Oh My Gawd!!! “Name the CD” contest controversy about to break loose, Mixing, and Questions you might frequently ask about the up coming CD

And the winner is.....

The person winning the prize, at least the free download is “Sheet Spotter”, for his title suggestion “Release”. Way to go Sheet, but we aren't going to use that title for the CD. I'm posting the art work we would have used if we had used that title. Hopefully this will show how earnest we were about using it.

However, when we showed the art work to our marketing expert, She told me to “Hang your head in shame”, because it was Crap. I didn't think it was crap, but I'm not an expert.

the actual title of the new CD happened by pure serendipity. We had sent a copy of one song to someone to find out if it did anything weird when he played it on his system. This is always a good thing to check, we call it the “something weird test”.

He said it wasn't doing anything weird, but it was kind of sloppy and had a lot of gaps. I told him, “them aint gaps, them is GROOVES”. He said, “whatever, your fans will love it warts and all”.

So there is the title. “Wartzinall”. It is so officially the title I've added it to my spellchecker dictionary. Your are probably wondering if we are going to award a prize to the guy that said, “whatever, your fans will love it warts and all”. Well stop wondering, we aren't. That guy is a Dick, and it wasn't really a suggestion, just an offhanded comment. And besides, I made that whole story up, and there is no such guy, and while the story isn't true we like it.

So maybe we'll send him a cheap box of wine.


Not fixing it in the mix

I'm currently mixing the new project and I've done a lot of recordings in the last three years. If I've learned anything, mixing is a very time consuming. I should be in the middle of a panic and too busy puking in to a bag to update the blog. But I've learned something really important.

Most the time spent in the past mixing was spent trying to fix things that were just wrong when I tracked the project. This project, we spent an incredible amount of time in the “Tracking” stage. We spent so much time getting the tracks right, there isn't really anything to “Fix”.

This makes mixing a much less time consuming process.

Noma's bass line are thick and full of Smexy bottom end, and Chris's drum tracks are very flexible. Chris is one of Philadelphia's premier sound engineers, so this is no surprise.

I've got mix candidates for all ten tracks at this point. I'm going to sleep, wake up and listen to them with fresh ears, make notes and do a few corrections to the mix. Not Fix things, just get a bit more polish on the sound.

Tomorrow evening I'll be mastering, and I'm hoping due to the fact it's been such an easy mix, that mastering will not prove too much of a challenge. Then pack it up and get it ready for our friends.

My Imaginary Frequently Asked Questions about “Wartzinall”

Q: Who's playing on “Wartzinall”?

A: Jesus, Einstein, Gandhi, Mr. T, Madonna (the REAL Madonna, Jesus can't come to the Port Richmond Area unless his mom comes with him), Gary Glitter, Metal Mike, Michelle Obama, Santa Clause, Norman Bates, George C Scott, George Foreman, George Carlin, George Cluney, Phyllis Diller, Bruce Springsteen and Wallace Berry.

Q; Who is really Playing on “Wartzinall”?

A: Jack Kinagree, Lexie Smith, Noma Falta, Senjata Witt, and Chris Gately.

Q: Will “Wartzinall” be an actual CD?

A: Yes, you should be able to order a copy from our Reverb Nation page day one. At least that is how I'm hoping it works.

Q: Will “Wartzinall” be available via third party download sites (like I-Tunes)?

A: Yes. I was going to pass on this option, but I understand that Steve Jobs actually does need my money, so we'll probably have it at I-tunes. Once I start giving money to Steve Jobs, I might as well support the other download sites.

Q: What does Wartzinall mean?

A; Wartzinall is a German word meaning, “Recorded music that makes you high and then causes sexual release”.

Q: What was your major inspiration for making “Wartzinall”?

A: The fine Citizen of Canada. God bless those Hockey loving brigands. If only the rest of the world was more like Canada.

Q: Can you give me three good reasons to buy “Wartzinall”?

A: Yes

Q: What are those three reasons?

A: (reason 1)It has a unique sound and feeling to it. It is possible this is the first “Folk Rawk” recording ever made. (reason 2)While Jack and Lexie both have a huge catalog of music, this could be the first debut/Greatest hits album in the history of recorded music. You KNOW these songs, buy the record and fill in the dead time between shows. (reason 3) We need the money to buy lottery tickets. Winning the lottery is the cornerstone of our business plan.

Q: What songs are on “Wartzinall” and in what order?

A: Here we go.

