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LWJ wrote: And, now for a little bit of fun-Blake wins round 1 of a guitar battle.
Later in the video see what Blake does with a beer bottle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEmClXxgcmEI love the way he is so humble in his utter domination. 😀
Per Blake’s Facebook post –
On Tuesday Danielle Haim, Taylor Goldsmith, and I are going to be playing the Dylan cover we did for Amnesty International’s ‘Chimes Of Freedom’ record on Conan. Antonio Banderas and Fred Armisen are the guests.
Can’t tell you how many times I watched this to try to catch you, and all I could get was a sense that I detected you subliminally. Finally FINALLY I was able to not blink and stop the tape at the right spot. Way cool! 🙂
Ruh-roh! Word is getting out to the masses –
And FYI, “Break Mirrors” is really good roadtrip music. 🙂
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jesse-kornbluth/blake-mills-off-the-radar_b_1180699.html
Jesse Kornbluth.
Editor of HeadButler.com
Blake Mills: Off the Radar? Or the First Great Revelation of 2012?
Posted: 01/ 3/12 09:53 AM ET
Congratulations.
For once, you are hearing about a monster talent before the Kool Kids.
That’s because Break Mirrors is close to a secret. Blake Mills recorded his debut CD in a friend’s studio in 2009, when he was 22. He released it — in the summer of 2010 — on a tiny label and sold it only at Mollusk, a surf shop in Venice, California. The kid on the cover? That’s a friend, not Blake. In other words: a very well-kept secret. His CD, as I write, is ranked 320,000 on Amazon; the MP3 is around 25,000.
Blake Mills has played with a few bands and been an opening act for a few others. (Sample message board comment: “That kid burned Charlotte to the ground.”) Just before Christmas, he gave a Blake Mills kind of performance — at Mollusk.
My friend Robert Smith — a writer and painter of considerable talent who spends his days and the occasional night as a music executive of considerable talent — pinged me afterwards: “His band was Dawes [a highly regarded Los Angeles group], Benmont Tench [legendary keyboardist, originally with Tom Petty], Jackson Browne [no introduction necessary], his talented girlfriend Danielle Haim and others. Two and a half hours for a handful of friends, family and fans.”
Can you see him? Eventually. At some point. Maybe in a while. Until then: videos.
In his videos — no surprise: they’re just as low-key — you will not see a rock star in the making. You will see something better: mature, impeccable lyrics, dazzling guitar playing, great range.
Bottom line: a major talent, an actual artist, a musician without an upper limit.
But the last thing I want to do here is put Blake Mills on a platform and ask you to worship with me. He’s not the new Bob Dylan. Not the next anybody. And that’s what is so exciting about him — without any hype, with no great charisma, without even much in the way of stage presence, he is the immediate future of intelligent music.
Intelligence suggests seriousness. We’ll get to that. Less usually said is that intelligence includes humor — and on that score, Blake Mills is a delight. Witty. Fun, in an almost pop way. With a sharp eye for absurdity and a welcome interest in sharing it. Start with the title of the CD — Break Mirrors has no deep meaning, it’s what the order-takers at a take-out Chinese restaurant thought his name was. He can be deadly serious about his parents — “They weren’t in love, but they took care of me” — but in another, “It’ll All Work Out,” he’s droll about one of his mother’s romances: “When you called me from your car/ when you were on your way/ with a friend from San Francisco that you told me was gay/ guess he was a closet straight.”
Try another, “Hey Lover,” So cheery and upbeat it could be a pop single.
Or “Wintersong,” Ever so slightly influenced by Bon Iver.
If there’s a masterpiece — a song that announces the arrival of a talent who’s more than this year’s model — it’s “The History of My Life.” A daring title for a kid. But this is a kid who can make the connection from 24 to…oh…55. The words matter, which is why they’re on the video; read and listen. And don’t miss the choir at 2:30.
There are so many reasons to be interested in Blake Mills, and being first in your ‘hood may not be the least — it’s shallow but satisfying to be the one who spins some tunes and has friends asking, “Who’s that?” And then there are the greater rewards: the satisfaction of greatness, the way it touches something deep inside you, reminding you that greatness is possible, inspiring you to reach for your own. “Oh God, couldn’t I just change the history of my life somehow?” Start here.
