Recently delivered to all official Record Club members, now available to the public, it’s the 5 (really 4) song EP, ‘Buildings vs. People.’ Features “Lisa Pruett Will Have Her Revenge on Coventry.” Buy the vinyl or pay-what-you-like (including nothing) for download here: http://zapruderpoint.bandcamp.com/
[Photo by Rafael Franco-Steeves]
Not Pictured: The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band
Jenn and Tony, the hosts of this monthly variety show (called the “Ceyx Series“), were as sweet as could be, and it was a fun, eclectic evening. But I would like to start with a simple criticism. I was told to be at this thing at 6:00, and this turned out to be Super Dumb. Amy was not feeling great Monday, so she really hadn’t planned on attending. However, since she wasn’t sure she could get the car home in time for me, we just met at the theater at 6:00, her coming straight from work with my equipment.
We sat there and read for over an hour, listening to sound and lighting people ask each other where various plugs and stands and outlets were. Clearly, I could have easily come at 7:15 to check my amp, and Amy could have therefore skipped out and given me the car, as she’d initially wanted to do. As it was, Amy left at the intermission, and I had to take the train home, and it was just kinda sucky.
So seriously, guys: Don’t ask people to be places WAY earlier than necessary. I know musicians and performers are supposedly less than punctual, but not not all of us fit that description, and it kinda blows to essentially be penalized for respecting the wishes of event organizers and, like, showing up on time. Right? RIGHT? Anyway, whatever. I have no lingering ill will, just wanted to get that out there. RANT OVER.
I can now officially say I’ve shared a stage with a hip-hop artist. And a dancer. And a poet. And a performance art troupe. Most interesting to me was this last act. Two members of the Synapse Art Collective presented short, solo, improvised, silent dance-like routines, scattered between the rest of the acts. “Silent improvised dance” might sound pretentious, but it was actually very compelling, combining athleticism with an almost actorly level of facial expression, and a healthy dash of humor.
It was after one of these pieces that I took the stage. I just did five songs: “West of Western,” “Terrible Things,” “Lisa Pruett Will Have Her Revenge on Coventry,” “The Oldies Station,” and “You Are Not Your Own.” The stage lighting was odd; I haven’t felt that unable to see an audience in a long time, but in a way it helped ease the jitters, just staring out into a black void. I also was keenly aware of where the camera for the live stream had been placed, and for some reason I decided to make the last lines of “The Oldies Station” the ones where I looked into the lens, saying hello to whoever was out there. (My mom and my brother-in-law, among others, as I found out later.)
Also part of the evening were poet Terry Jacobus, dancer Alka Nayyar, and rapper Ruby Yo. All stuff that I normally wouldn’t seek out, but I suppose that’s the point of a variety show like this, and I was delighted to take it all in, and (ultimately) glad to have been a part of it. Thanks to the Halcyon Theatre folks for letting/making it happen.
So I’ve long since finished the work for the first Record Club “deliverable” — the “Buildings vs. People” vinyl EP which will drop in February. All’s I’m doing now for that particular piece is waiting for United Record Pressing to send me the test pressing, which I’ll listen to and (hopefully) approve. Then it’s another couple weeks of waiting, and then they’ll be sent to me…and then I’ll mail them out to the appropriate backers. If this sounds like I’ll barely squeeze this into my February window, you’re hearing correctly. I’m sorry it couldn’t be swifter; the turnaround time just got the best of me. The good news is that I’m already assembling artwork for the NEXT record, set for May, and I plan on having THAT sent to URP by the Ides of March. I should have a preview of the sleeve soon. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
While waiting, I’ve had some administrative stuff to do. I surveyed you backers for addresses, and I downloaded those into a single spreadsheet for easy envelope-addressing. Also in that survey, I asked the people who are commissioning me for a cover song if they wouldn’t mind me SHARING that song with the world. Remember, per the initial Kickstarter video, the deal was that the songs would be “for your ears only.” But then my friend (and backer) Jessica, said, “No, I want people to HEAR what I forced you to do!” (I’m paraphrasing.) (Hi, Jess!) I imagined maybe other people would feel the same, and I was right. So look forward to future updates containing cover songs. I figure I’ll let the commissioners dig them for a week or two alone, then I’ll unleash them for general download…
Also in the survey, I asked poster-receiving “deluxe” people if they’d like a random gig poster, or a poster specific to the record club. Most votes were neutral, but enough people (three) supported the club-specific poster for me to head in that direction. I have a wacky visual idea for the CD and I think the poster will be similarly themed.
