Week 23. RoseWood Studios (CONTINUED!)
June 21, 2004 03:20 PM
Sunday June 20
ahhh... what a great day
What a great day it was. A few friends over in the afternoon...Fajita
flavored veggie burgers on whole wheat bread with baked Doritos and
avacado dip for lunch; a lazy afternoon...listened to the new Eisley
tracks, hung out and I actually went to bed like...at 12:30 or something
crazy. A great day, thankyou. Hope your weekend was amazing.
Monday June 21
3 More Days of Tracking!
Band Wins Confidence of Label/management! All
vocals to be retracked here in Tyler. Big Score for Eisley.
Woosh... for a moment there I thought you'd think I got sucked out. The
truth is, I stumbled into a time noodle...yeah, one of those einstein worm
things; I was all like anti-matter and relative and crap. I was all Trans-
Atlantis...sucked into the deep; I was worming through the core of time
itself...passing cows and mainframe computers and Mrs. Beasley and I
saw the wicked witch of the West and Ferdinan Magellan and the
Lockness monster.
But, it's great to be back. Unfortunately, my head scull is now composed
of micro-biotic worm putty...but my fleshy Synth-0-Skinฎ furnished by
Echoderm Labs of the Viking Era is realistic and has a Charlee Sheen to it.
ENOUGH silliness
I have scoop. Not much scoop. But I have scoop. Scoop comes in small
scoops. Ice cream sized scoops. mmmm...wish Stacy and Weston and
Collin wouldn't have eaten all that Hershey's syrup.
SO....WB really likes the vocals and what Eisley has accomplished down
here in the Bible belt...so they're allowing the band to do about 3 more
days to retrack all of the remaining songs:
I Wasn't Prepared
The Escaping Song
Plenty of Paper
They All Surrounded Me
One Day I Slowly Floated Away
Marvelous Things
Sad news...looks like Rob will be in Finland or at the very least already
absorbed into other projects by the time Eisley will finish tracking the 3
last songs with then new mystery producer in LA, so... there will also
have to be a new mystery MIXER named soon as well. I know who
they're looking at but won't say. I also know the mystery producer's
they're looking at but won't say. WHAT, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? AND RISK
DE-GENERATING MY PLASTO SEMI-BIOTIC HEAD?! You're crazier than a
one legged pole vaulter in a mine field.
I now have information that could spell out a return to LA the weekend
of Saturday JULY 10th... and, Warner Bros. is STILL absolutely talking
positive about a Fall release. My presumtion was: gosh wiz. with all the
brain scratching and fence talk and McCoy gun fighting, we've surely
slipped into 2005. They say not.
btw. Record labels do not typically release new band full lengths in the
Fall. WHY you jeer me to answer??! Because, you cute little meat packets
- that's when the big boys poop out their wanky-wanky-wo0-wo0, best
seller, fatty-watty-foo-foo CD's on the market.
You think Warner wants their little baby-waybe band to get mixed up
with the big boys? Ever see Stewart Little in traffic? Ok. That's why.
But Craig said, and I quote young Craig: "We're not expecting Eisley to
blow out a million copies the first year... the plan is to build it... so I have
no problem with a Fall release... Like, October might be perfect."
BAM! where else are you going to get quotes from a high ranking VP at a
label? (just kidding with the cocky bit...I ate ice cream without the
Hershey's.) Now I hear Brad in there so I must go make coffee and we'll
all read more Jack Handy words so we can laugh our silly putty heads off.
That's all for now folks! Oh. One more thing. They don't see "My Lovely"
as a single... Beeahhiihahannk! (that was the sound of unselttling) So,
whatever. And comments were made about the arrangement... maybe
build it some more. So, yeah, the band was pissed off about that; life
goes on. For that reason, I won't post tidbits of the new song...it could
change OR NOT!! what the heck!! I might do whatever the heck I WANT!
Yuh, i talk big...we'll see. I have to be sensitive to the needs of the many.
WAIT..you guys are the many!!! hey! the needs of the few aren't even
going to care!! mehh...(sound of goat) We'll see. bd
Tuesday June 22
Storms they are a Rumblin'
Clarity. After thoughts. A Day Dialouge.
Captain Sherri and Captain Stacy back home after being Lost at Sea.
_______________________
RoseWood redo's
Studio time is booked for Wed. Thurs. Frid. of this week to finish
retracking vocals. This is great. The record is getting better and better
all the time.
Ali asked if all of the songs previously recorded would have vocals
retracked here in the great state of Texas, so here's the list and how
it breaks down:
___________
Memories (done)
Escaping Song (will be done this week)
Plenty of Paper (will be done this week)
Sun Feet (done)
Just Like We Do (done)
I Wasn't Prepared (will be done this week)
They All Surrounded Me (will be done this week)
Golly Sandra (done)
Vintage People (done)
One Day I Slowly Floated Away (will be done this week)
___________
and maybe:
Marvelous Things We'll see what happens. Questions there. Which
version, accessibility, re-track, tweak a previously recorded one.
Disclaimer: some of these vocals are pretty hard to beat...performance
wise, but the girls are up for it...they're going to try to beat themselves.
_______________________
Stringing You Along
I know that the news of an October release is disheartening to you guys.
With the way things were going, I really thought we'd be lucky if it was
Spring 05. It's been a long journey and it isn't over yet.
Honestly, I really haven't tried to trap you guys here... or string you
out, though I have enjoyed some of the blow by blow drama and the
conversation stemming from it. In the beginning, I thought the record
would be in manufacturing by now or at least in mastering. It's been a
learning experience for all of us. (by that, I mean Eisley, You, Me...all of
us). This is all new territory for us. The great unknown.
I never expected to look on the Front Forum page, click onto The Eisley
Full Length - Live from LA and see 23 Weeks. I'm shaking my head even
now in disbelief. I look back over the many posts and think...did I waste
my time? Why did I commit to this? But you guys have been so cool and
encouraging...and voiced your approval; I guess that's why I continued.
Time is running out on many projects... I'm getting deeper and deeper
into the various design/marketing vehicles and will have a harder time
keeping up with pm's and random posting, which I enjoy. I'll more than
likely curb the length of these posts in the process of streamlining.
_______________________
The Sound of Sucking
At the same time all of this is going on, I'm working on launching a
freelance career that will hopefully keep Eisley in the center of my sites -
and as a client. (sounds strange, huh) Possible that I can do that...
without going into detail, I'm working on it. Also possible that it won't
work out.
I wish I could cheat time and live the equivelant of 48 hours for your 24;
or live out a Groundhog Day that was limited to 2 days. That way I could
learn to work faster...and correct any mistakes that cost time.
Or, if I could clone myself, one boid (the evil mutant clone) could keep a
steady flow of outside freelance to keep us going and the other boyd (the
the halo-toting boyd) could work on Eisley at the same time. But, as it is,
I'm already burning the night oil. I'm sure we're in for some bumpy road,
lots of stress and possibly heartache (life as usual. ha ha...) The fragile
balance of this small entity is not as easy to maintain as it might seem.
