Coming soon to a record store and town near you!!!
704-510-0676
Friday, June 6, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
There baaackkk...
The CD's I mean, there finally here! Picking them up today actually. These are only promo CD's, but it's a start. Also, I know this blog has been pretty damn boring, especially for all you bon vivant's, no pictures recently, a crappy link to some hippies smoking pot, but that will change soon. I may post some of the album artwork just so you can ponder it before purchase. Keep checking back.
Thanks to everyone who came out to Snug Harbor last Wednesday, it was great to play, and great to see familiar faces. Thanks to Gringo Star for stopping by too, keep your ears out for their new stuff. The next Charlotte show is July 5th at the Penguin, big party, streets are blocked off, beverages being consumed, cool t-shirts, and obviously killer food.
On a side note, which I will tie into music eventually, the new Mario Kart on the Nintendo Wii is too much fun! You can connect to WiFi and challenge people all over the world, so freaking cool. If you want your butt whooped just sign on when Backgammon (yes, that is my Mii name) is logged on. I'll use Peach and still wipe my ass with your cart! When I don't have the TV muted enjoying some tunes, I do actually enjoy the Mario Kart music. Very old school video game music, very Japanese, but awesome, random kazoo's, poot noises, wood blocks, etc. It would be fun to write game music, one day...
Thanks to everyone who came out to Snug Harbor last Wednesday, it was great to play, and great to see familiar faces. Thanks to Gringo Star for stopping by too, keep your ears out for their new stuff. The next Charlotte show is July 5th at the Penguin, big party, streets are blocked off, beverages being consumed, cool t-shirts, and obviously killer food.
On a side note, which I will tie into music eventually, the new Mario Kart on the Nintendo Wii is too much fun! You can connect to WiFi and challenge people all over the world, so freaking cool. If you want your butt whooped just sign on when Backgammon (yes, that is my Mii name) is logged on. I'll use Peach and still wipe my ass with your cart! When I don't have the TV muted enjoying some tunes, I do actually enjoy the Mario Kart music. Very old school video game music, very Japanese, but awesome, random kazoo's, poot noises, wood blocks, etc. It would be fun to write game music, one day...
Thursday, May 8, 2008
The Art of the CD
Making a CD:
A wee bit tired from last night’s show @ Snug Harbor with Gringo Star, but I’ll pull through. It was a good time, very nice to get out and play again, and also nice to be allowed to play for as long as we want. Over the past couple years our catalog has expanded to say the least, expanded at such a pace not all of it is recorded yet, so, rarely do we get to play some deep tracks, and last night was the exception. I think the set was 20 songs long. One day, maybe, we’ll be able to Springsteen it, but right now, we’ll be happy with our 45 minutes, or whatever we get.
CD update; I have been informed the duplication is almost complete. If you’re a blogger, or music writer, you should get a CD soon; if you’re a fan, those CD’s should be ready August 9th @ The Visulite Theater, at least I sure hope so, b/c it’s the damn CD release party! No theme yet, but I will keep you in the loop. Any good ideas for a theme, or any other thing that comes to mind that feels so good you must share, shoot me an email, frank@the-sammies.com.
