30 minutes or less

Allison Shaw Executive Director/Operations Label Manager
listenrecords


 Jon,
    
    Hello, after the venues burning down in Albuquerque, we are back up and running.  The festival will be Aug 21-23.  I am reaching out to see if you would like to speak on a panel and if you have any bands that would like to play.  Let me know, love to have you down here.  I would also like to see if you want to play the VIP party at The Launchpad Aug 21, with Listen Records, which is owned by Rachael Ray, let me know, would love to have you.
    
    Best
    
    Allie

On Mon, Jul 7, 2008 at 6:01 PM, Jon Crosby wrote:

    Hello Allison. It's nice to hear from you. Thank you for writing. I don't have anything scheduled from August 21st to the 23rd. This sounds doable. Last time we got excited to do something and it kind of fell apart. I think everyone felt  disappointed. It sounds like there are a few options here. Can you be a little more specific about what you want to do? Also, will anyone in the band have a chance to fuck Rachael Ray?

    JC
    206 xxx xxxx
    Feel free to call me or my partner-manager Steve Berman at 212 xxx xxxx
Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2008

From: her@gmail.com
To: to me@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: Speakers and Bands for Hyperfest 3 Albuquerque 21-23

wow, are you being really serious about that last part, or still harbor resentment.  Either way, Rachael is happily married.

From: me@gmail.com
To: to her@hotmail.com

Oops I meant meat. I mean, meet.

The tabloids paint a different picture about what's going on and my grandmother tells me that they are right 75% of the time.

I'm glad that you cleared things up though. The guys in the band will be disappointed, but as they say in Japan, Shoganai.

If you want to do something with us you have my managers email and phone number. But I can tell you that hanging out at the launchpad in August isn't like going to the south of France in spring. It's not the kind of thing we would want to do out of pocket.

Take care and good luck

JC

1:49 AM - 89 Comments - 37 Kudos - Add Comment

Reel brek fast twentee fur seven

I went to the local Denny's to grab some food last night. It was late and nothing else was open. I noticed a sign on the door that read:

.. ..

Closed Sat night from ..11 PM.. to ..5 AM.. Sunday morning.

.. ..

As I was waiting for my eggs, I asked the waitress if they closed because of all the drunks. She said "yup". Apparently, when you get a group of rowdy, downtrodden, angry drunks with loaded guns, "moons over my hammy" will sometimes put them over the edge.

.. ..

But I got thinking; why close Saturday and not Friday as well? I asked the waitress this exact question and she told me that on Fridays they paid cops $40 an hour to sit inside the Denny's.

.. ..

Gee I thought. Isn't that what taxes are for? I bet pretty soon you're going to have to give your credit card over the phone when you call the police. Imagine this scenario:

.. ..

Caller: Help! My ex is banging on the door and he says he's going to kill me!

911 Operator: Calm down miss. I can't understand you. Can you give me your credit card number mam?

Caller: What?

911: I need your credit card number to process this transaction.

Caller: Are you serious?

911: Yes. I do need to advice you that your call may be recorded or monitored for quality assurance.

.. ..

In a land where medicine and education are only available to the wealthy why not make police protection available to only the wealthy as well? The law is usually only on the side of the wealthy. It seems like a pretty natural progression...

.. ..

I can only assume that Denny's doesn't hire cops on Saturdays because they must have some sort of police defense budget. Just as many people get shit faced on Fridays as Saturdays. I have a friend who likes to go out on Fridays.

.. ..

Last month a man on a low carb diet pulled a gun on a waitress who would not substitute cottage cheese for his hash browns. Apparently the cook had forgotten to hit the ATM on the way to work.

.. ..

Where's $40 when you need it.

9:41 AM - 89 Comments - 22 Kudos - Add Comment

Defining moment

I prefer fish most of the time. I have been thinking about only eating fish for awhile now. Yesterday I bought some beef jerky. As I was taking my first bite, I read the ingrediants and noticed that the first one was:

Pig heart.

Thats it. No more red meat for me. I'm a fish kind of guy from now on.

I still don't know how they can call it "beef" jerky when the first ingrediant is ground pig heart. Fuckin disgusting. I know some of you will think I'm a sinner or something for eating fish. Whatever. Please don't post nasty shit on my blog about how eating fish is evil.