But either way, the band will continue. That's the important thing.
_______________________
Make-Overs
Flip the page. Anxious to see how produces the next 3 songs and if they'll
be what the band wants them to be. "Lost at Sea" will surely get a face
lift and chance to brush with Radio. Face lift could mean anything... meter
shift, groove shift...who knows. If the right producer is found, it could be
one of the strongest songs in the portfolio.
"Brightly Wound" will get stronger, more focused, with better guitar tones,
better layering... while looking for a radio slot as a second single.
"TrolleyWood" is waiting to be defined. It might be a sleeper... one that
might surprise all of us. It's so creative...and rootsy. Most of you haven't
heard it. sorry. Time... time keeps slippin', slippin'... into the future.
And what of Golly Sandra? Is this a demo or a finished song for the
record? And..."My Lovely"... need rearranging? a different treatment?
I can't get the song out of my head. As it is, the song is totally in the
top line up for getting on the record, but the problem is: all of them are.
_______________________
Morning Walk in the Woods
Kim has to walk... (you know, heart) so we've been getting up to walk
with her. There is a cool park that trails off into the beautiful East Texas
woods. I wanted to show these images just in case any of you think we
live in the Texas you see on TV. This isn't South Texas...or North Texas...
or John Wayne Texas. This is Tyler, Texas.
I have to go. It's cloudy and the storms are coming in. bdout
Wednesday June 23
The Tree is on the ground
Stacy/Sherri track "One Day..."
If I had the time, I'd put together a short clip of how my friend
"diddlebaum", from this forum, and I meticulously, and decisively
extracted the mammoth tree from my shed - utilizing quantum physics,
relative quantum math and calculated art... We analyzed tork, weight,
stress, balance, bouyancy to come up with the proper solutions to make
it happen.
It was so fulfilling. We used ropes and chains and "come-alongs"... we
counter balanced, re-distributed weight, slowly dropped limbs, sawed like
"Wild Men of the Trees". Ahhh - such a feeling of accomplishment; as
they say in the business, "the tree is on the ground". (if they
don't say that, they're missing a great opportunity for an industry
catch-phrase; well, it's sure one I'd be log-dropping if I were a Tree Man.)
My back yard still looks like the Tree Devil took over... it's death and
destruction. It's Tree Hell. Everything is dead... logs and dead trees and
dead foleage...and the dead trampoline... it's a scary place. But, "the tree
is on the ground". My fence got a tiny bit crunched but not very much. No
major damage to our limbs or the shed or the fence. I knew you'd want
to know. (psst. i videotaped it, but, I don't have time to make a clip...
yet... hehh-hehh-hehhhhhhhh.....ah-hehhhh. more stupid video clips...
oh, to besodumb. (ohto be sodumb) ohtobeso - dumb.
The girls went to the studio around 5:30 and I picked them up at 8:00pm
after recording, "One Day I Slowly Floated Away".(vocal redo's) BAM.
That's all I have to say. I'm beat. Famished. Sun smashed. Logged.
Public thanks to diddlebaum... an amazing friend and fellow designer who
I've worked side by side with for years.
but one thing's for sure... i love you guys. bd
Thursday June 24
Giant Steps for Eisley-kind?
Wrestlings and Restlessness
Guyz..guyz...I posted some today; I was here but i forgot to post HERE.
Sorry. I..i...ok. so, no time to waste.
The band recorded scratch vocals and piano to "Lost at Sea" tonight at
RoseWood in search of the perfect tempo.
But, truthfully, their beloved A&R wanted it faster and had sent this loopy
thing to which they over-dubbed their vocals along with Collin's Yamaha
keyboard to in their bedroom...Thus the "captain my captain" photo
yesterday...saluting the orders in uniform. That was cute. Anyway, in the
little homespun recording, they began laughing and acting silly; as the
song crecendo's, so did their silliness. They begin singing out of tune and
cross harmonizing their tone-deaf voices and laughing in the fade
out...."oh yeah.."
They brought me the song on their ipod along with the digital camera and
said, "can you send this to craig? it get's a little silly...but, honestly...we
couldn't help but laugh, those loops were so funny." I did. And Craig was
amused and loved the photo...and learned what he needed to learn: the
loops were lame, but he loved the tempo.
They didn't. So, today, when they tracked it at RoseWood, they slowed it
back down to a reasonable meter for Craig so he could have something
for Rick Rubin and/or whoever else they're talking to about producing the
song/s. (yes. doubtful he could do it, but...as you know, loves Eisley and
wanted to sign them to IDJ and produce them. (long story. applicable
only to newbies)
I know you guys want it super slow... but keep in mind, great songs offen
offer greater flexibility and latitude when it comes to stylistic options...
For example: "Lady of the Woods". Written slow. Played slow live with no
rhythm at all. But have you heard it now? It's sporting a rocking tempo,
is more catchy, more rock, but is just as good if not better, in my
opinion. I love them both... but they're very different.
I've heard "Lost at Sea" faster now with a little more driving chorus. It's
just as good in my opinion... anyway, Sherri rebeled and made it the
tempo she wanted. It's not dreary...it moves along, but seems nice. If
you've ever heard "Rodeohead", you'll pick up on how important it is that
the song is well-written. Those rodeohead covers are faster, hick-ier,
twangier, etc... but they're amazing because the songs are amazing.
I'm still writing, but I'll post this much.
On songs and over-thinking and radio and first records and Eisley
Fact:
Once signed to a major, it's all about recoupment. If first records
don't recoup, there are only begrudging 2nd records with no marketing
behind them. This is the business. Sure, the label has to put it out...but
a label can fall on the ball and let the game run out. If you don't think
Eisley needs a hit record, think again. The industry is barreling
downward. Bands that make money stay around. Being "indie" is cool,
but if it doesn't pay the bills, it doesn't stick. A guaranteed 2nd record
is really no consolation.
Me and Markymark and Kimbertones from this forum and Stacy were
talking tonight about all of this stuff. Here's the thing: You can create
something super arty...and hang it on the wall in your bedroom and you
and a few friends can admire it and say..."ooh, ahh....aren't I wicked
creative?" Or, you could hang it in some quirky shop and get some
attention; the shop has low overhead and little expectations... But what
an investor paid you hundreds of thousands of dollars to get that little
painting done and into the marketplace... would the little shop, with it's
little visibility generate enough traffic to sell 100's of 1000's of your little
painting? No.
To reach the world with something inspiring, it has to be classic. Classic
doesn't have to be void of creativity. For example, I think "Float On" is
classic. It's got this big catchy, hooky, memorable chorus followed by this
fat echo-y U-2 recurrent guitar riff....it has classic architecture
arrangement. It's well put together, well designed, well produced, well
crafted... it's lasting; and it sure blows the heck out of their older stuff in
terms of quality and style.
Modest Mouse is a cool indie band. true or false? False. They're
signed to Epic - one of the biggest RADIO labels on the planet.
