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?

Getting Away from Stagnation

So you’ve got a hit. It’s like finding that one venue you love; maybe they buy the most merch, or perhaps they just show up in droves with staggering attendance. Regardless, you’ve got something good and it’s attracting the droves. You want to do it over and over again, right? You want to play that same show over and over again and write songs that sound like the hit you’ve created.

But what’s that worth? Is it music or a hit generator? Maybe your music is contagious and you can sell anything, but if you’re just doing more of the same, there’s no progress. And that’s not music. It’s supposed to be this life-long endeavor that revolves around sound and expression. And those are ever-changing. Music evolves along with the rest of society. You have to keep up creatively in order to be relevant. A hit that sounds like another hit – or even two shows that are indistinguishable – that’s not music.

With whatever you’ve got that’s good, you’ve got two choices. Either you can cash out on it, or you can use it for progress. If you want to sound the same and continue to polish whatever dying paradigm you’ve discovered, go ahead, be the next 90’s boy band or the next Nickelback. But if you want sustainability, don’t slow down; keep evolving. Take your hit and learn from it; take your favorite venue and learn from it. Polish the musical experience; the expression and emotion of sound. Don’t polish a formula. If you’re stuck polishing that formula, eventually you’ll be passed by.

That means that your next song can’t be like the last; the next time you play that venue can’t mimic the last. And it’ll be a struggle, but it’ll push you out of what is comfortable. The more comfortable music you make, the more you’ll fall into a box.

This has been on my mind a lot lately. As I’m continually looking for new and exciting ways to exploit my guitars and the signal that passes from them to my amps, I look to see what boxes I have placed myself in. This is especially important because I frequent the same venues. I’m not doing huge tours; I’m playing the same venue 2 or 3 times a year. Which is nice for consistency, and it’s nice because I don’t have time to travel all over the world. But it gets you comfortable. I shouldn’t be giving people the same show they saw 4 months ago. That’s what Netflix is for, and the internet.

Comfortable, to me, is playing the same songs in the same order; it’s using the same stories and illustrations. Comfortable to me is the same tuning, or the same tempo, or the same key. I’m quick to point out comfortable, but like so many others, slow to implement change. But that is how you progress.

Some of the best gigs I’ve played lately have been me forcing myself from stagnating. I’ve intentionally omitted stories and have added details to others. I’ve intentionally mixed up my set list. I’ve gone so far as to intentionally change parts of songs mid-song. Yes, sometimes it’s because I forget parts; however, lately it’s been because I want every single show to be unique and I want to be able to express myself in real-time, rather than express myself from when I first wrote the song. IT’S MUSIC; YOU HAVE THAT FREEDOM.

You don’t want people to think that they can just catch you next time or that you’re the guy with that one song. Those are evidence that you’re going nowhere. Maybe it sells, but you’re musically bankrupt. And it won’t take long before people start to recognize that. Then you’ll be left with no hits and no venues you want to return to.

It’s a conscious decision. And it’s a tough one. Depending on your genre and your audience, people may not like something that’s new; it may only be acceptable to play hits. I’ll admit it; every time I go to see August Burns Red, I want to hear The Seventh Trumpet. That’s how lots of fans are. But don’t let it become where you’re a cover band of yourself. Because that’s one step closer to being a cover band. And they make me throw up in my mouth. That’s not music; it’s regurgitation.

But the anti-cover band is another discussion… My point is that you can’t get into that stagnation; it will suffocate your music. Intentionally pick a new key or a new tuning. Study a genre outside of what you play; then implement the techniques! Stop resolving notes at the end of a song. Play out of tune and make it sound good. The possibilities are endless! Just be sure you’re taking your music somewhere.

MusicWithoutLimits Review of Live at Muddy River Jam Fest VI

http://musicwithoutlabels.com/2013/08/08/alex-brubaker-live-at-muddy-river-jam-fest-vi-new-musicalbum-review/


Big thanks to my good friend, Dave Fox, for the review up on musicwithoutlabels!

If you're not familiar with Dave, he's a DJ out of the Philly area. If you google his name, apparently there was a DJ in Michigan named David Fox who was fired from the radio station he worked at. This isn't him.
I have yet to see one of his shows post-graduation (he's a fellow Messiah alum), but he knows good music. I could be completely wrong on this, but I believe he spins at the Liberty Bar on Thursday nights. Check him out!

@philosofoxthedj

Guest Album Review: Alex Brubaker: Live at Muddy River Jam Fest VI (review by David Ryan)

I meant to post this review for the CD release. Considering that that was over a month ago, I guess I dropped the ball. In any event, here is the first review that I got from my second album, Alex Brubaker Live at Muddy River Jam Fest VI. It's from a good friend, Pastor David Ryan of Hopeland United Methodist Church. As a sidenote, if you've seen me play recently, I have added a song, Psalms, to my set, which was a song written for a performance at that church.

If you haven't picked up a copy yet, you can get yours at:
cdbaby
itunes
amazon

If you'd like a physical copy and don't feel like ordering online (and I have no idea why amazon has them for $15?!), let me know!



To the review:

"

I became a fan of Alex Brubaker a few years ago when I heard him play at Ten Thousand Villages Cafe. What a delight his music was then...and now! After having almost worn out his previous CD, it was with great anticipation that I slipped his new release, "Live at Muddy River Jam Fest VI" into my player. Once again, Alex does not disappoint! His music is thought provoking and easy to get lost in! While the Album may appear at first glance to be short at 6 songs, each song plays for a significant period. Don't worry - you get more than your money's worth!

