Paul the music lover's blog

Sonny Hess and Lisa Mann at Grand Lodge

paul — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 01:34:22 +0000

I have seen them before, but never together. This was a special treat since they are such special friends, not to mention very talented.

“Smokin’” Sonny Hess (http://www.sonnyhess.com/) plays a blues and rock electric guitar like nobody’s business. She also brought her acoustic guitar because she was invited to audition for “America’s Got Talent” contest which is acoustic only.

Lisa Mann (http://lisamannmusic.com/) is one of my favorite local singer/songwriters because she is so versatile. She can be sweet, and she can **rock**. She can also do both at the same time. She plays a six-string bass and makes it look sooooo easy.

I was mad at myself since I went and took a camera with dead batteries. This is a picture takes with my phone without a flash.

Jesus on the radio

paul — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:26:19 +0000

Sunday evening I tuned to KXL as usual, but instead of the usual politics, I heard something unusual. It was “The Jesus Christ Show” with your “Holy Host”, Jesus Christ. The website (http://www.thejesuschristshow.com/) says: “The Jesus Christ show is interactive radio theater designed to teach people about themselves and the historical person of Jesus.” The website asks: “WHAT IF, today you could talk with Him, laugh with Him, cry with Him, not only through prayer but through the radio…” The FAQ page has only one question: “Does the ‘Holy Host’ really think he is Jesus?” The answer is no, stating again the program is radio theater.

I heard Jesus invite people to call with their theology and life-situation questions. One question was on the “once saved always saved” question. He said that was sound teaching because salvation is not about what we do, but what He did. “My blood is bigger than any sin you can commit”, he assured the caller. Another question was about the dead contacting the living. Her estranged father’s memorial service was the day after she went on the Internet to find information about him. She wanted to know from Jesus if she was lead to that information by her father or by God. Now the actual Jesus would know that answer, but the radio show actor could only speculate based on biblical principles.

Jesus did mention that his program has taken some flack from people. I can believe that. I have very mixed feelings about it myself. If you know me, you know few people on this planet enjoy radio theater more than me. Would I be uncomfortable going to my community theatre and seeing Jesus on the stage? No. How about if the fourth wall came down and people from the audience were permitted to ask him questions? Now I’m starting to feel uneasy.

I understand why the producer decided to present the program this way. It adds an interesting dimension to the conversations. I’m sure they achieve greater depth in this format. Anyone over the age of ten would understand this isn’t really Jesus, so that isn’t my concern. I think it comes down to this: With any theological teaching, it is important that you know who is doing the teaching and what their motivations are. This format does not allow for that. Even though they call it theater, they are dealing eternal life-and-death matters. I’m teetering, but learning toward thinking this is not a good idea.

I would enjoy hearing your thoughts.

Alderframe at Insomnia Coffee

paul — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 01:07:25 +0000

With a couple of new musicians and several new songs, Alderframe took the Insomnia stage Friday, January 29, 2010 and played to a packed house. They’ve got a new CD in the oven and I sure plan on getting my hands on one! Visit them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/thealderframe – If you didn’t know, the two performers in the middle are Amy and Evan who (along with their friend Tyler) own the place.

Alderframe

Muriel Stanton Band at Grand Lodge

paul — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 17:21:43 +0000

She’s a little bit jazzy and a little bit rock ‘n’ roll. She’s Muriel Stanton who played The Grand Lodge last night with her band. She is a Portland native, and her bio says she started singing in the Portland Opera at the age of six. I believe that as her voice is big, and accurate. For the last three years she has been working on her own music project. Last night she did mostly originals and some covers of Patsy Cline and Dusty Springfield. She will be working on doing some recording this summer and I’m looking forward to adding her to the radio playlist.

Muriel Stanton Band

Lauren Sheehan and Zoe Carpenter at Grand Lodge

paul — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 15:02:36 +0000

It was just a year ago I heard Lauren Sheehan and her friend Elizabeth Nicholson play Christmas music at The Grand Lodge and totally enjoyed myself. When I saw that Lauren was returning, this time with her daughter Zoe Carpenter, I was happy to get back. They played traditional and contemporary music, most in the Christmas theme. It was a mix of Gospel to Country to Blues to Appalachian music to whatever else they could toss in there. The place was packed like I’ve never seen it before. I grabbed a chair from the other room and found my place in the corner for the evening. http://laurensheehanmusic.com/

Lauren Sheehan and Zoe Carpenter

Stumptown Stars at Grand Lodge

paul — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:10:21 +0000

It has been a while since I’ve had any live music to write about. I’m not getting out as much because of the 6,000 other things going on this time of year. A couple of times I was driven away by overpowering bass lines rattling my ear drums. I must be getting old.

Larry Wilder and the Stumptown Stars was at Grand Lodge’s Garage Door last night playing a wide variety of music from bluegrass to rock, Roy Acuff to Allman Bros. I haven’t heard Sons Of The Pioneer music in a long, long time. They also busted out some old-time gospel greats like “Turn The Radio On” and “I’ll Fly Away”. Even the bluegrass numbers they played I enjoyed, which is amazing since I am not a big fan of that genre. If you get a chance to hear these guys, do it. You won’t be disappointed.

Cinderella at Theatre In The Grove

paul — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:47:17 +0000

Who doesn’t love the Cinderella story? Theatre In The Grove at Forest Grove is presenting the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical version through December 20, 2009. I caught the opening night performance last night and LOVED it. The acting, music and special effects (the transformation of the pumpkin into a carriage) were excellent! Take the whole family. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8PM and Sundays at 2:30. http://theatreinthegrove.org/

Ashley Moore and William Dober as Cincerella and the Prince

Sig Paulson at Grand Lodge

paul — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:22:54 +0000

It was my first time to hear Sig Paulson (http://sigpaulson.com/) as he played the Grand Lodge, Friday, October 2nd. His bio puts it very well:

“Raised on a diet of old time honky-tonk and outlaw country (Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Buck Owens) and inspired by country-rockers of the early 70’s like The Flying Burrito Brothers, John Prine and Jerry Jeff Walker, Paulson writes and performs an original form of Americana he has dubbed ‘Hippiebilly’.”

I heard a lot of Bob Dylan spiced with a tad of Jimmy Buffett in his music. He brought three guitars with him. His standard 6-string and the larger 12-string. The third one he never picked up. He said it was tuned to an open G, a configuration he uses for a couple of songs. I guess he prefers to lug around an extra guitar to tuning up during a show. Sig puts on a good show and even did an encore. I hope to hear Sig perform again soon.

Nathan Botsford at Java Nation

paul — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:05:14 +0000

On Facebook I saw an announcement that Nathan Botsford was playing Java Nation Coffee Saturday night. Since I was not familiar with either the artist or the venue, I had to check them out. What I like about Nathan, beyond his being talented and sings well, is he can play both the guitar and keyboards, giving him the ability to deliver more variety in his shows. The majority of his show was doing covers (not my favorite thing) but the 4 or 5 originals he did bust out were wonderful. I was most touched by the one for his grandma who had to go to her next life before he was ready. He clearly loves doing these coffee shop gigs because he started before his scheduled time, finished late, and didn’t take a break. The place was pretty quiet as he played. The only thing I didn’t like about the show (outside of the covers) was the use of the capo high on the neck, turning his rich-sounding guitar into a ukulele. I don’t expect that bothers others as much as me. All in all, it was a fine show. Nathan’s got a CD coming out in a few weeks and I’m confident I’ll be adding some tracks to my radio play list over the next couple of months.

Nathan Botsford with guitar

Nathan Botsford on keyboard

Mary Flower at Grand Lodge

paul — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 13:59:54 +0000

I was raised on Dixieland Jazz, Ragtime and The Blues so it was a real treat to be entertained by Mary Flower Friday evening at Grand Lodge. Find her online at http://flower.com/. Her bio says, “Flower’s career as an internationally-recognized and respected musician has spanned three decades. A prize-winning fingerstyle guitarist, she also plays lap slide guitar and sings with a focus on blues and ragtime.” Needless to say, based on that, my expectations were pretty high, and I was not disappointed. All evening long it was one vaguely familiar tune after another. A few I was able to put names to. It has been a long time since I sat and listened to this music with my mom (who left this earth 20 years ago) but at times it was like she was there. Flower not only plays the music well, she knows a good bit about the history surrounding it. Keep an eye on her calendar and get out to see her if you can.

Chris Marshall at the Venetian

paul — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:45:20 +0000

Sunday evening, it was my honor to attend the CD release party for Chris Marshall’s “Starting Out” EP. His first CD “Oh My Soul” was country-blues with a heavy Elvis Presley/Johnny Cash influence. Two titles from that album are on my Internet radio playlist.

The evening began with singer-songwriter Isabeau Walker. She put herself out there with her voice and guitar. My favorite song was about how she and her would-be husband dated secretly for the first seven months. It talked about how they would come up with excuses to get away and sneak in some time together. Very amusing and real.

That was followed by a few old fashioned gospel songs from the No Kidding! Choir directed by Janice and Spank Hopkins. It was impossible to stay sitting let alone sit still with this group singing their hearts out. Not the best voices on the planet, but all the passion you can stick on one stage. It was infectious. Everyone was on their feet shaking their groove thing.

Then Chris took the stage with his 7-piece band? I think that’s right! Chris said that for his second CD he didn’t want to purposely recreate a vibe that had already been done but instead just let it flow and and see what would happen. I expected something more on the rock side, but he went a bit more country – which is not a bad thing! The EP explores Chris’s take on life and all it’s mysteries.

I failed my fancy camera and did not come away with very good pictures, but here they are.

