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| threadbare: the official black lab newsletter |
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threadbare issue #7 July 2007 -------------------------------------------------------- a newsletter for friends & fans of the band black lab www.blacklabworld.com --------------------------------------------------------- to unsubscribe or change your address see the links at the bottom of the page --------------------------------------------------------- this issue: are we crazy? youtube starz the digital world year number three passion for passion linx free stuff --------------------------------------------------------- :: hello :: so, we're not crazy. we just put out a record. a really big record -- our third. five years in the making, as they say. epic cascades, gorgeous ballads, torture and heartbreak and the ecstasy of love and loss. now we're putting out another record. a techno record. big beat, electronic rock, remixes, the whole spiel. is this our fourth record? I don't know. I don't think so. it's not a proper black lab album. more like a fetish we had to put on display. a side project, a party to which we invited a few friends, a few fans, and most importantly -- you. it's called TECHNOLOGIE. it has great beats and exciting, over-the-top vocalizations by yours truly as well as (on one track) by beloved black lab guitarist/keyboardist/programmer/mixer Andy Ellis. it's a collection of experiments, of big aggressive beats with bigger, more aggressive guitars, in the style of Andy's favorite band Prodigy, as well as The Crystal Method and The Chemical Brothers, with Mobyish moments and a unique style born of growing up with trance and trip hop. but it's all black lab. it's all us, huddled around a G5, squeezing out the deep stuff from the bottom of the tube. me pacing and chanting rhymes, trying to make what I want to say fit, while Andy chain smokes and clicks away at the mouse. I can talk about it more, or you can click here to preview it. you might think you won't like it, but I think you will: http://blacklabworld.com/blw/mp3/blacklab_tecpreview.m3u this was the music Andy was making when I met him. it was his roland tb303 lines from recordings made by his group Protoculture that turned me on, that made me make some time to sit down and listen to what he had going on. Protoculture consisted of Andy, his roommate Brian Paturalski, and their gear. it represented an attempt to weld trance and punk together, and it was pretty good. seven years later, the three of us are still making music together -- Brian contributed three tracks to TECHNOLOGIE. protoculture is the name for the first civilization in the world of macross. the macross/robotech universe was created in conjunction with the anime-driven, japanese obsession for transformer-type toys. needless to say, Andy is one of the biggest transformer fans in the world. after badgering me for half a year to try to make something out of the cheesy piece of hair-metal known as the transformers theme, I sat down one night, turned on the mic, and realized that the track Andy had made was fantastic -- I could tell it honored the spirit of the original without falling into the ridiculous indulgence of its era. or rather, it celebrated that indulgence, pushing it further while giving it a deeper, heavy resonance. thus was born our cover of the 'transformers theme.' not something I ever expected to appear on a black lab album, but in a way it brings us full circle, back to protoculture, back to (as the germans say) the TECHNOLOGIE that makes making and marketing music possible for us today. the album is also about continuing to open up the black lab process to fans who wanted to get their fingers in it. this began with the Mp3 of the Month Club, where people get a taste of what our stuff sounds like before it's done, sometimes before it's even written. subscribers know the impact their comments have on how we think about our material. in a world where we can't afford (yet!) to tour, the Club represents a means of 'road-testing' our stuff before it gets finished. this process continued with the video-chop contest for 'this night,' the song featured in FX's season 6 promo for The Shield (found on our recent album Passion Leaves a Trace). we made raw performance footage available and people took it and ran with it, integrating footage from the show, or else animating their own though. we intend to open this process up even further, by making multitrack stems of some of our songs available for remixing. this began with a few intrepid fans asking for sessions to songs from See the Sun, and resulted in Miss Volatile's remix of 'lonely boy' and Alex Kemp's reinterpretation of 'remember.' both of these remixes smoke, and we're happy to include them (along with Andy's 9 minute remix of 'ecstasy') on TECHNOLOGIE. so even if you're not a big fan of techno, I think the remixes will interest you, draw you in to the point where you give the melodies and beats of the other songs a shot. who knows -- you might just find yourself in possession of a record that will make that next workout (or housecleaning) feel like flight instead of a grind. check it out: http://blacklabworld.com/blw/pages/01f_tec.html --------------------------------------------------------- :: youtubage :: btw, after we made the cover of the transformers theme, our friend made a cool video for it, chopped together from all the HD trailer material Dreamworks had put out for the new movie. it's been up on youtube for a little while and has already garnered over 300,000 views. I'm not joking: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcQuXAf0cKc in fact, once we made the mp3 single of the theme available, other people started making video mashups too. you can get a hi-res version of the video and see what other people did with the theme (including old-school TV footage, stop-action, etc.) right here: http://blacklabworld.com/blw/pages/transformers.html all the other videos we have made are now up on our channel at youtube as well. stop by and subscribe and we'll let you know when anything new goes up. --------------------------------------------------------- :: download now :: another new feature of blacklabworld.com is the fact that all of our albums are now available via digital download. just pay via credit card or paypal using our super-secure shopping cart, and you'll receive instant gratification: a compressed folder containing your choice of either high resolution, DRM-free 192k mp3's or else iTunes Plus-quality aac's (246k). each folder contains the album, select bonus tracks (with TECHNOLOGIE you also get the instrumental of the transformers theme for utter karaoke dominance), a single from another of black lab's excellent albums which you might not own, as well as pdf's of the album artwork with crop marks -- ready for printing, cutting & burning your own cd's. each album sells for only $9, a