NSJ's Try or Die: How to Become Famous

Search For The Band (SFTB) S01E02 - Auditions

2011-08-08T02:56:00.001-07:00

Tey!

2011-08-03T21:55:00.001-07:00

Hey guys a friend of mine Tey just released an album, check her out!

Always,
Tey
http://www.teymusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/teypunsalan
http://www.youtube.com/teymusic
https://twitter.com/teymusic
http://www.facebook.com/teymusic
http://www.sonicbids.com/tey2

"You can turn off the radio and just pop in your mp3 player and sit back
and enjoy what Tey has to offer." - Urban Mainstream Magazine

"There's a quality of stillness and tranquility in the midst of the beats,
that makes (Tey's CD's) not quite like much that you've heard before.."
Troy Brownfield - Shotgun Reviews

"Tey is a gifted songwriter and vocalist who sets herself apart with a raw
sexuality and palpable soulful influence.." - MUSIC CONNECTION MAGAZINE
who names Tey "One of TOP HOT Unsigned Artists of the Year!!!"

"..the fact that Tey can breathe technique and sensuality into the mix
with equal skill ensures that she's going to be around for a long time." -
Shotgun Reviews

"..There is no criticizing a voice like Tey's" - Bryan Farrish radio

United Global Artists calls Tey an "entertainment enigma that defies
description".

Southbound Beat names her as a "high caliber talent whose vocals can
capture your heart and soul." They say that "Tey has the ability to be a
playful artist while at the same time she can bring a tear to your eye."

"There isn’t a whole lot of really good independent pop music out there,
thankfully Tey is changing that." - 1340mag by Mark Fisher

"..Top to bottom, ("That's How I Feel Tonight") could be a breakout and
major label level album, it's that good." - Here And There Zine by Michael
Sullivan

Search For The Band (SFTB) S01E01 - Trailer Trash

2011-07-30T11:14:00.001-07:00

Weezer - Beverly Hills (Lyrics) cover by Natan Shai James (Search For The Band SFTB)

2011-07-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

Goo Goo Dolls - Iris (Lyrics) cover by Natan Shai James (Search For The Band SFTB)

2011-07-30T11:12:00.001-07:00

The Script - Breakeven (Lyrics) cover by Natan Shai James (Search For The Band SFTB)

2011-07-30T11:10:00.001-07:00

Sixpence none the richer - Kiss Me (lyrics) cover by Natan Shai James

2011-07-08T13:42:00.000-07:00

YouTube Channel

2011-07-06T16:21:00.001-07:00

Yup, so since youtube is such a big thing on getting your music heard now'a'days, I'm starting a youtube channel. I just moved into a new loft which I will be building a soundproof booth in in order to record better stuff for you guys.
Check it out and don't forget to like/subscribe!

http://www.youtube.com/user/grandmoren1?feature=mhee

NY INK

2011-06-27T19:56:00.001-07:00

So Yes, I was on NY Ink, with my brother Ami. I really don't get to see much of him and family is becoming more important year after year. It seems the older you get, the more important you find family to be, as they really are the only ones there for you. Growing up with minimal (and minimal being and overstatement) family, I understand that concept one hundred percent.

New songs will be coming up shortly, as well as a youtube channel.
I will be moving into a new house in a few days in LA, and I'm going to be building a recording studio in my house. So get ready folks, its coming big.

I, i'm so ashamed.

2011-01-28T02:09:00.000-08:00

This has to be the most brilliantly hillarious and dumbest thing i've ever done in my life. I'm always thinking about new ways to promote my music. So I logged onto some highschool website, and said I was a band playing in their school. Chump change, right?
Then I had the greatest most awesomest idea in the whole fucking world.
Read this shit.

Sent to Mothering.com
http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/1294570/no-see-its-because-of-stuff-like-this#post_16220525

Subject:
No, see, its because of stuff like this.

Content:
Im sorry, I just moved to a new town, and I really have no one to talk to about my 2 kids after my husband passed away, and I NEED TO VENNTTT!!!!

I swear my kids have gone completely crazy. It really makes you wonder how they got that way with the way you raise them. They seem to both have teamed up against me for moving them to LA from our small town, I thought they would have been thrilled.

Ill tell you this, thrilled they are not. My son dyed his hair black, is wearing cut up jeans, and spikes.. Spikes. My daughter.. Well.. I wish my daughter died her hair black and wore cut up jeans.. Matter of fact I wish my daughter wore jeans period. She wears skirts. Or at least what could have been a skirt before the bottom 2/3rds of it detached itself and ran away leaving my innocent daughter helpess.... Yeah right. I'd bring these kids to jerry springer.

And you know what, its not their fault. Their new friends all dress the same, and talk the same.. drink the same, smoke the same.. Wow, they're like clones. Clones of hollywood fantasies. They even listen to the same music! matter of fact.. you know what, I even tried listening to something they left open on the computer... here! I still have it!
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=316155&songID=6694898
This guy literally tells them to "shoot up shit" at the end of the song! You know, I had no problem when my son started listening to pearl jam, and that, but when it escalated to slipknot and the devil's music, I draw my *** **** line.
Okay, the guy can sing, but hes breaking years of drilling these kids with good morals!!
I can barely keep from crying when I look at them in the photo albums, full of life, and then watch them moap around the house like zombies...
What am I supposed to do? Just let them be?
What would you do?

----

Im so going to hell, but I have fun.

Jango

2011-01-28T01:06:00.001-08:00

I found a great new source. Its pay to use, but its effective.
The simple idea behind it is you pay per play on a 7million user radio interface. PandoraPlus much? Im giving it a trial spin, and the results are pretty awesome.
Ive gained 20 fans since I joined... Yesterday.

Give it a look.

http://www.jango.com/music/Natan+Shai+James

-

Well.. Back to work?

2011-01-27T23:28:00.001-08:00

Its been.. under 24 hours since I started this shebang again.. and ladies and gentlemen, I have not lost my touch.

BANG! First place, On first day. I love you guys.

Get Back Links Website Directory

Musicians heart. [Taken from a Contest Submission for "Musical Minds"]

2011-01-24T11:15:00.001-08:00

This was written for a contest about "Whats in the musical head?"

This life bores me. The constant repetition of schedules and routines make
the daily chores of existence weigh heavy on my shoulders.
There is only one thing, has always only been one thing, and will always only be one thing
that interests me, and that one thing is music. I live, thrive, breathe, eat, sleep, shit,
smoke, and piss music. The vibrations of rhythm move through my body like tsunami waves,
hitting the shores of my mind and polluting my brain with the clutter and over-empowering
essence of sound itself. I am music, and music is I.

Through the course of my life I have never had a single moment of silence. The end-less
barrage of war scaled on my brain, BY my brain itself has kept me knee deep in everlasting
echoes of fragmented non-existing compositions, simply screaming to be heard. But they only
scream in my ears.

There is a whole other world inside of me that makes this reality but a shadow; a stain
on the cloth of my perception. The thoughts that I possess have only one purpose. I am
a servant of mankind, a modern day preacher. In a world where religion is losing its
efficacy, there stands only the creators, the imaginative bachelors of lyrics, lines, beats,
passionate moments, and unforgiving emotions forever petrified in a form of wavelengths which
resemble nothing other than my own beating heart.

