Week 28. Preparing For The Rapids
Mon Jul 26, 2004 7:11 pm
Monday July 26
The Storm before the Storm
Sitting on our hands
I didn't want to post today unless I'd heard word from management.
Why? because our knowledge level will increase drastically. Like, from
being completely in the dark to...say, the way Adam felt after he ate
from the tree of knowledge.
Since they didn't call, I can only guess they're still wading thru the
perplexing logistics of getting the producer and studio time/mixing time
nailed. Yikes. I just know they're gonna call and say, "pack your bags,
and get your butts to LA!"
These next 6 weeks should make or break us. I'm not going to get into
all the whiny issues and how hard the schedule might be...on me, let
alone the band, but if I say I've been waking up every morning to the
loud voice screaming in my ear: YOU'RE GOING TO FAIL! YOU CAN'T DO
IT! YOU'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!! All I have to say to that is: "meh...
I prolly won't die".
All ages/some ages
I've heard from a few of you that there are issues with age limitations on
the venues. (!@$#!) I would cuss but my mom would wash my mouth out
with soap... and she reads this. (hi mom and dad) Seriously, I hate this if
it's true. I have to blame those who manage and book the band. But, in
their defense...Eisley was invited to tour with Snow Patrol. It's S.P.'s tour.
I guess if you're an agent and you get an attractive offer, you either go
for it or not. If it's already mapped out, what choices are there? Contracts
are contracts... SnowPatrol is an older band and probably don't have as
broad an audience. But you'd think they'd want a broad audience, right?
Whatever. In the future, Eisley will headline their own tour and all the
shows will be all ages. In the meantime, find out if any of them will let
you come with a parental unit. That's how we get those Eisleyoids into
shows. Maybe that's just Texas, but...it's worth a try.
TOURS
Hard to imagine this, but this this will be a pre-release tour. This will just
be to "set up" the record. There will be non-stop touring next year. Many
other opportunities, right? So...everyone is happy. (nope. i don't blame
you; it sucks. cuss.) It probably seems weird to say, and I've said it
before, but WB doesn't really consider the other records as...records.
There is no record. Those eps's are unmarketed; They didn't "work the
record". All they did was allow the band a small budget to make them
(ep's), manufacture them, and distribute them. Management said it was
very rare that WB backed them with tour suppport. Consequently, all of
the previous shows were more like set up shows. Like..."go be a band
that doesn't have a record out...go play. See if people like you. Sell a few
ep's to stir interest."
Useless Info
I spoke with the head of marketing today about things like packaging and
price points, etc. Very amazing guy. I've told you about him... he flew to
Iceland several years back to see Sigor Ros play in a Cathedral with
candles before they were really "discovered". That sorta say's it all. He's
smart, sensitive, loves art, music and is a likeable guy.
About 6 months AFTER Eisley got signed, he personally took us out for
dinner, then to Tower Records where he said, "hey...do you guys need
some records? How about you each spend like 60 bucks or so (each) on
cd's...my treat." But then he bought them a stack of his own choice also.
Crazy? They were like, "no way"...but Xavier won. (chalk that up as
behind the scenes content that you can't get anywhere else... and then,
you can file it in the useless information trashcan. 
hey, they're screaming, "food's ready!!". I gotta go. much love. bd
Tuesday July 27
The Goons of Frolic Past
The bovineal pursuit
Those titles are placebo's...chunks...place holders...randomness...ignore.
Waiting on Guthrey
I waited and waited and waited for that phone call from management.
Well, I didn't wait at all. I actually got tons done today, but I'm still
waiting for a call from LA. Will i get it? meeh-ow. I'm not waiting, Kitty.
How Can I Help You?
What can I say? What would interest you? Speak to me from behind the
green-muck facade. Oh, stubborn, are you? Well take THAT. (i just threw
a big, nasty slug right on your lips.)
Every Night is Movie Night at the DuPree's
We're getting ready to go watch "Hellboy". So, I don't have much time.
Now I'm getting pressure... "Dad, mom wants to know - are we still
waiting on Daniel or can we start the movie? (Daniel, you might remember,
is Eisley's amazing sound engineer, who just got off tour with Copeland) I
hear yapping and chortling and loud noises in the happy room. I should
go make coffee and leave this Apple behind.
Fitly Spoken Words
Woah ya'll. I got an amazing pm this eve. I was at the peak of juggling so
many stressful pieces of complex poly-eisely-carbons, when, unexpectedly,
the soothing, beautiful balm of Gollywood slid right through the pm portal.
I won't quote him/her, but... I surely held back tears. It was one of those:
this makes it all worthwhile memo's. If Eisley's music was just for
this one soul, it was reason enough to exist.
The Man-legend
Chatted with Aaron of Sprinkle for a long time today. I'm so freaking
happy for him. He just completed a full length for "Acceptance" - a band
a major - Columbia. Major accomplishment, under budget, on schedule...
totally wow'd the egg heads at the empire. clap. clap. clap and a couple
of la-di-dah's for Aaron. He is the man. A sweetheart of a guy. The best
in the biz, I say...and so I said. We will see he and fam in Seattle. Also,
his fav' new record is Snow Patrol's new one. That show is sold out... so,
of course, we're getting him in.
