The Coulton Principle

So, in anticipation of being done with the new record, I'm finally taking my friend Jonthan Coulton's advice, and giving away the old stuff.  If you'll notice, you can now download "Audio/Stereo/Radio" and "Geraldine" from the MySpace player and if you'd like more than that, you can download the full "Shackle Melodic" EP and selections from "Static and Scripture" here:

www.bryandunnmusic.com/music.html

You can still buy it, of course, and god forbid I prevent you from supporting me as an artist, but I'm finally coming around to the simple fact that if you manage to build yourself an audience, they'll support you.  And Coulton was the working model for that idea.  A lot of people made a big deal when Radiohead was doing a 'pay what you want' pricing on their latest album, but JC had been doing it for a while before then, and turned it into a career long before, and without any of the brand familiarity that they had.  If you're wondering what my connection is to the geek-rock icon, we shared a day job.  I'm still there; he's adored by millions (or at least tens of thousands).  I should consider listening to what he says. 

Currently listening : Thing a Week One By Jonathan Coulton Release date: 2006-08-01

5:34 PM - 4 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Vicious Waltzes and Protest Songs

OK.  So I was a little too excited.  In honor of the protests taking place at the RNC this week, I decided to post my freshly mastered (thanks to Richard Morris at Scott Hull Mastering) protest song, along what will likely be the back cover of the album. 

The album is now called "Vicious Waltz" after a line in "Ordinary": "It's a vicious waltz that holds a candle to you."  I mention playing punk rock in 3/4 time earlier in the song, so it's a bit of word play on Sid Vicious, but it's also describing the music business as a mix of commerce and art, which is the overall theme of that song.  Plus, it seemed a nice contrast of the cynical and the sweet, which is a good description of the album as a whole. 

I broke this particular song down pretty specifically in a blog about a year ago.  I'd like to reiterate that I have Republican friends, Republican parents, and while I might disagree with them on most of the issues, I have no problems with them personally.  I do feel strongly that our country has taken a decided turn for the worst in the last 8 years, and that the responsibility for that lies squarely with the man at the top, who's made a strong case for himself for "worst president ever".  I have at least one long time staunch Republican friend who plans on crossing party lines this November, and that makes me happy. 

Regardless of the political content, I think it stands up on its own pretty well.  It's based on a number of Civil War era tunes (hence the idea of the title), so it's trying to be old school Americana.  Plus, Goldsmith just wails on that solo.

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The 99 cent bin

It's a quiet afternoon in Greenpoint, and I've got the place to myself. I'd tried to go down to the last free show at McCarren Park Pool (Yo La Tengo) since my old guitar player called and let me know he was going, but by the time I got there, the line wrapped around the block, and after waiting a good chunk of the afternoon to not see MGMT a couple of weeks ago I didn't care to wait around.

So on the way back home, I stopped by the local record store (Permanent Records) to see if they had anything i wanted to buy. After briefly flirting with a deluxe edition of "Sweetheart of the Rodeo", I decided I'd spent enough money lately as it was (I had to buy jeans, reserve the hostel in Berlin for next month's trip, and I'm mastering the record on Wednesday which isn't cheap) and sat down to leaf through the 99 cent bin. I found Shoulders' "Trashman Shoes". I've been looking for this record for years. I got into the band in Austin, and their guitar player, Todd Kassens, was a coworker for a while. So I was pretty happy about it. Not only that, I found a Poi Dog Pondering record (which I already owned; see previous blog), two friends of friends' band albums (one I bought, one I didn't), and a Kevin So record (Kevin's a good friend). Then I got a little introspective.

I know how much work, time, and money I've put into my record. And I know the same about Kevin's records. And I guarantee that every other artist in that bin probably went through the same experience making their records. And I'm sure there's songs on those discs that I'd love, but I will probably never hear. Basically, I'm coming to terms with the fact that, sooner or later, my record will wind up in a 99 cent bin somewhere.

