Ever since being "dissolved" from a wonderful day job at a little software company, I've been steadily searching for a new regular source of income. At first, I spent a lot of time looking for something as perfect as the last job. Then, as the months passed and the money went away, I started looking at jobs I would rather not do, but wouldn't be too depressed to perform. Months after that, anything will do. And to make matters worse, it seems that anything will do for EVERYONE in Seattle.
I'm constantly looking for more work in the studio, but this economy is effecting bands and artists just as hard, if not harder than everyone else. Paying the bills is becoming a nightmare reminiscent of my early 20's when I accrued so much debt I had resolved myself to a life of bad credit and creditor calls. I got myself out of that mess (with a little help from Amazon.com) and now I fear it's coming back to get me.
My dear friend, Ma'Chell Duma-LaVassar has taken it upon herself to make a public plea for my employment on Seattle Weekly's music blog Reverb. Click HERE to see it.
I'm very serious about this! If you're in a band and you want to make a record, hit me up! Otherwise, until music starts paying the bills, I need to get my ass in someone's office, warehouse, or delivery vehicle STAT!
xo
Friday, May 29, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The Ballad of California
Some are shocked, some just surprised, and some saw it coming a mile away. To the 18,000 couples who are still legally married in the state of California, keep up the fight with the rest of us. To the people who feel like we're losing the battle, don't lose heart.
When you fight on the side of equality, you always win. It might take a while, but we will win.
Any day now.
xo
When you fight on the side of equality, you always win. It might take a while, but we will win.
Any day now.
xo
Monday, May 25, 2009
SUCCESS!
I know this is kind of tacky, but it made me smile! This is an email I just got from my best friend.
This really happened.>
It brings me great pleasure to be considered mediocre Motown. Hey, white people, Beach Boys are great but Motown is where it's at (and always has been.)
See you tonight at Chop Suey!
xo
This really happened.>
It brings me great pleasure to be considered mediocre Motown. Hey, white people, Beach Boys are great but Motown is where it's at (and always has been.)
See you tonight at Chop Suey!
xo
Friday, May 22, 2009
Work vs. Sun
Being a producer in the Pacific northwest, you have to sacrifice a lot of beautiful days to sit in a dark, smelly, windowless room staring at monitors and pushing buttons and moving faders and remembering to stand up and stretch. It's worth it when the music comes out good.
Today, final Black Daisy mixes were completed while the sun gave a new life to Seattle residents who suffered through last week's horror and a couple of nasty storms earlier this week. Next up, I will be hiding out in the studio to tweek the fuck out of the new Lights album. So close, by the way. KEXP apparently has some secret leaked mixes (I'm not even sure they have titles) that get played every once in a while. Like I said before, the mixes we did when we left the studio were great, but they will soon be spectacular.
This summer, I will be heading into the studio with Redwood Plan to make my contribution to their upcoming album. Not sure who else they're working with, but I'm sure it's going to be a fabulous record. Haven't set dates with Devices yet, but I'm hoping that happens sooner than later.
During all this, I will also be working on new Erik Blood material and a collaborative effort between me and Altspeak. Speaking of Altspeak, if you haven't downloaded "It's Up to You" yet (it's fucking free!!!) you better get your ass to www.altspeak.com and download it. That's one slept on record, my friends.
Tonight at Lo-Fi in Seattle, Andy Rourke from The Smiths is DJing after performances by Romance, Altspeak, Coulter, and Pedestre. That's quite a line-up and well worth the price of admission, whatever it is. I'll be there until I go celebrate a certain awesome-colored friend's birthday.
More to come...
Today, final Black Daisy mixes were completed while the sun gave a new life to Seattle residents who suffered through last week's horror and a couple of nasty storms earlier this week. Next up, I will be hiding out in the studio to tweek the fuck out of the new Lights album. So close, by the way. KEXP apparently has some secret leaked mixes (I'm not even sure they have titles) that get played every once in a while. Like I said before, the mixes we did when we left the studio were great, but they will soon be spectacular.
This summer, I will be heading into the studio with Redwood Plan to make my contribution to their upcoming album. Not sure who else they're working with, but I'm sure it's going to be a fabulous record. Haven't set dates with Devices yet, but I'm hoping that happens sooner than later.
During all this, I will also be working on new Erik Blood material and a collaborative effort between me and Altspeak. Speaking of Altspeak, if you haven't downloaded "It's Up to You" yet (it's fucking free!!!) you better get your ass to www.altspeak.com and download it. That's one slept on record, my friends.
