Fun fact: I actually used to wear one of these in high school. And the girls scattered like water bugs...

I’ve been hesitant to post lately because there’s so much going on that I’m afraid it’ll all just spill out as a boring bullet list or a whiny complaint factory.  Indeed, it’s hard to remember that it was through the generosity of all you Kickstarter backers that I’m even able to put these records together, and when 2012 is over, I know there will be a part of me that will miss imagining and assembling these things.

So I have to confess something.  I wrote in the initial pitch for this project that I’d “stockpiled too many songs.”  That was a slight stretching of the truth.  Don’t get me wrong.  I technically had enough material on my hard drive to fill four seven inch records, plus a handful of bonus songs.  But it’s important to me that the records (and the year-end CD compiling them) contain my “best” material, and I’m at a point now where this means I have to finish recording some songs…and even finish writing others.  I’ll bust out some examples of what I’m talking about below…

I have a new(ish) song called “Caleb’s Conclusion” that I already recorded, but the song’s gotten much faster when I play it, and while I’m oddly proud of the Neil Young-ish solos I initially recorded, the song doesn’t need those kinds of stretches any more.  So I have to re-record that one.

Ditto for “The Creak of the Landline,” a slight, galloping sketch that I laid down quickly, the same week it was written.  I thought it would be a passable recording, but…it crosses the line from “ramshackle” into “sloppy.”  (Even basement musicians have standards.)  So that needs to be re-recorded, too.

I think there’s just two songs that’ve been written but not recorded at all: “Floating Voter” and “The Shape of Ohio.”  “Floating Voter” is weird and needs to be distorted, so I have to approach that with a certain strategy.  “The Shape of Ohio” bares an unfortunate resemblance to a song I’ve already recorded, so I’m chewing over ways to make it distinct, including maybe getting a piano player to do it….

This leaves just three groups of songs to finish writing: 1) The weird instrumental ideas I have scribbled on a sheet of legal paper tacked up in the basement (which really need to be recorded IN ORDER to be “written,” if you catch my drift), 2) The super-old unfinished ideas I’ve been recalling from as long ago as (gasp) the 90′s, and 3) The current active “proper” songs in the hopper right now, some with a verse and a half, others with just a stray line and a brace of good intentions.  These include “The Luckiest Pilot in the Galaxy,” “This Has to Stop,” “Longevity Blues” and “The Spokesperson for Winter.”  I actually squeezed out a draft for “Winter” yesterday morning, but I can already tell it needs fixing.  Shouldn’t take too many tweaks, though.

So what’s hard is to list all the writing and recording “to-do’s” above…and not feel a slight resentment towards all the NON-writing and recording items on my plate.  Like promoting the next record, and assembling the artwork, and then mailing it to backers and radio and writers.  It’s a lot to process.  Yet this is the lot of the unsigned / unrepresented musician, I think: You have to be your own manager, be your own label.  I’ve known for years that I should have been wearing those hats, but I’ve just been avoiding it since, after all, it’s nowhere near as fun as “just” writing and recording songs.

And this might sound a bit disingenuous, but I do mean it as a good thing.  In many ways, the 2012 Record Club has sort of forced me to do the things I’ve been neglecting and dreading — namely, networking and promoting myself.  Even now, just typing those phrases makes me throw up in my mouth a little bit.  But it’s my hope that by the end of this year, I’ll have some of the processes down to a science, and thus they’ll be more manageable…and thus less dreaded.  Again, that may not be the most unambiguous expression of gratitude, but I hope you can sense that I mean it.  This year might feel hectic as all get-out, but it’s doing me a world of good, and I need to remember that, and to thank you all for it…

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Our love will not let you down.

As you may recall, one of the backer levels for the 2012 Record Club involved me recording a cover song of the backer’s choosing.  My friend Jessica H was kind enough to kick in at this level, and to be pretty loosey-goosey about WHICH Bruce Springsteen song I could record.  I went with the song which was the biggest game-changer w/r/t my Boss fandom.  Prior to hearing “My Love Will Not Let You Down” (the live version that kicks off Live in New York City), I was one of those guys who was cool with Nebraska and little else. For some reason, this song just clicked with me, opening me up to the more rocking, E-Street side of things.

