tag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:/blogs/news?p=2News2020-06-21T15:30:00-04:00Shiny Shiny Blackfalsetag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63364442020-05-30T18:41:37-04:002021-05-13T11:17:26-04:00Learning to belong to each other<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/268395/c8f134f7ed9bbb7613f3f8c4cd0ec621a14f1660/original/something-beautiful.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>A few things worth sharing this week from music & life: </p>
<p>1. <a contents="Recording a Hammered Dulcimer?!" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/hOEiG09IP9A">Recording a Hammered Dulcimer?!</a> Follow along with Nate in this behind the scenes video with the Ted Yoder band in our studio this month. These guys know how to have a lot of fun! </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/268395/589a054ae58af553bd1dcc372cab7eb8e5bb302c/original/screen-capture-4.png/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.png" class="size_m justify_left border_" /></p>
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<p>2. For those of you who study the enneagram, author Chris Heuretz has <a contents="a new book on the enneagram and belonging:" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://enneagramofbelonging.com/" target="_blank">a new book on the enneagram and belonging:</a> "It's been a journey of learning to like myself. And that's the punchline here: if there's any part of ourselves that we can't or won't make room for--if any part doesn't belong--then the truth is, no part fully belongs." </p>
<p>3. Gearhounds, who ever knew that guitars manufactured by Gibson in Japan would turn out to be an affordable <a contents="hidden treasure" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/tg-xMVLgIkA">hidden treasure</a>? </p>
<p>4. In the studio: We welcomed Goshen's own <a contents="Los Ortega" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/LosOrtega01/">Los Ortega</a> back to the studio this week, glad to help them finish up vocals for a recent track. We look forward to their return to the studio soon. </p>
<p>5. In our ears: This song holds so much grace for the complexity and nuance of life and who each of us are in it: "<a contents="Never One Thing" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/qH0qrHdb8jg" target="_blank">Never One Thing</a>" by May Erlewine from the album Mother Lion. </p>
<p>6. "I can't breathe." This week finds our nation in pain and crying out at the systemic injustice of treatment of people of color in our nation, and our voices deserve to be heard. We join with our brothers and sisters saying the status quo is unacceptable. Justice must be served. </p>
<p>"[America] has failed to hear...that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met...and as long as America postpones justice, we stand in the position of having these recurrences of violence and riots over and over again." - <a contents="The Other America" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/dOWDtDUKz-U" target="_blank"><em>The Other America</em></a>, Martin Luther King Jr. </p>
<p>We know that we have so much to learn, to do, and we are listening. </p>
<p>If you like this note, please <a contents="write to us" data-link-label="" data-link-type="email" href="mailto:info@shinyshinyblack.com">write to us</a>! You can show support for our work by forwarding this note to a friend, or buying something in <a contents="our shop" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://store.shinyshinyblack.com">our shop</a>. Thank you for reading. </p>Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63513672020-04-21T15:30:00-04:002022-01-27T11:20:52-05:00New Music! A Song to Meet this Moment<p>During this pandemic, it's been a privilege and comfort that we can work on our music - even when the world is shutting down and most of our regular revenues are on hold - music has provided a gift and a respite. A reminder that we still have the ability to make things, create things - even under extraordinary constraints. Thank you to everyone who joined us for our livestream concert for Goshen Brewing Co. (and if you didn't see it, <a contents="you can catch the replay here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=2682660161947681&ref=watch_permalink" target="_blank">you can catch the replay here</a>)! </p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://shinyshinyblack.bandcamp.com/track/one-foot-in-front-of-the-other"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/268395/fee67a888268437cd0a2c86da95bd92e829272c3/original/one-foot-image.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>NEW Single - "One Foot in Front of the Other" <br>Sometimes you know it's the right moment to release a song into the wild. When coronavirus concerns arrived, when stay-at-home orders shuttered not only our work at live events, but our work with artists at our studio in Goshen, we realized we could still finish this song and get it out the door. <a contents="We released the song on March 28" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://shinyshinyblack.bandcamp.com/track/one-foot-in-front-of-the-other">We released the song on March 28</a>. But the story of the song wasn't over. Nate sent requests to many artist friends to ask if they'd be willing to contribute their talents to a collaborative version of the track. And on April 19 we uploaded a new video and song featuring a whole community of artists coming together to share <a contents="a&nbsp;song of hope and determination" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/5mptAN9ssrs">a song of hope and determination</a>. This was incredible! We're so happy and honored to put this together. </p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/5mptAN9ssrs"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/268395/5b179e8886b6ba27a781c450d35280560569d634/original/one-foot-collab-video.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Community-driven collaborative feature video of "One Foot in Front of the Other" </em></p>
<p>There's a lot of uncertainty these days, but there are things that are still certain. We woke up today thankful for the gift of life, those we have the benefit of being connected to, and the way that we can come together for another day. You are part of that community. Thank you! </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>One Foot in Front of the Other </strong></p>
<p>LYRIC VIDEO: <a contents="https://youtu.be/E26snJjQRSA" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/E26snJjQRSA">https://youtu.be/E26snJjQRSA </a><br>BANDCAMP STORE: <a contents="https://shinyshinyblack.bandcamp.com/track/one-foot-in-front-of-the-other" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://shinyshinyblack.bandcamp.com/track/one-foot-in-front-of-the-other">https://shinyshinyblack.bandcamp.com/track/one-foot-in-front-of-the-other</a> <br>COLLABORATIVE VIDEO: <a contents="https://youtu.be/5mptAN9ssrs" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/5mptAN9ssrs">https://youtu.be/5mptAN9ssrs</a></p>Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478272017-04-04T09:34:45-04:002021-10-23T10:57:07-04:00In Search of… House Concert Hosts!<p><strong>The Search for 2017 Summer House Concert Tour Hosts is On!</strong></p>
<p>This year we are making house concerts a big part of how we relate to our community of listeners (you)! House concerts are an archetype of what is right about music: <strong>all ages, community-driven, foster intimate connections and make a live music experience available to everyone.</strong></p>
<p><img src="https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/g8cTfzw4ESV1fVx-GhvoPFp13WaOqCnbWWBlNPQoiQ_K_wInyokds4HEnRRy-lrabMR62oc1_rqe9QJ7sonSuleAierMR4iJdH2aLjrSFqEbpbQNI3M0qRxENZ4-LRnrTImQzbpwsUQ1pMyP5iAtQ6wTlWTd2nL0U2GreFA=s0-d-e1-ft#https://gallery.mailchimp.com/9d24452ce0f23fe21d8f65c98/images/da53287b-675e-451c-864a-dbdc98dfb54f.jpg" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="" height="300" width="300" />So today we are announcing – <strong>our search for hosts for our 2017 Summer House Concert tour is now open!</strong></p>
<p>We are looking for hosts of <strong>donations-based house concerts</strong>. If you are interested to learn more of what goes into being a host, or already know you’d like to host us – <u>please email us today at <a href="mailto:amber@shinyshinyblack.com" target="_blank">amber@shinyshinyblack.com</a> </u>–<wbr></wbr>– and either Amber or our house concert coordinator Jacqueline Garver will send you more information and the application.</p>
<p>We’d like to let you know a date for your house concert as soon as possible and to that end, our search for this round of hosts will end in <strong>three weeks</strong> on <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1463388510" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">April 25</span></span>, so please email us as soon as you can!</p>
<p>We are trying to make this available to anyone who would like to host by making it a donation-based concert, but we can work out other arrangements as well. Don’t be shy based on where you are located or if you have any questions. We are taking applications from everyone, and we’d love to <strong>accommodate as many people as possible</strong>. Thanks for your consideration and help – we’d love to see how far we can make this go and work with as many friends and listeners as we can!<br><img src="https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/l8kB8cMKwnLsi-fp-bGxB087QQoEJXRmAdIv9PojPqSmGm9vG_1NrfabEvIvU_LTtBVOcSMAYnEXZXxGU8XqCa_Jmz7IaPRZKLc55wvVij75iNi_mWU6fuF4n9AHfQFSNGxGk3l4srDZDqK0PU8o5GzM5WQ_sHNGaobqbYM=s0-d-e1-ft#https://gallery.mailchimp.com/9d24452ce0f23fe21d8f65c98/images/dc9ba185-1796-4cbd-8762-f73ba71cb926.jpg" class="size_orig justify_right border_" height="201" width="300" /><br>We are excited to bring this aspect of our music making front and center to share with you and your friends at your home or community space.</p>
<p>Cheers,</p>
<p>Nate & Amber<br>SHINY SHINY BLACK</p>
<p>PS. New video alert! Produced by UpState South Bend.</p>
<p>“When You Get That Look” – <em>Wild Edges </em><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.facebook.com/UpStateSouthBend/videos/1470198059671574/&source=gmail&ust=1491355712614000&usg=AFQjCNG7YRuQW64rymhQz9kXayvMBcNRZw" href="https://www.facebook.com/UpStateSouthBend/videos/1470198059671574/" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>UpStateSouthBend/videos/<wbr></wbr>1470198059671574/</a></p>
<p><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.facebook.com/UpStateSouthBend/videos/1470198059671574/&source=gmail&ust=1491355712614000&usg=AFQjCNG7YRuQW64rymhQz9kXayvMBcNRZw" href="https://www.facebook.com/UpStateSouthBend/videos/1470198059671574/" target="_blank"><img src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/ioGcU2BlxGmaLN8-wKkyf7oe4QGMMppNMr7y6X8fQB4_r0qRug_EWgclAad8TqWbVWG0cku-f6ovutmhQ2AZr39Ul0u9kLANIgsbFf_OvuoKmYJ8cVUDmLyGm0RN-aUK6b_ZFEFttNFaNVBx2Kcbim9QUq7RdMMbNnTHXpc=s0-d-e1-ft#https://gallery.mailchimp.com/9d24452ce0f23fe21d8f65c98/images/c7b3a520-a911-4a2e-b624-56656400e987.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" height="111" width="200" /></a></p>Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478282016-12-20T15:04:48-05:002020-06-09T17:29:15-04:00Why Art Matters<p><em>This talk was first shared when Nate recently spoke at the local Kiwanis meeting here in Goshen, Ind. on December 8, 2016. We were encouraged by the audience response that morning, including a former school administrator standing and apologizing for the way that artists are treated in the broader culture. Wow! We are sharing here as well and welcome your thoughts! </em></p>
<div id="attachment_959" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright">
<img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Nate-speaking-in-mic-DSC-2016-300x199.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Speaking at a conference, May 2017" height="199" width="300" /><p id="caption-attachment-959" class="wp-caption-text">Speaking at a conference, May 2017</p>
</div>
<p>“I am going to start out by telling you that I will read this – because I have learned from creating many, many things, and embarrassing myself on stage more times than I care to count, that I am not especially good at improvising.</p>
<p>So…Why does art matter? More specifically, why does art matter to you? Why does it matter enough to me, that at age 40, with very little financial success, to continue to make it the cornerstone of my career? The answer is not easy to articulate, but it is, in fact all around us. The car you drive, the clothes you wear, the spoon and bowl and the sink and the cell phone in your pocket all came from someone’s imagination. Art tends to fall into one of those categories that you might go study if you are of means – it seems like a nice idea, but for most of us, it’s simply not very practical. I mean, we’ve all heard the glowing <a href="http://summerartsinstitute.stanford.edu/about/why-art-matters">reviews</a>:</p>
<ul>
<li>The arts improve academic achievement –enhancing test scores, attitudes, social skills, critical and creative thinking.</li>
<li>People who experience sustained involvement in the arts are overwhelmingly more likely as adults to found successful companies, publish important articles, and patent new inventions.</li>
<li>Arts participation – in school or in the workplace – strengthens creativity, it’s the fuel that drives innovation.</li>
<li>U.S. employers rate creativity and innovation among the <a href="http://www.forbes.com/2010/02/18/most-important-job-skills-personal-finance-universal.html">top skills</a> that they look for, which will only increase in importance in the coming years, ranking it among the top challenges facing CEOs.</li>
<li>Art makes you <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/opinion/sunday/art-makes-you-smart.html">smarter</a>.</li>
</ul>
<div id="attachment_960" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft">
<img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/172A7063-300x200.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Playing at " height="200" width="300" /><p id="caption-attachment-960" class="wp-caption-text">Playing at “Wild Edges” EP Release Concert, Sept 2016</p>
</div>
<p>If that is the case, why, does it seem, as a culture we are so determined to rule it out as a pursuit? I meet adults every week, who practically worship my creative skills. I tell them (and I completely believe this is true) that they are fully capable of doing what I am doing. Usually, and sadly, they tell me (almost) without fail –”Oh, I’m not creative.”</p>
<p>Sometimes I want to shake them and tell them, “YES YOU ARE!!!”</p>
<p>EVERYONE IS CREATIVE. EVERYONE IS AN ARTIST! Art is something intrinsic to the human experience. We’ve all built a fort, or made up a play and then cajoled our familial victims into participating. We’ve all made a snow-man, a poorly shaped play-doh animal, or a stick drawing of our family. I would even suggest that making something out of nothing is our most common shared human experience aside from the most rudimentary functions of human existence. It’s almost as if we are born artists, and then slowly convince ourselves to give it up.</p>
<p>We start comparing ourselves to others. We become self-aware. We begin to see others as “better” at certain creative efforts, and so we unwittingly cede them, especially when we begin to hear the voices that tell us that other things are more important. We forget far too quickly that the reason we started to create in the first place was we were discovering what it was to be alive, and that we had to tell everyone else what we had seen – IT WAS FANTASTIC! It wasn’t because we were trying to be more creative, or execute more perfectly – we were simply trying to share the joy of being alive!</p>
<p>Here is where we find the crux of it all.</p>
<p>To create is to share your experience. Sharing your experience allows others to show empathy.</p>
<p>Sharing.</p>
<p>Empathy.</p>
<p>Two of the finest things any human being can ever aspire to. To give. To care. So if you can still find that place inside of you that can dream, dream again. If you can use a pencil, or a crayon, or an iPad, or a lathe to create something, and then give it to someone else – if you can create order where there is chaos, do it! Yes, it might be hard. Yes, some people aren’t going to get it. Remember Icharus? That crazy fool dreamed a dream of flying. And he tried, and he failed! But what everyone forgets, is that thousands of years before the Wright Brothers got their glorified kite off the ground at Kitty Hawk…</p>
<p>Icharus flew.”</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478292016-04-18T11:55:47-04:002020-06-09T17:29:15-04:00On the road to TX, TN, VA, DC, OH!<p><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/SSB-Sign-at-the-Well-small.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-943"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/SSB-Sign-at-the-Well-small-300x234.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="SSB Sign at the Well small" height="234" width="300" /></a>We are hitting the road! What’s your favorite part of traveling? For us, the road represents new experiences and possibilities, getting to encounter the friends we haven’t met yet, and the old friends we don’t get to see as often as we would like.</p>
<p>Officially, this trip was born when we were asked to be guest artists as part of the Dandelion Seed Company contingent at the Growth Resourcing Group (GRG) annual leadership conference outside of Dallas, TX. When we realized that our friend’s wedding was the next weekend in Washington, DC, we decided to turn it into one big ole trip across the U.S.A.</p>
<p><img src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/SE_kzdTo5kN3KHSEVYtkGoWTLQyrduR5X5882HLK8PZHoiZelfBVASGWC7TeezgwVcHxTdtYLloysr1HUwOb2WQ7qeQOitA3LLu2tjYHrRV2mtM2zYK3z2KDU2pTIbqhq9aMMqHYNxk8IOLOtqyPV3onE2biMxG4BrkRQu8=s0-d-e1-ft#https://gallery.mailchimp.com/9d24452ce0f23fe21d8f65c98/images/35230521-a971-4c5a-9ddd-9d992ed3ddb7.png" class="size_orig justify_right border_" alt="Roadmap for Charlotte" height="178" width="300" />This time, we are bringing the girls along and it’s our first bigger road trip (by ‘bigger’ we mean 2 weeks long) with both Charlotte (4) and Violet (1) as our traveling companions. Bringing the kids is a triumph and an intense balancing act.</p>
<p>These two weeks in our home away from home will be a mix of music and marketing work, building community with leaders from all over the globe at the GRG conference, road time, a friend’s wedding, sharing a few tunes, crashing at the homes of friends and a smattering of odd hotel rooms to make up the difference. We are looking forward to spending a few days in Nashville on our way east. If you know places we should check out, eat, meet people or say hello to along the way, just give us a shout out. We will be catching open mics where we can as well. We’d love to meet you or your friends out on the road.</p>
<p><strong>Where we’ll be:</strong></p>
<p><span class="aBn" tabindex="0" data-term="goog_625423783"><span class="aQJ">Tues Apr 19</span></span> – evening in transit (night driving works wonders for sleeping babies)<br>
<span class="aBn" tabindex="0" data-term="goog_625423784"><span class="aQJ">Wed Apr 20</span></span> – Springfield, MO<br>
Th – <span class="aBn" tabindex="0" data-term="goog_625423785"><span class="aQJ">Su Apr 21-24</span></span> – Growth Resourcing Group Annual Gathering – Wylie, TX<br>
<span class="aBn" tabindex="0" data-term="goog_625423786"><span class="aQJ">Sun Apr 24</span></span> – BASK: a vertical-focused night of music, art and light – Wylie, TX<br>
<span class="aBn" tabindex="0" data-term="goog_625423787"><span class="aQJ">Mon Apr 25</span></span> – Dallas, TX<br>
<span class="aBn" tabindex="0" data-term="goog_625423788"><span class="aQJ">Tues Apr 26</span></span> – House Concert w/Jonathan Reuel & Jason Ropp – Dallas, TX<br>
<span class="aBn" tabindex="0" data-term="goog_625423789"><span class="aQJ">Wed Apr 27</span></span> – Nashville, TN<br>
<span class="aBn" tabindex="0" data-term="goog_625423790"><span class="aQJ">Thu Apr 28</span></span> – Nashville, TN<br>
<span class="aBn" tabindex="0" data-term="goog_625423791"><span class="aQJ">Fri Apr 29</span></span> – in transit TN & VA<br>
<span class="aBn" tabindex="0" data-term="goog_625423792"><span class="aQJ">Sat Apr 30</span></span> – Arlington, VA/Washington DC<br>
<span class="aBn" tabindex="0" data-term="goog_625423793"><span class="aQJ">Sun May 1</span></span> – Arlington, VA/Sandusky, OH<br>
<span class="aBn" tabindex="0" data-term="goog_625423794"><span class="aQJ">Mon May 2</span></span> – Goshen, IN</p>
<p><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/shows/" target="_blank">Full details: HERE</a></p>
<p>Meanwhile, we are putting the finishing touches on our next studio project – a six song EP, which we can’t wait to tell you more about!</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478302016-03-19T15:02:54-04:002020-06-09T17:29:15-04:00Recording Music at the “Wild Edges”<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We’ve been working on the next iteration of songs from the SSB music machine – and will be revealing several surprises soon! </span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Nate & I have been recording at the wild edges — wild edges of our time, our hearts, our energy. Being a band + freelancing + being married + being parents of two is an incredible and chaotic reality. Incredibly beautiful, heartrendingly chaotic. We get to choose being artists, being parents and being lovers over and over again as we work out the negotiation of priorities in everyday life. We suspect this is not so different from the choices you make every day as well.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Kids-w-Keyboard-2.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-928"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Kids-w-Keyboard-2-1024x768.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Kids w Keyboard 2" height="454" width="605" /></a></p>
<p>So we record at the wild edges, the secret late night quiet moments (and not so quiet moments). We carve out a day or two on our own to make sure the really good stuff gets laid down on these tracks. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f642.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="🙂" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We asked Mr. Mike Kyle to show up and add his piece to a few of the songs, so now </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gone</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fallin’ Off the Wagon</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Home</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> are graced with amazingly righteous and rolling piano and organ tracks.</span></p>