In fact, it's already happened twice. Both of my Austin bands wound up there in Waterloo Records. And it's' probably more common these days; you don't have to keep CDs around if you digitize all your music, and they're easy to unload for easy cash. It's sort of an insult to whoever did the packaging, since in general you really are trying to create an object that goes with the sound (Emily and I have been discussing the design a lot lately). But it doesn't really bother me, because, with the exception of the advanced copies of the record that store owners and reviewers unload for a small profit, if it's in the bin, somebody had to buy it in the first place. And I've benefited today, by someone getting rid of an album that I really wanted. And sometimes its a financial incentive to try something new (I bought the Felice Brothers in the 99 cent bin, and that's one of my favorite records this year; I also bought Shwa a copy of David Garza's "Overdub" 'cause I couldn't just let that sit there).

Still, though, I can't help feeling a bit like I'm taking something from Todd (which is a bit ridiculous, since he would have likely given me a copy, if they'd had any left by the time we worked together). We all deserve to get paid for these things, and they cost a lot more than just money.

But maybe he'd just be grateful that someone's still listening. The discount bin might not cost much, but they'd still like you to lend them your ears...

Currently listening : Trashman Shoes By Shoulders Release date: 1994-04-08

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Happy Songs

Shwa's Mercury Lounge debut was last night.  Great crowd, but a lot of my equipment (my amplifier, my delay pedal, and my long-suffering and faithful Tubescreamer distortion pedal) chose this particular show to die.  Which was unbelievably frustrating.  I was off my game most of the show, even though it was well received.  Misty started calling me Eeyore recently, and there might be something to that.  I can be Mr. Dwell-on-the-Negative at times.

So I'm in one of those moods this morning.  And generally when that happens, there are certain songs that cheer me up, regardless of how foul a mood I'm in.  I guess this is my anti-depression playlist.  I'm sure you've got one, too.  Let me know what works for you; I'm curious.

"Waterloo" - Abba
Go ahead.  Make fun of me.  But you know, in your heart of hearts, you love it.  And not just because of the stellar production, tight arrangements, or fabulous outfit.  You love it because you can't not love it, unless something inside of you is dead.

"Jackass Ginger" - Poi Dog Pondering
Remember that anti-Radio rant I went on?  Well, I was listening to WFUV in the car the other day, and they played Poi Dog, which made me fall in love with radio again (they also played the Felice Brothers, the White Stripes, Dwight Yoakam, Buddy Guy, and a bunch of other folks I love).  This was on their third record, and it's got this wonderful rock/funk/world vibe and Frank Orrall's lyrics rush by so fast they might as well be hip hop.  Plus, Malford Milligan does some great backing vocals.  Most of you probably have no idea who these people are, and I feel sorry for you.  You should look into it.

"Young Americans" - David Bowie
One day when I was still in grad school, I was listening to this and, unbeknownst to me, my professor came into the lab.  I was kind of startled by someone belting out "Ain't there one damn song that can make me break down and cry".  But I understood completely.  I'm going to cover this song one day, but I'm not sure if you can do it without that saxophone. 

"Hello, I'm Johnny Cash" - Alabama 3
A lot of people still just know Alabama 3 (or A3 in the states) from the Sopranos theme.  Which is all well and good, but there's a lot more to it than that.  Particularly this tune, which name checks a lot of Johnny Cash songs, and there's just a vibe to it that makes me happy.  Sweet mother@$!ing country acid house music, indeed.

"Chelsea Dagger" - The Fratellis
I heard of this band because of Fashion Television.  Emily was watching a show one night, and they were using this song for a runway show, which made me wonder where the hell that came from.  I bought the record the next day.  I think I've mentioned this before.  But it's a great song, and it's meant to be played LOUD.

"Niteclub" - Old 97s
"I just might get drunk tonight and burn the niteclub down."  I think we've all felt that way once in a while.  At least, that's what I tell myself.

"Common People" - William Shatner
As much as I love the Pulp original, hearing Shatner growl about "Roaches!" somehow makes it more fun.  Ben Folds produced it, and Joe Jackson does a great job singing the hook, but I enjoy Captain Kirk's gleefully absurd vocal delivery. 

