I found an excellent interview on TWit.tv with Jonathan Coulton. Jonathan Coulton has been in the limelight recently due to his success as the “first internet rock star.” Basically he makes a living selling his music from his web site and playing the occasional show. He gives some insight in the interview as to how he got started, and what steps he took to build up a fan base and gain revenue. It’s an interesting and funny interview. Anyone out there looking to make a living off their music should check it out.

Also, there was an informative article in The New York Times, called “Sex, Drugs and Updating Your Blog” on his approach.

I just heard about this interesting new digg-like music site, called thesixtyone, where people can “bump” up songs that they like. Just as in digg.com, the people decide on what music gets the most exposure. On thesixtyone, you make an account and start off with a certain number of points. If you bump a song, you’re supposed to lose points, but if other people bump it after you, you gain points. In this way, users with more points can be considered to be more “trustworty” in their skills of picking top songs.
I might try to submit some of my stuff on there - maybe Emil’s and Moss Mountain Project’s too, if they’re cool with it.

By the way, I’m just reading now that today is “Spay Day” here in nearby Somerville. The Humane Society is going to have a field day on thousands of puppy and kitten innards, and rip out their little ovaries, uteri and coglioni. What did these guys do to deserve this “humane” treatment? Be your pet!

Wuddup pervs. It takes me about 3 months to retune my 12-string, so while I’m still in open G tuning I thought I’d slip in another quickie. This is Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” Leo Kottke style.

Hi, I just recorded this last night. It’s another Leo Kottke tune called Crow River Waltz.

I might incorporate this one into my shows. I guess it depends on the venue. It was done on my 12-string without fingerpicks. I think this is the first time I’ve recorded anything on the 12-string without the picks. Usually I can’t get anything out of it on the faster fingerpicking songs if I don’t use them. This tune is slow and mellow, and just ended up sounding better this way. It’s in open G tuning. Hope you enjoy…

I’ve added links on my Music page to purchase CDs from Emil Altschuler, and Moss Mountain Project.

Emil Altschuler

I recorded guitar on the first two tracks of my brother’s (Emil Altschuler) CD. The first being “Caprice No. 20,” which is one of the 24 diabolical caprices written by Nicolo Paganini for unaccompanied solo violin. We wrote a guitar accompaniment for it in a gypsy-jazz style, a la Django Reinhardt. The second track is “Cantabile,” also by Nicolo Paganini.
The CD is currently available for digital download from Snocap:

You can also purchase the physical CD at one of Emil’s shows

Moss Mountain Project

I didn’t record with Moss Mountain Project on this first CD, but they are a phenomenal band from Maine that I am playing with. If I am lucky, I will be able to collaborate with them on their next album.
You can order the physical CD from CDBaby, or download it digitally from Itunes.
Check out their web site, Myspace page and Youtube channel.

It’s amazing how primitive some of the laws are in this country, but this article I was just reading is making me puke a little bit in my mouth:

The Florida Board of Education today approved new science standards that bestow the state’s blessing upon the teaching of evolution for the first time in Florida’s history…
…the real challenge will be to ensure that teachers across the state are able to teach evolution without fearing reprisal from conservative school board officials.

So from what I understand, the teachers and parents of the state of Florida are trying to educate their kids to the best of their knowledge, and then you have these backwards, primitive tribesmen (I mean politicians) trying to suppress it? Imagine that…you are paying taxes for these disgusting politicians to actually dumb your kids down! I am stabbing myself in the temple with a fork. I mean, the Scopes Monkey Trial was in 1925, and that was in Tennessee! How far behind the times can you be, Florida? I’m going to start running down there from all the way up here in Massachusetts and drop-kick Mickey Mouse right in the back.

Last Sunday I played a show at The Center for the Arts in Homer, NY with my brother, Emil, and his pianist, Pei-yeh. It was good and it was bad. We played fine and all, but unfortunately I didn’t play long enough on my part of the show. The audience was expecting more, and I just didn’t deliver….plain and simple. I’m not sure if anyone from the show is reading this, but I just wanted to apologize.

On the flip side, I feel that what I did play went well. I’m getting more and more accustomed to playing a whole set by myself, armed with just my cello and my vocal chords. Also, I somehow got my comedic swagger back after it had abandoned me for the past few shows, so I got some quality banter in between songs. I’ve noticed many solo artists talk to the audience a lot. I saw Leo Kottke perform here at Sanders Theatre, and it was almost as if he was doing a stand-up comedy act, with a little guitar playing on the side.

I got a lot of good feedback and had a good discussion with audience members after the show. I really enjoyed that. If someone’s looking to talk with me about music, performances or techniques, I’m ready to talk shop. And if anyone wanted to borrow some technique I used on the cello or guitar, I would consider it an honor. So anyways those conversations I had with the audience were very nice. I just hope I can put on a longer performance some day somewhere for those people that were there.

Tonight I’m heading to Perks Coffeehouse in Norwood, MA. I’m going to do an hour of mixed material - half singing/cello murder ballads, and half American primitive instrumental guitar. This will still pretty much be one of the first few times I play a full solo show by myself without sharing the stage with anyone. Also, I think it will be only the second time I bring both the cello and guitar. I’m pretty excited about it, and I hope the material flows together well. The show starts at 8 if anyone is in the area and wants to listen to some Primus, Johnny Cash, John Fahey, Doc Watson, Streisand… You know, the greats.

Just kidding about the Streisand. I hate her. I really do.

I gotta book some more gigs

These are just the audio tracks extracted from the the last two videos I posted:
Meeting at the Building
Sunflower River Blues