Tonight at Lo-Fi in Seattle, Andy Rourke from The Smiths is DJing after performances by Romance, Altspeak, Coulter, and Pedestre. That's quite a line-up and well worth the price of admission, whatever it is. I'll be there until I go celebrate a certain awesome-colored friend's birthday.
More to come...
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
More kind words and a free download!
Something tells me this guy from The Finest Kiss likes me.
http://finestkiss.wordpress.com/2009/05/08/erik-blood-one-more-time/
I like him, too.
Also, if you head over to The Color Awesome, you can download my demo for "Jet Inside You" which me and the band performed at the Chop Suey show. I hate it when bands play shit that you can't get for yourself, so I decided to offer up the demo now so I won't feel guilty about playing it live more often.
Just wanted to clear up two small miscommunications on my part.
1) The porno album has not been scrapped. I'm still writing songs around the theme, but it might not really be a "concept album" about pornography as much as an album about sex. Would that be disappointing?
2) I noticed a blog post that mentioned that I produced the Shabazz Palaces albums. Not really the case. My hands and sounds are all over those records, but I couldn't dare claim I "produced" them.
That's all for now. I'll do my best to come up with some more stuff to talk about this week.
xo
E
http://finestkiss.wordpress.com/2009/05/08/erik-blood-one-more-time/
I like him, too.
Also, if you head over to The Color Awesome, you can download my demo for "Jet Inside You" which me and the band performed at the Chop Suey show. I hate it when bands play shit that you can't get for yourself, so I decided to offer up the demo now so I won't feel guilty about playing it live more often.
Just wanted to clear up two small miscommunications on my part.
1) The porno album has not been scrapped. I'm still writing songs around the theme, but it might not really be a "concept album" about pornography as much as an album about sex. Would that be disappointing?
2) I noticed a blog post that mentioned that I produced the Shabazz Palaces albums. Not really the case. My hands and sounds are all over those records, but I couldn't dare claim I "produced" them.
That's all for now. I'll do my best to come up with some more stuff to talk about this week.
xo
E
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
"The Way We Live" is now available!
First off, thank you to everyone that made it to Thursday's show with The Hotels. It was a very good time, if I do say so myself.
Second, and more importantly, my debut album "The Way We Live" is now available! You can download it from iTunes (anywhere in the world), Amazon.com, eMusic, Napster, Rhapsody, and a few other download services. If you have your heart set on a physical CD, you can get it at Sonic Boom, Easy Street, and Wall of Sound in Seattle. If you're out of the area and really want a physical CD, you can order one from Sonic Boom very soon.
Thanks for listening!
xo
Second, and more importantly, my debut album "The Way We Live" is now available! You can download it from iTunes (anywhere in the world), Amazon.com, eMusic, Napster, Rhapsody, and a few other download services. If you have your heart set on a physical CD, you can get it at Sonic Boom, Easy Street, and Wall of Sound in Seattle. If you're out of the area and really want a physical CD, you can order one from Sonic Boom very soon.
Thanks for listening!
xo
Friday, May 8, 2009
Coulter's "Sent to Coventry" Free Download
Click here to download Coulter's "Sent to Coventry" for free.
It's December 17th and the wind is creating a huge racket with the metal garage door at MRX. Coulter and I have just finished bouncing the final mixes (or so we thought) of his new album and are about to race back to Capitol Hill before it starts snowing. Just like on previous mixing days, we immediately listen to the opening track "See You Next Tuesday" in the car. We can't help but giggle and dance around in our seats, very happy with how it turned out.
It wasn't until much later that night that the snow began to fall, successfully shutting Seattle down and trapping us on our hilly snow covered island for nearly a week. This was also around the time that I had my first serious listen to the final mixes and began making my notes. Little things I hated, loved, couldn't put my finger on, all immediately came forth in red ink on a small sheet of paper: more of this, less of that, pleas for help, occasional pats on the back. My favorite note is "The Path of Most Resistence - needs to be more awesome."
Luckily, after the snow melted and mobility was restored, we'd have a chance to address all of my issues while recording trumpets (courtesy of the amazingly talented and lovely Peter Lynch) and inserting an upright bass track recorded long distance by Gary Day. Once that was done, we polished off the rest of the mixes and called it "Sent to Coventry". Ten songs that range from white boy soul (a la Orange Juice or dare I say Wham!) to new romantic disco to lush orchestral pop all bound by Coulter's songwriting in peak form. My personal favorite is, of course, "The Path of Most Resistence" which I think we managed to make more awesome.
