MISHTI.

One of the first musicians that really blew me out of the water here in Westchester was Mishti.  She absolutely attacks her music to the delight of all music fanatics like myself.  She is nothing less than ferocious with everything she does on stage - I adore her completely as an artist and a human being.

We recently grabbed some footage of Mishti at Dan Chopper's Sunday Night Jam, featuring Mishti - at the Thornwood Ale House a short time ago.  We have a video waiting approval that we hope to post soon.  This clip was cut together using Adobe Premiere and color corrected in Autodesk's Lustre running on our Flame Premium system here at the plant.  We are just cutting our teeth on Lustre and had a great time messing with all the knobs to the amazing blues stylings of Mishti's "Third Degree" screaming guitar solo.

Cannot wait to post this clip.

: )

Wait for it... Wait for it...  WE HAVE APPROVAL

- BUT -

once again, blogger not letting post a youtube video to my blog - here's a link. 

Sexy lady crushing the blues at a local jam... MISHTI

Nothing is easy.

: )

Oops, this was actually the first video we posted... and a blogger glitch!

I guess I lied, the first video I did for the flymusicman project was actually this one. I guess I got lost in the sauce sifting through the youtube list. As we continue to tweak the next big, super awesome music video coming down the pike, please re-dig this awesome clip of Cobert Operations playing at Lucy's all the way back on Jan 7th, 2012.


Oh darn, the blogger software does not seem to want me to post this clip.  I will put it here as a link...

Click here!

Countdown to our next big video - looking back before we go forward.

We are getting very excited about re-thinking and re-launching the flymusicman project. We want to bring it back to life, make it cool and also make it sustainable, possibly with the addition of trying to "crowd fund" various creative projects or some other ideas. Several musicians have already helped us out by purchasing raw footage preview DVDs of performances we happened upon with our cameras, and a few have even hired us for video and/or photography work as well - which is awesome! Thanks so much to all of you!

Why do we want to get this going again? Looking back on the work we have done, we will never forget how excited we were when we posted this, our first video "Little White Lies", using the cameras for the first time, trying to do something at least a little special in post - and, then, the resulting magical feeling that came over us when we first watched the darn thing online. OMG. Please join us as we take a journey down memory lane, re-posting all of our work over the next few days or weeks - not sure, in anticipation of our next big project, which should be an awesome, eye-popping music video for one of our favorite local musicians. Who is it? Not gonna tell ya yet... But, for now, please re-enjoy, Jeremy Sevelovitz's "Little White Lies".

Michael Pennacchio's Debut Album: "Better In The Morning"

One of the musicians that really has universal kudos here on the music scene is the up and coming local hero, Michael Pennacchio.  His debut album, "Better In The Morning" is well worth the dough.  Buy it immediately.

http://www.reverbnation.com/michaelpennacchio

And one of the very coolest things I have enjoyed  open mic's "covers" night where many of the local musicians cover each other's original songs, this year's was yet another magical night of music. The song writer of the night was the very same, Michael Pennacchio.

The night's award goes to the songwriter who's songs are "the most covered" by the other musicians - and it's not surprising when you listen to "Better In The Morning".  We all love his tunes.  Mikes' music is fresh, innocent, wonderful, life affirming, daring, original and just plain awesome.  I really like the dude as well.

I am so digging the fact that Mike used one of my photos for the back cover - check it out!!!  So cool.  I even got a credit, but he spelled flymusicman wrong.  WTF Mike?  :)

As you can see, Geoff Hartwell produced the album.

Hey Flymusicman, where ya' been?

Well, it's been a long time since I posted anything here on the blog.  Where have I been?  Well, it has actually been a very difficult time for me.  Lots of personal issues, family losses and such.  I won't go into it here.  And because I always intended this blog to be a place for positive messages and good vibes, I decided to ride the storm out in radio silence.  

During this time, I also tried to connect more deeply with the local music scene, spending a lot of time videotaping and photographing quite a bit, listening, getting deeper into the vibe of the music scene, part immersing myself and part finding comfort and support amongst my friends in the jam family that is everywhere here in Westchester - huge shout out to all those that have been and continue to be there for me.

Well, I guess I am back now, and trying to re-find my voice here on the blog.  I hope to re-focus and figure out where this thing will go next, why - and most importantly, how much fun I can have doing it.

Here is a clip that I shot one night while out taking photographs, this is almost every frame of it, they only footage I rolled all night.  I had posted the pics a while back and just kept thinking about how awesome this clip was.  Enjoy this short bit of "Tangled Vine".  

Guest blogger John Banrock on the songwriting process.

The Songwriting Process

I love and am fascinated by the songwriting process.   I love discussing it with other songwriters and am always curious to find out about new and different approaches utilized in crafting a song.  Do other songwriters write the music first, the lyrics first, a combination of the two or some other method?  There's always something to be learned.