1. Sweet taste of home
2.I could get use to you
3.Mo Anam Cara
4.Are you really that good
5.Think of you
6.Your words
7.So into you
8.Oscar (Find Love)
9.Trust
10.The Harper Dongal

Q: Are you guys ROCK STARS yet?

A: We never planned on being ROCK STARS and frankly the whole ROCK STAR thing has been done to death. It's sooooo...... 2010. We are striving to become the more prestigious ROCK ARTIST or perhaps FOLK ROCK MUSIC ICON.

Well that is about all for this Blog. The release party is this upcoming Sunday, May 1st. I hope to see you there. Thanks you all for your support and keep expecting great things.

Fun and Games at the Nuclear Hootenanny

It's been said a picture is worth a thousand words. How many words is a video worth?

A little Cinema-verite style coverage of an interesting night on the town. Proving once again, if you give a man a fish he'll eat for a day, but.....if you give a man a video camera he'll post something on You Tube.

The contest for “Name the CD” rages on, Recording mania takes it's toll, and people are made aware of.... Music

Sleep deprived and on a recording bender, I take a moment to incoherently babble on the blog so you my dear readers can remain... In Da Loop.

Time is running out to “Name the CD”

In the grand tradition of Linden Labs, we are changing the rules of the game. Seem letting this “Name the CD” contest run till the day before the release could cause serious problems, so the deadline for title suggestions is now, Wednesday the 27th of April.

When we first started this contest, there were not a lot of people in the running and frankly, we didn't hear anything that really got us excited. We do appreciate the participation, but in the words of the Immortal Mr. T, “The winner has to win.... Sucka”.

Well, I did add the “Sucka” part, but it sounds more like Mr. T that way I think.

Things started out slow, but since then, the masters of CD naming have stepped up. We actually have a whole bunch of titles we could use, but much like the Highlander movie, There can be only ONE. That ONE title must cut off the heads of all the other... wait.... that ONE title must be “The Best Title” for our project.

This title will sit forever at the front of the Kinagree-Smith Discography, so it's gotta be perfect.

Recording is a drug

Now if you aren't a musician, or are one, and have never recorded, let me tell ya, it's some potent stuff. It's freakishly addictive, and with all the new tools just about anything you can imagine you can create.

Lexie and I have spent three days in Chris Gately's wicked cool basement recording the drum tracks for our upcoming project, and let me tell you, Chris does have a very very cool basement. The sights I've seen, the equipment he own is AMAZING. I wish we could have done the whole project there, but he would probably charge us for that, and just between you and I, we can hardly afford to pay attention.

Chris laid down some very tasty drum tracks and locked solid with the bass tracks sent in from our dear friend and Internet RAWK STAR, Noma Falta. It was so tight and tasty... we had to re-record our guitar tracks to get them right.

Yeah, it's a lot of work and we are doubling our work load, but the end result is fantastic. This recording is shaping up, and we are more then confident we'll have it ready to roll come May Day.

Speaking of guest musicians, we do have one song that screamed for a Bodhran part. So I contacted fellow Internet music icon Senjata Witt and asked her if she could help us out. She said she would try her best and she sent us some smoking hot Bodhran bashing to start off the CD. Seems her best is freaking amazing.

While juggling the logistics of this project have been a challenge, I've gotta tell you, it's paying off. The tracks breath, and bleed fresh musical ideas. A great song is the foundation, but the assistance of our fellow musicians has given this project a real kick in the pants. We aren't just kicking it up a notch, we are kicking it up... maybe a notch and a half. Perhaps two notches.

There has been talk about the next project already (a very good sign).,and it's been suggested we don't set a release date until the recording is actually done. I can see the wisdom behind this, but let me assure you, we are not cutting corners to make the due date. We are simply working as many hours a day as we can. Sleep is becoming a distant memory, but that is okay.

I'm hooked on the creative process and I feel so stoked. The mania is setting in, and there is always one more thing I can do before I go to sleep. Yes the pressure is on, but the pressure adds to the excitement.

Perhaps we will be “Older and Wiser” next time. But for now, I'm having the time of my life carving out a bit of artistic history. Heck, we don't even know what this recording will be called when it's done. But I do have enough finished that I can see what the project will sound like when it's done and I'm very please.

An interesting accidental foot note. When planning out this recording, we wanted to do a basic “Greatest Hits” kind of recording. We wanted to put ten of our most accessible songs on this debut. We really didn't pay any attention to whom wrote what. But when the smoke cleared, five of the songs were Lexie's and five of the songs were mine.