Society's true politicians and motivational speakers are the artists that bear their very being
to the open-eared world. Lend me your ears, and I will lend you my soul; the motto of every
musician whether they know of it or not.

Do not be decieved. I am not the bright little center of the universe. If you lick me, you
will not find a tootsie roll in my core. Perhaps you might find a hard black toffee, but be
completely assured, you do not want to taste it. Instead, I am the definition of mankind,
the same as everyone, completely and utterly not unique; which makes this all so glorious.

If my pursuit of happiness was a pursuit of dreams, then close my eyes forever I would.
However my pursuit is that of tune, and search for the perfect melody forever I shall.
I don't owe it to the world, I owe it to my self. This strangely perfect booming racket within
my skull simply won't stop untill I let it all out, of that I am sure.

Im pushing so hard, for the silence. For someone who loves sound so much, I crave silence
more than anything. Just a moment of sweet release, to let me remember who I am, who I was
without this tonal insanity. Then happily back to the bronze symbals, the riffs, the licks,
the picks, the goods and the shits, the best and the worst, and everything in between.

I am a musician, and I stand so, fucking proudly.

The new song is what I can do right now without proper equipment. Im sorry.

Walking Across America

2010-01-25T03:51:00.001-08:00

My mission is simple. It requires no finesse, nor calculations. Although both have been put into effect anyway. The cogs of my plan rage on through time with no barrier halfway strong enough to hold it back, or even slow it down.

What I am doing is either pure insanity, or genious. Though I wouldn't be able to tell those two apart.

Three thousand three hundred and three miles. A good number if you ask me. Thats the distance between my two destinations utilizing the path that I have laid out, from NY to LA.

Does that leave a lump in your throat? I didn't think so.

Im walking it. Lump now? No? How about, with purely survival gear (Nothing modern), and using no prior money, only money gained through playing my guitar in every city that I stop in? Yes. That lump has fallen and lodged itself into your esophagus now, hasn't it.

I was orphaned when I was 15, and lived in an abandoned house for a long period of time, which makes this trip easier. I grew familiar with living off of nothing, and making the best out of everything. I think I might be more comfortable on soil and leaves, than I am in any king sized bed manufactured by our industrial workforces. The coils and springs are wasted on my now dirt-accustomed back.

The urge to become famous and play my music had come long before 15 though. It started when I first picked up an instrument in elementary school. The recorder never held my interest, but the violin I played did. This later migrated to other instruments including clarinet, piano, bass, drums, and besides others, my absolute favorite; guitar. It seemed like the first time I picked up a guitar, the music just streamed out of me, crashing against the rocks and boulders of my soul, purifying the tones and vibrations into melodical masterpieces. At least, thats what "I" heard, only years later did I actually obtain enough skill to play the deafening music that was constantly plauging my head, dulling out all other sounds, Such as life.

My music has always kept me sane, in the worst of times, and it brought me much peace, understanding, humbleness, and intellect. Not only of book-term knowledge, but also of philosophy. The way life looked through music was ultimately prettier than the way it looked through eyes, and needed to be expressed that way, or else it was just a guitar playing a man, and not a man playing a guitar.

So off I go, across the United States of America, to show the whole world a little kindness through inspiration. A little guidance to those in need, and a bit of soothing melody for those who have already found peace.

Keep looking out the windows, I will be walking by.

First cover

2009-08-22T06:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I tried something new today, my first cover song.
I picked Garbage - Only happy when it Rains. I chose it because I liked the song but never heard a male version, and I thought it could be cool. Check it out

Tours and Blip.fm

2009-08-21T02:37:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, so your wondering about the tours, well we haven't figure out whether we will be starting in the UK, or in america, but we will give you all the information soon.

Now I found a new page called blip.fm, which is pretty much the "Twitter" for music. Worth a look.

Circus Monkeys

2009-08-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

Listen on Soundclick (same player as here)
Listen on Myspace

Tuned the first string down a step in order to record this song.
This makes playing power cords easier. DropD - A - D - G - B - E
Only broke down the first set of lyrics this time, and I left out the breakdown of the chorus and bridge.
This time it will be about the music.

I started out by finding a fast tempo that I liked, then I found a series of chords that worked well with what I was feeling at the time.
I then recorded both sides (left and right). I usually only put guitar and bass on left and right channels, and leave the singing for centered.
Then I recorded the verse riff, all of this before even writing a lyric, which isn't like me. I usually write lyrics before I write the melodies and whatnot,
but trying new things is good too. Then I wrote the filling lick, bridge, and chorus. Still hadn't wrote a word. After I finished making the drums, and the guitar I wrote the lyrics. Then I recorded the lyrics, and a solo. Also added the "slope chords" in the beggining to make the tension a bit greater for when the distortion comes in. And thats it.

VERSE 1

Regret,
Forsaken destiny of stone, ----------------------------------------------------you regret your destiny
Forget,
Your memories of everything you've known, --------------------------------- you forget everything you've known
Upset,
Unsettling images of your sympathies, -------------------------------------------------- upset, you have bad images of your compassions
Perplexed,
Running through the alleyways of societies, ---------------------- confused, you run hidden from people
Circus monkey,
you dance, your little life away, ------------------------------------------- you are their tool, you dance your life away
Clapping your hands,
whenever they beckon,
you clap right away, ------------------------------------------- being their tool, whenever they call, you dance right away

BRIDGE

You are their tool to be used,
you have nothing left to,
they give you nothing to,
proove,

CHORUS

Obsession,
Oppression,
We are the children
that will not listen,

posessions,
agression,
we will take back
whats supposed to be given,

>>SOLO<<

VERSE 2

Drained,
Of all our power, and our thrones
Spayed,
by the people who say they claim to know,
Hearts,
battered and beaten, we are alone,
in Grave,
and dire times, we are the only hope,
Circus monkies,
we dance, our little lives away,
Clapping our hands,
whenever they beckon,
we will not clap today

Blog Design Update

2009-08-19T15:02:00.000-07:00

I was constantly having trouble reading my own blog, so I decided to change it, let me know what you guys think, I'd like to know if you like it before I put too much coding into it :)

Top 9 Hate mails!

2009-08-17T07:31:00.000-07:00

Okay haha, this one takes the cake! Short but simple!

donthurtmuch@yahoo.com
"You obviously have no idea who your talking to"

amer1cancer2753@gmail.com
"You, sir, are gay"

bluestribute@yahoo.com
"I never would subscribe to your gay ass site. I think I might DDoS it later, I dunno, it wouldn't effect very many people if I did though, because no one goes to gay sites"

burroughsmaria66@yahoo.com
"what are you talking about? i dont even know you lady"

bringkev@rocketmail.com
"You are a very dark and sad individual. Find Jesus!"

abilityfilms@yahoo.com
"You need to stop being such a hippie
Get over it"

deadcitydiary@gmail.com
"fuck you"

dayone111@gmail.com
"I dont really want to be famous i see eneryone the same in this world, famous people are stuck uo people who care about money think this world lives in a false way and monEy is bringing us to our KneEs, no i really could care less, stop living in a false way get off the media and stop trying cuz all it is, is a stuck up im rich look at me life, get real. Srry."

awesome.977@gmail.com
I DONT LIKE IT Y I GOT ANNOY BY YOU ALL I HEARD IS BLA BLA BLA DIDNT
MAKE A SENSE YOU SHOULD TRY HARDER IM A CEO N IM SUCCESFUL U NEED TO
WORK HARDER HERES SOMETHING THAT WILL CHEER YOU UP GO TO THE LINK.