Many songwriters, like me, don't limit themselves to just one way of writing.  For me, each song ultimately reveals itself in it's own way.  Sometimes I'll sit down to write lyrics with the intention of putting music afterwards.  Other times I'll sit down with my guitar and a pen and sort of write music and lyrics at the same time, coming up with a verse of lyrics first and then writing some music before ultimately going back to write additional verses, choruses, etc. And sometimes I'll just be playing my guitar and will stumble upon the beginnings of a nice chord progression or riff.  If I think it's worthy of becoming a song I'll try to work out all the music and then set down to write lyrics.  Some songs are intentionally written and some are spontaneously born. There always has to be a starting point, though, and each time can be an entirely unique experience.

Another really interesting, and possibly less orthodox, way to write is total improvisation.  Sometimes I just like to throw on the recorder and see what comes out.  I might work out a few chords beforehand then improv all the lyrics, or I might just improv the whole thing (music and words).  It's great because I'm really capturing a particular feeling, a moment in time. Ultimately, of course, I'll have to listen to the recording and write out all the lyrics and music to see if revisions are required (which typically they are).  It's a great way to write though because it's such a departure from the more 'standard' ways and is more akin to stream of consciousness writing.  (I actually love stream of consciousness writing, though generally when I write stream of consciousness the words are not intended for songs, but rather to be presented on their own, if at all). The benefit is that you are capturing a feeling, but the downside is (for me anyway) that you may not be able to spew out the perfect words in that spur of the moment environment (it's a great and interesting challenge though). So the improv songwriting method is very interesting, but generally comes with a lot of revision work afterward.  At some point in the revision process I usually start to wonder if the song is becoming too polished and losing its raw energy and feeling.  Therein lie the difficult decisions, but ultimately the ones that could make or break the song.  I definitely recommend giving this method a try if you haven't given it a chance before.  You don't need high tech recording gear.  Just anything that can record with enough clarity to understand what you are singing and playing.

Ultimately when writing songs I think it's great to try to write in different ways because you never know how each way is going to work and how it will affect the finished product.  Granted, if you've tried every method and have ultimately decided, for example, that you always write the best songs when using a 'lyrics first / music second' approach you may not want to stray from that too often.  For me though, I don't want to be confined by any rules.  I like to try different ways and don't want to limit myself from writing just because a song may start originating from a method that may not be my best or favorite.  And what works for me today might not work for me tomorrow and vice versa.  So even if a method hasn't historically been successful, the passage of time may change all that, so it's at least worth revisiting neglected methodologies from time to time.  Regardless of how a song is written, it is the declaration of it being finished that is often most rewarding.  For me, there's a great deal of satisfaction in knowing that I started with nothing, and then with creativity, hard work and dedication ended up with a tangible work of art.  And then, after that brief moment of contentment, it's on to the next song...

- John Banrock

And here's John's stuff:
johnbanrock.com
facebook
YouTube

iTunes

Amazon

Westchester All Stars Christmas for Wounded Veterans.

The amazing thing about this journey is that every single time I venture out with either video or still camera gear, it always leads to another connection, another musician, another opportunity.  And photographing the 12 Grapes 1000th day of Music on May 6th, 2012 was no exception.  12 Grapes, in Peekskill NY, for those that don't know, is one of the hippest places around to catch live music and the owners there are great supporters of the local music scene.  Many of my favorite local musicians showed up to perform at the day-long celebration, and many that I had never met before.  I took over 600 pictures that day and posted most of them on our facebook page, here's a link.  Please feel free to tag people you know!

As I ran around that day, a man named Bill Edwards asked if I would mind taking a group picture of the "Westchester All Stars" that were at the event and he explained that they were working on a Christmas album to benefit the Wounded Warriors Project.  Of course I said yes and snapped a few of the group.  

The next day Bill contacted me and asked if I would be able to help on the project and capture video of him and Bernie Williams (YES BERNIE WILLIAMS FROM THE NY YANKEES!!!) for one of the songs on the album - they needed the footage for a music video.  I had the time so I jumped on the opportunity and met the guys at Z Recording Studios in Peekskill.  Bernie adds some real star power to the project and his guitar playing is just great.  I happen to love the song as well. 

Here's the website for the album and concert.  All these great musicians have come together to write, record, and donate there own original Christmas songs, with 100% of the profits from the sale of the cds going to wounded veterans organizations such as the Gary Sinise Foundation and Veterans Adaptive Sports Inc.  There's even a concert being organized for November 30th at the Irvington Town Hall Theater here in Westchester and Bill has lined up some really special guests to join in the performance.  Here's a link to the box office - buy your tickets to this event today!  

And here is a youtube link for the video that Paul Opalach put together at Long Hill Recording and Video using some of the footage from that day.  (DID I MENTION THAT I LOVE THIS SONG?)  

Won't you please buy the album and come out to the concert on November 30th, 2012 to support our troops and the Wounded Warrior Project and these great musicians?

THANKS AGAIN BILL!

: )