<p><iframe class="youtube-player" width="605" height="341" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gnSr7DhND14?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;"></iframe></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On this record we are enjoying simply doing what makes sense, what fits the groove, what adds the right amount of </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">grit</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, etc. It requires a lot of patience with the process, but we are simply trusting in doing the best we can with where we are now, and look forward to doing more as we grow. Recording is simultaneously terrifying and freeing – we are doing it, we are doing it, we are doing it!! </span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Amber-Nate-1.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-937"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Amber-Nate-1-e1458414051139-1024x768.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Amber & Nate 1" height="454" width="605" /></a></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Keep your ears open, these new songs will be ready soon! We’ve been in the studio yesterday and today, so we hope you are enjoying a few of the behind the scenes moments trickling through your <a href="http://www.facebook.com/shinyshinyblack">newsfeed</a>. </span></p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478312016-03-01T10:17:32-05:002020-10-07T16:57:51-04:00Nate & Amber on “The Art of Asking”<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/theartofasking_image_grande_9958499e-bd00-4cb9-9cc6-816341440ade_1024x1024.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-917"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/theartofasking_image_grande_9958499e-bd00-4cb9-9cc6-816341440ade_1024x1024-199x300.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="theartofasking_image_grande_9958499e-bd00-4cb9-9cc6-816341440ade_1024x1024" height="300" width="199" /></a>It’s an amazing thing when we find people who can help guide us; shine light on the road ahead by sharing their own stories and learnings. One recent treasure we uncovered was Amanda Palmer’s book, </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Art-Asking-Learned-Worrying-People/dp/1455581097/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=">The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help.</a></span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> To introduce you, Amanda is an independent artist who started her career as one-half of the quirky Boston based duo, The Dresden Dolls, which was an out and out DIY effort, gained a cult following, eventually signed with Roadrunner (Warner) and then left the label. Amanda launched a solo career around the same time and went on to achieve the highest grossing music Kickstarter campaign as of 2012. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She gave a widely popular <a href="http://amandapalmer.net/videos/ted/">TED talk on the same title “The Art of Asking,”</a> which eventually led to her sharing on this topic more deeply by writing the book. Amanda’s story leads you through the ups and downs of discovering who you are as a person, of offering what you have to give (music) (community) and getting comfortable enough to allow others to help in that process, in fact, allowing others to help is what even makes the process possible!</span></p>
<p>Nate & I recently shared on our takeaways from reading the book at a <a href="http://www.dandelionseedcompany.com">Dandelion Seed Company</a> Thunder Talk. These are monthly online calls where folks can gather to hear new ideas and discuss them together. The goal is to move us towards creative, relational and spiritual growth. We are excited to share the recording of that evening with you here. Listen in!</p>
<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F249658731&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true&show_comments=true&color=false&show_user=true&show_reposts=false"></iframe>
<p> </p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478322016-02-15T15:01:28-05:002020-06-09T17:29:15-04:00Good Bye to Stella the Truck<p>Finally said good-bye to our trusty ’98 4Runner “Stella” this week. The road has been very long and adventurous. Sad that our time together ended! Join us for a look through the years.. Indiana, Virginia, Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, Montana, Oregon, California, New Mexico and etc. etc. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.895238147257974.1073741827.141237589324704&type=3">Check out our full photo album (with captions) on Facebook!</a></p>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2016/02/15/good-bye-to-stella-the-truck/packing-up-ssb/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Packing-up-SSB-200x200.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="200" width="200" /></a>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2016/02/15/good-bye-to-stella-the-truck/img_4007/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IMG_4007-200x267.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="267" width="200" /></a>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2016/02/15/good-bye-to-stella-the-truck/img_0260/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IMG_0260-200x268.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="268" width="200" /></a>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2016/02/15/good-bye-to-stella-the-truck/img_5756/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IMG_5756-200x150.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="150" width="200" /></a>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2016/02/15/good-bye-to-stella-the-truck/img_2404/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IMG_2404-200x150.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="150" width="200" /></a>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2016/02/15/good-bye-to-stella-the-truck/img_3591/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IMG_3591-200x150.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="150" width="200" /></a>
<p> </p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478332016-02-04T16:25:32-05:002020-06-09T17:29:15-04:00All in the (#tinydeskcontest) Family<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We had an incredible amount of fun creating the music and video to enter <a href="http://tinydeskcontest.npr.org/stay-tuned/">NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest</a>. One of our goals this year is to make more space for creating new music – so it was the perfect challenge to start the year off right.</span></p>
<p><iframe class="youtube-player" width="605" height="341" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2ODGrxcnwDo?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;"></iframe></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As you may have noticed, Nate and I did this one totally on our own. This is something you’ll see more often as we experiment with it – putting all our skills into the pot and seeing what comes out!! (That is not said to scare off potential collaborators – we hope to be doing a lot more of that this year as well).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We’ve been playing “Falling Off the Wagon” live at our concerts for quite awhile, but this is the first video version, and a preview similar to what our final studio version will sound like – due later this year!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> <a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IMG_0601.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-880"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IMG_0601-1024x768.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="IMG_0601" height="454" width="605" /></a></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> <a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IMG_0612.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-882"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IMG_0612-1024x576.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="IMG_0612" height="340" width="605" /></a></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> <a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IMG_0614.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-883"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IMG_0614-1024x576.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="IMG_0614" height="340" width="605" /></a></span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/tinydeskcontest2016-1.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-879"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/tinydeskcontest2016-1-300x219.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="tinydeskcontest2016-1" height="442" width="604" /></a></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As we were preparing to create our entry, we began noticing something really cool – so many of our musical friends were beginning to post suspicious messages about “needing a desk on Saturday” and such. Soon enough, many began posting still shots, and then videos tagged with #tinydeskcontest. What was amazing about it though, is that it has really felt void of competition, but rather filled us with a sense of camaraderie. Words of encouragement and empowerment began to ping across the web.</span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/tinydeskcontest2016-2.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-878"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/tinydeskcontest2016-2-1024x538.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="tinydeskcontest2016-2" height="318" width="605" /></a></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is only the second year for the Tiny Desk Contest, yet it feels like it’s already stolen our hearts for many of us. There’s such a community conviviality around this event – everyone is welcome to submit, it’s about </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">showing up</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">sharing something</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">. The contest team has done an excellent job encouraging anyone with interest to get involved, with the promise that every video entry is reviewed – and even though there is only one winner – they are generous with their praise. It makes you feel as if you have somehow become part of a family by taking part. Family via friendship and encouragement – ie. volunteer “family” is a little bit closer to the perfect world we dream of.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">To put the cherry on top and invite you to share in the fun, we’ve decided to turn our <a href="http://www.facebook.com/shinyshinyblack">social media</a> into a broadcast platform for all of our friends’ videos for the next several days – people that we have been fortunate enough to cross paths with, people we admire and love – and people we would like to introduce you to as well.</span></p>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Like this post? Sign up for our email list to be notified about new music, videos, and concerts in your area!</h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://frequencytheater.us2.list-manage2.com/subscribe?u=9d24452ce0f23fe21d8f65c98&id=c476d5242c">SIGN UP</a></h4>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478342015-12-09T11:33:11-05:002020-06-09T17:29:16-04:00Giving Thanks – A New Live Album!<p>The holiday season brings a reminder of how powerful gratitude is in our lives. We ran across several articles this fall on how gratitude is one of<img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Nappanee-Apple-Festival-Sept-18-2014-1024x682.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="2014 Nappanee Apple Festival" height="200" width="300" /> the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-neuroscience-researcher-reveals-4-rituals-that-will-make-you-a-happier-person-2015-9" target="_blank" data-cke-saved-href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-neuroscience-researcher-reveals-4-rituals-that-will-make-you-a-happier-person-2015-9">kick-butt power tools</a> that helps us cultivate happiness and well-being. How cool.</p>
<p>In that spirit of gratitude – we took a look back at some of the live recordings that have made their way into our archives since this rocket ship Shiny Shiny Black started its orbit back in 2012 (2012!?! – can you believe it?).</p>
<p>We have gathered a few of the most excellent tracks and tied them up with a digital bow. We present: <strong><em><a href="https://shinyshinyblack.bandcamp.com/album/a-bright-light-on-the-horizon">A Bright Light on the Horizon – Songs from the Stage, 2012-2015</a></em></strong>.</p>
<div>
<a href="https://shinyshinyblack.bandcamp.com/album/a-bright-light-on-the-horizon"><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/9d24452ce0f23fe21d8f65c98/images/69efa083-fd1b-419e-8538-92e08912f701.jpg" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="A Bright Light on the Horizon - Shiny Shiny Black Live Album" height="353" width="353" /></a>This is another behind-the-scenes Bandcamp release – at least for now. Along with the digital download we are creating a round of limited edition CDs.</div>
<div>
<p>Listen in and join us in a collective appreciative moment. You’ll notice we have quite the cast of characters in action. One of the things we’ve loved about this project is our ability to stay “small” but also get lots of people involved. We invite you to come with us and become a character in our story too. Looking back has been a great time to pause and reflect, to say, hey – this adventure of a musical career has been a GOOD thing, and hey – we are <strong>still ready</strong> to keep writing songs, sharing them, and see where the road takes us next.</p>
<p>So, here’s the thing: <strong> <a href="https://shinyshinyblack.bandcamp.com/album/a-bright-light-on-the-horizon">we are running a 1-week share-it-and-name-your-own-price celebration & gratitude sale on this live record</a>,</strong> and after that it will join the rest of our recordings in the regular ole’ discography. We really want you to take this record home with you and want to make sure you can do that.</p>
<p>Our live record is best used to:</p>
</div>
<ul>
<li>Meditate while working on your own gratitude mojo.</li>
<li>Celebrate – throw a party!</li>
<li>Sing along at the top of your lungs while driving (keep your eyes open).</li>
<li>Pick out your favorite live guest musicians and tell us who to bring back: (Thank you Bryan, Anna, Josh, Brendyn, Toby, Scottathan, Mykayla, & Justin!)</li>
<li>Share with friends.</li>
<li>Take up space on your hard drive (oh wait).</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>We hope this collection of performances sparks gratitude and joy in you – we are so thankful for you. </strong>You with all your hopes, dreams, disappointments and greatest achievements. You are the reason we are still writing, still working and still coming up with ideas.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Join us in celebrating and <a href="https://shinyshinyblack.bandcamp.com/album/a-bright-light-on-the-horizon">order today</a>!</strong></h4>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478352015-09-25T16:33:26-04:002020-06-09T17:29:16-04:00Return to the Music<p>This summer has been like a great unfolding – unbending arms and legs, lengthening muscles and stretching out – just as it should be after a long winter.</p>
<p>We took an extended break from performance to welcome our daughter Violet into the world last winter. She is an absolute joy – as many of you have experienced, a laid-back and chill little girl who enjoys checking everyone out before breaking into an absolute grin.</p>
<p>After that hiatus we picked up playing in March and have enjoyed working out the kinks of our new duo status – Shiny Shiny Black = Nate + Amber these days, and it’s been really good! (Anna launched into doing her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/annapsherck">own project</a> and has been making noise this summer too!)</p>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2015/09/25/return-to-the-music/arts-on-the-millrace-june-2015-copy/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/arts-on-the-millrace-June-2015-copy-200x200.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="200" width="200" /></a>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2015/09/25/return-to-the-music/chicory-mar-2015-2/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Chicory-Mar-2015-2-200x150.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="150" width="200" /></a>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2015/09/25/return-to-the-music/chicory-mar-2015-1/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Chicory-Mar-2015-1-200x169.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="169" width="200" /></a>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2015/09/25/return-to-the-music/chicory-mar-2015-3/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Chicory-Mar-2015-3-200x200.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="200" width="200" /></a>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2015/09/25/return-to-the-music/cklfqedumaerq1h/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/CKLFqeDUMAERq1H-200x267.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="267" width="200" /></a>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2015/09/25/return-to-the-music/ssb-constant-spring-w-brent-zebell-july-17-2015/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/SSB-Constant-Spring-w-Brent-Zebell-July-17-2015-200x113.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="113" width="200" /></a>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2015/09/25/return-to-the-music/gary-at-rtp-south-bend-aug-11-2015/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Gary-at-RTP-South-Bend-Aug-11-2015-200x200.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="200" width="200" /></a>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2015/09/25/return-to-the-music/ssb-ignition-aug-1-2015/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/SSB-Ignition-Aug-1-2015-200x267.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="267" width="200" /></a>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2015/09/25/return-to-the-music/homestead-retreat-aug-2015/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Homestead-Retreat-Aug-2015-200x150.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="150" width="200" /></a>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2015/09/25/return-to-the-music/jkorn-photo-2-ssb-ignition-aug-1-2015/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/JKorn-Photo-2-SSB-Ignition-Aug-1-2015-200x133.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="133" width="200" /></a>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2015/09/25/return-to-the-music/rock-the-park-fest-july-2015/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Rock-the-Park-Fest-July-2015-200x267.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="267" width="200" /></a>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2015/09/25/return-to-the-music/sb150-may-2015/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/SB150-May-2015-200x113.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="113" width="200" /></a>
<p>May, June, July and August found us revisiting old haunts in South Bend & Goshen, and making new connections in Iowa, Fort Wayne, & Indianapolis.</p>
<p>We are looking forward to continue making a holy ruckus and want to hear from you! We do music to connect with PEOPLE and we don’t want to miss the mark, so would you mind filling out a simple <strong>5 question survey</strong> that should only take a few minutes. <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3C6KGSF">Take the survey here.</a> And then back to our regular programming! <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f642.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="🙂" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><strong><a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3C6KGSF">Begin Survey!</a></strong></h3>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478362014-09-29T13:42:05-04:002020-06-09T17:29:16-04:00Shifting Gears for a New Season<p>We were sad to announce this week that our last show of the season scheduled for Oct. 3 in Goshen at the Courthouse Pub has been cancelled. It’s been a beautiful thing meeting many of you at our shows this year! We really enjoyed our time on the road in the last month while performing in Mishawaka, Indianapolis, South Bend, Lafayette and Nappanee (Indiana, we love you!)</p>
<div id="attachment_794" style="width: 560px" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Nappanee-Apple-Festival-Sept-18-2014.jpg"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Nappanee-Apple-Festival-Sept-18-2014-1024x682.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Nappanee Apple Festival Sept 18 2014" height="366" width="550" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-794" class="wp-caption-text">Playing “Love Like That” at the Nappanee Apple Festival with special guests Justin Burrell on drums and Scott Lehman of the Tumbleweed Jumpers on trombone! Photo credit: Josef Samuel</p>
</div>
<p>We aren’t going anywhere, but our focus is changing for the winter months… we look forward to continue sharing our music (new and old) with you during this period, and for starting up live shows again in the spring! Meanwhile, Nate & Amber will welcome their second baby in November, a momentous occasion that has helped us as a band take a step back, look at the big picture and prepare for changes on the horizon – both in our family lives, personal goals and the way that integrates with our creative and business lives.</p>
<p>It’s not unusual for artists to find that our dreams and goals seem at odds with daily practicalities, and this is perhaps even more the case with artists who are also parents. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f642.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="🙂" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> Most of all we are excited to embrace deeper growth, and keep uncovering the next adventure!</p>
<p>Thank you for each way that you are part of the Shiny Shiny Black story!</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478372014-08-23T09:43:07-04:002020-06-09T17:29:16-04:00Transition is our Middle Name<p>One of the things we’ve found surprising in life is how much transition takes a central role, especially in the fast-paced, do everything, let everyone know culture we live in. You think your progress is about arriving, and once you arrive, you realize you are actually moving on to the next destination. Some of this is perhaps to be avoided (ie. choosing a discipline of stability) but it’s also in the nature of things. The world is constantly changing and evolving, seasons come and go, there’s a tension between stability and new growth.</p>
