Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Start your own damn label; Bandcamp

A major force moving us toward a post-mega record label, artist selling directly to the public, world, Bandcamp has set the bar for music downloads and ease of use.  With no set up fees and the ability to download your music and artwork with the greatest of ease Bandcamp has created a super user friendly experience for the artist ready to release his or her own work on their own time table when they the work is ready.  With a fee structure that is easy to understand and pays the artist first Bandcamp is by far the service that puts the most money back into a musicians pocket.   Let us break it down, Bandcamp collects 15% for the service they provide so when you sell an album for say $10, then they generate a $1.50 credit to Bandcamp and you get the $10 deposited in your paypal account.  This process continues until the amount you owe bandcamp and a sale match up.  So once you owe them $10, you make that $10 sale the money stays with Bandcamp.  On top of that once you reach $5000 a month in sales that percentage reverts to 10% and it isn't per band but per account.  So you labels with several artists get an added benefit by sticking together.





      Once you get your account, set up is a whip.  You will need wav files of your songs, some artwork to upload and paypal account and you are ready to go.   At this point you add as much information as you would like and set your price.  The best part of deciding what your work is worth is the name your price function which allows listners to pick the amount they pay.  You can simply set a minimum or not, per the Bandcamp home page "On name-your-price albums, fans pay an average of 50% more than the minimum."  My own experience with Bandcamp bears this assertion out.  You also have the option of up to 200 free downloads you can give to fans in exchange for an email address or just the desire to get the music out there.  The interface is easy to use and the statstics are meaningful and easy to interpret.  So musicians, no more excuses, no more waiting for the label to come rescue you. Let the world know what you to offer, start your own damn label.  Bandcamp

Featured Bands and Label:
My Kickdrum Heart
The Demigs
Spooky Folk
Seryn
Centromatic
Dang! Records

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Give me something sharp: Spooky Folk

 "Give a songwriter a band and he might take over the world" sums up what we have here with Denton's rising stars, Spooky Folk.    Beginning to breakthrough into the upper echelon of DFW venues by knocking people dead live and stacking bodies by the door, this experience is begotten from a synergy created around songwriter Kaleo Kaualoku and band members Petra Kelly, Chris Brown, Scarlett Wright and Jesse Clay Perry.  Now to say  Spooky Folk is a songwriter with a backing band would be so off the mark that I can't believe that you suggested it. Shame on you. Spooky Folk accomplish the rare feat of giving a unique voice a unique sound.  (Bad writing but true.)  Kaleo's lyrics speak about what it is to live in the great state of confusion that is North Texas.  A song like the standout "Bible Belt", speaks for us who live in this part of the world widely associated with Rick Perry, cowboy hats and barbeque.   The band is able to capture the crazy-making experience of being where on Sundays you are expected to go to church, then when you walk out the door, some of the very same people drop an N Bomb or call for bombing a faraway place; and still you have to figure out how to love them.  The music en-lightens us through joyfulness while we live in this North Texas world which at times is perhaps too surreal for it's own good.  Boisterous and fun, get your favorite cut of meat and enjoy yourself some Spooky Folk.

Spooky Folk is found on I Love Math Records.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The improbable impossible: DentonRadio.com

How many cities could boast a 24 hour a day radio station that played only artists from that city?  Surely your mind thinks of cities like New York, L.A., London, Paris or even smaller places like Seattle, Austin or Nashville that merely number just over a million people in the population.  So the idea of starting radio station devoted to the artists of a town of just over 100,000 residents seems improbable and that after about a day or two the well would run dry.   Not so, says founder of DentonRadio.com Jake Laughlin, in this exclusive interview   In the interest of full disclosure Jake is my friend so it wasn't hard to get an interview. 