12:43 PM - 89 Comments - 55 Kudos - Add Comment

FADE IN:

I've been messing around with some screen plays recently. It's amazing how many things that seem plausible, just simply aren't.  

In one story idea I had about two young girls living in a trailer park, I thought I would spice it up a little and make one of the girls Asian. Then I realized, when is the last time you've seen an Asian girl in a trailer park? And without sounding harsh, when is the last time you've seen an Asian girl even be-friend a white chick in a trailer park? Unless it's a white dude with his Thai girlfriend visiting one of his architecturally-challenged friends to buy speed; you just don't see it.

Other than the once-in-a-decade news flash about a doctor who bumps off his wife during a nasty divorce, when have you ever heard of a Jewish guy going to prison? Tell me if the following scene seems realistic:

INT.COURTROOOM.DAY

A JUDGE hands down his verdict.

                 JUDGE

In the state verses Mr. Goldstein, the state finds the defendant guilty

of grand theft auto. Mr. Goldstein, do you have anything

to say before I pronounce my sentence?

                 Mr. Goldstein

Oy vey.

FADE TO BLACK

When is the last time you've seen an Asian guy and a black chick walking down the street holding hands? Have you? I haven't. I know what you're thinking and shame on you. It's not true that all black women have gigantic vaginas. We need to put an end to these types of racial stereotypes.

And of course…

When is the last time you've heard of a musician writing a good screenplay.

Oy vey.

9:49 AM - 89 Comments - 34 Kudos - Add Comment

Watashi wa Americajin desu.

I think my last blog deserves a two-parter. I always forget how much people seem to care about what I think until I receive hate mail. For one, I said I was moving to Seattle, not Asia. This country has problems but so does every country. As the subject says; "I am an American". I know I'm not the only one who gets burnt out on this place from time to time though. Ever since 911 and the Iraq war if you have anything bad to say about America you are labeled as a traitor. I am old enough to remember when things where different. People used to be more open minded. I used to be more open minded. I'm getting out of the ethnocentric post-911 phase and back into the more open minded global attitude I had when I first started VAST in San Francisco back in the 90's. One of the things I missed about living on the west coast was the cultural diversity. Austin is something like 4% Asian and Seattle is in the neighborhood of 25%. I miss the people and the cultural influence. Austin is even more isolated because it's the fourth largest city in Texas. Whenever anyone comes through Texas they go to Houston, Dallas or San Antonio and skip Austin all together. Before I moved here I was looking at a local Seattle paper and it mentioned that Janeane Garofalo, The Kid's in the Hall comedy troupe and the Dalai Lama were all coming through within the next few months. When I got home to Austin and looked at the weekly paper none of these people were coming through. I am always going to be an outsider in the south. It's just one of those things. The southern people are very friendly but the society moves at a different pace. I felt like I was in retirement or in-hiding the last few years. I also can't deal with the hot humid summers. I am from the Pacific Northwest. So anyway, you get the picture. I am not moving back to Austin but it is a nice place to live. I highly recommend it over many places in this planet.

I mentioned some things about music and the internet. I think I should clarify my feelings. I have always been more than a musician or at least aspired to be more. My first passion was art. Over the last three years I have gone to film school and written a book. A good part of the art and web design that everyone has seen has been worked on by yours truly. I basically run an independent record label so you could call me a businessman. I know a little about law, sailing, history, business, art, film and music production. I can play a few instruments and sing ok. I write songs too. I have always been curious about many things. I have never considered myself just a musician and certainly never a rock star. Rock is old. It's kind of stale don't cha think?

I played music for ten years before I was paid a dime so money is certainly not a motivating factor for me in that department. I am currently reading a NY times bestseller called "The Post American World" by Fareed Zakaria. People (professionals) are starting to say what I have been saying for years. Intellectual property is intellectual property. It's ironic that college students download music for free yet pay top dollar for college educations that will be worthless because employers are outsourcing intellectual jobs overseas to Indians and Chinese. In a sense, college educations are getting downloaded for free. Music was hit first because the file sizes are smaller just like the gay community was hit harder by AIDS because the virus is easier to transmit via anal intercourse. Music is he first but won't be the last. Film and video games are next. Education, banking and international security will follow. I didn't make the rules. I'm just paying attention. Don't hate the messenger. I may sound bitter but I'm not. I have made millions off of music. I am however scared. I am learning Japanese and Chinese so hopefully when I am sixty five I am not living off of dog food like many people in this country will be. Not to say that Asia is hostile but I will say our leaders in the US have been paid off by corporations and they do not have your best interest at heart.