<p>Last spring we launched our first studio album <a href="http://store.shinyshinyblack.com"><em>Travelers</em></a>, and on the wave of its arrival have enjoyed making many new connections, reaching out, sharing the music and meeting many of you! Soon after the album release, it became clear that we would soon be wishing Bryan Chris, our bass player since the beginning of Shiny Shiny Black in 2012, on his way. These types of transitions are always a little bittersweet, but we’re happy to share with you what is keeping Bryan busy now that he’s free of our late night antics and grandiose dreams. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f642.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="🙂" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">We first met Bryan (of <a title="Bryan Chris Photography" href="http://www.bryanchrisphotography.com/site/#/home/" target="_blank">Bryan Chris Photography</a>) when he offered to shoot live concert images of Nate’s previous band, Frequency Theater. He helped make FT larger than life, and his enthusiasm and support made a world of difference. Some time later when Nate was ready to launch SSB, Bryan signed on as the bass player, another passion of his. Meanwhile his photography business continued to take off and he took lots of cool pictures, like these:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/chemical-imbalance-bcp.png"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/chemical-imbalance-bcp-150x150.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="BCP 3" height="150" width="150" /></a><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/BCG5.png"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/BCG5-150x150.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="BCP 5" height="150" width="150" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/eyedart-bcp.png"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/eyedart-bcp-150x150.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="BCP 2" height="150" width="150" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/BCP-6.jpg"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/BCP-6-150x150.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="BCP 6" height="150" width="150" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/BCP-4.png"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/BCP-4-150x150.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="BCP 4" height="150" width="150" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/car-bcg.png"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/car-bcg-150x150.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="BCP 1" height="150" width="150" /></a></p>
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<p>Bryan stepped away from SSB to give more attention to photography and we are psyched about the projects he will be able to say yes to because of this. His wife Kim also just transitioned from years as a special needs schoolteacher in order to be home more with their three kiddos and work alongside Bryan in the business. They’ve spoken of traveling more as a family, and actually spent about a month on the road together this summer, including client work, family time, and meeting up with friends. Since family travel is also one of our dreams we put into action as much as possible, we couldn’t be more excited for them!</p>
<p>Anytime someone leaves a band lineup, it creates a vacuum and an opportunity. So we’ve experimented a little this summer. You might have noticed an abundance of drummers sitting in at various shows (thanks Nick, Bobby, & Brendyn!), and even a few new bass players. Toby Hazlett helped us out at Ignition Garage, and other shows were covered by our newest performing member, Amber Butler. Amber’s been integrally involved managing behind the scenes from day one but stepping out on stage for SSB was something new. Experimenting this way has helped the band breathe a little, get new ideas, try new adventures and generally discover things we wouldn’t have otherwise, all while delivering good times and great music to our awesome fans!</p>
<div id="attachment_769" style="width: 321px" class="wp-caption alignleft">
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/ssb-The-Well-July-25-2014.jpg"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/ssb-The-Well-July-25-2014.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="SSB The Well July 25 2014" height="207" style="margin-right: 15px;" width="311" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-769" class="wp-caption-text">SSB at The Well July 25, 2014</p>
</div>
<p>Next week we are launching a string of shows that will take us through the end of September, when we are taking a performing hiatus in anticipation of Baby Butler # 2 in the late fall. Everybody give Amber a hand for rocking the bass in her third trimester! We are looking forward to the space for creating new music, videos and launching a new phase of booking for next spring and summer when we will return to the road. Sometimes transitions you feared (taking a break from performing) help you breathe a sigh of relief (ahhh)!</p>
<h2></h2>
<h2>Join us on the Road:</h2>
<p>Fri Aug 29, <strong>Mishawaka, IN</strong>, Evil Czech Brewery & Public House, 10 pm</p>
<p>Fri Sept 5, <strong>Carmel, IN,</strong> Three D’s Pub & Café, – <span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>CANCELLED</strong> </span>(we’ll see you in the spring for reschedule!)</p>
<p>Fri Sept 12, <strong>South Bend, IN,</strong> Chicory Café, 7 pm</p>
<p>Sat Sept 13, <strong>Lafayette, IN,</strong> Star City Coffee & Ale House, 7 pm</p>
<p>Thurs Sept 18,<strong> Nappanee, IN,</strong> Nappanee Apple Festival</p>
<p><a title="Shows" href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/shows/">FULL SHOW SCHEDULE</a></p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478382014-06-02T14:59:23-04:002020-06-09T17:29:16-04:00A Vision Beyond Yourself<p>Carl Perkins is educating me in the ways of rock ‘n roll from the speakers in my studio, and the summer air is slightly claustrophobic in our little Indiana farmhouse. I’ve got a fresh cup of wake-up juice, and I can’t wait to tell you what I’ve schemed up…</p>
<p>I’ve done a lot of contemplation lately about what I want to be known for – what kind of person people will remember me as when my time above the ground has ended.</p>
<p>One of the things I have always wanted to do is to help the people in my life. As a full grown man, I am very fortunate to be surrounded by a large community of incredibly creative people, the vast majority of which are very diligent and hard working – and more often than not, are paying a huge price financially to create something wonderful in the world for others.</p>
<p>I have decided that one of the best things I can do is to connect them to you – I will do my best to describe who they are, what they do that is remarkable, and let you decide if their work touches you.</p>
<p>The first artist I have chosen to present to you is my friend, Jess Strantz.<img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/jess-strantz-e1401734139589.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="434" style="margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 15px;" width="264" /></p>
<p>Jess started playing music at the age of three, began formal training on the piano at age six, and acquired her first guitar at age thirteen. She also sang in choirs and had some formal vocal training along the way.</p>
<p>She joined a couple of groups as a teenager before forming her first band, The Rendition, which closed it’s doors mid 2012.</p>
<p>For the avid music fan, you may be thinking that none of this sounds particularly special – talented kid takes piano, writes some songs, bla-bla-blah. You’d be right.</p>
<p>But her current project, <a title="Von Strantz Facebook" href="http://www.facebook.com/vonstrantzmusic">Von Strantz</a>, is something quite extraordinary.</p>
<p>In its full fledged form, Von Strantz is a four-piece string section mashed up with an indie-rock band, and turbo-charged by Jess’s vocals, which live somewhere between Karin Bergquist (<a title="Over the Rhine" href="http://www.overtherhine.com">Over The Rhine</a>) and Susan Tedeschi (<a title="The Tedeschi-Trucks Band" href="http://www.tedeschitrucksband.com/">The Tedeschi-Trucks Band</a>).</p>
<p>Listening to them live is a stunning, overwhelming experience that on a good night will leave tears in your eyes and your jaw on the floor.</p>
<p>Beyond the music, something else is afoot as well. Von Strantz is Jess’s vision of a family of musicians, where young talent becomes a part of something, grows, and becomes empowered to move out on their own strength at some point.</p>
<p>In a recent conversation Jess intimated to me that her previous projects had been much more about her building her own little musical kingdom – but that after a car accident left her unable to play music at all for a period of time, she began to see a different way forward that was much less about her, and much more about helping other musicians grow.</p>
<p>That has been a huge inspiration to me, and I appreciate Jess and her vision for Von Strantz. Their presence and drive, reminds me that the real secret sauce in great art is so much more than just the ability to execute your craft technically. It has to mean something, and it has to touch people.</p>
<p>Today is the last day of their Indie Go Go campaign, and I strongly urge you to <a href="http://igg.me/at/vsnarrative/x">check out their music, and make a contribution</a> if you believe in the idea of Von Strantz.</p>
<p><a title="Von Strantz Indie Go Go" href="http://igg.me/at/vsnarrative/x"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/screen-capture-1024x768.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Von Strantz Indie Go Go" height="412" width="550" /></a></p>
<p>EDITOR’s NOTE: Even though the Von Strantz Indiegogo campaign has ended, you can still listen and pick up current and future Von Strantz recordings on their <a href="http://vonstrantz.bandcamp.com/album/narrative-chapter-i-troubled-souls-2">Bandcamp store</a>.</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478392014-03-30T14:22:51-04:002020-06-09T17:29:16-04:00Rockethub: Project Completed at 121%!<p><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/screen-capture-201x300.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Rockethub - Project Complete - 121%!" height="300" style="margin: 15px;" width="201" />Well, friends, we did it. Thank you for your epic help in making SSB’s <a href="http://www.rockethub.com/projects/38153-let-s-make-a-bang-up-record-support-shiny-shiny-black-s-first-studio-album">first crowdfunding campaign</a> a success. More than a success really – we made it to 121% of our goal, a total of $4690.00 raised! March has been an incredibly busy month for us, all of which has been made possible by your support.</p>
<p>This month we’ve finalized album photos, launched the Rockethub, created art & design for <em>Travelers</em>, finished the master recording for <em>Travelers</em>, worked with Rachel Schmidt on the Rockethub & Travelers T-shirt designs, consulted Jason Samuel on our radio promotion plans, had discs manufactured and shipped to us, brought <a title="Eyedart Creative Studio" href="http://www.eyedart.com">Eyedart Creative Studio</a> on board to perfect our PR messaging, ordered shirts (and a few other small surprises), played an amazing show at <a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Nate-holding-album.jpg"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Nate-holding-album-300x300.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Nate holding album" height="200" style="margin: 15px;" width="200" /></a><a title="The Pool, South Bend" href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/183953045055095/?ref=br_tf" target="_blank">The Pool in South Bend</a> with our friends <a title="The Accidentals" href="http://www.moreaccidentals.com" target="_blank">The Accidentals</a>, and new friends Jon Schommer and the Cute Townies, prepared press kit materials, started scheduling media appearances, and got those press kits out the door on Saturday. Now it’s your turn – this week we are prepping and mailing our Rockethub goodies to you — <strong>the record will be in your hands soon!</strong> And if you missed out on the Rockethub, do not fret, just head over and preorder the album on our <a title="Music" href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/music/">Music page</a>, which will ship out at the album release. Thanks again to everyone who contributed to the campaign – your belief and support means the world to us!</p>
<p>And speaking of what’s next – stay tuned for our album release concert announcement for Friday April 18, and special events on our release day Sat. April 19.</p>
<h2>Upcoming Shows</h2>
<p>Fri April 4: Peabody’s Ale House & The Sideyard, Oshkosh, WI</p>
<p>Sat April 5: Moe’s Tavern, Chicago, IL</p>
<p>Fri April 11: Guests on Notre Dame Radio w/ DJ TJT, Notre Dame, IN</p>
<p>Fri April 18 & Sat April 19: Album Release Celebration! Details coming soon…</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478402014-03-03T18:10:34-05:002020-06-09T17:29:16-04:00Let’s Make a Bang-up Record!<p><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Shiny-Shiny-Black-Lets-Make-a-Record-2014.png"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Shiny-Shiny-Black-Lets-Make-a-Record-2014-150x150.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Shiny Shiny Black - Let's Make a Record - 2014" height="150" width="150" /></a></p>
<p>We launched a <a title="Let's Make a Bang-up Record!" href="http://rkthb.co/38153">crowdfunding campaign on Rockethub</a> one week ago to support our first full-length album release, <i>Travelers.</i> Crowdfunding is a new strategy for us, but we’ve seen it really work for other artists & start ups as away to let the audience be super involved and support the artist both during and after project creation. So now it’s our turn!</p>
<p>It’s hard to believe, but we’ve been working on this album since last May! Our <a title="Lights On - Shiny Shiny Black" href="http://youtu.be/CIY2RJfnU2o">video for <i>Lights On</i></a> released in August was a preview for the new album, but we are excited to get started sharing the rest of it more widely and let you experience it for yourselves.</p>
<p><b>Album Making Milestones:</b></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"> May 2013 – Nate began tracking drums at the Goshen Theater</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Nate-Drumming-2.jpg"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Nate-Drumming-2-300x225.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Nate-Drumming-2" height="225" width="300" /></a></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">June + July + August 2013 – guitars, vocals and additional instruments with special guests recorded at T.Bush Recording in Syracuse, IN</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Anna-Pasquarello-at-TBush-Recording-07-17-13.jpeg"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Anna-Pasquarello-at-TBush-Recording-07-17-13-1024x446.jpeg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Anna Pasquarello at TBush Recording 07-17-13" height="239" width="550" /></a></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">November 2013 – Nate & Tim put their heads together for the mixdown, with tweaks and additions stretching into Dec 2013</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/drum-edits-July-2013-300x225.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="drum edits July 2013" height="225" width="300" /></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">February 2014 – Album mastered in the capable hands of Mr. Tim Bushong</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Travelers-Mastering-Session-Tim-Nate-02-28-14.jpg"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Travelers-Mastering-Session-Tim-Nate-02-28-14-300x300.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="{Travelers} Mastering Session - Tim & Nate 02-28-14" height="300" width="300" /></a></p>
<p>As you can see, we took the long route to getting this album finished. When you’re working multiple jobs and your bandmates are working multiple jobs, and you go on tour and to several music conferences in the middle, that’s kind of what happens! Most of all, we gave these songs all the love and detail they deserved.</p>
<p>We’re excited to bring you into the story by hosting this funding campaign and invite you to aid us in finishing it off right. As anyone whose spent any time in the music business will tell you – the real work begins after the album comes out! Thousands have already been invested in this project, and funding from this campaign will support the manufacturing, marketing and promotion aspects of the project.</p>
<p>You can participate in this elaborate “pre-order” and funding effort to snag the album and other fun goods we dreamed up together. Visit our <a href="http://rkthb.co/38153">Rockethub campaign page</a> to learn more and stream a new song off the record.</p>
<p>We appreciate all the support thus far, as of this writing we are at 16% to our goal, and look forward to all we can do together. Most of all, thank you for listening!</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478412014-01-29T20:24:56-05:002020-06-09T17:29:17-04:00Capping the Year off Right<p>So I know it’s already almost the end of January, which has compelled us to get into reflective mode on 2013 before the first month of 2014 completely passes us by! <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f642.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="🙂" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
<p>2013 was the first full calendar year for Shiny Shiny Black… since our first trio show was not until Nov 2012 – it felt like last year was really the beginning of things. And what a beginning – <strong>we played over 65 events in 2013</strong>, mostly in Indiana of course, but also made our way to Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee and even Texas (as guest musicians for a conference event)! We like to travel as a family band, so our 2-year-old Charlotte came out on tour in many cases! <strong>This has been like a snapshot of our ideal life…</strong> which we are excited to bring even more to life in the coming year.</p>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">The Electric Brew Second Sundays</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Final-For-Print.jpg"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Final-For-Print.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Shiny Shiny Black - Second Sundays - 2013" height="262" style="margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px;" width="169" /></a></p>
<p>From January to June of 2013 we were very fortunate to have a residency at Goshen’s legendary folk venue, <a title="The Electric Brew - folk music venue" href="http://www.theelectricbrew.com">The Electric Brew</a>. This proved to be very important for a couple of reasons: it really helped us to get some roots planted in our hometown, and (little did we know at the time) it turned out to be some of the last concerts that would be performed at The Brew, since they have stopped doing concert events after changing locations late last summer.</p>
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<h3>Some Dreams Tour – 7 days on the road</h3>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/577551_361478567300604_620373757_n.jpg"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/577551_361478567300604_620373757_n.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Some Dreams Tour Dates" height="226" style="margin: 0px 15px;" width="174" /></a>In April we hit the road with our dear friend <a title="Jonathan Reuel - Folk Musician Singer - songwriter" href="http://www.jrlive.blogspot.com/">Jonathan Reuel</a>, playing a range of venues, from <a title="Bluffton University" href="http://www.bluffton.edu">Bluffton University,</a> all the way to <a title="Joe's Java - music venue - Christian ministry" href="http://www.sugartree.org">Joe’s Java</a> in Wilmington, OH. This was the first time we took Charlie on the road, and it worked really well. Another highlight of the tour was taking a large painting done by Christa Reuel as our backdrop – people were consistently amazed by it.</p>
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<h3>South by South Bend</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/SXSB-2013.jpg"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/SXSB-2013-300x236.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="SXSB 2013" height="165" style="margin: 15px;" width="210" /></a></p>
<p>In May we were fortunate enough to play at the first <a title="SXSB: South by South Bend" href="https://www.facebook.com/SouthXSouthBend">South By South Bend music festival</a>, spearheaded by our good friend Dena Woods – and we look forward to being there again this May for year 2!</p>
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<h3>TBUSH – in the studio</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Gretsch-New-Yorker-1024x768.jpg"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Gretsch-New-Yorker-1024x768-300x225.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Gretsch-New-Yorker-1024x768" height="225" style="margin: 15px;" width="300" /></a>As many of you know, we have been working on a full-length record since last May. It was a surprising journey, and took us down many roads we did not expect, but we were ably guided by the mighty hands of the good captain <a title="Tbush Recording" href="http://www.tbushrecording.com">Tim Bushong</a>. We are incredibly excited to bring this record into the public eye this SPRING!</p>
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<h3>Nashville Songwriters Weekend</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/SSB-Nashville-Songwriters-Ignition-Aug.-2013.jpg"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/SSB-Nashville-Songwriters-Ignition-Aug.-2013-300x300.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="SSB - Nashville Songwriters - Ignition - Aug. 2013" height="300" style="margin: 15px;" width="300" /></a>Late in the summer Nate was invited to participate in the first <a title="Nashville artists to perform with local musicians" href="http://shar.es/UPEYe">Nashville Songwriters Weekend</a> hosted by <a title="Ignition Music Garage" href="http://www.ignitionmusic.net">Ignition Garage</a>. Rubbing shoulders with amazing folks like Will Kimbrough, Brigitte DeMeyer and Phil Madeira, Zach DuBois and Andrew Kreider was a great opportunity, as well as <a title="Nate Butler performs Lights On - Live at Ignition Music Garage with Will Kimbrough, Brigitte DeMeyer and Phil Madeira" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFzzSTiJm8k">performing “Lights On”</a> for their audience with Will, Phil, Brigitte and local legends Joel Jimenez and Jeff Sanders supporting the song.</p>
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<h3>Making great friends in South Bend</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Shiny-Shiny-Black-South-Bend-First-Fridays-State-Theater-May-2013.jpg"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Shiny-Shiny-Black-South-Bend-First-Fridays-State-Theater-May-2013-300x225.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Shiny Shiny Black - South Bend First Fridays - State Theater - May 2013" height="225" style="margin: 15px;" width="300" /></a>As the year progressed, we made great connections in South Bend, playing frequently at the <a title="Chicory Cafe - Live Original Music - downtown South Bend Indiana" href="http://www.chicorycafe.net/">Chicory Café</a>, which led to the opportunity to open for Cloak Ox at <a title="Lang Lab South Bend" href="http://www.langlabsb.com/">LangLab</a>, a place we look forward to returning to. Other events in South Bend included performing in DTSB’s Red Table Plaza Concert Series, playing First Fridays at the <a title="The State Theater - Music Venue - South Bend, IN" href="http://www.thestatesb.com/">State Theater</a>, <a title="The Music Village" href="http://themusicvillage.org/">The Music Village</a> Music Festival, the <a title="Purple Porch Coop" href="http://www.purpleporchcoop.com">Purple Porch Coop</a>, the <a href="http://sbctfirehouse.weebly.com/">Firehouse Variety Show</a> and last but not least – <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/183953045055095">The Pool, South Bend</a>!</p>