That's their marketing plan: go to radio. If it doesn't work, "you're out of
here..!" (we were told that in the beginning when they wanted to sign
Eisley) M.M. probably has a big name producer, big video's and big
budgets. They're totally mainstream.
But as long as we feel they're rooted in indie culture, we buy
in and don't believe they've sold out. Have they? Of course not. Do
their records sound slicker than they used to? YES. Go buy "The
Lonesome Crowded West" released on UP records in 1997. I love it, but
it's very raw. Totally not radio...nothing broad, classic about it.
Here's the take away: Modest Mouse hasn't changed who they are or sold
out, but they have written and produced a fat record with a broad pallete.
The writing/production/arrangement/style, etc. is very "modest mouse"
but sonically, stylistically, production-wise WAY more broad. It's more
classic. It's getting them radio play and consequently massive sales.
Let's bring it home: Eisley should be exactly who they are, take the best
songs they've ever written, work with whichever producer/s can bring
them about in a way that, at least overall, reaches a broad maketplace
without compromising. Yes, a few of them have to be classic enough
to be released them as singles and good enough to strike an emotional
chord with a broad audience... songs that could be released on alt-rock,
adult contemporary, college, pop, radio, etc.
Coldplay did that... released great, classic, broad, cool, amazing songs in
college radio, moved to adult contemporary and...the rest was history.
Look at Rumors by Fleetwood Mac. An esteemed classic piece of work.
Eclectic, cool, uncompromised, pop, folk, rock, dark, bright... a hit
record w/ singles lined-up. Millions sold. For their day, Fleetwood M. could
have been considered underground... indie. Now they're a household
word. Rumors - 25th anniversary, remastered version is on shelves with
a 4color book of amazing photos. I see similarities between them & Eisley.
Take Radiohead... "The Bends" is very broad. Very pop. What did it afford
them to do? Make a more creative record the next time around...still
classic, "OK.Computer" was way more risky but amazing.... By
the time the 4th record came around, they could do what ever they
wanted. "Kid A" and "Amnesia"c are so experimental... but they paid their
dues. And "All Hail..." is almost a full circle. (i hear they're redoing
"Pablo Hone"y and releasing it on line)
Eisley needs a "pay their dues" initiation record. And I believe that if they
pay their dues, and put out a record with their greatest songs on it, no
matter who produces it, you guys will love it. Why? Because it'll be
classic, creative and quintessentially Eisley... scratch that; it will
bleed eisley. And, they already have songs! Songs that are rich
and dreamy, imaginative, emotional, enchanted, lovely, marvelous...
They even have recorded ones...broad songs; songs that I think are
guaranteed hits. Songs recorded a year ago with Rob Cavallo, John
Shanks, new ones with Rob Schnapf, a reworked, remixed Aaron
Sprinkle song....and now, songs they've produced.
Maybe some of the dark cloud these past many months has just been
overthinking. I'm not suggesting it's been unproductive or bad. But things
have been hard. The band has been unhappy. It shows in their
songwriting and in their faces. Perhaps all of these trials have made them
stronger, given them true grit, determina- tion, the ability to communi
cate and say "no", but... when does it end? I've been saying this. When
will the record get finished?
YEs, there's been headway. All of that is a huge plus. It's so cool
that there are new songs that are now candidates for this record. But
maybe it's just time to say, "enough". Even NOW, as it is, I believe there
is a big enough selection of great songs that the right person could
cherry-pick from the basket, burn them onto a CD and ship it (figurative
ly speaking) It's laced with singles already.
Aside from them re-recording "Lost At Sea", maybe it should be done.
They've already recorded masterfully broad, dripping with Eisley-ness,
tunes that have been overlooked because of whatever reason...fears,
over-thinking, knee-jerk reaction to critics.
All of this is just brain wash... not reality. But, it does make some
sense. They have recorded songs you guys don't even know about -
"Silver Bugs" is one. It's amazing. Driving, melodic, pop...creative...love
song... the production is riveting; "Trolly Wood" soulful...almost a
spiritual, raw, powerful, creative... no compromise in any of these
songs... people freak over the recordings. Brightly Wound is reminiscent
of the "Winter Song" only more moving, more powerful.
Why toss them? Because they don't have the right producer's name on
them? They're great songs...recorded right after they got signed. They
could complete the project, end the madness...fulfill their destiny, deliver
on the promise, recoup...set the young band on their path to many, many
more records. Overthinking and second guessing and knee-jerk reactions
can be problematic... let it breath...let it go...
Again....random thoughts. I might feel different in the morning. And
anyway, none of this is my decision...not in the least. All of this is just
fodder... brain spewage; for fun. I'm just an influencer, a voice, and
bouncing board, a colaberator, a background noise, a fly on the wall.
Still, Markymark and I have an new imaginary list of 10-11 songs; it's
simple to figure out. Anyone could do it. Everything has been recorded
except for "Lost at Sea". All of the songs just need to be tweaked and
mixed by the new mystery mixer:
http://www.mcdman.com/costey.html Not for sure. goodnight. bd
Friday June 25
EisleyyelsiE
Meamblings and Gufawings
Man it's hard to come up with those titles... as you can see. I apologize
for posting the fat-fat novel last night. I was focused. Focused on making
a fat-fat chonk of spew. sorry. what in the what was I saying?
I'm going to post this and go read any of your rebuts (re-butt?) and find
out if at least one of you had a comment or a suggestion. I know my
journal readers are getting sparce. (NO..no, don't try to prop me up. I'm
not at all looking for kudos. I feel loved already) I'll be back...in a minute
yeah, don't go away. brb.
ok. a few of you weighed in. I appreciate it. Last night's post was some
what encoded. I didn't want to really be too literal. It was a concept.
Forget it.
AARON'S FILES ARE HERE IN TYLER!!! So... cool. Looks like that's
happening. Amazing. So excited. And so is the band. I think their love for
Aaron is as strong if not stronger then their love for his work on the song.
It will be improved: Stacy will re-do vocal tracks (she's a better singer
now) and piano tracks (fatter keys is a must...will match the rest of the
record).
And of course, the new mystery mixer will mix it....along with all the
songs to achieve consistency. I believe the mixing is everything to this
record. If there are various tracks from various studio's/producers, the
glue is the mixer... the weight of the record falls on his shoulders.
Today we had coffee and hung out with a super nice guy...Joseph Kyle.
He recently penned 2 really negative reviews on Eisley's two ep's. I
stumbled across them, fired my guns on his forum, we both apologized,
formed a truce, decided we'd probably like each other, we invited him
over for coffee and....it was a super nice time. A very kind fellow indeed.
We yacked about the industry, labels, pressures, slick productions, radio
songs, listened to music, drank coffee...and then he left. I think he's
posted a few times on the forum... so be nice to him.
Kim was a big reason why Joseph came over. At his suggestion to do
coffee, she sent him an email saying, "Come on!". Always remember to
marry a good wife like Kim. (but not Kim) The band came in and sat
randomly... and scampered off when they got bored.
