Long time no see, internet fanbase! I wanted to give a brief update here, because I did not want to appear to be a neglectful overlord. I care for all of my minions of weirdness!

First the good news. I got the mastered copy of the album back, and it sounds awesome!! I definitely think the time spent doing this right was well worth it (even if it did take three times longer than I would have liked). Rest assured you will be able to acquire the awesomeness for yourselves very soon!

Now the bad news. Western Digital is the devil. The completed artwork for the album (vectors, layered graphics, etc) is gone. I had saved it – along with a large number of personal files, lyrics, etc. – on an external WD drive. When I went to acquire these files yesterday to prep them for the duplication plant’s template, they were nowhere to be found. Which means I now have to start over with the album artwork. So the bad news is that the album release is going to be delayed once again.

The upside – because after getting on Twitter yesterday, venting and spewing vitriol at Western Digital I decided that there has to be a positive to this unfortunate event. I decided that the upside would be a revamp of my original design, including contributions from a guest artist. I am presently looking at designers and hope to have something soon!

So that’s it for now. Thank you for your enthusiasm and patience. Stay weird!

Hey all.

Just wanted to let you know that the album is being mastered at the moment. I expect to have it back within the week! Once I get it back it from mastering, it’s off for duplication. I will let you know as soon as I have it back, and who knows? Maybe I’ll do some kind of special streaming event!

Can’t wait to share the finished product. Stay tuned!

Hey internet!

DJ-STFU-PLZ!!!

This is it! The final track from The Mechanical Essence Of Whiskers. The one that took me three times longer to finish mixing than any other track on the album. I already gave you some background on the meaning of the track (lazy-ass DJs got me all like..). So I’m gonna use this post to give a shoutout to the people who helped make this track possible.

The opening: Two people need to be recognized for this. Peter Bishop did an awesome job coming up with the backing tracks for the Madonna parody – as well as adding resonance filters and other plug-ins I don’t know the names of. Pretty spot-on. And my mom (yes, you read that correctly internet. Don’t even think about making any “your mom” jokes!) did some awesome on the singing. Represent!

The solo: My buddy Jesus “Jesse” Sanchez, lead singer and guitarist of the band Tri-Nebulous laid down the bass line (the bass line I had recorded was out of tune – *groan*), as well as all of the acoustic guitars, both lead & rhythm. And WOW! That breakdown just adds some magic – a pleasantly creative, and relaxing breather that was sorely needed – to the track that I couldn’t have imagined in my wildest dream units. Props!

The voice overs: Regarding the previously mentioned Ke$ha samples, I got something wwaaaaaayyy better. I’m a brony in case you didn’t know (fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Don’t hate). Ke$ha has a very self-confident and sassy tone of voice, so if I couldn’t have Ke$ha, I would get a self-confident and sassy voice over from someone else – namely Jessi Nowack. Brohoof!

If you’re not familiar with the brony fandom allow me to give you some background. Jessi Nowack is the de facto voice of the background character Vinyl Scratch (aka DJ PON3 – pictured below). What is so cool about this is that Vinyl Scratch has never had any speaking lines on the show – she is mute. The only times she has ever spoken are in fan-created content. So with the fan base being so dedicated to the characters, it stands to reason that if Hasbro Studios ever decided to give Vinyl speaking lines and Jessi didn’t voice her, the fan base would have a collective aneurysm!

So that’s it everybody. Every track for the record is done and heading out to be mastered. I can’t thank people enough for the support, encouragement, patience, and beer that has gone into making this happen! After nearly three years of working on this thing I’m feeling like Dre after he released Compton (but seriously, 16 years between albums dude?!).

You know what this means, right? Now I gotta get off my ass and play some shows! In front of an actual audience, instead of stuffed animals and house pets!! Anybody got a house party, garage sale, or birthday coming up?

Sorry the last track is taking so long everyone. Life has been chaotic in the past couple weeks to say the least. I’m going to be working on it this Sunday, and I hope to finish it. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

In the meantime, here are more puzzle pieces!

Only two pieces left after these. Good luck!

Demo of the last track for M.E.O.W.

You’re probably wondering why I would want to post an old demo of a song that I’m getting ready to post an up to date, much more polished version of. The short answer? UNCLEARED SAMPLES! And while I am way more excited about the updated version of the song, I wanted you guys and gals to hear this one too.

I sampled a very large chunk of a Madonna song for this one as well as voice samples of Kesha. You see, in a lot of radio pop music, DJs are often exhaulted and treated like the best thing ever. But if you’ve ever listened to Kiss FM or been to a nightclub, you know that some DJs are as bland, boring, and predictable as 90s sitcoms.