And this was just funny :P

From: cwo*****@lonsdalequay.com
Subject: Out of Office

I will be out of the office on Thursday, August 13. I will return your email on Friday, August 14.

Thank you.

Natan Shai James to cwoolley
show details Aug 13 (4 days ago)
I will wait for you! Be prepared! ;)

Oh, and I just sent them an e-mail about it ! :D

A small update on current events

2009-08-17T05:26:00.001-07:00

I've been slacking off a bit lately with the whole writing thing, so I think it's about time I get back to work. On the other hand I haven't been slacking off with researching and trying out new things! So I have a lot to talk about today.

Soundclick Charts, The explination:

So you guys want to know how to climb the soundclick charts quickly? Its actually pretty simple. I went up 22,000 spots in a day with what I did, and I did it Twice! As well as this is only the third day, it will probably happen again, and happen every day.

Okay, you know how you have all these websites that you are promoting, and all of this traffic which you are getting? You are getting it right? (if not keep reading, that will be the next subject) Post a widget on all of your sites, ALL of them. Then go to soundclicks forums, and get people interested in what you are doing, after all, they are your fellow soundclickers. You should be rating and talking to them anyway. Then go to your emails and signatures and add the link to your stuff in your signature, so that everywhere you go, you are linked to youe main website. Lots of people surf forums, don't forget that. Get your music heard, the way that soundclick works is, someone doesn't have to rate you "HOT" for your music to get to the top of the charts, but rather that people play and hear your music. Its a pretty cool way to do it, and it works. There are pictures on the site of my placements and the fluxuation. I am currently doing a new song, and will post more pictures soon.

Getting Traffic:

Now There are tons of ways to get traffic, but we are going tot alk about the big ones. The star players.

Article Writing

This is a main concept, but you have to find a good angle, and do your research. Don't just write bull**** articles and think that someone is going to find them. Have a good searchable subject, plot out your words and storyline, and get it right before-hand.

Myspace Blasting

Get to work on myspace, and load open a million profiles that have some connection to your style of music, and start befriending people there, gain a myspace fanbase through hard work and genuine effort, and you will have some great connections there. Trust me. Comment, join groups, do the works. Use it, It's there.

Forum Distribution

Go to the forums that are relevant to your style. If you are rock, search for rock forums, indie rock forums, whatever. Hip-Hop? Hip-hop forums, underground hip-hop forums, do your research. Post all about what you are doing, but have something worthwhile posting, don't just post up a message saying "Hi, this is me "link"". Make people want to come. Market that ****! ;)

Email lists

Again, very tedious, but worth it in the end effect. I must have copy pasted over 3000 emails into txtpad from people that we're relevant (or what I thought to be relevant at least haha, the hatemail) to the musical cause, and emailed them all talking about Try or Die, lets say for every Five hate-mails, I've gotten Three people that emailed me liking my music. Whats funny is usually the ones who wrote the hate-mail didn't even check my page out! So you really have to make them WANT to click on the link and have a reason to stay and read, or listen, or they will be PISSED! :P

Twitter Following

Here's another thing, twitter. I get one hit per every ten hits from other sources from twitter, and how this happened was I just started mass following people with relevant names, and jobs. Then I started sending out tweets about new updates to the site, and people naturally came. I try to keep the bull**** as low as I possibly can because honestly, so many people use horrible enough lines on twitter it's nice to have something refreshingly honest.

----------------------------

Thats about all I do for traffic, and I have a pretty good solid viewer base here on the blog, as well as how it's growing every day.

Fame Games

THere is this new site called "Fame Games" run by MMI records which is hosting a competition and looking for new talent. They personally review you and its pretty cool. You should check it out.

The Music biz Info List

2009-08-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

All different types of contacts: (have to pay, don't quite know about
this site, but has a LOT of info.)
http://www.allmusicindustrycontacts.com/

Rock Managers:
http://www.rockworksproductions.com/contact.htm
http://www.rockartistmanagement.com/page/contact_us
http://www.alsteartists.com/1152.html
http://kr-international.com/contact1.htm
http://www.mbkentertainment.com/contact.php
http://www.musicent.com/index.html
http://www.singer4u.com.au/
http://www.truetalentmgmt.com/

Rock Radio Station Contact Lists:
http://www.bobnarley.com/rock_radio_stations_contact_information.htm

Emails Taken from the list (ALL rock stations):
thefox@wxfx.com
dirtyd@x1039.com
99x@99xwjbx.com
planet@planetradio933.com
deenalang@949zeta.com
radio@TK101.com
JP@95wiilrock.com
edsel@wrzx.com
studio@wgrd.com
tonyvanetti@clearchannel.com
wcyy@wcyy.com
ewebb@waaf.com
drewmike@wrif.com
mail@93X.com
contact@rock939.com
e-man@q1021.fm
requests@1057thepoint.com
dave@xtremeradio.fm
staff@rock101wgir.com
ethan@channel1031.com
flounder@wqbk.com
dave@95X.com
equest@newrock973.com
theblitz@wbzx.com
kramer@wxeg.com
chewy@1065thezone.com
feedback@kufo.com
preston@y100.com
trixie@943extremeradio.com
rmcressman@cbs.com
breich@cromwellradio.com
edgepd@kdge.com
brian.kendall@cox.com
kfrq@hiline.com
tommyandrumble@fm99.com
requests@maxfm.fm
ditch@kisw.com
razor@wcinet.com
curtis@wmad.com
fish@lazer103.com
kaos_music@evergreen.edu

Music Publisher Lists:

http://mpa.org/directories/music_publishers/ - General publishers for
music, long list.
http://www.songwriteruniverse.com/publisherlist.html - Another smaller list
http://library.music.indiana.edu/music_resources/publ.html - LONG list with tags
http://www.mpaonline.org.uk/About/members/index.html - Music
Publishers Association, has a search
http://www.vocalist.org.uk/music_publishers.html

Rock Record Labels:

http://www.scaruffi.com/music/labels.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Rock_record_labels
http://www.rikksrevues.com/record_labels_links_list_logos_RLLE0018384889589.htm
http://www.google.com/Top/Business/Arts_and_Entertainment/Music/Labels/Specialty/Rock/
http://www.dmoz.org/Business/Arts_and_Entertainment/Music/Labels/Specialty/Rock/
- has sub genres
http://www.musicworld1000.com/main_sub1.php?rubrik_id=227