I won't keep you. I know you're tired...and weary. If I could get the
scoop, I'd have something to say...but I don't, so goodnight. If I learn
anything important, I'll jump back on and conblibberate you. bd
Wednesday July 28
The Schedule Becomes Clearer
It's O So Tight.
Tight. This is what you call a tight schedule.
We leave on the 14th for LA. Eisley starts working with the mystery mixer
starting Aug. 16th thru the 20th. As mixing continues, they the 3 songs
that next week - the 23rd thru thte 27th (checking in with mystery mixer
in the evenings). Final tracking and mixing will end around the 30th in
time to for us to jump in the van, fly across the country toward Texas
where we grab Daniel Ellis who'll be standing outside at the gas station in
Van, pull into Tyler in time to kiss our wives (ok, my wife), hopefully
spend the night before we keep cruising to Florida for the first show on
Sept. 3rd.
So, the tour is real and everything is on schedule for the record to be
completed and mastered by the first week in Sept.
I guess that's pretty much everything. Dave Holmes told us that the
show's will be sold out. Some already are. (yikes, I know) The band is so
excited to be getting out and touring again.
We worked all afternoon until 7:30 on continued photoshooting...inside,
outside, downtown Tyler, all over. It was awesome. Good stuff. We still
might do more.
Well...I'd better go. Talk more tomorrow. Thanks everybody. Take care.
Thursday July 29
Photo Tweakage
Planning for a tour
Eisley is preparing for the tour by planning a set list and rehearsing like
rabid grazing goats (you can really work those grazing goats if they're
rabid). Hey, I need to find out how long their set is... (wanders off to
email management and returns). I just dropped them off at rehearsal
space to crank their little molee's.
So... I've been buried into the depths of tweaks and tricks gained from
15 years of slaving over a hot photoshop sink...and am channeling the
tenure towards bringing out the beauty from this new motherlodal bevy
of digital images taken yesterday. (i think that was the worst sentence
i've ever written) Occasionally, I swap heads, build elaborate masks to
enable localized work...you know, the regular stuff. Everything I'm
working on now is targeted toward next year's press.
I read today that the new thing Hollywood is seeking are artists like
Hillary and Jessica - more wholesome than nasty. And have you been
seeing all the fashion magazines? All the trend-setters are saying
"showing skin is out"... covering up and layering and textures are in. I
wondered if WB was following cultural trends and thinking...."were we
right on with Eisley or what?" But Eisley isn't following trends. Interesting.
We're sitting in the den listening to the Snow Patrol CD. The girls bought it
today. It's nice. I think it'll be a great match. It has a happy vibe... I can
see why they might have picked Eisley out of a line up.
Here's a question: do you think Eisley fits in better as an opener with the
Snow Patrol/Brit rock scene or the Brand New/emo scene? It's not a fair
question since most of you know the outcome from the Brand New tour.
It's an interesting hypothetical question.
Markymark is in here...(me, kim and mark hanging out) we're talking
about all of this stuff. He thinks Eisley is fitting in with the scaiter/emo
scene kids even better than the kids who like Travis, Coldplay... Brit rock
kids. Interesting. He say's most of the kids at his high school that Eisley -
like them because they're so different - and respect them even if they
aren't avid listeners. hmmm...
I have more thoughts along this line of thinking and, have some more to
discuss about singles, etc. We've been theorizing that the majority of this
record's songs are extremely marketable, but not marketable for radio.
Like Mark says, all of my favorite songs - like Vintage People and The
Escaping Song... could never make it on Radio.
The issue of radio just won't go away. So, today I was trying to make
sense of it in my head. If you think of Eisley as a business that needs a
good stable product that can go on the shelf and compete head to head
with the other brands, it makes a little more sense.
Like imagine that Johnson and Johnson is WB... and has whatever
products in their portfolio, uhh...BandAid. That's their big money maker
right? So, another hot J&J product DermoBond and Fibrocol. (i looked it
up) Now they've added a new product: BioClusive. (eisley) Who knows if
the retailers like Eckerd's will add it to their sku's? How will they market it
if not? If nothing gets on the shelf, WB ends up trying to peddle Eisley in
different ways.... ways that take longer to get a return on their
investment.
To Be Continued tomorrow. gnite. bd
Friday, Saturday, July 30, 31
The Trouble w/ Fish Who Use Septors with Electrodes
The Finned Ones Watch Us
If you're here and notice there's little content, it's because our forum was
moved on this Friday the 30th and did not return to the land of the living
until Tuesday August 3. I made the decision to take my hard earned copy
over to next week because I think...we're thru with this week. It's over. I
couldn't control the downtime. I'd rather gain readership. Any activities
that occured on Friday/Saturday/Sunday will be addressed - if there was
anything worth mentioning. And now...onward to next week.
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