In the end, we came up with ten songs and I feel each one is a hit.

What are you listening to???

This morning we played the big “MUSIC AWARENESS SHOW”. I was quite surprised that so many people were unaware of music. What are they listening to anyway? A dentist drill? The toilet flushing? The sound they make when they get up from a chair?

I'm glad that Kinagree-Smith could do it's part to make people aware of music. Perhaps someday it will catch on.

Tomorrow....

More recording and there are rumors we are heading over to the Green Rock to play a few tunes Live on Stage with our buddy Ira. Should be fun.

For now... I've got recording to do. Thanks for all the support good friends, and expect great things.

Name the CD contest heats up, Pump up the BASS, and I'm still not Internet gay for POL Arida

Words cannot convey the level of wackiness going on at the REALLY BIG HOUSE, but I'll try and provide you a glimpse into the bedlam.

The Prize is still up for grabs

Our “Name the CD” contest is relatively heating up. We have a few entrants submissions to choose from but frankly... we were expecting a bit more input. We aren't just looking for something “Spiffy”, we are shooting for “SUPER DUPER SPIFFY”.

We are currently accepting submissions via this Blog on the comment section, our respective FaceBook pages, and in Second Life via Note cards.

I must confess to being a trifle uncomfortable. In the past I've had the project title and art work ready before I recorded the first song, and while we have numerous submissions to choose from, I'm still not seeing that magic combination of Nouns and verbs that make the perfect title for a debut recording effort.

So the prize is still up for grabs. Name our CD... Please. The prize is a free copy of the CD, and your own personal footnote in the annals of music history.

Submit a title suggestion on the comment section of this Blog. It's just that easy.

Noma PUMPS UP THE BASS

We are constructing this recording in a very unusual way. We are laying down the Guitars and space holder vocals and then dubbing in the bass and drums later. In most cases, the Drum and Bass are job one. We aren't doing this to be recording mavericks, but because we really can't be in the same room with those involved.

In theory, this should be a train wreck, and I have been at times a bit apprehensive. Doing something different the first time is always a bit scary. But we got some of Noma's bass tracks yesterday, and my level of apprehension dropped considerably.

To say “It worked” is to damn the results with faint praise. It works as well as if we were in the same room. The groove is intact, the tone is amazing and the musicianship is impeccable.

Noma is one of the grids premier Rock Vocalistas, and few even notice the fact she is a killer bass player. She's got the touch, the tone and the taste to make music history and I'm so glad she is part of this project.

I must confess, the way we are doing this keeps me on edge. In most cases, things are tracked and somewhat mixed. I have a title, art work and an overview of what the end product will sound like. At this point we have a few of the key elements and I'm hoping the participation of other musical minds kicks this project up a notch or two.

Wednesday night we are suppose to go to Chris's house and record the drums, so perhaps Thursday I'll be a tower of confidence. But at the moment I'm trusting faith this will turn out GREAT... and I'm not good at faith.

But if Chris's tracks are half as good as Noma's bass tracks this recording will be EPIC.

The Radio show

We do have a Radio show due to launch on RADAR Radio the same day out as of yet untitled CD is released. We do want this Radio show to be at least as good at the recording we are releasing, so with that in mind we did our first interview today with Iconic Singer/Songwriter POL Arida. It was, to say the least, a far reaching interview that might have to be serialized. We talked for an hour and 15 minuets and the show is only an hour long.

Of course if we cut out all the cussing and sexually explicit parts it might only be four minuets long.

We are trying to be Sean Kagalis (AKA Strum Diesel) to drop by and talk about his new release, “Songs from the new depression”.

We might also get a few choice words with Noma Falta about her participation in the yet to be named upcoming Kinagree-Smith release, and the future of “THE SUMMIT OF ROCK” shows.

Should be a banging first show, and for those of you wondering, at this point the radio show is called, “The Kinagree-Smith have nothing better to do show”. Hey we had to call it something.

Once again, I thank you all for your support, and expect great things.

Name the CD contest continues, the longest Tuesday ever and ROCK SUMMIT

Name the CD …. Please

Some might view our name the CD contest as a lame promotion, but just between you and I, we could really, really, REALLY use a good tile for this project. Remember the title of a CD is the firm handshake of the music. It says “Hello there, aren't I interesting? Don't you want to get to know me better”?

So far we have one entrant in this contest, and they aren't really interested in winning it, they just like the idea of naming the CD. Her suggestions are good, but I would like a few more prospective titles to choose from.