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<h3>Yellow Phone Music Conference</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/1236198_434068023374991_1239137145_n.png"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/1236198_434068023374991_1239137145_n-300x130.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Yellow Phone Music Conference" height="130" style="margin: 15px;" width="300" /></a><a title="Yellow Phone Music Conference - emerging artists" href="http://www.yellowphonemke.com/">Yellow Phone</a> was a great connection for us – an awesome conference with really high-caliber speakers, and small enough that the panelists were easily accessible. We got to meet an amazing group of people too – hanging out with the ladies from the smoking Winnipegger duo <a title="Mise en Scene - Winnipeg Duo - Indie Rock Pop" href="http://www.miseenscenemusic.com/">Mise En Scene</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/martin.atkins.338?fref=ts">Martin Atkins</a>, the organizers of <a title="CIMMfest - Chicago Movies and Music" href="http://www.cimmfest.org/">CIMMfest</a> in Chicago, and making friends with Wisconsin trio <a title="The Traveling Suitcase - Wisconsin - Indie rock" href="http://thetravelingsuitcase.bandcamp.com/">The Traveling Suitcase</a> – who we were able to later bring to South Bend in October!</p>
<p> </p>
<h3>Chicago Music Summit</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/CEN-panel-at-Chicago-Music-Summit-2013.jpg"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/CEN-panel-at-Chicago-Music-Summit-2013-300x225.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="CEN panel at Chicago Music Summit 2013" height="225" style="margin: 15px;" width="300" /></a>Amber went to this one by herself, and I think Kanye West got punched in the parking lot for being… Kanye. Or something. (Or Nate likes to imagine things. And Amber got to hang out and hear from quite a few more cool folks, like Common, <a title="Creative Entertainment Network" href="http://thecenetwork.com/">Creative Entertainment Network</a>, and the cool cats from CIMMfest and <a href="http://www.ears-chicago.org/">EARs</a>).</p>
<p> </p>
<h3></h3>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<h3>Visiting Nashville</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/SSB-Oct-Tour-2013.jpg"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/SSB-Oct-Tour-2013-300x300.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="SSB - Oct Tour - 2013" height="300" style="margin: 15px;" width="300" /></a>In October we embarked on our second short tour of the year, playing several places in Ohio, Louisville, KY, and spending several days with friends in Nashville, which provided to the opportunity to get lost looking for coffee with Jonathan Reuel and Bart Elliott of <a href="https://www.drummercafe.com/">Drummer Café</a>, eat lunch with <a title="Will Kimbrough - Sideshow Love - indie music - americana - nashville" href="http://www.willkimbrough.com/">Will Kimbrough</a>, and meet up with David Troyer (from our hometown – now in <a href="http://www.satellitesandsirens.com/">Satellites and Sirens</a>), Brandon Owens – formerly of Satellites and Sirens, and bump into our college friend Stephanie Skipper. Oh yeah, Nate got to go see Nine Inch Nails with Jonathan too… then we went to…</p>
<p> </p>
<h3>FARM Folk Alliance</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/SSB-FARM-Folk-Alliance-2013.jpg"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/SSB-FARM-Folk-Alliance-2013-300x212.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="SSB - FARM Folk Alliance - 2013" height="212" style="margin: 15px;" width="300" /></a>This was an incredible event! We should a separate blog, just on <a title="Folk Alliance Region Midwest" href="http://www.farmfolk.org">this event</a> – but to keep it short, we met the incredibly talented ladies from <a title="The Accidentals - folk music - Michigan" href="http://www.moreaccidentals.com">The Accidentals</a>, were blown away by <a href="http://truefalsettos.com/">The True Falsettos</a>, <a title="American String Band Music - Michigan" href="http://www.donjulin.com/billystrings.html">Billy Strings</a>, got to jam late into the evening with our dear old (but not THAT old) friends from <a title="Goldmine Pickers - Indie folk music - bluegrass - Indiana" href="http://www.goldminepickers.com/">The Goldmine Pickers</a>, and played live on a Kansas City radio show, and hang out with <a title="Dan Weber - Singer Songwriter" href="http://www.danwebermusic.com/">Dan Weber</a>, along with another paragraph’s worth of truly incredible people!</p>
<p> </p>
<h3>LIVE on the Globe 91.1 FM</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Globe-In-Studio-Dec-19-2013.jpg"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Globe-In-Studio-Dec-19-2013-300x300.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Globe In Studio Dec 19 2013" height="300" style="margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px;" width="300" /></a>Goshen College’s <a title="Globe Radio 91.1 FM - Americana - AAA - College" href="http://www.globeradio.org/">Globe Radio </a>came out in strong support of Shiny Shiny Black this year, putting our single <a title="Lights On" href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/discography/lights-on/">“Lights On”</a> in rotation since its release in August, and hosting a one hour in-studio live appearance in December to promote the New Year’s Eve show and discuss what’s next for the band. Thank you Globe staff, and especially thanks to Jason Samuel!</p>
<h3></h3>
<h3></h3>
<h3></h3>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<h3>Ignition Music NYE</h3>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Shiny-Shiny-Black-Ignition-Music-Garage-Dec-31-2013.jpg"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Shiny-Shiny-Black-Ignition-Music-Garage-Dec-31-2013.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Shiny Shiny Black - Ignition Music Garage - Dec 31, 2013" height="201" width="672" /></a>Somewhere in the middle of all of this, we met our <a title="Von Strantz - Indiana Indie Soul - folk music" href="https://www.facebook.com/vonstrantzmusic">fellow road warriors</a> in Von Strantz… so we invited them to play with us at one of the region’s premier listening rooms, Ignition Music Garage for a <a title="Goshen NYE Show Features Local Faves" href="http://www.staceypageonline.com/2013/12/17/goshen-nye-show-features-local-faves-2/">New Years Eve show</a> we were organizing. We were also joined by our dear friend and <a title="Andru Bemis - banjo music - Southwest Michigan" href="http://www.andrubemis.com">banjo extraordinaire</a> Andru Bemis.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">What.</p>
<p>A.</p>
<p>Night!</p>
<p>We literally blew the doors off of the place – selling out the show with record-setting attendance! We were able to put more people in the room than any of the national acts – unless you count our friends in <a title="The Steel Wheels - Bluegrass Music" href="http://www.thesteelwheels.com">The Steel Wheels</a>, who cheated by doing two shows back-to-back. What an awesome way to turn the page on 2013!</p>
<p><strong>Thank you for helping us find our way — to get here, and to the next adventure!</strong></p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478422013-09-24T14:59:14-04:002020-06-09T17:29:17-04:00What I’d tell myself if I were me.<p>On occasion an aspiring musician will approach me for advice on how to progress in one area or another in their journey. While I enjoy divulging whatever information I think would be helpful, I often notice a pattern in that kind of interaction. People are usually looking for some kind of “key” that will unlock things, a silver bullet, a magic pill.</p>
<p>Oddly enough, most people actually know what they need to work on, they just would rather avoid it if possible. We all want the path of least resistance, we all would rather avoid the hard work, avoid dealing with our weaknesses, our personalities.</p>
<p>More often these conversations end with some kind of dejected look, or a list of excuses of why my advice isn’t relevant to the person I’m speaking to, or how that it’s some kind of step to be taken “later”.</p>
<p>I am probably the worst offender, I am certain lots of people have given me fantastic advice, and I have not “heard” it, because my heart wasn’t ready, because I was still beholden to my silly ideas, my comfort zone.</p>
<p>In recent days, I have found it helpful to turn the tables on myself like this; if I came to myself for advice – what would I tell someone like me? The answers are awkward, heavy, uncomfortably loud.</p>
<p>I’d tell myself to go get a job.</p>
<p>I’d tell myself that lots of other people have been taking this (music) way more seriously than I have, for a very long time.</p>
<p>I’d tell myself that being excluded from the school band program was an excuse for not knowing much about music when I was twenty-two, but it’s not now.</p>
<p>I’d tell myself that if I wanted to keep making music, I need to take lessons, every week, and practice every day.</p>
<p>I’d tell myself to stop worrying about gear, and start worrying about whether it is better to be admired for owning cool stuff, or be respected for being able to make something great with whatever I have available.</p>
<p>I’d tell myself that I am capable of being one of the greats, but I have to accept the challenge of being great.</p>
<p>I’d tell myself to listen to my own advice before dishing it out so readily.</p>
<p>I’d tell myself to listen to the guy who told me recently that “booking shows isn’t your job! Your job is to make great music and write great songs – anybody can book that!”</p>
<p>I’d tell myself to read this quote from Jason Mraz every day:</p>
<p>“I don’t know a thing about how to make it in the music business. All I know is that I do what I love with all my heart, and because of this, the right people keep showing up in my life, over and over again. They take my love for music and turn it into a business. My job is to just keep creating and keep giving.”</p>
<p>I might even tell myself that I should listen to the dozens of people who have told me over the years that it’s a good idea to move to Nashville.</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478432013-08-30T15:18:26-04:002020-06-09T17:29:17-04:00How to Buy Musical Instruments: Part 4 – Spotting Quality<p>When I was a kid, my dad used to buy me Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars. He used to pay around 80¢ for one. When I was about 8 years old or so, we departed from our usual purchase location (the local grocery store) and went to a toy store franchise at the shopping mall. There, I discovered something quite wondrous.</p>
<p>You could buy a 10 pack of toy cars for $3.</p>
<p>I wasn’t ever that good at math, but even I could spot a deal that good! Besides, the paint jobs on these ones were loud and gaudy, and the chrome was extra bright! My dad tried to explain that maybe that wasn’t all a good thing, but I was hearing nothing of it! Since he is a softy, and I am stubborn enough to make most mules look like amateurs, I took home my $3 pack of chartreuse and day-glo orange, shiny, chrome embossed toy cars.</p>
<p>This was when I learned an important and formative lesson about value vs. price.</p>
<p>See, when I got home and ripped open the packaging, one of the cars fell to the floor, and immediately a huge chunk of paint came off. Next, I noticed that the decals on the cars were stick-on, as opposed to the painted details on the cars my dad usually bought. All of the windows were either black, or chrome, which hid the interior details from view, something I really enjoyed investigating. Little did I realize that there were no interiors at all, a cost cutting measure.</p>
<p>Much to my displeasure, I soon learned another unfortunate detail. The wheels on these bargain toys were complete crap, they didn’t roll well at all, and the axles were too thin, which caused them to bend very easily, rendering the toys useless to perform their main function; rolling across the floor in a straight line. Before two weeks were up, getting any of them to roll at all was a lost cause.</p>
<p>You probably understand where I am going with this – avoid bright shiny crap when buying a musical instrument, and pay attention to the details.</p>
<p>So, how do you spot quality when you know absolutely nothing about the instrument?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/guitar-shop.jpg"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/guitar-shop.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="guitar shop" height="487" width="650" /></a></p>
<p>Here are a couple of things I look for when scouting for an instrument:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">1. Does it perform it’s basic function well?</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">2. Is it a known brand?</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">3. Has that brand been around a while, and do they have a good reputation? (Ask around, and search online forums – people are usually willing to answer questions and give suggestions)</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">4. Do lots of people have this particular make/model of instrument?</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">5. Do they like it?</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">6. Is it something you would be proud to be seen performing with in a variety of contexts?</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">7. If it is a wooden instrument of any kind, can you see the actual wood its made out of, or has it been covered over by paint or some kind of plastic covering? If not, this is a great clue that what you are getting is probably pretty far down the food chain.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">8. If it has hardware or moving parts, do they work smoothly and easily? Do they feel solid and well crafted, or flimsy and loose? If the parts are chrome, is the finish smooth and liquid, or can you see specks, flakes or sharp edges? These are all indicators that can clue you in to whether or not what you are looking at is a good product or not.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">9. Is it easily tuned, and does it stay in tune? This means you will need to spend some time with the instrument, but it will pay off. If you can’t get it in tune, run away. If you can’t keep it in tune, it’s probably an inferior instrument, or may need considerable repair. If you are dealing with a sales person who won’t let you spend long enough playing the instrument to find out if it will stay in tune, thank them kindly, put the instrument back, and walk calmly out of the store.</p>
<p>Take your time. It really is worth it!</p>
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Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478442013-08-22T12:09:20-04:002020-06-09T17:29:17-04:00Lights On – A Songwriter’s Commentary<p><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Lights-On-Art.jpg"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Lights-On-Art.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Lights On Art" height="200" style="margin: 10px;" width="200" /></a>When I wrote this song, I wrote it as a kind of letter to myself. I wrote it for my old band Frequency Theater, as an attempt to take the band in a more positive direction. I had been doing some soul searching, because the days were evil, and I wasn’t bringing any light to them.</p>
<p>I grew up listening to music in church first, then going to see Christian music concerts. As I began to buy music (yes, on cassettes) I poured over the liner notes, since this was the only way for someone like myself to get information about the bands and what they were about. One of the interesting things about Christian music at the time was that most of it was on trial, many of the people who were making the music were defending themselves against other “Christians” who were certain that they were secretly working for the devil. As such, they often included notes in defense of the opinions expressed in the songs, as well as scripture references from the Protestant Bible, sometimes multiple references per line.</p>
<p>While I find it disturbing that almost all of the artists on the “major” Christian labels at the time were required to adopt this defensive posture, I also found it helpful while attempting to analyze the songwriting – although to be honest the weight of this exercise often got in the way of writing songs that were actually good, in favor of songs that were defensible.</p>
<p>All that said, while you are watching our new video I thought it might be helpful to some of you to read the lyrics to the song, along with my “Songwriter’s Commentary.”</p>
<p><iframe class="youtube-player" width="605" height="341" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CIY2RJfnU2o?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;"></iframe></p>
<p><strong>If on the journey home</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong>Yep, it’s a broad, nebulous metaphor. It could mean you are leaving the concert. It could mean you are on your journey through life, or revisiting your past. It could even mean you are passing into eternity.</p>
<p><strong>you find yourself alone</strong></p>
<p>We’ve all been there…</p>
<p><strong>with nothing but stones to throw</strong></p>
<p>I often struggle not to be angry about my childhood – the people who I grew up around, the idiots I’m surrounded by now. I can see them all very clearly from my glass house.</p>
<p><strong>swallow the lump in your throat</strong></p>
<p>Hey, being isolated, alone, abused, misunderstood can be an emotional thing.</p>
<p><strong>If the bow should break</strong></p>
<p><strong>more than your heart can take</strong></p>
<p>I always wondered if I should use the word “bow” or “bough”. “Bow” like a ships bow, going under the high waves. “Bough” like the supports that hold you up in life – according to the Webster’s Dictionary: <strong>:</strong> a branch of a tree; <em>especially</em> <strong>:</strong> a main branch. As in “Rock-a-bye baby”. Both words give the right meaning, but are obscure enough to require a vocabulary lesson, which I can see many of you need, from my glass house.</p>
<p><strong>the path that you are on</strong></p>
<p><strong>is covered up with thorns</strong></p>
<p>Bible time! Jesus told a parable that apparently made a big splash, big enough that it is repeated in all of the Gospels.</p>
<p>“The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.”</p>
<p>Basically, my life felt pretty dissonant with a lot of my professed views. I was pretty frustrated with how profoundly “out of tune” my life was. I was angry, frustrated, and knew that trying to keep my own mind at peace with what others thought of me had led me down a road to where I was trying to run several businesses I had little interest in, and trying to keep newer vehicles and pay for my house. None of these things are bad – unless they are keeping you from your true passion/calling.</p>
<p><strong>fill your heart with hope!</strong></p>
<p>I still absolutely believe that any person and/or situation, (and in some areas of the USA, every empty pop can) can be redeemed. Even when empty and crushed, there is real, tangible, honest value.</p>
<p><strong>I’ll leave the light on.</strong></p>
<p><a title="Tom Bodett" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Bodett">Tom Bodett</a> loves you.</p>
<p><strong>If darkness falls on you</strong></p>
<p>A reference to the last song from the first <a title="Fly Gallery - Frequency Theater" href="http://frequencytheater.bandcamp.com/album/fly-gallery">Frequency Theater record</a>. And how I felt most days.</p>
<p><strong>If you’ve got nothing left to lose</strong></p>
<p>A reference to the third track on the first Frequency Theater record. People who literally have nothing left to lose are crazy. And damn near unstoppable.</p>
<p><strong>no one to fill your shoes</strong></p>
<p><strong>no one to sing your blues</strong></p>
<p>These lines were partly inspired by a couple of lines from <a href="http://www.u2.com/discography/index/album/albumId/4011" target="_blank">U2’s POP record</a>. I really was wrestling with the idea that a.) I had failed so badly at my life’s message that no one would carry it on, b.) a feeling that what responsibilities I had were so heavy, and that I felt really helpless to fulfill my “tall order”, and c.) that my failure would render my life meaningless, ie. not having a story that others would tell. I really strongly want my life to be an example to encourage people – and a heritage to my children.</p>
<p><strong>If your mind will ache</strong></p>
<p><strong>more than your heart can take</strong></p>
<p><strong>and you fall down on your face</strong></p>
<p>These lines are pretty self-explanatory…</p>
<p><strong>I will not forsake you!</strong></p>
<p>Another Bible verse…</p>
<p>Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,</p>
<div>“Never will I leave you;</div>
<div>never will I forsake you.”</div>
<div>So we say with confidence,</div>
<div>“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.</div>
<div>What can mere mortals do to me?”</div>
<p>(Hebrews 13:5-6)</p>
<p><strong>I’ll leave the light on.</strong></p>
<p>Yeah, there’s a verse for this one too… I’ll leave you with this story:</p>
<div>
<p>“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.</p>
<p>(Luke 15: 22 – 24)</p>
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Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478452013-08-13T16:29:19-04:002020-06-09T17:29:17-04:00Video Premiere Party for “Lights On” Video<p>Come on out Aug. 20 to the Butler residence in Goshen to see the video premiere of our new music video, <em>Lights On</em>! Join us for light refreshments, chill time with the band and a Q&A time for any burning questions you’ve been waiting to ask Shiny Shiny Black.</p>
<p>Check out our trailer for the new video and single release – slated for Aug 21.</p>
<p><iframe class="youtube-player" width="605" height="341" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2eXmyoEl-Ic?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;"></iframe></p>
<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/197191710442632/">RSVP to our Facebook event</a></p>
<p>7:30 Open House, 8:30 Video Premiere and Q&A</p>
<p>There will be a live video stream and chat Q&A for the out-of-towners – powered by UStream.</p>
<p>Visit our <a href="http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nimblewit">UStream channel</a> to catch the broadcast Tuesday August 20 at 8:30 pm Eastern!</p>
<h3 class="gigpress-related-heading">Related show</h3>
<ul class="gigpress-related-show active">
<li>
<span class="gigpress-related-label">Artist:</span>
<span class="gigpress-related-item"><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com">Shiny Shiny Black</a></span>
</li>
<li>
<span class="gigpress-related-label">Date:</span>
<span class="gigpress-related-item">08/20/13 </span>
</li>
<li>
<span class="gigpress-related-label">Time:</span>
<span class="gigpress-related-item">7:30pm</span>
</li>
<li>
<span class="gigpress-related-label">Venue:</span>
<span class="gigpress-show-related">Private Event</span>
</li>
<li>
<span class="gigpress-related-label">City:</span>
<span class="gigpress-related-item">Goshen , IN </span>
</li>
<li>
<span class="gigpress-related-label">Country:</span>
<span class="gigpress-related-item">United States</span>
</li>
<li>
<span class="gigpress-related-label">Age restrictions:</span>
<span class="gigpress-related-item">All Ages</span>
</li>
<li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/197191710442632/">More information</a></li>
<li>
<span class="gigpress-related-label">Notes:</span>
<span class="gigpress-related-item">Video Premiere for Lights On! All are welcome.
