A Stocking Stuffer from ITAV!

Comprised of irreverent and/or skewed "Christmas" songs recorded over the last 5 years for various installments of the Bermuda Snohawk holiday music compilations put out annually by GTG Records and Bermuda Mohawk Productions, The Christmas Past E.P. collects Stargrazer's entries into the holiday music genre.

(A genre Stargrazer helmsman Peter Richards -- me! -- has variously described as "bloodless," "insipid," and "craven."  So, yeah, not a big fan of most commercial Christmas songs.  Though I will take a moment to say that The Pogues' "Fairytale Of New York" is the best one ever!)

From earnest psych-folk to Santaphobia to a dissection of mechanical recording rights to a (possibly ill-advised) foray into roots reggae, this 4-song grab-bag is a blend of home recording shenanigans and more professional studio environments with actual engineers and more sophisticated arrangements.  Musical in-jokes and questionable tastefulness abound.

Here is a FREE DOWNLOAD of the Christmas Past E.P. for all your holiday music hatin' needs.

3WSC Volume 19 Has Arrived!

...and without further ado, we invite you to grab something solid and click on the album cover to the right of these words.  Brace yourself for three brand new tracks from the likes of Honah Lee, Language, and Decades!

Mega-Subscribers, your songs are cozily nestled in your subscription folder! (What's a "mega-subscriber?"  See the sidebar on the right of this page.)

Want to share a link with friends or on your own blog?  Here: http://music.itavrecords.com/album/3-way-singles-club-vol-19

Funny story, when I first posted these songs earlier today, I quickly got a note from Honah Lee's Tim Hoh indicating that their track was sounding wack.  Well, I don't pretend to know everything, and today that was brought into sharp relief as one of the great mysteries of audio mastering was made known to me:

Nearly everything we've put out in the last two years has been mastered at 44.1 kHz, a fact that had remained vague to me because of its very ubiquity.  But Honah Lee's track (clearly marked in sharpie on the CD-R, no less) was provided to me at a higher resolution 48 kHz.  Not really understanding the difference, I ftp'd the audio file over to Mohnish Das to master in the scrupulous manner that he's been doing since Volume 10.  I didn't include that vital bit of information, thus setting off the chain of events that led to Tim's e-mail.  A quick phone call to New Jersey brought the issue to light: the track was about 12 seconds longer, and slower, due to being mastered at 44.1 kHz along with the other two songs.  Everything was pitched down slightly.  The song's original breakneck tempo sounded like it had been enjoying some of Lil Wayne's fabled purple drank.

Mohnish immediately set to work on a fix, and since he wisely keeps notes of his mastering settings, we were able to have the corrected track back up by this evening.  Thus the disabled download for part of this afternoon, and I apologize for any inconvenience that may have caused.

But you didn't know that about audio mastering either, did you?  Or, maybe you did?  Looking at It Takes A Village's subscriber list it strikes me that some of you probably did.  You're an erudite lot.  Well, now I do too.  I have to admit, I mostly understand now, it's all still a little fuzzy as to what the difference is.  And I even read Tape Op!  I apologize to Honah Lee for almost releasing a compromised version of their song, they were very gracious about it.  Tragedy narrowly averted.

People could assume that because I'm behind the scenes, I know how to do everything involved in putting professional quality music out. The truth is, I couldn't do it without a lot of help.  I'm good at organizing projects and bringing them to fruition, but without all the talented musicians and engineers that have taken part in the 3-Way Singles Club none of this would happen -- at least not at the level we've been able to maintain.  Today we released the 55th, 56th, and 57th singles in the series -- that's as many songs as Heinz Ketchup has varieties of pickles.

Learning is a process, we are never experts.

Rather than crippling, I find that epiphany inspiring.  There's no reason that anyone can't make great recordings if they are starting with the most important ingredient: great songs.  My own flounderings in my home studio recording as Stargrazer with my 4-track and Garageband have evolved from "unlistenable" to "charmingly lo-fi" in a relatively short amount of time.  With continued good fortune, good teachers, and yes even hiccups and mistakes, I hope to improve my personal skills and knowledge; and I'm grateful not only for the vast supporting cast that makes It Takes A Village Possible but also for the people who listen and for those who eagerly anticipate our next offering.

