American Songwriter » Interactive

Exclusive: String Cheese Incident Perform “Barstool” Unplugged

Evan Schlansky — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:01:11 +0000

We were in awe of String Cheese Incident's recent epic one-night-stand at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium. The veteran Colorado jam band, who mix a healthy dose of bluegrass into their ever-percolating sonic stew, performed their first set stripped down and acoustic (a tour exclusive). On this night, they were joined by mandolin great (and Nashville regular) Sam Bush for much of the sold-out, carnival-esque show. We filmed the band backstage performing a lovely rendition of "Barstool." Check it out below.

Rich Robinson: The AS Twitterview

Jamie Younger — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:39:42 +0000

In our latest Twitterview, Black Crowes guitarist and solo artist Rich Robinson, who just put out his second album Through A Crooked Sun, answered your questions about he stays inspired, open tunings and feeling vulnerable as a songwriter. Read the full interview below, and check out more of our Twitterviews with Rosanne Cash, Jason Isbell, John Oates and Frankie Ballard. AmerSongwriter: Do you always have a meaning in mind when writing a new lyric, or do you ever just sing out random things & figure out what you're saying later? @rileysmoore RichSRobinson: Sometimes I have a concept in mind before I write the lyrics; other times I let the melody inspire me first... AmerSongwriter: Was the process of writing/recording Through a Crooked Sun easier/harder than Paper? BTW I absolutely love All Along the Way. - @MuzikFreak70 RichSRobinson: I felt I was much more at ease, which in turn makes the creative process flow more easily. AmerSongwriter: Are you still using primarily open G tunings on the new album? - @brlukosk RichSRobinson: Actually there are only a couple of open G's on the record. There are some standard, open E, open C, Drop D. AmerSongwriter: Is there a mood or feeling that you associate with each tuning that causes you to lean gravitate towards it when writing? - @steveonsound RichSRobinson: I can't put a specific feeling to a specific tuning, but... the sound of the strings & the way they resonate do invoke feelings. AmerSongwriter: How do you stay inspired with your music and art, do they ever mesh together? Love from your Venezuelan fan. - @adriladyluck RichSRobinson: I play & write when I want to instead of forcing myself... So every time it's true. That keeps me inspired. AmerSongwriter: In your song, "It's Not Easy", what message were you trying to voice with such profound lyrics? - @clorangetn RichSRobinson: It's about our increasingly consumer driven society. There's a whole world outside filled with love and humanity... that is obscured by our fixation on buying useless things and throwing them away. AmerSongwriter: What is your favorite cover song to play? The set lists for the tour are already mixing it up a lot but I wonder if you have a favorite cover? - @stareitcold RichSRobinson: It changes, but for this tour I'm really liking this Procol Harum song "Outside The Gates of Cerdes" AmerSongwriter: Your songs are so true to your personal life. Do you feel a vulnerability as you release them, and is that vulnerability freeing or scary? - @SarahNewman12 RichSRobinson: It sometimes feels vulnerable, but it's also liberating to get these lyrics & feelings out. RichSRobinson: Thanks @AmerSongwriter & to all those who wrote with questions! Come see me on the road to ask anything else in person:http://richrobinson.net/tour/

Apple Unveils New Video Editing Software: Final Cut Pro X

Davis Inman — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:07:33 +0000

In August 2009, we wrote about how musicians are harnessing video to create a more interesting presence on the web. Simultaneously, we’ve been watching YouTube grow as a major music listening and discovery destination on the web. With easier tools like Apple’s iMovie editing software, which comes pre-installed when you buy a Mac, amateur video producers are springing up just as fast as bedroom producers are churning out electronic beats. On Tuesday at the NAB show in Las Vegas, an annual meeting of the National Association of Broadcasters’ trade organization for the radio and TV industries, Apple officially introduced the next version of their popular video editing software, Final Cut Pro. The new version, which comes on the heels of Final Cut Pro 7, which was introduced in 2009, has been dubbed Final Cut Pro X. The tech, film and TV industries have been well aware of Apple’s forthcoming announcement - Apple first launched FCP at the 1998 NAB Show - and MacRumours recently hinted that the new version could move in the direction we’ve seen Apple take with music production and the iPad. Mark Raudonis, head of post-production at Bunin/Murray Productions, who had been privy to a demo of the new program, spoke cryptically at a pre-NAB editor’s meeting about possible Thunderbolt and iPad integration, saying that Apple is “skating to where the puck will be,” a reference to a famous Wayne Gretsky quote. While the reports back from NAB so far have not included information regarding the iPad - and there has not been an official press release about FCP X from Apple - according to PC Magazine, what Peter Steinauer and Randy Ubillos from Apple’s video product team did reveal is that Final Cut Pro X features will include: “floating point linear color system, up-to-4K-resolution-independent playback, a magnetic timeline for keeping audio and video in sync, Compound Clips for easy video nesting, non-destructive color balancing, automatic audio cleanup, and Smart Collections for organizing clips. “ While Final Cut and Avid’s Media Composer are standards of the professional film industry, both companies make consumer-friendly cousins to their more-robust products. Read more about how beginners can use Apple’s iMovie and Avid’s Pinnacle in our video feature from our July/August 2009 issue.