I just realized an explanation may be in order for what takes so dang long to get CD’s out. I mean shit, if you have the CD’s, why can’t you just go ahead and sell them? I have had this whole process spelled out to me before, this will be the second time going through it, and still, I don’t get it all sometimes. Alright, so you have recorded something, and it is complete as far as you are concerned, not so fast. You have a diamond in the rough; the next step is mixing your recording. Mixing is important b/c it establishes levels, it can make an album. Once mixing is done you can now master. Mastering is glorified mixing as far as I’m concerned. Mixing gets levels, left and right, loud and soft, mastering mixes the whole spectrum. It can puts sounds at about 10 o’clock, as opposed to 9. Mastering also gets the quality of the sounds at max, and makes the levels standard with other CD’s, so when you pop in the Sammies CD the volume should be close to the new Carrie Underwood you just took out. Now, you have a quality product that can be duplicated, but wait, since digital music is now wildly popular there’s a new step, embedding digital codes. This helps track songs, and also labels songs so when they come on your XM Radio, for instance, the correct band name and song name appear. I’ve heard bad stories about this going wrong. Say the company that is duplicating your CD also is doing a Disney DVD. Your little indie band is only pressing several thousand CD’s, Disney is doing tens of thousands, so are very low on the priority list. John Doe forgets to change the codes before he switches to your project, and now when you pop in the Sammies CD it says Artist/Sammies, CD/The Little Mermaid, ooops! Hell, I almost forgot the artwork step. You have a cool concept, or picture you like, now you have to put it into the proper format for the company to duplicate. They have their own template they want you to use, and other nuances. That cool CD design you had in mind, oh, that adds about $5 to each CD, so now your record company tells you to do something else, and you’re back to the drawing board, literally. Now, you have to call your friend, who did the whole thing as a favor, and beg them to do more work for peanuts; and you’ve delayed the CD even further. Finally, you get the damn CD’s back. Being a young band we need all the press we can get. You have to try and build a buzz. So, the next step is sending out CD’s to every Tom, Dick, and Harry that is in the industry. You have to send them out so much earlier than the actual release date b/c some publications write 3 months in advance. So, that means Rolling Stone is writing Augusts’ issue as we speak. You have now spent a fair amount on mailing, the free CD’s you sent cost money, time is money, and then some jackass will sell the promos online without even listening to it. Or maybe they listen to it, burn a copy, then sell it online. Either way they are jackasses! Hopefully, by that point Spin gave you a 10, pitchfork said it was the best thing since Animal Collective (they butt sniff those guys), Letterman can’t wait to have you on, and the official release date is next week, successful buzz is built!!! Now tour your asses off, don’t eat too much junk, don’t drink too much beer, do your best to stay healthy b/c you have fans you don’t want to let down.
Next shows, Memorial Day weekend:
May 25th
Local 506
Chapel Hill NC
w/ The Houstons and The Huguenots
May 26th
Soapbox
Wilmington NC
WE Fest
A wee bit tired from last night’s show @ Snug Harbor with Gringo Star, but I’ll pull through. It was a good time, very nice to get out and play again, and also nice to be allowed to play for as long as we want. Over the past couple years our catalog has expanded to say the least, expanded at such a pace not all of it is recorded yet, so, rarely do we get to play some deep tracks, and last night was the exception. I think the set was 20 songs long. One day, maybe, we’ll be able to Springsteen it, but right now, we’ll be happy with our 45 minutes, or whatever we get.
CD update; I have been informed the duplication is almost complete. If you’re a blogger, or music writer, you should get a CD soon; if you’re a fan, those CD’s should be ready August 9th @ The Visulite Theater, at least I sure hope so, b/c it’s the damn CD release party! No theme yet, but I will keep you in the loop. Any good ideas for a theme, or any other thing that comes to mind that feels so good you must share, shoot me an email, frank@the-sammies.com.
I just realized an explanation may be in order for what takes so dang long to get CD’s out. I mean shit, if you have the CD’s, why can’t you just go ahead and sell them? I have had this whole process spelled out to me before, this will be the second time going through it, and still, I don’t get it all sometimes. Alright, so you have recorded something, and it is complete as far as you are concerned, not so fast. You have a diamond in the rough; the next step is mixing your recording. Mixing is important b/c it establishes levels, it can make an album. Once mixing is done you can now master. Mastering is glorified mixing as far as I’m concerned. Mixing gets levels, left and right, loud and soft, mastering mixes the whole spectrum. It can puts sounds at about 10 o’clock, as opposed to 9. Mastering also gets the quality of the sounds at max, and makes the levels standard with other CD’s, so when you pop in the Sammies CD the volume should be close to the new Carrie Underwood you just took out. Now, you have a quality product that can be duplicated, but wait, since digital music is now wildly popular there’s a new step, embedding digital codes. This helps track songs, and also labels songs so when they come on your XM Radio, for instance, the correct band name and song name appear. I’ve heard bad stories about this going wrong. Say the company that is duplicating your CD also is doing a Disney DVD. Your little indie band is only pressing several thousand CD’s, Disney is doing tens of thousands, so are very low on the priority list. John Doe forgets to change the codes before he switches to your project, and now when you pop in the Sammies CD it says Artist/Sammies, CD/The Little Mermaid, ooops! Hell, I almost forgot the artwork step. You have a cool concept, or picture you like, now you have to put it into the proper format for the company to duplicate. They have their own template they want you to use, and other nuances. That cool CD design you had in mind, oh, that adds about $5 to each CD, so now your record company tells you to do something else, and you’re back to the drawing board, literally. Now, you have to call your friend, who did the whole thing as a favor, and beg them to do more work for peanuts; and you’ve delayed the CD even further. Finally, you get the damn CD’s back. Being a young band we need all the press we can get. You have to try and build a buzz. So, the next step is sending out CD’s to every Tom, Dick, and Harry that is in the industry. You have to send them out so much earlier than the actual release date b/c some publications write 3 months in advance. So, that means Rolling Stone is writing Augusts’ issue as we speak. You have now spent a fair amount on mailing, the free CD’s you sent cost money, time is money, and then some jackass will sell the promos online without even listening to it. Or maybe they listen to it, burn a copy, then sell it online. Either way they are jackasses! Hopefully, by that point Spin gave you a 10, pitchfork said it was the best thing since Animal Collective (they butt sniff those guys), Letterman can’t wait to have you on, and the official release date is next week, successful buzz is built!!! Now tour your asses off, don’t eat too much junk, don’t drink too much beer, do your best to stay healthy b/c you have fans you don’t want to let down.