More about that later.  Go rock out to the new single.

The Perils Of Expectation / The Tyranny Of Time

Into every two-year long project, a little chaos must creep...

There are many, many challenges to coordinating a multi-faceted project like the 3-Way Singles Club, and if ITAV had an intern, no one would ever feel their effects!  But we don't, so you do.

Many of you have been waiting patiently for the unveiling of 3-Way Singles Club Vol. 17, the September edition of the series featuring three artists we are very partial towards: Racket Ghost (who play tonight, at Mac's Bar, by the way, with The Plurals, Decades, and Honah Lee, oh my!), Chaz Brackx and the Big Bucks, and The Mind Guards.  Since we released it stealthily, with no mention, on the 30th, you may not be aware that you can experience it here.

Well, mostly.  If you are a member of the 3WSC Mega-Subscription, you'll know that the new songs haven't made their way into your subscription package yet.  And if you're sharp-eyed, you'll see two things about the single in its present state that are... well, obstacles.

First:  You can't download or purchase the tracks.  Yet.  But you can stream them, enjoy them, share them, etc.  This will be rectified when the single is complete, which brings us to...

Second:  There are only two songs!  So far.  There have been some technical difficulties that have stopped us from posting the Chaz Brackx song yet -- but we're just about through remedying the minor issues that have held up the song.  The comparative simplicity of the fix was complicated by conflicting work schedules and life interference.  Small things, really, but worth the time.

I'm grateful for your patience, and honestly just this side of thrilled that our first major hiccup of any noticeable scale took over a year and a half to occur!  All the artists of the 3WSC are donating their time and talents, and in most cases giving us completely exclusive material; so we are also very honored by that.  We're taking advantage of the delay to work ahead on the series, and if you've been visiting the 3-Way Singles Club Page you'll see that many exciting and interesting additions have appeared in the last few weeks.  There should be a more comprehensive schedule as time allows.

I hope this addresses any concerns that might be floating around out there, and I assure you that as soon as the final piece drops into place, we will give this excellent single the fanfare it deserves!  And it will magically appear for subscribers.

I wanted to acknowledge everyone's patience and let you know what was happening.  This should be an isolated occurrence if all else goes as planned.  Please never hesitate to let me know if you are having issues with any aspect of the 3WSC, or if you'd like to get involved somehow.

Peter
The ITAV guy.

Listening to Tone Poems as mp3s: Heightened vs. Diminished Experiences

Tomorrow night, ITAV's Peter Richards will be appearing on 88.9 FM The Impact's local music specialty show "The Basement" to discuss the 3-Way Singles Series, preview some tunes from the forthcoming Volume 4 of the series, give out some download codes, talk a bit about the Independent Musicians Fund (IMF), and maybe some other freebies and fun stuff.  Tune in between 8-10 PM, if you're outside the Lansing area you can stream it here.

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On August 13th, Stargrazer performed live for the last time -- at least for a while.  As performances go, I felt really good about it.  I was relaxed and the songs flowed out of my fingers and my bass without the clunky notes or missed phrases that plague me when I'm not fully focused.  For once, I spent some time on a detailed soundcheck, and I even noodled around and improvised a multi-layered loop before I began my set using the innards of a music box that played "You Are My Sunshine" over a highly abstracted bass ostinato.  It got applause.  I nearly changed my mind.

However, the decision wasn't ever really mine to make.  Or maybe it was, somewhere way back in time when I could've had better posture, or been more diligent about warm-ups and practicing with proper hand position, or more conscientious at the computer with proper typing techniques.  It all began in March, with a persistent knot in my shoulder that wouldn't let up, no matter what I tried: a new pillow, backrubs, exercise.  Soon, it became a numbness in my thumb and forefinger accompanied by waves of pins-and-needles that would travel up and down my left arm from elbow to fingertips.

I kept hoping it would go away.