7:30 Open House, 8:30 Video Premiere and Q&A</span>
</li>
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}
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]</script>Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478462013-06-11T18:12:44-04:002020-06-09T17:29:17-04:00What happened to the blog? We got busy!<p>Hey friends!</p>
<p>it’s been several weeks since my last post in the blog series on purchasing your first musical instrument. Unfortunately, the blog series was starting to get a bad case of TMI. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f642.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="🙂" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> I will finish it up with a nice one-page piece with bullet points that can be easily referenced…</p>
<p>Second: We are launching so many projects right now, and had a bunch of work come in – basically, I got overwhelmed by a tidal wave of awesomeness!</p>
<p>Here are just a couple of the things we are working on:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com"><img src="https://distilleryimage3.s3.amazonaws.com/a077bf9ece0911e2b74e22000a9e07d7_7.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Cue card for welcome video - Indiana Americana Folk Rock Band" height="428" width="428" /></a></p>
<ul>
<li>Pictured above – impromptu cue card for our new <a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com">welcome video</a> on our front page.</li>
<li>A new single is coming out ASAP with an amazing music video! It’s almost done, and I can’t wait for you to see it! Watch our Facebook page for announcements.</li>
<li>We just began production on our first full-length album! We’ve got Tim Bushong onboard this time around; he had a few <a title="Shiny Shiny Black in studio at TBush Recording with Tim Bushong" href="http://tbushrecording.com/2013/05/shiny-shiny-black/" target="_blank">nice things</a> to say.</li>
<li>We’re starting to book shows for the fall. Yep!</li>
</ul>
<p>There is so much more, but a lot of it is tedious and a lot of work, but just know that many, many awesome things are being attempted by the crew here. Thanks, and we will see you soon!</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478472013-05-15T15:32:07-04:002020-06-09T17:29:17-04:00How to buy musical instruments: week 3 – deciding what your priorities are: The Other Side of The Coin<p>Welcome back!</p>
<p>Last week I touched on understanding the needs/wants of the person the instrument is for, which is incredibly important. But what about practical realities? If you want to play drums like Niel Pert, but your practice room is only 6′ x 8′, this is probably not a good idea. Also not a good idea if you live in an apartment complex.</p>
<p>Other instruments that won’t work if you share walls with your neighbors (unless they are deaf):</p>
<p>Bagpipes. Seriously. They are f#%%*!g loud!</p>
<p>Any guitar plugged into any tube amp higher than 2 watts.</p>
<p>Pots and pans. Sounds good in a book, not so much in real life.</p>
<p>Most brass instruments without a mute of some sort.</p>
<p>In all honesty, proximity to neighbors, siblings, great-grandma, is quite possibly the biggest limiting factor for most people when it comes to choosing an instrument. There are other factors too: portability and expense come to mind.</p>
<p>I have a friend who travels quite a bit for his job. The problem for him is that he really enjoys his immense guitar rig (it takes up approximately 10’x10′. Not even exaggerating.) Clearly for someone who has enough frequent flyer miles to fly around the world several times, this means one of two things; either he never gets to play, or he has to get creative with how to shrink his rig enough to make it portable.</p>
<p>For any household where the living space is cramped, or there is a lot of transition, having things be small and portable is not just desirable, it’s the difference between being able to use your creative muscles or letting them atrophy.</p>
<p>Fortunately, (especially thanks to newer technology) there are lots of affordable options available, and while not all of them will make you feel like a rock star, they may help you find a way to develop your craft in a way that is suitable to your lifestyle. Next week we will begin diving into some practical guidelines for how to identify a quality instrument on a budget, and some of the ways that cost-effective technology can help you along the path (as well as some pitfalls you will want to avoid!) See you then! -Nate</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478482013-05-07T12:21:04-04:002020-06-09T17:29:17-04:00How to buy musical instruments: week 2 – deciding what your priorities are.<p>Hey all,</p>
<p>I hope you found last weeks blog enlightening. Just for a quick review – buying a better quality instrument is important for two reasons; you’ll be more inspired to play and take it seriously, and if you need to sell your instrument for whatever reason, better quality will equal a higher resale price.</p>
<p>The next concept we need to tackle is a bit hard to decipher sometimes, but is absolutely essential in making a purchase that is going to be a good fit for you (or the person you are buying for).</p>
<p>The hardest part about this is being honest. We humans are terrific at convincing ourselves that we want/need something based on other peoples opinions, and/or can’t resist the urge to impose our opinions/values/aesthetic on the ones we love.</p>
<p>A couple of quick examples:</p>
<p>1. Girl likes <a href="http://www.sarabmusic.com/home" target="_blank">Sara Bareilles</a>. Decides she’d like to play around with an acoustic guitar and try writing some songs. Boyfriend hears “guitar”. Buys girlfriend one of these from the pawn-shop: <img src="https://www.rhoadsflyingv.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/jackson-guitars-v.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="256" width="580" /></p>
<p>And you wonder why she thinks you’re insensitive…</p>
<p>2. Teen-age boy likes metal. Decides he wants to learn how to shred. Mom likes <a href="http://www.mumfordandsons.com/home/" target="_blank">Mumford and Sons</a>, and decides son needs to learn how to play “the right” way first. Buys son this:</p>
<p><img src="https://static.musiciansfriend.com/derivates/18/001/406/224/DV016_Jpg_Large_519266.115_walnut.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="250" width="700" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thanks… mom.</p>
<p>Let me suggest that it’s very important to understand what is motivating the person (you?) to want an instrument in the first place. Are you a guy who is nearing retirement who just wants to learn some <a href="http://www.simonandgarfunkel.com/us/home" target="_blank">Simon and Garfunkel</a> tunes? Are you a high-school age girl who thinks that <a href="http://www.reginaspektor.com/" target="_blank">Regina Spektor</a> sits at the right hand of Jesus? Are a you an adolescent boy who just wants to <a href="http://www.moderndrummer.com/" target="_blank">pummel some drums</a> and look very, very macho doing it?</p>
<p>All of these things matter – and if you let yourself get “in-tune” with these motivations, you may just find that outlet you were looking for, and stay on the path of learning for a much longer, more beneficial time. And to that worried mom, I just saw one of my post-adolescent metal-head friends just declare that <a href="http://www.crowmedicine.com/" target="_blank">Old Crow Medicine Show</a> may be his new favorite band…</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478492013-05-01T15:43:09-04:002020-06-09T17:29:17-04:00How to buy musical instruments: a blog series<p>It’s been a couple weeks (sorry) since I’ve been able to blog – but while I was away I was approached for advice by several people looking to buy a new instrument, whether for themselves or someone they cared about. It’s something I’m asked a lot about, and feel comfortable helping people with. It does get a little overwhelming at times, so I thought it would be a good idea to write a guide that I could refer people to in the future – and in the meantime, maybe it can be helpful to you.</p>
<p>The first thing I would like to address is the myth that you should buy something of low quality in case you (or your kid) lose interest. This is bad on multiple levels!</p>
<p>First of all, if you think something is crappy, you will treat it as such. Who wants to spend lots of hours with crap? Really? This sets you up not to respect the instrument, or the purchase (which says what about you?).</p>
<p><img src="https://distilleryimage6.s3.amazonaws.com/993ed080adae11e2bfea22000a1fbe0b_7.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="612" width="612" /></p>
<p>Typically, a shabby instrument (whether a guitar, drum set, bass,or keyboard) will give you more problems and play poorly, which in turn creates a negative user experience. For example, if:</p>
<ul>
<li>you can’t keep your guitar in tune,</li>
<li>the hardware is always breaking on the drumset (and just when you were getting into it),</li>
<li>the action is a mile high on the bass,</li>
<li>your amp buzzes like crazy,</li>
<li>or the keyboard sounds like you stole if from the guy who played on <a href="http://youtu.be/kdfRhU7IFPE" target="_blank">“Jump”</a>,</li>
</ul>
<p>then you aren’t going to want to play it… which leads to my next point:</p>
<p>If said musical instrument does not have the gravitational pull to create ongoing interest – it may very well end up in the back of a closet for eight years. If it was a piece of crap in the first place, who is going to want to spend money on it when you try to sell it? Buying better equipment now means you are more likely to get your money back when ready to sell, whether because of low use or to upgrade to an even better piece of equipment.</p>
<p>These points are just the beginning but worth highlighting as they are counter intuitive to what we often hear as the default approach. Next up – bargain hunting, how to identify a quality instrument, and diving into specific instruments, amps, and some recommended buys… Thanks for listening! -Nate</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478502013-04-09T15:45:02-04:002020-06-09T17:29:18-04:00The Some Dreams Tour<p>So… I’m back from an awesome week on the road with my family and our friend <a href="http://jonathanreuel.com/">Jonathan Reuel</a>.</p>
<p>The tour was amazing.</p>
<p>Wonderful.</p>
<p>Stupendous.</p>
<p>No wait, that’s the name I gave my <a href="http://www.apple.com/iphone/" target="_blank">iPhon</a>e. Seriously, can you imagine handing that kind of technology to one of the characters in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062803/" target="_blank">Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang</a>? You know they would have looked at it and exclaimed “Stupendous!”</p>
<p>Ok, so the tour. We learned a ton on this one, and I am sure there will be more we discover as we process the whole thing. One thing I can tell you for sure, this tour was living proof that when we have the connections, we can ACTUALLY do this!</p>
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<p>We didn’t make a ton of money, but we sure made more than if we had stayed home.</p>
<p>And the work was hard, but gratifying. We got to the end, and I thought, “I could totally just keep doing this”. We are tired a day after, but not dead! (I’ve done some touring before where things were really stressful and too much, and it took a week afterward to recover enough to even want to talk to people!)</p>
<p>Our first night, we played at <a href="http://theelectricbrew.com/" target="_blank">The Electric Brew</a> in Goshen. The house wasn’t jammed, but the turnout was good, and it became evident that Jon is at the top of his game as a guitar player right now.</p>
<p>The next night we played a house concert in Warsaw, IN. Some friends hosted it, they did a wonderful job, and we met lots of really cool new people!</p>
<p>We drove late into the night (my favorite time to drive) to Bluffton, OH. The next morning we arrived on the main <a href="http://www.bluffton.edu/" target="_blank">Bluffton University</a> campus in time to play and speak in their chapel service. Jon and I also sat in on their music planning meetings and offered some input, then set up at the campus coffee house (Bob’s). Bluffton has this music project called the <a href="http://anabaptistbestiaryproject.com/" target="_blank">Anabaptist Bestiary Project </a>(not as weird as it sounds) that does original music, and they kicked off the evening concert. Afterward we played a set that I am pretty proud of, and had a great time meeting new faces.</p>
<p>The next day we drove south, to Wilmington, OH to see our old friends at the newly remodeled <a href="http://www.sugartree.org/index2.php#/rtext_6/2/" target="_blank">Joe’s Java</a>. That was an interesting night – about a third of the audience were recovering addicts, another third were homeless, and the final third were a random assortment of college students and old fans of Jon’s. That was a great night over all, although the guy sitting in front of me answered his phone several times, was pulling up videos on his phone and passing it around, and then played (loudly) what sounded like the theme song from “<a href="http://youtu.be/hBe0VCso0qs" target="_blank">The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air</a>“. I can’t say I’ve ever experienced that before during a show!</p>
<p>The following day (Saturday), we drove north to Lima, OH. There we played at a church for our smallest crowd. The set went fairly well despite this, and we still had some great moments. We drove into the night, sent off by the many helping hands at the Elm Street church.</p>
<p>On Sunday, we played and spoke at a church in Millersburg, OH – what we had to say seemed very well received, and then they had us join a potluck dinner afterward that was really great, especially the company!</p>
<p>We then set up shop across town at a place called “<a href="http://www.jitterscoffeehouse.org/" target="_blank">Jitters</a>” that was roughly the size of your average Panera Bread restaurant. We were joined by virtuoso bassist (and all around good guy) Toby Hazlett, and our good friend Annie Yoder. We played to a good sized crowd and definitely enjoyed the food, coffee, improv photo shoot, and making some great music with Toby!</p>
<p>I am really looking forward to doing this again soon, and thank you to every person who helped us get the show on the road! -Nate</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478512013-04-02T16:33:02-04:002020-06-09T17:29:18-04:00It’s your move.<p>We all have twenty-four hours today.</p>
<p>We all have a certain number of days on this earth.</p>
<p>In other words… we all have this life.</p>
<p>What are you doing with yours?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We all have choices to make.</p>
<p>Every day.</p>
<p>Honestly, I make lots of crappy decisions every day. Ask my belt-line.</p>
<p>One decision leads to another.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Always.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sometimes I imagine that live is a vicious, ferocious, relentless tiger. Eventually the tiger will turn my body to dust, but I am not about to surrender easily. Not for one second. In that space between now and then – I have a choice. I can either run from the tiger, or I can face it with a strong hand and a steady eye. I can steal my life back from its steel-trap jaws and make it my own. And when it is truly my own, I suddenly realize (with breath-taking awe) that it really, truly is mine. I can do with it what I want.</p>
<p>I can be kind when harshness is merited.</p>
<p>I can show love when it is not deserved.</p>
<p>I can be the kind of person I crave to be.</p>
<p>I can live the kind of life that has integrity with my inner-most soul.</p>
<p>I can, and will be a person who uses my strength and will to lift others up.</p>
<p>I will bring a song, and turn mourning into dancing.</p>
<p>I will count my days on this earth as the most precious commodity, and I will spend them lively, with vigor and fierce intent.</p>
<p>The king, the queen, the bishop, the knight, the rook and the pawn, in my hands.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Godspeed. -Nate</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478522013-03-26T16:14:57-04:002020-06-09T17:29:18-04:00We’ve all got to start somewhere…<p>Being the music nerd that I am, I follow numerous magazines, blogs, and Facebook pages. The other day, one of the pages that I follow posted a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PZdchjrEUPY#!" target="_blank">video guitar lesson</a>, something they do on a regular basis. The lesson: how to play Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes. I noticed it in my feed but didn’t really give it a second thought, I was on Facebook to respond to a work related message.</p>
<p>After responding to the message, I jumped back out to the news feed, where I immediately noticed something unfortunate. A bunch of musos had begun trolling the post with condescending commentary to the effect of “if you need a lesson for that…”</p>
<p>I doubt you’ll be surprised to know that I find that kind of commentary arrogant, pompous, and outright disgusting.</p>
<p>Most of the people who would make a comment like that are either still really insecure in their own playing, or have been so far removed from the learning process that they can’t remember what it’s like.</p>
<p>Learning an instrument is hard. The first part, the movement from complete unknowing to beginner is the hardest. The last thing you need is some idiot coming along and telling you that the thing that seems so daunting and unfathomable is so simple and easy that it doesn’t even merit a lesson.</p>
<p>It’s easy to get separated from the beginning. I have played the drums for well over twenty years now, and certain parts of it are so intuitive to me that it’s hard to remember when those parts were hard. But, I have a personal agenda to be a lifelong learner, to be an overcomer. So, I try to never quit learning.</p>
<p>A couple of years ago I began trying to play the guitar in earnest. It was rough. I kind of sucked at it. My saving grace has been that I already knew how to count, already knew how to keep time and play with a metronome. Playing scales on the other hand – oof! I was all the way back to the beginning.</p>
<p><img src="https://distilleryimage0.s3.amazonaws.com/16d4230e628e11e2963d22000a1f9cad_7.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="612" width="612" /></p>
<p>It’s been good for me. It would be good for you, too.</p>
<p>As an adult it’s easy to stop learning. It’s easy to rest on what you have already mastered. It’s hard to humble yourself, and be terrible again. It’s uncomfortable.</p>
<p>When you are young, you have no option. Learning is is the only choice. As an adult, your choices multiply, and if you want to continue to grow, you have to choose it. Trust me, it’s totally worth it.</p>
<p>Do it, do it, do it!</p>
<p>Godspeed. -Nate</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478532013-03-19T11:27:20-04:002020-10-08T13:03:33-04:00This has never happened before…<p>Not to me…</p>
<p>I’ve had stalkers. In my younger days, I even had breathless girls calling me and then hanging up. Ask my sisters, they hated it.</p>
<p>I’ve had sympathy gifts – “here, take this microphone you broke, I know you can’t pay for it anyways” kinds of things, or “Here borrow this instrument until I ask for it back” kinds of things.</p>
<p>I’ve been given t-shirts and demos, CDs, and buttons.</p>
<p>I have never had a person run home and bring me a gift of something they had made, just because they liked my music so much.</p>
<p>This happened to me about a month ago, and I honestly lost my breath when I realized what I was being given.</p>
<p>True, honest appreciation, an exchange of one valuable thing for another.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I am dumbfounded. I am honored and rewarded. I think I have been looking for this my whole musical life.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And all it was, was a coffee mug.</p>
<p>A hand-made coffee mug. A defective handmade coffee mug that the potter couldn’t sell because the glaze didn’t match the rest of a set. And I could not be more proud to own it.</p>
<p><img src="https://distilleryimage6.s3.amazonaws.com/764abf828caf11e2a1b122000a1f9702_7.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="612" width="612" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The metaphors you can derive from this are endless, powerful, life-changing, and completely true.</p>
<p>Godspeed. -Nate</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478542013-03-12T11:36:29-04:002020-06-09T17:29:18-04:00Transitions…<p>That seems to be the theme right now. Everything is changing.</p>
<p>We’re selling our Mazda and Stella the Toyota to buy a mini-van.</p>
<p>I’m selling a guitar I’ve owned since I was 19.</p>
<p>I’m losing my job at <a href="http://www.goshentheater.com" target="_blank">The Goshen Theater</a>.</p>
<p>I’m going full time into music.</p>
<p>The snow is melting.</p>
<p>I recently started buying really, really cheap coffee to save money.</p>
<p>It’s all really scary and sentimental.</p>
<p><img src="https://distilleryimage2.s3.amazonaws.com/45fde62085ec11e2b36e22000a1fa437_7.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="612" width="612" /></p>
<p>Sentiment does not make you grow, and fear does not make you move.</p>
<p>We are making moves.</p>