Of course, my version sounds nothing like the original.  In fact, it sounds a little like something from Nebraska.  Heh-heh.  You can hear it and/or download it here:

http://soundcloud.com/zapruderpoint/my-love-will-not-let-you-down

This track will be up FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY!  Because I want to keep it a special/Jessica thing.  (And also because I don’t want to get sued.)  The next/last three covers will be by Kate Bush, The Beatles, and Indigo Girls, so STAY TUNED!

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Yes, that's a Noel Gallagher poster behind it. Why do you ask?

I’ve been thinking of getting a new amp for about a month now. The current set-up I have — a National head with a custom two-speaker cabinet — has served me well, and still sounds great (when it isn’t being finicky). But it’s been a literal drag to haul in two heavy pieces every time I play out. I started fantasizing about having just the ONE handle, maybe even , with the guitar in the other hand, just making the SINGLE trip between car and club…? One can dream…

Normally in these situations I defer to my good friend and erstwhile “Zapruder Point Trio” member John Aselin, basically just buying whatever he tells me to. But this time, I did a little of my own research, finding out how much wattage and weight various models had, Googling things like “Peavey vs. Fender” and following the gear-geek rabbit holes of various internet chat boards.

Long story short, I figured out that I wanted something with a single 12″ speaker, preferably Fender, and preferably something a little older, like from the 90′s. (Apparently quality dipped for Fender amps after production moved to Mexico around the year 2001). I kept tabs on Craigslist. And John, bless him, kept even CLOSER tabs, shooting me promising pics when he found them. Fender Hot Rods in my price range seemed to be very common, but I held out for something cooler.

Like I said, I wasn’t necessarily looking for a Peavey at all. But I’d actually read a thread where people compared their Classic 30 to the Fender Deluxe. Apparently, the older Peaveys held their own, and some people even preferred them. There were a couple kickers: this amp LOOKED cool, with the tweed and all. I’ve always wanted a tweed amp, especially one where the knobs are recessed at the back like that. It’s cosmetic, but hey. ALSO, when I called the guy selling it and he described its sound as primarily “smooth,” I felt better. I don’t have a lot of use for distortion in gig situations, which is obviously what I was picking this up for.  Lastly, I think since these are generally less popular amps than Fenders, this kept the price down.  It seemed like kind of a steal…

Move it on over...

Of course, the final test was driving out to Park Ridge with the Jazzmaster and playing it. Not to be at a loss for words, but…it sounded awesome. I paid the man and couldn’t stop grinning ear to ear practically all the way home. the challenge now is to sort of tweak the sound, maybe even alter my playing a bit. You see, the National basically just has bass and treble controls, but the Classic 30 also has middle, not to mention the option to control a pre- and post-amp, which is essentially to MAYBE layer in just a TOUCH of overdrive, if I can find a flavor that doesn’t sound cheesy or muddy. (I really have a problem with distortion I guess.)

Should be fun. I’ll let you know how it goes. Better yet, go to a show and witness it first hand. Yeah, that’s the ticket…

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They Gave Zapruder a Raw Deal.

It seems that there’s so much to update w/r/t the Record Club that I just end up getting buried beneath the pile, and I don’t post.  Which is bad.  So Let Me Tell You Something.  The first record — Buildings vs. People — arrived and was mailed to Backers just in time to make me not a liar w/r/t the whole “February” thing.  Then it was “officially” “dropped” on March 6th (my birthday).  And THEN I commenced promoting it.

As anyone who knows what they’re doing will tell you, you really should promote releases before they come out.  But I never claimed to know what I was doing.  And this first record had me all discombobulated.  It was the “few eggs” which needed to be broken in order to “make an omelet.”  I got a late start on it in general, because I wasn’t sure if the Kickstarter would pull together. Then I spent a good chunk of time picking the songs and mixing them.  And figuring out how to fill out the form for the pressing plant. Then making the sleeve art, and the inserts for special people.  Waiting for the pressing plant to turn it around.  Assembling and mailing.  Getting together a promotional list of people and radio stations.  Sending those emails.