Finally, I went to the doctor.  "Classic symptoms of carpal tunnel," she said.  I asked if it ever went away and she just looked at the floor and shook her head.  She recommended I buy a wrist splint to wear at work and when I was sleeping.  I took some sort of $500 diagnostic test that my insurance wouldn't cover, and the conclusion was the same:  CTS, a catch-all diagnosis for repetitive stress injuries to the medial nerve -- the one that passes through the narrow tunnel of bones in your wrist and connects your thumb, forefinger and middle finger to your spine.  Since I am right handed, the presence of CTS in my left hand seemed to indicate that the culprit was fretting my bass.

I would rather have my hand amputated than not be able to play bass.

Other than surgery, the only solution is rest, with rest being defined as not using your fingers, wrist, or elbow.  So, in other words, impossible -- at least for anyone who needs to work for a living!

I've done a lot in the last few months to change how I play bass.  I've tried holding it differently and I've become much more conscious of what I'm demanding of my wrist and fingers.  I've started taking B vitamins (apparently, B vitamin deficiency alone can bring on CTS).  I was prescribed an anti-inflammatory.  I got the first-ever professional massage of my life (highly recommended!)  I realized much too late that I've been demanding a lot from my body for years but not giving it anything back.  My eleventh-hour efforts have improved the symptoms a little, but I still get woken up in the middle of the night by pain and tingles.  It sucks.  One of the things I enjoy the most in life, and that I feel I can offer something artistically with, is being taken away.  Unchecked, it will lead to more intense pain and loss of finger strength.  I'll start dropping things.

I'm not willing to let that happen.

So, Stargrazer is on indefinite hiatus, at least as far as performing live goes.  I have hundreds of songs to document, and I plan to keep recording, both in the studio with Eric Merkling and at home.  I have a couple farmer's market gigs to honor in September and October.  Part of me is saying "you're not a real band until you go on indefinite hiatus," but the other part can't parse the sarcasm -- in fact I am genuinely depressed that my body is in revolt against my head.  The condition of my wrist is placing a dam on the river of my creativity.  Just when I was getting somewhere, it's all being taken away.

So this is a downer of a blog entry, no?

What I want to put down "on paper" is that I'm not giving up.  I'm taking a break to get healthy, and I plan to do everything I possibly can to rest, recover, and eventually strengthen my wrist.  Being a graphic designer/bassist/writer/bookseller is going to make that a challenge, but I am highly motivated and in the interim ITAV will persist in its focus on exposing great music through the 3-Way Singles Series and some of our other exciting upcoming releases.

Stargrazer as a live unit is done, for now. 

Stargrazer as a recording unit will remain active.  I'm just getting the hang of my home recording set-up, and the full-length album I'm working on with Eric is something I am very excited about and very committed to completing.  I am also fully committed to releasing more great music by my comrades-in-arms in the independent music scene.

I had a fantastic time playing out with Drinking Mercury (who will release their own full-length debut September 3rd at Mac's Bar), Calliope (who are one of my inspirations in the local/independent scene), and Gnome Village (who I spent the latter half of the summer gigging with and who I look forward to collaborating with, one way or another, in the future).  I look forward to many more great evenings of music, pain-free, when that pain-free day arrives.  See you in the funny papers.

Until then, look for much more graphic design output from the ITAV studios (I just re-vamped the "Posters/Album Art" page of this blog), sporadic Stargrazer studio works, and an ongoing commitment to the 3-Way Singles series.  Sit up when you type, don't rest your wrists, pay attention to your posture, eat right and take care of yourself.

Lansing Event: (SCENE) Folk Fest IV - February 11 & 12

For the past few years, Earthwork Music has been teaming up with the like-minded arts promotion organization Fox On A Hill and downtown East Lansing art gallery/performance space (SCENE) Metrospace to put on a two-day mid-winter folk festival.  Organized by musician Brandon Foote (of Gifts Or Creatures), the event is centered around the prolific Michigan independent singer/songwriter community, for which "folk" is a somewhat inadequate term.  A quick glance at this year's lineup reveals what might be the best year yet, with a strong showing from the indie-folk camp as well as some of the Mitten State's more forward-thinking traditionalists.

