Clif

OK, Fuzzers, welcome to Fuzzpile #6 Here are the rules: 1. Visit at least 5 of the artists on this list. 2. Listen to their music, read their bios, check out their blogs. 3. Leave a positive, thoughtful comment or a review. 4. Once you've done all that, reply here with the name of an artist that you'd like to nominate for the next Fuzzpile. And yes, you can nominate yourself. Artists from previous weeks can't be nominated. Here are the artists: 1. Den 2. The...

"Pinback boo remix" was the first track I listened to by Gabriel Jones, and I knew I'd gotten myself into something that was going to cost me some time. :) I immediately fell in love with the acoustic bass tones in "I am Convinced", the newest Gabriel Jones offering. This track confirmed a certain je ne sais quoi that I had detected in the first track. Further listening down the playlist drove it home, but I'm not sure I quite have my finger on it yet. Listen...

I'm not going to dissect Lefsetz's most recent letter, but you should read it. because: "Today everybody is a niche player." "...the public is anointing trusted sources." "Mainstream critics mean less than your buddy." "If you’re looking for a center, if you’re looking for a hub from which the spokes of the wheel emanate, your concept of the cultural landscape is antiquated, completely out of date." "Locking up the music is...

Of foolish dreams - I'm done with these Of childish things- I've set them free Filed them away in the past Gave up on all that don't last (Ron Sexsmith - Never Give Up) I was going to call this "Why Your Art is Important." But at least I got your attention. :) There is only one thing I want to say here, and that is that art is important - your art. Always remember what made you start making art, and don't ever let criticism or the drive to commercialize...

OK, fellow Fuzz artists... here's your chance to "sell around your music." I wear T-Shirts. Why? Because I love cool T-Shirts. And because I'm a programmer in Seattle, and that's what Seattle programmers do. T-Shirts wear out... kind of like the well-loved Johnny Cash one I'm sporting right now. So I'm finding myself needing some new T-Shirts. This is where you come in. Sell me your band or DIY T-shirts. Reply to this post with links to where I can find...

Hey, Fuzzers. I just finished another update to the Fuzz Tips and Tricks post to address a few requests made by fellow Fuzzers. There is a slight addition to the Fuzz for Dummies section covering profile preferences. There are also 3 new sections: Message Center, Music Recommendations, and For Artists. Check it out! :) If anyone has any ideas for additions or changes, let me know. Thanks, Clif

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, these guys must be loving them some Fuzz mixtapes. Surely they don't think they can compete? :) http://www.mixwit.com

It's great to see artistic experiments such as that undertaken by Fuzz's own Strange Trax collective survive past the concept phase, as so many fail to come to fruition despite good intentions. But to experience a result as well executed as "Walk on By" is a treat indeed. In my opinion (which only matters to me, go form your own), this song stands as a shining example of what can be accomplished through long distance web-enabled collaboration. Maybe more importantly, it...

This is a huge topic that I will most likely write a book about, so I don't expect to do anything but scratch the surface here. However, it seems to come up a lot these days, and it's a very important issue for me, so I do want to hit the high points. Here are a few of my theories on the subject: The Nature of Art 1. Art is not entertainment. 2. Art is a right, not a privilege. 3. Art is a concentrated expression of the individual. 4. Art is creativity in "solid"...

Someone turned me onto this cool video production tool today, and I cranked out my first music video using some Eve Online screenshots I had stored away. The music is Face Time from my Echo Root album Glass. Here's a blurb about Animoto from their site: Animoto.com is a web application that creates MTV-style videos with the click of a button. Users simply choose a song and images. Animoto then automatically generates a unique video for them. No two videos are ever the same. Many of...

I wanted to re-print this here, because this is perhaps my all-time favorite song. Official Jeff Buckley Site From the official Legacy Recordings press release: Jason Castro's American Idol Performance of 'Hallelujah' Propels Jeff Buckley's 1994 Recording to the Top of the iTunes Singles Chart A Crucial Song From His 1994 Debut Album Grace Becomes Jeff Buckley's First U.S. Number One NEW YORK, March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Thanks to American Idol, America's top...