And to be honest, WHILE I was doing the last two items, I was mixing the NEXT record, to be sure I’d be more ahead of the curve.  The people on that email list are going to be really annoyed when they hear from me about a new record just 2 or 3 weeks after hearing about the last one.  But…I haven’t really tried this hard in a while.  And…once you get organized about it, once you have at least some of the things down to a science, it’s not really so hard.  It’s just getting over the hump, or getting back into the swing of things.

It sure makes me nervous though.  My Facebook likers may know that I dread writing promotional copy, sending promotional emails, any of that stuff people sign to labels for.  Because technically, there is ALWAYS something you could be doing to promote yourself. Thus, you can easily guilt yourself into a frenzy, attempting to tackle the literally endless checklist.  So I made myself a deal, set certain boundaries on this process, JUST so I wouldn’t go insane. And for this first round, there was some internal whining, but in general I shouldered it okay.  Next one should be easier, and so forth.

But I’m telling you.  Next year I just want to play out a lot.  Is that okay?

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In Good Company

In a way I’m envious of steadily-touring musicians because their skills never go fallow.  If it’s true what they say, that every show is like ten rehearsals (and even if it isn’t, come to think of it), then bands on the road just naturally tighten up quicker and stay that way longer. The best a strictly-local guy like myself can do is to simulate the experience by playing every day (or damn near).

The utter necessity of daily practice is dawning on me.  Not just in order to play well when it counts, but to feel well and truly comfortable with my instruments, to the point where I can hardly even feel them.  When I used to be just a singer, it was easier to climb into that upper air.  But without drums and bass for cover, and with me having to multitask on guitar…well, it’s been way harder.

Until this show.  Yikes!

The night before, my rehearsal was actually pretty rough, but the night before THAT I’d eaten three tangerines and then done a bang-up job.  So out of sheer superstition, on the night of the show, I carried three tangerines into Schuba’s, tucked inside my guitar case.  At 6:00, Whitehorse were soundchecking their many stringed instruments, percussive platforms, and old-timey microphones.  For just a couple people, they had the whole room bumping.  I met Luke and Melissa, and they were very sweet people.  Luke even asked to play my guitar for a sec.  To be honest, Whitehorse are unnervingly attractive people, both with angelic voices to match.  It had me intimidated, but I managed to shake it off.  This ain;t a competition.

I did my soundcheck and went out to the car to eat my tangerines and drink my coffee.  I came back in and had a shot of whiskey and chatted with Luke for a second about SXSW.  Amy showed up JUST as I was heading to the stage at 7:00 sharp.  I did:

I Held Her in My Arms [Violent Femmes] / The Balad of Roy G. Biv / Jay / Johnny Without June / West of Western / Terrible Things / Caleb’s Conclusion / The Oldies Station / Lisa Pruett Will Have Her Revenge on Coventry / You Are Not Your Own / Ray of Light [Madonna]

It's Always Kind of a Blur

The place was fullish, mostly with Whitehorse fans. But a really good number of “my people” were there, too, and the people who didn’t know me from Adam were all attentive anyway. Aside from a weird rhythmic self-psych-out on the first song, flubs were pretty much non-existent. The sound was at its usual awesome Schuba’s standard. I took it light, but burrowed in mid-songs when the spirit moved me, which the crowd seemed to encourage. In short, it was the way shows should be, and I aim to have more of them.

Whitehorse were a harmonious beast, consummate professionals who had everyone in the palm of their hand. At one point, they came down from the stage and did a song that was literally unplugged, no microphones or anything. I am seriously considering ripping that idea off, as it made the room shrink in a delightful way. I wish them well down in Austin!

I stood near my new merch box and actually sold a few CDs while Amy danced up on me. (“They’re very rhythmic,” she later said of Whitehorse, which is true.) We got burritos on the way home, and I slept poorly. But it was totally worth it.

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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/

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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.

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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…

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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!

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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…

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