The General How-To's:

http://www.getsigned.com/realdeal3.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_g0E4QHFpM&feature=related
http://www.majorcontacts.com/
http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/recordlabel/recordlabelfull.html
http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&q=cache%3AqsZRtcb3tkAJ%3Awww.pacificstream.info%2Fhelp%2FMusic_Publishing_Guide.pdf+The+Songwriter%27s+Guide+to+Music+Publishers+filetype%3Apdf&hl=iw&gl=il&pli=1
http://www.mpaonline.org.uk/faqs/Songwriters_Composers_Arrangers/Who_should_I_send_my_music_to.html
http://www.songwritersresourcenetwork.com/page22.html
http://www.indie-music.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4724
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/articles/kh_musicpublisher.htm
http://www.davidkershenbaum.com/2008/02/05/the-ten-most-common-mistakes-new-unsigned-artist-make/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_ad4Z6aiYU - EMI publishing A&R interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKWYp3M26AI&feature=related - UNIVERSAL interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyXbr4bzhU4&feature=related - chris brown A&R
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOXFXVdQUnQ&feature=channel -
Interscope interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYQECaf51_8&feature=channel - TImbalands A&R

Demo Tape Pack How-to's:
http://www.artistshousemusic.org/editor+guides/editors+guide+demo+package
http://www.venetowest.com/musing/demotapes.html
http://www.harmony-central.com/Bands/making-a-demo.txt
http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/minis/mini/recordlabelmini/recordlabelmini3.html

Additional Copywriting Info:
http://www.copyright.gov/
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/internet/how2copyright.htm
http://www.cleverjoe.com/articles/music_publishing_copyright.html

Climbing The Charts

2009-08-15T05:29:00.001-07:00

Hey guys, want to see that all this stuff works? Look at this.

Over a few days:

Interview with Plays/Views Myspace Consultants

2009-08-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

Plays/Views: Hey, whats your first question?

Natan Shai James: Well, why don't you inform your users that more plays and views can actually harm their chances?

Plays/Views: what do you mean?

Natan Shai James: I agree with the friend booster aspect, because record execs think its intruiging that someone might have 50k friends

Plays/Views: right
what do you mean by the plays and views part though?

Natan Shai James: Having lots of views and plays is irrelevant to the cause,
consider this:
A record label exec goes into a profile with 7million views, and 8 million plays, yes?

Plays/Views: yes.....?

Natan Shai James: He now knows that this is a HIGHLY wanted artist, who probably has a great ammount of offers, yes?

Plays/Views: yes.....

Natan Shai James: Correct me if I'm wrong in any way here by the way

Plays/Views: no your right go on were listening!

Natan Shai James: The record exec moves on to the next artist, who has a lower view base, and song plays, simply for the reason that it would take less effort to get him signed, as well as they think that they haven't "Caught you" in the early stages

Plays/Views: well
i see where you are coming from yes
you are correct in a sense but you also have to realize a lot of people arent looking for artists, artists have to approach a label producer or manager
and having a solid myspace is just a piece of the puzzle to add on you resume and a solid myspace consists of a professional layout profressional photgraphy big friend list, big plays, and big views

Natan Shai James: You are right, record labels think you don't have your head on straight if you dont have the WHOLE marketing package.

Plays/Views: and knowing from being around for a while....people searching to be in a band or make a beat for that net artist who is hoping to partner up with a big fish
not a little one

Natan Shai James: Exactumundo. So what you are saying is that you are creating big fish?

Plays/Views: and from just being a myspace since the beginning ...you always get that
friend request from that band asking to be checked out...first thing you notice are the friends and image of if people like them....if they do you give them their 15 seconds and if you are stoked on what you hear then their you go
and no im not saying i create big fish what we do is just a piece of the pie

We have pumped profiles for artist who are are big to small just for the image, if you are big or small image is just important as the music is

Natan Shai James: Yours, or theirs?

Plays/Views: what do you mean yours or theirs? what part are you asking about?

Natan Shai James: Image is everything. All in all, you aren't selling music in the end, you are selling personality. "we have pumped profiles" that part

Plays/Views: ohh
i mean we have pumped all sorts of artists, it didnt matter if they were big or not it was all image

Natan Shai James: True.
But do you really think plays, friends, and views are image?

Plays/Views: well when it comes to online promotion I would say yes, BUT
i have talked to a few punk bands that didnt want friends because they didnt want to promote to just anyone.they have their own way of working things
But most things in life, you have to look or act like where you want to be

Natan Shai James: Agreed. Whats your view on no-marketing schemes?
The "Stuck Up" artists per say

Plays/Views: well everything is marketing or no one will ever hear your music....playing a show is marketing....but when you say no marketing do you mean record songs plays shows thats it? just basic band stuff?

Natan Shai James: I mean bands who DON'T have a myspace. What would you tell them?
Not as a company, but as a person who has been promoting bands for a while. If you don't mind me asking.

Plays/Views: well it depends if they are a hobbyist and do it for fun just to kick back drink some beers with their buddies and have a good time then no need, but
if you actually want a fan base or feel like you have something to say people need to hear then myspace would be one of the ways if not the best to do online promotion

Natan Shai James: Okay, then what makes myspace better than other social networks?

Plays/Views: due to the fact that it is one of the biggest social networks on the web and one of the biggest websites of all time

Natan Shai James: Lets say last.fm, where it is solely devoted to music

Plays/Views: well personally i would say all musicians should promote on all websites
but the reason why myspace would be better then last.fm
is.
almost everyone has a myspace...there is a bigger crowd on myspace. myspace has charts leading to more exposure and they even have their own label if things go real good and artist like hollywood undead and tila tequilla got record deals based on their plays and views and friend count alone
tila tequilla ? come on now

Natan Shai James: dont forget arctic monkeys.

Plays/Views: ps.do you have a myspace or no? just curious?

Natan Shai James: Of course I do, its a peice of the pie ya know ;)

Plays/Views: see! whats your myspace URL?

Natan Shai James: depends, http://www.myspace.com/thereal_jessejames is my old one, and /natanshaijames is the new one. Trying out different marketing schemes.

Plays/Views: sites like last.fm and purevolume are music based sites...almost every band on there has a myspace so why go their when u can listen on myspace

Natan Shai James: I am writing a blog cal Rock Music, israeli indie rock, natan shled Try or Die: How to become famous, and I would like to post this interview there. Seems like a solid company, no bullshit.

Plays/Views: well thanks for talking with us!

Natan Shai James: Hey, my pleasure, thanks for having great answers.

You may email them at: playsviewsent@yahoo.com
playsviewsent is their AIM
& playsviewsent is their Yahoo messenger name

Social Music Networks , all about and tips.

2009-08-11T09:58:00.000-07:00

As you can see, I have added a whole variety of links (such as imeem, twitter, facebook) to the top of the page which you can either view my profile at or listen to my music on. The purpose for this is so that there will never be a fan which goes "Man I wish his music was on X, instead of Y, because I their flash player doesn't work for me. Or any other reason along these lines. So heres a little info on all the types of networks

X's = how much I have delved into the site so far. There will be updates on this list the more I get into sites.