I decided to give One Day Broken a more in-depth listen and overall I'm really impressed with the musicianship and metal maturity of this band. "Silence is Calling" is my favorite track of those offered on Fuzz. It's clean, with a great 80's metal production style that makes me want to dig out my battered Slayer t-shirt. I love the left-right interplay in the guitar parts - a very respectful nod to old-school metal. Mind you, I'm not saying it sounds dated in any...

I'd like to attempt to consolidate the multiple streams of communication regarding SocialBuxx™ that have popped up around the site so that we may continue a direct conversation on the topic in one place. I first mentioned SocialBuxx™ as part of the 'Free Music - Does It Work?" conversation over at Gavern's place. Here's a quote from TheCapitalClinic that quickly followed as a comment on that forum, and other places throughout the Fuzz site. quote:...

Hey, Fuzzers. I just finished a significant update to the Fuzz Tips and Tricks post to reflect changes brought about with the latest release. The old "Advanced Search" section has been completely overhauled and is now "Search and Filtering." I've also added a section called "Finding Your Way Home." If anyone has any ideas for additions or changes, let me know. Thanks, Clif

Well, maybe not me, but someone like me... read on. REM's streaming their new album for free. Trent Reznor released his new album without a record company, offering several options from free downloads, to $5 for all 4 albums, to super duper limited edition hard core fan deals. Radiohead... well, we all know that story. That's all great. The industry is changing. Artists like Mr. Reznor are beginning to profess their hatred for the machine that made them, kind of like adolescents...

Funny story: Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island was arrested after being pulled over for reckless driving and being found in possession of a little wacky weed. She's 69 :) Story from the Seattle Times

Apparently, R.E.M.'s new album Accelerate will spend its first few days of life as an iLike streaming exclusive. The album will be available through the iLike Sidebar plug-in and via Facebook, Bebo and hi5. The "iLike Worldwide Listening Party" will run between March 24th and March 26th, with the official album launch slated for April Fool's Day. More info: Bandweblogs.com Bliiboard

Sorry, Fuzzers. I'm all done spamming the blogs for now. I figured 3 AM was the best time to get the 7 existing chapters up with a minimum of disruption. :)

This is a serial novel-in-progress. Chapter 1 is here. The main hangar was a massive structure filled with a dozen or so assault ships and other assorted spacecraft. The company seemed much smaller now than it had in the auditorium just an hour ago, even with everyone in full battle dress. Stone felt a bit out of place in his newly donned combat suit as he moved to join the more seasoned guardians in his platoon. He wondered if Duff or Syla or the other half a dozen new arrivals felt the same...

This is a serial novel-in-progress. Chapter 1 is here. “So you’re probably wondering what all of this has to do with you,” Dr. San Martin continued. “The Council’s primary concern is to protect the artifact until their team of archaeologists and investigators arrive and figure out what to do with it. The President himself signed the orders assigning your company, Alpha 2/59, to secure the area around the site. The archeology team is currently about 3 weeks out.” “Thank you...

This is a serial novel-in-progress. Chapter 1 is here. “Thank you, Lieutenant.” The scientist blew a tired breath into the microphone as he dug around in the pocket of his lab coat. He pulled on a pair of thick glasses and shuffled through his crumpled papers, momentarily oblivious to the hungry stares of the soldiers before him. Without moving his head, the doctor slowly lifted his eyes and methodically scanned the audience as if ensuring the information he was about to share wouldn’t...

This is a serial novel-in-progress. Chapter 1 is here. “Take your seats.” Everyone was attentively perched in their metal folding chairs by the time First Sgt. Gilmour made it to the podium at the center of the auditorium’s stage. “You’re gonna be here a while, so I hope everyone took time to visit our magnificent porcelain exhibit.” The first sergeant left the podium and took a seat next to a disheveled 40-something man in a white lab coat. The XO stood and walked to the podium...

This is a serial novel-in-progress. Chapter 1 is here. Stone stood in line behind a dozen other soldiers waiting to have their measurements taken for combat suits. You’d think the Council could spend some of those zillions of dollars to invent a computer that could remember my shoe size from one compound to the next. The next hour was a grueling game of Hurry Up and Wait, standing in one long line after another for 30 seconds of the quartermaster’s attention. At the end of the ordeal...