Chris Marshall

Isabeau Walker

No Kidding Choir

Chris Marshall Band

Cure JM and Ronald MacDonald benefit

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 03:43:42 +0000

There were some post cards making their way around work this week and I thought the content was worth a mention. This Saturday at Hillsboro Stadium, seven (mostly local) artists are playing a benefit to cure JM (an immune system disorder) and the Ronald MacDonald house. This is a family event for what seems to be a very good cause. While I won’t be able to attend myself and don’t endorse it, I do encourage you to check it out. The link is http://www.curejmconcert.myevent.com/

Reina Collins at Slabtown

paul — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 15:14:15 +0000

After spending 20 years in the Northwest, Reina Collins leaves for Florida in a few days to be closer to family. While I support her decision, of course, I will miss her shows. I have seen her in a several different settings. Singing Americana ballads with a single guitar, to the female trio called “Sisters In Crime” with Kate Mann and Paula Sinclair, to a full country band and last night, pullling out all the stop with a full rock band.

Slabtown on 16th and Marshall in downtown Portland was the scene for a Patti Smith tribute, a fundraiser for Siren Nation. It was an amazing show, watching Reina stir up the crowd with an energy that seems to come from nowhere.

While she may be leaving Portland, she is not leaving music. There is lots of that still left in her and I can’t wait to hear what her next CD is like.

Reina Collins at Slabtown

A great variety of avtivities at the Hillsboro Farmer’s Market

paul — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 03:59:57 +0000

A warm summer evening, the shade of a Sequoia tree, Rockabilly music, a grape snow-cone, a doggie parade and old-time cars. That describes *one* evening at the Hillsboro Farmer’s Market on Tuesday evening. Oh, and there is a Farmer’s Market there too! It is hard to believe that this event was in financial jeopardy a few years ago since it sure seems to be thriving now.

Below are pictures of the doggie parade (they came in all shapes, colors and sizes, let me tell you!) The Troublemakers, who entertained with a Country/Rock mix of originals and covers, and some old cars on display. I really enjoy Tuesday nights at Downtown Hillsboro.

The Doggie Parade

The Troublemakers

Old Car Display

Justin Klump at Pioneer Square

paul — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 18:44:09 +0000

One of my favorite places on the planet is Pioneer Courthouse Square, an urban park in downtown Portland affectionately called “Portland’s Living Room”. It was full of people Friday night, July 10 because they were showing a movie on a huge screen at 10PM. Before then, however, they brought in Justin Klump to entertain.

People have been raving about Justin for weeks I’ve noticed on Twitter and Facebook, and for good reason. This is a very talented young man. And a busy man too. Earlier that week he played a show at the Oregon Zoo. Earlier that day he played the KINK early escape cruise. Even though he must have been tired, he had plenty of energy for this large crowd.

Justin had two disadvantages: 1) The folks were not necessarily there to hear him. He had to work to get them involved. He was only partially successful. 2) Either his sound system or sound operator was not up to the par. The sound was horribly over-driven and distorted to the point where I needed to sit off to the side.

I see his latest album is on eMusic. I’m sure I will buy it and see if I can get his permission to add some to the Indie Music Sampler playlist. Below are pictures of Justin and the crowd he played to taken from my new Motorola W755 phone. I think the phone takes pretty good pictures. We’ll see how well it does indoors later.

They were hopping in Hillsboro Tuesday night

paul — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 05:00:24 +0000

When I think of my town, Hillsboro, Oregon, “dancing” is not the first word to come to mind. On Tuesday evenings downtown, they hold a Farmer’s Market which includes entertainment of all kinds. This week, it was dancing! On the main stage, The Boka Marimba Band was playing Zimbabwe dance music. Across the street, they were teaching people to square dance. We are happy to report no rugs gave their lives in the making of all this fun.

Beth Willis Band at Grand Lodge

paul — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:25:26 +0000

I was out on a Thursday evening for music because Friday just happened to be a day off. The weather was sunny and warm and the Grand Lodge hosted the Beth Willis Band (the one that rocks) for an out-on-the-lawn affair. This is a very tight band and Beth has a remarkable voice. They did mostly covers (not my favorite thing) but kept it interesting by changing decades frequently. I heard music from Dusty Springfield to David Essex to Tom Petty to U2. There were a couple of original songs in there and I thought they were both quite good. I’ll get in touch and see if she’d like some airplay.

Beth Willis Band

Pilar French and Joshua Slamp at Grand Lodge

paul — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 15:58:52 +0000

I have seen the names Pilar French and Joshua Slamp in print a lot, but never actually seen them until they landed at the Grand Lodge on Saturday, June 20. Slamp is an amazing instrumentalist who is wildly versatile. I really enjoyed watching and listening to him work. French is a true showman with vocal styles that remind you of Dolly Parton and Janis Joplin. You can’t say that about too many people! The two are learning each others material and sometimes perform arrangements while you wait, making for an entertaining show as well.

Pilar French And Joshua Slamp

Breanna Paletta and Stephanie Schneiderman at Grand Lodge

paul — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 16:31:54 +0000

It was music outdoors at The Grand Lodge as the McMenamins tour of Northwest music concluded Friday night, June 12. On the stage, two of my favorites at the same time, Stephanie Schneiderman and Breanna Paletta.

Before those times it was easy to discover new music on the Internet, I would go to the library and check out 20 CDs at a time without knowing a thing about them. Out of that 20, one or two would be something I liked. One of those CDs was Stephanie Schneiderman’s “Touchdown”. It was “Shadow” from that album that really got my attention. A few years later, I started my podcast and sought her permission to play the song. Not long after, she played a Noon show at Pioneer Square and I was able to meet her and get a few more CDs. Today, I’ve got “Shadow”, “Remember You” and “Unbelievably Unbroken” on my playlist representing the commercial, melancholy and sassy sides of her music.

I don’t rightfully remember, but I’m guessing I met Breanna Paletta at a Beaverton Borders show a few years ago. I think I remember her telling the story about how her daddy was a blues musician in his day and it took him a while to warm up to her singer/songwriter style. Breanna was the front woman for Rye Hollow and one of their songs was featured on KINK-FM. She is currently engaged to Justin Bennett, whom I also play on Indie Music Sampler, and I’m looking forward to hearing what the two of them cook up musically.

When Breanna was in high school, Stephanie was her mentor. It was very special to see them on stage together. If I sound like a fan boy, I’m guilty as charged.

From where I sat

Breanna’s warm-up show

The full band

Paula Sinclair and Kenny Sawyer at Grand Lodge

paul — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 04:08:13 +0000

I haven’t been doing the best job at documenting the show I’ve been to. Whether you’re interested or not (and why *would* you be?) I should document for myself.

Paula Sinclair played The Grand Lodge Friday for three hours, and just like before, the time flew by. It was an especially early show. When the weather is nice, they start at 6PM and play outdoors. The weather was so nice, that Grand Lodge was hosting an outdoor wedding instead, so Paula played the Garage Door. A special treat for this show was Paula found herself a percussionist, and a *good* one. I noticed Kenny Sawyer there but I wasn’t really aware of his contribution until I really paid attention. Then I realized his contribution was tremendous, without being flashy. He is all about the song. What a great team they make.

Running an Internet radio station

paul — Thu, 28 May 2009 13:40:24 +0000

In January 2009, I decided to start an Internet radio station, complimenting my 2-1/2 year old independent music podcast. I have learned a lot in the last 6 months. This article is for those who might want to do the same. I have discovered it is not terribly expensive, and is a good way to expose people to new music. It could also be a way to listen to your music library on the go.

If all you want to do is upload a bunch of music and let it play, then all you need is Make A Voice at http://www.makeavoice.com/shoutcast/ – just choose the number of listeners you want and the bit rate. The disk space for your music library is unlimited and the monthly cost (starting at $3 per month) will be static. No surprises. Nothing to install, not much to learn. Their technical support is excellent.

Here is a summary of my requirements:

Inexpensive, no chance of financial “surprises”
Runs from a low-end PC (in my case a 300mhz Celeron)
Runs on the Linux OS (I don’t *do* Windows)
Play a randomized playlist, dropping in announcements every X number of songs
Play scheduled special programming

MakeAVoice’s AutoDJ did not meet my needs. Other services with more robust AutoDJ systems are too spendy. Since I’m a geek, I set out to create my own AutoDJ. Since I want to generate the programming from home, I needed to install business-class Internet service. Much to my surprise, it is available via Verizon FIOS for $45/mo (not much more than I was spending on “home” service). That is for 10MB download, 2MB upload, with a 2-year contract. With a 96KB stream, you can have up to 20 listners. If you want more listeners than that, then add a MakeAVoice account and let it relay your programming.

The heart of the system is two executables available free from Shoutcast. sc_trans reads a playlist, plays the music, encodes it at the configured sample and bit rates, and hands off to sc_serv. sc_serv puts you “on the air” and registers your station with Shoutcast so people can search for you. sc_serv can be told to limit the number of listeners.

sc_trans is not very flexible. It reads a list of mp3 files (a playlist) and plays it. The only options are sequential or random. It is possible, however, to ask it to load a new playlilst at any time. It will finish what it is playing, then move to the new playllist. This feature made it possible for me to write simple BASH scripts to control my station.

At midnight (triggered by cron), a script makes a list of all the MP3 files in the “music” directory, then randomizes that list. It makes a list of all the MP3 files in the “bumpers” directory and randomizes that list (these are the drop-in announcements and promos). Then it creates a schedule for the whole day in a text file by inserting X number of songs, a bumper, X number of songs, a bumper, etc. It then tells sc_trans to load the new schedule (playlist). On a normal day, that’s it.

On Sundays, in addition to the above, I insert special programs. Triggered by cron, a script is launched that creates a new schedule. At the top it, puts the list of MP3 files for the special program. The script finds the position in the current schedule, and copies from that point down to the new schedule. sc_trans is told to load the new schedule (playlist).