I learned that critics like him get in like 20 cd's a day...and have to cram
them in their ears to do the reviews. It's easy to get jaded and worn out
and not always give bands a chance. I think he has an open mind about
eisley now since I threated to cut him up into pieces and bury him under
the wooden planks in my floor. That's a funny joke, but, his friend's did
say to him before he came over: "dude...are you sure you should go
over there after your review? Leave a paper trail and don't go down
into the basement if boyd says he wants to show you something".
In the end, I'm not sure if we agree on everything or have the same
taste in music, but...who the heck cares. I think relationships are
important. I don't think I have any enemies. I don't think he does either.
Thus, the handshake and coffee attitude. Plus, he loves Polyphonic Spree
and Grandaddy. Two creative, inspirational bands. Agreement.
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND ya'll. So, kiss your wives and sweethearts...and
gobble goober peas. (old folk song lyric to "Goober Peas". bd
Saturday June 26
Spies Came Out of the Water
Venturing Out from Camp
'Ever where a hat too long and your head starts hurting? And even after
you take the hat off, your head bears the ring of discomfort. It stops
knowing whether or not the hat is still on your head. It doesn't care. You
wore it too long... it's your punishment.
What a slow, dreary day... I worked hard, but didn't get much done. Am I
the only one? Maybe I have to see progress or I beat myself up. I need a
breakthru. Too many chainsaws in the air.
_______________________
Clip Trapped
I'm almost finished with that "My Lovely" video clip. I keep going back
to it...to nurse it to some imaginary finish line. I've kicked the dead horse
so much, it's starting to look like a goat... I'm not taunting you guys, but
I'm still in a quandry over reaching a decision to put it out there. If
the song gets used, it's probably going to change... if I put it on line,
you guys will anchor it in your brain and then be pissed if it changes.
See, if I hadn't put Lost at Sea out there, nobody would care if it sped up
or had some jungle boogie boom box backbeat. Now it's engrained. I'm
in a fix with this issue. I want to let you hear stuff...you deserve it;
but...what am I to do? I can't drive a wedge between you and the band
and their songs. See what I'm saying? You know it's true. You'll be up in
arms and think bad thoughts if they change. I've learned I have to be
flexible... I always stay open to the fact that impressions get burned in
my brain and sometimes I have to get out the big pink medulla eraser.
Anyway... I guess I'll have to sleep on this one some more.
I just re-read that and it sounded mean. I totally don't blame you guys...
this is just one of those realities. It's human nature to become familiar w/
what you hear the first time... and not be able to distance yourself from
it. I'm the same way. Sorry to sound mean. I REALLY want you guys to
hear this new song, but I don't want to mess things up. That's not my job.
_______________________
"How To Win Friends and Influence People"
I've been attempting to reach out into other on line communities to learn
things... you know, what they're listening to, how they react to one
another, what kind of relationships they have, features, benefits, etc.
No, I don't go on there and blab about Eisley. I just hang out... talk about
music, life, etc. On one particular forum, someone recognized my name
and I had to pm him to say, "shhh...don't blow my cover". Some cover.
It was strange. Being a foreigner in a world that didn't know me or care
about me or care about Eisley. I like it here better. I think outside our
little world, Eisley isn't so well known...or valued. That's to be expected. I
saw posts about the band ranging from..."they're over-rated" to "they're
a girl hansen"...to "they toured with Coldplay so they can't be that
bad...but now Chris Martin has sold out because I heard he was going to
let Gwyneth sing on his next record...". It was interesting.
Not sure where my Gorilla Warfare will take me...so far, it made me just
want to come back here...to homebase.
_______________________
Laughing City
Hey, I was looking over some old posts and came across where 'berlies
said we should name this place "Laughing City". I know the chat room is
called that, but...I think it's a great umbrella name for this place. In the
next version, I think I'll have a header and name it that... sound ok?
I'm gonna go now. That video is calling me....but the rain is making me
sleepy. One of them will win; but not yet. The night is young. Goodnight
to all and goodbye to another week. bd
Week 22. RoseWood Studios
June 14, 2004 02:48 AM
Sunday June 13
And Eisley rested.
Monday June 14
Five Days to Track Three Songs
Golly Sandra, Vintage People, My Lovely, vocal redo's on many others.
Goodmorning Tyler! The roses are blooming, the rich, green, rain-soaked
trees are allowing sunbeams to form organic patterns as they're modulate
by the silky, amber curtains in the Eisley office. It's a take-your-breath
away day so far.
RoseWood Studios, here in Tyler Texas, is waiting for the firewire that
contains all the juicy LA files, including drum tracks, guitar tracks and
bass tracks to Golly Sandra and Vintage People. We'll leave shortly to
begin unloading...settling in, etc.
This is the same local studio where Eisley tracked most all of the last ep,
with Dan Green producing - in case you guys didn't know. (the infamous
studio where LeAnn Rimes recorded and produced her biggest records.)
The story is - she (LeAnn) worked at all these big studio's but, in the end,
Rosewood was the only place that made her vocals sound right. It's true;
Eisley has the same feeling - that these guys are killer with vocals; I
guess they have the right condensers, mics, interface modules, room,
wood...heck I don't know. Eisley already has some amazing vocals
tracked from LA already, so...this will just be icing on the tape.
(that was good. call it dad humor. that was corny and good.)
So, I'd better go. Just wanted to say hello. Sorry for not posting
yesterday. I had nothing to say really... we chilled after hanging out at
our amazing Vineyard church with friends, came home, hung out with
more friends all afternoon, ate, hung out, drank coffee, hung out, ate...
that's all really. Then it got late. So we hung out more and finally crashed.
This week should get us back on track. Less social dribble from the
DuPree camp and more about band camp. (that's 2. b'dduh-bump)
------------------------AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!
Live from the console room...
...with correspondent Boink DuBri, where Stacy is recording the
super-groovacious tones of her Maj-0-whirly FUNMAKER organ to the
chorus of Golly Sandra. This day has been amazing. Almost Capital A-
mazing. (ref: "dude, that's so capital A")
The wonderful guys in LA sent over E V E R Y T H I N G. That means, all
the sessions/tracks for every song. That gives the band the flexibility
they wanted to re-record vocals on any song. We were surprised.
So, yeah, Golly Sandra is cued up and rolling. Can I use the OMG
abbreviation and still have impact? This is sounding really....r e a l l y,
good. Can I use the term f r e a k i n g good? Something is magical about
today; I project this same wonderment over the entire week and beyond.
There's a wonderful, fresh, vibe resting over the band. Honestly, it
makes me wanna cry. It's been so long since everyone felt really so
positive and excited. (behind the scene stuff has been difficult...some you
know about, some you don't.) Everyone has been so ready for this
week... meeting it with great expectation. The experiences here at
RoseWood were really good last time and this is time it's even better.
It's cool because the band really knows what they want; and they're SO
in control at this point (not that Rob didn't give them plenty of slack...Rob
is really open to ideas). Maybe it's just the total sense of freedom.
There's nobody to say no or even say..."meh..i dunno". Ever heard the
phrase: "if it is to be...it's up to me"? That's Eisley this week. I love it.