significant savings (especially when you count shipping & handling) off of the price of a CD. this will allow for the quick and easy downloading and transfer of our albums onto any computer and mp3 player. it means you can get the music you want right now, from anywhere in the world, USPS-free. you can always get our albums at iTunes, but these are higher resolution files, with extra trax and graphix thrown in, at a lower price -- and without the DRM hassle. we make music and we want people to hear it, so we're making it as easy as possible to get it into your hands. --------------------------------------------------------- :: year 03 :: the third volume of the Mp3 of the Month Club is up & running, with a beatlesque track from the upcoming documentary Waiting for Hockney. subscribers to volume II can of course get a free CD of all of year two's tracks, in full 16bit quality, by signing up now for another glorious year. exclusive audio, video, photos & writing, delivered every month to your inbox. this year is going to be off the hook. do it, do it. right here: http://blacklabworld.com/blw/pages/04_subscribe.html --------------------------------------------------------- :: passion leaves a trace :: thus far my favorite review of the third album, courtesy of the bunny: "ok so im listening to for the 3rd time today... which makes it my... um... 20 somethingeth time listening since i got it.... first of all, this cd is the PERFECT cd to get it on to... and i think they did it on purpose totally sexy... the cover is so appropriate. maybe that's why the porn star was pissed off... it represents REAL passion, and not just sex for the sake of making money or just to put it in your face. with that said: Mine Again: im a sucker for paul's overwrought, self bleeding ballads.... this one... so sweet! so... exposed... so vulnerable. we've all been there... but the beat isn't syrupy and slow... it's got a decent rock beat to it. good dichotomy there. good selection to start the album off with. ghost in your mind: again, totally a sucker. i worshipped this song when they put it on the myspace. i love how it starts out slow and progresses a little faster in the "neon" part... my absolute favorite part is the "like a prince had come and found you"... it just rolls out so perfectly... and we can all relate to the pain and frustration of knowing someone you care about is fixated on someone (or something) else... even if it's not you. it's sweet in that it's almost saying "i just want to see you happy, even if it's not with me" but it captures the heartbreak in knowing that... it's not with you. and it never will be. the real you: GAH!! my first favorite on the album. LOVE LOVE LOVE this song. "but i won't give up and i don't mind waiting" so catchy... so... romantic. the perfect "im gonna stick with you no matter what" self sacrificing ballad. and i can totally relate to not having your family approve of someone, but unlike this song... that guy gave up... oh well. also, it implies that the person he's singing to is conflicted. they want to be with him... but it's not practical. i think the meaning of "the real you" is that side of our human nature that throws caution to the wind and says "fuck it... it might not be practical, but it's worth a shot, and i'll probably have fun anyway." this night: dark and murky. the forboding notes in the beginning just set the tone... something bad is emminent. again, self sacrificing... admitting to your mistakes, taking the consequences for what you've done. slow, steady... beautiful. gone: my second favorite on the album. very "in your face", very raw. "this is how i viewed our relationship. now you know. im out." i love "number 2 goes like this if you listen close you can feel my kiss..." ha ha ha! it's like the ultimate FU... like saying "hey baby, we had a blast, didn't we?", giving them a kiss goodbye and peacing out. like the ultimate mind fuck. the perfect way of getting all the bs out of the way after you break up... without rehashing anything. nothing sappy, just raw unattachment. a day alone: not one of my favorites... but then again, im partial to the ballads. very independent, very driven... factual. good driving music. weightless: my 3rd favorite (big surprise there!) mmmm.... slow, melodic.... pauls voice is perfect. "broken glass, bleeding wrist, second chance for a simple kiss..." the imagery, the raw emotion.... "on your knees on your back..." cmon... like that doesn't make you think dirty thoughts? "nobody wants you like i do" aw!! just melts your heart. this whole track is just sweet and slow and perfect for..... well... you know. pictures of people: not a ballad but so much fun to listen to! how often do you people watch... or wonder about random people? totally captures that curiosity. "how can i miss you? i never met you..." very catchy. love it! "i feel like dr. zhivago lost in chicago".... such a fun line! i bet this was a blast to write. broken heart: reckless. sexy. predatory. pure rock. perfect song for a tryst. paul's voice is soft and low... "i hate to be rough, i like her so much, i don't know where to start" im not even going to start with all the implications of "rough" "i like your face, it's such a waste when you wear that frown" again... raw. hot. "shows me a good time when i show her my worst side"... ha ha ha, I bet i know what he means by that... sun & moon: "set myself on fire against the falling night" damn... that's a great line. the idea of holding someone up to this impossible pedestal. the falsetto/high notes are perfect... "i'll never let you down" repeated over and over.... an absolute. an adamant promise. good: perfect song when you're getting ready to head out at night. energetic, pumped up rock. "when you hit that spotlight, let the world rise up to meet you". one of those "in your face, hell yeah" kinda songs. the window: HOLY HELL I HAVE A NEW FAVORITE SONG. it's soft, slow... syrupy... almost... torch-like... sexy as hell. kinda song you'd hear during a hot strip tease scene in a movie (think: jamie lee curtis in true lies). which is exactly what it makes you think of... voyeurism, smokey rooms, pure sexuality. "and all of the hours, all of the days, i spent my time waiting for a look at your face" and "everything i've ever dreamed of or prayed for is waiting for me in your eyes" oh. my. god... so hot... esp. the mandolin sounding thing in the background while he says that... and the slow falsetto again... just... sexy. all the background sounds are so fitting... adds to the "environment" of the song. the things i think of while listening to it are indescribable... your ghost: the mixing, layering and repetition make this song what it is. paul's voice is soft and slow again... leading into the chorus. forboding. def. had dreams like this before. very mysterious. i gotta say, I thought it was hard to live up to STS, but it happened. i love everything about this album. it's a unique sound that's purely Black Lab. the ordering of tracks is perfect... i wouldnt change a thing... the first 3 grab you, and there's a slow progression from there. well done guys... perfect. just... perfect." very nice indeed. let us know what you think: http://www.blacklabworld.