Next shows, Memorial Day weekend:
May 25th
Local 506
Chapel Hill NC
w/ The Houstons and The Huguenots
May 26th
Soapbox
Wilmington NC
WE Fest
Friday, April 25, 2008
Holiday's?
Happy belated 4/20 day, and happy early Cinco De Mayo! I found a little clip of the infamous April holiday being celebrated in Boulder, CO online. Oh, there were only about 10,000 people toking up, that’s it. Is it time for reform?
The Sammies world has been pretty dull. We have been working hard getting our cover in order for 500 Songs for Kids. It’s a great cause and put on by a great man, Josh Rifkind. We fixed up our amps last night, and used all of our support hours with Freedom Sr. to get it done, thanks Steve. I can tell you one thing though; my amp is fucking loud again! I can hardly crank it past 2, and that’s no lie. It would hold it’s own in an amphitheater not even mic’d up. A wee bit of home recording has gone on, just kicking it around for fun, but you have to start somewhere. The new Presonus fire studio has really helped. It is so easy to use! I wish we had that stuff growing up.
BRMC was in town Tuesday, and since I had never seen them live, and b/c I feel the need to support good shows when they come, I went with various other Sammies. Earlier in the day I stopped by Visulite to help with load in, and all of the guys with BRMC were very nice. They only had about 60 road cases! They had been in Charlotte since Sunday night, and got some well needed rest and showers, minus the construction in Charlotte cutting off the water for a brief time. I thought they put on a really good show, can’t say the same for the opening act, but maybe it wasn’t my biscuit, or cup of tea some say. I remembered earlier in the day, hauling in atomic strobe lights. Oh, by about song seven I wished I had left them outside in the trailer; so blinding I quit looking at the stage. Not to be a blog snob, sorry to point out just flaws, here’s a positive comment, the sound was amazing. Once I felt like I could no longer watch the stage for fear of a seizure, I watched the sound man dialing it in. Visulite is small, as compared to the other places BRMC play, and it’s hard to crank it there, but they did, and it sounded great. Some friends went next door to Loft and saw the guys after the show just hanging out, minus drummer.
CD is still getting duplicated; we’re trying to get all of the embedded codes correct. You know, one of those things you never consider having to do when you make a CD. None-the-less, it will be for the better.
As always, feel free to email us, we’d love to hear from you.
The Sammies world has been pretty dull. We have been working hard getting our cover in order for 500 Songs for Kids. It’s a great cause and put on by a great man, Josh Rifkind. We fixed up our amps last night, and used all of our support hours with Freedom Sr. to get it done, thanks Steve. I can tell you one thing though; my amp is fucking loud again! I can hardly crank it past 2, and that’s no lie. It would hold it’s own in an amphitheater not even mic’d up. A wee bit of home recording has gone on, just kicking it around for fun, but you have to start somewhere. The new Presonus fire studio has really helped. It is so easy to use! I wish we had that stuff growing up.
BRMC was in town Tuesday, and since I had never seen them live, and b/c I feel the need to support good shows when they come, I went with various other Sammies. Earlier in the day I stopped by Visulite to help with load in, and all of the guys with BRMC were very nice. They only had about 60 road cases! They had been in Charlotte since Sunday night, and got some well needed rest and showers, minus the construction in Charlotte cutting off the water for a brief time. I thought they put on a really good show, can’t say the same for the opening act, but maybe it wasn’t my biscuit, or cup of tea some say. I remembered earlier in the day, hauling in atomic strobe lights. Oh, by about song seven I wished I had left them outside in the trailer; so blinding I quit looking at the stage. Not to be a blog snob, sorry to point out just flaws, here’s a positive comment, the sound was amazing. Once I felt like I could no longer watch the stage for fear of a seizure, I watched the sound man dialing it in. Visulite is small, as compared to the other places BRMC play, and it’s hard to crank it there, but they did, and it sounded great. Some friends went next door to Loft and saw the guys after the show just hanging out, minus drummer.