The prize, a Copy of the yet untitled CD when it comes out, and a spot in music history as the person that came up with the title of Kinagree-Smith's debut recording effort.

We are however changing the participation methodology a bit. Before you had to post your suggestions to the blog to participate, however, I've noticed when I share the blog to Facebook, it gets more comments then the blog does. So in effect, we are going where people are participating.

So feel free to suggest some title and feel free to share this with your all Facebook chums. We are looking for that magic combination of words that simply spark interest. The more random the better.

Check out some live tracks at our Reverb Nation page.

Kinagree-Smith VS the longest Tuesday ever

Man Tuesday was a crazy busy. Keep in mind we are still doing massive amounts of work on our recording, but Tuesday we kicked it live big time. We started out with a Live Show at PT's Philadelphia house in north/east Philadelphia. This was a show we got an invitation to while Playing Kenn Kweders's Nuclear Hootenanny a few Mondays back.

When we got there, serendipity provided us another chance to hang out with Ira Norman Segall, whom just happened to have a hand drum in the trunk of his car. So we got to jam a bit with Ira during our set.

We did set up the video camera, but got less then two minutes of video before the battery died. Note to self... makes sure the batteries are charged before you go to a show.

After a blistering set with questionable sound (we are having issues with this every time we have somebody running sound) we scampered out the door to play three online shows in 5 hours. This took our Tuesday into the wee hours of Wednesday and while it was hump day... we were way to tired to hump.

We are keeping it real, getting out there and grinding the pavement both online and offline. Now if only we could book a few more shows.

The RAWK SUMMIT!!!!

Club Blue Twilight has always been good to us. We love Perilynn and wanted to do something special for her. Noma has been talking for a while about doing a double stream show with Lexie and I, and we thought it would be a treat for Perilynn if we had this show at her venue.

After about an hour of figuring out what we were going to play, we started spreading the word about the impending ROCK SUMMIT show.

During the show, we checked the map and saw there were 47 Avatars making the scene, which I'm pretty sure is the biggest show ever at Club Blue Twilight.

The show could have used a bit more polish musically, but was a massive good time for all involved.

Summing it all up, a Good show with Good friends, held at a venue that has been so supportive to Lexie and I. It was so much fun, we started talking about what we were going to do the at the next ROCK SUMMIT.

In other News....

Sean Kagalis (AKA Strum Diesel) sent Lexie and I a full copy of his new CD “Songs from the New Depression”. We didn't expect this and I'm guessing he did this as a courtesy for us participating in virtual choir on the song “All belongs”. If that is the case, I'm glad we did participate, it's freaking brilliant. I'm going to ask him for info about where you can get your hands on a copy because if you miss out of this work, you are going to die with regrets.

Sean is an amazing lyricist, with a distinct poetic voice. A vocalist that breathes life into the emotional content of his material, and an remarkable musician. He approaches recording much as an artist approaches a canvas and as such, earns the monicker “Recording Artist”.

This recording has a sound that is as unique as Sean's music, and frankly I can't stop listening.

This is a fully realized work of an artist with a lot to say, there aren't many of them around. I would be remiss if I didn't recommend you give this a listen.

Links of Joy for "Songs from the New Depression"

http://www.amazon.com/Songs-From-the-New-Depression/dp/B004WKKUUO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1303020976&sr=1-4


http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/SeanKagalis1/from/viglink


http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/songs-from-the-new-depression/id432111527

The sound of bubble gum and bailing wire... RECORDING

Well time for an update. You may wonder why it's time for an update well let me tell you why. I have a few moments of free time... so I spend it updating.

The Improvised studio in the REALLY BIG HOUSE

I'm always impressed when a recording sounds good. I'm even more impressed when the recording is made with serious gaps in the technology spectrum. Lexie and I have been squeaking in a few hours here and there on this project, but last night we got an astounding amount of work done with Tracking.

Speaking of Tracking, I'm going to be using a lot of recording mumbojumbo during this entry. If you get lost, just smile and nod and wait till I start talking English again.

We've already got eight of the ten songs tracked and have already sent a message off to our drummer to see if he is available this weekend.

We are doing this recording is a very unusual way. We are recording the guitars to a drum loop so we keep in time (we don't seem to be able to play to just a click track) so everything is nice and tight. Then we are going to go over to visit Chris (our drummer buddy) and have him record his drums on separate tracks.

Meanwhile.....