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=684 --------------------------------------------------------- :: misc. :: the black lab army has been flexing its muscles. we reached #1 at alternative addiction with 'mine again' and we're #6 over there right now with 'ghost in your mind.' alternativeaddiction.com is a great site -- check it out and give us a boost: http://www.alternativeaddiction.com/newmusic/top20singles.asp we're also rocking at garageband.com, where 'mine again' had a perfect five star rating last time I checked: http://www.garageband.com/song?|pe1|S8LTM0LdsaSiYVaxY2E someone has certainly been busy over at wikipedia... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Lab nice little myspace fan group going on. thanks Lillia! http://groups.myspace.com/BlackLabMusicFans also, we're the Too Hot To Handle artist of June 2007 at MusicPromoStation. how do you like me now? do you think I'm sexy now? they have a wicked video banner over there at: http://www.musicpromostation.com/mpsbanners/banner_blacklab.htm wanna hear me grouse about the nightmare of the old music biz? really? check out this interview for the musicians cooler podcast: http://media.podshow.com/media/201/episodes/54546/themusicianscooler-54546-03-20-2007_pshow_62301.mp3 ok, enough. --------------------------------------------------------- :: free stuff :: I awarded free stuff last time and haven't even sent it out yet. I'm lame. or maybe just busy. busy & lame. I promise the free stuff will go out. the spice must flow: Teresa Lindberg of Denver, CO, come on down! shoot me an email with your t-shirt size and preference for a free CD. awesome!--------------------------------------------------------- ok, love you, paul contact @ blacklabworld.com --------------------------------------------------------- black lab http://blacklabworld.com our booming myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/blacklabband turn your friends on: http://blacklabworld.com/tellafriend.html check us at garageband: http://www.garageband.com/artist/blacklab or maybe you're more pv: http://www.purevolume.com/blacklab FX's promo for The Shield: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DqnNSh37Ow# check our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/blacklabworld 'See the Sun' at iTunes: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=79849505&s=143441 'Passion Leaves a Trace' at iTunes: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=210761472&s=143441 ringtones: http://www.groupietunes.com/artists/blacklab Verizon 'sts' ringback tone: http://www.blacklabworld.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=748 --------------------------------------------------------- |
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threadbare issue #5 February 2007 -------------------------------------------------------- a newsletter for friends & fans of the band black lab www.blacklabworld.com --------------------------------------------------------- to unsubscribe or change your address see the links at the bottom of the page --------------------------------------------------------- this issue: the third album video chop gig at the hotel cafe the debut reloaded etc. free stuff --------------------------------------------------------- :: hello :: hey, long time no threadbare... as you may know, we have released our third album, called "Passion Leaves a Trace." we're super excited about it and hope you get a chance to check it out. this record basically consists of the music we've been making the last five years as we navigated the post-major label world. it was made free of any outside influence -- other than the voices in my head -- and it was a great joy. a song from the album, 'this night,' is being featured in FX's season 6 promo for everyone's favorite psychotic cop show, 'The Shield.' you can see it here and also preview songs from the new album, buy an mp3, or go whole hog and just order the thing (we'll still send you the mp3 for free. we're all about instant gratification). click: http://blacklabworld.com/blw/pages/thisnight.html THANKS to everyone who has bought it so far, especially all our new friends who discovered us through The Shield promo. --------------------------------------------------------- :: webbage :: we're also pretty off the hook when it comes to the ole' website. www.blacklabworld.com has been completely updated with lots of new pics, previews, blather, chord charts, posters, t-shirts and videos. speaking of new videos, we made a vid ourselves for 'this night,' thinking we would edit in some footage from 'The Shield' and make it all badass and violent. figured it would make a nice counterpart to FX's promo. only then we ran out of time and money and Chris-the-director went off and got married. the nerve of the guy. anyway, what we ended up with is just me and Andy on a stage lipsynching to a very slow, very depressing song. so then we thought it would be cool to turn it over to fans who had the mad skills (along with the computers, video editing software, dvd ripping apps, or else very exciting home movies) to chop the performance footage up with other stuff and make a cool video. maybe you have some beautiful nature shots, like sap dripping off trees and butterflies molting, that you could use. or, you know, get your machinima on. we're even having a contest -- a video chop contest. download our footage, make a video, shoot it to us at contact@blacklabworld.com using some file-sending program like yousendit.com, we'll post it on our page and upload it to our channel at youtube. if you make the best video, we'll hook you up with a profoundly rare, signed, red '98 tour poster picturing the original Labs in all our late-90's glory, along with CDs & other valuables. coolio! but first, go here to see the video and download the compressed quicktime file: http://blacklabworld.com/blw/pages/01e_thisnightvid.html we want to see what you got!! --------------------------------------------------------- :: giggage :: we're also having a little record release party for "Passion Leaves a Trace." we'll be at the hotel cafe in hollywood on wednesday, march 7th. Andy and I will do an acoustic set at around 9, then we'll be hanging out in the outer bar to say hi, sign CD's, kiss your girlfriends, whatever. we'll be playing a bunch of new songs, and Andy is even going to bust out his prodigious piano chops. Brian Paturalski ala Black Lab and Kristin from Cake or Death will be there as well. would love to see you. (tragically, the club is 21 and over). hotel cafe 1623 1/2 N Cahuenga Blvd. Los Angeles, 90028 (323) 461-2040 --------------------------------------------------------- :: the director's