<p>This is thrilling and awesome.</p>
<p>We are buying a mini-van to go on the road and play music for a living.</p>
<p>I am selling my guitar because I have two better ones now.</p>
<p>My job is ending at the <a href="http://www.goshentheater.com" target="_blank">Goshen Theater </a>exactly because I have been very, very successful at bringing the theater to the place it needed to be. I am very proud of that.</p>
<p>I’M GOING INTO MUSIC FULL TIME!!!</p>
<p>IT’S SPRING, SUCKA!</p>
<p>Good coffee vs. making it as a musician… coffee loses every time. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f600.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="😀" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
<p>Go do something with your life. Godspeed. -Nate</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478552013-03-04T17:45:28-05:002020-06-09T17:29:18-04:00Writing songs for Lent – Pt. 2<p>Post by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/anna.pasquarello?fref=ts">Anna</a>. I knew this would be a tough discipline, and by that, I pictured myself sitting for hours with no words on a page and the painstaking difficulty of just putting anything down, even if it’s saying nothing and feeling like it amounts to nothing. I thought it would be a good exercise. I didn’t expect it to pull from my soul all of the dark and ugly things that have been shoved aside to deal with ‘later’. Turns out, they’re still there. Doubts, fears, unbelief.</p>
<p>The first two days I felt nearly ecstatic and giddy. The two after that, I was the most unhappy I remember ever having been. Not sad, or angry, just utterly unhappy. Instead of sitting for hours trying to put words on a page, I was crying over a simple chord progression that seemed to be extracting something from my soul. Things that I don’t want to come out, ever.</p>
<p>It’s good. It’s tough, and ugly, and good. And I’m not going to share any of those songs with you, but here’s one from later in the week.</p>
<p><a href="http://youtu.be/1NzUMYG7nYk" target="_blank">Anna Pasquarello – Winter of the Soul</a></p>
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<p>Related posts:</p>
<p><a title="Writing songs for Lent" href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2013/02/19/writing-songs-for-lent/">Writing songs for Lent – Pt. 1 – Valentine</a></p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478562013-02-26T16:15:12-05:002020-06-09T17:29:18-04:00Another DIY project!<p>If you have been following for awhile, or even followed me here from Frequency Theater, you know that I love to do a lot of my own projects. It usually happens for a couple of reasons… first, just because I am a creative person. I am also almost always short on resources, which means I get to “use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without”. I also really enjoy stuff that is exclusive, unique, singular.</p>
<p>I have a pretty strong belief that I was created as a unique soul, designed to be creative, like my creator. Even if you aren’t down with the whole “God” thing, you’ve got to admit that humans are pretty darn innovative. It’s amazing, when you peel back the layers of history to when things weren’t pre-packaged, ready-to-buy, you discover such an amazing wealth of creativity! Necessity really is the mother of invention. When we don’t “need”, we don’t create, it’s that simple.</p>
<p>So, the story of my guitar cabinet in a nutshell: I couldn’t afford a decent one. Actually, at first I couldn’t afford anything, so I used an old combo amp that was broken as my guitar cabinet. It had a really cool, old speaker from the late 50’s that I really liked the sound of. Eventually I found a similar speaker made by the same company, from about the same era on E-Bay for $35. So I snagged it up, spent about $20 on plywood and built the cabinet. For a total investment of $55 I had a nice 2X12 guitar cabinet.</p>
<p>One problem though, the speakers were exposed, and as I began to do more and more shows, the speakers were starting to get a little beat up. I needed to get the speakers covered! I found an old burlap feed bag and some steel screen in my garage ($0), bought some new screws, a jack-plate (for where the speaker plugs in), rubber feet, and some staples for about $10. Total investment into the guitar cabinet now stands at $65.</p>
<p>Follow the pictures to see what it looks like now. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f642.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="🙂" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> -Nate</p>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2013/02/26/another-diy-project/2013-02-08-22-35-06/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2013-02-08-22.35.06.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="112" width="150" /></a>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2013/02/26/another-diy-project/2013-02-08-22-35-37/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2013-02-08-22.35.37.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="201" width="150" /></a>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2013/02/26/another-diy-project/2013-02-08-22-37-23/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2013-02-08-22.37.23.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="112" width="150" /></a>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2013/02/26/another-diy-project/2013-02-08-22-38-47/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2013-02-08-22.38.47.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="201" width="150" /></a>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2013/02/26/another-diy-project/2013-02-08-22-46-29/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2013-02-08-22.46.29.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="112" width="150" /></a>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2013/02/26/another-diy-project/2013-02-08-22-50-22/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2013-02-08-22.50.22.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="112" width="150" /></a>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2013/02/26/another-diy-project/2013-02-08-22-52-05/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2013-02-08-22.52.05.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="112" width="150" /></a>
<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2013/02/26/another-diy-project/2013-02-08-23-01-09/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2013-02-08-23.01.09.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="201" width="150" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/2013/02/26/another-diy-project/2013-02-08-23-17-47/"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2013-02-08-23.17.47.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="112" width="150" /></a>
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Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478572013-02-19T15:14:26-05:002020-06-09T17:29:19-04:00Writing songs for Lent<p>Post by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/anna.pasquarello?fref=ts" target="_blank">Anna</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Anna-Lent-committment-Feb-17-14-15-30-e1361299380318.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.shinyshinyblack.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Anna-Lent-committment-Feb-17-14-15-30-e1361299380318-225x300.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Anna Lent committment Feb 17, 2013" height="270" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; cursor: default; border-width: 0px; margin: 5px;" width="203" /></a></p>
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<p>I have a confession to make: I always forget about Lent. It gets to be the Sunday before Ash Wednesday and I am reminded that we are entering into a season of fasting and meditation, only, I rarely give something up for lent. Back to Sunday. Ashley spoke about lent as being a discipline of saying no while we’re not ‘in the desert’. It’s much easier to turn down temptations while we’re emotionally rested, full, perhaps not as worn out, because when we get to those times, if we haven’t already practiced saying no, it’s going to be much harder to turn down something that is oh so appealing in that moment. He also talked about giving up a good thing, something you enjoy. Like TV, or sweets, or other media.</p>
<p>I contemplated giving up coffee, which is something I rely on heavily right now in my life. I also started thinking about new disciplines that would be helpful, or even necessary. For some reason, the idea popped into my head to write a song a day. If you know my musical life at all, you’ll know that I haven’t written a song in about two years, and the one I wrote before that was a year prior. First reaction: there is absolutely no way I can do this. Me? Write songs? Not gonna happen. Everyday?</p>
<p>I read an article <a href="https://www.facebook.com/amberdkb" target="_blank">Amber</a> posted from <a href="http://michaelhyatt.com/" target="_blank">Michael Hyatt</a>. He talked about setting your goals <a href="http://michaelhyatt.com/break-through-results.html" target="_blank">beyond what you think is possible</a> for you to achieve. If you think about it, that’s really the only way any change and growth can happen in your life. If you keep doing what you’ve always been doing, you’re going to stay the same. That’s mostly what made my decision. And there’s no way I was going to give up coffee and write a song a day at the same time.</p>
<p>I thought it would be fun (probably more for you than for me) to share a song that I wrote every week or so. The one I’m posting this time is a product of some inspiration from valentine’s day and the deep sadness in my soul to see all of the people in my life who are getting divorced or having marital troubles.</p>
<p><a href="http://youtu.be/tInff7YzNiA">Anna Pasquarello – Valentine</a></p>
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Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478582013-02-06T11:15:00-05:002020-06-09T17:29:19-04:00Vision.<p>…where there is no vision, the people perish…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>These words; so simple, so true, so hard to follow, so devastating if you don’t.</p>
<p>I had a vision when I was a child – to make music for people, and for my Maker.</p>
<p>Vision makes you resilient, persistent. It gives you eyes to see in absolute darkness. In a time of no opportunity, vision sees a way, a path.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When I was a fool, I thought this meant that the path would be simple, obvious, easy.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Not so, simpleton.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Vision can make you poor. It can take away everything that is comfortable.</p>
<p>But a life with no vision is just… lost.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="https://distilleryimage1.s3.amazonaws.com/4a60a1746f0511e28a6522000a9f17d4_7.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="612" width="612" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Help me keep my eyes on the mark.</p>
<p>Help me see the light when it’s dark.</p>
<p>Help my feet to find the dawn,</p>
<p>and lift my voice with a song,</p>
<p>in the morning.</p>
<p> </p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478592013-01-19T10:26:22-05:002020-06-09T17:29:19-04:00Slower than molasses in January<p>I am not a morning person.</p>
<p>For real.</p>
<p>In a world oriented towards being productive before 10 am, I am truly a fish out of water.</p>
<p>I don’t remember it being particularly horrible growing up, because I was home-schooled, and I am not sure my mother made us get up that early. That or I have blocked the memory. What I can’t block is the memory of her singing “you’ve gotta get up” to the tune of the William Tell Overture or something like that, so loudly and badly that I think it even gave Satan a headache. I also remember my dad saying in his best <a href="http://youtu.be/L8TQZBHszI4" target="_blank">Foghorn Leghorn</a> voice, “Boy, I said, boy, you is slower than molasses in January”.</p>
<p>Anyways, the point of all of this is to get past the part where I got fired from a bunch of jobs in my early twenties until I started working for a guy who owned his own business and was flexible with whether or not we started on time. Fast forward past all of that, and the part where I started my own company partly for the same reasons.</p>
<p><img src="https://distilleryimage1.s3.amazonaws.com/c7fa687055bc11e2adfe22000a1fbd6c_7.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="612" width="612" /></p>
<p>I was late for work this morning.</p>
<p>I was late for work every day this week.</p>
<p>This is not good. I am working the hardest job of my life right now. I am running my own music business. There is a TON to do every day, and to get it all done, I have to be super <a href="http://youtu.be/8Lqsx2Jn4hE" target="_blank">disciplined</a>. I actually have an hour-by-hour itinerary set up for every day of the week, and my awesome phone sends me pop-up reminders 10 minutes in advance of every new item on the schedule. I’ve been ignoring them.</p>
<p>This can not go on.</p>
<p>This is not amateur hour. This is my life, and I want to do something with it.</p>
<p>Do I hate getting out of bed in the morning? Yes. Do I hate not succeeding at the thing I am the most passionate about? Yes. So I am choosing one.</p>
<p>You have to choose.</p>
<p>God give me grace.</p>
<p>Or as one of my <a href="http://www.toursmart.tstouring.com/?page_id=12" target="_blank">heroes</a> says… #gtfoob.</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478602013-01-05T14:14:19-05:002020-10-26T17:26:08-04:00Upgrade time!<p>Hey friends! Happy 2013, we’ve survived the end of the world! So far… <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f600.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="😀" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
<p>There is so much I need to update you all on, it’s a little overwhelming. The first thing you need to know is that I’m eating a fruit-based popsicle, and that it’s really, really cold outside.</p>
<p>If you read my last post, then you know my wife and I have decided to test out working in music full-time. It’s super scary, but also thrilling, and gives us a great reason to do some serious upgrading in a lot of areas. While we have been processing all of this, we have spent a lot of time and energy trying to clarify exactly what it is that <a href="http://shinyshinyblack.com" target="_blank">Shiny Shiny Black</a> does that’s valuable to other people.</p>
<p>It would be way too intense right now to put that all in one post, but I did think it could be interesting to emphasize one aspect of what we do. I am very lucky to be surrounded by some very creative, motivated people. We love to do stuff, and we love to share how we did it with other people who are interested. So – warning – if you aren’t interested in replacing the pick-ups on your guitar… know that we like doing things like that, and skip to the next blog. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f642.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="🙂" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
<p>Ok, now that only people who care about changing guitar pick-ups are reading: here we go!</p>
<p>I have been on a quest to achieve a certain guitar sound for a couple years now. You can actually hear the beginnings of it at the end of the <a href="http://frequencytheater.bandcamp.com/track/over-the-edge" target="_blank">last track</a> on the Frequency Theater CD I put out a couple of years ago. Unfortunately that guitar sound was created virtually, I had no amps that sounded anywhere close to that.</p>
<p>Then I saw <a href="http://youtu.be/W6-6DL8Ocu0?t=32s" target="_blank">Luke Doucet</a> from Whitehorse play his amazing Gretsch and I knew I was done for! About two weeks later I bought the first hollow-body guitar with a <a href="http://www.bigsby.com/vibe/products/vibratos/" target="_blank">Bigsby</a> I could find – a used <a href="http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ETBKAN/" target="_blank">Epiphone Wildkat</a>. A really fun guitar, and a decent price. Unfortunately, the pickups in it are very much in the wrong direction for the sound I am going for, and I have been in a wrestling match with them ever since.</p>
<p>I would love to buy a <a href="http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/G6136SLBP" target="_blank">Gretsch Black Phoenix</a>, but I can’t afford it, even after we sell the family car. (Yep, we’re that serious). I am doing what I can with what I have, so I spent a little bit of money and bought a <a href="http://tvjones.com/pickups/filtertron-style/tv-classic/" target="_blank">TV Jones Classic</a>, the same pickup that is in the White Falcon and the Black Phoenix.</p>
<p>Here is the guitar after I removed the strings, with the original pick-up:</p>
<p><a href="http://shinyshinyblack.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/8334001552_faf2a79e51.jpg"><img src="https://shinyshinyblack.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/8334001552_faf2a79e51.jpg?w=224" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="8334001552_faf2a79e51" height="300" width="224" /></a></p>
<p>Then, I pulled off the stock pick-up. It actually looks kind of cool underneath:</p>
<p><a href="http://shinyshinyblack.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/8334002628_bb4a0f993e.jpg"><img src="https://shinyshinyblack.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/8334002628_bb4a0f993e.jpg?w=224" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="8334002628_bb4a0f993e" height="300" width="224" /></a> <a href="http://shinyshinyblack.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/8332944183_162b3b6aa3.jpg"><img src="https://shinyshinyblack.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/8332944183_162b3b6aa3.jpg?w=224" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="8332944183_162b3b6aa3" height="300" width="224" /></a></p>
<p>Next, I dropped in my TV Jones Classic, with the “dog-ear” trim ring. I have to say, the TV Jones website was super easy to use, I received my order very quickly (in the middle of the holiday season!), and it fit EXACTLY. I could not have been happier!</p>
<p><a href="http://shinyshinyblack.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/8332946167_db17ba5626.jpg"><img src="https://shinyshinyblack.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/8332946167_db17ba5626.jpg?w=224" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="8332946167_db17ba5626" height="300" width="224" /></a></p>
<p>I don’t really use the knobs and switches on guitars, I actually kind of hate them. So instead of fooling with the existing electronics, I skipped them all and went straight to the output jack:</p>
<p><a href="http://shinyshinyblack.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/8332947695_8b4b2b8bd9.jpg"><img src="https://shinyshinyblack.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/8332947695_8b4b2b8bd9.jpg?w=224" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="8332947695_8b4b2b8bd9" height="300" width="224" /></a> <a href="http://shinyshinyblack.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/8332947139_37c6fcef08.jpg"><img src="https://shinyshinyblack.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/8332947139_37c6fcef08.jpg?w=224" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="8332947139_37c6fcef08" height="300" width="224" /></a></p>
<p>I made a rookie mistake at this point and forgot to find the ground wire that connects the electronics to the string bridge. After I put the entire guitar back together, I had to disassemble it so I could connect it properly. The ground wire was attached to the back of the closes volume knob. I disconnected it, added about three inches of wire and then connected the ground to the jack. This was actually the hardest part of the whole process! Lesson = learned.</p>
<p><a href="http://shinyshinyblack.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/8348200630_528dd65149.jpg"><img src="https://shinyshinyblack.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/8348200630_528dd65149.jpg?w=224" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="8348200630_528dd65149" height="300" width="224" /></a></p>
<p>After I got it all put back together, the process went pretty routine. I restrung the guitar, tuned it, intonated it (yeah, it goes out pretty badly with every string change. I can’t wait to fix that!) Then I set the pick-up height. Here is where I got a little creative… TV Jones recommends starting with the pick-ups at 3/16″ below the strings. I didn’t have any tools to measure it with. Then I remembered, guitar cables are often referred to as “quarter-inch” cables, because of the thickness of the connector plug. So I used that to get me close enough, and then used my ears to make the final adjustments.</p>
<p><a href="http://shinyshinyblack.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/8332949301_ff83376755.jpg"><img src="https://shinyshinyblack.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/8332949301_ff83376755.jpg?w=224" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="8332949301_ff83376755" height="300" width="224" /></a></p>
<p>All said and done, my guitar sounds so much better that it’s stunning. It’s still no Black Phoenix, but very wonderful in it’s own right. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f642.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="🙂" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> Thanks to all the guitar nerds who read this entire thing!</p>