Facebook - XXXXX
Thsi is where your fan pages, friends, and all other stuff like that goes. In general this is the site that you would probably have been surfing ANYWAY before you started out on your indie career. Everyone on facebook is looking for something to do, so give it to them.

Myspace Music - XXX
This site is targeted for the indie musician who wants to promote himself and make his time worth-while. You can upload your music, keep a blog, post bulletins, and a variety of things.

Imeem - X
Another music upload site which offers a bit more functionality, including templates, and longer than usual bio. The templates I have to say is the coolest, being somewhat like blogger, you can drag around widgets and make it really unique, will get into it more soon.

Last.fm - XX
Now this site is the SEO god of all time. I added myself to it, and it changed me into 20 different languages, and bombarded google with my name. It was great. Besides that its a pretty good site dispite being somewhat confusing sometimes as what you are supposed to do, and where is what.

Twitter - XXX
My friend eitan and I constantly discuss this site, as we can't find its.. well.. Purpose. Its a nifty little simple site for tweeting, tweeting being updating your status', and networking. The whole 140 char limit is a drag sometimes, and you will have to use tinyurl to post links most of the time.

ReverbNation - X
Haven't gone too far into this one yet, but I can see the HUGE potential that it has for indie musicians, as well as producers and label officials. Worth a look.

SoundClick - XXXXX
I have been using soundclick.com since aroun 2004, and it has proved to be a reliant source for my music. You can find literally ANYthing indie related, upload your music, purchase ads on it, the works. Highly reccomended for hosting your music as it offers widgets as well. (Like the one here)

MicControl -
Just found this today, don't know what its purpose is, so if you want to watch as I gain popularity there from scratch, then this is the time.

Well thats it for now, get out there and try some!

Are You Undetermined?

2009-08-11T03:46:00.000-07:00

Let's be realistic for a second. I know that waking up in the morning and going straight
to the computer like I do, advertising, promoting, generally WORKING isn't what everybody
wants to do. It's not on the top of anybodys agenda. However, it STILL has to be done
regardless. If you can't find the determination to get up and work on your future,
than there is something definitely wrong with the picture of your life, or how much you
REALLY want that goal.

For me, my musical career encompasses everything that I am, without my music I feel
worthless. That fact alone gets me in front of the computer posting new posts, writing
and recording new songs, reading new music articles, seeing whats new in the industry,
researching the market & marketing techniques, along with all of the other aspects of
creating a great website, and great music.

This can apply to anything that you want to do. If you don't want something enough,
you slack off. If you don't feel that you NEED it, you get bored. I don't want that
to happen to you guys, because I have heard a lot of the people who come here's music,
and I keep getting emails from readers who are asking me how I keep myself motivated
towards my goal.

Here is my answer for all of you, like i promised in the emails.

Just do it. Get off your couch (well, not me, I do this on my couch haha), grab your
keyboard, and start doing it. There is no special magic here, I just FORCE myself to
do it all. Mind over lazyness. I know something. I know that if I let my dreams fade
away, I let myself fade away. It's been over 10 years since I started this journey,
and I will never stop. The recordings I did in MIDI when I was 14 sound horrible, but
the music I am creating today makes my heart pump blood, and my arms to stick my hair
out straight up.

That fact keeps my insides all tingly, ALL the time. Even now as I write this, because I
just KNOW that I am on the right path, and that I CAN succeed.

Just for kicks, I want to tell you guys a story.

There was a day in my life which I will never forget. I was living in an abandoned
house. I was around 15 I guess, old memories is not exactly my strong suit anymore.
At the time I was doing a lot of drugs, and the specific "drug" I was on back then,
was.. Glue. It was cheap, and got you more fucked up than weed or hash, hash being
israel's main low-level drug. Now what would happen is you black out for about 15
minutes, and do REALLY stupid shit. You kind of watch yourself from the outside as
it happens.

My best friend at the time, who I was living with, was a guy named J. We did so much
shit in that house that I can't even remember it all, nor would I like to repeat it
or mention it. However this one specific time will never leave my head. We we're both
on glue, and I had just turned around and punched J in the face. Hard. When I woke up
out of my daze, he was there STARING at me, looking hurt. The fact that he didn't want
to fight was just amazing to me. He was more hurt emotionally about me punching him,
than he was hurt physically. After all, we were best friends.

After apologizing, we had to go to the hospital for the both of us, because apparently
I had punched through a thick wooden window, and broken my hand, as well as I had torn
up his gums. There was something there that I couldn't stop thinking about though.

I meant so much to this guy, that he would rather lower his pride and show me how much
our friendship is worth to him, than to start a fist fight with me, dispite the fact
that it probably wouldn't have changed our friendship. He saw me for what I am, and
not the homeless person that was living with him. It was a brilliant moment for me,
and part of a huge revelation that Goodness is good, and Evil is indeed Evil. Before
that moment, I had no differntiation between what was right and wrong, to me everything
I did was right, and everyone who defied me was wrong.

This was possibly the single moment that changed myself from a do-badder, to a
do-gooder. I had always done good before, but sparingly. From then on I started
doing good more often. More good than evil. I became a lot happier, and it brought me
a lot of determination towards life, and a lot of great people that surrounded that
life. People who held me up when I fell down, people who shouted at me when I would
slack off. These are the kind of people you need to have when you are doing something
like this, for they tell you what is, and what isn't. I've given you the road, travel
it or die.

It's Under Control - Lyrics Breakdown & links

2009-08-09T03:46:00.000-07:00

Myspace
Sounclick

Its all under control,

My temptations & frustrations,
keep me from losing my soul,
My concentration on determination,
keeps me one step away from my goal, --------------------- my journey keeps me sane, my determination through thought keeps me close to winning

this combination, of inspiration,
permits my story to unfold,
my motivation to my destination,
brings me closer to the gold, ---------------------------------------------- these two factors, letm y story be told, my determination through walking keeps me close to winning

no hesitation, or limitations,
giving me directions to fail,
my obligation, is my salvation,
I've thought this through on every detail ------------ No anxieties will make me fail, my work here is my life, i've thought it all through

my preperation is an invitation,
for my dreams to take toll,
My interpretations revelation,
is its all under control, ----------------------------- through thinking it through I will fulfill my needs, ive realised, i've got it all under control,

Im holdin down the fort,
Even better than before,
I'm not takin it anymore,
it's all under control,

My foundation, of work and patience,
is what holds me down to earth
These sensations, of my imagination,
show me exactly what im worth, -------------------------------- My foundation is what keeps me bound to reality, my dreams, show me what I can do

my education, has no explination,
its just what i've come to know,
my fascination, with my aspirations,
allow me to continue to grow, ----------------------------------What I know has no reason, I just know it, my need to be englithened keeps me growing,

all the apprehensions, from my comprehension,
dont even matter in the end,
my only intention, keeps my attention,
I play for real, not pretend, ------------------------------------- all my fears from thinking about it dont even matter, only think that keeps my attention is my goal, Im not playin around anymore

theres no prevention, for my affirmations, ,
all the paths are clear to walk my soul,
so no more tension, nothing more to mention,
its all under control, ----------------------------------------------------- nothing can stop me, for this is the truth. I may now express my soul, theres nothing more to fear or to say, because its all under control.

