Loren's Musical News & Ramblings

2009 Trop Rock Music Awards

2009-06-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

This November, in Key West, I'll be attending the second annual Trop Rock Music Awards (TRMA). Organized by the good folks of the Margarita MAFIA (Members And Fans In Alliance), we will for the first time have our awards ceremony as part of the official schedule of the Meeting of the Minds! The ceremony will be held on Friday night on the Main Stage at the Casa Marina Hotel! How cool is that?

As I did last year, I have again signed up as a sponsor of this event. I believe strongly in the future of Trop Rock music as a viable genre, and this is one small way in which I can support that.

If you're not currently a MAFIA member, why not? Dues are reasonable, and you get a free T-shirt and breaking news about all of your favorite Trop Rock artists every month. Follow the above link to their Website and sign up!

This year, for the first time, I have an album eligible for the TRMA. My current album, Every Day's a Holiday, was released last August, and is therefore eligible for Album of the Year. I don't know yet whether I'll get nominated, but I've got my fingers crossed. Stay tuned.

WRPS Artist of the Month!

2009-05-27T18:14:00.001-07:00

I've been named the "Artist of the Month" at Web Radio Puget Sound!

There's a very studly picture of Every Day's a Holiday on their home page, and they are featuring songs from the album on their streams.

It's just one of many places where my music is getting airplay these days. And I'm thrilled - it's great when folks get a chance to get the whole "tropical attitude" experience.

New shows on the calendar!

2009-04-02T13:00:00.001-07:00

Hiya,

I've just updated my Shows calendar into June. I've got a whole bunch of May dates in the Bay Area, and two southern California shows in early June!

If you'd like more information on when and where I'm playing, or just want to share in the ongoing story of my "escape art," join my mailing list. It's free, and you get free access to MP3s pretty much every month. There's a signup form right there next to my schedule.

Layoffs: Only the Beginning

2009-02-27T12:45:00.000-08:00

I just read a fascinating article on MSNBC, about how a layoff can be an excellent time to travel *and* learn a new career. Some of the options included yoga, cooking, diving certifications, and more, in locations all around the world.

Of course, I've been talking and singing about this for some time. The title song of my current album, "Every Day's a Holiday," is about the last time I got laid off, nearly seven years ago now.

It was one of the best opportunities of my life. I got out of a job that I was becoming increasingly irritated with, got the free time I'd been complaining about not having, managed to get my first album recorded, and for the first time truly learned how to define myself by something other than what I was getting paid to do.

And when I *did* find a job, six months down the road, I had such a full life, with music and volunteering and social activity, that I had a bit of difficulty cramming it all back into the smaller time boxes that I had available. Plus I ended up with a better job, for a better company, for more money. :)

Yes, in times of economic hardship it's important to focus on survival issues first - food, shelter, safety. But once those are covered...enjoy the abundance of free time. You'll probably be complaining about not having enough of it later.

Making the best...

2009-02-24T13:06:00.000-08:00

Here's a CNN article about how some people are making the best of our current difficult economic times.

I'm certainly amazed at the creativity that people are showing. In some ways, this feels to me like a time in which our society is undergoing tectonic shifts - the possible demise of conventional newspapers in favor of online, old business models falling by the wayside, people doing an array of things to get by rather than relying on conventional employment.

I've taken to rationing the bad news, myself. It does me no good to read about another 20,000 people laid off, and it can only make me depressed and fearful for my *own* job. I'd still rather focus on the positive as much as I can. That's why I make the music that I do.

So...what's been going good for *you* today? Your comments are welcome.

It's the Economy, folks!

2009-01-09T16:10:00.000-08:00

Like so many people, I'm pissed at what's happening to our economy. I'm annoyed at what's happened to what little nest egg I have, and even more annoyed that the people who seem to be getting the most goodies from the government are the ones who are contributing most to the problem - the billionaire big-shots who are still taking million-dollar resort vacations using *my* tax dollars!