CD is still getting duplicated; we’re trying to get all of the embedded codes correct. You know, one of those things you never consider having to do when you make a CD. None-the-less, it will be for the better.
As always, feel free to email us, we’d love to hear from you.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Track List!!!
Here is the track listing for the upcoming album! Keep your eyes (and ears) out for more…
Sleep in My Clothes
Rufford
Pinecone
Golden Sun
Billy Mitchell
In the Basement
Treat Her like a Queen
Glisten
Carried by the Breeze
Shit Ain’t Easy
Old Gray
Who’s Money
Saw Your Mother
Sally Ate Nuts Downing With Ice Crackers and Hummus
Sleep in My Clothes
Rufford
Pinecone
Golden Sun
Billy Mitchell
In the Basement
Treat Her like a Queen
Glisten
Carried by the Breeze
Shit Ain’t Easy
Old Gray
Who’s Money
Saw Your Mother
Sally Ate Nuts Downing With Ice Crackers and Hummus
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Fredericksburg/Columbia/CD's
That’s Fredericksburg; not Fredricksburg (stupid Garmin)!!!
Thank you Fredericksburg, FAA, and Adam Bray! We had a great time as always in the fine city of Fredericksburg. Maybe it’s b/c our ancestors still haunt those grounds, guns in hand, maybe it’s the great positive energy that all of those kids have, or maybe it’s just one of those special places. Either way, we really appreciate you guys! We also would like to thank the bands that we played with; Sean Walsh & the Tereu Tereu Bandits, The Red Light Effect, and Alpha Jerk. I know we were a bit loud, judging by the fingers in the ears, we’ll bring earplugs next time. Anyway, ya’ll keep rocking, and we’ll see you sooner than later I’m sure.
Thank you Columbia, SC and Mother Nature for the great St. Patty’s Day show! The day after the horrible tornado in ATL, we played in Columbia, SC for their annual St. Patty’s Day festival. No thanks to the sorry ass bastards on the police force, minus a couple of you, for making getting to the stage difficult. Sometimes people are required to make decisions, and I don’t think Columbia’s police force is very capable. Concrete blocks are cheaper, and don’t talk back, for future reference. Anyway, it was great to see all of our friends, and it was great to see the Avett Brothers. We all went to UNCC together, live right down the road from one another, and we really are proud of all of their success. I must say, they are stand up guys too! Good things happen to good people, and they are a testament to that mantra. The weather did not hold out long enough for them to rock the crowd, and I know to some disappointment, but I do not fault anyone with the festival. Considering the tornado the day before, and the warning in the area, I think it was best to try and get some 30,000 people out of harms way. I just hate it had to happen.
CD Reviews:
I was so excited about The Teenagers CD finally coming out. The song “Scarlett Johansson” was the shit, and the B Side was good too! The full length though…um, kinda blows. How can so many people get so worked up over a band that only have a couple of songs? I was guilty too, so, kudos to them for pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes. Another suspect: the Black Kids. They release 5-6 songs, free download on their myspace page, and the songs were good, but where is the rest? Still, all of this buzz and no product. It is the new trend it seems, get a couple of good songs, no more than 6 by any means, release them for free, build the buzz, then let everyone down. Gee fucking thanks! Hell, and when they do release a CD you get those same songs, plus a couple of other shitty ones, and have 11 tops. What happened to putting more than 11 songs on a CD? Can’t write? Cat’s got your tongue? Don’t care about your fans? Or let me guess, it’s a “concept album.” Here’s a concept, the Sammies will have 13 songs, again, on their CD; the concept, rock and fucking roll man!
Small revision: 11 songs is OK, if they all are good. Like the Shins first albums; short yes, but complete. It just kinda sucks bands are led to believe doing more than 11 is suicide. Eleven has a nice ring, I must admit, better than 13, but it's about the music.
Thank you Fredericksburg, FAA, and Adam Bray! We had a great time as always in the fine city of Fredericksburg. Maybe it’s b/c our ancestors still haunt those grounds, guns in hand, maybe it’s the great positive energy that all of those kids have, or maybe it’s just one of those special places. Either way, we really appreciate you guys! We also would like to thank the bands that we played with; Sean Walsh & the Tereu Tereu Bandits, The Red Light Effect, and Alpha Jerk. I know we were a bit loud, judging by the fingers in the ears, we’ll bring earplugs next time. Anyway, ya’ll keep rocking, and we’ll see you sooner than later I’m sure.