What is your vision for the radio station? 
 “I want DentonRadio.com to become a tool that shows people what Denton has to offer (music, businesses, etc.)! I hear people say all of the time “there is nothing to do in Denton,” but that’s ridiculous! With all of the artists, music, venues, and cool stuff around town a person can get exhausted just trying to decide what to do! If there was something that could let the ‘bored’ people know what’s going on…”
What were some of the biggest challenges to getting the station started? 
 “Well, I had absolutely NO money when this idea first occurred, so we had to crowd fund it and get and a lot of businesses donate time and resources to get to this point, and that took quite a while!”
What does an artist have to do to get his material on Denton radio.com? 
 “All they have to do is come to Banter Bistro on any Thursday at 7 and register! We also prefer that they bring their tunes to us on a CD with them (though they can email them to us if necessary). Also, just to make sure we will be there that week (there are some weeks we are not) they should send us an email at Contact@DentonRadio.com.”
Any additional information you think we should know?
“Additional info? Hmmm… All I can say is ‘BIG things are coming!

And with what we've seen Jake accomplish so far, there is no doubt that big things are in store for the Denton music scene and Dentonradio.com

See also: Doggie Time
               DentonRadio The Blog




Thursday, January 19, 2012

Back to School Binge: I Love Math Records presents Spooky Folk and The Demigs

Rubber Gloves is where you need to be Saturday to satisfy your beginning of the semester rock and roll needs.   Many of you had a tough 3 hours of classes to attend this week and the rest of us have jobbie jobs, so what is required is some rock and roll release.   Denton up and comers Spooky Folk bring their brand of rock through a Beck Lips folk blender to headline the show.   You may ask, "Why did you put the Demigs, who are not headlining the night in the headline of this here article?"  Well readers that is because as DFW.com says the Demigs are "a criminally overlooked jewel of pop artistry."   We aim to rectify this situation and bring a bit of justice by sharing our own praises of the band which we reviewed back in August, and exhorting you to get out early to catch them in all their majesty.  
Also playing
Sealion

Danny Rush and the Designated Drivers

Young & Brave

Paper Robot 

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Good Folking Music at Crossroads this Friday

What are your plans this Friday 1-20 two thousand and the twelve?   Change them because you absolutely must a Folking good time instead.  You may ask, "Where do I go to have such an experience?"  Well I'm going to tell you.   Crossroads Bar 1803 North Elm St Denton Tx, 76201, Just a couple blocks south of W University Dr right by the TWU campus**  that's right I copied and pasted from the website.  On this evening you will be entertained, dare I say enlightened, by not one but two terrific songwriters.  None other than one Billy Ratcliffe and one Mathew Grigsby shall be laying heart and soul  on the line for your edification.  Billy, a maestro of finger picking, will dazzle you with his guitar work and songsmanship.  To finish off the evening and bring it on home Mathew Grigsby knocks you out with his heartfelt brand of gritty and often humorous songs that would make Townes Van Zandt proud.  So clean up your ear holes so that you may be presentable for a  "Folking Good Time".  All puns intended.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Best little late night open mic in Denton Cross Roads Bar

For those who would play a brand of music a little, how would you say, more raucous than the general coffee shop brand of open mic, there is now a place for you.  Crossroads Bar is the place to be Tuesday nights for some of Denton's finest songwriters and performers.  This weekly event is hosted by song smith extraordinaire, Matt Grigsby, who will play few tunes himself to get things started.  Been wondering what to do on a Tuesday nights?  Then look no further than Cross Roads Bar, and you get to keep your soul to boot.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Seryn Baroche Folk A list of words and phrases to describe the music

This week instead of the typical review the music in well formed out thoughts that fit into the structure of paragraph, I have decided to provide a short list of words I thought of when listening to This Is Where We Are by Denton group Seryn.   The music is acoustic in nature and has some wonderful things going on texturally  but before my thinking mind gets in the way here is a list.
Joyfully, celebrating life, calming, reflective, harmonious, the end of winter when you know spring is coming, lively, blooming, alive, sunshine, happy.




Ok this may be an innovative attempt to reviewing music or just a lazy post,  figuring out ways to describe music is kind of like describing making love.  You really have to be there to enjoy it.  Fortunately, all you have to do is click and orgasmic experience is yours.
(Did that get a little weird, I hope it wasn't weird, it wasn't? ok good.)

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

My Kickdrum Heart playing in support of Taylor Moseley Box set release

Our friend Taylor Moseley is releasing a box set of his various projects over the years.  My Kickdrum Heart is playing in support at Banter Cafe right before the parade over to Haileys

Here is a link to Taylor's baby, The Shelbi Vinyl.