Im holdin down the fort,
Even better than before,
I'm not takin it anymore,
it's all under control,

18 Tips for the Indie Musician

2009-08-08T06:50:00.000-07:00

1 - This will not be easy:
You could very well be the next britney spears or metallica on the internet, but no one

will ever know so because they will not know that you exist. Just like becoming famous

through anything else, you will need to first create a presence of yourself in various

locations so that people can even find you, and WANT to find you. This takes work. A lot

of work. However, anything that is worth it, is hard.

2 - Indie = Independant.
Okay, just because you are an independant artist doesn't mean that you are doing this all

alone. If you we're why have fans? You can listen to your own music all you want, but it

doesn't make you any better of a musician. People are there, so be there for them. In any

thing you wish to accomplish online, you will generally need the help of others, as some

people might have more pull than you. Even those that don't are still another person to

hear about you. So remember, Independant doesn't mean that you are alone.

3 - THE FANS! THE FANS!
Assuming you didn't create a website for you, that you don't promote so that you can

google search yourself, you don't join various social networks to look for your own

profile, your fans are what matters. Have you ASKED them what they think? Have you TOLD

them that you appreciate their contributions? Your fans are your whole world right now,

so show them that you care.

4 - Your music isn't all that you are.
You are a person, a living, breathing thing. You have a personality which is what comes

out in your music, so why only promote that personality through your music? You have to

understand that people want to know PEOPLE, not only their talents. Write some stuff

about yourself, help some people, do something that shows what kind of person you are, or

forever be doomed to being a.. "Shell".

5 - Have goals, Be realistic.
So its great to set and have goals, as we all know. The important thing is being

realistic though. I wont set a goal to have 1 Million fans within the first month. I will

set a goal for 200 fans within the first three. If I reach that goal, then it is

wonderful. If I don't however, then I will re-do the goal after the three months, giving

myself another three months to have 200 fans, and then try out different things. If I do

not meet my goal, I won't get to the end of the three months and then say, "Hey I have 5

fans, lets do 500 fans this time!". That doesn't work.

6 - One day at a time
There is a saying in hebrew, which goes "Yom asal, Yom basal". It generally means, "Good

day, bad day." This applies very much to indie music because when you are just starting

out, you might have one day in which you have 20 song plays, and one which you have none.

Remember that tommorow is a new day, and today can still be fixed.

7 - Quitters never win & winners never quit.
I know that you have probably heard this saying a million times, But I feel that I have

to mention it, because of what I have been seeing online. A lot of indie musicians have

only 4 songs on their myspace page. Log into their pages once in a blue moon, and do not

take themselves or their music seriously, dispite their obvious efforts. I'm going to put

this as blatantly as I can. If you do not TRY as HARD as you CAN.. You do not DESERVE

merits. What-so-ever. I can't even count the times that I have heard indie musicians say

"I don't have time to promote my music." or "I don't have the time to talk to my fans."

No, this is not true. You simply do not care enough. If this is you, don't continue

reading. Its worthless. Make time.

8 - Take Charge, know your worth.
How would you see yourself if you we're sitting in Universal Studios, in front of the

CEO? Would you be nervous? Why is that? After all, you have been called in to see the

CEO, no? Do you think that you aren't worth enough?
Okay lets bring it back to the now. You are sitting in a radio station, trying to get

them to play your music. WOuld you beg, or would you tell them that they NEED to play

your music, or else you will go elsewhere, and get ratings from them? Think about your

answer, and then think why.

9 - Take Initiative
If you want something, you have to ask. Nobody is going to post a guest blog entry on

YOUR blog if you dont ask them to. It is also a lot easier to build links to other sites,

if you are asking THEM to link to them, rather than waiting around for people to want to

link to you, while they have no reason to. Give honest comments, and rate other peoples

music first, give them a REASON to like you.

10 - Never stop learning
There is so many things you still have to learn, no matter how intelligent you are. I

frequent sites about music theory (musesmuse.com is my fav) and PR knowledge, beat

making, SEO, etc. Everything surrounding my niche/purpose. You should too.

11 - Learn to PR
Are you submitting articles, and Press releases? If you are, are you sure you are doing

it correctly? There is literally 1000+ articles on how to do just that, have you read at

least 20 of them? Take some time to search through google for these types of articles,

the benefits are real, and the time you put into it is not wasted. I garuntee you.

12 - Be consistent
Have you posted on your blog today? Have you recorded a song lately? Have you released a

PR this week? These are all questions you should be asking yourself on a regular basis.

If you have fans and visitors to your music and sites, then why not keep them instead of

letting them slip away forever?

13 - Internet isn't everything.
There are many ways to promote your music (which is located on the net) outside of the

internet. For instance taping up fliers all over your town, in recreation centers,

outside rock clubs (I said rock because it is my niche), graffiting your URL onto walls

is even an option. A bad one, but yet an option. I don't want to give you too much info

on this because your own unique ideas will work ebtter for YOU.

14 - Capture their interest.
If no one is interested in either you, or your music, why would they even bother? Find a

way to capture peoples interest. Usually scandals and things of that sort work best.

Creating conflict CAN work, but be careful. If you lose, it will only harm you. THink

about everything you do beforehand.

15 - Be unique
Now this doesn't mean make music which doesn't sit on a beat. It means take your music,

your PRs, your articles, and everything you create, and make sure that they are giving

quality content. Not just something that has been said a million times. The best way to

do this is to read a lot on the subject that you are about to write/create, in order to

know what NOT to do.

16 - Stop thinking about it. Know it. Do it.
I know its fun to think about being famous. Its also fun to think about all the ways to

BECOME famous. Im sorry to be the one to tell you this, but even though visualization is

awesome, its pointless without action. Get off your squashy cheeks and get out there.

Show the world who you are. Don't just fantasize, make your dreams a reality. Do

everything your daydreaming about. Make it happen. TAKE your destiny. Rip it out of your

mind, and put it into the real world. Make it tangible. Touch it. Feel it. Live it.

17 - Keep documentation
I have the Try or Die blog, which is how I document what I have done that day, as well as

my own personal documents on my computer, and in hand written files at my house. I know

exactly what I have done, what works, and what doesn't. I highly reccomend that everyone

do so as well. It has too many benefits not to. You will be able to match your successes

from google analytics, to what you had done that day. Its awesome. Keep dates too.

18 - Try Harder
You aren't trying hard enough. How do I know? Because you can always try harder, no

matter how hard you are trying. We humans are amazing beings. We can endure humoungus

ammounts of pain, in order to feel pleasure. Working 20 hours a day? You now have 4 to

PR. GO for it.

Link to us:

2009-08-08T05:26:00.000-07:00

You can link to us by following these steps.

1: Make sure you have some relevancy or interest in the site. I am not interesting in linking for the same of linking. Thanks for understanding :)

2: Post a link on your site, and send me a link to where it is.

3: Send me your link in the same email.