cut :: also, don't forget, we reissued a special edition of our debut a few months back, with two new minutes, two new songs, resequenced, remastered, reloaded. "Your Body Above Me: the director's cut" is the way our first record was meant to be heard, with twelve pages of never-before-seen pics, liner notes, lyrics, and song-by-song commentary by yours truly. here's a few of the nice things people have said about it: well i got 'the director's cut' today... amazing... sounds wonderful i was at a counting crows concert, and adam said that sometimes you hear a song so many times that it loses what it really means, and you're just hearing the song, not what lives beneath the music. and that sometimes you've gotta play them differently, and you'll hear something else that wasn't there before and you can sort of rediscover the song, the meaning behind it and what it means to you. i find that in this album. although the songs were not changed that drastically... they've got such a new mix right down the order of the songs. with the additional two minuets added to the album, it sounds like so much more... i'd even say that it's an entirely new album. it offers a whole new experience, just with familiar songs. with the new mix, the all to familiar songs have almost a holy sound to them... bringing something that was amazing, to a whole new level. especially with an album i've been listening to for the past nine years, this "ultra-lux edition" is a rarity among, classic 90's rock, the perfect, perfected. the director's cut of your body above me is a second chance with the one that got away. Rivendor I think I enjoy the liner notes the best. I mean, don't get me wrong, the full album and the song arrangement is superb, but it's the letter to the listeners, and some background on each song that really make this CD hit home. Raich The Director's Cut of YBAM certainly does not dissapoint. I'm midway through the third listen now, and there is sort of an intensity and sharpness about the sound. I dunno if it's still the excitement but chills are going on over here! Thanks SOO much Paul. I know I'll honestly treasure this record, and it's incredible how and old friend like YBAM can be remastered to sound so noticeably better Woo! Walk Slow guitar solo!!! P.S. I BLOODY LOVE THE REDONE X-RAY!!!! Stoka Simply brilliant! Like falling in love all over again! It all flows noticably better, sounds better, the extra minutes of sound are noticable to the die hard and improve the record. Linear notes offer up a cool insight into the whole process as does the little bit of prologue. Very glad i bought it! TRN check it out right here: http://blacklabworld.com/blw/pages/01a_ybam.html --------------------------------------------------------- :: etc :: ok, what else. had some stuff on TV recently. 'good' from "Passion" was in this show 'Numb3rs,' and we actually had 4 songs in the straight-to-TV debut of "Lovewrecked," the latest Amanda Bynes movie: 'weightless' and 'broken heart' from the new record, and 'lonely boy' and 'perfect girl' from "See the Sun." the thing about the last two songs is that they are actually sung by Chris Carmack over our instrumental track. probably the less said about this the better. I'll hopefully have some video of this phenomenon up at the site soon, so check back. otherwise, the dvd comes out in march. also, 'mine again,' the first singlesque song from "Passion" is rocking the charts over at www.alternativeaddiction.com. swing by, check out their excellent taste, and vote! as we have two new albums available on the site, lots of people are taking advantage of the '3 cd's for $30' deal. it makes it easy to load up on a bunch of good stuff you might not have heard, and maybe share some with a friend and do your part to spread the luv that is black lab. we're also making available an 'mp3 of the month club' package where if you buy both volumes, you get the first year's songs for free on CD. come check out our new wicked-fast, super-efficient shop, powered by an ultra-secure, no-hassle, no-declined-purchases shopping cart. you can order using either credit cards or your paypal account. plus, we'll ship that stuff out to you within 24-48 hours. rock and roll: http://blacklabworld.com/blw/pages/03_shop.html one last thing. something very strange going on right here: http://bumrushthecharts.com hints for the future: "more than meets the eye..." technologie whlte labels---------------------------------------------------------:: free stuff :: here we go again. if you happen to be Sarah Simkins, shoot me an email at contact@blacklabworld.com and let us know your address -- you've just won a free t-shirt & CD of your choice. note your t size and what cd you'd like. excellent. we love free stuff, even when we're the ones giving it away!--------------------------------------------------------- ok, take care of yourselves. hope to see you soon, paul contact@blacklabworld.com --------------------------------------------------------- black lab http://blacklabworld.com our booming myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/blacklabband turn your friends on: http://blacklabworld.com/tellafriend.html check us at garageband: http://www.garageband.com/artist/blacklab or maybe you're more pv: http://www.purevolume.com/blacklab FX's promo for The Shield: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DqnNSh37Ow# 'See the Sun' at iTunes: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=79849505&s=143441 --------------------------------------------------------- |
threadbare issue #4 June 2006 -------------------------------------------------------- a newsletter for friends & fans of the band black lab www.blacklabworld.com --------------------------------------------------------- to unsubscribe or change your address see the links at the bottom of the page --------------------------------------------------------- this issue: a second year in the champagne room pod people in the house thanks make your choice solo acoustic a week from wednesday! own the black lab bass free stuff --------------------------------------------------------- :: hey :: hey everyone, welcome to another issue of threadbare. got a seemingly random bunch of info this time out. first off, thanks to everyone who renewed their subscription to the mp3 of the month club. the second year's issues are going to be awesome and I can't wait for you to hear 'em. let me say that if you like the idea of the club but don't like the idea of mp3's, now is your chance to get the club on CD. "how?!" you're asking! "how can I get a silver disc with black lab music unavailable anywhere else?! I hate downloading! I hate mixing music and computers! I just want one of those silver little discs that play in my car!" here's the deal: subscribers to the first year's issues who renew their subscriptions for a second year get the CD free. the catch? you have to renew your subscription by July 15 (I extended the