I had my Monday by Thursday. Which is ok, because I've previously had my Monday on a Sunday.
During a good week, Monday starts by Tuesday.
I am spending a lot of time Thoughtfully Not Doing Things. A lot of thought has gone into not-doing.
There's a list. A long list. We're busy as all GTFO doing paperwork an other items familiar to the #selfpropelledartist (our motto - start walking kid, no one's coming to get ya).
I've also been reviewing a whole bunch of 'WTF' possibilities due to observable changes in the state of the Music System.
Pandora (music streaming service) just left OZ. Kanye's pulled out of Tidal. All music is effectively streamable for free (and easily pirateable). Uh oh.
Welcome to the Voluntary Market - people gotta wanna exchange energies with ya. Uh oh (part the 2nd).
Humans like music, music still good, music and humans will, hopefully remain, systems will change.
This week we have 'not' done things because it's very hard to know which of the things is a useful thing, and how much of it is errant silliness. Most of it, but some sillier than others.
Our focus has been and continues to be, making things. That's as it should be.
Perhaps the best option is to continue to experiment and await further data.
It is puzzling indeed. I shall continue chewing on a twig and looking for tasty tasty termites.
A snooze was rightly in order. I was thinking myself lucky to have skipped Sydney's cold & flu season but it got me.
I have a list of jobs to do and the first was a cup of tea and the History Channel. Achoo.
In spite of that, I tried doing a few more jobs, like getting some more CD's made. But really, I have a whole WTF are we doing with physical stuff right now.
We really are in the interregnum, between when Digital takes over altogether and the last vestiges of nice shiny plastic and artwork.
On the plus side, if we get some more cd's made they will be in the song order of correctness.
Does that even matter anymore?
Holy crap we are in a totally quantum place right now, where both the old answer and the new answer are a little right.
We arrive at the most interesting of conclusions, that whilst systems shift, we concentrate on making stuff.
I still have art, layouts and promo stuff to do for Defiance, because if a tree falls in the forest...OMG I AM TURNING INTO ROGER!!!
Patience. Patience.
We are doing many good things, that take time, care, thought. I'd like to play with all the toys all at once. It might be well to smile a little, pause and take our time finishing these good things.
AHAHAHAHAHA JUST KIDDING. Mr Wizards already bringing me new songs. I think the guys have really started to get into the fact that they are free to chase ideas.
I am working to get a sample out from 5D to show you what I mean.
The great part about this is that it is self regulating. Even with the freedom to do whatever you want, you can only get so much done.
Even better, since reading Rick's stuff has made me think hard about words, it's encouraged me to wait until someone says something clever I can crib inspiration strikes. Well kind of.
I might have written a little while back, that you learn from what you pay attention to.
I'm fairly sure I stopped taking those cold and flu pills. Maybe not hmmm.
Once again I am reminded that I can fairly say the best words, the work continues. The guys are banking up tunes and melodies. When left to our own devices, we'll keep making things we're interested in, as well as we can, when we can.
So back to the non musical aspects of the work for a few days :-) Then maybe'll i'll get to play with the toys again!
Saturday night at Coogee for the last two gigs has featured a local group of very special kids. They are into music,they dance, and they're switched on enough to ask for a CD from stage in front of everybody.
Of course I'm going to give him a free CD. He gets a CD and I get to look like a good guy. His folks stuck some cash in our box, but they needn't have done so, he had me foxed good and proper
Well played sir, well played!
But wait! They're out to get me lucky charms!
This afternoon an Budgewoi, Harrison was dancing down the front whilst his parents filmed it. Given that the song was 'come back baby' (little Walters 'hate to see you go') I expected we'd outlast him and voiced such opinion from stage.
Oops.
Harrison out danced us all and was awarded a CD as well. Bravo sir. I have accepted the gratitude of his parents who will have a nice quiet ride home :-)
That's Kids 2: Me 0.
Ah the Australian Beer Garden. It's actually a great part of the culture, it's not about the booze (yes that's there) but these days you can't really drink and drive. Pubs bistros and beer gardens are still the place you can go eat, drink, sit with other people and maybe dance to some music, and have the kids with you.