<p><img src="https://distilleryimage7.s3.amazonaws.com/512f2e1053e111e29d0222000a1fbc0c_7.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="612" width="612" /></p>
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Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478612012-12-24T14:48:37-05:002020-06-09T17:29:19-04:00A new redemption song<p>I’ve been becoming a crotchety old man. I never meant too, it just kind of happened, the same way people put on weight or get into debt. I used to be the friendliest guy I knew, but lately I’ve been more and more inclined to ignore the phone and snap at my wife for interrupting me while I’m reading the news.</p>
<p>These things happen to people, I’ve seen it since I was a small child. People forfeit themselves in exchange for comfort and acceptance, and slowly lose their souls. For many years I have had a critical eye for people who’ve made compromises they shouldn’t have, and then can’t seem to understand why they became depressed and unmotivated.</p>
<p>And yet, here I am, caught in the same old trap.</p>
<p>When I was a little boy, I heard a calling – a call to serve others by making music. A call to bless, to break hearts, change minds, and sing peace in troubled times. I have know for a very long time that not everyone has these gifts – but to the ones that have been given these gifts, we have a responsibility to nurture and cultivate them so that we can be who we are on behalf of those who can not.</p>
<p>To sing for those with no tune, to bring the beat to those with no rhythm.</p>
<p>Along my journey I have made many mistakes, and if I chose to, I could blame many people and circumstances for the place that I have ended up. The honest truth however, is that I have been a proud and stubborn fool, unteachable at times, and in the last few years I have allowed the dark weeds of bitterness and envy to grow tall and block the windows of my soul from the sun. Over and over again, I have traded in my calling for a “responsible” path. Over and over again, I have hated my self for trading my soul to appear acceptable to others.</p>
<p><img src="https://distilleryimage2.s3.amazonaws.com/5d3b807a46e711e283e822000a1f8e5b_7.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="612" width="612" /></p>
<p>Thank God, those days are ending!</p>
<p>My wife and I have spent the last several weeks talking, and praying about what to do next. While there are many, many terrifying uncertainties, the path in front of us has never been more clear. We will never have peace in our hearts without completely committing to this calling.</p>
<p>There are many questions that need to be answered, but the thing I am increasingly clear on – the questions we have can only be answered in one way. We have to live them out to see the results.</p>
<p>The changes in me over the last several weeks as we have turned down this narrow road are nothing short of stunning. I feel alive. I’m in love with my wife again, and in ways I may never have been before. I’m motivated to clean the house, and exercise, and practice, and fix things that are broken. I’m reducing my lifestyle, and selling things that I have worked hard for, and I couldn’t be more excited.</p>
<p>This is what redemption feels like. We could all use a little.</p>
<p>Godspeed.</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478622012-12-10T17:30:02-05:002020-06-09T17:29:19-04:00What I would do if I earned $1,000,000 in the music industry…<p>Hey, c’mon. A brother has to dream! As the music industry has gone into massive decline over the last decade or so, there have been many naysayers running around saying that music is dead, and that there will be no more huge stars in the music industry. Then, there was Lady Gaga. And Muse. And Adele. Adele… wow.</p>
<p><img src="https://distilleryimage11.s3.amazonaws.com/21e7bb46429211e2a77722000a1fbc49_7.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="612" width="612" /></p>
<p>It occurred to me this morning that I have some pretty strong ideas about this topic – and I thought it might be interesting to share, although I could have legitimately titled this blog “what I won’t be doing with my $1,000,000” or something like that.</p>
<p>So… the crazy hypothetical: I just earned $1,000,000. First thing, find the nearest tax haven. Seriously. (Random-ish tangent… to all of you purveyors of taxation – I have nasty words for you in my head that I keep to myself. What I will say is that the popularity of this idea tells me two things: 1) the “rich” aren’t the only greedy bastards around (everyone knows envy is one of the seven deadly sins, right?) and 2), none of you believe in your own upward mobility, which is sad indeed.)</p>
<p>Ok, now that I have that out of my system..</p>
<p>1.) Obvious – I would pay off all of my debts. Yes, including my house.</p>
<p>2.) I would give away 10% to charity.</p>
<p>3.) I would re-invest 20% into my own business.</p>
<p>4.) I would have roughly 55% left. The next 20% would go into a rainy day fund for my family.</p>
<p>5.) The remaining money would be invested into growing the businesses of artists I know and believe in. Yep. Is it the most practical thing? No. But it would change the lives of a lot of my friends.</p>
<p>What wouldn’t happen – a nicer house, huge gifts for my friends and family, sending parents to Hawaii, rice-burners, giant stereoes… I’m honestly over that stuff.</p>
<p>So… what would you do if you had $1,000,000?</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478632012-10-31T23:28:27-04:002020-06-09T17:29:20-04:005 guitar pedals I see the most…<p>I have been involved in the music industry for over 20 years now, and I have seen a lot of changes and trends. However, one thing that never changes is that every year tons of new people decide to tackle playing live as a musician.</p>
<p>When you are starting out, the range of options are overwhelming, no matter what your instrument. For many years now, I have been the go-to person for many of my friends and family when questions about gear come up, and I thought it might be able to put a couple of the basics out there and hopefully help some other folks as well.</p>
<p>There are a couple of things that I use to guide me when choosing new gear, especially if I am not sure of what I am doing yet.</p>
<p>1. Is it quality? If so, it’s going to either (a) last me a long time, or (b) be easy to re-sell since it has actual value.</p>
<p>2. Are other professional musicians using it? This sounds so ridiculously uncool, but it’s the honest truth. Professional musicians need gear that sounds good, is reasonably priced, can easily be replaced (it’s available in most music stores in the case of loss, damage or theft), and is reliable. If you are starting out, start here – you can always get snobby later!</p>
<p>With that in mind, this is my list of the top five guitar pedals I see in the majority of touring player’s rigs.</p>
<p>1. Hands down, the pedal I have seen in more guitarists rigs than any other: Line 6 DL-4.</p>
<p><img src="https://www.musictoyz.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/dl4.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="319" width="504" /></p>
<p>2. The Boss TU-2, because everyone needs a good tuner!</p>
<p><img src="https://profile.ultimate-guitar.com/profile_mojo_data/1/9/1/9/191941/pics/_c384873_image_0.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="290" width="290" /></p>
<p>3. The Fulltone Fulldrive 2!</p>
<p><img src="https://wildwestguitars.com/images/product-images/1312483569fulldrive2mosfet.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="432" width="540" /></p>
<p>4. The Ibanez Tube Screamer.</p>
<p><img src="https://www.thefellowshipofacoustics.com/images1/image/gitaren/ibanez%20TS-9%20Tubescreamer%20right%20chip%201982%20008.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="432" width="650" /></p>
<p>5. The Dunlop Cry-Baby.</p>
<p><img src="https://www.guitarstringdepot.com/image_manager/attributes/image/image_46/1094519254_4237583297_full.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="314" width="400" /></p>
<p>I hope that helps you get started!</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478642012-10-22T11:40:08-04:002020-06-09T17:29:20-04:00I’m a radiohead…<p>I put the cassette tape into the tape deck and pushed play.</p>
<p>Slowly I turned up the knobs, first the bass, then the treble. I pushed in the loudness button on the new Kenmore stereo my dad had recently purchased. I was only 10, but I wanted to rock! With eager anticipation of bass drums pounding my body, and loud guitars engulfing me in a wall of sound, I slowly turned the volume up.</p>
<p>The knob was at 8 o’clock when my fingers reached it. Slowly but surely we passed 9, then 10, 11, 12. At 1, the stereo ceased to get louder, it just became “crunchy” and by 3 o’clock the music was extremely garbled. I decided after a brief analysis that I didn’t like that very much and dialed it back to 12 o’clock. It sounded weak. What a letdown!</p>
<p>I just wanted to hear the music. Full contact listening. I leaned in towards the left speaker. It became louder the closer I got. Aha! I grabbed both of the battleship gray bookshelf speakers and clutched them close, positioning my ears just right. Wow, was I in heaven! I could feel the bass throbbing my head and arms as I held the speakers, and the wide, wide sound of the instruments enthralled my ears.</p>
<p><img src="https://distilleryimage0.s3.amazonaws.com/d4d1c348f8f811e1a1fa22000a1c8697_7.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="612" width="612" /></p>
<p>Suddenly, and without apparent warning, a shocking sting on my calves shot through my bliss, causing me to turn in terror. I hit my face on the right speaker, and turning around from my prostrate position on the floor, I dropped both speakers, resulting in a rather anti-climatic ending to my listening session.</p>
<p>I knew I wasn’t supposed to be listening to rock music, and I mistakenly thought I was alone with my sins. I was not.</p>
<p>My dad was laughing though, and professed his apology. He hadn’t meant to scare me, but had called out my name several times before entering the room and becoming concerned that I was damaging my ears, let alone the detrimental influence of banging drums and screaming guitars.</p>
<p>It was too late. My ears are fine to this day, but every single resonating, pounding, screaming note has made it’s indelible mark on my soul.</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478652012-10-17T00:44:19-04:002020-06-09T17:29:20-04:00Go team!<p>This is a short post. I keep writing big ones and then deciding that I don’t agree with them.</p>
<p>I am loving being in a band. It’s a team. Each person has a big role to play, and is playing it well. Honestly, it feels nearly miraculous. I hope <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ShinyShinyBlack" target="_blank">Shiny Shiny Black</a> makes it past it’s infancy, because it’s such an amazing thing to be a part of.</p>
<p><img src="https://distilleryimage5.s3.amazonaws.com/1104ceac050411e2990322000a1e8ad2_7.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="612" width="612" /></p>
<p>We’re growing by leaps and bounds. This is so much easier than <a href="https://www.facebook.com/frequencytheater" target="_blank">Frequency Theater</a> ever was. I’m not saying we don’t work as hard, I’m saying that we are seeing positive results from our work!</p>
<p>My team is bad-ass. Thank you <a href="http://bryanchrisphotography.com/" target="_blank">Bryan</a>, Anna, and Amber. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f642.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="🙂" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> The end. -Nate</p>
<iframe class="youtube-player" width="605" height="341" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f8_8tnUB31Y?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;"></iframe>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478662012-09-12T23:34:13-04:002020-06-09T17:29:20-04:00What I’ve learned about myself from playing “Real Racing 2”<p>Tonight I was driving to Grandma’s house for a family birthday celebration. Instead of my ancient but super-trusty Toyota 4Runner, I had the whole of my little family strapped into the family “sports car”, a not-quite-as-ancient Mazda wagon. My poor wife was clinging to the door in white-knuckled terror, muttering something or other about “why do you drive so fast?”.</p>
<p><img src="https://distilleryimage7.s3.amazonaws.com/e749343885e511e1b10e123138105d6b_7.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="612" width="612" /></p>
<p>I grew up as a fan of driving. My dad would always teach me things about “smoothing out the corners” and that the keys to great driving are observing, anticipating, and always calculating to keep the vehicle in the most controllable state. I have always practiced these things, and they have served me well.</p>
<p>So, I have become a big fan of a little racing game on my iPhone. Real Racing 2 rocks. (Profile: nateman76 – current rank: 673 out of over 35,000). The reason I love it… it’s actually like driving in reality. I know that may sound like a stretch, but it’s the closest thing I’ve found. With that in mind, here are a few things I’ve learned about life.</p>
<p><strong>Success takes practice.</strong> Seriously. You will never ever be good at things you don’t do on a regular basis. Whether it’s praying, practicing an instrument, exercising, running a business, you can not succeed with out doing it a LOT.</p>
<p><strong>Skill is no excuse for being a d**k.</strong> Maybe you are faster than everybody else on the track. Maybe you understand the business you are working for better than the owner. Maybe you know that walking on a balance beam really is no big deal. DON’T RUN OVER THE NUBES!</p>
<p><strong>If you get pushed over by a d**k, (or life for that matter) dig yourself out of the sand-pit, and get back on the track!</strong> Some of my best lap-times have come after a nasty wipe out where everyone took a swipe at me on the way past. Besides, you don’t collect ANY points if you don’t finish! You get the metaphor…</p>
<p><strong>Keep your eyes on the mark.</strong> Every time I get distracted by something someone else is doing, I blow a turn and end up in trouble. Yeah, you’ve gotta be watching out for novices in front of you, and bullies coming up from behind. The best strategy for all of the above is to keep your goals clear, focus on the path, don’t let fear get a grip on you, and GO, GO, GO!</p>
<p><strong>No matter how good you are, someone is always going to be better.</strong> Period.</p>
<p><strong>No matter how good you are, you will make a mistake on occasion and blow it big time!</strong> More than once I have had my doors blown off by the top ranked racers, only to catch them two turns later because they missed a curve, or hit the brakes too late. The only thing you can do when this happens is to get back in the game.</p>
<p><strong>Sometimes you are wasting your energy, and the best option is to try again some other time</strong>. In spite of my rallying cry to get back on track, occasionally getting back on track means hitting the eject button and starting over. If some tool-bag insists on pushing you off the track every chance they get, sometimes it’s ok to go find another track. It’s better to do that than to get mad and take it out on the new kids.</p>
<p>It’s funny how much you can learn about life from living vicariously! <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/12.0.0-1/72x72/1f642.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="🙂" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> Thanks for listening.</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478672012-08-13T14:09:43-04:002020-10-26T17:27:10-04:00I have the coolest microphone… ever!<p>On the surface, there is nothing special about my mic. It’s just your typical dented up SM58, and industry standard vocal mic, loved by many, loathed by some. In fact, now that I’m thinking about it, there is nothing to distinguish my mic from any other of the gazzillions of them out there that look exactly the same.</p>
<p><img src="https://distilleryimage6.s3.amazonaws.com/78ea14988f5011e1a9f71231382044a1_7.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="612" width="612" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>So, what’s so darn special about mine? Like anything that is special, there’s a story behind it.</p>
<p>This particular microphone was found in a garden. Grandma had left it there. She was using it as a decoration, and had plans to paint it. Why on earth did Grandma have a microphone, and even more so – what in the world inspired her to put in her garden?! She doesn’t sing (other than occasional family gatherings or as a member of the congregation at her church). She definitely doesn’t run sound, and has no idea whether or not it’s a good microphone.</p>
<p>It turns out that Grandma found it in the trash at a priest’s home that she cleans to make money. It had a severed cable attached to it. Being the creative woman that she is, she though it would be interesting to mix in to her garden, along with all of the beautiful colored glass bottles and other found objects that she has displayed throughout her garden.</p>
<p>My wife discovered it one day while visiting, and few weeks after it had been carefully placed on display among the tiger-lilies and blue and green bottles. My wife, fearing some horrible mistake had been made, grabbed it and took it to her Grandmother. “Grandma, do you know what this is?” Grandma explained how she had come to posses this little artifact, and then generously offered to let us have it, as long as it worked. If it didn’t, she though the design was really cool, and would like it back.</p>
<p>My wife brought it back from Iowa, told me the story, and asked if it would be useful. Indeed, it would be! I quickly plugged it in to a mixing console, and miraculously, it worked flawlessly. I have used it in almost every concert I have performed at since then. Now, to go mark it somehow, so that I never lose it…</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478682012-07-21T09:56:38-04:002021-01-15T15:49:05-05:00A celebration…<p>SO… it’s been almost two months since my last blog entry. I can sincerely say, I have missed this. I have been very busy. Sometimes. And other times – depressed. Sorry. Depression sucks. It makes you fat too, if you’re like me. Ugh.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.youversion.com/bible/ps.61.1.niv">http://www.youversion.com/bible/ps.61.1.niv</a></p>
<p>On a completely different note:</p>
<p>Lots of cool stuff is happening in the midst of my stormy mindset. My wife and I celebrated out 10th wedding anniversary this past month. Pretty darn awesome. Maybe true love exists in the modern world?</p>
<p>I had meetings with people and a real live band is coming out of it. I’ll tell you more about that soon.</p>
<p>My daughter called me “Dada” for the first time the other day.</p>
<p>I was asked by an old friend to come play drums for a youth camp. I accepted. It took a little bit to get things up to speed, but by the end – it rocked, and I have been asked to do another one a couple of weeks from now. That certainly adds to the busy-ness.</p>
<p><img src="https://distilleryimage10.s3.amazonaws.com/7cde4deccb9d11e1a8761231381b4856_7.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="612" width="612" /></p>
<p>It’s encouraging to be respected enough to be asked into new situations like this. It’s even more encouraging that I was recommended by two guys who I have only played with a handful of times. Even better yet – budgets are being bent and twisted to make sure I am getting paid. That’s awesome.</p>
<p>There are lots and lots of thoughts and things I want to tell you – but for now, one thing at a time. Godspeed.</p>
<p>Oh yeah. I got asked to come back by the last venue I played too!</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478692012-05-30T11:24:30-04:002020-06-09T17:29:20-04:00Becoming an adult involves brain damage…<p>Really.</p>
<p>Think about it. Just a few years ago, kids grew up licking lead-painted walls. They were spanked, and told not to express themselves in public. They rode bicycles and skateboards without helmets, or knee-pads for that matter. They played on “Monkey-Bars” and used “Lawn-Darts”. They drove farm tractors before they were 10, and rode in the middle of the front seat in the car.</p>
<p>In our modern world, our desperate attempts to become god-like and control our fate, we have eliminated most of these things to protect ourselves from pain and tragedy. And in the process we are losing something vital, something urgent, and as obvious as the nose on your face. We are losing the dignity of risk-taking.</p>
<p>Risk-taking is such a validating and essential part of our existence, and it baffles me why we avoid it so.</p>
<p><img src="https://distilleryimage4.s3.amazonaws.com/73f3c96a840211e1abb01231381b65e3_7.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="490" width="490" /></p>
<p>When a baby begins to learn to walk, it is an unwritten law that they must, and will hit their head on the floor, their face on the coffee table in the process. While we would prefer to prevent all this head trauma, the reality is that these incidents are the most important events that provide a human being with the urgency to learn how to balance, how to stabilize themselves, how to walk on their own two feet.</p>