Noma Falta has a mix of the songs and is working in her studio in Atlanta Georgia to lay down some very Smexy bass tracks. She'll export just her bass track and send them via the inter-web to us to be imported into our Digital Audio Workstation.

The end result should be amazing simply because all the musicians involved are top drawer. And while the method is unconventional, I feel the music we play is kind of unconventional as well. It's almost serendipitous.

Last night Lexie and I got several hours of uninterrupted work done, and got an amazing amount accomplished. I'm very confident the recording will be quite ready come the May 1st release date and will be available as a digital download.

When is the CD coming out? Your guess is as good as mine, but we don't have the money at the moment to make that happen. While in the past I didn't think having an actual CD was important, now it is quite important. We are playing Live and at Live shows people want the CD if they are interested in the music at all. Of course those that line up at the download spout will be the first to taste the fruits of our labor unless some significant financial windfall occurs.

We do need one other thing and it doesn't require money at all. We could probably do it ourselves, but why should we do all the work.

Name that CD!!!!

I remember once there was an album called, “You bought it, you name it”. If that title was not already used, I would put it on the top of my list. But while I can't use it as a title, I can use it as pure inspiration.

While you haven't yet bought our recording... because you can't just yet, you can still have a hand in naming it.

We are having a contest. Suggest a title and if we choose to use it, you'll get a free download and a free copy of the CD when it does come out.

We are looking for something interesting. It doesn't have to have anything to do with the songs, or Kinagree-Smith. Just be random.

Examples

The gregarious tortuous incident
I'm wearing clean underwear... just in case
Yes we do have a lot of nerve
Your mother liked it
Buy this CD, we need to purchase Lottery tickets
Honey Badger don't care
way too late to cut our losses now
Check one:Curious/Know better

Go wild, go crazy, embrace your inner muse and you may win. There are NO runners ups or honorable mentions. It's all or nothing,you may win BIG!!!!! Not only will you be winning free music, but a spot in recording history.

No cost to enter, just submit a title suggestion on the comment section and make sure we have a way to contact you if you win.

By the way, what's on the menu?

You may be wondering what song are going to be on the first history making Kinagree-Smith release. Well wonder no more.

Sweet Taste of Home
I Could Get Use to You
Mo Anam Cara
Are You Really That Good
So Into You
Your Words
Oscar (Find Love)
You Can Trust the One You Love
Think of You
The Harper Dongal

Ten songs that will set the bar higher until the Next Kinagree-Smith release.

We are working hard, and doing so because of your amazing support. Thank you all so much and as always... Expect great things.

The buck wild naked weekend update!!!!

I find when you says something is both buck wild and naked it becomes instantly more interesting. This is what you call journalism.

Thar be DRAGONS

Friday, Lexie and I played the Isle of Wyrms spring fest. I love playing the IOW festivals because they are a community that embraces Dragon themed role play, and while I'm not personally into any kind of role play, I do enjoy the display of Dragon kind. As a matter of fact, I get downright distracted by it. In my mind, it's kind of like playing a show at the Macy's day parade, and the Dragons are like the big balloons that take your breath away.

I can't really tell you if we played a good show or not... I was distracted. But the Dragons in attendance seemed to have a good time.

Pass the Mic with Noma

One of the more curious friendships on second life has gotta be the one we share with Noma Falta.

In theory, she is suppose to be some kind of diva rock star, but that is just bullshit. Noma is one of the most real people I know on Second Life. She loves music and doesn't really play “The Game”. She is a brilliant vocalist, amazing musician, and a wicked cool human being. The fact she hangs out with cult status musical geniuses like Kinagree-Smith says a lot about where her interest lay.

We hope to double stream with Noma sometime soon, and have always wanted to do something with her, and Friday night we got that horse out of the barn with a very informal pass the mic show. The show wasn't listed in “Live music events”, so the only people in attendance were from our group or Noma's group.

The size of the crowd was by Noma's standards kind of small, but Lexie and I were quite pleased. Lexie and I did a few Solo songs, Noma did some of her acoustic stuff. Towards the end of the night, Lexie and I went back to Kinagree-Smith Mode and played until Lexie got tired... then I carried on for another half an hour.

It was a good show, and more to the point a fun show. Sometimes we just gotta get back to the music, get back to the fun and leave all the calculated career stuff behind.


Saturday BOOM

I don't know if you ever look at the Kinagree-Smith calendar, but we play a goodly number of shows. This Saturday featured three one hour shows in a five hour period. That is a lot of hard work when you consider about a half hour before show time we start promoting the next show via notices and good old fashion SPAM.