Soundcloud, Spotify, YouTube April Fool’s Pranks

Davis Inman — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 13:29:19 +0000

The internet loves April Fool's Day. TechCrunch has compiled a master list of pranks, and they've even created a few of their own, like TC Euro's blast on Spotify. Quite like Slate's fake Mick Jagger letter to Keith Richards, which showed there's truth behind every joke, Tech Crunch's Paul Carr says Spotify will halt its UK operations in order to focus on a U.S. launch. In a fake letter to European users, company founder Daniel Ek says, "America has always been the most important and lucrative market for web services, and so the decision to close down our European operations to fund a US launch was, frankly, a no-brainer.” Meanwhile, over at fellow Euro music start-up Soundcloud, the jokes on users. In a post on the company blog, Soundcloud informs users that the "much-requested feature" of adding background images to profile pages has finally been released. Being a good sport, Seattle's Sub Pop Records has fitted out their profile with animated emoticons that make it nearly impossible to listen to music on the page. At YouTube, it's 1911. Videos like Katy Perry featuring Kanye West's "E.T." have been slapped with the old-timey stick. The Floria Sigismondi-directed music video's intro has been dubbed with Midge Williams' And Her Jazz Jesters' "Where In The World" before Kanye raps "I got a dirty mind" over a very 2011 Dr. Luke beat.

South By Southwest Interactive And Film Kicks Off In Austin

Davis Inman — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:44:40 +0000

The annual gathering of the arts and technology industries is getting underway in Austin, Texas, where sunshine and temperatures in the high 70s are forecast for the weekend. South By Southwest, commonly referring to as SXSW, was founded in 1987 by four local entrepreneurs and has emerged as one of the dominant conferences and festival in the world. In 1994, the film and interactive portions of the event were added in a shrewd move that has helped broaden the event’s appeal. SXSW Interactive has become a major event for the technology world. Twitter launched at SXSW in 2007, followed by the buzz from Foursquare and location-focused startups in 2009. Most people are calling 2011 the year of the group messaging start-ups. The New York Times has reported on the topic with profiles on companies like GroupMe and Yobongo. Users have begun adopting social messaging as a way to create groups within the larger social graph of Facebook and Twitter. Facebook recently acquired the social messaging start-up Beluga, and TechCrunch has even suggested that the company is interested in turning their social network into a smartphone. While many group messaging companies will use SXSW as a launch pad, social commerce and group buying should also factor heavily into the discussion. The next step for nascent group messaging start-ups will be attracting advertisers and local businesses who can target groups with deals or coupons for products and services. In film news, the director Rodman Flender will premiere his documentary Conan O'Brien Can't Stop, which was filmed during O’Brien’s "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour" that followed his leave from NBC. O’Brien is expected to be in attendance at the premiere. SXSW has also launched a free festival sampler, available on iTunes. The compilation brings together new artists like Glasser, Toro Y Moi and Small Black, as well as established acts like Hayes Carll and Lucinda Williams who will perform at this year’s music festival, which launches on Wednesday, March 16.

Kristin Hersh To Take Part In Next AS Twitterview

Caine O'Rear — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 21:06:23 +0000

Kristin Hersh, who released her ninth solo studio album earlier this year, will take part in American Songwriter's Twitterview series this Friday, December 17th. Hersh, the former Throwing Muses front woman who once said "songwriting is about shutting up instead of talking" will take to her Twitter to answer questions directly from fans. To take part in the interview, simply log onto Twitter and follow American Songwriter @amersongwriter and Kristin Hersh @kristinhersh, or email Info@AmericanSongwriter.com and include your Twitter username. Entries must be made by 12 o’clock this Friday (December 17th). Those who participate will be eligible to win an American Songwriter Holiday gift pack, featuring our much-beloved American Songwriter T-shirt.