deadline by two weeks just for you all). "but," you're saying, "I don't have a subscription!" well, it's not too late. to get that free CD, you have to enroll in the FIRST year's club, AND, enroll for the SECOND year. you'll get that excellent CD, plus you'll get a monthly dose of black lab, delivered right to your inbox, for a whole year, till summer '97! next year's gonna be excellent. in addition to the latest sonic brews and some ancient stuff (I'm talking, like, college 4-track recordings), I want to offer some podcasts (give you a taste of what Black Lab radio would sound like, maybe turn you on to some new muzik, and give you a chance to hear me ramble on in spoken audio form), do some video with my friend's fancy new mini DV, rock some old photos and memorabilia, maybe do some mp3 of the month club-only Q&A. I've also got some excellent-sounding DATs from the rehearsal sessions when we were writing and arranging YBAM that I'm going to post. you'd hate to miss that, right? you may as well bite the bullet now and get that free CD. only 30 more days! to subscribe, go here: http://blacklabworld.com/blw/pages/03_shop.html subscribe to the mp3 of the month club. in a short time, you'll receive a welcome email with a link to all 12 previous issues. click on that link and then click the 'buy now' button on the page that comes up talking about the second year of the club. then you're all good. you're in fat city. you're rocking hard. --------------------------------------------------------- :: iPodage :: ok, speaking of podcasts, I must say that the lab is going nuts over in the land of podsafemusic.com. this guy named Neil got ahold of us and has been shoving us down the throat of the biggest podcasters in the land. I'm talking about people with 250,000 subscribers to their shows! here's some shows we've been featured on: Adam Curry's Daily Source Code CC Chapman's Accident Hash Pacific Coast Hellway Tanfastic Podcast The Little Show Jim Radio Holistic Economy Radio QRM Get Jacked Underway in Ireland Top 10 Music Countdown Supernatural Podcast 101 Uses For Baby Wipes DCast theflashing12.com DJAJ USA Hacks ...actually there's way too many to name. if you're like me and don't (didn't) even know what a podcast is, head over there and check it out. click: http://www.podsafemusicnetwork.com check out the black lab page and go from there. it's a trippy world over there. there's a lot of cool people spinning a lot of cool music that you can bully your computer into downloading in the night when you're asleep and then you can wake up and listen to it whenever you want to and fast forward the crappy songs. it's like TIVO for radio. so thanks Neil for making it happen. we're getting a lot of new fans and reconnecting with old ones from YBAM days so it's excellent. --------------------------------------------------------- :: gratitude walks :: while I'm thanking Neil, I should also say thanks to: Craig Barron for setting up the California shows, pushing black lab cd's down the throat of every LA slimeball he can lay hands on, working the Aussie's on getting a proper release down there, and anything else that pops into his head. much appreciated. Derek DeGroot for help with the website, for setting up the forum (OMG!) and for getting the myspace site up and running. you rule. Kristian Anderson for help with video-related technology, as well as doing the excellent charts for songs from See the Sun which my lazy ass has yet to post (soon!!) and generally helping out. the fans are really stepping up so thanks again to everyone who has done stuff. if you have special talents let me know and we'll see if we can put to work. black lab wants you! sign yourself up and become a friend, if you haven't already. right here: http://www.myspace.com/blacklabband your very own Mp3 of the Month Club subscription can be had for the taking: http://blacklabworld.com/blw/pages/04_subscribe.html if you're more of a pure volume kinda person, we're live and kicking at: http://www.purevolume.com/blacklab --------------------------------------------------------- :: death. no, cake! :: also want to thank everyone who has picked up a copy of my side project's CD, Cake or Death. people have had some nice things to say: "I got my copy of Cake or Death a few days ago, and wanted to let you know that I think it’s amazing. I’m not going to say it’s better than Black Lab, but it’s certainly just as good." Ryan (email) "Hey Paul... I got the CD’s! I am listening to Cake or Death now... Love it! " Brooke (email) "Excellent! One of the things I loved about Ecstacy was the complement of Eve's voice to Paul, and Kristin brings even more of that to this song. I like the style... I think Let Go is my favorite so far, it's completely where I am emotionally right now, and it just sounds cool. I also like To the End, it's got a great beat. What You Got, Sweet Abuse, and Again are also pretty high on my list, and of course Whiplash is what I'll always think when I hear "Cake or Death". The whole album makes me think of the 80's, but in a good way. That little guy on the cover is cool, too." Fluffy (forum) "I can't get enough of Cake or Death. I really can't. Seriously, ten minutes after downloading Satisfied and Fandango I was buying the CD. I love every darned song! Let Go and Again are my favourites this week! I also love Satisfied (Paul's singing on that song blows my mind), Safety is also a top song. Man, I've been playing these songs so much I even hear them in the middle of the night when I'm half asleep! Haunting, very haunting. In the best possible way." Nefetari (forum) "After only hearing the two free downloads (Fandango and Satisfied) and the mp3 of the month release (Whiplash) I've got to say I'm hooked. The vocals are stunning, the partnership of Pauls vocals and the haunting female vocals are incredible. Just need to get my hands on the album...." Stoka (forum) Cake Or Death RAWKS!! love the new disc! Behind Blue Eyes (myspace) "I got home at around 7:30 this past Saturday night, checked my mail and found that the Cake or Death cd had been delivered. At 8:30, I jumped in the car on my way to the Redshirt show in Milwaukee. I put the Cake or Death cd in my player. "Whiplash" started and I immediately started to dig it. Paul Durham and Kristen Kelly exchange verses during it. ''Rise" was up next and it’s very catchy. By the second time the chorus hit, I was hooked and started to sing along. It was followed by another catchy song "Safety". Kristen's vocals sound like Cindy Alexander, a singer-songwriter, here. "Cake or Death", "Satisfied", "Bag of Cookies" then played, followed by "Again.", a beautiful tune about someone's lover. The dance influenced "Fandango" came next, followed by "Sweet Abuse", which in my opinion is about two people fulfilling their needs with each other. "Let Go", "Silence", "What You Got" and "To the End" round out the disc. A lot of these songs I could see on mainstream radio today