Ja Mata

JC

3:12 PM - 89 Comments - 47 Kudos - Add Comment

Watashi no namae wa Jon desu.

I haven't posted a personal blog for awhile so I thought I would give my "friends" a heads up.

First off, I am leaving Austin in a week to go to Seattle for the summer. I am leasing a place for four months near downtown. The reasons are many and it will be a welcome change. I'm from the pacific northwest so don't tell me it's rainy there. I figured that out. If you have ever spent a summer in Austin Texas you know why I haven't spent the last few summers in Austin Texas. If you are in the Seattle area I am playing a solo acoustic show at Danny's in Kirkland on June 6^th. If you want to get coffee, give me a shout.

I have finished recording 56 songs since November. Some have been released in download form through my Generica project. I am about to release something much more electronic. It has been finished for awhile. Hell, everything I do for the next few years is going to be more electronic. I briefly dated a DJ and she turned me on to electronic music again. Plus, I'm done with the acoustic-folk thing anyway. Two years is enough. It's time to plug in again.

I have released about 101 songs. Im going to write a book about VAST music this year. It will be nifty.

I need to edit the past tour footage together to make a doc too. Oh boy.

I am mostly excited about learning Japanese, which by default, if you want to READ Japanese means you need to know about 2,000 kanji. So, I am learning Chinese as well. The future of the music business does not include record sales. I have known this for years. Watching radiohead and NIN try to sell music online is like watching rats jump off a sinking ship. I love making music but the world is constantly changing and I have given the world a lot of music. I plan on being an interpreter for Asian and American computer companies who want to expand western entertainment to Asia. It's complicated and hard to explain and I don't think anyone has done what I'm about to try and do. I will be working in law, business, and entertainment. Something I have done for a long time anyway but now I plan on getting the fuck out of this god forsaken country. It's too materialistic here. It has been for awhile. The best thing about my job is I can do it anywhere. If people are going to download my music for free I might as well be making it on a beach in Thailand when I feel like it. Not slaving away on two hours sleep night after night. I'm over that.

I am not going to tour with VAST for well over a year. Touring brings out my self destructive side. I'm over that as well.

I am happy. I am well. I hope you all are too.

 PS: I am not quitting music. I am just updating everything. We might start making the music available for free. Like love.

Sayonora

11:31 PM - 89 Comments - 85 Kudos - Add Comment

Last Generica available for

Hello everyone. I'm making this available to people on my friends list before we release it next week. :)

The fifth and final installment of the Generica series is now available via download.

Jon Crosby and The Resonator Band: Generica Vol. V

"We actually recorded the songs for Generica five in November of 2007. When we put out "April" we were toying with the idea of releasing it as a JCRB album because the style was such a departure from previous VAST music. But then I thought, just because the music is different that doesn't mean it has to be a side project. Plus, a side project with the same members seemed a little bizarre. As we were recording the songs that would eventually go on Generica five we planned on putting them on a VAST album. Commercially it would have made more sense because people have heard of VAST but most people have not heard of JCRB. But to me, this music isn't VAST. Around this same time, I recorded some modern sounding electronic based music by myself in the studio. It's what I think a lot of people have been waiting for. I took a detour in Austin Texas over the last two years into the folk-singer songwriter zone but now that chapter of my life is done and I am moving into a new direction.

The process of writing, recording and releasing these songs has been an apocalypse for me. Now I am ready to leave Austin and put the acoustic guitar down for awhile. I hope the music can heal you the way it has healed me. I think we saved the best for last. Thank you for listening. Take care. Sayonara."

Jon Crosby and The Resonator Band: Generica Vol. V $4.99

Follow this link:

http://payloadz.com/go/sip?id=443006

6:13 AM - 89 Comments - 12 Kudos - Add Comment

Generica III (Forwarded from VAST)

Generica III now available!

Hello and thank you for your support.

