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!

: )

Musicians making a difference for the March of Dimes. So cool.

I was thrilled to be at the March of Dimes' event "Rockers For Babies" yesterday at Elements in White Plains, New York - part of the March of Dimes' "Bikers for Babies" campaign to support the fight against birth defects.  

The event was hosted by Ronnie Pauls and Dan Chopper Carillo, two of our local rocker musicians.  They had Elements packed with performers and music fans - some from far-away places - all turning out for a great cause.  The music and the event was nothing short of inspiring.  And I have to say, there were some really special people in the audience too.  I was very happy to make some new friends, you can never have too many of those.  And although I did not win the autographed guitar that was auctioned off - and that everybody seemed to want - I did walk away with a great sense of peace and love that permeated this very cool event.

 

The guitar was autographed by everyone that jammed at Elements for the past year at Dan's Sunday Night Jam Sessions.  LOVE THAT!

(Autographed guitar image courtesy of Ronnie Pauls.)

Huge shout out to all the musicians that played - thanks so much for all you guys and gals do!

Check out our pics from the event on our facbook page.

Our first guest blogger! Singer/Percussionist Jaynie D'Agostino.

As a musician, you want to be pliable and be able to do what you do and reproduce that with other musicians.... Right?  With harmony, that isn't always the same experience for me.  When trying to describe to someone how I feel when the harmony is working, I often get stuck.  It's not the tactical approach of achieving harmony that I'm referring to.  I often get the "what the hell are you talking about" look and I've been told, harmony is harmony. When its done right, it has to work. Period.  I've been doing it since I'm a kid. There's the root, the third and the fifth.  Well aware.  May not have understood the mechanics of it as a kid but understood it none the less.  It was like speaking when you don't know how to read.  For me, it's more the space between the notes as they meet that make the difference of whether harmony is working or not.  Yes you can reproduce the sound prescribed for the part but does it work to its best ability.  Not always.  I mean, yeah it'll work if it's done right but can you FEEL it. Did those notes work well enough to stand hairs?  That space between is the gooey magic I'm talking about.  When the sounds meet, they resonate based on the tone, pitch, timber and vibrato of each voice.  I've tried to harmonize with different voices.  That space is not always equal.  It's like the weave just didn't happen. But when it does!!! It vibrates and call me crazy but I feel it inside.  Hell, I feel it outside like a mini vocal force field.  Its like being caught between two opposing magnets and its quite powerful.  I wish I could tap that space between and record it... If its energy, I could bet it would produce a different affect than the standard "sing your part" note and I'd love to compare the sounds. - Jaynie D'Agostino

Be sure to catch Jaynie with her band "Buried In Blue". 

And be sure to like them on facebook too!

More Sugar!

The more we do this, the more we realize: this music scene is HUGE.  Our circle of friends keeps growing and we keep meeting more musicians and music fans.  So fun.  Of course, as everyone around here knows, one of the best ways to explore our local music scene is by picking up a copy of the More Sugar Magazine - now in it's 18th year!  More Sugar can be found in music stores, music venues, bars, music schools and more - and it's free - pick up a copy if you haven't ever done so.  It is without a doubt one of the coolest things going for us music enthusiasts.  I am never far from my copy of More Sugar and am thrilled to have met Tom, the publisher - talk about your positive vibes, Tom is a great, fun guy that always makes it more fun to be there - PLEASE keep doing what you're doing Tom.  As I said to someone the other day, I have come to believe that the entire universe is being held together by people generating positive vibes - and the More Sugar magazine is a great place to start.

Here's a pic of the band R.A.D.A.R. with this month's More Sugar - Ric Lubell, Ronnie Pauls and Dan Chopper Carillo - three of my favorite humans on the planet from The Thursday Nite Jam Sessions featuring Ronnie Pauls.  Definitely going back to Garfield's for the next round.  Won't you join us?  Come on out and help generate some of those all-important positive vibes!

Here are a few more pics of this night's jam on our facebook page.

Like us on Facebook!

Hey everybody,

Don't forget to like us on facebook, where we are posting hundreds of photos of local musicians captured in their natural habitat.

This photo is a frame grab from an HD clip shot with our Canon 60D - we added some color correction, sharpening and noise reduction in Photoshop to bring it to life.

Energy.

Someone once said music is the closest thing to magic there is - and, man you can really feel it, the energy.  Music certainly generates "positive vibes",  feelings of happiness, etc, this is undeniable.  And live music?  I feel when we listen to live music, we are not just listening and watching that "moment", we are experiencing much more, we are witnessing the culmination of all the moments of those performers' lives up until that point.  It can be hit or miss of course, it's right - or it's not for the most part - in that moment.  But, when it's right, when it all comes together, all those years of effort, talent and a great performance - of just the right songs performed live - there is an energy there that you can literally feed off of.  Especially in a room full of people feeling that same vibe - the crowd literally amplifies the feeling.  Anyone who's been to a Who concert knows what I am talking about.

That feeling, that energy - and the love of having that experience is what drives us here at flymusicman - and we hope to capture and share that feeling in some small way.  Why?  We are not really sure but - do we really need a reason?  I would say no, not in the blogosphere at least...  Well actually, there might be a reason, a big reason, a really-really big reason - more on that later.  Here's a hint:  for the joy of it.