and that is why I have to reward Cake or Death with 4 out of 5 Woodchucks. Paul Durham delivers again with emotional laced lyrics." Woody (myspace) "Love it. Enjoy the tracks: Whiplash, Cake Or Death and Safety most at the moment. A++++++ would purchase stuff from the store again... and again... and again. Now if only there was something else to be bought from there... make more music Paul!" Rick (forum)ok man, I will. I promise. if you haven't had your Cake or Death today, you really should: http://blacklabworld.com/blw/pages/03_shop.html ---------------------------------------------------------:: live, like, music :: some big news I guess is that I'm playing another acoustic live show (in LA -- sorry). I'm kind of working on getting a solo live thing going that will hopefully turn into a group live thing that goes on three year world tours and plays your town so many times you get sick of us and just stop going. so thanks to everyone who came out to the Hotel Cafe. we appreciate your support and hope you'll come check me out at this cool little club called genghis cohen. hope to see you there: PD acoustic solo at Genghis Cohen Wed June 28th 9PM (that's a week from this upcoming Wednesday, for those who don't use calendars) 740 N. Fairfax Ave, LA. 90046 (323)653-0640 ---------------------------------------------------------:: miscellaneous :: ok, what else has been going on? we got a song in this new comedy "The Benchwarmers." hey, I ain't proud -- but I'm paid. I've been engineering/producing a couple of records, one for a friend who is a singer-songwriter, the other for a wicked young band from the South who will remain unnamed since they're changing their name and don't know what it is yet. will fill you in later. been blogging at myspace. good middle-of-the-night distraction: http://blog.myspace.com/blacklabband what else... oh, check it out! Geoff Stanfield's original black lab 4-string bass is for sale. it's the very same black speckled Modulus the big guy played on YBAM and every night on tour. if you were one of the people he invited up on stage to climb on his shoulders while we played, then he was probably playing this bass as he crushed your head into the stagelights. it's absolutely incredible -- huge fat tone and stays in perfect tune -- but all I play anymore is my ole' P-bass and I have too many guitars as it is so it's got to go. here's your chance to own (and play!) a part of black lab history. check it: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7423509542&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1 ---------------------------------------------------------:: free stuff :: here we go again. if you happen to be Nicole White of Knoxville, TN, shoot me an email at contact@blacklabworld.com and let us know your address -- you've just won a free t-shirt & CD of your choice. note your t size and what cd you'd like. excellent. we love free stuff, even when we're the ones giving it away.--------------------------------------------------------- ok, take care everyone. see you soon, paul contact@blacklabworld.com --------------------------------------------------------- black lab http://blacklabworld.com http://www.myspace.com/blacklabband http://blacklabworld.com/tellafriend.html http://www.garageband.com/artist/blacklab http://www.purevolume.com/blacklab iTunes: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=79849505&s=143441 --------------------------------------------------------- |
threadbare issue #3 February 2006 -------------------------------------------------------- a newsletter for friends & fans of the band black lab www.blacklabworld.com --------------------------------------------------------- to unsubscribe or change your address see the links at the bottom of the page --------------------------------------------------------- hi everyone. welcome to #3. hope you've all had a chance to check out the site recently. lots of updates, new photos, new text (including past newsletters), new forum posts, etc. I had a great acoustic show in LA in january at the hotel cafe. thanks to everyone who came out. --------------------------------------------------------- I don't have a whole lot of different things to talk about this issue. I've been focused on finishing a new album -- cake or death c.o.d. is a side project I've been working on for a couple of years. we finally finished our record and it has just become available at blacklabworld.com. I am completely psyched about this thing and thought I'd let you in on the story of the band. a couple of years ago, three very close friends of mine who live up here came to me and said "hey, herr rock star, why should you get to have all the fun. we want to be in a band too." and I was like, "whoa, do you really think you can handle the intense fun quotient we're talking about here?" and they were like, "um, yeah, we think we can handle it." none of these people had been in bands before. in fact, quite frankly, none of them played any musical instruments. Joshua, who I've known for almost twenty years, had been carting this cheap Ibanez bass around for a decade but had never learned to play. Kristin could sing, fo sho', but she'd never sung into a mic before and those fourth grade piano lessons weren't exactly current. Olya grew up in Russia, without running water or rock and roll, and wanted to play drums. it seemed like something of a challenge. Olya posed a special problem because in order to play the drums, one has to do different things with each hand and each foot. kind of like driving a car except when you're driving a car your hands and feet are all doing different things which lead to the same thing: maneuvering the car down the road without killing self or others. but with the drums, all the different things are doing both the same thing (as in the horrifically difficult task of hitting things at the same time when they're hit at the same time, keeping steady tempo) and very different (right hand playing steady 8ths, right foot playing on the downbeat of 1 and the upbeat after 3). not easy. try it sometime. it's a nightmare. you start trying to play something and your brain instantly jams up like an LA freeway after a shooting. but Olya is also special in that, as a massage therapist (the best on the planet), she has tremendous control of her various limbs. AND, extra bonus, she is pissed. by which I mean, you could say, she has an anger-based personality. probably why we get along so well. of course, all good drummers are extremely angry, and all great drummers are nothing short of psychotic. dunno about her psychosis level. still sussing it out. anyway, they had this guy named Andrew (who happens to be my brother) playing guitar, so I said no problem, I'll teach you how to do this. I showed Olya the torturous drum patterns she would have to pound out for hundreds of hours in order to gain even a passing competency. I made a little chart of the notes for Joshua, showed him