Once a week, I generate a playlist report. It shows a list of all the titles in the library and the number of times each title was played. I use this report mainly to confirm the library is getting a somewhat even rotation.

As the station broadcasts, you can watch the log files generated by sc_serv and sc_trans. The sc_serv log shows listener connections while the sc_trans log shows the events related to programming, including the filenames played. Much of this information is also available on a web interface. It is pretty cool to watch. My system has been secretly running on my computer for about a month now and has been very stable.

Let’s review the expenses:

Hardware: Any modern PC. Mine is a 300mhz Celeron, capable of generating one stream. A higher power machine could generate more than one stream. My scripts are designed for that in fact.
Software: All free, including the Operating System (Linux)
Internet account: Business-class. If you have FIOS, it starts at $45/mo.
Licensing: If you are going to play major-label music, then you will need to pay royalties. Since the purpose of my station is to showcase independent music (I have permission to play it all) licensing is not something I need to worry about. This is not an area I can help you with.

The system I just described is scheduled to go live on June 18 (the day I have FIOS installed). At the time of this writing, Indie Music Sampler radio is generated by JBStream at http://jbservers.net which is an excellent service. It has a very capable AutoDJ but the bandwidth charges aren’t fixed. You pay for bandwidth as you need it. If you suddenly get a bunch of listeners, you could find yourself forced to pay up or pull the plug.

If you want to know more, or have a look at my scripts, let me know. I have always loved radio so running this station kind-of takes me back to those days. I love my hobby.

Matt Meighan and Sherry Pendarvis at Grand Lodge

paul — Sat, 09 May 2009 13:42:47 +0000

It was an evening of traditional folk, country and blues Friday, May 8 at The Grand Lodge in Forest Grove. Matt Meighan, who grew up in Chicago and spent some time in Colorado, brought his guitar and an impressive list of songs from the American folk and blues traditions. Meighan’s bio says his musical heros include Woody Guthrie, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Mississippi John Hurt, Townes Van Zandt, Lucinda Williams and Utah Phillips. His original songs range from the personal to the political and from humorous to serious.

Joining Matt was Sherry Pendarvis and her marvelous stand-up bass. The fiddle she brought was a bit more traditional than the one shown in the article. It was interesting to me that the audio jack on the bass was attached to the strings between the bridge and the base. I’ve never seen that before.

Matt Meighan and Sherry Pendarvis at Grand Lodge

Thee old shows

paul — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:07:19 +0000

A very faithful listener to my podcast pointed out that three of the episodes were not included in the feed. When I looked at the feed, it said there were enclosures but they were not enabled. I looked at the blog post for each one and sure enough, there was no check mark next to RSS. That’s been fixed so some very old programs showed up in your feed this morning. Enjoy!

Paul

Jon Koonce at Grand Lodge

paul — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 17:08:54 +0000

Jon Koonce (http://jonkoonce.com/) is a regular at Rock Creek Tavern but I’ve never seen him there. On Friday, April 24, I saw him do a solo show at Grand Lodge. He is described as a Northwest Original. He was the founder of Johnny and the Distractions and fronts his most recent incarnation — One More Mile. What I enjoyed about this solo show was the simplicity. He didn’t use the house system, opting instead for his small guitar amp and acoustic guitar. And why not, it was easy to set up and sounded great. It was an evening of folk, blues and country, mostly original and always obscure. It was a great way to unwind on a Friday evening.

Tom Varley and Phillip Boone at Grand Lodge

paul — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:10:39 +0000

Tom Varley (http://www.tomvarley.com) is a self-proclaimed beach bum who grew up in Coos Bay and now makes California his home. It’s not that he’s all that crazy about California, but the water is warmer and the sun shines a bit more than it does around here.

I saw Tom four years ago (or so) at Music Millennium on 23rd in Portland (which is sadly no longer there, though the sign is still up). The first thing I figured out about Tom is he likely has a good time no matter where he is. His enthusiasm for life and music are contagious. He did a song back then I instantly fell in love with called “Place In The Sun”. It was good to hear it again.

For the last couple of weeks, Tom has been touring with Phillip Boone (http://www.myspace.com/philipboone) who has a fascinating bio. They put on a wonderful show Saturday night at the Grand Lodge in Forest Grove.

Tom Varley
Phillip Boone

Paul Barkett at the Beaverton Borders

paul — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 17:13:06 +0000

It was a treat, as always, to be entertained Friday night by Paul Barkett at the Beaverton Borders. Paul has written a couple of things that he performs, but mostly he does covers. What makes his shows enjoyable for me is the music is from *my* era as I believe we are about the same age. He must have had a dozen CDs up on the table and all but one was sold after the two hour show. He really did have us eating out of his hand. If Paul has a website, I sure can’t find it! I did find him on Facebook, though.

Paul Barkett at the Beaverton Borders

Sonny Hess and David D. at Grand Lodge

paul — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 17:16:26 +0000

I knew it would be a night of Rockin’ Blues as I heaed for The Grand Lodge on Friday, March 13. The show was so good, you might even say it was my “lucky day”! Lead guitarist Sonny “Smokin” Hess is a veteran performer who also writes music and produces the NW Women Rhythm & Blues Show. Together with Triplecreek Trio member and friend David D. we heard a night of original music and that of Etta James, Jr. Walker and the All Stars, Average White Band and Bobby Womack. David brought his special acoutsitc guitar and remarkable sound system to truly filled the room with with music. I say “special” since the low E string has a lever that changes it to a D. Pretty cool.

Tyler Stenson at Grand Lodge

paul — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 17:17:50 +0000

If you wait long enough, they will come. I saw Tyler Stenson and his band Lander (named after his home town in Wyoming) at a downtown Portland pub in the summer of 2007. I picked up the CD “Orange Chrome Sky” and played “What I Feel Like As Winter Comes” on episode 59 of my podcast. A while later, Tyler sent me an MP3 file of some solo work and I played “Better Be Us All” on episode 71. His solo CD “See That Gleam” is out and I’ll feature some more music from it soon. It took almost 2 years, but Tyler finally made it out to the Westside so I was able to catch his show at Grand Lodge on Friday, March 6. He has taken up the harmonica (a beautiful old hand-me-down) and used it effectively during the show. A new song about his home state of Wyoming was the highlight of the evening for me. I’ll be sure to play that when his next CD is released.

Lynn Conover & John Mitchell at Grand Lodge

paul — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:21:09 +0000

It was the music of Lynn Conover and John Mitchell Friday, February 27, 2009 at the Grand Lodge in Forest Grove. In the three hour show, we heard everything from bluegrass to country to blues to rockabilly to folk and even a little early rock. Conover has an interesting voice to say the least. Willamette Week describes it as “a weirdly ethereal wail that sounds like all three Furies merged into one”. The billing says she’s been involved in the Portland Folk scene for about 20 years. She must like to keep herself a secret as I’m not even able to find a MySpace page for her. Now that I’m at it, I can’t find one for John Mitchell either! John is a mighty-fine guitar picker and I really enjoy watching him work. Great music and entertainment. Looks like they will be back at the end of March – I suggest you stop by.

John Mitchell and Lynn Conover

James Faretheewell and Kate Mann at Grand Lodge

paul — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 17:22:23 +0000

It was two for the price of one (uh, which was free!) Friday night February 20, at the Grand Lodge. I have seen James once before at the Grand Lodge just a few weeks earlier. He is sort-of a modern day Bob Dylan to me. His voice and delivery are similar. He is very much the story teller. I have seen Kate at least three times before, going back three years. She has also been featured four times on my podcast with Polly’s Song, Fall Or Fly, Cowboys Are My Weakness, and Bird In My House. James is from Dallas and Kate from Albuquerque.

Breanna Palette and Justin Bennett at Insomnia

paul — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 17:24:12 +0000

It was all about love on Valentine’s evening with Breanna Paletta and Justin Bennett doing an early show (love those!) at The Insomnia Coffee Company in Hillsboro.

Justin and Breanna are engaged after being friends for a long time. The word is, he got tuned in first, and she was a step behind. After realizing she was an idiot, she wrote a wonderful song for Justin which was included in their hour and ten minute long set. That was one of the romantic high-spots of the evening.

I have heard Breanna perform at least twice before, once at Borders and later at Insomnia, over a year ago. I have played “Follow Me Home” and “Morning Noon Night” on my podcast and both titles are on the music stream playlist. She has enjoyed enjoyed on play on KINK radio in Portland. This show was my first opportunity to meat the very-talented and witty Justin. I picked up his CD so you will likely hear some of his music on my program soon.

Breanna and Justin at Insomnia

Indie Music Sampler adds a music stream

paul — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 17:25:47 +0000

Announcing (drum roll please) the new Indie Music Sampler music stream, playing the same music heard on the podcast 24×7, commercial free. At the time of this writing, there are 594 titles in the playlist, for a total of 38 hours of music. I have several more previously-played titles to add, plus I’ll be adding titles every month, shortly after they are played on the podcast.

So, if you’re tired of regular radio with a playlist of 50 or 100, give this a try and see what you think. More information is at http://indiemusicsampler.com/stream, you can listen on your browser at http://listen.indiemusicsampler.com/ and on your internet radio at http://stream.indiemusicsampler.com/. Enjoy!

Reina Collins and Saloonatics at Rock Creek Tavern

paul — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 17:27:06 +0000

I was planning on seeing Reina Collins and Hal Gerard do a show next weekend at The Grand Lodge but other obligations will prevent that — so last night I decided to make the trip to Rock Creek Tavern to see her and the full band, called the Saloonatics. This was a pretty good way to end a year of live music as everyone was in a very festive mood. This band is so veratile. I guess you could call the genre rock-a-billy-folk-jazz, or some variation thereof. Reina makes her work look so effortless, natural and fun. In early 2009, she is playing most of the McMenamins around town plus other venues, sometimes with the Saloonatics, other times, just with Hal, but always worth the trip. Check out the schedule on her MySpace page.