Bonus Videos
The Voice Project supports the women of Northern Uganda in their efforts to bring healing and peace through song. The Project asks American musicians to sing music they admire; all revenue goes to the women of North Uganda. In his living room, Blake Mills performed a song by Lucinda Williams — he used to tour with her.This was recorded live at Mollusk. Such a happy, bright audience — doesn’t it make you wish you were 24?
Stoger said: I assume some sort of in-house label (for lack of a better phrase) is still an option
Following is a coincidental mention of Lu in an article about Louis CK actually making money by selling his own stuff from his own website. It certainly is a changing world in how business is done, and isn’t it nice when the artist actually gets to reap the rewards of their work?
DIY Video Pays Off Huge For Louis CK: Are You Listening Google, Amazon?
By Steven Levy
December 24, 2011 | 11:32 am | Categories: Entrepreneurs, Media, VideoMy prediction (not particularly impressive since it seemed pretty obvious) that Louis C.K. would find DIY Internet distribution to be more profitable than traditional means proved out. But what strikes me is one statement he made to Jimmy Fallon earlier this week. That was that the million dollars he made so far from creating a website and selling his special for five bucks (no DRM) was the biggest haul by far that he had in his life.
Thank about this. He is probably the hottest entertainer in the comedy business now. His show is a runaway hit. He has had several HBO specials, all of which have been successfully repackaged as DVDs. Yet he earlier said that he didn’t see any money from those (presumably beyond a nice upfront fee).
And by bypassing a traditional distributor, he has now made a million bucks in ten days — and will make lots more as he owns the master tape. (Unlike HBO specials and just about everything distributed by big media companies.)
So by going internet direct, Louis CK has the biggest payday of his life. Fans are happy. Everyone is happy, of course, except the powers that have benefited from the previous business model where artists generally get shortchanged. Even the most deluded executive can understand that a class of artist that used to depend on those companies now has the option to cut them out.
Of course, a lot of things went right with this. Louis CK says he spent $250K to make the special and set up a website. Whatever he did pay for the site itself, it was a bargain. I bought the special and found it a super smooth experience. Considering he started from scratch this is amazing. I can’t count the number of times I have had horrible problems simply trying to buy something online from a multi-billion dollar company. Even some multi-billion dollar technology companies routinely botch this experience. I think Louis CK might have a nice business simply licensing his site to other comics.
And of course, Louis is incredibly hot right now, so much so that people won’t hesitate to spend five bucks to see a show of new material.
But people are generally hungry for fresh stuff from their favorite artists, and there are a lot of artists who might so well by this. If Steve Martin wanted to do another comedy special, here’s his chance. Bill Cosby has been killing audiences for years and a taped (or live) long-form show is overdue. Jerry Seinfeld? He can become cool again!
There are also plenty of musical acts that could benefit from this treatment. Instead of a big arena, super groups can do a small club and sell that special experience to their fans. Not just superstars but established acts with strong fan bases can also reap life-changing paydays. What if Lucinda Williams did a show in someone’s living room, filmed by some famous director who loved her music? I’m typing my Paypal password just thinking about it. (Note to Lucinda: my living room is available.)
A few years ago, Roger McGuinn (formerly of the Byrds) testified before Congress that he hardly made a dime from the royalties of his many gold records. Of course, he has had (and I hope is still having) a wonderful career. But if the Byrds were recording now at their peak they would have an option that wasn’t available in the 60s, 70s, 80s, or 90s — in fact, probably not until now. Big stars now have an audience they can reach directly who will be happy to pay them direct.
So here’s another unsurprising prediction. Watch for many shows, of all sorts, to be available by the Louis CK model.
Note to Google: wouldn’t it be cool to make YouTube available to those artists, streaming shows or allowing downloads with your payment infrastructure? Also an opportunity for Amazon. Just sayin’.
LWJ said: Tom O, seems like you are getting pretty innovative with your camera.
