Additional Promotion
In addition to the video promotion for the album, I've done some other, smaller bits around the campus here at DU. Smallest, of course, are the stickers which were designed by Nick, and simply point people to The Blackwell Gate website.Another one was a giant poster made up of a grid of 64 8.5"x11" sheets (made with the help of Courtney) which just points people to this website. It's large enough that I was able to hang it up in my window, which faces High street just north of Iliff, and it succeeded in convincing one person to visit the site and become a fan. As a result, I decided it would be worth a try, moving it to someone else's room. The above photo was taken at its current location directly next to the entrance of the building. If you're here because of that, feel free to comment in.
The Blackwell Gate
The Blackwell Gate, our first album, will be up for sale beginning May 1st. You'll be able to pick up the album right here. $10 for the 9-song vinyl edition, or name your own price for the 5-song digital version.
To promote the album, our friend Kevin Bell put together a (mock) documentary about the band and the album, featuring interviews with band members, as well as band manager and spiritual guru Rutherford "Rusty" Coynes. View it below.
While most of the video is fictional, it is true that Patrick Kelly moved to Boston about a week ago. Pamela Gilpatric and Nicholas Cox also dropped out for other (amicable) reasons. They didn't marry, though. But! Don't fret. Courtney Strauss remains on board, and I've invited many others to fill out the new sound which, as the video indicates, is completely danceable. Details on this change will come after the new record has settled a bit!
What'll it Take?
The Blackwell Gate has been a long time coming. The first whispers came during a forty-five minute telephone conversation with an excited Patrick Kelly that straddled the border between February 25th and 26th, 2007. A couple days later, he expounded upon, solidified (and unwittingly named) the idea which would eventually become the album.
Afterward, I did some planning with Patrick. Almost exactly one year ago, I holed myself up and began tracking. While mixing, tracking new takes, and otherwise generally editing the album, we formed a band, played some shows, released an EP. It feels like it's been a lot longer than a year. I'm glad the record will finally be out next month. I'm excited.
Reading back over the initial formulation (it's weird, being able to trace the creation of the album through blogs), I realize that there's basically only one thing I want out of this whole experience: I want my album to be in your record collection, on your shelf, or in your iTunes library. I want to know who it slides between when it's organized.
What I don't know is what it's going to take for my record to reside there. How can I get you to throw it up on the shelf and import it to your music collection?
New Website, Album Soon
I'd like to introduce you to the new Roger, Roll website: much less a personal blog and much more a central location for all of your Roger, Roll needs. As cross-compatible with different OSs and different browsers as possible, and as Web 2.0 as you can handle. Here's a brief list of features:
1. Centralized music page with discography and free mp3s.
2. Shows list with last.fm integration.
3. Media page with your photos from Flickr and video from YouTube.
4. Plus RSS feeds for news, the blog (or both), and shows.
So, if you've snapped some photos of us at shows, upload them to your Flickr account and tag them as "Roger, Roll." They'll automatically show up right here. The same goes for YouTube videos.
Wait, Did You Say New Album Soon?
Yes! Tonight, we're announcing our debut album, The Blackwell Gate. It will be released in April, and available digitally, or with bonus material on limited edition vinyl. Details can be found on the music page.
Art, Sound
As part of the website redesign, I've split news into official "band news" and just my personal blog, which will still remain primarily music related. The main page will default to band news, but there are separate feeds, and a separate section for just the blog. Subscribe and read accordingly.
Tonight, we had to reschedule rehearsal because of a lot of conflicts. Finals for those of us still in school. Meetings for those of us who work. Instead, we've got a 9:00am Sunday practice lined up. In lieu of rehearsal, Courtney and I went to an art studio downtown, for an interesting event. Musicians (duos specifically) were asked to compose pieces to accompany a painting. The painting was projected onto a wall, while the musicians performed in front of it. A couple of her friends, Mark and Quinn, were set to perform.
It was a typical art studio, near Larimer and Downing. The performances were in the back, in what appeared to be a combination office/loading dock. Drinks and some great food were had out front in an office/gallery area. There were some people I recognized. Suzi, from The Psuedo Dates, and possibly the younger of the Dellinger sisters. The crowd, which barely fit into the loading dock area, was mixed. Half-art snob, half-music officianado. Old Apple monitors from the '80s were placed around the concrete floor, and some people sat on them. The rest stood.
We arrived just before the first duo performed. I don't remember much of it. There was a drum kit, and it was mic'd, and looped (echoed?) faintly in the background. I think maybe there was also a bass guitar. Immediately afterward was the second duo. A harp player, and another guy, who played a few different instruments. Courtney and I agreed that it wasn't very balanced. There was a guiding noise track in the background, coming from a 12" PowerBook. It got a little too abstract for me when the harp player started peddling an upturned bike by hand while the gentleman put a ruler through the spokes. The ending was probably the best part. The gentleman was playing a sky-blue, plastic contraption. It had buttons like an accordian, but laid flat on his lap. I wish I knew what it was. Then, intermission. Everyone went outside to smoke.
Mark and Quinn were up next. An interesting assortment of instruments were set up: Vibraphone, glockenspiel, piano, Rhodes, a gong, a tambourine, some kind of eight-stringed instrument (like a mandolin with a long neck), some kind of saxophone, assorted cymbals, and maybe a floor tom. There was a loop pedal on the floor, and it got a lot of use. I was pleased. It started (and ended) with Mark taking a bass bow to the low C on the vibes (bowing up and down the edge). He also bowed the gong, which made a really eerie squeal. Like the other performances, a lot of it was abstract, and chaotic. But there were more moments of clarity in this one than the others. Some interesting piano/vibes duo portions where Quinn kind of freaked out on the piano, but on some really interesting chords--probably jazz-influenced. Both were extremely expressive when they played. Also attentive to detail. Mark moved the tambourine from atop the rhodes (where it rattled) to the seat on a couple of occasions. Both extremely talented. A surprisingly moving set. Inspiring.
Afterward, Courtney and I headed back to campus. There were two more, but she has an early start, heading toward Santa Fe, and I had a paper to write. I don't think I could take myself seriously, composing pieces like those played. I could screw with a loop pedal for hours, but it would just be a bunch of cool sounds. It wouldn't have any meaning to me. The three duos we'd seen were obviously well rehearsed (especially considering how hard it is to work with loop pedals), so they must have put a good deal of thought into it. It was still just very weird and abstract and kind of represented all of the things I hate about art culture in general. A worthwhile evening, nonetheless.
