Live at Muddy River Jam Fest VI - Background

If you missed the Muddy River Jam Fest show I played back in 2010, you missed one of the most unique shows I have ever been a part of. This is years later, but in light of the release of my live album from that very show, I thought it might be good to give some background on the performance, the song selection, and anything else that is unique to that show.

It all started after the release of my first album, Deconstructing the Temporal Lobe. With my release through cdbaby, I got a 6 month free subscription to Sonicbids, a pay-to-play gig finder. I was young and naïve and thought this was a great idea (I have since grown to oppose the pay-to-play model) and a great chance to get in front of some audiences that I had never played in front of before. One of the big problems I had was that no one is looking for percussive fingerstyle guitarists; mainly because no one knows what we are or why someone would want to listen to instrumental music (“wait, so you don’t sing?”). So I stumbled upon this festival, Muddy River Jam Fest; they sounded pretty diverse, ranging from jam bands to DJs, and it looked like a place where artistic, instrumental music could fit in.

I submitted my press kit to them and heard back shortly thereafter. A few negotiations went down and eventually the details were ironed out. Basically, it ended up being for “exposure” (also, pointing to my naïveté) and gas money (which I never got) (Later on, the live recording got thrown into the mix, ultimately making it really worthwhile). It was exciting; one of my first festivals to be playing an actual stage. Accordingly, I prepared like crazy as the date approached. I was a bit nervous. I mean, a festival means lots of people and lots of other music to compete with, right?

Well, not at 10am. So I show up at this festival around 8:30-9am, with Kelly and Brad. Tents are everywhere, littering the fields, but not a single person is awake; no one is at the gate, which is locked. So I call all the contacts I have. No answer. Everyone is asleep. I keep trying to call and, finally, by 9 I get a hold of the organizer. By this time a line has formed behind me; mostly other artists, I presume. We finally get in at 9:30, giving me half an hour to find the stage, unload, park, set up, and do everything else associated with playing somewhere you’ve never played before. I’m a little frazzled at this point, but just trying my best to help things run smoothly.

Half an hour later, I was all set, save a quick sound check. However, the sound guy had only just arrived from his late night of partying, drinking, and drugs. He actually hadn’t gone to bed yet; cocaine and ecstasy apparently were the drugs of choice for festival goers… Not exactly my normal associates. Needless to say, it took him some time to get around to the sound check.

So the sound checked out alright and I began to play. To no one. You’ve got to come down, I suppose, and if you’re up until the sun rises, in some drug induced stooper, you don’t come back until the sun is at its peak. It was 10am; of course no one was out.

But shortly, a boy emerged. Wearing boxers, an open-faced Hawaiian shirt, and sunglasses, he wielded his red solo cup, dancing and cheering all on his own. Another couple passed by, but the crazy kid, drinking at 10am in the morning, was the only one to stay for the duration of the set. From the stage I could see the sea of tents packed into the adjacent field. This kid and the couple were literally the only festival-goers who were even awake. At that point, I didn’t feel bad about playing to a small crowd. I like to think that the rest of them were enjoying the tunes from within their tents, too hung over to will themselves out of bed.

So I played my set for Kelly, Brad, the sound guy, and the hippy kid. With probably over 50% of the coherent festival-goers in attendance, that’s not bad. The hippy kid, especially, was into it. I’ll post separately on the songs themselves and why I chose them for the set. This is just the story behind the show, for now.

So I played my set. I was told that I had a 45 minute set. The recording ended up at 44 minutes and change (the CD had some stuff cut out), so I think I planned pretty well. Regardless of how perfectly timed things were, when I got done with my set, I got blank stares from the sound guy. When I informed him that I stopped because another act was up at noon, he looked baffled. I think they either must have changed things (like my set time??) without telling me, or had a no-show; there didn’t end up being anyone back at that stage until after lunch.

After my set, I packed up and we wondered around the festival a bit. It was still rather quiet at that point, but you could tell that people were beginning to emerge from their tents to start their day. As we wondered around, we stopped by boutiques selling everything from tye-dye blankets to drug paraphernalia to hippie instrument shops; there was even a glass blower there, sculpting glass …items, right there in front of you. It was definitely a neat little artisan area they had set up; completely different from the art galleries and festivals I’d ever played before.

Eventually, we made our way to the recording trailer, tucked away at the far end of the fairgrounds. I picked up my recording, thanked them, and went to listen to it in my car, baking in the mid-summer’s heat. I don’t recall if I listened to everything at that point or not, but I was pleased with how it turned out. In spite of most everyone being stoned and/or hung over, the recording came out quite well.