4: Get linked! :)

Send your links to skyandbeyond@gmail.com

Reciprocal Links:

2009-08-08T05:22:00.000-07:00

Songs that made people famous - The list

2009-08-07T21:47:00.000-07:00

Which songs made people famous? That question came to my head today while I was walking down the street on my way to a woman's house, which is where I am right now, her now sleeping. If I want to become famous, I have to know what others did to do so, no? It's so damn crystal clear I can't believe I never thought of it before. So, you know me, I couldn't stop thinking about it all night, and now I am sitting here looking for exactly that.

There is an issue.. no, worse, a problem here. I can't find one single article of a compilation on this subject, and the annoyance is amazingly great. Which brought us here, to this.

Songs that made people famous - The List:
Just because I can.
The items on this list we're taken from various websites about which songs made specific artists famous.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Give It Away or for the newer ages, californiacation, first was under the bridge and a stevie wonder cover.
Sublime: What I got
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
The Clash - London Calling
Beastie Boys - Fight For Your Right (To Party)
OutKast - Ms Jackson
De La Soul - Me, Myself and I
N.W.A - Straight Outta Compton
Oasis - Wonderwall
Percy Sledge - When a man loves a woman
RATM - Killing In The Name
Asian Dub Foundation - Naxalite
Portishead - Sour Times
Dr. Dre - Nuthin' but a "G" thang
Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
New Order - Blue Monday
Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy
Eminem - The real slim shady
Linkin Park - crawling
Goldie - Inner City Life
Soundgarden - Spoonman (or Black Hole Sun?)
George Clinton - Atomic Dog
White Stripes - Fell in love with a girl
Iggy Pop - Lust for life
metallica - enter sandman, master of puppets or unforgiven depending on audience
nine days - (absolutely) story of a girl
nickleback - how you remind me
staind - outside
The calling - where ever you will go
Godsmack - awake or alive
R.E.M. - It's the End of the World or Losing my Religion
Weezer-Buddy Holly or The Sweater Song
Sonic youth - teenage riot
311-Down
Blink 182- what my name again or all the small things
Filter-Hey Man Nice Shot
Kid Rock-Bawitaba
P.U.S.A.-Lump or peaches
TOOL-Sober
Ben Folds Five-Underground
Beck-Loser
STP-Plush
Staind-Mudshuvel
Prodigy-Firestarter
Silverchair-Tomorrow
Hoobastank - The Reason
Fefe Dobson - Take Me Away
green day - brain stew or basket case or longview
aerosmith - walk this way
live - dolphins cry or lightning crashes
the Police - Roxanne
Prince - When Doves Cry
INXS - Need You Tonight
ace of base - the sign
blur - song 2
pearl jam - alive then even flow, then jeremy
Dj Shadow-Organ Donor
The Notorious B.I.G.-Big Poppa
LL Cool J-Mama Said Knock You Out
Jamiroquai-Virtual Insanity
Supergrass-Alright
Franz Ferdinand-Take me out
Jam-Town Called Malice
Vapors-Turning japanese
Dexys Midngiht runners-Come On Eileen
Madness-Our house
Specials-A message to you rudy
Secret Affair-Time for action
ben e king - stand by me

Well, I think thats enough for research purposes. The next step is to look at WHY they made them famous. I will pick a few later, listen to them and break apart the lyrics in order to find out why. I will post the results here, so that anyone else that wants to see how I did it can.

My catch on Indie Rock Music

2009-08-06T18:08:00.001-07:00

SO here's some of the knowledge I've accumulated on this road so far in regards to Indie Rock Music, and the sort from this blog and its sister-sites.

There is a lot to be accomplished by blogging, article writing, blog commenting, SEO, blog2blog linking, facebooking, twittering, myspacing, etc. The possibilities are endless, and very much profitable both in a hobby way, and a professional way. An important factor is knowing what your doing it for though.

I was asked this question the other day by my brother, and the question stuck in my head. All in all I made this blog to help people who are trying to travel the same path that I am, because I think that everyone deserves a little bit of help here and there. If this blog has helped at least one person, I feel like its worth while.

Since the main focus of this blog is about Indie Rock & Hip-Hop Music, and how to promote, market, build fan base, and monetize it, I will be referring to that solely for now. Although i'm pretty sure that the same principles apply to any online business.

Tip #1:

Building a list of websites that you frequently use to build up the social side of the site. These sites would be blogged.com, myspace, facebook, twitter, linkedIn, etc.

This is a very important step, as there are literally millions of potential visitors just waiting to be reached out to. If you can find a way to create the demand for them, then they will come. No doubt about it.

which bring us to

Tip #2: Creating Demand & Supplying content

If no ones NEEDS what you have, be sure that they will not look for it. In the beginning it was hard to grasp this concept, and how it works. I knew that I needed to create the demand, but figuring out how to do so was a different story all together.

Some of the simple things I did was post articles, and PR releases which focused on the following areas:

Personality
Musical Quality
Website Content
Scandals

Now they all worked pretty much the same, except for the scandals. This one worked amazingly. You see people like to read about scandals, which is why fml became so successful. In the end effect though, every article that I posted ended up leaving a trail to either more articles, or to my website, which was the purpose. The posting has a catalyst effect which brought on a ton of new users to the site.

Tip #3: Genre Specific Forums and Sites.

Since I am aiming for rock and hip-hop, I went looking for sites that represented that image, such as last.fm, rockaffairs, myspace, soundclick, etc. This helped a lot more than posting on sites that had absolutely no relevancy as even if you DO get traffic from those sites, the visitors do not stay very long, and after reading one post are no longer interested as it has nothing to do with either their niche, or what they are looking for. So try to keep thing niche based.

I'll continue this post soon with some more tips for you guys.

Murdering eyes with beauty.

2009-08-06T07:03:00.000-07:00

Changed the website and the blog's designs, making it a bit easier to use, and kinder on the eyes. About the two HTML sites for rock and hip hop: I am still cutting them up and coding them, so please be a little patient. They will be up very soon, I work super fast :P

Which reminds me, if anyone wants any websites done, dont hesitate to contact me. The majority of my work is in i-phone apps, and musician/indie label website designs.

Get yourself online with your music.

2009-08-05T19:20:00.001-07:00

I think i'm going to be using the player for the music more than just letting OTHER people here my music.

There are a few more benefits to putting your music on the internet from what I've seen. They are as followed:

1: Reviewing your sound from different places.

It is so great to be able to hear the difference in qualities when listening to my music on some crappy speakers, and on some good speakers. Say right now for instance. I am sitting at my woman's house, and listening to the latest recording I did. She has a laptop, and she is sleeping, so I'm using the built in speakers. It sounds so different than it does at home with my headphones, and speakers. There are a lot of differences which I will be taking into account later, the next time I record.

2: Phone.

If you have uploaded mp3s to a server, lets say 000space.com or something, then you can also type in the address into your phone and download your own songs straight to your mobile. Very helpful in the long run, when you want to show people on your phone, or when they want to download your songs as ringtones.

3: Backups:

I don't even want to mention how many times I've lost countless .wav data, sole mp3 files, masters, beats, etc. I actually started uploading my music in the beginning so that I would have it all backed up in case I ever lost it.