how to finger, and basically left him alone to figure out what to do with his right hand. Kristin stuck to the mic and tinkling with one hand on my expensive Roland keyboard. Andrew pretty much knew what he was doing, so all I had to tell him was to play fewer notes. I worked with them on learning some covers and would check in from time to time. It was cute. then Andrew had to quit. they had no guitarist, and for some reason (feeling left out no doubt) I agreed to step in. now, I have never played lead guitar before. I have always had guys who actually knew what they were doing for that. but I thought what every human thinks when offered the possibility of playing lead guitar: cool. I'm gonna get to play solos. you may or may not know my position on guitar solos. guitar solos suck. they're a wankfest. they're uncreative. only geniuses like Michael Belfer should be allowed to play guitar solos and even they should probably play a lot fewer than they do. if you must have a guitar 'instrumental' section, please do the decent thing and play a freakin melody. or just do like Kurt, and play the notes of the verse. of course, these rules all apply to OTHER people playing guitar solos. not me. special rules apply to me: since I can't really play guitar, and barely get by strumming first position chords (always the same voicings), I have infinite lease to wank away in the vague hope of coming up with something someone would want to listen to. so, guitar solos 'R us. additional rules: Olya, since she didn't know how to play drums, couldn't play fills. just the beats (which she was quite good at). this is awesome, and something I have wanted from every drummer I've ever played with. she didn't have a problem with it. she just likes hitting things. also: Joshua, who had been dreaming of laying down fat sticky grooves, was not allowed to play anything remotely resembling reggae. so, long story less-long, we learned covers, and we sucked really bad. this went on for a year. it was strange. we sucked (and I mean hard) but it was fun. like high school. then I went to LA and came back to find they were jamming. yes, jamming. it was kind of cool. I sang on top of it, told Joshua to play something different for the chorus, and it was almost, dare I say it, a song. this happened repeatedly over the course of the next year. I would go to LA, come back, and make their jams into songs. we were a lot better playing our songs than Tom Petty's songs, since you didn't really have to know how to play your instrument to play our songs. it was one of the good things about our songs. then the songs got better. Olya got better. Joshua started writing bass lines that were unlike anything else. Kristin started bringing some serious melodies with nice phrases dug into them. we worked harder and the songs got even better. at some point, I said, just for a laugh, "we should make a record." it seemed cool, right? just toss off a record on my protools rig. no pressure, just for fun. the only problem was -- the stuff had gotten really good. Fleetwood Mac harmonies called out for a late 70's sleaze production treatment. Kristin's excellent singing alongside mine demanded some decent guitar playing. the lyrics and transitions started to come together and the balance between 80's melodicism and the pomo aesthetics of right now found a nice balance. it was all too good, actually, for just a toss-off recording process, as I discovered nine weeks in, trying to make the tracks as good as the songs. I sweated blood I swear. it feels like the best combination I've ever gotten of spontaneous, no-pressure songwriting, brute-simple performances, and micro-tweak production. dry, moody, at times pissed or horny or goofy, this record brings a true taste of variety to my thing. I think this shit is tight, and the people so far who have heard it tend to agree. I have a suspicion you're going to like this. so give it a listen -- click here to preview seven songs from the record: http://blacklabworld.com/blw/mp3/cakeordeath_codpreview.m3ucheck out the forum -- post & read people's opinions about the new machine: http://www.blacklabworld.com/forum/click here to go the shop and like, buy it (remember the 'any 3 cd's for $30' deal -- we ship everywhere!): http://www.blacklabworld.com/blw/pages/03_shop.htmlthere's even a wicked photo of kidrobot's new munny figure on the cover. kidrobot.com is a company my friend started that sells awesome urban vinyl action figures, kind of like fine art crossed with anime crossed with hip hop culture. anyway, he also took the band photo and wrote the meta-hilarious liner notes. he's a good guy to have around. maybe I'll start a band with him. --------------------------------------------------------- stay tuned. more things in pipeline. things you like. check myspace. blogs present impending psychic fragmentation. song 2 @ garageband.com happening. iTunage in effect. mp3 of the month club rageth. next time: podcasts, press, YBAM the director's cut... --------------------------------------------------------- oh almost forgot... :: free stuff :: it's that time again here at threadbare when we reward one of you for your due diligence in signing up for this rag. Kathleen Flynn of Hacketstown NJ, come on down. you get a sweet black lab t-shirt and a free cd of your choice. to claim your prize, Kathleen, just shoot me an email at contact@blacklabworld.com with your full mailing address. to be sure you're in the running for swag, please subscribe on the website with your name, email, and city & state. that way we can keep you abreast of regional happenings etc. as always, your info is held in strict privacy. --------------------------------------------------------- :: thanks :: yours in rawk, paul contact@blacklabworld.com ---------------------------------------------------------
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threadbare issue #2 November 2005 -------------------------------------------------------- this issue: the holiday special iTunage myspace madness garage band derby big fat hint free stuff --------------------------------------------------------- :: hey :: whether you're a new subscriber to the newsletter via blacklabworld.com, or if you're someone who signed a mailing list at a gig ten years ago -- welcome. I'd like to apologize for the multiple copies of the newsletter that many people received last time. my autoresponder company has promised it won't happen again and since it nearly killed me to learn their system and I'm too tired to go learn someone else's, I'm going to give them a second chance. it's the holidays, after all, and I'm in a forgiving mood (or else, like I said, I'm just tired). speaking of the holidays, I've figured out the perfect solution to your I'm-too-busy-to-shop-not-sure-I-even-will Christmas dilemma. it's called, quite simply, -- the black lab holiday special -- with one swift stroke you can take care of your hipster friends, your rock n' roll nephew, your cynical cousin, your annoying little sister, your buddy's awesome pre-teen son, and the paperboy with a new-wave haircut. "how!?!" I hear you wonder, with desperate hope in your eyes. it's the black lab holiday special. I'm talking ten cd's for ninety bucks. 