SPEAKING of CD’s, I’ve decided the CD’s — both the vinyl-roundup and the outtakes disc — will be packaged in Jewelboxes. The jewelbox is a sort of design-minded, round-cornered update of the standard jewel case, dreamed up right here in Chicago by Coudal Partners. Years ago, I ordered a box of 30 of them, thinking I might use them for some special project down the road. While crunching the numbers last weekend, I had a real V-8 moment, realizing that THIS was the project I’d been waiting for. So I ordered some more, and I’ll be picking them up downtown in the next few days. They really do look sharp, almost space-age. I think I have a picture of one in here somewhere…
I think that’s about it for this time. I’ll send a picture of the test pressing once I get it. Meanwhile, enjoy the mildness of our winter…
The Unassuming Exterior
I finally got off my backside this weekend and assembled a proper merchandise box in anticipation of the arrival of my records, and the gigs I’m trying to get for the springtime and beyond. I already had the CD suitcase, from back when I still thought those things would continue to sell at the same rate…
CD's Securely Packed on the Left, Records Inside Padded Envelopes and Under a Thick Foam Pad on the Right. The Bar Above the Foam Holds It Down TIGHT!
So first, I had to knock out one of the “bars” in the suitcase to make room for the records. I’d keep one “rack” for CD’s off to the side.
The Lights CAN Blink, But It's Pretty Obnoxious, So I Don't Let Them
Then, after figuring out the cheap foam-and-padded envelopes solution for carrying records around IN that section, I drove up to the amazing American Science and Surplus store — a sort of Army surplus store for geeks / science teachers.
(Old Records for Modeling Purposes Only)
They had a battery-operated string of super-tiny LED lights that I took home and stapled to the inside of the lid of the suitcase. They were PLENTY bright for inside a dark club, and they run on 3 triple-A’s…
Prices Subject to Change (But Probably Not)
I mounted the record and CD inserts with velcro (also available at American S&S). As a finishing touch, Amy gave me the idea to use these cool serrated scissors she has to make “price starbursts”, which I cut out from yellow crack ‘n’ peel sticker sheets (also picked up at — you guessed it — American S&S, for just 25 cents each).
I’ve wanted to check this off my Zapruder Point to-do list literally for years. I celebrated by sitting down and giving a serious listen to Kiss’ Music from “The Elder”. Which…man, what a weird, terrible record. Anyway: MERCHANDISE BOX GO!
Well, I have listened to the five songs for the first record on the office stereo, the kitchen CD player, the fancy Tivoli in the living room, the iPod, and in the car. I’ve tweaked the mix and applied compression sparingly and judiciously. For comparison, I listened to my last CD, and in some ways, i think this one sounds better. By “some ways,” I guess I mean vocally. I’ve gone all-in with the doubling of vocals — four out of five songs have it. It thickens what I sometimes think of as a thin voice.
What’s more, I really think this collection of songs is solid. I’m especially excited about the side two opener, “Get On With It.” It’s an extremely simple song (even for me), but the way the bass drum came out was a surprise, very surging and deep. I am also very thankful that I got that tambourine last weekend; since then, it’s sounded better with each listen. Lastly, one of the songs has a sample in it. It’s kinda silly. For the sake of variety-in-updates, I’ll share the video I used; maybe you’ve seen it?
Oh, and I’ve pretty much locked down the cover, and I’ve included it in here somewhere…
Next, I have to do my research on RPM, and what exactly the pressing place needs from me. You see, the two sides of the record are about 4:10 and 4:48 in length, respectively. That’s just about the upper limit of what they recommend for a 45 RPM seven-inch. Anything past that, and the quality of audio starts to suffer. I could go to a 33-1/3 seven-inch record, but I’m kind of assuming that is, in and of itself, a notch down in audio quality. I have to confirm whether or not this is the case, and place the order accordingly. So yeah, it’s probably going to be 45, and I’d like to make that a constant across the records. But I make no promises…