Stacy is sitting at the helm with Gary, making suggestions on edits,
effects, talking about what she likes and doesn't like...re-doing what she
doesn't like, suggesting what guitar parts should be redone, etc. That's
not very typical. That's producing. She's producing this song at this
moment. I think it rocks. You will too when you hear this. (if you hear it)
Sorry. I shouldn't say that. But, it would have to end up on the record
for you guys to hear it. Pray they do an amazing job. 
Gary and Greg are the two proprietors of this fine establishment. Well,
I'm not sure if maybe Greg owns it, but he and Gary have worked here
together for years...really nice guys; great producer/engineers. They do
all the editing and work hands on themselves. It's a quality studio; Pro
tools, a great board, amazing room...great gear, mics, etc. It's top of the
line; just located in a small town. I think Eisley is starting to really feel a
connection here. Like, it's becoming their home town studio. That's cool.
Well, I don't want to waste time. I'm working on other things. This is so
cool: they only have one cable connection here, but seeing how Jon has a
Mac too, we can both be on line...as many Mac's as were here. I'm
wireless in the console room at high-speed because Jon is serving it out
from his Mac down the hall. Mac's rule. It's what we did at Sunset Sound
and The Sound Factory too.
Thanks for all your amazing support on this forum.
Tuesday June 15
Day 2 @ RoseWood
The Clouds of Magumba have come
It's cloudy outside...melancholy, dreary-birds, a dark forest... but inside
here, it's chirpy, spirited, morning light, gumdrop people are everywhere.
And you know... that makes all the difference in the world. The troubled
band has supressed all their anxiety...if for the moment; calmed by the
quiet of home, friends...warmed by the familiar, they escape the cares of
the concerned. If we could only freeze the moment...
Ok. back to business. Vintage People is done. Chauntelle tracked guitars
all morning and into the afternoon...where keyboards took the main
stage... A baby grand, the magic Wurley, A Rhodes, a 1955 B-3 with a
1945 leslie. Lot's of nice ivories. Beautiful stuff.
All the instruments are down for both Golly Sandra and Vintage People.
In 2 days...including day one, which is usually a bust. Things are going
well. Thought you should know.
It's 6:50pm. Sherri and Stacy are warming up their voices in a back
room. There's a dim halo of light in back of a very expensive mic
suspended by those black, rubber band things in the quiet tracking room
- remotely visible to those of us here in the console room. I'm going to
try to tape some of this...but dang, yall... it's dark. Whether I get any
video or not doesn't compare to the importance of their tracking.
Have you looked at the week number lately? 22. That's how long we've
been in this process. Know how many weeks in a year? 52. Crazy. It's
hard to say how it's going... there's a lot more work to do. Which songs
will end up on the record? We've been tossing that question around for
months and months, ehh?
In music industry news, Usher is 1, Avril is 2 in record sales this week.
I'll check back in if anything happens worth reporting. boyd
Guh-guh-guh-Golly Stacy was something to behold. The vocals are
beautiful...and, what's more...I have excellent video. Even tho' it's dark, I
should be able to tweak it in BoidSoftCam 7 (sophistocated software...
don't even try to buy it; WAY out of your league) She was so animated...
so feelin' it. Since she was little, I always thought, one day these girls will
break out of their inhibitions...boy did I see it tonight.
Now I know you're all thinking - "what's he gonna do with the video". I'm
not sure. I might do another "in the studio clip" since we're here at
RoseWood. I like the idea of promoting this place. It's local, these guys
are so humble and cool. Gary and Greg produced and engineered
LeeAnn's "Blue" - her "life's record"... the one she won all the awards for
and sold like multi-platinum. Only, their names are nowhere on the
record... tsk. tsk. That's the business.
And Sherri just finished tracking "Vintage People"....in the dark. yup. I
shot, but even with nightcam setting on my RotoBoydCam 620, I can't
really see her. Possible I could bring it into BoydSoftCam7 to fix it. Not
sure. But it, as well is spectacular... she sang her heart out. You guys are
going to freak...(ahhh!!! if you ever hear it. sorry to say that.)
I'll try to grab some stills of some of this...at least of Stacy. Time
consuming...but, because you guys are so amazing... I'm off. bd
Wednesday June 16
Day 3 @ RoseWood
My Lovely is my precious
I'm not sure which I love better - the title: "My Lovely" or the song: "My
Lovely". I should let you guys hear a bit of it... you know, one of those
tastey little clips that don't allow you to make an mp3 of the song, but
lets you cherish the feeling of the song by a close encounter. I'll try to
work on something later.
In the mean time, I've been messing around with a bit of footage and
audio from last night. Here's a supershort version:
http://eisleymerch.com/boyd/GollyStacy.mov
Stacy was in top form last night... this is actual tracking; no editing. I
have the entire song...it's so sweet. I can't release the entire song...but I
wanted you to experience what I did last night. Here's a little longer
version. Some of the video is just brain wash....filler to allow me to show
contrast between when the music cuts out (I did that so you could hear
Stacy's unedited vocals...in case somebody thinks it's all "pitch bent" or
whatever) and when the music is there. It's not much:
http://eisleymerch.com/boyd/GollySandrafull.mov
Woah. Chauntelle is tracking. I have to go video. hold on. (break)
They're moving at the speed of light on this new song. It's already
sounding full and complete. Chauntelle and Gary are messing around with
various tones, guitars, parts... pretty much, it's the song straight up, but
they're doing some mighty fine layering...utilizing her "blotus", her Tele,
and a Les Paul.
It's a few hours later, now and Sherri just tracked her guitar part. Rick
through the AC-30. Nice..... This song...woah. I don't ever use this
phrase, because, it's sorta cheesy, but.. this song rocks. No, it actually
rocks. The chorus is straight up rock. You'll see.
Ok. I'd better go. Keep checkin in... I'll try to update and if I can add any
media, I will. It's SO freakin' (that ok, Granpa Turtle? not freaking) time
consuming. I don't really have time to do this, but I'm so hyped over
what's happening here. woo-HOOO!!! ( bellows barbaric, corny hoot) bd
Thursday June 17
Day 4 @ RoseWood
My Lovely is big hit...(with me)
I might really be just a body sac attached to a brain stem that doesn't
quite feed electricity to the top floor; even so, "My Lovely" is.... a great
little 3 minute/26 second song and I think WB will love it. I have learned
never to try to anticipate management/label's response to anything, but...
again, unless I'm lower on the food chain than Java or Peking man, they
will be fairly happy. We will see; the eagle has landed in the form of
mp3's on their desktops.
I'm working on another clip... but am trying to be careful not to use up all
the footage on an update clip; if we decided to do an extended play video
on the new record, I might want to hold some back. It's hard to cover
this song... in the last 24 hours, there's been everything from rough
scratch tracks where the band is basically still learning their new song -
to tracking every instrument individually, overdubs, vocals, tweaks and a
rough mix. Hard to put that in a 2-3 minute clip. Anyway, I will make a
video and get it approved this time since it's a brand new song and has
never been played live, etc.
