NEWS
NEW ALBUM IN 2008!As of May 20th, I have two-thirds of the next Cocker Spaniels album finished. It will be called "Sometimes You've Got to Fight to Get a Bit of Peace." It will have 18 songs on it. I recorded the first half of it @ a co-op, with my own digital 24-track and a bunch of microphones I borrowed from one of my housemates. I moved out of the co-op in August, though, and I haven't recorded anything since. I'm still waiting on some new microphones to arrive in the mail so that I can finish up the second half of the album @ my new house. Expect higher fidelity, tighter arrangements, better singing and more storytelling! There will also be guest appearances from members of the Trapdoor Band and Grupo Fantasma! I hope to have it finished by the summer, and out by the fall! For now, though, you can listen to rough mixes of three of the new songs on my MySpace profile.
SHOW OF LIFE!!!
This Thursday I'll be playing a show with my favorite local band (and quite possibly one of my favorite bands OF ALL TIME). What makes it even better for all of you is that it's a FREE SHOW!!! Here are the details:
Thursday, May 22nd 2008
THE COCKER SPANIELS
w/ the Weird Weeds
@ the Parlor (100B E North Loop in Austin, TX)
Show @ 9 p.m.
FREE! ALL AGES!!!
Be there, bring your friends, and leave some money in the tip jar!
"WITHSTAND THE WHATNOT" FOR FREE!
In 2004, I released my first professionally mastered and pressed CD, Withstand the Whatnot. I recorded it almost entirely by myself on a cassette eight-track recorder in between 2001 and 2003. The songs were constructed in bits and pieces due to the rigors of my schedule. Not only was I a full-time college student, but I worked two part-time jobs, and also directed a gospel choir. During the recording process I watched the relationship between my mother and my former stepfather disintegrate, and also went through an acrimonious breakup of my own. All of these experiences play significant roles in the 21 songs that made the cut. Although I'd been making home recordings for 10 years before its release, Withstand the Whatnot is the first thing I've made that I am completely proud of from beginning to end.In the last two and a half years, Withstand the Whatnot has enabled me to build a solid Internet presence, one which only grew stronger after I went on two national tours last year to support it. Through it, I've made a lot of friends and gained a lot fans, many of whom are musicians I admire (don't fret; I won't namedrop). To this day, people amaze me with stories of how my songs have brightened their lives. I thank every person who has bought a tangible copy of it, whether it was from this website, from any of the vendors who were kind enough to stock it, or directly from me at a show.
Unfortunately, the CD is now SOLD OUT. Texas Music Round-Up has a few copies left, but they're selling it for $15. You may be able to find a used copy on Amazon or Musicstack. I personally don't have any copies left of it, and I won't have the money I need to do another pressing for a while. Thus, as a courtesy to everyone who is still interested in hearing Withstand the Whatnot, but wasn't able to buy a tangible copy of it, I have added all 21 of its songs in MP3 format to the Media section of this site.. I encoded them at 320 kb/s, the highest bitrate that I know of, so that the sound quality of the mp3s won't appreciably differ from that of an actual CD.
Feel free to download these mp3s and pass them on to as many people as possible. All that I ask is that, if you like what you hear, you make a donation to help me out. You can either donate through Paypal or snail mail.
As always, I thank God for blessing me with the talent to make this music, and for placing so many people in my life who are willing to listen to it. With your help, I can make MORE of it sooner rather than later!
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