Considering the density of the cluster of shows, the turn out was pretty good. I can't even figure out why the attendance was so good considering the number of other shows going on concurrently with our shows.

Of course, us playing a lot of shows in a short time isn't news, even if they are well attended. What is news is for the first time we made a promotional push to get people outside of the grid proper to attend the show via our web site streamer. All three shows were promoted (a habit I need to develop), and we did have people logging in to listen.

In the big picture, this is significant. Our goal is to promote our music however we can with whatever resources our meager budget can afford. We are busting ass on the Grid, we are playing live shows offline, and now we are bridging the gap between the two points.

The proof of the pudding is comments left on Facebook. While few in number, they were quite significant. Any promotion that effects an action taken by a listener is quite an accomplishment, and I'm of the opinion that Kinagree-Smith doesn't have to do much more then get their show in front of listeners to promote our music.

As I write this it's Sunday. Lexie has the day off, this means... she won't be in until later in the evening. I'll be spending the day recording and maybe checking out the Movie magic that is suppose to take place today. We really do pursue our goals daily, and the level of commitment to our music is “All in”. We do it because we love it and we have an unshakeable belief in our music.

As profound as our commitment may be, we are bolstered by the support of our network of friends.

Thank you all. You officially RAWK.

I'm going to spend most of today recording. We've got a lot of work to do in order to be ready for our May 1st release date.

Once again, expect great things.

Catching up and some important news

So much has happened in the last few days I need to write a catch up blog. Ready, steady, GO!!!!

I survived the Nuclear Hootenanny and all I got was this lousy t-shirt

Monday Night, The Lexster and myself attend Kenn Kweders's Nuclear Hootenanny. This is somewhat like and Open Mic, but Kenn... yes with two “N”s (indicating his massive Ken-osity) hosts the event. Now for those of you living under a rock in Philadelphia, Kenn is kind of a Philly Rock Legend and all the cool people in the city of brotherly love were in attendance. How could we NOT go? It's also about a five minute drive from the REALLY BIG HOUSE, so it seemed like a good scene to make.

You may be thinking, “Hey I don't know anybody in Philly sept for Jack and Lexie”, but if you read this blog (and yes, I can see you doing it right now) you know about our beloved Uncle Al. Now we didn't make plans to hang with Uncle Al but since he was there, we all had a beer and sat down for some yummy music.

If I may be so bold, one thing that seems to set Kenn's shindig apart from most open mics, is the crazy talent that shows up. And because the gifted are gathered, a lot of local music biz types are hanging out as well... like Uncle Al. While I listened mouth agape, Lexie was doing what she does so well and networking like unto a lean mean schmoozing machine.

Now I'm not bragging, but what we do seems very different from what most the other very talented acts were doing, so Lexie was able to turn a good show into a few more good shows down the line. I love it when networking pays off. We sure did make a fist full of new friends, and now people that know people that know people kind of know whom we are.

Kind of.

We are so busy it's no wonder we never get anything done.

Get Well Enchantress

I'm sending out positive energy to our Dear fiend Enchantress, whom underwent some surgery and is now in the recovery stage. Things aren't the same without you darlin, get well soon.

Kinagree-Smith RAWK Phoenixville

Wednesday night we took a road trip to the good town of Phoenixville to spread the gospel of Celtic/American folk rock. PJ's Underground is the basement of an actual swanky upscale restaurant, and while it's just one flight of stairs away from the people that have 401k plans, it's about a funky as it gets. And I do mean funky in a very good way. How good you may ask? Well suffice it to say they have Guinness on tap, and the band gets two dollar drafts all night long. The tab at the end of the night was 20 bucks and Lexie had two Guniness'es so do the math.

I was ready to set up a cot behind the bar, but we have music to play and some level of ROCKSTARDOM to attain, so perhaps when I retire I can set up a cot behind the bar at PJ's Underground.

It's good to have a plan.

Did we RAWK Phoenixville? I ask the question rhetorical, because you can find us by following the trail of RAWKED bodies we leave behind us.

While the sound, monitor wise was a challenge (on the brink of feedback), the sound out front was pretty good. And while most performers would let the monitor situation distract the heck out of them, Lexie and I have played so many shows it didn't really detract from the performance. My personal biggest problem was the lack of lighting. How dark was it? Well it was “Inside of a cat” dark, and please don't ask me how I know how dark it is inside of a cat, let's just move on.