Reina’s music has been featured on Indie Music Sampler three times so far, and number four isn’t far behind. You can hear “Even When I Fall” on episode 37 , “Dust” on episode 46 and “Safe” on episode 86.

The Saloonatics are:
Reina – Vocals, Hair Flinging, Booty Shaking
Hal Gerard – Guitars, Vocals
Dan Miller – Guitars
Rob Schrecongost – Bass
Birger Olsen – Slide Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals
Kenny Sawyer – Drums, Vocals

Paula Sinclair at The Grand Lodge

paul — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 17:28:21 +0000

The weather outside has been frightful for us in the Pacific Northwest who see a little snow maybe once a year. We have seen a LOT of snow this year and it has kept us in our homes way too much. As the temperatures rise, the traveling conditions get better, so I was able to get out and enjoy a show Friday night. I have seen Paula Sinclair before with Sisters In Crime, a trio with Reina Collins and Kate Mann. I knew I was in for a good show, and I was not disappointed. Paula is a little bit (ok, a lot) Country and Blues with a definate Joni Mitchell streak. This makes for an interesting mix of music and even after three hours, I could have listened to more. I played a sweet country love song called “OurStory” on episode 106 of Indie Music Sampler. Paula has three CDs available and it set to release two more in 2009! I heard lots of samples of the new work last night and look forward to the release of the first one in March. Of course, you can expect to hear some on a podcast near you.

Strawberry Rune at Grand Lodge

paul — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 17:29:55 +0000

I really enjoyed listening to this duo for three hours on Friday night. Strawberry Rune (not to be confused with Strawberry Roan) is Lauren Sheehan & Elizabeth Nicholson. Lauren is very rootsy while Elizabeth is very traditional. You would just never expect to see them on stage together. The result is an interesting mix of music and attitudes that keeps you interested and entertained for hours. Everything from bluegrass to Celtic music, serious to irreverent. The instrumentation is just as varied as Lauren brought her guitar, banjo and mandolin, and Elizabeth made her harp sing like an angel.

Strawberry Rune
http://www.myspace.com/strawberryrune

Lauren Sheehan
http://laurensheehanmusic.com/
http://www.myspace.com/laurensheehanmusic

Elizabeth Nicholson
http://www.elizabethnicholson.com/
http://www.myspace.com/elizabethnicholsonmusic

Jimmy Bivens at The Grand Lodge

paul — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 17:31:22 +0000

It as a real treat to watch Jimmy Bivens entertain again last night at The Grand Lodge. The place was hoppin’ to be sure; I don’t think I’ve ever seen it as crowded. Jimmy is traditional country all the way and I love it. He does mostly covers, and enjoys playing “Name That Tune” with the crowd. He doesn’t pick on me anymore since he knows I’ll nail it the first time. What can I say, I’m an old music fan. He is from Boise, Idaho, but makes his way out west quite often. In fact, he will be back in early January for several shows around town.

What made last night special is he had two guitarists join him who had met earlier that evening, and a big bass fiddle player who met the boys just as she walked in the door. It was arrangements-while-you-wait and we didn’t need to wait long! A very impressive and very fun show!

And the bands played on at Insomnia

paul — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:33:02 +0000

It was the full-meal deal at Insomnia Coffee Company Friday night. There were so many folks lined up to play it went for four hours, starting at 7:00PM. The evening began with Evan Aldrete, one of the three owners of this wonderful coffee shop. This was the second time I’ve heard Evan perform and I’m always surprised at how good he is. I’m not sure why, I just am. He really knows how to deliver a song and he had the full house with him all the way.

A week earlier, Evan gave me a heads up about the show, and encouraged me to be there to hear a California duo. At the time, I had travel plans to see family, but they changed two hours before we were set to leave — so — I was able to go!

Mia and Jonah, from Oakland, made their second visit to Insomnia. You should read the story of how they met on their website at http://www.miaandjonah.com/ it is very heartwarming. You can also visit their MySpace page. Their music sounded effortless. It just seems to be as natural as breathing to them. Nothing flashy or fancy, just good, pleasant music. You could hear a pin drop in this place as they played. Their sound reminds me a bit of KaiserCartel, but that could have been because that duo was in my ear buds earlier in the day.

The third hour belonged to Seth Martin, a close friend of Tristan Ellingsworth. He took the stage with a banjo, harmonica, and many stories to tell. He started by teaching us the chorus of a light-hearted song and encourgaed us to join in. He captured the audience quickly. Later on, he moved to his guitar and played more singer/songwriter stuff, again keep the audience engaged. This Seth is a very talented young man.

The home stretch was given to Tristan Ellingsworth whom I’ve heard twice before and featured on Indie Music Sampler 112. His music takes you on an expansive emotional journey. He’s not afraid to sing his mind, which is the best part of his presentation. As he spoke and sang about dysfuntional relationships and losing a friend he loved to a car accident, you could see the audience vibrate. It was quite amazing. Then, near the end, he did my favorite song (Margot’s Song, played on my podcast) with guest singer Leah. I know her from church, but he met her during a previous performance at Insomnia. He quickly taught her the harmony, and off they went. It was great fun.

Migrated to a new server

paul — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:34:52 +0000

It only took 28 hours from start to finish, but I (and a team of support technicians) got my websites (including this one) transferred to a new server. The previous server, Hosting Puppy, stopped responding to requests and questions. This is a clear indication that they are not far from folding, so I wanted to act before it went dark.

If you are a podcaster or blogger looking for quality, inexpensive managed hosting, let me recommend Lunarpages (http://www.lunarpages.com/) While some of the work I needed them to do took WAY too long, the main point is people were there to handle my requests. The main delay was because they are careful (to a fault) not to make changes the customer didn’t want. Since accuracy is more important than speed, I am happy with their support.

I am on the $4.95/mo Basic Hosting Plan. If you want to save some serious bucks, let me tell you a secret. (I discovered this by accident.) Go to the sign up page, put in your name and email address, and submit that page. Stop right there and wait for the email that will give you a code to save $50 on two years of hosting. You’ll get two years of hosting for $68.80 total – no setup fee. 12-hour per day phone support, 24-hour email support. This is a good value for unlimited disk space and bandwidth.

Lindsey Pool at Insomnia

paul — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 17:36:24 +0000

The first time I heard the core duo (Zack and Parker) of the quartet Lindsey Pool at Insomnia Coffee, they were a last-minute fill-in for an artist that dropped out. So my first thought was, “Swell, second fiddle”. Little did I know these guys have gotten airplay on two local radio stations and are on the KINK.FM Plug In Portland CD Sampler. These guys just blew me away. I bought their CD immediately and proceeded to play “Patience” on Indie Music Sampler 107. Zack and Parker have been together doing music for over 10 years and I don’t think they are even 30 yet. They’ve got quite a future ahead of them. If youu’re looking for some great music from a talented group of guys, check out Lindsey Pool!

Steve Sporre at Insomnia

paul — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 17:38:03 +0000

Anytime I get a chance to hear Steve Sporre play his music, I’m there! Saturday, November 8, 2008, he played Hillsboro’s Insomnia Coffee company, doing a mixture of original and cover tunes. Steve was the backup music minister at my church for a couple of years, then he and an associate pastor were planted in a new church. Economics didn’t permit Steve to stay on in that capacity, so he’s got a “real” job again and continues to play his music. You’ll find Steve on MySpace at http://myspace.com/stevesporre and be sure to check out his album “I Am ready“. Also, be on the lookout for new material from a reincarnation of a Christian rock back he was in a few years ago. Good stuff!

Carlyle at the Venetian

paul — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:39:34 +0000

Carlyle, found online at http://www.carlylemusic.com, is a four-piece band I’ve come to really appreciate. I’m generally not crazy about cover bands, but their sound and interpretations are interesting enough to keep my attention. The band got their start when friends Sunny Andersen (Lead Vocals) and Mitch Ward (12-string guitar) found they were having a great time entertaining at small functions like weddings. In fact, is was at one wedding they met drummer Galynne Davis who was performing at the same wedding with another band. She sat in with them that day and found a new musical home.

I have seen Carlyle several times at places like Border’s Books, Dessert Noir and Rock Creek Tavern. When I saw them at Hillsboro’s Venetian Theatre on Saturday night, November first, the fourth piece was a fella who played mandolin and sadly, I didn’t catch his name. My hope for this band is they record some original material soon so I can have them on my program. That would be a great honor for me.

Harrison at The Venetian

paul — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:42:27 +0000

What a difference a venue makes. I heard Harrison at (what was then) Taylor’s Back Room in Hillsboro. (Since then, it turned into Taylor’s bar, and is now closed.) During that show, most of the music he did was original. I enjoy the music so much I bought a CD played a track on episode 59 of Indie Music Sampler. For the show I saw at the Venetian Theater in downtown Hillsboro (which is almost directly across the street from Taylor’s) Harrison did mostly covers, including “Stayin’ Alive” (help me).

As I walked in the door on the evening of Friday, October 24th, I didn’t actually recognize him, but the opening song was an original and I had him identified in my mind in about 15 seconds. I may forget a face, but never a song! While I didn’t enjoy the cover show nearly as much as hearing his original material, I am probably not typical in that regard. Never the less, the show was brilliant and I’m glad I just happen to drop in.

Kay Rose at Insomnia

paul — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 17:44:04 +0000

On June 27th, I played “Lost In Love” by singer/songwriter Kay Rose (http://kayrose.com/) on episode 102 of Indie Music Sampler. Kay is from Eugene, Oregon, about three hours south of me. During our email exchange, we discovered that we were both vacationing in the same town at the same time a short time later. It was a small-world moment indeed when our families got acquainted in a restaurant far from home.