"Pop Goes the World" - Men Without Hats
People forget about this song, compared to the monster smash that was "The Safety Dance" (and its midget extravaganza video), but this has the happiest keyboard riff ever.  And a sweet little quasi rock and roll band story to go along with it.  Johnny played guitar, Jenny played bass, the name of the band is the Human Race...

In other happy news, the record is mixed and will be mastered sometime this month, hopefully.  I think it's pretty good.  Still thinking about the name, though. 

6:31 PM - 9 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

Flowers

So, if all goes well, I should sign off on the mixing this evening and start worrying about mastering tomorrow.  I'm pretty pleased, all things considered.  I hope you guys like it.  I'm probably going to change the title, although I'm not sure to what yet.  "A Vague Recollection of Dancing" seems both pretentious and passive, as in "oh, I vaguely remember listening to that record", which isn't really the desired effect.

But, before that record gets released, I'll be doing a CD release of a different sort at Public Assembly (the space formerly known as Galapagos) in Williamsburg.  For those of you who don't remember/didn't know, there was a taping/performance at Galuminum Foil Studios this past April over 3 nights, with 4 different artists each night.  The CDs are just about ready, so I'm posting the unmastered version of my contribution, which is a song called "Flowers".  This song was inspired by Shwa Losben, who mentioned the first line, "I was going to send you flowers" and then said he wasn't sure what came next.  To me, it was suddenly obvious. 

In a related story, I'll be cutting back on my drinking as part of my new diet.

Anyway, if you're in the NYC area Thursday, August 28, we'll be doing a big CD release party for the compilation featuring several of the artists who performed, including Wakey!Wakey!, Paula Valstein, Chris Cubeta and the Liars Club, Danny Lanzetta, Jessi Robertson, and someone whose name escapes me at present.  Randy something, maybe?  Anyway, if you were at the taping, you can pick up your copy of the cd here.  If you weren't, you can buy one at the show.  Regardless, you'll be treated to a great lineup of music. 

And thanks again to everyone who came to the Simple Thing show Friday.  I said it then, but it bears repeating, that one meant a lot to me.  I'll have some video up for you soon.

Currently reading : Mr. Gatling's Terrible Marvel: The Gun That Changed Everything and the Misunderstood Genius Who Invented It By Julia Keller

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Double your profit

http://gawker.com/5029897/boycott-wrigley-if-you-ever-want-to-hear-real-music-again

Commercial placements have lately become a good way for independent artists to launch their careers as Clear Channel's playlists make it harder for new music that might actually cause a reaction in the listener to get played.  I watched "Before the Music Dies" again recently, and the anonymous CC employee remarking that it's not about music you love; it's about music that you don't hate enough to change the station.  So radio isn't able to fulfill what used to be one of its primary functions: introducing new music to people, as anything 'new' is tested to make sure it sounds familiar enough to avoid loss of market share. 

This has been sort of understood by musicians and music fans alike for a while now.  Unless you happen to have a great local station that will take chances, you're not likely to find something new and exciting on the radio.  So where do you go to introduce your music to a wider audience?  Increasingly, that's been placements in commercials or tv shows.  And, in general, I'm in favor of that, since the artist gets both exposure and some money for the use of their music.  But the music isn't created expressly for that particular piece of branding. 

Now, you may ask yourself, what's wrong with one more commercial being played on the radio that you're not listening to anymore, regardless of how that commercial is presented?  The bottom line is that it's not presented as a commercial, it's presented as pop music.  We're increasingly being sold to ALL THE TIME.  We've moved from product placements in movies to movies that are feature length advertisements for a product themselves.  I loved my Transformers as a kid, and I had fun at that movie, but I can't say I didn't know what I was being sold.  And, yes, I'll see GI Joe next summer.  And I love one of the most heavily merchandised and overexposed films in history (Star Wars).  But the artistic freedom of the artist matters in what's created, and when you're doing a work for hire, regardless of the medium, the primary focus is not creating what appeals to the creator, but the solicitor.  And the work will suffer as a result.  That's not to say there aren't brilliant works for hire, because there are, but this is different in that the end goal isn't creating music, it's selling a product. 