Thank you Columbia, SC and Mother Nature for the great St. Patty’s Day show! The day after the horrible tornado in ATL, we played in Columbia, SC for their annual St. Patty’s Day festival. No thanks to the sorry ass bastards on the police force, minus a couple of you, for making getting to the stage difficult. Sometimes people are required to make decisions, and I don’t think Columbia’s police force is very capable. Concrete blocks are cheaper, and don’t talk back, for future reference. Anyway, it was great to see all of our friends, and it was great to see the Avett Brothers. We all went to UNCC together, live right down the road from one another, and we really are proud of all of their success. I must say, they are stand up guys too! Good things happen to good people, and they are a testament to that mantra. The weather did not hold out long enough for them to rock the crowd, and I know to some disappointment, but I do not fault anyone with the festival. Considering the tornado the day before, and the warning in the area, I think it was best to try and get some 30,000 people out of harms way. I just hate it had to happen.
CD Reviews:
I was so excited about The Teenagers CD finally coming out. The song “Scarlett Johansson” was the shit, and the B Side was good too! The full length though…um, kinda blows. How can so many people get so worked up over a band that only have a couple of songs? I was guilty too, so, kudos to them for pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes. Another suspect: the Black Kids. They release 5-6 songs, free download on their myspace page, and the songs were good, but where is the rest? Still, all of this buzz and no product. It is the new trend it seems, get a couple of good songs, no more than 6 by any means, release them for free, build the buzz, then let everyone down. Gee fucking thanks! Hell, and when they do release a CD you get those same songs, plus a couple of other shitty ones, and have 11 tops. What happened to putting more than 11 songs on a CD? Can’t write? Cat’s got your tongue? Don’t care about your fans? Or let me guess, it’s a “concept album.” Here’s a concept, the Sammies will have 13 songs, again, on their CD; the concept, rock and fucking roll man!
Small revision: 11 songs is OK, if they all are good. Like the Shins first albums; short yes, but complete. It just kinda sucks bands are led to believe doing more than 11 is suicide. Eleven has a nice ring, I must admit, better than 13, but it's about the music.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Getting Down with The Spinto Band
Like I said at the beginning of the year, the Sammies will, and have been, taking it easy, as far as playing shows goes. We played so much last year it cut into recording, and hence, delayed us getting a new album of tunes out. Every time we hit the studio we would have to leave to play shows. And if you know anything about us, or have ever been to a show, you should know we do not cancel gigs, no matter what!
That leads me to our Asheville show on 2/26/08. Freedom had just had surgery that required a small incision a couple of days before the show. As much as it hurt him to move around and play, we did. Why, b/c we DO NOT CANCEL SHOWS (up and coming bands should follow that same mantra). Plus, we were playing with The Whigs and Spinto Band. Just read below and you will find plenty on the Whigs, they are our best friends. New best friends, Spinto Band! Very nice guys and they have some great songs. Start with "Oh Mandy" but then you will soon find others you may like more. The show was awesome, and we appreciate our fans that came out on a Tuesday night! Sammies fans came in force! Spinto rocked and of course so did the Whigs. We hope to make it back to Asheville and the Grey Eagle before long.
After the show, we caravanned down the mountain, with Spinto Band and our old friend Katie (we met Katie on tour w/ Birdmonster, photog, super nice, and Katie, you always have friends in Charlotte, and a place to stay) in tow. We made it to Charlotte a little after two, and we all crashed at The House of the Rising Sam. Thanks to Spinto and Katie for not stealing anything and being gracious guests. The next night Spinto and The Whigs played Charlotte. Since we play Charlotte too much as is, we held off playing that night. But it was nice to be a fan and not have to play. We all just enjoyed the good music and great friends that came out. Thanks Charlotte for showing those bands we rock!
Otherwise, we just got the mastering done for the upcoming album, and have been hard at work getting all of the art together. We still have to stay tight lipped for now, but more info will become available soon. I hope everyone is as excited and will love the album as much as we loved making it!
Next show, St. Patty's party in Five Points Columbia, SC! This Saturday 03/15/08! I think our friends from down the road, the Avett's are playing as well. I have heard that this is some party, and if it's anything like football season, I will need some Alka-Seltzer!
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