Jon Crosby recently recorded another volume of acoustic music for his Generica series.

A few words from Jon Crosby on Generica III:

"I am exploring something different for each download. On the first Generica I stripped everything down to just a steel string guitar. On the second one I played with a cellist and on this new one I am playing with a nylon (classical or Spanish) guitar. After the winter tour ended I went to Sedona Arizona for a few days and let the coming off the road-decompression inspire me. This is the most romantic Generica. It’s also some of the first music I have ever written that is one hundred percent void of any cynicism in regards to love. Most were written during my four day visit to Sedona. This set of songs captures a moment in time for me and it’s fun to share that with everyone."

Generica III

Only $3.99 for the first week

Click here for more information and to buy: http://realvast.com/generica3.html

Thank you again

The VAST Camp

2:46 PM - 89 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

Love
Current mood: intense

I write a lot of songs about love. My condo is paid for by love songs. I get recognized by strangers because of love songs. You are probably reading this because of my love songs. I was recently asked by a journalist why I write so many "love" songs. I said it was because love is the most powerful force I know of. Lately though, I have been asking myself what love is.

We live in confusing times. The divorce rate is high. Roles between men and women have changed dramatically within the last fifty years. There are a million sites with romantic advice. Millions of sites offer free trials to help you find that special someone. I think everyone agrees that not only is love a mystery but there are many forms of love. Some people say that love is a chemical reaction in the brain. Some would say that love is a psychological process ingrained in us by our parents and society. Some even say that love is a luxury that doesn't exist in times of famine, war and disease. Everyone knows that the love they have for their children and friends is different than the love they have for their mate, partner, lover or whatever you want to call it. The latter forms of love are what I specialize in writing about.

Let me tell you what I think love is and what it isn't...

My mother had a paraplegic friend who recently died. He was married for fifteen years. Everyday for fifteen year this guy's wife took care of him. No sex. No dancing. That my friend, is love.

My grandmother has been ill lately. My grandparents have been married for over sixty years and my grandfather never leaves her side. After sixty years he is still not tired of her. That my friend, is love.

I have no doubt Jesus had a special someone. If you told most (straight) men they would never be with a woman again, they would be lining up for the cross. Life without love is barely worth living. What is a greater sacrifice? Saying goodbye to a group of guys with beards and sandals or saying goodbye to your lover? There is reason to believe that the Catholic church skewed some things in the biblical text about chastity so when religious leaders passed away all their assets went to the church instead of next of kin. That kind of dough adds up after a few hundred years. It's hard to believe someone could turn water into wine and couldn't land a date. It's also not historically accurate that a rabbi wouldn't be married in his thirties. And besides, who would take advice from a single guy in his thirties about love? Uh...I guess if his initials are JC you can make an execption.

We look at age. We look at common interests. We look at someone's face, their body, their family, their income, their education. We look at their astrological sign. And yet, so many people are either alone or unhappy. This is because love doesn't have anything to do with any of that stuff really. It either happens or it doesn't. When it happens you know it.

When you love someone, you care about them more than you care about yourself. This is why Jesus said, there is no greater love than when someone lays down their life for someone.

Love is taking care of someone. Forever.

You 'aint going to find it on MySpace. You 'aint going to find it when you look. The most important thing to do is recognize it when it happens and treat it with respect. As Bono said "It leaves you baby if you don't care for it"'.



But as Willy Nelson said, "If everyone was happy with who they were with. I would be out of a job."

4:39 AM - 89 Comments - 132 Kudos - Add Comment

Chicago VAST aftershow party & book reading!!!

Time of event: Immediately following the show at The Double Door in Chicago, Febuary 9th, 2008. (will run from approx 12:30 to 3:00am)

Location: Gallery Provocateur: 2125 N. Rockwell St. Chicago IL 60647 (Rockwell & Milwaukee)

Maximum capacity is one hundred people. There will be an open bar with wine, beer and soda available by donation.

To attend this event please write to joncrosby@realvast.com and include your full name (as shown on your ID) and the name of anyone else you would like to bring. There will be a small cover charge ($3 to $5) but that will also apply as a discount to the book if you purchase one.

Only people age 21 and up please.

Thank you.

7:30 PM - 89 Comments - 3 Kudos - Add Comment