I don't think we're going back to LA until around July 4th or so. They're
still trying to nail down the right producer with the right schedule to be
able to do the last 2-3 songs. But, for sure, it means 2 more weeks in
Texas. (sorry LA guys...sorry to everyone wanting this record to come
out soon.)
Tomorrow the girls finish harmonies on Golly Sandra and Vintage People
and then re-track any vocals they want that were tracked in LA, which is
probably about 3-4 songs. The studio is also booked Saturday for the
band, so...plenty of time. That's all I have time to say....and that's good.
Friday June 19
Day 5 @ RoseWood
I Didn't Post Today
Hey everyone. I'm sorry I didn't post today... I'm trying to post now, but
we're upstairs in Weston's room listening to Eisley's ruff mixes; everyone
= Chauntelle, Sherri, Weston, Me and an Eisley alumni - Taylor Muse.
He's a huge Rob Schnapf fan and loved the new material, etc. My
computer is about to run out of batteries. It's 2:00 and I'll try to post
tomorrow. Everything is going great. goodnight.
----------------------------------
I plugged in. Strangest thing... I have power now. I felt guilty for not
reporting anything from the day. Tomorrow, it might get erased from the
hard drive.
Today, Stacy and Sherri carried the load. The rest of the band did other
things - hung out with friends or chilled. The girls re-cut all the vocals for
"SunFeet" and "Memories"... the performances were capital A. It's scary
how much difference it makes... vocals are so important.
We got great reviews from the Craig Aaronson on the new stuff...(my
lovely and sunfeet). He was ecstatic... I think one of the comments was
"wow. wow. wow!!!" I was expecting Craig to love this stuff... but was
afraid to say yesterday.
Today I went on record as saying, "I think they're going to pee in their
pants." That doesn't sound so nice, but..., of course, it would be the
ultimate compliment. I think management was thinking the song might
have a slightly different flavor... they were thinking Ryan Adams....more
"alt country", so it wasn't a double hit or a home run. Maybe they'll get
used to it after hearing it more often.
Sherri's original garage band track has acoustic guitar. They were
expecting that to be in there. The song rocks harder than they imagined.
Oh well...
I worked off and on today on a new clip that features this song. Now,
since I don't know the future of this song, I'm hesitant to put it up. The
video features a tiny intro with Sherri's original garage band version, ruff
stuff while they're playing it live (pretty sloppy), then shows the band
playing scratch for Weston to track drums...and even little pieces of the
final song as it is now. As you can see, that's pretty much an expose' on
the song. I think it would be good for you guys to hear it or pieces of it,
but I'll wait and see. I don't really have the time to devote to it right
now...I'm half way finished.
My friend Brad Johnson and I talked about making a quality Eisley video
tonight at the studio. He just got a $6000 digital camera and a degree in
film from Full Sail. I have a artsyfartsy brain with lots of crazy ideas and
come from the design side of things...(and I dabble with lo-fi, crappy
movies and love editing and messing with stuff)...so, we're going to start
thinking about songs, concepting and might start shooting some stuff.
He's going with to LA... to help me drive and to hang out and to see
his other Full Sail friends there, etc. Good times.
The problem with creative people is - they want to do to many creative
projects. I need to crank on so many things in order to afford the right to
add another to the pile. So... I'll start by getting to bed at a decent hour.
Tomorrow, they finish harmonies on Vintage People, Golly Sandra...and
redo the vocals on "Just Like We Do". (stacy's song) Wish they could
recut all the vocals on all the songs... it's so happening here. The vocals
are so dynamic...you can hear their breath... the sonic range is very
wide...highs, lows, mids. It's beautiful. Again - Gary is so amazing.
Recording girl vocals isn't something everyone is great at. These guys
know how to record girls. Not sure what will happen. They'd need more
time to track more songs...
Goodnight!
Saturday June 20
Day 6 @ RoseWood
Golly Vintage We Do
Sherri just tracked her background vox's on Golly Sandra... it's sweet.
Not in the "sweet" sense....no. it's sweet, like honey. So is the song. Very
smooth...creamy...beautiful. The guitars are so mature; the baby grand
is so warm...the vox's are perfect; I love this song. I don't care what
radio or the industry thinks.
Weston and I load out in an hour. The girls will stay and track one
more..oh, wait, they have to do Vintage people. Either way, we'll be out
of here by 6:00pm. I'll have printed versions and send them to the LA
peeps.
My mom and dad are coming in for fathers day and just to hang out so I
might not be able to grab your attention for the rest of the day. Maybe
late tonight... I spent some more time working on this stupid video.."My
Lovely". I have to many irons in the fire. Much more time needed. gotta
go. Have a great weekend. bd
It's hours later and I find I didn't "submit". It's all still here, but I have
to get back on line and send this. It's now 5:10pm. Weston and I loaded
out with the help of their intern Eric, Stacy just finished re-tracking vocals
on "Just Like We Do". I get tired of saying how lovely it sounds. I run out
of words. And, as you know...I'm speaking as a fan; not another well
known role. So, I'm not bragging. How could I brag; I didn't sing it.
I think that's all we have to do... except maybe for an acoustic guitar on
"My Lovely". But we're out of time. Unless they book more studio time
here, which is what I think needs to happen. Then we bring it back to Rob
and let him work his mixing magic. Ah, now they're tuning up
Chauntelle's Larrive'. Sherri will record her part.
It's storming AGAIN. Just like it did 2 evenings ago...high winds, dark
skies, lightening, thunder, rain...and then in 10 minutes, it's blown over.
Here's the current song situation:
1. Memories (retracked vocals - RoseWood)
2. Sun Feet (retracked vocals - RoseWood)
3. Just Like We Do (retracked vocals - RoseWood)
4. The Escaping Song
5. Plenty of Paper
6. I Wasn't Prepared
7. They All Surrounded Me
8. One Day I Slowly Floated Away
9. Marvelous Things (not sure what version they're using)
--------------------------------
10. Golly Sandra (Drums Sunset Sound - overdubs RoseWood)
11. Vintage People (Drums Sunset Sound - overdubs RoseWood
12. My Lovely (all tracked at RoseWood Studios)
--------------------------------
13. Brightly Wound (to be redone in LA with new producer)
14. Lost at Sea (to be redone in LA with new producer)
15. Trolley Wood (to be redone in LA with new producer)
That's where it stands until something changes; give us a few days.
That's ok really. That's life. As Gary Leach says, "it's all chicken".
boyd
Week 21. Preparing for Re-entry
June 06, 2004 01:34 PM
Sunday June 6
Minimize Your Regrets
I heard a magnum-cum lah-dee-dah, at a local high school, in a
graduation speech last week say: minimizing your regrets is the single
most important truth to keep in mind when you set out to plot your
course in life... whether after graduating from high school or college...and
I add, when your graduating from the day you're living in.
I refuse to go into some overstated diatribe - siting examples of ways to
minimize your regrets in life. Suffice to say, cradle to grave: make
decisions that you feel, in the long run, will limit your regrets; that is,
don't do things that you'll look back on in 5 years...10 years and say,
"gosh, if I hadn't have done that, I wouldn't be in this mess".