Gear Review: Sennheiser HD-228 Headphones

Davis Inman — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 16:55:34 +0000

Sennheiser HD-228 Mid-Size Portable Headphones LIST PRICE: $99.95 www.sennheiserusa.com Sennheiser’s HD headphone line spans three categories, from “Audiofile” and “Pro Music/DJ” to their “Mid-Size Portable” series. Earlier this year, we reviewed the HD-380 Pros, a pair from the middle bracket that are great for any level of studio work. In the same article on home recording, we talked about how headphones are used to “zero in on problem frequencies, spatial effects, and stereo imaging.” If you can’t spring for the $299 price tag on the HD-380s, but you still want solid German engineering, you can go for a pair from Senn’s Mid-Size Portable line. The HD-228s, which will only run you $99, will be best for listeners who want a step up from ear buds. You’re likely to get the most out of the 228s on subway rides and home listening. While they’d work in a studio environment, they won’t put you in the same monitoring “head space” as a more professional pair like the 380s. Specifically for this pair of headphones, Sennheiser targets hip-hop and dance listeners – promoting the 228’s “explosive bass” – but a good bass response is enjoyable for any style of music, really. In our tests, the bass was very good and the sealed, on-the-ear design worked well to cancel outside noises (which makes for a more enjoyable train ride, for sure.) The HD-228s are comfortable and lightweight (just over three lbs. total), and the ear pads, which are cushiony and have a nice leather covering, rotate 90 degrees for easy storage. The ear cups and strap are plastic, and the headphones seem generally well constructed if not super-durable – but they do come with a two-year warranty. The connector is a 1/8” stereo input, which is standard for audio devices like iPods, and the shorter cable (4.5 feet) also lends itself to ease-of-use for commuters. Recommended If You Are: Sick of ear buds but not ready to splurge on serious studio headphones

Twitter Adds More Music, Facebook Re-design

Davis Inman — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 15:29:09 +0000

It's been a busy week in tech, with three of the leading players making significant announcements. First up comes the news that Twitter is moving further into the music space. The company previously partnered with Apple's Ping social network. Ping users could log in and send updates and "likes" to Twitter while iTunes links in Twitter would load up a music player in the right-hand details pane. (A similar functionality with YouTube and Twitpic media also existed.) Now Twitter's bringing about twenty more embedded "apps" to the newly-designed Twitter.com. On the music front, members of Rdio, a paid subscription music service, can now stream full songs - not just 30 second samples - within Twitter.com (pictured left). Twitter users who are not paid members of Rdio will still hear only a sample of the embedded song, though a free 8-day trial of Rdio is available, and highly recommended. Video sites Vimeo, Blip.tv, and Dipdive, and photo-oriented sites Slideshare (a Powerpoint-style photo site) and Instagram (a popular iPhone photo-sharing app) also join the ranks of Twitter's media partners. The move towards embedded media on Twitter is seen as a reflection of the company's iPad interface. In the beginning, Twitter's raison d'etre was simplicity. Internet users who were tired of the chaos of the web retreated to the site for 140-character restrictions. But as the company grew, they've begun realizing the value in keeping users on Twitter.com, and they're now evolving into a full-service entertainment portal. Next up: would you watch a full TV show on Twitter from a Hulu embed? On Sunday night, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg sat with Leslie Stahl for a surprisingly candid series of interviews on 60 Minutes. The media spotlight was timed with Facebook's roll-out of new profile pages. Zuckerberg told Stahl that he took his entire staff to see The Social Network on the film's opening day, and he even enjoyed some parts of the movie. Zuck's right-hand man Chris Cox talked about Facebook's interest in entering the television space. If you missed it, the highly-entertaining videos are here. In a front page story in USA Today this week, Google was featured for new developments at their company as well. While we patiently await news about Google's music store, the search giant gives the world a hint with the launch of the Google eBook store. Google has been in heated debate with book publishers and authors for years over their book scanning project. Those differences have largely been resolved, and now Google is offering the 2.8 million books they've scanned for various prices in their store. The eBooks are available on multiple devices, which puts Google's store at odds with market-leader, Amazon, which has focused their efforts on their Kindle device. Also on Monday, Google announced new versions of the Chrome browser and gave some updates on the forthcoming Chrome operating system.

Video Premiere: Kesang Marstrand, “Bodega Rose”

americansongwriter — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 14:23:13 +0000

Kesang Marstrand in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee. More photos below. Kesang Marstrand didn't even know she had entered American Songwriter and Avid's video contest last September. Her husband had secretly entered her song "Bodega Rose." Marstrand's ode to a New York bodega resonated with the judges, including Nashville film direction Jeff Wyatt Wilson. "When I first heard Kesang's 'Bodega Rose' I simply fell in love with her lyrics as well as her voice. I immediately played the song over and over again and was so excited that this was the artist and song we were going to shoot." So, not long after Wilson discovered "Bodega Rose," Marstrand received an e-mail announcing that she'd been selected. Her husband, peering over her shoulder as she checked her email, let on that he'd entered her in the contest. Marstrand tells the story over drinks one afternoon in Nashville, and laughs with astonishment at how she won. The prize, which included an armful of studio gear from Avid and Digidesign, also included a trip to Nashville. The only problem was Marstrand was in Tunisia for the next few months. We finally worked out the details, and Marstrand and her sister arrived in Nashville in August to shoot the video for "Bodega Rose." Here's what director Jeff Wyatt Wilson had to say about working with Marstrand: Kesang and I worked wonderfully together. She has a beautiful soul and is one of the most kind and talented musicians I've ever worked with. Projects like this are humbling and remind me of just how fortunate I am to get the pleasure to have these brief intimate creative moments where friendships are born that you know will last forever. I would like to thank Jeff Garner of Prophetik Clothing for the use of the farm, the beautiful horses, some last minute wardrobe assistance as well as the town of Leiper's Fork. Watch the video below, read an interview with Kesang Marstrand, and see more photos from the shoot. When did you first start writing songs? I was around 18 years old. I had been playing the guitar for a year or so and I remember writing a really simple, three-chord song using a poem I'd written as the lyric. Tell us the story about being held up by David Bowie at a concert when you were a child. Basically my mother and I were told that he was going to bring me up on stage. I think there were some security guards who helped me up, and then Bowie sat me on his knee and sang "Stay." I remember seeing us on the big screen and just being in a kind of calm shock. It was surreal to say the least. What are some of your musical influences? I watched a lot of musicals as a child, and to this day I find that I have such an affinity for show tunes… not the bright, jazzy, ones, but more like "Who Will Buy" from "Oliver" or "Sunrise Sunset" and "Far from the Home I Love" from "Fiddler on the Roof". As far as singer-songwriters I would count Elliott Smith, Ani DiFranco, Leonard Cohen, and Joni Mitchell among the artists whom I've listened to a good deal and from whom I've hopefully learned something. Of course there are many more, but those are the main ones that come to mind right now. Tell us about writing "Bodega Rose." It started with the image of this bodega on a street corner near where I was living in New York. They have flowers outside, like a lot of bodegas do, and I remember having this image in my mind of the roses on a rainy evening. Then the idea of wilderness came up, the idea of wildflowers, and I found myself thinking about how many people in the city, including myself, often feel this intense longing for nature. The song came from that place, and writing it came very naturally… it just kind of came to me, which doesn't happen that often. Did you have a vision for the "Bodega Rose" video before you came to Nashville? Only a very abstract one, mostly having to do with the mood, textures, light, etc. For I while I had been imagining the video in black and white, but it ended up being such a colorful video and I think it's much better for it. What did you think about working in Nashville for a few days? Did you have any preconceptions about what music was like in Nashville? Would you come back to work on music in Nashville? I had an amazing time in Nashville. Creatively I was very inspired throughout my stay and I attribute that to Jeff Wilson who is obviously an immensely skilled and creative person. As far as preconceptions I had about the music in Nashville, I naturally associate the city with Country music, but knew that there was a lot more going on than just that. I've heard so many radio interviews with songwriters that can't really be placed in any one genre, who live or have lived in Nashville, so I also think about it as a kind of Mecca for songwriters. I definitely want to come back to Nashville and hope to make that happen in the not so far future. How did you and producer Jeff Wilson approach making the music video? First we made sure we were on the same page as far as the feeling of the video, and then started exchanging ideas about some kind of scenario. In the end, as far as a story line, neither of us felt a strong need to have something clear-cut or literal, and in fact I wanted to stay away from that. We decided it was best to find some picturesque settings and just shoot the video. Jeff had some great ideas for the locations. We shot in an old church downtown, and also at Bowie Park Stables in Fairview. I could easily see Jeff and I working on something more structured and planned out, but for this particular video there was an air of spontaneity and we went with it. Do you have plans to work with Jeff Wilson again? Yes, yes, yes. I can't say enough good things about Jeff and I very much look forward to working with him again. Any other thoughts about "Bodega Rose," making a video, etc.? I just want to say a big thank you to Jeff Wyatt Wilson, and to you all at American Songwriter for making this happen!

The March/April 2011 Lyric Contest Is Live

americansongwriter — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 13:00:47 +0000

The March/April 2010 Lyric Contest is now open! Enter for your chance to have your lyrics printed in American Songwriter magazine. One of the four finalists will also be chosen for American Songwriter’s one-page Q&A feature in the coinciding issue. The First Place winner also receives a Martin DCX1E acoustic-electric cutaway guitar and a legendary Shure SM58 Microphone, and four sets of Elixir® Strings (you choose flavor and gauge) and one Elixir® Guitar Cable.