Well, I say screw them! Bail *me* out instead! So I wrote a song, and recorded this video of it. Given that I'm bemoaning bad economic times, it's easy to get away with a *very* cheap production.

Check it out. If you like it, rate it, comment, and tell your friends.

And let's get this message out to Congress: Bail *us* out too!

Giving Thanks

2008-11-28T10:10:00.001-08:00

It's about 10 AM here on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, at the Holiday World Music Center, in scenic Castro Valley California, just a few minutes' drive from the beautiful San Francisco Day. The temperature is probably fifty-something and it's overcast, with prognosticators at the National Weather Service suggesting we might see the sunshine later. I just finished off a tasty breakfast scramble that worked out even without eggs - the ones I have, have obviously been in my fridge too long. That's the life of a bachelor for ya. But the orange-pineapple juice is still good, and goes well with a bit of rum and a slice of lime. And my iPod is currently giving me some lovely, upbeat steel band music.

Whats *not* to be thankful for? :)

I've been reading the new book about Captain Tony, the "Salt of Key West," and it's beautiful. It's roughly equal parts biography and philosophy, and the "life lessons" he offers are lessons I've been working toward understanding and embodying for years: "Compassion" is the most important word in the dictionary. Find the "jewel" in everyone you meet.

What hasn't been said so far, but that seems semi-obvious after a bit of reflection: Have compassion for yourself, and find your own "jewels." In order to "love thy neighbor as thyself," one must first love thyself. :)

I'm already starting to use these words in my own life in a stronger way. It'll probably be one of those "two steps forward/one back" things...but it seems well worth working on.

I'm still above ground, and that's always a big one to be thankful for - without that, we're kinda screwed anyway, after all.

I've got a roof over my head, food on the table, and some excellent friends and intentional "family."

I've got friends and fans who think that I create worthwhile stuff.

I have some excellent mentors, in real life and in the books I read.

And, to quote Candide, I live "in the best of all possible worlds."

Have a beautiful, thankful day, whenever you read this. And thank *you* for being connected to me and my life, even just by reading these words.

The Lyrics

2008-09-12T11:16:00.000-07:00

I've had a couple of requests for the lyrics to "Let's Go Sailing, Gov. Palin," the song I posted to YouTube a couple of days ago. Unfortunately, the mike on a camcorder doesn't quite pick everything up clearly.

So here you are:

Let's Go Sailing, Gov. Palin
copyright (c) 2008 by Loren Davidson

I first saw you in my motel room; I was out on tour
You blew me away, like no governor before
I’ve always gone for girls in glasses
I like that competent look
Any woman who can field-dress a moose
Is okay in my book
I’d love to serenade you for a little while
And take your hand across some desert isle

CHORUS
Let’s go sailing, Governor Palin
No matter where I go, I still see you
Let’s go sailing, Governor Palin
With some Presidential treatment, you’ll never feel blue

With all those kids, a husband, and responsibilities
You need someone to take you away and put your mind at ease
Get carried away like Gov. Spitzer, like Hart and Donna Rice
Together, we’ll go farther than Karl Rove’s advice
I know you’ll make the right choice in this special year
You can leave your lipstick at home; it’d only smear

CHORUS

BRIDGE

I’m not doing this for myself; I don’t work that way
But I’ll bet my MySpace gets a million hits a day

CHORUS and end

Let's Go Sailing, Gov. Palin!

2008-09-11T07:25:00.000-07:00

America's got a new "sweetheart," and I've got a new song. Coincidence? I think not.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has popped out of obscurity and onto the television screens of America. We're still finding out who she is and what she's about, but virtually everyone agrees on at least one thing: She's damn good looking. Competent, too.

So yesterday, I let my mind drift a bit onto "what if," because "what if" fuels many a good story. And in a surprisingly short time, I had a song titled "Let's Go Sailing, Gov. Palin." It's kind of a love song. A quick trip out to the back yard to shoot a video, and presto! I've joined the "blog on camera for the YouTube" generation!

Go check out the video. It's light-hearted fun.

Personally, while I find quite a few things to admire about Gov. Palin (not all of them visible), I'm somewhat horrified by the woman's political and social views. But I don't have to let the scary parts get in the way of a bit of harmless fantasy.

New review!

2008-09-10T19:21:00.001-07:00

Here's what Radio Indy has to say about Every Day's a Holiday, posted to Digg.

NY Thruway Tour 2008

2008-09-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

Wow.

I spent large parts of this past weekend on my old home turf, reconnecting with people I hadn't seen in as much as 36 years. And it turned out very well.

The whole thing started a couple of months ago, when I got email from someone in my high school class. I have heard *nothing* from these people in well over 30 years. I sort of shook upstate NY off my shoes when I moved to California in 1976, and never really looked back, which tells you how happy my younger days seemed to me at the time.

Anyway, my classmates were planning a reunion for August, and asked what it would take to get me there. I told them. They said yes.

I then was posting about this trip over on Meet The Phlockers, and one of my fellow Trop Rock musicians in a band called Pirate Dreams said, "Hey, we're playing this festival on Sunday in Buffalo that weekend; why don't you come out and play with us?

And that's how the whole thing started.

So I hopped a plane last Thursday for upstate NY, arriving somewhat late at night. I'd been out there last year, so I knew how to find my way around.

The reunion was up at the Saratoga racetrack - the flat track, not the harness track. We met there for the afternoon. We spent most of the time in one of the restaurants, watching the races on closed circuit TV. I actually got up and went over to the track side to see one race, just because I wasn't feeling entirely like I was *there*, if you know what I mean. We got about a dozen people out of a class of 38 - not a bad turnout.

Then we went over to Vapor at the "Racino." Craig, one of my classmates, knows the people there and got me booked for an early evening gig before the main band went on. So I did an hour or so show over there, closing with "Pirate Looks at 40," during which everyone came up and pictures were taken of the group of us. It was a touching moment.

On Saturday, I drove out to central NY to reconnect with several of my cousins. I went to Verona Beach to my cousin Dean's place - it's lovely. There's a particular feeling to a place by the water, where people are as much in and on it as on the land, and Verona Beach and its neighbor Sylvan Beach definitely have that. Dean took me on a tour of the area, including several rather interesting and comfortable beach bars that I wouldn't mind playing at.

In the evening, he and his band (DVD) were playing at the Turning Stone Casino. I went over and caught up with a couple more cousins, won $5 playing blackjack, and had a great time. If you're out that way, keep an eye out for DVD - they'll be playing some of my songs soon. :)

Finally, Buffalo on Sunday.

I stopped at the airport to print a boarding pass, to make sure I got into the A group. I discovered, to my horror, that I'd reserved my flights on the wrong day! I was very fortunate to have a good ticket agent, Joanne, who not only got me rebooked onto Monday flights, but didn't charge me any more for the privilege. Southwest Airlines, you have made a loyal customer!

The festival wasn't quite what I'd expected. We were a bit off on one side, so our audience wasn't what I'd been hoping for. But the folks in the band were very nice, and the crowd really enjoyed my stuff.

My flight home took me to some new territory - changing planes in Baltimore, and I got to see Washington DC from the air. I could clearly see the Capital Building and the Washington Monument - first time.

So I closed some circles and reconnected with some folks from my distant and sordid past. I had a great time, and I think I laid the groundwork for a return visit and mini-tour next year. Stay tuned!

Positive feedback on the album!

2008-08-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

Here's what some people have been saying about Every Day's a Holiday:

"I listened to the whole CD in the car yesterday. Really enjoyed it!" - DK, "Island Time Radio"

"*LOVE* the CD! Ten tracks are being added to the playlist rotation today." - Thomas, Permanent Vacation Radio

"I played it this morning and then I REALLY didn't want to go to work!" Mary Anne, Berkeley CA

"wow, every song is catchy and has a great hook." - Steve, El Cerrito CA

In addition, CDBaby has already sold out of their first shipment (more are on the way), and the song "Every Day's a Holiday" is already surpassing almost every song from my last album in popularity on iTunes.

Have you got your holidays yet? If not, listen now and then go and buy the album! The only thing you have to lose is your stress.

NOTE: Management assumes no responsibility for absenteeism as a result of listening to this album.

Holiday Now on iTunes!

2008-08-19T10:20:00.000-07:00

Wow! iTunes managed to get Every Day's a Holiday processed and available on iTunes in only a week! And people are already checking it out - the song "Every Day's a Holiday" is already being listed as my third most popular. When I get a link for the album, I'll post it to my "Buy" page.

And CDBaby already sold out of my first shipment to them. I've sent more, so if you haven't bought your copy yet, they'll be back in stock in a day or two.

We're playing from coast...to coast...to coast...to coast!

2008-08-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

The early response to my new album, Every Day's a Holiday, has been fantastic.

I've received broadcast play, starting with a pre-release appearance on KALX in Berkeley CA, on their "Next Big Thing" radio show, then spreading to the "North Coast" in Cleveland OH on WBWC-FM (Island Time Radio Show), and now I've got songs being added to rotation at WIIS-FM (107.1) in Key West itself!

Online it's getting even more exciting, with songs added at RadioIndy, and the pholks at Permanent Vacation Radio have added ten out of the twelve tracks to their rotation.

Come see what the buzz is about on my music page. Read about the album, and then click on the album cover to read more about the individual songs and listen to samples. And then buy a copy for yourself, and another for a friend. Be among the first to be a part of Trop Rock history in the making, and help make that history!

The holidays are just getting started.

Doubleclick holds Internet hostage - film at 11

2008-08-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

I accept that the Internet has to pay for itself *somehow*...but when many of the major sites all use the same ad server, and that ad server is running slowly or not at all...well, it reminds me of the Good Old Days of 56 KBps modems. And not in a good way.

Granted, part of it is doubtless my own fault. I didn't look at the posted schedule before setting my VCR last night. (Yes, 20th Century technology; I'm hopeless, right?) So I somehow missed recording a significant part of the Doctor Who season finale. When I turned on the VCR earlier today, Davros was busily monologging the Doctor and Rose, which implied that a whole lot of something had been going on before my VCR turned itself on last night.

Right. So I start poking around the Internet for a video of the part I missed - they've existed in the past. And every site - BBC's Doctor site, BBC America, SciFi Channel - is loading slowly if at all, and my browser status bar says they're all waiting for content from ad.doubleclick.net.

The gorram ad servers are holding the Internet hostage. On a Saturday, when nobody is likely around to fix whatever problem it is. And I'm pissed.

Wednesday's the day!

2008-07-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

Oasis has shipped my CDs, and they'll arrive sometime Wednesday!

First out the door will be pre-orders, to those individuals with the discerning taste necessary to get theirs ahead of the crowd. :)

Second will be disks for CDBaby, so I can get set up there and start the wheels in motion for things like iTunes.

Third will be all of the Trop Rock DJs and a couple of folks who are likely to review the album.

And I will, of course, have copies along with me at Migration.

I'm excited.

Posters

2008-07-18T15:57:00.001-07:00

Well, the first shipment is in from the duplicators, and it's my 11x17 posters for the new album. They look good, and I'll have to see about posting one somewhere online for the morbidly curious. :)

No sign of the CDs yet, which isn't necessarily a bad omen. Theoretically they were supposed to finish today and ship UPS 2-day. So if they ship Monday, I'll have them Wednesday. Needless to say, with Migration coming up next weekend, I have my fingers crossed. They could even show up on Thursday and I'd be good; I'm not planning to leave here until after rush hour Thursday evening.

I've added the songs off the album to my iPod mix, and they fit right in with the rest of my tropical mix. That's good.

When the music's finished

2008-06-26T16:31:00.000-07:00

The masters for my new CD are done and on their way, to me and to the duplicators.

I've been listening and sending feedback and my producer has been tweaking and sending me MP3s for the better part of a week, as we've been finishing it all up. Today was mastering day for Stephen, and I just got notification that the disks are now in the hands of FedEx.

It's sounding very good. I've been listening and listening and listening, and while only Earthwalker makes things perfect, this album is coming out extremely well, and I'm proud of it.

The album cover is now up on my music page, in miniature, and I'll have the lyrics to my own songs up by tomorrow sometime - I have the lyrics page done; I mostly need to put the links into the album detail page. Once I have the master, I can start creating samples for each song too - expect those up by sometime next week.

Deadlines in the sand

2008-06-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the best way to get something done is to just tell the world when and how you want it.

If you've been following what I'm doing at all, you know that I've been working on an album for most of this year. You've also heard me say "any time now" quite a few times. Well, the end is in sight.

There's a Parrothead "phlocking" coming up in Las Vegas the last weekend in July called Migration. Two days of music, socializing, drinking, and having fun, and a prime place for me to let people know about my music. And I really, really want to have copies of my album there.

Well, last week I got off my fundament and got in touch with the duplicators, and asked them how much lead time they'd need. They told me. I turned around and shared that information with my producer, who told me when he needed the final tracks in order to be able to meet that deadline. And then I checked in with Tom and told him when I needed the rest of his sax stuff.

And presto, the sax is done and in my producer's hands, and I'm starting to see final mix candidates. And the album art is likewise moving forward on a parallel track that will be ready when I need it. Nobody was holding anything back; there just wasn't much urgency until I created and communicated it.

So here's the scoop: Official release date is August 1; unofficially I'll have CDs a week before that and will be taking them to Migration with me.

The "official" album page for Every Day's a Holiday will be up within the next week or so. I'm revising song insights, to give people an idea of what it's all going to be about, and I need to compile and tag the lyrics. Samples will come a bit later, after the final mixes are done.

We're on our way, and it's gonna rock.

Vegetables and quirky electronics

2008-06-09T10:36:00.001-07:00

I played my second farmers market gig of the season on Saturday. It went well, better than the previous week in Hayward, I think.

I've been having some odd problems with my gear. Last week in Hayward, my PA was putting out distorted sound. I'm guessing that I was getting dirty power from their generator, as everything is clear at home.

And this Saturday my mike was cutting in and out. I think it may be the mike and not the cable, as I swapped out cables. So I'll need to get a new mike. Oh joy, oh rapture. I'm looking at the Audixes, at the recommendation of a friend, though I have other friends who swear by the good old Shure M57 and M58.

Other than that, it was a good day. I'm trying out a new "performance piece" called "Traffic Jam" that relies heavily on my new looper - I set up some background guitar and vocals, and then riff over the top of it. People really liked that. I think it will definitely be in the set more often, and I'll need to keep polishing it and embellishing on it.

And people are really enjoying my new feel-good "Margarita Ya Ya." It's got a singable chorus, and a catchy beat.

Meanwhile, I'm getting some new sax tracks in from former "Coral Reefer" Tom "TC" Mitchell. He is *such* a nice man to work with, a true creative soul. We've got the better part of two songs done, out of four he'll be contributing to for my new album, and I really like what he's been doing with my songs. I've got my fingers crossed for having the finished CDs in my hands by late July now, so I have them for Migration.

Piece by piece, an album emerges

2008-04-27T18:54:00.000-07:00

I'm getting closer and closer to getting my album done.

I was in the studio today, cleaning up and tweaking several songs. And it's all coming together very nicely. I think this one's going to be a definite step up from my last CD, which was pretty good.

I talked with TC Mitchell earlier this week. He's doing some sax parts for me on several songs. He is one of the sweetest men it's been my pleasure to know, and I am so thrilled to have him working on my songs. It looks like he's about to dive into the material, so I'm hoping to have something to listen to in a week or two.

All of this good work means that the CD is probably going to run a bit late getting done and out, but I feel it's worth taking the time to do it right.

Who Wants to Sleep With a Politician - new reality show

2008-03-14T16:39:00.000-07:00

In the light of Ashley Dupre's newfound fame, I think we need a new reality show, for all of us other under-publicized aspiring musical artists.

And the show could be called, "Who Wants to Sleep With a Politician?"

It's simple, really. You do an American Idol-style cattle-call to line up a group of promising young wannabe stars, and introduce them to Mr. (or Ms. - no need to be sexist) Politican, who can be sitting in shadow and have their voice electronically disguised. The musicians can compete, elimination-style, for the right to sleep with the Politician. Winner gets their sordid tale broadcast to all news media, recording contract, yadda yadda.

Sex and scandal sells. Hollywood, take note!

Album project update

2008-03-13T16:40:00.001-07:00

I am *not* cut out for this blogging thang. I just don't have the time or attention span.

We've had all of the main recording sessions for the new album, and I've done most of my overdubs. It's all sounding very good, especially with the pan parts from Tom Miller, which are exceedingly tasty.

Now I'm waiting to hear what Coral Reefer Tom "TC" Mitchell does for several of the songs. He's graciously agreed to contribute his magnificent sax playing to our creative efforts.

In the meantime, the mixes are coming in one at a time, and I'm starting to play around with the sequence of songs for the album. I like the one I'm playing today.

And there will be cool-looking Hawaiian shirts too. Soon...

Sleeping your way to success

2008-03-13T16:36:00.001-07:00

Yes, once again, we've proved that sex sells.

This time it's the one-time erotic services provider for former Governer Spitzer of New York. Nice-looking gal, doing something that I personally don't think should be illegal.

What gets me is that, as a result of having done someone famous and contributed to his fall from power, she's now getting lots of hits on her MySpace, probably selling some music (she's a singer), and has a shot at those fifteen minutes of fame, which I hope she milks for all their worth.

*My* problem is, I can't think of any governors out there I'd be willing to do that with in order to get that type of traffic. And Paris Hilton and Britney are, like, unsanitary.

Oh well...I'll just have to do it the old-fashioned way, whatever that is. :)

Making every day a holiday,

Loren

The New Album, Day One

2008-01-27T08:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the first tracking session for my upcoming CD, Every Day's a Holiday. After several years of songwriting and planning, it's finally happening! And I think it's going to be pretty good.

We assembled at Laughing Tiger Studio in San Rafael for a day's worth of good music. The crew included: Stephen Hart, my producer, formerly chief engineer at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley; Brad Dollar, his assistant; John Cross, guitarist; Eric McCann, bass player, and Jeff Myer on drums. Each of them has worked with many "name" artists over the years - Jeff was the original drummer for Charlie Daniels, and I'm guessing that Stephen's worked with anyone who ever used Fantasy Studios. And everyone's experience was obvious, and we created some very nice stuff together.

We managed to track eight songs - everything we needed Jeff for. The result so far really feels like what I was hoping to get - somewhat of a mix of my first album, which was almost all me, and my second album, which was all studio players plus my vocals. I haven't listened to all of the rough mixes yet, but what I heard in the studio sounded excellent.

We still have three more songs to track without a drummer, though one or two of those will use congas. We'll also overdub congas on a number of other songs, and add some other instruments - pan (steel drum), piano, and sax from a Special Guest Performer to be named soon. :) Monday, in fact, if you listen to my interview on WBWC-FM Cleveland (www.wbwc.com) starting around 7:30 PM PST.

And, of course, I'll need to overdub more vocals and guitar, to fix the stuff I didn't do right the first time. :) But that's the joy of ProTools.

I'm aiming for a release somewhere around May, and I hope to remember to blog a bit more about how it's going between now and then. Or get onto my mailing list - the form is on my home page - and you'll get regular updates that way.