Or maybe I'm just overreacting and this is merely patronage in its new guise.  Time will tell, I suppose.

Ironically, shortly after reading the article, "Demolition Man" by the Police came up on my headphones.  I don't know if you remember the movie that took its name from the song, but it's set in a future where all pop music is commercial jingles.  So, basically, this brings us closer to a scenario where free thinking is embodied in the overly muscular person of Sylvester Stallone.  God help us all.

9:02 AM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

People are not pop songs

Lately, I've been associating certain songs with certain people I know.  And it's not because these people have anything to do with these particular songs.  It's that their names can be easily substituted into the words in the original melody. 

I'll give you an example.  I was in rehearsal last saturday, and I had the urge on the way out to start singing "Misty, Misty Boyce don't mean a thing" to the tune of "Nasty Boys" by Janet Jackson.  So I did.  Misty even joined in.  But that wasn't the first time it's happened recently.  The night before, at Bar 4, I did the Tom Waits tribute organized by Matt Singer, and, despite having nothing to do with either Matt or Tom, the back of my brain started humming "Never want to be no Matt Singer, Never want to write no Matt Song" ("Pop Singer" by John Mellancamp).  Other examples include Katy Pfaffl to the tune of "Foux du Fafa" by Flight of the Conchords and Heather "Sister" Christian (she's probably heard that before, I imagine).  I think it started when a friend of mine started singing my name to the tune of "Jungle Love" by Steve Miller ("Bryan Dunn, he's driving me mad, he's making me crazy"). 

So, here's my question.  Does this happen to anybody else, or is it just me?

1:05 PM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Music Stuff

After yesterday's surprisingly controversial "picture of a dead mouse" blog, I thought I'd play it safe and just give you an update on things musical.

The record is mostly mixed.  We'll give it another tweak in a week or so, then it's off to mastering.  I've been back and forth, up and down, and left and right on it, but it's still far and away the best thing I've ever recorded.  I'm getting excited about it.  It is, however, still a long way from being released, as I'm planning on sending it out for press and all that good stuff once I actually have it in my hand.  It may not, in fact, be out by the end of the year.  But I do want to make this one special, so bear with me.  I'll be putting some stuff on the site now and again to preview it.  "Emily Rose" is still up, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. 

If you're around New York City this weekend, I'll be doing not one, not two, but THREE shows.  So much for that whole hiatus thing.  I tried.  Sort of.  Anyway, Friday night at Bar 4, I'll be one of 17 folks doing a tribute to Tom Waits who's one of my favorite songwriters.  There's a lot of great people performing, including Lara Ewen, Matt Singer, and Katy Pfaffl.  Andy Mac, however, will not be attending.

Saturday and Sunday evenings, I'll be playing guitar for two of my favorite folks at my favorite venue in town, the Rockwood Music Hall.  Saturday night, Shwa Losben and the Cuddlefucks are back, with Matt "Rich Girls played at Jones Beach before Motley Crue" Basile on bass, Misty "Trouble" Boyce ..s, and Ramblin' John Embree.  Sunday night, following the wonderful Jessi Robertson's CD release, I'll be playing some songs with Kelli Rae Powell, who just completed principal recording on her new record (which I was priveleged to play on as well).  If you haven't listened to either of them, they're in my top friends.  Check 'em out.

Then, to no fanfare whatsoever, next Friday is the slight return of Simple Thing at Spike Hill.  Johnny Hi-Fi should have a new CD with him, and it's David C.'s birthday the next day, so it's going to be a bit of a party.  I'm considering having it professionally documented for posterity.  And YouTube.  Which is what passes for posterity these days. 

Voting for the Gretsch thing is over.  Thanks to all of you who took a couple of moments and voted for me.  It's appreciated, regardless of the outcome. 