10for$90. no tax, no trip to the department store, no hassle. you pay, they show up in the mail, you distribute. holidays handled. sure, you can get see the sun for the kids and your friends. but you should also pick up some copies of ten million years: songs from the nineteen nineties for that nearly-deaf co-worker and your sentimental, still-listens-to-rock-but-prefers-acoustic auntie back home. ten million years has been getting great response from fans of your body above me. Natalie writes "have you got any plans to write and record some more of your folk-y rock stuff (i.e. Something About, Home, Walk Slow, Postcards...)? I'm absolutely addicted to it." I don't have the answer to her question, but I think this album is worth checking out for any fan of black lab. give "postcards" a test drive -- it's a free download in the 'music' section of the website -- and let us know what you think. and, if you haven't heard either one (or, heaven forbid, both) of the albums, get 'em for your own stocking. it's a great way to treat yourself, take care of the Christmas/Hanukkah thing, and help spread the love that is black lab. do it right here: http://blacklabworld.com/blw/pages/03_shop.html --------------------------------------------------------- :: iTunage :: speaking of gifting, if you have people on your list who can't deal with media in any form other than zeros and ones, then you're in luck. black lab's see the sun is up on iTunes. get the whole album for less than ten bucks in aac download format. or -- take advantage of their awesome new feature and "gift this music." you buy it and send it to someone and they actually listen to it 'cause they're so psyched to get music in their inbox instead of porn. once you've checked it out, you can also review the album there -- people have been saying nice things: "...If you liked Your Body Above Me, you need to get this album now!" "Amazing! this album was worth the wait..." "everything fans of Your Body Above Me have been waiting for..." "I loved the first album and this one is just as good." -- thanks very much, y'all. I appreciate it. the other digital way to gift, of course, is the beautiful and excellent amazon.com. we're up and running over there as well so rock that thing and hook your friends UP! --------------------------------------------------------- :: myspace page update :: got a new blog post going at myspace, as well as a couple of new songs, including one from the infamous Mp3 of the Month Club. the Club is goin' off these days, and I thought I'd offer those on the freezing-cold-and-snowing side of the velvet rope a taste. it's called "head out of water," and I think it was September's issue. it's a cool little song demo with extraneous aircraft, just the sort of thing people in the Club get delivered to their email box the first of every month. anyway, I like it, though it'll probably see the light of day outside of the Club. but you can check it for a limited time over at myspace. look out for those passing jets! sign yourself up and become a friend, if you haven't already. right here: http://www.myspace.com/blacklabband your very own Mp3 of the Month Club subscription can be had for the taking: http://blacklabworld.com/blw/pages/04_subscribe.html if you're more of a pure volume kinda person, we're live and kicking at: http://www.purevolume.com/blacklab --------------------------------------------------------- :: full contact garage band action :: I signed up to have "see the sun" reviewed over at garageband.com. if you haven't been there, it's very cool. it's like the musician's music site. they have a brilliant system that lifts the best indy music in the country to the top where it can be easily sampled. anyway, "see the sun" is ruling over there. it was Track of the Day on the 22nd and last week held the Modern Rock titles for Best Male Vocals, Best Production, Best Lyrics, Best Melody, Best Mood, and Feel Good Track. we also got the overall garageband.com Feel Good Track award as well. it makes me Feel Good. really. it's like the wide world of sports, but with mic stands instead of ski poles. though I'm dreading the agony of defeat. anyway... check it out of you're really bored: http://www.garageband.com/genre/modern_rock --------------------------------------------------------- :: alt add :: speaking of a derby, "tell me why" is rocking up the charts over at alternative addiction. to make your voice heard, go there and vote for the track. yeah! http://www.alternativeaddiction.com/newmusic/top20singles.asp they also did a bit of a wild interview with my big mouth. questions were posed by fans and topics include: the history of the band and specific songs, relationships with original members, the evolution of the sound, favorite bands, favorite and least favorite songs, the state of the industry and the future of the lab in terms of records, touring, etc. basically, a good time. check it out at: http://www.alternativeaddiction.com/interviews/blacklab.asp --------------------------------------------------------- :: hint, hint :: ok, it's not much of a hint. it's practically a freakin' announcement. I don't know how else to put this, but I've been a busy beaver: side project. january 2006. --------------------------------------------------------- :: free stuff :: it's that time again here at threadbare when we announce our lucky contest winner. without free stuff, the world would erupt into a ball of molton lava chunks and take out half the solar system. if you think consumerism is killing this planet, you're wrong. free stuff is the last thing holding it together. this month's luck winner is leslie gomez from riverside, ca. she gets a sweet black lab t-shirt and a copy of the alternative addiction sampler cd featuring "lonely boy." unless you already own see the sun, leslie, in which I'll figure out something else to send you. to be sure you're in the running for swag, please subscribe on the website with your name, email, and city & state. that way we can keep you abreast of regional happenings etc. as always, your info is held in strict privacy. if you don't want to give us your city & state, that's ok, but you won't get free stuff. and without free stuff... --------------------------------------------------------- :: thanks :: again. yours, paul contact@blacklabworld.com --------------------------------------------------------- black lab http://blacklabworld.com http://blacklabworld.com/tellafriend.html http://www.myspace.com/blacklabband http://www.garageband.com/artist/blacklab http://www.purevolume.com/blacklab --------------------------------------------------------- |
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