After much anticipation, I got to hear Kay play live at the Insomnia Coffee Company (http://www.myspace.com/insomniacoffee), and I was not disappointed. Having heard the studio version of most of the songs she played, it was very cool to hear the one-woman, acoustic versions. Kay is a solid performer who takes command of the keyboard and produces lovely songs about loves and losses and everything in between. So, if you like poignant music and/or pictures of oak trees, you should check out her debut CD “Words Left Unsaid”.

Tristan Ellingsworth at Insomnia

paul — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:52:21 +0000

Self-professed not-very-nice-guy Tristan Ellingsworth made a return visit to Insomnia on Saturday, October 11, 2008. Find his MySpace page at http://myspace.com/tristanellingsworth. In his hour-long set (shortened because the additional artist who was to join him bailed) he played played both serious, introspective songs as well as the frivolous. He also did my favorite, Margo’s Song, which will be featured on a podcast near you soon. If you’re in the neighborhood as he’s playing, do yourself a favor and stop in. And as for not being a nice guy, I think he’s a step ahead of most of us – he actually knows it!

The Remnants at Insomnia

paul — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 03:53:35 +0000

Friday, October 10th, a Portland band with a bit of an identity crisis played Insomnia Coffee. They introduced themselves as “The Remnants”, though they were previously known as “Plaid Violin”. Why the change? It’s not clear but it’s partially because the password to the Plain Violin MySpace page was lost, so they are unable to make updates to it.

The Remnants, if the Plaid Violin page is accurate, is a husband and wife team with friends. On the tiny stage last night I saw at least three guitars, a bass guitar, keyboard and a stand-up drum. They were pretty cozy up there! They seemed a bit rusty, eplaining they were back on stage after taking some time off to make another baby and other cool stuff. I look forward to hearing this band again.

Tonight I’m back at Insomnia to hear Tristan Ellingsworth again. Next week, I will hear (for the first time) my friend Kay Rose play for an evening, and a few weeks after that, the amazing Breanna Paletta returns.

IMS – today and into tomorrow

paul — Fri, 30 May 2008 17:55:47 +0000

How excited and proud I am to have released episode 100 of Indie Music Sampler. That represents 50 hours of music, having played over 600 unique titles. I just wanted to take a minute and thank all the artists who have given me permission to play their music, and to you who take the time to listen. The program is a part of who I am, and is a total labor of love for me. I figure I’ll stop doing it when people stop making great, independent music.

At the same time, the amount of time the program requires is greater than I want to spend. There are other activities I would like to add to my life. The two options for the program are to (1) shorten it to 15 minutes (2) go to an every-other week release. I listened to the “intro” episode recently and was reminded that my original vision for the program was for a release every-other week. This plan would give me one week to select the music, connect with the artist/label, and start making my notes. The second week would be for writing, recording, producing, publishing and reporting.

With this new schedule, I will continue to be excited about seeking out and presenting new music to you, plus enjoy additional activities in my life. Indie Music Sampler represents a win-win situation for everyone. The artists get a little of exposure, you get to hear new music, and I am honored to be the connection. Thank you for your continued support!

The making of Indie Music Sampler

paul — Sat, 24 May 2008 17:59:52 +0000

When I was a DJ, playing music for folks was pretty easy. The music director had already told me what to play, and the program director had already told me what to say. Very little preparation was required.

Music podcasting is different — at least the way I’ve chosen to do it. First I go through my music sources (Podshow, Ariel Publicity and MySpace) to find the 6-8 songs I want to play. Then I contact each artist to let them know they will be featured. Often I need to ask questions like, “How do you pronounce your name” or “What album is that from?”.

I gather up the information I need about each artist and song, and assemble the show notes you see online every time I release a program. Then I write a rough draft of a script. In the script, I have the intro time (time before the vocal starts), playing time and how the song ends (cold, fade, natural). Any songs played from CD, I rip into WAV files. Any MP3 files are converted to WAV files, then I normalize (make the volume equal on) each song.

At this point, believe it or not, I have about 4-5 hours invested in the program depending on the number of titles I’m featuring. Once it is time record the program, all the pieces are together. The program is recorded in real time, and very little editing is done in post production. I run a non-agressive leveling process on the program to smooth out the levels.

The program is encoded to an MP3, making sure the tags are correct. The resulting file is uploaded to Libsyn and to a backup server I have waiting in case something happens to Libsyn (or my agreement with them). Then I download the MP3 and compare it to the original. If they are a match, I’m good to go. Then, I go to my home page, paste in my show notes and release the program. Oh, then then I publish the program as a MySpace blog and also release it as a bulletin.

After the program has released, I need to log into Podshow. For each track from there I featured, I fill in the date, program title and episode number. With artists I was introduced to by Ariel publicity, I need to write a small review of the song. Finally, I write every artist (usually with a MySpace comment) confirming they were featured, and providing a direct link to the show for their fans.

I’ll bet you had no idea all that went into one, little 30-minute music show!

Another magical Lijie show

paul — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 18:01:33 +0000

As always when I see Lijie (Lee-jay) perform, it’s an evening of magic. I was so surprised when I saw her email that she was going to perform within an hour of my condo in Hillsboro. It was a Friday evening show in Vancouver, Washington, north of Portland. That would mean facing Friday afternoon traffic, through two sure bottlenecks at 6:00! I decided that I would leave at 6, get there when I get there, and enjoy whatever I heard. Much to my surprise, the first bottleneck was gone, and the second was less than a mile long. I got there on time! I was so happy.

The last time I saw Lijie perform was in April of last year. She told me then she had enough material for a second CD but not the funding. She has since joined the Sell-A-Band program and is on her way. Please check her out on her homepage (http://lijiemusic.com/) and her MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/lijiemusic) and if you agree she should record some more music, please join my in supporting her at Sell-A-Band (http://www.sellaband.com/lijie).

Hear her music as I played it on Indie Music Sampler:

Roam – #2 – http://indiemusicsampler.com/2006/07/14/ims-002/
Lately – #53 – http://indiemusicsampler.com/2007/07/06/ims-053/
Blue – #86 – http://indiemusicsampler.com/2008/02/22/ims-086/

Jack McMahon at The Grand Lodge

paul — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 18:03:38 +0000

It was a real treat to spend three hours listening to a seasoned singer/songwriter from Portland at the Grand Lodge Friday April 11. Jack McMahon has been making music for a lot of years, and it shows. Most of his covers were from James Taylor and he did a country standard or two. His original music was fresh and interesting. The three hours just flew by. When he was done, I told him that after three hours, I usually had my fill of an artist, but I could have listened to him for another hour at least. Some of his music reminds me a lot of Steely Dan. A nice mixture of pop, rock and blues. I’ll see about getting some on the podcast. So, if you’re looking for music from a seasoned artist with true depth and range, let me recommend Jack McMahon.

His homepage is at http://www.jackmcmahon.com/ and you’ll find him on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/jackmcmahonmusic.

A new (old) home for my blog

paul — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:05:17 +0000

So, it has been a while since I blogged. It’s not because there hasn’t been anything to talk about, it’s just not been a priority. I will see about changing that. First, a technical word about the blog.

The story begins in February when the host computer for my podcast, Indie Music Sampler, went dark for four days. The hosting company is Prolink Hosting, offering unlimited everything for $10 a year. Not only was *my* server unreachable, the the host company’s main computer was also no where to be found. This had never happen before. After the second day, I feared the company was out of business, so I hired Hosting Puppy to host the podcast site. They offer a $1 per GB per month plan. I’m on the 3GB plan since I needed a place for all on my MP3 files which took up over 2GBs.

Since I am a member of the Association of Music Podcasting, I am entitled to a free account on Liberated syndication (AKA Libsyn), one of the largest (if not THE largest) podcast hosting companies out there. Many, many podcasts are hosted on it. They have been around for years.

So, my podcast (http://indiemusicsampler.com) is now hosted with Hosting Puppy, and my shows (the .mp3 files) are hosted on Libsyn. Meanwhile, Prolink Hosting did come back to life the day after I migrated my podcast from it to Hosting Puppy. My account with Prolink Hosting continues into the year 2010 so I might as well do something with it.

I decided to register the “paulthemusiclover.com” domain and host my blog on Prolink Hosting. I will also keep a mirror image of the Indie Music Sampler site on there as well. That way, if Hosting Puppy should drop out of sight, I can repoint the name servers to Prolink Hosting, and be back in business in 24 hours or so.

The URL for my blog was http://indiemusicsampler.com/blog – If you go there now, you’ll be redirected to the new URL, http://paulthemusiclover.com/. If you were subscribed to the old blog, the subscription will no longer work. You’ll want to use http://rss.paulthemusiclover.com or http://atom.paulthemusiclover.com.

Have I totally confused you?? The things I won’t do to let the music play.

Lori Willcuts & the Half-Man Band at Insomnia

paul — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 18:07:42 +0000

It was a treat to be entertained by Lori Willcuts Friday night, November 9 at The Insomnia Coffee Company in Hillsboro, Oregon. Lori (who is a little bit Country) was backed by Mila Polevia (left) on guitar and Lisa Reiff (right) on background vocals. They are from all over the Portland metro area including Portland, Lake Oswego and Newberg. Lori’s voice reminds me a lot of Dolly Parton’s so it was no surprise that some Dolly songs were on the menu. She has one CD out, which I picked up last night, and another one in the works. Since I don’t play near enough Country music on the podcast, I’ll be sure to queue up some of this soon.