We RAWKED, we drank, we learned to see in the dark, and the chicks in Phoenixville are freaking hot. Not that I could see them, but I could feel their estrogen fueled heat in the inky blackness.

Blanko Dave opened the show, then we played and then the Headliners "Elk Dog", or as I like to call them ELK DOG !!!!!!!!!!!! (big Reverb tail).

These guys are BIG in Phoenixville, and that is probably the only place they are big. But if the world rewarded talent instead of willingness to suck “THE MAN'S” dick, They would be bigger then Elvis. And when I say bigger then Elvis, I don't mean fatter then Elvis.

They call what they do “Gypsy folk”, I call what they do freaking brilliant. They are very original, very talented, and down right personable. Their entire vibe comes from a very different place, but it invites you to come along for a very rewarding exotic trip.

Oddly, I think the blend of the Celtic influenced music we play, dovetailed quite neatly into their Iberian motif. While quite different, it was still kind of referential. There was a … dare I say it, a spiritual kinship in the music.

A very rewarding night of music. Of course I was in my happy place, after 8 pints of Guinness.

Hey, be cool and check out ELK DOG !!!!!!!!!


Big news (Drum roll please) MAY DAY, MAY DAY, MAY DAY !!!!!!!!

Okay for those of you on needles and pins wondering when the debut recording project of the already legendary (in our own minds, but you gotta start somewhere) Kinagree-Smith will come out, May 1st is the official release date for at least the digital download-able version. When the actual CD comes out is not so easy to predict. We need to earn a few more dollars before we can even think about that.

We do need a CD simply because real life shows are more about CD sales then download sales. But the format doesn't really matter to those that want it and want it bad.

But wait... there is more

Yet another reason to mark down May day on your calendar is this will be the debut of the Kinagree-Smith radio show on RADAR Radio. We talked about this a while back,and originally, we were going to try and make it a one hour show weekly. But we are a bit busy and if we did a weekly show, it would be kind of slip shod. So we are planing a once a month blow out with all kinds of interesting stuff.

Here is the deal. The first show will be on RADAR Radio for a month and also available on our website for play on demand. Next month, the show will only be at available on RADAR Radio, and then the following month, we'll have it available for play on demand at the site. In other words the show on the web site will end up being one month behind the most current show that will be featured on RADAR Radio. I hope that makes sense.

In other news....

We've also got an interesting video project in the works, some people have the details on this, but I'm going to keep them on the down low for now. The video in concept is simple, but accomplishing it requires a few tricks, and Lexie and I are in the experimentation stage figuring out how to go about it. It should prove, if in any way successful to be at least interesting. Possibly amusing.

So in conclusion...

We are working hard, planing big and thinking of our friends and supporters. You all RAWK, we love ya and as always... expect great things.

The Economy of support, every ear counts

Does anybody remember the end of “It's a wonderful life”. Henry Fonda's character is in a bad spot and figures “It's game over man... game over”.

Wait, that is another movie, but things do look bad for Henry Fonda, but his friends come and bail him out. He looks in to the camera and states, “I'm the richest man in Bedford falls”.

Now he didn't mean rich in money, he meant rich in friends, rich in community and yes, rich in support.

A few night back, Lexie was chatting with a mutual friend of ours whom commented, she didn't feel right coming to the shows because she was tight on cash and really could not afford to tip us. Lexie told her to come and not worry about tipping. Her attendance, support and attention was reward enough.

Now I feel I should add, yes, tips are important and if you can tip us, Great, if you can afford a big tip, Wooohoo. But just between you and I, Lexie and I don't do this for the tips. We do it for the music, and for the people that love our music.

And while money helps with rent and food, there is another economy, one in which we are pretty well off in. This is the economy of support. Yes, your participation in our musical adventures benefits us both.

Your support took us from middle of the pack to the top 25 on the Philadelphia Folk Artist charts, racked up over a thousand music plays and over a thousand video plays. Our fan base grows because so many of you are willing to start a “Listener account” at Reverb Nation. You, while small in numbers are so very active, you make us seem to be “THE NEXT BIG THING”. And while we are very aware we are not the next big thing, we do appreciate the support that gets us that little extra attention.

Good, bad, or unremarkable, we live in an age where promotion is extremely important. As independent artist we have very limited resources with which to promote ourselves, and the Internet is a veritable cacophony of hammers all ringing out PAY ATTENION TO ME. While it makes a thunderous din, the only things that can really compete with it, is the simple whisper, “I like this music maybe you should check it out”.