: )

And speaking about joy - someone is spreading a lot of it.  You may already know him - especially if you are watching our youtube channel activity.  Tom Dudley, who goes by the name Blues Buddha, is one of our favorite performers and one of the hardest working guys on the scene.  It is our pleasure to share this video that he posted today on facebook.  (Tell me you don't love this guy!)  We have come to know and love "Blues Buddha" through his live performances and seemingly non-stop video work with his associate, the prolific Paul Opalach, who apparently is a Multi-Instrumentalist, Composer, Engineer and Producer - his songs are great, his videos are fun and worth watching - with more coming all the time.  Needless to say, we are huge fans.  Check out Blues Buddha and "Time To Play"...  for the joy of it!

Song by Paul Opalach/TomDudley ©2011. 

Recording and video by Paul Opalach at Long Hill Recording 

wwwbluesbuddha.com

45rpm promotional video!

Check out our latest flymusicman project - we were hired by 45rpm to shoot their live performance at KJ Farrells, on Long Island.  The band's leader, guitarist Michael Barberich, liked our work on the Buried In Blue montage so much that he hired us for this project.  The Canon 60D footage made it look so good.  

We shot the footage over the course of two nights - which we cut to their pre-existing audio track - which they recorded in their studio - these guys are NOT fooling around.  The graphics and interstitial clips were inserted by the band - great job guys!

We wish the band great luck with this new and improved promotional video.  

45rpm is AMAZING!!!  It is so fun to hear these songs - many of which you will know all the words to - good times.    Here's their Facebook page - facebook/45rpmny - you gotta go check out their photos and hysterical comments, really, I would normally not tell my readers to dig so deep, but it is worth the time I promise - hysterical.  I freaking love these guys.  

THANKS AGAIN Y'ALL!

I would totally recommend getting out to see this band, especially if you are anywhere near my age or older.  I'm forty - mumble, mumble years old. 

: )

Mike Rock "Mary" live.

Check out Mike Rock's "Mary" performed live at Lucy's Lounge in Pleasantville, New York.

 

Performed on January 12th, 2012 - one of the great nights of music at Lucy's when so many musicians showed up that they had to cut the number of songs from the normal 3 per person down to 2.  We hope to be finishing a few more clips from the the night if time allows.  Many more projects are coming up and we are having a great time trying to pull this all off.  It has been a great workout, both physically and technically as we try to jam all this into our schedule.  

As I look back at the blog and the flymusicman project to date, I get this strange feeling that it is the most important thing I have ever done -- very cool.  

 For some behind the scenes info on the production of "Mary", check out FLYfx Tutorials' post on it. 

Stay tuned for more local music! 

Back to back nights o' fun.

Wow have we had some fun!  Check out our facebook page to see all the photos and HD frame grabs from some of the music going on here in Westchester.

And we are just getting started!

We are loving the Canon 60D - it is really making some gorgeous images.  And with the announcement of the Canon 5D MIII a few days ago, buying the low cost 60D to get started was a great idea - big shout out to the fine folks at Able Cine for helping us make the right choice.

Oh what a night!

Wow.  I don't know what it was but Lucy's Lounge was full-tilt boogie this last Monday night at Open Mic.  We were lucky enough to be there with our cameras and it was magical.  Our new Canon 60D HD footage really looks incredible.  Some of the people had been there before but many were new to us - and the pressure was on for these musicians as our cameras were suddenly crawling all over them.  The team posted much of the raw-footage on private youtube links for approval and we hope to be posting at least a few videos from the night soon.

Tonight, while we waited for the high-sign, we took a trip over to the Duck Inn, in Mamaroneck NY to hang out with Dave and the jammers - a tasty set of Zeppelin ended the night.  I gotta say, it rocked - very hard.  Big hug to my new friend Maria.  Here are a few stills from the Duck Inn from the 60D.

: )

Buried In Blue Promo Clip

Check out the latest clip from FlyMusicMan and FLYfx.  Tom Dowd's band, "Buried In Blue" is a local favorite around here and this clip is a snippet from a magical night at Pete's Salloon in Elmsford, NY here in Westchester - or as we like to call it, Freshchester.  Enjoy this tasty sampling of Buried In Blue!

This clip was cut exclusively from footage shot with our new Canon 60D with a 50mm 1.4 lens.  We had two other cameras rolling, our old friends the Canon Vixia and the trusty GoPro2 but decided to go with a "film style" (one camera) type of edit to create this montage using just the 60D - because the 60D footage just looks so darn good.

A great website for Musicians.

Hey y'all,

Check out this website:  http://www.musicthinktank.com/ - I subscribed to their daily email updates and I gotta say, they are jam packed with useful tips for the working musician.  I highly recommend it - I love the daily email.  Check it out!

And if you want to linger on the site you can find literally hundreds of things to read and learn.  Tips on everything from using social media to recording tips to legal issues.  Enjoy!

The response has been incredible!

We just wanted to give a shout out to all the local musicians that have been so incredibly enthusiastic about what we are doing.  It is quite frankly surprising how interested and excited everybody has been about  the raw footage clips and selected HD stills we have brought back to the venues where they were captured.  We look forward to finding out where this journey will take us and could not be more excited about the response!  We are truly grateful and we feel very blessed to have been accepted so openly.  Thank you all so much!

Here's a handful of stills from our HD video cam, a Canon VIXIA HFG10.

SEE YOU SOON!