This is a serial novel-in-progress. Chapter 1 is here. First Sgt. Gilmour was no joke. The deep scar running from the center of his right eye to the corner of his snarled lip quickly silenced any number of class clown responses locked and loaded on the tongues of the suddenly attentive troops before him. Most dared not even think. “Tea time’s over, crunchies.” Crunchy was a not-so-term-of-endearment used by lifers who had witnessed firsthand the leftovers of a Clicker war party...

This is a serial novel-in-progress that I started a few years ago. I'll continue to work on it as I have time, posting new chapters as they're complete, and maybe try to finish it during NaNoWriMo this year. Stone awoke abruptly from an already fading dream. Pulling away the thin green thermal concealing his skin, he slowly lowered his feet to the cold, metallic floor. Standing naked in the center of this utilitarian excuse for a new home, the young soldier stifled a yawn and made...

Hey, Fuzzers. I dug up some videos of my buddy Stephen Couch's band The Betweeners on Youtube. It's probably been a dozen years since I've been in the same room with the guy, but he was a huge inspiration to me, and he is one of the best musicians on the face of the planet. Enjoy!

Mark Baumgarten of Seattle Sound magazine responded to Paste's recent eulogy of the Seattle music "scene": “There may be some growing pains affecting nightlife as Seattle continues to grow and density increases, but Seattle music has moved from ’scene’ to industry,” says James Keblas, Director of Film & Music for the mayor’s office. –Excerpt from “After the Goldrush,” Paste Magazine Mark does a great job in his article of pointing out that the Seattle music...

I have recently been involved in a forum discussion on another site about a "solution to the genre problem," which of course is the same conversation about "finding a better music discovery tool" that has spawned here and there on the Fuzz site. Here's what I wrote there: One word: tagging The problem is trying to define music by a single word. And honestly, an artist is not always the greatest judge of where his/her own music fits anyway. But music does have...

I ran across a great article on how you can put the long tail principal to work for you as an artist. Check it out and feel free to comment. "Young artists starting out in this digitally mediated world have another path other than stardom, a path made possible by the very technology that creates the long tail. Instead of trying to reach the narrow and unlikely peaks of platinum hits, bestseller blockbusters, and celebrity status, they can aim for direct connection with 1,000 True Fans...

Friends and fans, please take a moment to read this. If you must skim, I've highlighted the key parts in bold text. A lot has happened over the last few weeks. The depression and meaning crisis that I face perpetually reared their ugly heads. Events in my personal life foretell a time in the near future when I may have less control over how I spend my time than I do now. Thoughts and conversations here and elsewhere, things I've read, and the death of a musical hero at the age of 41...

Every now and then you come across music so powerful that it becomes part of who you are. And not music that everyone knows about - this is YOUR music. You get to be the one to share it with your hip friends, turning them onto something new that might change their lives as well. It's a very cool thing that happens just a handful of times in your life. Jeff Healey was one of those artists that hit me that way, part of the small group of artists that would come immediately to mind when...

For those of you not aware, Trent Reznor just released the new Nine Inch Nails album via the web last night. Ghosts I-IV is available in several formats, including a free download package with 9 tracks and a PDF, a $5 download option with all 36 tracks and the PDF, and 3 other CD pre-order packages. Another cool, and so far not overly publicized fact is that the new album is completely licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license, which means artists can...

I've been a little depressed this week, not only due to some not-so-great things happening in my personal life, but also because I found myself facing something that all artists face: fear. I think it started with a quality check of a CD-R of Clockwork Angels that I was prepping to send off to complete my participation in the RPM Challenge. Unlike the average artist who spends months or even years writing, practicing and recording 10 songs for their Great American Album, I am moving...

Happy Saturday Fuzzers :) I just finished an update to the Fuzz Tips and Tricks post, adding instructions for linking to your artist store and a new section called Fuzz for Dummies prompted by tibii's recent post, "I am the most stupid user on FUZZ." Enjoy!