It's December 17th and the wind is creating a huge racket with the metal garage door at MRX. Coulter and I have just finished bouncing the final mixes (or so we thought) of his new album and are about to race back to Capitol Hill before it starts snowing. Just like on previous mixing days, we immediately listen to the opening track "See You Next Tuesday" in the car. We can't help but giggle and dance around in our seats, very happy with how it turned out.
It wasn't until much later that night that the snow began to fall, successfully shutting Seattle down and trapping us on our hilly snow covered island for nearly a week. This was also around the time that I had my first serious listen to the final mixes and began making my notes. Little things I hated, loved, couldn't put my finger on, all immediately came forth in red ink on a small sheet of paper: more of this, less of that, pleas for help, occasional pats on the back. My favorite note is "The Path of Most Resistence - needs to be more awesome."
Luckily, after the snow melted and mobility was restored, we'd have a chance to address all of my issues while recording trumpets (courtesy of the amazingly talented and lovely Peter Lynch) and inserting an upright bass track recorded long distance by Gary Day. Once that was done, we polished off the rest of the mixes and called it "Sent to Coventry". Ten songs that range from white boy soul (a la Orange Juice or dare I say Wham!) to new romantic disco to lush orchestral pop all bound by Coulter's songwriting in peak form. My personal favorite is, of course, "The Path of Most Resistence" which I think we managed to make more awesome.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Stranger Feature and Show Tonight!
Dave Segal wrote a feature on me for The Stranger. Click here and read it.
Love the title, but my favorite part is this line:
The 10-track album reflects Blood's love of MBV and the Jesus and Mary Chain's clangorous melodic efflorescence, but it's enriched by a patina of romanticism that evokes John Hughes's '80s films.
I'm pretty sure I never mentioned John Hughes during the interview, so I'm really glad that influence comes through. Seriously.
And wow, I sure do cuss like a sailor. Sorry Mom and Dad, (though I secretly blame my mom.)
Thanks Dave! And I hope you, and everyone else in Seattle, comes to the show tonight at Chop Suey! DON'T BE LATE!
xo
Love the title, but my favorite part is this line:
The 10-track album reflects Blood's love of MBV and the Jesus and Mary Chain's clangorous melodic efflorescence, but it's enriched by a patina of romanticism that evokes John Hughes's '80s films.
I'm pretty sure I never mentioned John Hughes during the interview, so I'm really glad that influence comes through. Seriously.
And wow, I sure do cuss like a sailor. Sorry Mom and Dad, (though I secretly blame my mom.)
Thanks Dave! And I hope you, and everyone else in Seattle, comes to the show tonight at Chop Suey! DON'T BE LATE!
xo
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
The Rundown: currently rocking...
In my more productive times, the only music I get to listen to is music I am working on. Right now, it's The Lights and Black Daisy that are in complete control of my iPod, car stereo, and mind. That said, sometimes an album or a song comes along that breaks through my little shell. Here are some of those things for you.
1. The Horrors - Primary Colors
Gothy, punky, poppy, shoegazery greatness. Didn't really get the first two records, but LOVE LOVE LOVE this one. Favorite track is "Who Can Say", but this is definitely the best album I've heard in a long time.
2. Dead Mellotron - Ghost Light Constellation EP
I mentioned this EP in a previous post and it's still a front runner for my late night wine drinking soundtrack. Every song sounds different, but is still contained within the Dead Mellotron aesthetic of fabulous melodies, perfect lo-fi production, and a MASSIVE fuzzed out sound that isn't unlike New Order as heard through a failing PA in the belly of a battleship. PS Don't forget to download "Shame" from their Myspace page. Amazing.
3. Hudson Mohawke - Polyfolk Dance EP
Heavily manipulated samples and a touch of ADD (when I first heard this, I called it Jay-DD) this EP is another great addition to WARP Records' catalogue. I can't get enough of "Polkadot Blues" which is almost as heartbreaking as it is frenetic. And check out that album cover! Love me some WARP.
4. Flying Lotus - (unknown)
A friend dropped off a CD of Flying Lotus stuff with nothing written on it. I have no idea what album I'm listening to, but I have a feeling that everything he's released is good. Similar in style to Hudson Mohawke, but darker and a little smoother. The sample from the end credits of Tim and Eric Awesome Show...Great Job (abso-LUTELY!) make me smile.
5. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - self titled
I found these guys on Myspace around a year ago and told everyone I knew. Now they're the next big thing. Did I do that? Probably not. I think it's their super catchy Sarah Records inspired pop music. The Pastels come to mind, too. A good mesh of old school indie cute (not the new crop of children's music masquerading as "indie") and the lighter side of shoegazer. "Everything With You" is my favorite.
I've got some more new albums that I like, but these have been listened to more than once. There's also a lot of old shit that I listen to regularly, but that's a whole different post.
xo
1. The Horrors - Primary Colors
Gothy, punky, poppy, shoegazery greatness. Didn't really get the first two records, but LOVE LOVE LOVE this one. Favorite track is "Who Can Say", but this is definitely the best album I've heard in a long time.
2. Dead Mellotron - Ghost Light Constellation EP
I mentioned this EP in a previous post and it's still a front runner for my late night wine drinking soundtrack. Every song sounds different, but is still contained within the Dead Mellotron aesthetic of fabulous melodies, perfect lo-fi production, and a MASSIVE fuzzed out sound that isn't unlike New Order as heard through a failing PA in the belly of a battleship. PS Don't forget to download "Shame" from their Myspace page. Amazing.
3. Hudson Mohawke - Polyfolk Dance EP
Heavily manipulated samples and a touch of ADD (when I first heard this, I called it Jay-DD) this EP is another great addition to WARP Records' catalogue. I can't get enough of "Polkadot Blues" which is almost as heartbreaking as it is frenetic. And check out that album cover! Love me some WARP.
4. Flying Lotus - (unknown)
A friend dropped off a CD of Flying Lotus stuff with nothing written on it. I have no idea what album I'm listening to, but I have a feeling that everything he's released is good. Similar in style to Hudson Mohawke, but darker and a little smoother. The sample from the end credits of Tim and Eric Awesome Show...Great Job (abso-LUTELY!) make me smile.
5. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - self titled
I found these guys on Myspace around a year ago and told everyone I knew. Now they're the next big thing. Did I do that? Probably not. I think it's their super catchy Sarah Records inspired pop music. The Pastels come to mind, too. A good mesh of old school indie cute (not the new crop of children's music masquerading as "indie") and the lighter side of shoegazer. "Everything With You" is my favorite.
I've got some more new albums that I like, but these have been listened to more than once. There's also a lot of old shit that I listen to regularly, but that's a whole different post.
xo
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Homemade Buttons!
I spent a few hours today making buttons for the show on Thursday. Michael Ellsworth provided the design and the button machine stuff. I found the activity extremely pleasing.
In case you didn't know, this Thursday, May 7th, is my album release party here in Seattle. The album will be available on CD at the show and will be available for download from several places on May 12th.
I'm pretty sure the show will be really fun. The Hotels are headlining, which is always a pleasure, and this will be my first time seeing Silver Teeth (which contains two ex-Divorce members.)
I'm still trying to book some more shows this summer, in and around Seattle, with the hopes of heading down the coast as soon as possible. I promise to keep very up to date info here for everyone.
Monday, May 4, 2009
"Death to God" on iTunes and Amazon MP3!
Just noticed that Travis DeVries solo album "Death to God" is available for download at iTunes and Amazon MP3! Go get it!
xo
xo
Friday, May 1, 2009
More Tea Cozies!
It's full on Tea Cozies mania today! I love it! This is from KEXP's blog:
Tea Cozies’ new album, Hot Probs is a perfect pop record for the nice weather that comes with the summer. It’s just made for driving or walking around in the sunshine with your shades on because it’s loaded with sugary pop music. The songs are fun, catchy and upbeat and at times they bring to mind The Beach Boys, Imperial Teen, The White Stripes, The Go-Go’s and Dick Dale.
Ya damn right! Read more by clicking HERE.
Tea Cozies also did a damn fine job at the KEXP in-studio performance today at noon. Go to the streaming archive and check it out, or just come to High Dive tonight for their CD release show. I heard there might be a guest tambourinist on "Pretty Pages".
xo
Tea Cozies’ new album, Hot Probs is a perfect pop record for the nice weather that comes with the summer. It’s just made for driving or walking around in the sunshine with your shades on because it’s loaded with sugary pop music. The songs are fun, catchy and upbeat and at times they bring to mind The Beach Boys, Imperial Teen, The White Stripes, The Go-Go’s and Dick Dale.
Ya damn right! Read more by clicking HERE.
Tea Cozies also did a damn fine job at the KEXP in-studio performance today at noon. Go to the streaming archive and check it out, or just come to High Dive tonight for their CD release show. I heard there might be a guest tambourinist on "Pretty Pages".
xo
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