The rest of the day we spent listening to jam bands and DJs. I’ve always been fond of jam bands, though only getting to see DMB and Robert Randolph and the Family Band, but I had never really gone to “see” a DJ; it was a new experience. Some were definitely better than others. My opinion is that if you’re going to be a DJ, you should be manipulating the tracks live, not just hitting “Play” and pumping your fist.

The highlight of the bands we saw was definitely this band, Fikus. They’re definitely worth checking out. The hippies were real into them. Notably, there was some sun child hippie girl, dreaded hair, body paint, and with more body hair than me, who was laying down some of the most bizarre dance moves I’ve ever seen. There were also several people with hula hoops, streamers, and all sorts of other strange garb. They were quite the sight, but it was really great to see people so into the music. And they were all really nice; lots of other people are not nice.

We ended up leaving the festival before it got dark. That is, before it went too crazy. After hearing about the previous night, it was probably in our best interest. It was already getting a little crazy and people had barely been awake 5 hours, so I’m sure as the night drew on, we would’ve been in for quite the treat.

Considering most shows I go to are metal shows, singer/songwriters, or experimental guitarists, the whole atmosphere was drastically different from anything I’ve ever experienced. Fun, but really bizarre from an outsider’s prospective. I haven’t gotten to play many festivals in a while and I miss the unique blend of people they bring out. Definitely the highlight of the experience was getting the live recording, but after that it’d be the atmosphere and the unique perspective it provided on the jam band and DJ subcultures.

The album is giving me some more time to sort out the second studio album and will help to keep fans held over until then. Up in the near future will be a breakdown of the songs on the album!

Square

I jumped on the smartphone bandwagon a few months ago; it was either June or July. I know, I’m a few years late to the race, but I don’t feel like I missed too much. I held onto the old resistive type touchscreen and the physical keyboard buttons; they worked much better with guitar nails. And, of the new phone options, very few had those nail-friendly screens or buttons… Eventually, though, I was several years overdue for a new phone and the old phones I was using were dying on me left and right (mostly due to old age, not misuse or neglect).

But I wasn’t about to pay for a phone with comparable functionality to its predecessors, roping me into a 2 year contract. It was time to enter the smartphone era.

So I tried a few out and opted for the HTC One. I thought about jumping in with Apple, but the screen wasn’t big enough for me to text with the guitar nails. Seriously, if you’ve got ‘em grown out, you need more room. And several of the phones I burned through prior to this were Samsung, housed in a cheap plastic case, so I was turned off to that (If you make a high-end phone, don’t house it in cheap plastic!). The HTC it was.

But I’m not here to pitch you a phone. It’s a phone; I’m happy that I can talk, text, and get on facebook and craigslist. I’d be just as happy with an iphone or the latest Galaxy or even a Nokia. It’s a phone.

And mostly, I’d be happy with a phone that didn’t do the internet, too. That is still not synonymous with phone, for me at least.

But… what I would miss, and what pushed me towards the smartphone, is the era of the smartphone credit card swiper.

I first heard of these probably about 2 years ago, in a Lefsetz post. It was back when the Square Card was pretty much the only option. Before it was in stores, you could email them and they would send you a Square Card reader for FREE! I almost emailed them just so I would have it for whenever I would make the smartphone jump.

Instead, I waited. For both; the smartphone came a few years later, followed shortly thereafter by the Square Card. And I had to pay $10 at Target, but Square Card credits you $10 with a card you get. And you can still just email them through their app in order to get a free one, but I didn’t know that until after I made the purchase.

And at this point in the game, it’s not just Square Card. There are 3 or 4 other options: intuit, paypal, payanywhere, and probably a few others I’m forgetting. Portable credit card readers are now accessible. And they’re affordable; Square Card, at least, will pay you back for your purchase, has no annual fee, and charges 2.75% on CC purchases, without any hidden fees.

Over the past several months, I’ve started to see more and more of them in public; everywhere from mini golf to cafes to musicians. They’ve become the quintessential tool of the mobile small business. I’ve even seen some craigslist ads saying that they take credit card via smartphone card reader!

Because who carries cash? Cash is bulky, has more liability, and is dirty. A card has insurance, rewards points, and isn’t bulky. I saw someone pull out a checkbook at the grocery store the other day. What the heck??

In this day and age, most people just expect to pay with a card. Sure, it’s led countless Americans into staggering debt, but if you’re not spending beyond your means, it's the preferred convenience.