Sometimes it's hard. Should Eisley have signed a contract with a National
recording company? Should you go into engineering or graphic design?
Should you stay in college or drop out? Should you marry Lorilee or
Pamela Sue? (the password is: which one is a genuine music lover and
enjoys going to shows. jk.) I mean - which one likes Eisley. JUST
kidding!! (you buffoon... you know who you are. )
I heard that Collin (that's Eisley's little brother) is on the web...AP news;
somewhere. I can't find him but Antrider saw it; My brother and my mom
called with news that he was in the Houston Chronicle Saturday. How
funny. If somebody finds him, please post a link. I think maybe because
he had the Harry Potter glasses and cape at the theatre at midnight on
opening night. They photographed members of Eisley (unbeknownst to
them) and friends... but I guess Collin struck their fancy.
We just got back from seeing the film at the matinee'. Really well done.
My favorite parts are the sets...the detail - mechanically, artistically,
historically... to whatever era and period/setting the film finds itself in. I
marveled at the clocks and locks and trunks and architecture and
artifacts and scenery....the cinematography is spectacular. I'm not so
sure I really feel good about the context of this series - wizardry,
sorcery...occultic training within the framework of an ivy league prep
school, but lines between good and evil seem clear enough. Interesting
how the story teller constantly builds the protagonists and antagonists
interchangeably; both harness the powers of magic - white and black to
win their battles. Concerns of desensitization on such a masked reality
flood the mind of a Star Wars era guy, but, it's very well done
and...the directing is amazing.
Well, the band will work this week on the new song "My Lovely". Beyond
that...it's just gonna be relaxing a little with a little pressure off, I hope.
Next week they record 2 songs here in Tyler, as you already know. I
hope to get into some interesting conversations/topics this week. Well,
That's all folks.
Monday June 7
Endless Storms
We stood outside on our deck this afternoon and dared anymore limbs to
fall...looked like 40-60mph gusts to me twirling and swirling the trees...
small cracks could be heard all around us. Small limbs fell right on the
deck. (ok, they fell right beside the deck but Weston thought it looked
more dramatic for the video if it was ON the deck, so he staged a drop
from the upstairs portion of our deck. what a film director he's turned out
to be.) I could show you the footage but only for the sake of silliness.
I have to run a quick errand. (in the car) brb.
---------------------------------------------------
and 7.5 hours later, I did come right back. wups. sorry. This is really
stupid, but...I threw this together so fast. It has very little value and, but
great stupid value. On second thought, it doesn't qualify for stupid value:
http://eisleymerch.com/boyd/Treeslice.mov
I'll put a hi-rez file up also: (brb ) Nevermind. It was 19 mgs.
It's not worth it.
Where did the night go? We had more people over... (ahhh! but that's
been almost every night lately) Eisley talked to some band about... you
know, what to do and what not to do... we all talked to them. What else?
oh, and earlier, Chauntelle cooked an amazing meal... (real mashed
potatoes, squash hot bread...omgosh. so good) and I made 2 kinds of
coffee and set it out in grand style using vintage Maxwell House cups, 2
matching vintage thermos's, and a matching vintage tray...oh, and a neat
little creamer server from the same era... and the color matched quite
perfectly. And Stacy/Sherri made cookies. And burntsome for me.
There's really not much to say...so, it's good that I didn't come back. I
will dig for a song... the "treeslice.mov" is just because I wanted to do it;
and, I had no good reason. It took like half an hour or something. bye.
Tuesday June 8
Mac is Back!!
Storms. Again. Storms... We lost power this afternoon after the
transformer on our corner was struck by lightening. I heard it loud. I
hear it's going to keep raining... nothing going on but the weather...
I'M IN THE BEDROOM. I'M IN THE BEDROOM! Yes. I'm wireless and
peering into my beautiful new screen.
Weston performed surgery on my Mac late this afternoon... 3 hours later,
I was up and running... The screen works perfect and I'm mobile
again...thanks to you lovely people. I can't explain how I feel and won't
because words are cheap. You must know how I feel. I trust you.
There was a snag... Getting the two halves that hold the actual LCD
screen was... well, it didn't go so well. When Weston was finished, it
looked like he'd tried to open a mollusk shell with a jack-hammer. (jk.
not that bad) But the alloy is very pliable... (thus the light, thin screen).
I should say, Weston is amazing and it was super hard...he labeled
everything and traced his steps so there'd be no screw ups. It's micro
disassemblement. (i made that up). Tons of parts and screws and tiny
connector filaments...the motherboard actually had to come out. sheesh.
Anyway, it didn't go back together so well... so I immediately thought
about the manly solution of duct tape. So, naturally, I sent my lovely wife
to the store to get silver duct tape; I measured and made custom
slices...carefully performing the cosmetic surgery. Now it's more rock and
roll.
The band is up at rehearsal space working on the new song..."My
Lovely". I'm sure they'll do a hack recording of it with the full band in
Garage Band. Looks like they'll be recording that one here in Tyler as
well...
Btw. Luke told me today that the WB didn't let any bands go from Warner
Bros./Reprise. All of the cuts are from Electra and Atlantic...which were
essentially dissolved in the purchase from the new owner of Warner.
I'm working on a new T-shirt design. Getting closer. One with actual pics
of the band. Fun.
Well, that's all really. HI everyone! I haven't been on today. Power was
down for hours and hours...which gave me a good excuse to go meet the
rest of the fam' for Starbucks. (They were out catting around town....)
later yawl. boyd
Wednesday June 9
BoidPerk...tiny offerings
http://eisleymerch.com/boyd/OverTheMounts.mov
It's a small perk; I've been saying I'd toss something else up... so, here
it is. I just clipped another song from the BrewTones 6 year Anniversary
Show. (Over the Mountains) It's a great song; the audio is mediocre; the
video is super lame. Why? BECAUSE!!! I had to stay in that one bad place
over on the side...trying to see around people hogging the place I had set
aside for photographers. Plus, it just wasn't a good angle.
NOW. (class) I guarantee - Kyle and I will deliver something better...a
better product that will trump any of my hackneyed video embelishment.
There are multiple camera angles, multi-tracked sound. We'll see.
I'm loving having my Mac back...absolutely overjoyed at the fact that I
can sit in this big leather loveseat/chair in the den (while Kim is yakking
with 21 year old friend, Ti) and peer into the fresh, unscratched, pristine
screen; ok. so what if it is held together with duct tape. I'm ok with it. Did
I mention: Thank You? I...oh mygosh, Chauntelle's making coffee...YES! I
always wanted a daughter who I could train to love and make coffee.
itunes is about to skip across the pond. Boasting over 70 million songs
within the first year, they're ready to take on the British. (that was my
news break. impressive, ehh?)