The song Muddy jam has a great tempo beat to it - a constant underlying rhythm. I find this tune particularly great to have playing in my headphones for a long walk.

Ice Mountain, a repeat from his first CD receives a fresh treatment here. It's haunting melody takes you for a great hike in the mountains.

One of my personal favorites is track 3 - Revival. I'm not sure just what Alex had in mind here, but as a pastor, this tune puts me in mind of a spiritual revival. Its bright, happy and sassy.

Doppelganger is the next tune. When I listen to this i think about the times I have heard Alex play it live - and it never fails to bring a smile to my face.

Knowing Alex's love for *skiing and being in the snow, track 5, Snow Angel conjures up images of looking out the window as the first snow flakes start to fall in a night sky, getting into your winter wear and dashing out into the drifts to create your own snow angels just like when you were a kid. It's playful, romantic and fun.

I confess that I am not so much a fan of the harsher electric guitar sounds found in the last track, Phoenix, but if piercing electric guitar rifts are your thing - you will love this last song. Over all, "live at Muddy river" is a great addition to your listening library. It's great for making the miles go by on a long drive. It leaves you free to think or, at other times, takes your mind away from thinking and into a great guitar zone. Of course, seeing him perform live is even better! Alex is amazing to watch as he makes the music magic happen before your eyes! Listening to his CDs after you have seen him helps you appreciate the tunes even more!....David Ryan, pastor, Hopeland UMC.

"

*snowboarding

Objective Reasons Why Country Music Sucks (pt. 2)

Ah, another Tuesday. Another day jam packed with music’s distant cousin, country. It always has me thinking; I just don’t get this stuff. And if you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know this. For it’s a well-known fact that I abhor country music. I’ve mentioned it several times and even once wrote just about objective reasons why country music sucks (this is the sequel).

The response to that blog is interesting. It’s an anomaly of sorts. I’ve had friends tell me they liked it and agree, but that’s not out of the norm. The part that’s out of the norm is that out of roughly 7000 views on over 100 blog posts, as of today, it has over a thousand views. Over the past several months, it has consistently gotten well over a hundred views a month.

And I know those aren’t big numbers. I do this for fun. I enjoy writing and if others enjoy reading my writing, then great! But, I mean, I’ll only publish a few things a month; I just don’t have the time. There’s plenty to write about, but there are rocks to climb and snow-capped mountains and, well, writing just doesn’t motivate me the same way.

But out of only a handful of posts and a few thousand views, here’s what’s interesting:












This is a screenshot of some of the search criteria that has led people to view my blog. Again, the numbers are small, but statistically, they are significant. There’s an overwhelming response has come from others who have a similar distaste for the genre. It’s unfortunate, on one hand, that they’re not all searches for me; I guess I’m just not that popular! But a disdain for country music? That seems to get the fish biting!

So I thought I’d come up with some other rather objective reasons as to why country music sucks. As much as I’d love more views and higher viewership, mainly I just need to get this frustration out ..and I am really interested in seeing the metrics of this particular post compared to non-country bashing posts.

We’ll pick up from where the last blog left off:


4. Emotionless. Isn’t music about expression? That gives music dimension; it brings depth. If you’re trying to tell a story, tell it like you have a vested interest in it. If you’re angry, show it; if you’re upset, sound like you care; if you’re in love, sound like it. I’m listening to this stuff right now and, unless I focus on the words, the music, song to song, is all the same. I can’t derive any meaning from the inflection. There is no soul. These are just notes. And twangy notes at that; the worst kind.

Alternatives? Something folksy (isn’t that where country has its roots?), like Iron and Wine, where there’s dialogue and inflection and so much more organic emotion. Plus, Sam Beam's story telling is pretty great. Something folksy/rocky/experimental-ly like mewithoutYou, where there is real story-telling and the music is driven by emotion wrapped in metaphor. Or, for something completely different, Listener, for more of an emotive spoken word. You can feel the music with these. They don’t sound like some bloviating Texan corporate monolith. Feel!

5. It keeps trying to be mainstream Rock or Pop. Why?! At this point, it’s hard to tell that the genre is rooted in folk rather than rock or pop, based on much of what is mainstream. That leads to more emphasis on the hook, more emphasis on song structure, and more repetition. It’s a pretty universal idea that those formulas are what sell; that’s what’s done it for rock, pop, and everything else that has made it into the public conscience. Country is just exploiting these songwriting elements and making them more formulaic than they ever have been.

Alternatives? Real rock and real pop.

6. It pushes no boundaries. Music used to be about pushing boundaries; that’s what made it exciting. The stuff they play every Tuesday here at work is positively dull. There are different tempos and different keys, but nothing that makes you go Wow. The only thing new in country is that it can no longer survive as its own genre. Music isn’t about hiding behind the guise of another.

Alternatives? Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Not a personal favorite, but everything I’ve heard of theirs has been pushing boundaries. There’s innovation, texture, and depth. Plus, they’ve got a banjo; that should appeal to the country folk…



And I’ll stop with those three. Perhaps I’ll continue with more at another time. Again, these are generalizations, but I am trying desperately to be unbiased and objective.

Any other thoughts? I’d love to hear other arguments against …or even for country. It would be interesting to know what it is that doesn’t drive others away.