If you click on the snowflake icon at the bottom of the Portland video snow starts fallin’ and fallin’.AND it accumulates – how fun! Another Eagle Eye LWJ catch! 😀
Link to hear song – http://soundcloud.com/fanaticpro/walter-rose-driving-south
http://www.myoldkentuckyblog.com/?p=24895
MOKB Premiere : Walter Rose : Driving South (feat. Lucinda Williams)
Over the last 25 years or so, the term country music became something of a joke for those who searched a little deeper for the music they listen to. Somewhere after the movie Urban Cowboy, country music became less about telling the story of the common man and more a commodity being sold to the masses at your local Wal-Mart. Recently, we have seen a shift in country music towards what made the likes of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Loretta Lynn icons in American culture. Movies like Walk the Line and Crazy Heart along with acts like The Avett Brothers, Wilco, and Those Darlins embracing their country leanings has led to a younger audience of fans open to seeing someone live wearing a Nudie Suit, Stetson Hat, or Wranglers and playing a steel guitar or having a little twang in their voice. In comes Walter Rose.
Hailing from Carmel, CA, Walter Rose is creating in his own words, “melodic novellas of road trips trough broken-down desert towns” and the kind of stories that bring to mind tumbleweeds blowing through old Client Eastwood movies.” We are fortunate to have the first taste of his debut album Cast Your Stone. The song is titled Driving South and features the excellent Lucinda Williams. It is a beautifully subdued number with tiny cracks of honesty in every lyric sung. The perfect musical companion for a road trip of self-discovery.
Cast Your Stone will be released on January 17th.
This showed up in Google alerts today, pertaining to how one of the other nominees scored her nomination.
How Grammy365.com Helped Little Known Linda Chorney Score A Grammy Nod
December 12, 2011
By Phil Gallo, Los AngelesRain derailed Linda Chorney’s plan to film a music video on Dec. 11 at the base of the Hollywood sign. The video’s producer, the film producer Forrest Murray, quickly shifted gears, hoping to secure the stage at Amoeba Records to shoot Chorney performing her song “Cherries.”
The window of opportunity was short — Chorney had a redeye flight booked to take her home to New Jersey that night and the point of the video is to draw attention to her Grammy nomination in the Americana album category, where she is up against Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris and other stalwarts of the genre.
Chorney, whose nominated album “Emotional Jukebox” has never registered a Nielsen SoundScan sale, has been in name recognition mode since the Grammy nominations were announced on Nov. 30. She performed live on KLOS’ Sunday show “Breakfast with the Beatles” (she covers “I’m Only Sleeping” on the album) on Dec. 11; did interview pieces with dailykos.com and Variety; and booked a few gigs in New Jersey this month and next.
All of it owes to her securing a Grammy nomination, which she received after meticulously befriending voting members of the Recording Academy through its Grammy365 website.
“Without Grammy365 I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere,” Chorney says during a visit to Billboard’s Los Angeles offices. “I guess it proves that, while there are a lot of great independent artists, having great music isn’t enough. By taking the responsibility of voting (for the Grammys), you have a shot at getting your music heard.”
Chorney, 51, has supported herself for 25 years as a musician. She is based in Sea Bright, N.J., where she moved nearly five years ago after bouncing from one vacation destination to another, trading performances for scuba outings, greens fees, health care and lift tickets. A chance encounter with a Continental Airlines flight attendant led to the gift of a pass that allowed her fly standby all over the world, which she used to secure gigs in places she would otherwise not visit — Australia and the Caribbean, for example. A friendship that turned romantic led her to post roots in New Jersey after years of nomadic living.
Her “Emotional Jukebox” is her sixth album and, as she has done in the past, she pressed 1,000 copies in the initial run. A doctor, Jonathan Schneider, financed the album — it went $30,000 over budget to come in at $80,000 — which allowed her to circumvent the usual Kickstarter — like fan-support system she has built over the last decade.
Chorney offers fans six CDs and a mention as a “Groovy Supporter” if they pony up $100, and 30 CDs and a mention as a “Wicked Awesome Supporter.” (Yes, she is from Massachusetts). On “Emotional Jukebox,” Groovy lists 22 people and entities; nine are Wicked Awesome.