Finally, I'd like to say thanks to Kevin for throwing his underwear at me.  That's how you know you've made it.  I met Kevin last week doing a performance for Lifebeat.org's Hearts & Voices program:

http://www.lifebeat.org/what_we_do/hearts_and_voices.htm

I got involved after listening to Ben Godwin talk about it, and I know several other great performers who are involved (Andy Mac and Katy Pfaffl).  It's a worthwhile program and if you're a musician, please check it out.  It really doesn't take much, and, if you're lucky, you just might get underwear thrown at you.

Currently listening : Calico Girl By Guy Forsyth

8:23 AM - 5 Comments - 7 Kudos - Add Comment

Cat People

According to some schools of thought, there are really only two kinds of people in this world: Cat people and Dog people.

I realize this is an oversimplification ("What about the Ferret people?" "What if I don't like animals?"), but for the sake of this blog, it will have to do.  I've lived my whole life as a Dog person.  We grew up having dogs, and Mom's allegic to cats.  I have nothing against cats; some of my best friends are Cat people.  I've been a Cat person by proxy when friends are out of town.  But I never thought I would have a cat of my own. 

However, that may be about to change.

For those of you who don't know, Emily and I live in a converted factory space in Brooklyn.  Actually, 'converted' is inaccurate; there's still a working factory in the center of the building.  Which hasn't been a big deal until recently, when construction in the neighborhood at large seems to be driving more pests in the direction of our place.  The last straw came Friday when Emily was locked into the bathroom with one.  If you're wondering where I was while she was yelling for help, I was passed out.  I will, however, point out that Manna (our roommate's dog) was no help either. In fact, mice have literally run between her paws while Manna just thinks you want to play.  But I digress. 

So we might be forced to get a cat out of practical necessity (the only neighbors we've talked to that don't have the problem are the ones who own cats).  I'm not sure how I feel about this.  I'm still a Dog person, but things change.  We do have a good name picked out, though.  Apocalypse ("Impending Mouse Death" was a little wordy).  We'll call him/her Paco for short; it works phonetically. 

Currently listening : Stay Positive By The Hold Steady Release date: 2008-07-15

8:45 AM - 36 Comments - 14 Kudos - Add Comment

3 Years On...

3 years ago tomorrow, I went to a karaoke party and met a girl.  In honor of that surprisingly momentous occasion, I'm posting the first completed mix of one of the songs from the new record.  I've posted some rough mixes in the past, but it's come a long way, as I'm hoping you'll notice. 

Anyway, the tune is called "The Ballad of Emily Rose" and I hope you like it.  It's my first real attempt at a happy love song.  The first song I tried to write for Emily was more or less how about depressed I'd be when she eventually broke up with me.  She didn't particularly care for it.  So I tried again, and I think it came out pretty well.  It is, in part, about the difficulty of trying to write a happy love song, and I think it's a bit cynically sentimental.  Plus, I'm sort of proud of the fact at the end of the two verses the word 'rose' is implied (she gets up to leave the bar, although not explicitly stated in the first and she wakes up in the second).  I made a pun that hopefully nobody noticed.  Until, of course, I pointed it out. 

Here are the lyrics, if you're curious.

The neighborhood girls, they're young and they're pretty
In a little dive bar to the east of the city
And she whispers to me, "I think it's a pity
Sometimes
'Cause nothing rings true in the noise and the laughter
And those boys in the corner just reek of disaster"
She slips out the door and I follow after
To go

And I know someday soon
I'll find that tune
It comes and it goes
But she always knows
My Emily Rose

Now I've sung the songs of the saints and the sinners
And the losers who tell you that we are all winners
While scraping the bread off the floor for their dinners
Tonight
'Cause nobody's perfect and nobody's sane
They dream about money or power or fame
But I only smile when she whispers my name
In the morning

And she just shines so bright
In the cold, dead night
She practically glows
My love only grows
For Emily Rose

And I was in love once
I guess I was
I was a father, a brother
A husband, a lover
But when I'm with her it's just me
The way it should be

And I just wait so long
For that one good song
Speeds up and it slows
With its uneven prose
For Emily Rose

6:00 AM - 4 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment