A Quick Update

Hi! Just a quick update: I'm still blogging regularly on the new website @ www.christopherbright.com/blog, but I wanted to take a second and share a Spotify playlist of my solo project "Life Is My Soundtrack." I'll be sure to keep this playlist updated with all the latest releases! You can also visit my artist page on Spotify HERE, and while you're at it, please be sure to click the "Follow" button to stay up to date! Thanks!

Right now I'm listening to:
Don't Dream It's Over (Crowded House)

A New Year, A New Blog

I have a new blog! Please check it out using the link below! Thanks!

Related Links:
www.christopherbright.com/blog

Right now I'm listening to:
Universal Calling (The Syntax Sin Tax)

November 2014 News Update

It's the tail-end of November, and time for a news update!

The latest Life Is My Soundtrack album was released earlier this month! It's called "A View." Tracking is now well underway for the followup album (L019), which will be released before the end of the year, and will be mixed by Rory Carruthers, using the great Fabrice Gabriel's new Air EQ!

Recording on other projects has slowed a bit, due to various factors, but I'm going to try and rally and get some of them finished before closing out the year.

Rory and I are now waist-deep into a new book and music course that we're excited to share with you soon! A lot of the details are still under wraps, but we're both putting in some serious hours to get it completed as quickly as possible!

My website redesigns are up and running again after a pause, though still moving a bit slowly.

Have a happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for reading! See you in December!

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Right now I'm listening to:
The Suffering (Crimson Moonlight)

October 2014 News Update

It's October, and time for my monthly news update! 

Hi everyone, it's September, and time for a news update!

On the Life Is My Soundtrack front, Rory Carruthers is busy mixing the next full length ( L018 - due out mid-November), and I'm working on tracking the next 2 albums (L019 and L020), at least one of which will be released in December. They are all moving along fantastically, and I'm excited to get them all released as soon as possible!

A big update to my metronome app "Keep Time" has been submitted to Apple for approval and should be released any day now. It has some new unique features that will be valuable to anyone who uses a metronome.

I have a few other recording projects that are moving along slowly at the moment, but I'm hard to block out some time in the next few weeks to get them completed.

My website redesigns have grinded to a halt for the moment as well, as I'm looking at a few web design programs that have major updates coming soon, and I need to see how they all pan out before I know the best way to proceed. 

Finally, Rory Carruthers and I are working on a book! All I can say at the moment is that it is music-related, but we've been busy planning over the last month or so, and are now in the writing phase. Should be exciting stuff! 

That's all for now! Thanks again for all of your support! 

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Right now I'm listening to:
I'll Stay With You (New Order)

September 2014 News Update

Hi everyone, it's September, and time for a news update!

There's a lot of movement happening with Life Is My Soundtrack at the moment. Rory is putting the final touches on mixing a new single that should be released any day now. I'm also working on mixing, but for the next full-length album. It's coming along really well so far. I'm using the 112db Redline Monitor this time around, and it's been an awesome experience, and a really useful tool for mixing. I highly recommend it!

Movement on Brian Evan's album is crawling along. We're taking our time, and it's been fun to not be in such a rush. It's going to be a good listen when it's ready. I'm also working on some drums for Michael Knott for an upcoming release, and it's always a pleasure to work with a songwriter of that caliber.

As September signals the annual return to school, my teaching is back in full swing. I've just about got everyone scheduled, and look forward to another year of teaching music.

The Keep Time update is making good progress, and should be released sometime in the fall. 

The final bit of news is mostly of the "behind the scenes" variety. I'm working on new websites for www.christopherbright.com, www.lifeismysoundtrack.com, and www.advice4musicians.com. I'm in the planning stages at the moment, and I expect them to launch in early 2015.

Thanks for reading. I appreciate you!

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Right now I'm listening to:
Runaway (Electric Youth)

August 2014 News Update

Hi everyone, it's been a while since I've posted here, and also quite a long time since I've posted any kind of a news update. I'm hoping to be able to do this more frequently, as there's constantly things happening behind the scenes that are worth mentioning. 

Right now, I'm working on a few different music projects. 1st, I'm working on a followup to my latest Life Is My Soundtrack album "Gold." I'm currently about 1/2 finished with it, and am happy with how it's coming along. 2nd, I'm working with Brian Evans on his new album, doing drums and some producing as well. Brian is an amazing musician who writes in a way that's much different than myself, and I'm really enjoying the collaboration. 3rd, I'm working with Rory Carruthers on a new musical project that we're calling "A Movement Upwards." We're keeping most of the details of the project under wraps at the moment, but I can say that we plan on releasing several albums of original material. I have a few smaller recording projects in the works, but this rare currently the big 3.

In other news, I've been busy getting my new recording computer setup and getting the kinks all worked out. The last computer I was using was from 2008, so as you can imagine, the new machine is way more powerful, and I'm excited to put it through it's paces! Rory is also working on setting up his new studio, so our project is moving a bit slowly until we can get our new setups finished. 

Rory and I are also working hard to make some huge changes and updates to the Advice4Musicians website, and those should be ready and online in the fall.

Finally, I've been working with Okunarium Labs to update our metronome app "Keep Time." It's a very big update with several new features, and we're excited to share it with you when the time comes.

That's all for now! Thanks for reading, and for your support!

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Right now I'm listening to:
Save Me (Remy Zero)

NAMM 2014 Wrap-Up

The 2014 NAMM show has now come and gone, and I wanted to take a few moments to share a few of the highlights of my experience this year. Here they are, in chronological order...

The NAMM U Breakfast Sessions / Kevin Spears (www.kalimbaman.bandcamp.com)
I think one of the highlights of the show for anyone willing to get up early enough is definitely the NAMM U Breakfast Sessions at the Hilton. The Hilton staff deserves huge credit for being able to handle the logistics of feeding so many so well. Kalimba player Kevin Spears was on hand to share some music with us, and he really opened my eyes to some of the unique sounds the kalimba is able to achieve with the aid of modern technology.

La Luna Sound (www.lalunasound.com)
While in line for breakfast, I met a representative from La Luna Sound, makers of fine hardwood picks. I was graciously given a few samples to demo, and I'm honestly really enjoying them so far!

UVI (www.uvi.net)
I'm a huge fan of France's UVI software instruments. I follow them very closely and am always anticipating their next release. It was great to get to visit UVI's booth this year and chat with the staff. I also got a demo of Sparkverb, and it was fascinating to see. It's a unique take on reverb, and I think it has huge creative application.

Eiosis (www.eiosis.com)
I visited Eiosis again this year, and got to catch up on their upcoming AirEq. Having seen it at last years show as well, it looks like it's come a long way. They're done extensive beta testing over the past year, and have been able to implement a lot of new features and improvements to it. I believe AirEq is set to ship in February, and though it's been a slow wait, it's looking like it'll be worth every penny.

Abbatron (www.abbatron.com)
It was great to get to catch up with Charles and Chris of Abbatron! For the uninitiated, Abbatron makes cable components for some of the finest cable makers in the business (Mogami, Analysis Plus, Devine Noise Cables, etc.). They've been working on a new instrument cable, called the Genesis Pure. It's set to be released in next month or so, and will be distributed by Analysis Plus.

Strezov Sampling (www.strezov-sampling.com)
An unexpected gem I found at the show was Bulgaria's Strezov Sampling. George Strezov gave me a few demos of some of their Kontact-based libraries, and I was quite impressed! Their focus is mostly in the epic-score arena, and they have an impressive set of offerings so far, at very reasonable price-points. I'm excited to follow them and see what they come up with next.

Geoffrey Gee (www.vitalartsmedia.com/Play/geoffreygee.html)
The absolute highlight of my trip to NAMM this year was getting to correct a mistake I made at the show last year. I was at Synthogy's booth waiting for Jordan Rudess to make an appearance, and there was a pianist there before-hand demoing Ivory II, and he was probably the most expressive piano player I think I've ever seen live. As impressed as I was, I also failed to get his name, and kicked myself for many months after. This year, as I was on my way out, I went by Synthogy's booth and there he was, demoing Ivory II. It turns out that his name is Geoffrey Gee. I had the pleasure of talking with him for a bit and was very glad to have to have had the chance to meet him.

All in all it was a great show this year! I got to see a lot of awesome new gear, meet a lot of great people, and I ran into some good friends as well. 

Right now I'm listening to:
November (Geoffrey Gee)

Finale 1988 Promo Video

I recently came across this video gem on The Retroist, and have been fascinated thinking about it since. It's a promotional video for Finale from 1988. Finale is software primarily used for music notation and transcription.

In 1988, this technology was absolutely ground-breaking. Previously, sheet music had to be notated by hand, which was often a long, drawn out process. Finale allowed musicians to quickly notate complex parts, as well easily edit and transpose on the fly. It also gave musicians instant visual feedback, which added a new dimension of perspective to the composing process.

Ultimately, Finale was a time-saver, allowing musicians to spend more time creating, and less time with busywork. Computer technology is still a very new idea, when looked at in the overall history of music, but it's impact has been enormous. The speed and quality that we can create music with in the present day, as well as the creative freedom we often take for granted are worth taking a moment to reflect on. It's an exciting time to be a musician!

As a bonus, near the end of the video (25:00), we get a brief glimpse of the 1988 NAMM show, which is a blast to see, and also appropriate, as the 2014 NAMM show opened this morning...

Related links:
www.finalemusic.com 
www.theretroist.com

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Right now i'm listening to:

Road (Niky Nine)

Spotify Vs. Radio Vs. Beats Music - The Streaming Wars

A new phrase i've begun to hear a lot of lately is "the streaming wars." Streaming music services are still a bit of an up-and-coming, with services like Spotify and Rdio battling it out for dominance. The newest player to the game is Beats Music (also the makers of the popular beats headphones). With Beats Music set to launch January 21 (as a paid subscription service), Spotify and Rdio have have now countered by offering free ad-supported unlimited listening to their offerings, leaving listeners with almost no incentive to play for monthly plans (besides going ad-free)

The question this raises is what happens when these services begin undercutting each other? Undercutting, by it's nature seems to be a linear movement, where one can't go back and make changes back in the direction they were originally without a mass exodus of angry listeners. And where does it stop? And furthermore, who wins and loses here? The listeners win (at least short term), because they have to spend less, or even no money to still enjoy streaming the music they enjoy.

What happens to the bands/artists who have music available for streaming? It seems they would probably be paid on the ad-supported scale and make considerably less than the very small amount they are making currently through streaming. For those at the top, I could see this being an inconvenience, but musicians who are in the working-class category could take a big hit if undercutting goes too far. On a personal note, I have quite a bit of music available for streaming, and although it's not a significant source of income, it certainly does help fill in the cracks. If my streaming payments took a dive, I would definitely feel it.

And what happens to the streaming services themselves? It seems we're still a bit too early in the game to predict the final outcomes, but certainly the best services will rise to the top and the rest will dwindle down and fade away. But will the best continue to stay on top? If artists start losing too much money with streaming, will they remove their music from the streaming marketplace and try and find another way? Where will the streaming services be then?

It seems like really looking at the situation as a whole shows it's complexity and seems to raise more questions than it answers. There are a lot of different parties involved (the service providers, the investors, the artists, the labels, and the listeners) and each is trying desperately to contribute it's own point of view into the conversation. And so, I sit here listening to some music and wondering what in store for the great streaming wars of 2014. Hopefully, less questions and more answers.

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Right now i'm listening to:

Innocence (Electric Youth)

Keep Time (Version 1.5)

If you play the guitar, drums, bass, piano, percussion, sax, violin, harp, sitar, mandolin, cello, ukulele, xylophone, recorder, flute, clarinet, trumpet, triangle, or even woodblock (or know someone who does), I have an app that will be a big help to you (or your friend)!

Keep Time is a free metronome app for ios devices (iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad) developed by myself and Justin Okun of Okunarium Labs.

We've just updated Keep Time to Version 1.5, and it's a big update for us! The app is now universal, meaning that iPod and iPad users will get distinct experiences when using the app. Until now, iPad users have been forced to use the app in the iPhone-esque 2x mode, resulting in a quality that is not-ideal. The app looks beautiful on the iPad, and we're excited to share it with you!

Justin and I have also been planning several updates that we hope to bring you in the next year, but for now, they are going to be kept tightly under wraps!

In the meantime, here's a new video about keep time! Please watch it, enjoy it, and share it with your musician friends!

Related links:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/keep-time/id574330593?mt=8
www.okunariumlabs.com
www.facebook.com/okunariumlabs
www.notsobrightproductions.com

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Right now i'm listening to:

Here Comes The Flood - Live At Guitar Center (Peter Gabriel)

Play-Along Drum Tracks

I'm excited to introduce a new video series I've started work on recently, called "Play-Along Drum Tracks." Play-Along Tracks are different drum beats in different styles and at different speeds.

The hope is that different musicians (including my many students) will find these useful for practicing. I've always found that playing along with a beat can make practicing, or just jamming a much more enjoyable experience.

Although the beats do occasionally include percussive elements, I'm trying to keep them free of other instruments, so the player can choose the notes/keys he or she feels is best. 

This is an ongoing series, and the plan is to keep expanding it over time. I encourage you to try a few out and see if you enjoy them! If you do, please let me know if there is a song (or songs) that you like the drums for that I can emulate and include in the series.

For a complete list of all the Play-Along Drum Tracks, including descriptions and bpm's, please visit the link below.

Related links:
www.christopherbright.com/play-along

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Right now I'm listening to:

Right Back To You (Electric Youth)

Asleep In The Arms Of The Sea

On February 15th, after several years of recording and countless ups and downs, Glider released a new album called "Asleep In The Arms Of The Sea." As the drummer for Glider, having the album finally released is especially exciting, especially since there were times when all of us in the band thought that the album would never be completed. To celebrate it's release, I wanted to take a few minutes to look back at a few of the memories I have of creating the album...

The oldest emails I have concerning the album date back to march of 2007, but I'm fairly sure we started tracking in 2006. At that time, we were recording at a pretty aggressive rate and sending demos and bounces back and forth, trying out different ideas. It was definitely an exciting time.

We had a practice studio in Santa Ana as well, and we spent a lot of late nights there writing, as well as demoing songs onto an old video camera. When we would leave the lockout and go back to Rory and Brian's, Rory would take the audio off the camera and make us all CD's to listen to.

I also have a vivid memory of being at South Coast Plaza and getting a call from Brian. He said he had come up with a name for the album. He wanted to call it "Asleep In The Arms Of The Sea." I remember really liking the name a lot.

Long story short, our momentum slowed, and the years passed with no release in sight. Rory moved to Santa Cruz, Brian and I started playing in other projects, and the album was left in a state of limbo. We tried a few times to get some momentum to finish recording, but it never seemed to stick. Every ever so often, I would come across a song or a CD-R full of Glider demos and I'd listen to it and wish that we could find a way to put the album out.

In late 2012, we decided to give it one last try. Then we got some bad news. The hard drive that we had used for recording the album had broken. Needless to say, it was pretty devastating, but as we each spent time listening to copies of the songs we had that were "in progress," we felt that it was actually very listenable in the state that it was in. Ultimately, we made the decision to release it as a "snapshot" of where it was, and where we were intending to take it. 

We all went through all of our old Glider recordings (on CD-R's and our computers) and finalized a track list. Then, we sent the songs up to Rory and he mastered them in his studio. What resulted is something we're all very proud of, and very proud to share with you as well.

Related Links:
Glider - Asleep In The Arms Of The Sea (Bandcamp)

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Right now I'm listening to:
Glider (Asleep In The Arms Of The Sea)

NAMM 2013

I recently had the privilege of attending the 2013 NAMM show in Anaheim. As always, it was an exciting event! Here are some of the highlights:

- Abbatron's new "Genesis-Pure" instrument cable. Abbatron makes the highest level of cable components on the market, and have raised the bar with the Genesis-Pure. It's currently being blind-tested and is consistently coming out in 1st, and at 1/4th the price of the leading competitor.

http://www.abbatron.com

- Getting to meet/chat with Fabrice Gabriel of Slate/Eiosis fame about his newly relaunched "Air EQ" plugin. It looks quite strong and I think it will be a huge asset to my recording/mixing. I believe Fabrice was saying that it should ship in march.

http://www.eiosis.com

- Getting some hands-on with Steven Slate's new Raven Mtx and Mti touch-screen production consoles. They are aimed at really speeding up your workflow, and will work will all major DAW's. The price-points are also very reasonable. I believe these will be sold exclusively through GC-Pro.

http://www.slateproaudio.com / http://www.gcpro.com

- Farmer Foot Drums. These have to be seen to be believed. They are handcrafted drums/percussion instruments that are mostly played with your feet. They are absolutely perfect for solo musicians who are out gigging. They had a great sound, and seemed very well-built.

http://www.footdrums.com

- Ukuleles everywhere, as far as the eye can see.