Since opening in 2004, (SCENE) Metrospace has steadily built a reputation as the premier all-ages music venue in East Lansing.  Just steps away from the campus of Michigan State University, (SCENE) is a wide-open, contemporary space that showcases cutting edge art in all mediums.  I've witnessed everything there from motion-detecting, inflatable sculptures to experimental film.  From rock shows to modern classical performances, (SCENE)'s stage has seen a constant stream of performers -- especially since moving to their current location at 110 Charles Street, in the lower level of the colorful "Habitrail," a.k.a. the Division Street Parking Garage (next door to Georgio's Pizza).

Earthwork Music is a collective of musicians founded by singer/songwriters Seth Bernard and May Erlewine (Daisy May).  Headquartered in Lake City, Michigan, Earthwork' s artists are scattered across the state, and in the case of a few, like Daniel Kahn and Luke Winslow-King, call New Orleans their home.  Earthwork blends social consciousness with a DIY work ethic and a passion for contemporary folk music.  The collective hosts an annual gathering, The Harvest Gathering, at the Bernard family's Lake City farmstead, which has bloomed from a simple weekend of camping held for an extended family of friends, into one of Michigan's most acclaimed mini-festivals.

Jen Sygit, Sam Corbin, and Gifts Or Creatures all appear from the Earthwork artist roster.  Brandon from Gifts Or Creatures commissioned the poster, pictured above, that I designed to promote the festival.  I've had the pleasure of designing the posters for this festival ever since its inception in 2008.

Also appearing are two artists who appeared on ITAV's most recent release, the In The Orchard Of Osiris compilation.  Steven Leaf, a Lansing-based songwriter, contributed the lush, layered instrumental "India Pale Ale" from his recent debut album We Are Ghosts.  Leaf's music belies the folk tag: although it is primarily acoustic it is also clearly informed by electronic music and indie rock.  We'd love it if Steve would consider ITAV as a home for his sophomore release!  The other artist who appears on I.T.O.o.O. is mid-Michigan musician Chris Bathgate, who contributed vocals to the Syscrusher track "Between The Breath Of Infinity."  We are big fans of Chris's music, and eagerly awaiting the follow-up album he's working on to A Cork Tale Wake, which is the album my wife and I fell in love to.

Someone I'm really looking forward to checking out is Photographers, based in Chicago.  I've just heard intriguing things about Photographers, and tantalizing scraps of music.

My label-mate on GTG Recordings, Small Houses, will also appear at the (SCENE) Folk Festival.  Small Houses is a unique blend of sparely gorgeous melodies, economic arrangements, and rich brevity.  I happen to know there's some new music coming out soon from Small Houses, because I am designing the cover art -- utilizing some breathtaking photography by Maren Hoopfer (of Photographers, the band).

Also in the old friends category is the folk duo Nervous But Excited.  Nervous But Excited is the fusion of two dynamic singer/songwriters, Kate Peterson and Sarah Cleaver.  Both powerful performers in their own rights, Nervous But Excited have been touring and performing together since 2004, evangelizing their extremely engaging brand of "pleasantly aggressive folk."

And the wild cards, for me, are Doug Mains and Ryan Anderson.  Who are these enigmas?  Everyone loves a good mystery.

A quick hopscotch through the multitude of links in this post should give you a pretty good idea of the caliber of performance you can expect at (SCENE) Metrospace next Friday and Saturday.  I would advise not showing up late, as the venue can only hold about 150 people and is known to sell out.  Tickets are $10, available at the door only, and the music starts at 8 PM each night.  Doors each night are at 7 PM.  

Perhaps I'll see you there?

I have some other exciting things to write about, like a friend who found a cache of ridiculously out-of-print ITAV CDs that I'll probably devise some sort of giveaway for; an upcoming Stargrazer show; new developments with the 3-Way Singles Club... but those will have to wait for another post, because it's time to hit "Publish."