Eisley recorded a ruff mix - a garage band version of this new song... to
send to management. It's coming along. Not much to say... gosh. I'm
stumbling around this week on the forum. What can I talk about? It's not
important that I talk. If I think of something worthwhile to say, I'll come
back. Thanks. bd
Thursday June 10
A Drift into Deep Ellum tonight
We're bored and want to support our friends in Pilot Drift, so we're
treking to Deep Ellum tonight to see them at Tree's. $5.00 gets you in at
8:00 doors. If you guys want to come support these guys with us, then
get your bootimus with your so-called friends in your mobile-auto-unit
this eve and come hear a very great, very creative, very buzzworthy
band: Pilot Drift.
Maybe we could meet and hang for a bit. We always go down to Cafe'
Brazil for food or coffee, but even if not...we could converse at the
venue, on the street, in the dark alley; Either way, come say hello to us.
Or say hello to the band. Don't be weird and shy... yes, we travel as a
mammoth family pack, but we promise not to thwack you with our doylee
encrusted arms of great length. no. Or gore you with a 1955 Madge
Home-Maker pummeling rod of iron. (those kind with the black
rubber tips) No we won't.
If you do NOT come, then do NOT ever, ever, ever...I mean EVER
consider not coming tonight. That's my final lovely to put apon you. It's
The Drift's first time to play at Tree's... I think. If I'm a liar:
If I'm a liar, call-me-the-same
Ney matee's ney!
Nor I, nor he, but-only-the-three
who called me boid for short!!
----------------------
sad: Ray Charles died today.
----------------------
Friday June 11
We Passed on Pedro
But not because we don't love Dave the Lion and his special music; I
think it was because we wanted to grill food and eat it worse. (worse than
drive to Dallas, spend more money on gas and food, fight staying awake
on the way back home...get to bed at 3:00am)
Having a hard time staying awake... I posted around first and now I'm
sleepy. (up at 8:00...4 hours...not so unusual) I should have gone in the
kitchen and made coffee instead of of eathing that "carb buster" ice
cream. The girls tempted me with it. Now here I am in this sad, sad state.
I'm just gonna turn in. Kim tells me storms are coming... great. That's all we need.
Saturday June 12
Forum Wars
An Unofficial Boyd Comparative Analysis
Fellow Eisley forum users. Today, I dug through other message boards
on WB just to find out how Eisley's stacks up against bands who are
somehow important enough to have a photo or a feature blurb on FRONT
PAGE of the Warner Bros and/or Reprise website.
These are bands I would call contemporaries... recently signed or already
established bands who were signed within the last several years. Some
are bands that Craig Aaronson (Eisley's A&R) signed). Muse was signed
by Perry Watts Russel - the legendary alledged guy who signed
Radiohead at Capital, but really didn't...
There's no real way to compare numbers in a fair way since I'm sure
some of the forums are newer than others. Still, that's a benchmark in
and of itself, since bands that have really have their acts together
probably already had message boards when they signed.
I simply give the number of total posts on their forums. Some have total
user numbers...some don't. Here are the results:
Trapt (forum is under construction)
The Distillers have no message board.
Bonnie McKee 110 total posts. (me a guest is on)
Earshot 430 total posts (0 members and 1 guest online) 81 members
The Ditty Bops 49 total posts. 0 registered users on (1 guest)
Secret Machines 240 total posts (1 member on line 4 guests)
My Chemical Romance 253 total posts (4 members and 5 guests on line)
The Von Bondies 1097 total posts (1 member on line)
Hot Hot Heat 9993 total posts. Right now there are 2 members and me as a guest on.
Eisley 140,912 total posts. 18 users online 10 guests. 2941 users.
Muse 169,200 total posts. 8,919 members.
The Used 262412 total posts (wow!) 15 members and 29 guests online
I'm not trying to make some big show of force or anything. I was
honestly just curious to see how AMAZING we were...that's all. And my
conclusion is: Eisley's forum is ahead of the pack...considering the fact
that we're the underdogs... with no record out, there is no promotion
coming from the label yet.
We had more people on line than any of the other forums I looked
at...(all looked at this around 10:30pm tonight within 15 minutes of each
other) and the numbers seem to indicate that we're posting more with
fewer users; that just means you guys are more into the culture/scene
band/community...you're more dedicated. Some of those bands have hit
songs on the radio. I've heard SO much hype on these bands...I was
expecting to be slaughtered by their exuberant fans via their forums.
(I'm lying. I secretly thought we were "capital A-mazing"...chauntelle made that up.)
Of course, I excluded bands like "Red Hot Chili Peppers" and "Eric
Clapton" or "R.E.M"...to me those aren't contemporaries. They're in a
different league.
I guess it was just encouraging to me. With some of the stress we've
been under lately, it's just cool to know you guys are so...I dunno...
nice to hang out here and be such a huge part of this band's presence,
appeal, expansion, culture.
Can I thank you guys again? NO. I'm so serious. The people I know at
WB say this is one of the most rapidly growing, best developed, most
informative forums out there...anywhere. And they say you guys are
"rabid". I'm not sure if I like that term, but...you guys are "Capital A-
mazing". So... from the top of my heart and the bottom of Eisley's heart,
thank you.
much love,
boyd
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I'm going to post that our there under eiselyblog for visibility and
discussion. So, if you have big things to say, or little things...make
sure you speak your peace in that thread. This is lo-key journaling.
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About today: (gosh, since I prostituted the data, I
should give you something of X-tra value, huh?)
have something of x-tra value here, right?
Kim and i got up early and went to walk with cleo our boxer and then took her to the pet store to get dogfood and actually let her shop with us. then we went home and the slugs were just waking up so we fixed smoothies, which we do all the time, then I worked and post a bit and so did kim and then eisley decided to go swimming with friends so kim and i took a nap since we got up early and then i got up and worked and dug thru band web pages and then sherri called and said to meet them at the park for a picnic so we did and ate like little piggies...ice cream with chocolate syrup (hersheys is the only acceptable brand) and watermelon and sandwiches and potatoe salad and cookes and sat on blankets and played and then came home and they took naps and collin played with his new video games that eddie (musicwriter77) sent him and the others woke up and jimmy (from calilfornia) played or watched with him and then i worked more and brad came over and me, kim, brad, sherri watched the end of the bridget something diaries and then were hungry so we made our famous dupree turkey burgers on the george forman grill with cilantro, onions (on the same grill), avacato spread, wheat bread...and baked chips with dip; and we ate while chatting and listened to Thom Yorke, Johnny Greenwood live in New York (bootleg from before AHTTT came out) and laughed and then Timmy (jon's brother) and Jennifer came over and we made some of them listen to Rodeohead and we laughted and loved it and then the entire gang went for a walk in the neighborhood in the dark, which is what they've done for years and have been inspired to write songs as a result and I might even have an old picture of them on one such journey...and that's where they are this very instant at midnight, but since I'm so dedicated, here i am.
photo: Taken the same night they took the shot that i ended up re
touching on the front of "Marvelous Things". (that's their side kick -
Christie on the right...she's always near becuz they luv her so much)
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huh-Wahhh, huh-Wahhh... i don't wanna start another week already! But,
it's Sunday folks. This week is over.