I wanted to represent the opposite side of the argument.

“Hey Mr. DJ! Stop being so goddamn lazy! Play something I didn’t hear in the car on the drive over here 4 or 5 times! And maybe try spinning those tracks with some style instead of just hitting play and walking away!”

I feel like if you pay to get into a club and you buy drinks and a DJ has been given an opportunity to entertain you, they should make the most of it! Play something we wouldn’t expect! Try some mashups! Take us on a musical journey! Anything less is basically white noise and should not be held in high regard in pop music or anywhere else.

Sooo anyway…

I’ll be posting the new version of the song as well as the real title and more detail on it’s evolution, people involved (there are SOOO many!), et cetera in the very near future as well as some more puzzle pieces!

The last track to be mixed for the record is going to be forshing erpic! More details on the final track later. In the mean time, here are some puzzle pieces. Have you figured out the track list yet? Only one track remains and then it’s pretty much all out in the open. Make your guesses while you still can!

O… M… Gumdrops you guys! Only one track left to mix before M.E.O.W. gets shipped off to be mastered! I am so excited!!

So, what is with the title of this post? “Let’s just call it ‘9’”? Well, y’know… cuz there are only 10 tracks on the record and I have 1 left… so… GET OFF MY BACK!!!!!!!!!

Pixel Fix

This is my attempt to write a song in a similar vein to Shael Riley & The Double Ice Backfire – a combination of chiptune music with live instrumentation. If it wasn’t obvious, I’m a bit of a fan. I also really want to give some mad props to Logan Witte – who played the live drums – and Pete Bishop (my stepdad) who did a ridiculous amount of post-processing to get the drums tracks to line up. I could have done this song without the live drums, but I feel like THIS is the best version. Also the drum sound is SOOOOO Steve Albini – big, boomy in all the right spots, and tight as hell!

I gotta give you all a heads up, the next track will probably take a while to finish as there are A LOT of elements to it, and I want it to be perfect. Because I love you. Also, because I am a perfectionist.

Anyway, enjoy the new tracks – collect all them puzzle pieces – make this world more like Equestria – and keep your sense-holes peeled for the final track!

Track from last week is being cleaned up as we speak. With any luck, I will be able to post it here tonight. If the internet had fingers, would it cross them?

In the meantime, I have some puzzle pieces for you.

Not sure if I mentioned this before, but the first five people to come up with the correct track listing for the album, get a physical copy in ‘da mail! To participate, collect the pieces (there are more on the way) and put them together. Then, drop me an email at fanmail [AT] evbpmusic [DOT] com with the track listing. I will announce the winners here on the site!

That’s right, P2T2 YO! Sorry, with all the Straight Outta Compton memes I couldn’t resist doing my own. Because I had a headache. And no ibuprofen. Do you like it? Anyway, about those puzzle pieces. Here they are!

And if you’re reading this, I’m sure you want more detail on why you’re not getting an MP3 this week. The next track I plan to upload felt like it was lacking something. And the object of lack was real, live drums! So Pete and I spent this afternoon recording drums with his friend Logan Witte. I wasn’t sure what to expect, as I had never heard him drum before, but Pete assured me that he was a talented guy.

He was right.

I don’t know how many takes it usually takes most drummers, but Logan – having never heard the song before – managed to kill it in less than four takes! I was also really impressed (and thankful) that I didn’t have to spell out every pattern or try to play it for him first (I haven’t played the drums in years, so I’m really out of practice). Other than a few guiding points (lots of toms, drop out here, etc) he seemed to have an instinct for what to play. I can’t wait to post the mp3 for you. I’m sure you’re gonna love it!

So if this is Part 10, and there are 10 tracks on the album… What the floppy disk?! I haven’t exactly been religious about the numeric consistency of these. Plus, I have announced tracks and not posted mp3s at the same time, so I guess I’m innocent. But think positive! 8 of 10 tracks for the album are ready for mastering!

And to end your wait, here it is! The track I dangled in front of your faces yesterday. Here for your listening enjoyment!

Decipher This Song (featuring MC Lars)

I know it seems silly, but doing a track with an established, internationally known artist makes me feel like I have “made it”. On the upside, Lars is a genuinely talented guy and it’s a privilege to get to do a song with him – celebrity or no. Besides, “making it” is all relative. That guy at the local “open mic night” showing up and playing songs that he loves and doing his own thing without concern for being rich and famous has “made it”. Kanye West has “made it”. The one guy who won American Idol a couple years ago (you know the one I’m talking about!), he’s “made it”. Success is what you make of it.

Two more tracks everyone! The album will be ready before you know it. In the meantime, have fun figuring out the puzzle pieces, and deciphering the song!