominately in Destin-Ft. Walton with an eye toward drinking and bikinis rather than the natural magic of the place, but by my settled-in adult years that sweet body of water had whispered the memories and promises back into my ear, planting the rhythm of its undulating waves firmly alongside my heartbeat. (more…)