- Standing 3 feet away from Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater as he demo'ed Synthogy's Ivory 2 virtual instrument (which is amazing, by the way). Musicians like Jordan are always very inspirational to see, because they show the rest of us what's the level of what's possible, and encourage us to keep pushing ourselves to move forward.

http://www.jordanrudess.com / http://www.synthogy.com

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Right now I'm listening to:
Don Ho (Moonlight Lady)

The Break Up Season - Friends & Rivals

Many years ago, I was in a band called "The Break Up Season." We played throughout Orange County, CA, including local hotspots such as Koo's Cafe, Chain Reaction, and The Galaxy. Before disbanding, we were working on an E.P. that was going to be titled "Friends & Rivals."

Several years later, I came across some old band CD's and tapes, and got to thinking about The Break Up Season. With the help of Rikio Ahara, I was able to track down some instrumental cuts from our Friends & Rivals recording sessions.

What results is a snapshot of what the vision for Friends & Rivals was, along with two acoustic demo tracks. 

The Break Up Season was:
Rikio Ahara (bass, vocals)
Christopher Bright (guitar, vocals)
Nathan Gammill (guitar)
Jeff Olson (drums)
John Tu (guitar)

Related Links:
www.christopherbright.com/the_break_up_season 

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Right now I'm listening to:

Circa Survive (Violent Waves)

Video Archives: James And West @ Surf City Saloon

In 2008, I played a few shows with James And West at the Surf City Saloon in Huntington Beach, CA. I recently got a hold of two of the shows, and am presenting them here in the playlists below...

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Right now I'm listening to:

The Narrator Is Lying (Self-Titled Release)

Video Archives: James And West @ DiPiazzas

On May 7th, 2010, I played drums with James And West at DiPiazzas in Long Beach, CA. It was a fun set, covering material from all 3 e.p.'s. Below is a playlist of the full set, from start to finish... 

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Right now I'm listening to:

James Iha (Look To The Sky)

Songfacts

I recently had the opportunity to participate in an article that songfacts.com was putting together about the day-to-day life of the "middle class musicians." The article has been finished and is now online, for your viewing pleasure. It's an interesting behind-the-scenes look at how working musicians spend their days.

You can check it out at: http://www.songfacts.com/blog/writing/middle_class_musicians/

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Right now I'm listening to:
The Smashing Pumpkins (Machina)

Meeting On Beaver Island - Kickstarter

One of the bands I play drums for (James And West) has written and recorded new music for an upcoming documentary, called "Meeting On Beaver Island." To help finish the filming and post production, a "Meeting On Beaver Island" Kickstarter page has been created. Please check it out and consider helping out by donating, or by helping to spread the word!

iIn addition, please check out this early trailer for the film, featuring an instrumental version of James And West's newest song, "All Day Long It Snowed Upon Our Heads."

Related Links: 
Meeting On Beaver Island - Kickstarter Page

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Right now I'm listening to:

Animals As Leaders (Weightless)

In Unison (Full Movie)

Joseph Neigh's documentary on extreme unicycling, "In Unison" is now available to watch in it's entirety on YouTube. It features one of my songs (Break These Seconds) from 7:04 - 8:53. If you have 20 minutes to spare, you should definitely give it a watch. It's a fun, eye-opening look at a growing sport, examining it's origins and looking to it's future. 

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Right now I'm listening to:

Missing Persons (The Best Of Missing Persons)

The Hollybells

This past weekend, I had the awesome experience of recording drums with Paul and Marnie of The Hollybells. It was for a yet to be named 3 song medley on their upcoming album. Michael Pritzl stopped by and helped set up and get drum/guitar tones. His enthusiasm and love for music was really encouraging, and helped set the tone for the session!

The Hollybells album is due out later this year, so keep your eyes out for it! Also, if you haven't checked out michael's new 34-song Violet Burning album (The Story Of Our Lives), it's highly recommended...

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Right now I'm listening to:
The Violet Burning (The Story Of Our Lives)