“The budgets are usually $10,000,” Chorney says, “but Jonathan came to me and said, ‘I want you to make the album you feel you will never be able to make.’ A lot of the first album was pre-sold.”
Pre-sales. Not a common facet of the music business, but a key reason why Chorney’s name is barely a blip on Nielsen SoundScan. She has never had an album officially sell more than 25 copies and “Emotional Jukebox” has yet to register an official sale despite being available at iTunes, CDBaby and Amazon. One might add that they are priced well above standard rates, which means most of her physical sales occur at her website and at her occasional shows. Still, she has yet to go into a second pressing for any of her albums.
Plenty of independent artists score Grammy nominations and get from the nominations to the ceremony without much attention. Chorney might not have the spotlight shone in her eyes had she not wound up in an area that was bound to get extra scrutiny due to the Recording Academy’s consolidation and reduction of categories. The American Roots field saw blues and folk scaled back to single categories from two each and regional roots music album was four old categories placed under one roof. Americana has been a category for just two years, separated from contemporary folk in 2009; its nominees and winners are such a who’s who of music — Mavis Stales, Levon Helm, Robert Plant, Steve Earle — that it rarely includes musicians not considered legends.
So when the list of more than 160 albums in the Americana category were sent to voters, Chorney had a short window to get a lot of work accomplished. Her sax player Thomas Hitchings had encouraged her to join the Academy in 2010 so she could submit her album for consideration; two weeks before initial ballots were due, her partner Scott Fadynich did the clerical research on Grammy365.com, a social networking area for Academy members to communicate, to figure out which of the site’s members vote on the awards.
“After 10 days I had made about 1,500 contacts,” she says, adding that she received inspiring messages from people who work in areas outside the American Roots field. She does not know how many people voted for inclusion in the final five and admits the nomination has not resulted in music sales.
“The writing is wonderful,” says the video director Murray (“Bob Roberts”), who knew Chorney when she was splitting her year between Manhattan and the Hamptons. They re-connected right before the Grammy nominations were announced. “I loved the song — it’s American heritage storytelling. I’ve never made a video in my 45 years in the motion pictures business. This will be my contribution.”
When the nominations were announced, label executives who work in the Americana field were discussing Chorney’s name. They had not heard her music, were not aware that she had been performing since the late 1980s and definitely not aware that she had run her own label for 10 years — essentially ever since meetings with labels never panned out.
“I thought this was my last album,” says Chorney, “so I did it differently from my others. I didn’t care how long a solo was or how long a song went. I made it as musical as possible and didn’t care if it fit in anywhere.”
Her subject matter changed, too, as she switched from songs about sex and bad romances to tuneful acoustic guitar-driven odes to hope and happiness. “I don’t think it’s my last album anymore.”
tnt wrote:
I don’t use UPS for delivery, but I almost assuredly had more than 17 ticket orders in that timeframe, so the max I could receive is $25.50.
I got the email notification as well and thought that was sooooo lame of a settlement! I’ve purchased at least 100 tickets in that time frame, about 95% of those being for you-know-who. 😀
If this isn’t poetry, I don’t know what is –
Open up this wound again
Let my blood flow red and thin
Into the glistening
Into the whiteness
Into the melting snow of MinneapolisMe too! She does an amazing job, and chose some really good songs. Hopefully they at least all show up on YouTube.
“Lu in ’12” 😀
Another magical night at the Fillmore! The Car Wheels segment was every bit as good as you would imagine it to be. Lucinda’s voice was flawless and a good time was had by all.
Here is the setlist – http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/lucinda-williams/2011/the-fillmore-san-francisco-ca-63d1e2a7.html
I found “Salt of the Earth” to be especially beautiful, and “Rockin’ in the Free World” especially powerful.
I envy you El Rey folks; I need to head back home for Tofurkey Day…
Awesome show, at times breathtaking. The girl’s got soul, and at times was doing that spooky channeling that TO referenced in a previous post. WOW!!!!
Here’s the setlist – http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/lucinda-williams/2011/the-fillmore-san-francisco-ca-3bd1e088.html
