Key Of Grey

Photo courtesy of Sheldon Wood August 4th, 2010 - Last night, I watched a BBC documentary on Jeff Buckley and was reminded that, while I thought everyone knew who he was, many don't. The first track I heard from him was a haunting cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". While many have covered the song, none have come close to the emotion that Jeff Buckley infused into it. He was a troubled soul, struggling to simultaneously reconcile his artistry with his sudden stardom, and his ... Read More

Photo courtesy of Marionzetta July 26th, 2010 - This weekend I was at the Tulalip Casino near Seattle playing the slot machines for the first time. It was fun and incredibly addictive. Why bring this up? Well one of the reasons that slot machines are so effective at luring and keeping gamblers is the sound. The clicking that the rollers make as the bright graphics rotate, the ringing sound of coins dropping when you win; even my girlfriend kept humming the winning music. I ... Read More

Photo courtesy of Harry Wood July 21st, 2010 - I know that many of us aren't exactly releasing high profile music, and therefore aren't worried about leaks. For those who attempt to earn a living by selling their music however, a leaked album can hurt sales and be bad for morale. Fans might download the album early and then when it's officially out, forget to buy it. Jesse Cannon ran into this problem when an album for a band he manages, Man Overboard, was ... Read More

July 1st, 2010 - One of the most important things for an artist who is looking to make a living from his art, is control of a brand. This can be a band name, a stage name, or even the name of a studio business. Of course, with many of today's artists becoming known through internet marketing efforts, it's very important to make sure you can leverage your name online. What good is your band name if every variation of the domain ... Read More

June 22nd, 2010 - Okay, it seems a little weird to be editorializing on a game but Harmonix's Rockband series is something different. Introducing what Konami did 10 years ago with the Guitar/Drum/Keyboard Mania series, to an American audience at the right time allowed Harmonix to tap into a video game market that isn't just for kids anymore. A decade ago, only children and hardcore gamers played video games. But contemporary consoles like the Wii and games tailored to subjects suitable for families ... Read More

Photo courtesy of Roomic Cube June 21st, 2010 - I'm finally back after suffering from internet withdrawals for the past few days. I had some problems with my ISP (doesn't everyone?), but everything is back to normal. Anyway, 62 years ago today marked the release of the LP format to a wide commercial audience. Gizmodo has a cool post about the history of the LP. For you young whippersnappers who don't know what an LP is, it allowed vinyl records to finally hold ... Read More

Photo courtesy of Axis Records June 17th, 2010 - Jeff Mills has released his new album Occurence on a disc that's a CD on one side, and a vinyl pressing on the other. That means you could theoretically play the vinyl side on a record player. It looks like you'll need to use a plug to hold the "record" in place though since the hole in the middle is made for a CD player rather than a record player. Still, it's a great ... Read More

June 8th, 2010 - MusicRadar reports that the star of the Youtube clip "Drummer at the Wrong Gig" has been interviewed by the Philadelphia weekly. One of the gems is that Steve Moore, the drummer, has contact with Mike Portnoy, one of his biggest idols. Apparently Portnoy Twittered that Moore was "his hero"; a compliment by anyone's standards. Check out the MusicRadar link below for more, and if you haven't watched the Youtube clip, I've embedded it below. It's amazing! via MusicRadar Read More

June 7th, 2010 - Looking for new music and want to support up and coming independent artists? Are you an artist that's looking for a way to leverage a positive user community? Check out Uvumi. While superficially similar to sites like MySpace Music and an endless list of other sites that allow artists to post their music and connect with fans, Uvumi combines a social element between users. Not only can users listen to music from their favorite Uvumi artists, but they ... Read More

May 22nd, 2010 - When a new album comes out by an artist I like and I can't get it myself right away, I search up on it. The problem I find is that while I'm looking for opinions, I often find critiques by blow-hard critics that overuse metaphors, and seem entirely too self-important. I want to know what a fan thinks of it, not read the 400 word result of a failed journalism career. Well, it seems that I'm not the only ... Read More