Historically, this has been a downfall of the small business owner, the mobile business owner, and the musician. Unless people plan on being somewhere where they’ll need cash, a lot of times they’ll only keep a limited amount on them. And if someone like that stumbled into your small business or happened to see your show, you were out of luck. Maybe it doesn’t happen often, but the number of times I’ve heard “sorry, I don’t have cash,” have certainly added up through the years.

Since I’ve gotten my own card reader, that issue is a thing of the past. And the few CD sales and tips I get from cards actually ads up to be able to pay for my data plan most of the time. That is income I would otherwise have not gotten.

But here’s the thing: I only do this part time. Part time as in, with my next few shows, my show count will be 11 for the year.

It got to the point to where it didn’t make sense for me to not have a smartphone anymore. And it was primarily because of this capability. I couldn’t afford to lose potential fans because I didn’t have a way to accept money from them. If I see someone, regardless of how great they are, I’m much more likely to follow up with the artist if I have something tangible in my hands leaving the show.

You may never have a second chance to make a fan or make a customer. Every additional way you can accommodate others will make them more likely to repeat your story.

And as a small business owner or musician, you can finally do that in a way that monetarily benefits you! At the price of a handful of small fees.

It makes sense. The entry level for old credit card readers was something like $250; that’s a lot of sunk cost for a small business. And on top of that, you still had the card fees. Now, for the cost of a phone data plan, which you probably already have, you can have the same thing.

But some people don’t get that. Businesses, especially around where I live (Central Pennsylvania), can’t see past the fees. Kelly and I had to turn around when we got to the front of the line in a very well established ice cream parlor down the road from us because they didn’t take cards. The soft pretzel lady at the grocery store was lucky I had cash after taking my pretzels and finding out that they didn’t take cards. And there’s a sandwich shop in my hometown that directs you down the street to an atm…

It’s a disservice to customers and a disservice to yourself to not utilize technology so readily available.

Plus, the smartphone swipers act as a sign that you actually know what you’re doing trying to run a small business or make a career out of music. I’d much rather my business go with the well-informed entrepreneur with an up-to-date business model than to the one stuck in the past.

New Headphones

Switching headphones. Not a big deal, right? I mean, it’s more a thing of comfort and style, right?

False. In this day and age, yes, comfort and style tend to take precedence over functionality, but what a shame it is that the main focus has fallen from the music. What a wonderful society we live in…

In reality, for those who care about music, the audiophiles to whatever degree you can afford, it’s about the sound quality. Always. Comfort is a thing of functionality, not to be wrapped up in the guise of style.

So you have headphones covering a vast gamut of the function/comfort/style continuum. I’d take studio monitors any day of the week, in an isolated room, but that’s not practical in all cases, unfortunately. So I’ve been stuck with a pair of original Apple earbuds for quite some time. You know, the ones that came out with ipods back in the day.

I’ve wanted a nice pair, maybe Sennheiser HD600s or 700s, for a while now. I heard some rave reviews from some audiophile icons, but I shouldn’t afford stuff like that. $400-$1000 for headphones? One of those things that you could do, but really, really shouldn’t. So I’ve resisted. But if you’re not going for gold, then what’s the point? I don’t like to upgrade in multiple iterations; I prefer to go for the best and then wait a long time until whatever gadget is more or less obsolete. I was the one who waited until a few months ago to hop on the smartphone bus, remember? I’m slow to change, but go all in when I do. So, while I’ve thought about an incremental step, something like Beats (of which I've heard mixed reviews for the price point), it just doesn’t make sense. And in that time, I’ve been stuck with earbuds.

When Apple came out with the ipod/earbud package, it was all about delivery. The sound quality wasn’t quite there and the earbud quality wasn’t quite there, but the package deal offered accessibility that was contagious. I waited a bit on the ipod, until I could buy a used 5th gen (better sound than those that followed) for $50 from a friend. And I got the earbuds to match. And, while I’ve upgraded the ipod to a bigger one (60GB up from 30GB, which still isn’t enough!), the earbuds have remained. Seriously, these things are like 8 years old!

But I recently got a smartphone. The HTC One, to be exact. And they came with headphones/earbuds; the nice kind with the silicone pieces that conform to your ears and act as passive noise-cancellers. Allegedly, these are, more or less, Beats, resembling them in nearly every way. However, they stayed in their package until last week …because I had my earbuds.

Then last week I opened them up to give them a try. I listened for an album or two and was impressed, but they didn’t fit right, so I left them sit. Well, today I just got out the other silicone ear pieces and found some that fit.