Thanks to Brad and Paul for helping us to try the acoustic 5D stuff. Also thanks to all the Cellar Dwellers that came out to join us.
Jo was with us this weekend (yay), we tested new songs (yay X2) , shared the last few copies of the short run of CD's (the ones with the error in the song order), I drove through the sunshine this afternoon getting to Budgewoi, (yay 4) listening to takes from 5D and I got a Boss parking spot last night.
Yeah you heard me. A top parking spot.
Not the 'best' spot but a darn good one for Coogee.
Frankly at this point I will take whatever victories I can as the kids have got us beat for the rest.
I'm out of CD's. I am going to wind up doing another batch. Maybe. I'll see.
Wow I am ready for my own nap time. Gosh but we're having fun. There are so many songs now we can't fit them all into a set and I'm up for driving them harder.
Mush doggie! Mush! Ya mule ya?
Note to self - maybe next time, if I can a cold, only 1 of the sinus pills, that stuff is strong. I may have been just a little further 'out there' than usual these last two shows.
NOTE: Roger broke into the system again, but thanks to our anti-manager AI platform we were able to intercept it before his article autopublished.
Sadly it looks like something slipped through as I have reports that he did in fact run this ad. Still, we have a sense of humour about these things, so I present Roger's post and his ad.
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Hello me lads, jeez you know you could really do with my help in marketing, underground is one thing, but if a tree falls in a forest then the tills don't ring with the sound of moola, you savvy?
I was right up for sorting you out, like I always do, but me password didnt seem to work again, but i know that's just another misunderstanding. There's a right helpful bloke from Vladivostok who helps me out and he sorted the account.
By the way MJEB your password isn't spankymonkey66 it's now spankymonkey67 and you might want to change that soon before the blokes from Ukraine wake up and realise i haven't paid them.
But don't worry me lads. You know i love me boys and I wont let nuthing separate us, restraining order or otherwise
So I have organised some advertising and a few otrher promotional what noozits and howzats. Don't thank me now, thank me later.
Ten years eh? It seems only yesterday I inserted that management clause into the distribution deal. Oh yes, paragraph 143, page 82, a connection we'll always have, until the court rules otherwise.
Now as I still have a vested interst in you blokes and I like money a very lot, I thought it was time we told the world what you've been up to for the last while.
Not making me any bloody coin that's what.
So let's get to it. It's a good ablum, this bloke you made it with has got a list of credits as long as my list of creditors.
You gotta tell people! It's success by association! Just look at the list!
*****
*********
*****
******
*****
(EDIT: redacted by MJEB)
So we start by putting out an ad in the tradies
Your credit card didn't work when I tried to run this anywhere outside sydney so we'll start here but have big plans me lads!
Now the next thing you need to do is run a videoclip for one of the songs. Luckily I found one you already made.
And you need to tell the people about the guests on it, like ***************** and *************.
Tell'em all about the making of it in the states, that always impresses'em. Yeah I know you write it all down in the blog when you is all doing it and so forth but they don't know that they do?
And for the love of mother mcreery, put up a bloody sales page for it!
My boys, I don.t know why you concentrate on making records when you need to spend more time yelling at people to give oyu attention!
It's the new way me lads, like it or not. Take aleaf out of the playbook for the big boys and do something humiliating that you can apologise for! The punters eat it up mate!
Anyway me internet is running out and this nice guard Paco wants his mobile phone back. Congratulations on your 9th album me lads, for the bottom of me heart. You're a plucky bunch of chancers from the cheap streets and you do your old hometown proud.
Now go out there and make me bail.
Love,
Roger.
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EDIT: I don't know how he keeps breaking in but we just haven't had the heart to charge him, those South American jails can be tough and we don't want to add to his troubles. He means well. I think. Maybe he's right. Maybe we get so busy doing the stuff because we can that we forget to...nah stuff it. Cheers Roger, don't let your celly rub your belly.