Mangfald at Insomnia

paul — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 18:08:54 +0000

They packed and rocked the place Friday night, October 26. I’m talking about Mangfald (found at http://www.myspace.com/mangfald) at Hillsboro, Oregon’s Insomnia coffee. This high school quartet brought an enthusiastic, noisy, and well-behaved entourage of young people and the party was on! I was impressed by the range of music styles this young band performed. Between you and me, I think they did the blues the best. I hear-tell there is a CD in the works so keep your eye on these guys!

What is “independent” music?

paul — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 18:10:12 +0000

I host a weekly, 30-minute podcast featuring mainstream, independent music. That being the case, you would expect me to know just what that means. Know what? I’m not really sure! What *is* “independent” music?

My original thinking was it meant music created by one not signed to a label. I learned early that doesn’t work since there are independent labels. Turns out this is not a contradicting term. I remember asking a veteran music podcaster what distiguished a major label from an independent label. He talked about the different promotion, marketing and distribution techniques that are used. That didn’t help me at all. I wanted something black and white, and all I was getting was gray!

I decided that since I’m not a lawyer, I shouldn’t look to the legal position of an independent musician for a definition. It certainly has nothing to do with genre (even though “indie” does seem to be a genre), quality, popularity, geographic location … none of that defines independent music.

The next step in my journey was to take the word at face value. What does “independent” mean? I see it as a lack of outside influence and dependence. OK, that’s still pretty gray but I have a better time getting my arms around that concept. The music we hear from an independent musician is the way the musician intended it. The focus is on the music and musician, not their legal position, marketing techniques or distribution methods.

Therefore, my new working definition of idependent music is as follows:

Music from the artist’s heart rather than a producer’s head.

What do you think???

PS: Next week, we’ll take on “mainstream” (maybe)

Loren Depping at Insomnia Coffee

paul — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 18:11:22 +0000

It was a treat to be entertained by Loren Depping (and his friend Dave on bass) Saturday evening at the Insomnia Coffee Company in Hillsboro. Loren, found at http://www.myspace.com/lorendeppingmusic, reminds me quite a bit of a young James Taylor, which I think is cool since he doesn’t list James as one of his influences. Somehow I made the association in my own little brain. The other cool thing about Loren is he spent some time in the town where I met and married my wife, Aberdeen, Washington. Anyway, I picked up his “Go By Train” CD, which I will play on the podcast, as soon as I pick out a track and get Loren’s permission. Thanks Loren and Dave for an entertaining evening.

Tim Uecker @ Borders

paul — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 18:12:26 +0000

It was a real pleasure to spend the evening with Tim Uecker at the Beaverton Borders store on Friday, October 12. I played “A Little Love” by Tim on episode 22 of Indie Music Sampler. Friday evening he played two hours of guy-and-his-guitar music of love songs, songs about life, and even some about his faith (which we happen to share). He’s going to send me fresh material and I’ll have him on the Sampler again soon. Thanks, Tim, for a wonderful evening of music!

“Communicating Doors” at HART

paul — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 18:13:44 +0000

Do you know what communicating doors are? Well, I didn’t! I haven’t seen them since I was a kid. They are the doors, which when opened on both sides, provide a passage between two adjacent hotel rooms. Alan Ayckbourne (who has been dubbed the British Neil Simon) had considered the kinds of things that could be on the other side of these doors. In his play “Communicating Doors” they were not only passages to other rooms, but also in time. The story follows several people at two different stages in their lives, 20 year apart. The show is funny, tosses in a bit of sci-fi for flavor, and keeps you on your toes as you need to keep both the people and the year straight to understand situations and motivations.

Bravo to my local theatre group (Hillsboro Artists’ Regional Theatre at http://www.hart-theatre.org/) for making 2-1/2 hours fly by with their performance of this play. The characters were so real, I was sucked right in and never left. The cast was Adrienne Annas as Poopay, Tanja Crouch as Jessica Wells, James Patrick Jameson as Harold, Doug Sellers as Reece, Joe Silver as Julian, and Nancy Wellmann as Ruella Wells. Carrie Boatwright was the Director and Meghan Daaboul was the Assistant Director. Hats off to all of you.

Summer Miller at Insomnia

paul — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 18:14:42 +0000

It was my pleasure to be entertained by the music of Summer Miller at The Insomnia Coffee Company last night (9/21/07). I was told by the shop owner that she works at a bank during the day and sings as a hobby. She had no CDs for sale, and no picture cards were on the tables; she was just there to share her music. It was lovely. On her MySpace page she’s got one song up so you can get a taste of what I heard for two hours. Thanks, Summer, for a relaxed, enjoyable evening.

Courtney Jones at Insomnia Coffee

paul — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 18:15:59 +0000

I played Courtney Jones on the very first episode of Indie Music Sampler in early July, 2006. She had two titles up on the Podsafe Music Network, “Waiting For Something To Happen” and “Ride”, both from her EP “The One”. I believe this is the third time I’ve seen her perform, twice at Border’s and this show at Insomnia Coffee Company (a new discovery for me only 5 minutes away from my condo!) on Saturday 9-15-07. The place has high cielings, wood floors and no curtains. (Can you say echo chamber?) Despite that, the owners have created a very nice place, and I hope to hear lots of good music here. Courtney, of course, was wonderful. Her little sister was up for a few numbers to lend some harmonies. Very fun. Thanks for a most enjoyable evening!

What are we (independent music podcasters) doing!?!?

paul — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 18:17:22 +0000

I was beginning to question my motivation (and the motivation of others) when it comes to playing and promoting independent music. Chris Doelle hosts the Pod Music Countdown (http://podmusiccountdown.com/). On the program, he counts down the top-10 songs being played by podcasters that week, plus he offers two bonus tracks. Other podcasters, like myself, are invited to make bonus-track submissions. On Thursday 9/6/07, I started this email conversation with him. Both Chris and we felt so good after the exchange, we wanted to share it with others on our blogs.

–

Hey Chris,

Your call for comments and suggestions was very timely since I’ve been stewing over something, and had decided this morning I was going to write you. I wish I could grab you and take you to lunch or something since it is difficult to set a tone in email. Let me assure you I don’t want to sound critical. I’m betting you’ve asked yourself some of these questions too.

I think we can agree that what we hate about the “mainstream” media is there are a few people deciding what we get to hear. I worked commercial radio for a while, and was a music director for some of that time. I played what everyone else played because, well, because that’s what you did! If I wanted to play something different, I didn’t because if it was wrong, I wouldn’t have “the charts” to blame for it. If I really, really wanted to program it, I would get the boss’s approval so I couldn’t hang. That was the mentality. That is exactly what we don’t want anymore.

I sent you some bonus tracks. There was a special place in my heart for all three of them. It was my hope other podcasters would hear them, play them, and the artists would get some recognition, maybe even some sales. My brain stopped dead in its tracks when I realized that this morning. Wasn’t I doing just what I didn’t want to? Wasn’t I trying to influence others to follow my lead instead of take their own?

That leads me to a broader question about the bonus tracks, and perhaps the PMC Top 10 in general. On your program, are you reflecting podcast music trends, or are you MAKING them? If you’re influencing trends, who’s fault is that — the leader’s or the follower’s? Interesting questions, eh? Have you asked them of yourself before? I’m sure you must have.

I don’t claim 100’s of thousands of listeners, I don’t even claim ONE thousand. I also wait at least three months before repeating an artist, being true to my “sampler” title. I’m just one guy playing music he likes. I’m wondering if the PMC Top 10 is enough of an institution to actually change the “independent” listening habits of people. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on this.

Cheers,
Paul

–

Paul,

I sat with your email for the past 45 minutes contemplating my feelings. You bring up some great points and you are correct in assuming I have had some of these thoughts myself.

I think the best answer is that I have never actually been against someone sharing their opinion about what constitutes good music. I have listened to friends over the years when they go on about an artist and if it is someone whose opinion I value… it carries weight with me. Ultimately I decide for myself what I like, but I have always been open to suggestions.

There is nothing wrong with being passionate about certain music and wanting to share that passion. It is no different than raving about a new restaurant, film, or even an overpriced iPhone. The world needs passionate people – it’s how things like the American Revolution got started. When it becomes wrong, in my opinion, is when gatekeepers make the playing field uneven, giving their opinion for personal gain, or limiting who has access.

As the PMC Top 10 is open to anyone willing to send in a submission, I see it as an outlet for that passion. It is a platform that was previously unavailable to independent musicians unwilling to sign away their rights to labels, or unfortunate enough to not even be given the opportunity. It is a platform for podcasters like yourself to shout from the rooftops your passion for that which excites you. We podcasters are the Thomas Paine’s of today and our shows are the modern day equivalent of his famous pamphlet “Common Sense.”

Do we podcasters influence people? Yes. But we do it pursuit of increasing freedom. Do we podcasters change listening habits? Most definitely. I have people write me all the time that have opened their eyes to a whole new musical world. Have we created an uneven playing field that shuts out people who don’t pay us? Not on your life.

I really appreciate the email and your giving me the opportunity to evaluate these questions. It has helped me become clearer in my focus and indeed, I feel even better about what we are doing to change the music industry having thought this through. Your self-inspection speaks volumes about you as a person and I commend you for having the courage to look inside to see that first and foremost, you are a “music lover.” Never was a podcast handle more appropriate that “Paul the music lover.”

Thank you,
Chris Doelle

–

Chris,

You too made several good points. There was one that curbed all of my concerns.

I did not take one dime from the three artists I featured on your program. The same goes for the 300+ artists I’ve featured on my program. I played them because I liked their music and wanted it to be heard. If an artist’s music is good, there is some podcaster out there somewhere who will pick up on it, and do the same.

There is no executive producer for the artist to get by in our system. We are just people with computers who pass on the love. If something we share catches on, it’s not because we forced the tunes on the masses, it’s because someone chose to pass on the love just like us. That’s a big difference. I feel better too.