And the sound?! Oh my! I knew the earbuds were bad. I knew that I had been doing a disservice to good music. Maybe I was in denial? Maybe I was numb after seeing the $1000 price tag of the HD700s? Actually, that’s probably pretty close to it.

The difference is similar to the background noise I spoke of only days ago. I didn’t realize the richness I was missing. I mean, I knew, but I didn’t understand. It’s like a veil has been lifted.

The bass response is so much more defined. The thump of the bass drum and the low roar of the bass are resonant as never before. The highs are crisp without being tinny. They didn’t even sound tinny before, actually; now, in comparison, they do. And the mids are balanced. You can hear everything nearly as intended.

Which got me thinking… I mean, I did just release a new album. And, to be honest, I reviewed most everything on either my old earbuds or in my car. Rookie mistake, but, again, I didn’t want to pitch for the $1000 headphones to do the job “right.” But now I’m listening to the album. And …dang. The intricacies coming out are unbelievable. The fact that it’s a live recording is so much more apparent with the little artifacts founds throughout the background. This is nuts!

So I've followed with some of my other favorite albums/bands: Portishead's self titled, Between the Buried and Me's latest, This Will Destory You, Trevor Gordon Hall, and the list will go on. It's almost like rediscovering this music.

Yes, I could still pick these apart. They're still not quite the same as live, but that's not the point. The point is that these were so accessible and right under my nose! And these came with my phone, at no additional cost!

Which is making me think… how much better is the real deal? Yes, I’ll probably stick with these for the foreseeable future. And it will be without looking back. Seriously, it’s only been a few albums worth of listening so far, but I can’t see myself going back. And I’m more anxious than ever to move forward.

Background Noise

We are bombarded by sound. Whether it’s blatantly in the foreground, or passively in the background, there is almost always something, however passive it may be, that is interrupting the intended signal that is reaching our ears.

In most cases, these go unquestioned and we continue on our lives. We become immune to things like the hum of the air conditioner or the rushing of the wind as we drive with our windows down. We’re aware that these sources of noise are present, but we just compensate for them and assume all is well. After all, if you can increase your signal to noise ratio, you should be able to understand more of the signal.

But what I’ve been noticing, and note that this is something I’ve known all along, is that, with music, the noise still has a significant impact on our perception. Depending on what the source of the noise is, it can represent very complex aural interference. All of the sudden, you have areas of frequency response that are muddied and cluttered to the point that everything within those specific ranges seems like it is part of the noise. Accordingly, we filter them out.

That’s the idea behind noise-cancelling headphones; we want to get rid of those sources of audible sludge. We want to cancel out the AC or the roar of a plane on a long flight. In general, headphones help with these sorts of noise sources, but sometimes they’re not an option and sometimes they still don’t do the music justice.

At that point, all the more you can do is try to eliminate the sources of noise. The difference will be surprising.

I’ve had the latest August Burns Red album playing in my car lately. I wanted a place to listen to it the whole way through and unfortunately I can’t just sit down at home with that sort of time; driving is often times the best opportunity. So I’m listening to it in my car. It’s got a good sound system, but nothing too great. I can deal with that. The big thing, though, was that I started to listen to it on a nice day, with my windows down.

Wind blowing in your ear, cascading between panes of glass, especially when coupled with the purr of the engine, destroys your mid range frequencies. I could crank the volume up as loud as possible, but vocals, chuggier guitar riffs, and a lot of tom work was just non-existent. Eventually, I rolled up the windows. Granted, there was still some car and road noise, but it cleaned things up that it was like listening to a whole new album; the difference was staggering. There was newfound clarity that so many others would have probably never even thought about.

And we don’t think about stuff like that. Music is considered background so often and is treated as such. Just this morning (Tuesday, i.e., country day at work) I was trying to block out the music in the office. It was working pretty well, sinking softly behind the hum of the AC. Then, for the first time in months, the fans shut off. The deafening silence pushed the music to foreground to an inescapable level; I had to reach out to my ipod.

But again, this idea that noise is dictating how we perceive music was thrown in my face. You probably have no idea how much richness is being choked out by a low signal to noise ratio. Not everyone has the resources to make an acoustically sound listening room to listen to music in perfect isolation. Not everyone can afford a $600 pair of really good headphones. But there are little things that make a huge difference, if you're willing to seek out change.

But if it’s an anomaly that even the bad music is void of such frequency convolution, how do we get good music to cut through?