<p>I understand this to be an essential life principle the has applications far beyond learning to walk. To continue to become a whole and mature person, we must expose ourselves to risk, to trauma, to failure. There is no way around it, except to continue to crawl…</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478702012-05-11T21:46:32-04:002020-06-09T17:29:20-04:00The door was open, but I did not go through it.<p>The other day I was on the phone with my friend Lwan from <a href="http://purestarmovement.com/home">Pure Star Movement</a> and recalled this story. Then I realized I should tell it to you.</p>
<p>In early 1999 a band I was in entered a contest in Chicago. We had worked really hard to make sure that we were in top form. We had put in the hours, and believed that we could really go up there and clean house. I was particularly excited about the fact that the concert was being judged by a hero of mine, Max Hsu.</p>
<p>Now I have no expectation that you will know who Max Hsu is, so please allow me to enlighten you. If you have ever met a kid who was into underground music, I was even more underground. I was the biggest scene kid you have ever seen. Except that my “scene” was “cutting edge” christian music. A rarefied art form, to be sure.</p>
<p>As such, I was very, very aware of Max Hsu. See, his band Church of Rhythm was the first “techno” group to ever receive a Dove Award (1996) – the equivalent to a Grammy in christian music. Never mind that they won in the “Hip-Hop” category.</p>
<p>So… my band went up and played our best, and did our best to be super-professional. We showed up early. We loaded in quickly and efficiently. We had our gear set up in record time. Our sound check was very clean and painless. We kept our set to the prescribed time. We were very proud of the fact that all of the other bands had played past the end of their time, and we ended a minute early. Weren’t we nice?</p>
<p>Then, the last band got up. They were a pain during sound check. They brought in a HUGE backdrop with their name on it – a bit ostentatious, considering they were already late starting. Their singer looked like Eddie Vedder on roids and had all the swagger of Bono. Then they proceded to bring in busloads of kids from their church who had not been there all night. Then they played. Not for 25 min – the allotted time. No. Not even 45 min. Nope. An hour and twenty minutes later they finished their “encore” to shouting and adoring fans (mostly cute girls).</p>
<p>Humpf.</p>
<p>The judges gathered around and conferred for about 15 min. What was there to talk about? We weren’t quite as sexy as the last band, but they clearly had broken all kinds of rules! Pretty lame and unprofessional, especially for christians! The band before us was pretty creative, and nice people, but their execution sucked. We clearly should win.</p>
<p>We were third.</p>
<p>Wow. I was pissed. We did all the “right” things for (in my opinion) the “right” reasons, and these jerks came in, stacked the deck, and that Max Hsu guy didn’t even see through it! What the heck was God thinking? (This was at the tail end of my fervent, ultra-religious, guided by the white dove in my head period).</p>
<p>I wasn’t sure how to respond. I tried to be my usual affirming, friendly, nothing-can-get-to-me-because-I-have-Jesus self, as I congratulated the winners and began packing my drums. I really liked the obese kid from the band that had played before us. He was an obvious <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carter_Beauford">Carter Beauford</a> fan, and maybe should have learned to count before attempting all that fancy stuff, but he seemed genuinely nice, and working hard to get better.</p>
<p>All of the sudden I noticed someone standing beside me. Before I had a chance to look up, a cd with a white surface and a pink anime girl at the top was thrust in front of me. “I want you to try out as a percussionist for my band”. It was Max. Max Hsu, with his super-fab glasses, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Oakenfold">Paul Oakenfold</a> haircut, and amazingly sweet dj clothing. Max Hsu, who had just defied all rational thought and had voted my band down to number three.</p>
<p>Most of you won’t believe what my response was. “Oh, thanks man, but I really feel like God has called me to be in my band for now”. “Besides, I am not a percussionist.” Max looked at me with a baffled look on his face, scanning mine to see if I was kidding. I was not. Respectfully he responded, “hey look, I am sure we could figure the percussion thing out, I would love for you to meet the rest of the people in the band and see if it’s a good fit.” I mumbled a bunch of nonsense about not being able to afford it, and some religious jargon about my convictions and calling, bla bla bla.</p>
<p>“Well, hang on to this and think it over. I loved your stage presence, I think you could add a lot. Feel free to contact me if you change your mind, but do it quickly, I want to get this thing rolling”. I said I’d give it a listen.</p>
<p>The next time I saw him, I wasn’t in the band God had “called” me to. I was working as a security volunteer at a music festival when I opened the gate for his band’s really, really nice bus and trailer.</p>
<p>The band was called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superchick">Superchick.</a></p>
<p><img src="https://distilleryimage3.instagram.com/c8968a6e9bc911e181bd12313817987b_7.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="612" width="612" /></p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478712012-05-04T14:25:27-04:002020-06-09T17:29:21-04:00A Time Machine.<p>Incredible. Life Is Art.</p>
<p>There is so much about this project that I connect with… enjoy!</p>
<p><a href="http://vimeo.com/39578584">http://vimeo.com/39578584</a></p>
<p> </p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478722012-05-01T23:29:53-04:002020-06-09T17:29:21-04:00The taste of failure.<p>I am not going to lie.</p>
<p>Failure sucks.</p>
<p>We all know this instinctively, but it’s different when it really happens to you.</p>
<p>I have screwed up a lot of things in my life. There are a lot of things that I would call failures, but there is a deeper thing that happens when you know you’ve given something your very best effort, and despite everything, it bombs.</p>
<p>That’s what my last band Frequency Theater really is. I have never experienced anything quite like it in my life. I put my guts into it every day for several years. I tried all kinds of things – I went to seminars, I entered contests, I submitted my work to lots of people, I spent thousands of dollars, went all in… and it tanked.</p>
<p>It took a little while to own it. I wanted to keep propping it up, throwing more and more resources at it, trying to salvage the project. I wanted it to work so badly. In a lot of ways it represented everything I have invested my life in. It was terrifying to watch my Titanic break in two and sink into the inky black ocean.</p>
<p>It hurt like hell.</p>
<p>It was only the beginning. For several months I could not bear to go to my garage. It had my studio, and a lot of the other artifacts, the paraphernalia of the project. When I did venture in, painful reminders of how much had sunk with it lurked everywhere. Dozens of unsold t-shirts. Boxes with close to 800 unsold cds in them. Stage props, lights, unused equipment racks, merchandise displays, show posters, boxes and cases full of the wreckage of my inability to connect with the audience. I have staked my entire life on that connection, and the signal was lost.</p>
<p>When I open my computer every now and then I come across things too… bookmarks in my web browser, writings, spreadsheets, website archives. It’s funny how much it still brings strong emotions when I stumble across these things, looking for something else.</p>
<p>However, I have learned, and am learning some pretty important things from this.</p>
<p>Failure is definitely not the end.</p>
<p>Failure may be the best thing for you, because it sets you free. Free from bad assumptions, free from bad ideas, free to hit reset and start over. Failure tells you the truth.</p>
<p>Failure makes you start from zero, and any success you have from there is legitimate and honest, and you know the difference.</p>
<p>Failure makes you take stock of your weakness, and causes you to adress them.</p>
<p>Failure makes you pay attention to feedback. The audience is not lying to you. If your music/art/speech is good, they respond. If not – they tell you in a thousand ways. Trust me, it’s definitely not them, it’s you.</p>
<p>Failure helps you to stop wasting your time on something that does not matter.</p>
<p>Do something that matters. Get honest about what it is you are trying to say, then say it. Stop obfuscating. Tell the truth.</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478732012-04-25T14:33:53-04:002020-06-09T17:29:21-04:00Check the facts…<p>Me: “do you ever read my blogs?”</p>
<p>My sister: “No. I should, but I don’t have time.”</p>
<p>My wife: “They’re funny.” She glances at me. “And serious.”</p>
<p>Me: “And seriously funny”.</p>
<p>Smirks and snickers ensue.</p>
<p><img src="https://distilleryimage3.instagram.com/954badaa8f0411e180c9123138016265_7.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="612" width="612" /></p>
<p>So, today I decided I wanted some fudge pops. I decided this was a better idea than ice cream because it’s in a finite size. I love sweets, but sometimes I eat too much. You would never know it to look at me though…</p>
<p>So, because I am so skinny, I decided that I would augment the purpose of the fudge pops by making sure they were also limited in negative nutritional value. I started looking in the specialty section. Weight Watchers… HOLY COW!!! $10 for 10 fudge pops?! What the expletive?!</p>
<p>Oh, here is one called Skinny Cow. Still kinda pricey, but they’re a premium product, right? Ok, so how much are the good, old fashioned Fudgesicle brand, and how evil are they? Wow, half the price? Wait what does that say in the corner? 40 calories? That can’t be right, the Skinny Cow ones said 150 calories.</p>
<p>Huh. Even if you eat two of the Fudgesicle brand, it’s less calories, and less fat. Just generally less bad for you than the “diet” product. Screw you Skinny Cow!!!</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478742012-04-20T17:01:41-04:002020-09-04T07:17:35-04:00A 4/20 Pot Post.<p>BAHAHAHAHA!!! I could write headlines for the New York Times!</p>
<p>Ok. So on that pot thing. “It’s 4:20 somewhere”. Yeah, some dopes thought that was really funny. In 1992. Way to go on perpetuating stupidity.</p>
<p>So, since it’s April 20, everybody and their brother’s dog seems to feel compelled to tweet/status about it. Whatever.</p>
<p>I don’t feel the need to partake in recreational drugs. They’re expensive, and food, coffee, social media are a bad enough vices. I don’t need any more.</p>
<p>I have no real problem with pot by the way. Caffeine is the real gateway drug. Categorically I assume pot to be about the same as nicotine. There is a federal law about it in the US. Other than that… I don’t believe using it is any more or less moral than eating cheeseburgers and milkshakes, which I enjoy frequently.</p>
<p><img src="https://distillery.s3.amazonaws.com/media/2011/09/24/91f2048b9f3449d89e6024693e36aac6_7.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="612" width="612" /></p>
<p>So whatever. I just think making a big deal out of the 4/20 thing is silly. I also think my religious friends are silly when they say things in return, like – “there’s no high like the most high”.</p>
<p>This makes me imagine a god like the one in “Search for the Holy Grail”, except all giggly, and saying things like “I Am, man!”. Besides, isn’t that essentially equating your faith with doing drugs? What is that saying about your faith? That it’s thoughtless, “far out, man”, and “totally chillin’ dude”? Nice.</p>
<p>Why is everybody staring at me?</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478752012-04-16T14:40:43-04:002020-10-26T17:26:56-04:00Why we all (uh, most of us) hate hotel art.<p>Hotel art doesn’t suck. Not in a purely technical sense. I hate it because it doesn’t say…. anything!</p>
<p>Hotel art, office art, the crap you see at the doctor’s office – it’s all typically from the same smarmy mold, and widely despised for the fact that it was created not to be. In other words, it’s about as interesting as cold, unseasoned, vegetarian Shepard’s Pie.</p>
<p>Assuming this is generally true, what is the inverse? Does this mean art should have a message? Arguably, message driven art is as dangerous as lobby art is benign, and in the end we end up hating it even more! We resent message driven art, i.e. propaganda, whether it’s the obnoxious evangelical t-shirt, the pacifist bumper sticker, or the swastika because we inherently know it’s an attempt to manipulate us.</p>
<p>The other kind of art that frustrates me is the kind that only exists for itself. A classic example of this is some crappy tune on top 40 radio that has some generally meaningless words pasted onto a melody with a hip beat. Why must you waste my time like this, top 40?</p>
<p>Now we are in a real pickle! Is there another way to view this? How can art be meaningful and yet not be agenda driven? I contend that it is not only possible, but also essential. Artists/creatives must grab onto the notion that art should tell a story, a parable, some facet of the truth – or run the risk that art becomes permanently co-opted by governments and advertising agencies.</p>
<p>I am not trying to suggest that all advertising is bad…</p>
<p>All I am really saying is that great art tells a story, describes something meaningful, clings to something true. I would also like to suggest that beauty, real beauty comes from purpose. Even if that purpose is solely to inspire you, or to fill you with awe, wonder.</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn.lamborghini.com/_/files/content/models/aventador_lp700-4/gallery/av_lp700-4_gal4_1920x1080.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1080" width="1920" /></p>
<p><a href="http://www.christareuel.com/index.html"><img src="https://thumbs.imagekind.com/member/3eded193-d0fd-49b7-a619-29b8f60ea654/uploadedartwork/650X650/7bfa1bd6-e5af-4b52-8c5e-afa917f4a143.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="421" width="650" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://sharontelschow.blogspot.com/"><img src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MVSurHd--oM/Ttwr5UPqpAI/AAAAAAAACk4/-VS4CFnn878/s1600/1SewingKits.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="768" width="1000" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://web.stagram.com/n/freqnate/"><img src="https://distilleryimage1.instagram.com/569f94c8872911e1a92a1231381b6f02_7.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="612" width="612" /></a></p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478762012-04-08T20:58:38-04:002020-06-09T17:29:21-04:00Starbucks vs. No-Doze<p><img src="https://distilleryimage0.s3.amazonaws.com/436be7ac6a0611e1989612313815112c_7.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="612" width="612" /></p>
<p>I have travelled a lot. Maybe I should say I have driven a lot. Over 250,000 miles actually. Basically I am personally responsible for burning roughly 16,000 gallons of fuel. Suck on my carbon footprint.</p>
<p>So, I was very amused at the topic of No-Doze vs. Starbucks at lunch today. The rationale was that No-Doze is superior because you don’t have to stop and pee. I can see the point, as I have been very frustrated at my teensy-weensy bladder. See, to stop is to lose momentum, which wrecks your travel efficiency.</p>
<p>I get it. And I disagree.</p>
<p>First of all, Starbucks tastes much better than No-Doze. Just saying. I enjoy coffee drinking as part of the ritual of travel as well, and I have a hunch I would just get sicker more quickly from eating way too much trail mix, because I couldn’t mitigate it with coffee drinking. Or I would drink more water, which would be better for me, but make me pee just as much.</p>
<p>My second point, stopping to pee is actually a great way to stay alive. Not for the obvious part about preventing your kidneys from failure. Getting off of the road every two hours or so is major way to minimize fatigue and stay alert. For real, this really matters. Don’t believe me? Sleep deprivation really screws with your reaction time and spacial perception. If you are still skeptical – try playing Need For Speed when you are alert, and compare it to how you do when you are sleep deprived. See what I am saying? At the end of the day… drinking Starbucks will probably save your life.</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478772012-04-06T11:31:48-04:002020-06-09T17:29:21-04:00Everyone kept saying I was dirty. (Or, people forget who you are.)<p>So, for my day job I book, maintain and curate a vintage theater. This means lots of meetings, with business people, civic leaders, event organizers, potential clients, etc. It also means crawling around in the basement(s), crawlspaces, attic(s), loading/unloading stage equipment, hiring/firing employees, (I’m up to two!), purchasing, planning…. pant, pant, pant.</p>
<p>Yesterday I had to install a sound system in the ballroom of the theater. This involved several hours of locating points in the structure that would be safe to hang speakers from, and then drilling holes down through the ceiling so that we could drop chains down, and then installing the hanging hardware. In other words, I was crawling around in an attic for half a day, digging around in blown-in insulation.</p>
<p>All of this to say, I wore my construction clothes to work. The same clothes I wore to work for nearly a decade. Work boots, jeans, a t-shirt, and old Carhart jacket, and a hat. From the reaction I got, you would have though I was wearing a spacesuit. A really, really filthy spacesuit.</p>
<p><img src="https://distilleryimage1.instagram.com/366c6a9c7ffd11e1b10e123138105d6b_7.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="612" width="612" /></p>
<p>I walked into the coffee shop. “Wow, you look… really dirty. Kinda… you know, NASCAR, redneck-y. I mean, I know you’re not…” her voice trailed off.</p>
<p>I walked into the hardware store to purchase some of the previously mentioned hardware. “Well, you are looking kinda dirty today!”</p>
<p>I bump into a civic leader in one of the aisles – and again the look of surprise and a comment about the un… cleanliness of my appearance.</p>
<p>I go in to the theater, and I am greeted by my assistant with much the same greeting.</p>
<p>So, here’s what I am wondering. Did everyone think I was dirty for the last decade, and just keep it to themselves? Why? Why does wearing clothes that you can get dirty in seem to equal that you are in fact, dirty? Why is this a bad thing? Are you all a bunch of self-important, better-than, first world snobs, or is that just me?</p>
<p>Am I taking this way too personally? Why do I find my identity and pride in a socio-economic skill-set and appearance that I too have sneered at and shown disregard for?</p>
Shiny Shiny Blacktag:shinyshinyblack.com,2005:Post/63478782012-04-04T14:49:35-04:002023-11-15T05:21:22-05:00a new blog. like we didn’t have enough web content already.<p>Yep. I’ve started a new blog. Here is my old one in case you happen to care: <a href="http://frequencytheater.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">http://frequencytheater.wordpress.com/</a></p>
<p>It was much more about my old band. We took it out back and shot it in the head. I started a new band. Well, it’s mostly just me with a guitar. I have a few friends who help me out with it from time to time. You could check it out here, if you care to: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NathanButler.Musician" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/NathanButler.Musician</a></p>
<p>I also have an Instagram. I’m kind of obsessed with Instagram. I try to only take artistic photos with it… hopefully you won’t see too many pictures in there of me at family reunions. It’s here: <a href="http://web.stagram.com/n/freqnate" target="_blank">http://web.stagram.com/n/freqnate</a></p>
<p>I have a few rules about this blog.</p>
<p>I will comment on whatever I damn well please. I am a commentator. My friend <a href="http://www.christareuel.com/">Christa</a> told me so. I think it’s because I was talking too much, early in the morning on the way to the airport one time. We were using walkie-talkies.</p>
<p>I will do my best not to censor my self, but be decent and respectful (mostly). Unless you do something really stupid.</p>
<p><img src="https://distilleryimage9.s3.amazonaws.com/55a58232713811e181bd12313817987b_7.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="612" width="612" /></p>
<p>I will do my best to talk about what ever is lovely, beautiful, and of good report. Even though I like to bitch about things. A lot.</p>
<p>I will talk about religion and politics.</p>
<p>I will talk about music gear.</p>
<p>I will talk about how I think most people are still the age of 2.</p>
<p>I will also talk about how it’s a shame that John Deere had to go ruin dandelions and grass.</p>
<p>I will tell you about the things that amaze me and fill me with wonder. Or make me laugh. They are usually my friends.</p>
<p>On that note: be sure to check out my friend <a href="http://theleastinterestingblogever-forreal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Darin.</a> I mean check out his blog. He is a stud, but seriously – he’s happily married.</p>
Shiny Shiny Black