This has been an interesting, and worth-while exchange, Chris. Thank you for not getting defensive, and joining me in some healthy self-examination. That speaks volumes about you!

Cheers,
Paul

Saying goodbye

paul — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 18:18:35 +0000

I am very proud that my podcast plays a small part in the revolution taking place in the way music is recorded, produced and distributed. I haven’t gone to the store to purchase a CD in years. The last commercial (as opposed to independent) CD I purchased was an Art Garfunkel CD from Amazon.com over 5 years ago.

No more do we have to grab a CD off a store shelf, stick a pair of headphones on, and stand in the way of other people as we preview new CDs. From the comfort of our homes, out of everyone’s way, we can listen to our heart’s content, and purchase what we want. With digital technology, virtually any musician can record their material and sell the MP3s over the Internet via iTunes, eMusic and many other outlets.

As exciting and positive as that all is, there is a down side, which I experienced last week. The NW (Nob Hill) neighborhood in Portland, Oregon said goodbye to a 30-year icon on August 31st. Music Millennium was a straight-out-of-the-70’s record store complete with the burning of incense. They would frequently hold in-store performances of local and touring musicians. Once a month or so I’d catch a show there.

Since 1977, the owner has seen the rent jump 2-1/2 times while at the same time sales have steadily declined. You simply can’t operate a business at a loss. So, it is sad to see the place go; the neighborhood just won’t be the same. As time marches on, some things are left behind. Goodbye Music Millennium, I will miss you.

Oregonian Story

Willamette Week story and reader reaction

When things go wrong

paul — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:19:49 +0000

I normally record my podcasts on Wednesday evenings. That way, if something should go wrong, I can re-record it on Thursday. For episode 54 (which released on Friday the 13th) I was a day behind which meant I had to record on Thursday. I just knew I was looking for trouble by recording only 6 hours before release. Much to my surprise — none. I was so grateful.

The following Wednesday came around and it was time for me to record episode 55. I got everything up on the computer screen as usual, and tested the music and microphone levels. The music was great, the microphone was dead. I mean dead. I just sat back on my wooden stool and smiled. “This could have been last week!”, I thought to myself. I was ever more grateful.

The microphone is a boom mic that is attached to my headphones. It requires a small DC charge, and the battery went dead. Since the current draw was so small, I figured it would last forever. I spent 30 minutes with a soldering iron and replacement battery trying to repair it, but something was just out of sorts.

A couple of weeks ago, Joe and I bought new microphones because we got such a good deal on them (3 for $20). I borrowed his cable and set the microphone on the stand. Everything seemed OK but I could hear the mechanical sound of me pressing buttons on the keyboard (which I do to start music and control the music volume). I put the mic stand on the mouse pad, a folded towel under the keyboard, and I was good to go!

I had to work a little distance away from the mic, so you may notice a small echo on episode 55. I’ll get the gooseneck installed and that problem should be fixed by next week. Such is life as a podcaster on a budget. Despite my humble setup and what little money I’ve given to this hobby, the sound quality is quite good. I’m pleased.

As always, thanks for listening!!

IMS is a member of AMP

paul — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 18:21:23 +0000

I am pleased to announce that Indie Music Sampler is a proud member of the Association of Music Podcasting, found at http://musicpodcasting.org/. This is a group of 50+ music podcasters who play, promote and encourage the support of independent musicians.

I will have the opportunity to learn from other people doing the same thing I am, and will hopefully have some things to contribute back.

If you are a listener or musician, you can know that each podcast on the member list is dedicated to supporting independent music. Why not give them a visit today???

They are not letting the music play

paul — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 18:22:33 +0000

I have been watching, with some interest, the “Day of Silence” called by many Internet radio (streaming) stations today (6/26/07). Since they play commercial music, they need to pay royalties to the labels and artists. According to The Register:

In March, the U.S. Copyright Royalty board laid down new rules that would require broadcasters to pay $0.0008 each time a song is played – retroactive to the beginning of 2006. According to Jake Ward, a spokesperson for SaveNetRadio, this amounts to a 300 per cent rate hike for even the largest stations. By 2010, the per-play rate is scheduled to hit $0.0019.

The first bill comes due on July 15, and as the date approaches, SaveNetRadio is battling the new rates in Congress. The day of silence is an effort to gain support for the coalition’s Internet Radio Equality Act.

You can add this to the long list of things about the recording industry I don’t understand. I don’t know how the existing agreement came about or why it was deemed unacceptable. What I *do* understand is the recording industry has again made a move that is angering many people and it is clear to me they have put yet another nail in their coffin.

All of this makes me appreciate the 300+ artists who have given me permission to play their music at no charge. They are happy (many times excited) to do so because they hope that listeners will appreciate their work and encourage them. That encouragement could be as simple as an email that says, “I heard your music on Indie Music Sampler this week and could really relate to what you sang about.” If you are able, they would, of course, love to sell you a CD or some downloads.

So, as you listen to Indie Music Sampler, or hear live music somewhere, please remember that in order for the music to play, the people who make it need food and shelter just like the rest of us. Please help as you can.

As always — thanks for listening and helping me — let the music play …

Finding balance and moving forward

paul — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 18:23:50 +0000

If you’re a regular reader, you are aware I have been struggling with the amount of time this podcasting hobby of mine has taken. Most weeks it’s not an issue. However, not being home for an entire weekend (something that happens fairly frequently during the summer) would leave me scrambling to get everything done. If something becomes a burden, it’s no longer fun — even if you enjoy it.

I made a list of all the things I do for each episode. The I examined my goals for podcast — just why do I do it?? With that information, it was pretty easy to see which activities I could cut out of the process without falling short of the podcast objectives. It was the perfect thing for me to do as I approach my one-year anniversary of podcasting. I’m all set to dive in head first without reservation as I begin my second year.

At the same time, I’m ready to take this podcast to the next level, whatever that might be. Indie Music Sampler has been accepted into the Association Of Music Podcasting. (http://www.musicpodcasting.org/) This will surround me (via the Internet) with people who do the same thing I do. I know I will learn a lot from them and I hope I have something to contribute.

I hope you’re having a nice summer and I thank you for reading the blog & listening to my podcast. It’s a labor of love on a couple of different levels for me and I’m glad to share it with you. Take care, and let the music play.

Considering format change

paul — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 18:25:30 +0000

I haven’t blogged in a while. Part of it is we all wrestle with the balance between our “virtual” and “real” lives, and I have been having a similar struggle balancing my “podcasting” and “real” lives. I will have things figured out in a while. I spent the whole day with Joe today and had a blast. What a blessed dad I am.

I covet your opinion on a proposed format change for the podcast. I mention on the “Technical/Financial” page that I have a technical limitation. I talk about how I can’t overlap songs. As soon as a new song starts, the audio from the previous song is cut off. With that limitation, I have been forced to talk between each song since playing songs back-to-back smoothly was not possible.

Thanks to some new sound card drivers, this limitation has been removed. I still only have a single volume control for all music, but I can overlap songs now. Knowing that, I have some options on the format for the show.

Current format:
Here’s [artist]
Play song
That was [title, artist, etc]
[a little blurb about the song]
Here’s [next artist]
Play song
That was [title, artist, etc]
[a little blurb about the song]
Repeat until we’re out of time

Option I’m considering:
Here’s [artist]
Play first song
Play second song
That was [title, artist, etc] of second song
[a little blurb about second song]
Before that we heard [title, artist, etc]
[a little blurb about first song]
Repeat until out of time

It could also go in sets of three songs.

The advantage of the current format is if you like something, you get instant gratification finding out what it is. By playing sets, you might have to wait a song (or two if I played sets of three) before you hear the title and artist. By that time, you could be distracted and miss out. The advantage to playing sets of two or three is it seems like more music is getting played. That isn’t actually true, but I know from my radio broadcasting experience, that is the perception.

Have any thoughts? Do care one way or the other? Do you consult show notes for songs, or do you pretty-much only listen to the shows? While I may have some broadcasting experience, podcasting is *not* broadcasting and there is a lot I have to learn. Let me hear from you.

Thanks for listening, and let the music play ….

2007 Memorial

paul — Mon, 28 May 2007 18:28:30 +0000

If you, a family member or friend have served in the military past or present, the music-lover household would like to thank you for your sacrifice. The world is a dangerous place and you help to keep our portion of it safer. We appreciate you more than words can express.

Lisa Mann at Music Millennium

paul — Mon, 28 May 2007 18:27:22 +0000

It was a high energy hour as I watched Lisa Mann (MySpace) and her incredible band entertain at Music Millennium Sunday afternoon. Entertain was the key word too because that’s what this woman does. I played “Real Life Woman” on IMS-028 from her “Self Material” CD so I expected her to rock. She did not disappoint. What I didn’t expect was everything else she could do. Sweet love ballads that could make you cry, the blues and even a twinge of Country in there. She’s been around a while and has done it all making her one of the more versatile artists I’ve ever seen.

Did I mention she has an incredible band? Here’s the line-up: Lisa Mann – Bass guitar and vocals, Jeff Knudsen – guitar, David Melyan – drums, and Alex Shakeri – keyboards. David didn’t miss a beat, Jeff can really crank it out, Alex uses the organ sound to give much of the music a cool 60’s feel, and Lisa plays a six-string bass like it was just a part of her. The instrument that was most impressive was her voice. It can get down-and-dirty and two seconds later be as sweet as honey.

I went to the show looking for a lady who can rock. I found her and several others in one person. I encourage you to check out her CD. After listening to the samples, you’ll want to get one. I did!

Monterey International Pop Festival

paul — Sat, 26 May 2007 18:29:33 +0000

When the Monterey International Pop Festival happen from June 16-18, 1967 I was just 10 years old and had no awareness of it. Later in life I came to understand it had some significance in the shaping of our music, and even our culture, today.