As far as promotion goes, your depth of you participation with our musical adventures makes all the difference. As the world at large looks at things, the opinion of a music fan is 100 fold more valuable then that of the artist when judging their own work., and more to the point, the world at large seems to be more interested in what is popular (or seemingly popular) then what is actually good.

It's the small actions that make a HUGE difference in the promotion war... and yes it is a war. As a matter of fact, allow me to make a short list of small actions that you can do that make a big difference.

Each one will cost you less then five minute of time to complete and when you consider the effort expended compared to the benefit gained, I think you'll see my point.

Join our Reverb Nation fan roster

Post a comment on Reverb Nation

If you have a blog or web site, consider posting a widget.

If you have a music blog write about Kinagree-Smith. We suggest this not only because of the promotional value of the article, but in the larger sense it gives us press, and we can quote press.

If you are one of our Facebook friends, please share any relevant post we make about events, activities or updates.

Facebook fans can “Like” the Reverb nation page, or any post we make as well.

Become a follower of the Blog. This not only ups our readership numbers, but it post the blog in your profile.

By just clicking the “Share to Facebook” Icon on Reverb Nation, you'll post a song widget to Facebook.

The official Kinagree-Smith web site currently has a calendar of shows and a streaming device that allows people to listen in on live shows. Feel free to share the page with your friends that don't even know about music on the grid. Here is the link http://kinagreesmith.com/

Add a link to the web site and or the blog to your signature on your emails or forum post.

Subscribe to the “Zorchboom” YouTube channel.

I could go on, but I don't want to even pretend to be presenting a comprehensive list of small acts that make a big difference, and frankly, I didn't think this stuff up, these are actions others have already taken to benefit our promotional efforts. I thank those that have shown such amazing support and only hope others choose to contribute to our mutual efforts.

And now I get to the real point of this entry. This next supportive actions requires a greater amount of time then the others, an hour to be exact but this is probably the most important thing you can do to assist our efforts.

Attend our shows when you can. Don't worry about tips because a full venue of supporters is better then a few supporters that can afford to tip. Remember, the appearance of popularity is gosh darn important, so if you love the music we do, come on down and listen all you want. There is of course no obligation, but when you want to listen, don't sweat the tips.

I feel I should mention, yes we love tips, we love them big and wobbly, but as I said at the outset, we are here to provide music for people that love what we do.

I sincerely believe that Kinagree-Smith will one day be popular enough (and I mean actually popular, not seemly popular) to draw 40-50-60 people to an online show. At that point many venues will be happy to pay us ridiculous fees. So in the long run we all win. We get the music, the fun, the community and Kinagree-Smith will get to eat.

But great things start with small actions. Thank you for your support and please do continue to expect great things.

Heroic acts of Listening

Something wicked cool happened last night and I thought I would share.

We were scheduled to play a show at 9 PM SLT (Midnight local time) and when we got there, there was no owner or host around to change the stream to the parcel. I feel I should mention, if Lexie and I stay up till midnight to play a show, we aren't happy campers when there is no way to play it. When People come out to the show, we want them to get the best show we can squeeze out and and build our legend.

No host means no show right?

Well in most cases it would mean that, but we've been sending our stream to our web site so people out of world can listen as well. Last night one of those at the Sim we were playing suggested we just play the show and have those in attendance pick up the stream from the web site.

Brilliant, Thank you Enchantress.

We did this, and it worked. Maybe not as elegantly as having the stream on parcel, but it did get the music to those that most wanted to hear it. Those that would go the extra mile.

While the crowd was not huge, but the fact they dealt with the situation when they could have just gone to another show speaks volumes about there interest in what Lexie and I are doing.

We really do think the world of our supporters, and much thanks to all that came out and helped us overcome the Second Life boggle of “No stream to parcel”.

Also, honors to Enchantress whom not only came up with the idea, but spent most of the show telling those the showed up what was going on, what the IP address of the stream was (for winamp users), and what the URL for our web site was. She was a major help, and we really appreciate you stepping up.

If we've learned anything from Bruce Jenner and the Village People it's, “You can't stop the music”. Not when you have musician that want to play, some supportive creative listeners that come up with solutions, and supporters that are willing to implement that solution.

And I feel I should mention, I'm in no way bashing the venue. I'm sure whom ever was suppose to host last night had some kind of real life situation that kept them from making the show. Stuff happens it's part of the Second Lifestyle. But it's good to overcome, and we did it together.

Thank you all for your support and expect great things.