The Podsafe Music Network released 5 songs that were taped at the festival so I thought I might do some research and produce a special podcast about the event and what it symbolized. A few days later, two of my podcasting peers had already done that! So, instead of reinventing the wheel, I’ll simply direct you to their programs.

Steve Webb hosts a family of Christian podcasts. While his podcast on the Monterey festival wasn’t based on Christianity, that is the perspective he uses when discussing the state of our culture at the time. He provides a good discussion of the significance of each song and what it was wanting to say. In addition to playing the live tracks, he includes excepts from other artists who performed at the festival. Check out Steve’s show at http://weekendmusic.lifespringonline.com/?p=59

Tom Sidock, in addition to looking at the culture at the time, also talks a bit about the technology. There were no personal computers or digital recording in 1967. Tom begins this podcast with a discussion of some modern technology items, then let’s the music roll. http://podcastchronicles.com/WordPress/?p=40

Thanks, guys, for taking the time to give us a look at a significant event in our musical and cultural history.

It’s interesting, I went to an open mike last night featuring people in thier late teens mostly. I was surprised to hear that the Bob Dylan songs continue to be heard. “I’d Love To Change The World”, recorded by Ten Years After in 1971, got a huge response. So, it’s true, the times they are a-changin’, but at the same time, some things are timeless and don’t change so much.

Some quality time with Lijie

paul — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 18:30:56 +0000

In January 2006, I saw Lijie (LEE-jay) on tour from California at a local bookstore. Having both the guitar and keyboard at her disposal, she puts on a lovely show. Having fallen in love her music, I bought her CD. Six months later I started my podcast and featured her on my second episode. Shortly after that, she moved from California (South of me) to Olympia, Washington (North of me). In the early 80’s, I spent a year there as a broadcaster. KITN, like most stations I worked for, doesn’t exist anymore.

Earlier this year, I noticed on Lijie’s MySpace page that she was doing a California tour in April, but didn’t schedule any stops in Portland. It took some doing, but at my request, she got herself booked at a Portland music store. Her show was even more captivating than the first show I saw. I am wondering if anyone noticed I was reduced to tears when she did “Roam”. (It’s OK, it happens to me at the movies too!) The show featured some songs that I hadn’t heard before.

After the show I learned that she has enough new material for a second CD, she doesn’t have the finances in place yet. You know what they say — All good things are worth waiting for. When the CD comes off the press, you will certainly hear a track or two on a podcast near you.

My favorite fantasy (no you don’t need to send the kids out of the room) is to be a rich philanthropist. It would be so fun to just have piles of money around to give to away to talented and hard working artists so they could concentrate on their craft and make the world a more beautiful place. Yes, it’s a fantasy. I checked and I don’t have any rich uncles so I don’t think this dream will come true for me. So, in Lieu of that, I’ll just … let the music play … Thanks, Lijie, for a lovely evening.

Holy cow, I was quoted!

paul — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 18:34:47 +0000

By now, you’ve heard all about Bum Rush The Charts, right? This is where we took Black Lab to number two (perhaps even number one) on iTunes for a day. Black Lab was signed to two major record labels, and dropped by them both. A lot of people in independent music circles thought these guys got a bum deal. So, they devised this plan to make them (hopefully) number one on iTunes for a day. It would send a message to the big record labels and it would raise some scholarship money.

At first, it didn’t look like we made a dent. At the same time, the standings of the other songs didn’t seem to change either. It looked like there may have been a chart freeze on iTunes. We do, however, have a screenshot of the standings that show Black Lab in the number 2 position. So clearly, a major impact was made.

As a link form the Bum Rush The Charts page, was an article to an article on Spin.com. After reading the article, I was casually reading the quotes at the end. After reading one, I thought to myself, “My. that sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Where did I see that?” The answer was the show notes of Indie Music Sampler episode 38. They were MY words!

So, there was my 15 minutes of fame. Now, there’s nothing else to look forward to.

Korena/Collins show

paul — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 18:38:13 +0000

A few weeks ago, I saw Julia Korena at Urban Rhythms. Since she won’t be back there until July, I decided to catch a Sunday night show at Bethany Village Grill last weekend. With her was Reina G. Collins, who made a brief appearance with Julia at the coffee shop show. Reina had in tow some wonderful musicians Rob Busey and Hal Gerard. Their music was superb. Julia then took the stage and wow’d me again with her version of “Ode To Billy Joe”. After a while, all four ended up on stage and did an “arrangements while you wait” show. It was great fun. In the audience with me was Lisa Mann, whom I played on the Sampler in January. It was good to meet her too. Be on the lookout for some Reina G. Collins music — coming to a podcast near you.

A message from Uel

paul — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 18:40:16 +0000

I got a MySpace message from a guy name Uel of “Steel Horse Drifters” inviting me to check out his song. I went to his page and read his bio:

Borned in a wagon on the trip Out West. Raised a half-breed by wild Indians. Grew up playing with rattlesnakes and coyotes, barbed-wire and rot-gut whiskey. Ain’t never had nothing give to me had to fight for every scrap. Live to feel the wind my face on the open road, the groove of playing music with good friends, the burn of whiskey to wash down the dust, the love of a good woman under the stars. As long as the wind blows, the grass grows, and the sky is blue.

His message to me was just as colorful as his bio. His traditional country song was well done and beautifully produced — a real winner! I can’t wait to play it. Hopefully in #36. I really like this podcasting gig — I mean, how else would I (living the the suburbs) ever have the pleasure of meeting someone like Uel?

Soggy weekend

paul — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 18:41:57 +0000

As is typical this time of year in the Northwest, it was raining cats and dogs most of the weekend. I got a chance to catch up on some computer-related chores. I am still in the process of migrating my email from fastmail.fm to my new host, Prolink Hosting. I back up all my stuff on Prolink once a week so it’s added protection to have my email included in that. Especially important are those emails giving me permission to to the music I do on IMS.

Also over the weekend, Joe and I saw “Astronaut Farmer” at the theater. I loved it! I’ve always been interested in space travel (I heard that remark!) so watching a movie about an ordinary guy with space in his sights was great. For me, however, it was a story about the cost of going for your dreams. There is the financial cost, of course, but even greater is the cost to those around you, like your family. It was when his wife and family encouraged him and helped him go for it, that things really started to happen in a positive way. I especially liked how his wife never stopped believing in him and was willing to take the ribbing of being married to an astro-nut.

Bed time yet?

paul — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 18:43:12 +0000

So, here it is … 2:00 in the morning. I am a morning person so being up this late is rare. The occasion this morning is problems at work and I’m on the conference call. Joys of joys. The good news is I’m still paid by the hour. Thanks to the daylight savings time change, and what that means to computer systems, I put in six hours earlier today (or yesterday, actually).

Rosalie wasn’t feeling well all last week and was off work. An ear infection — can you imagine? Common in kids, unusual for adults. Friday night, she asked me to make good on a rain check and take her out to dinner. We had Italian. It was fabulous. We picked up Joe from a birthday party. I took them home and spent the evening at my favorite coffee shop.

After talking to my dad on the phone (as I do every Saturday morning) I talked to my step-mom and helped her to get her slide scanner going again on her computer. Joe and I went out to breakfast. After spending a few hours at work working the DST issue, the three of us went shopping for curtain rods. Joe wanted his installed first, so up they went. They look good. With any luck (assuming I get SOME sleep) the other three should go up Sunday.

Is it bed time yet?

Duplicate programs

paul — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 18:47:15 +0000

I really like my new host for Indie Music Sampler. I like having full control over the presentation and features. I’m able to simplify a lot of things and maintain a clean-looking site. However, whenever you move a set of computer files around, strange things happen. Somehow, in the feed, some programs had two files attached. The only way to clean them up was to nuke them and repost. So, if you got shows 28, 29, 30 and 31 again, that’s why. Unless this host turns out to have a lot of down time or turns super-slow, I’m sure I’ll stay. Thanks for your patience!

Can you keep a secret?

paul — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 18:48:49 +0000

When I record a podcast, I turn on the dedicated computer in the master bedroom, close the door and record in real-time. When I’m done recording, I save the program to our home network, then go into the computer room to do any post-production editing that may be required. I might tighten up some dead spaces and equalize the volume a bit.

I recorded show #33 yesterday. As I listened back, I realized that over the intro of the song, I had described the Laura Lambert number as The Blues. Sadly, that was only half right since it’s really Rhythm & Blues. My heart sank. Was I really going to need to do the show again???

I went back into the bedroom do try an experiment. I re-recording that section, saying R&B instead of The Blues. I saved that section to the network, and sat down at my workstation again. I copied the new section into the clipboard, then on the podcast audio, I swiped the mouse over the same section, and did a paste. It worked!!

So, don’t tell anyone, but the section of time from where the Laura Lambert song starts and when she starts singing was done a few hours AFTER the rest of the show. Audacity (the free software I use to edit the shows) rocks!!

Marie Schumacher

paul — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 18:49:54 +0000

I’ve been Marie Schumacher’s fan for several years now. She’s a local singer/songwriter whom I’ve seen mostly at the bookstore nearby. I got her first two CDs right away, and was one of the first to get her third CD last night! In the bookstore, she usually did solo shows or would bring in a background singer perhaps. Last night, it was the full band.

There was one time I traveled to see her play with a full band. It was in a part of Portland I don’t frequent at all. I managed to mis-read the map and got off the bus too early. While I was lost and wandering, a remarkably friendly woman was asking if she could help. I am so naive it wasn’t until later I understood why she was so friendly. We don’t have many hookers in Hillsboro.

So, with a new CD in hand, I will need to schedule Marie for an upcoming podcast. There’s a lot of good stuff to choose from too…