I am sure there are tons more reasons other than to accumulate fans that you should be uploading your music to the net, just be sure to keep them all copyrighted, don't share masters unless you don't care, and don't by all means tell me I didn't tell you so :P

FIlling The Silence: Elaborated

2009-08-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

Theres a new song, which you can check out on myspace, or soundclick now.
LISTEN ON SOUNDCLICK
LISTEN ON MYSPACE MUSIC

Heres how I actually WRITE:

Filling The Silence,

(Plot: How everything is just quietness untill humans are added)
verse1: Everything Is quiet
verse2: The proccess of adding people

It's quiet,
in this place,
between wind and trees,
between you and me, -------------------------------------------- Its quiet between land and land, and people and people

It's silent,
in this space,
between mouth and ear,
between there and here, ----------------------------------------------------------- Its quiet between people and people, and place and place,

It's faintly,
awake,
sleeping peacefully,
in a bed of dreams, -------------------------------------------- its quiet almost speaking, peacfully, dreaming of sound

It's hardly,
asleep,
Waiting to be set free,
between you and me, --------------------------------------- it wants to be awake, wants to be set free, between people and people,

so speak,
color the cosmos,
yeah scream,
awaken the meadows,
just whisper,
into the absence,
so that we can be fluent
in filling the silence,

it gets louder,
with every voice,
every letter is vital,
to every soul set as idle,

its the noise,
that sets us free,
every comment has intentions,
every single thing that we mention,

has the power,
to heal us all,
just as one or as a whole,
every sentance has a role,

so let it out,
dont cave in,
what you have to say is crucial,
everything is useful,

Style is what matters!

2009-08-03T06:32:00.000-07:00

Trying out a new style of music, like I said in a previous post, I wanted to make something more hiphop+rock, so heres try #1.

LISTEN ON SOUNDCLICK
LISTEN ON MYSPACE MUSIC

Planting the seed,

War on foreign nations,
red trails show us the path that leads home,
soldiers of obligation,
prisoners as citizens we roam,

Destitute of liberation,
we aren't the people, we are the property,
we are the mockery, held in captivity,
we are the enemy, to all of our enemies,

they own the funds, and we hold the guns,
we pull triggers, we kill sons,
we are the monsters, we are the ones,
they are the masters, we are the grunts,

we follow bastards, taking the hazards,
breaking the masses down into classes,
shakin the grasses, with bombs and plastics,
followin typical polical magic,

Theres no humanity

Im hopin for change,
open to pain
Im planting the seed,

im pokin your brains,
breakin the frames,
Im plantin the seed,

slicing the chains,
choking their veins,
Im planting the seed,

clearing the range,
so all that remains,
is planting the seed,

this world reminds me of a time we,
had to defend our lives,
except this time, we dont have find,
a way to help our country survive,

so get behind me, and listen kindly,
stop walkin through this world so blindly,
lend me your eyes, lend me your ears,
lend me your time, and I'll lend you my fears,

take down the system, attack the core,
find their weak points, attack some more,
shatter their spirits, even the score,
gather your allies, show them the door,

lead them to hope, stray them from death,
breathe out the smoke, from deep in your chest,
were craving to cope, with all of this mess,
cuz we dont even know we can do better than this,

Everyone wants to relate.

2009-08-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

So I found out the best way for me to find answers is to look for new questions. So i've been asking myself and assortment of various questions trying to find the answers to the first questions.

Why do people like music? What attracts them to it? You would think it would be pretty obvious, but it's really not. Everyone likes a different style, everyone has different tastes, everyone loves music. Its odd.

I am going to find the answer though, because it is a key to another door that I need to open.

What the hell is soundcloud?

2009-08-02T15:52:00.000-07:00

Found this by accident while looking over some music review blogs. It had this col little widget to send music to the blogger, so I tried it out. Man am I glad I did, because this little site looks like it could be really cool. Its a music moving site, which lets you send music through their databases. Check it out and see for yourself, since I haven't had much time t play with it yet either. Could do wonders for promotion. Lets see how we use it now.... the button was...

Soundcloud

Help, is it wrong?

2009-08-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

I was thinking lately about new ways to go about writing songs, and I found myself for the first time in my life searching the internet for "Songwriting tips". Very strange for me, as I am usually self sufficient, and totally against asking for help when it come to music.

While reading through musesmuse.com I came across of a lot of really good ideas, and ways to think about things. In the end maybe I was jut being my stubborn old self? Might be something to work on..

C'est la vie.

2009-08-02T14:48:00.001-07:00

Okay, I'm going to be completely honest.

Lately I've been going through some seriously annoying mind fucks about everything that life has to offer. My claim is simple, I hate doing things I don't like. Sounds pretty much like common sense right? Wrong. You all do it, and so do I.

We work jobs that we fucking hate. We eat food that we've eaten before a million times. We spend the same money, on the same things, which bring us the same outcome of nothingness. We are fucking worker drones, and I refuse to be a part of it anymore.

I know, I know. "You need to pay the bills shai". Yeah yeah, that I know. I also know that the house that I live in, the food that I eat, and the clothes that I wear have no real value except to keep me alive. Alive in a shelter of routine and simplicity.

Well fuck all that. It's time to take some chances. Takes some risks.

I've been fighting with my brain for the past two weeks. It's not like me to think of the future so much, I usually just make it work when it comes around, but everything seems to bother me more the older I get. It's like my subconscious just feels like its running out of time, though I couldn't give a shit about it.

It's funny, I've been asking everyone how they would define time.
I got some pretty weird answers. Some cool, and some.. well.. see for yourself.

What is time?
"My enemy"
"Life"
"A restriction"
"An illusion"
"The government"

and those are only a few. I'd love to hear what you guys think too, so comment if you have a good one.

I've been trying to morph both of my styles of music together lately. Seeing as when I start recording rap I forget about rock, and vice versa, I want to try and blend them so that I can at least get better in both at the same time. We always have something to learn, and I think it could sound really cool.

I'm afraid of making it sound too much like linkin park, specially since i've heard millions of times that I sound just like the rapper. So we will see how it goes.

Try or die.

damnit!

2009-08-01T19:52:00.001-07:00

Oh, and try or die. :)

The internet DEMONS!

2009-08-01T19:34:00.000-07:00

They have me! They are sucking all of my blood from my veins as we speak!!
Pff. not.

I've been doing some hard PR, and article writing lately, lots of SEO, and various other promotion tactics which aren't working well enough to mention just yet. When I find out how to optimize them I will post some more about it.

For the meantime I'll give you guys a little overview of what i've been up to, and whats been working. In the past couple days, I've been doubling my site views, however the second I slack off, it drops drastically.

First day of massive promotion.

Release a couple press releases to DIGG, BLOGGED, and lots of other sites like this. The ones that worked most were:

www.free-press-release.com - Top of google in 2 days + posts your PR on a lot of other sites.

DIGG, if used right. - Lots of traffic

Genre specific forums - Lots of trackable traffic, good to keep in touch with the users, gets them to come back.

------------------------------

I found that the most important thing was actually creating the DEMAND for myself. I had to answer the question of "Why do people need ME specifically?". Doing that was definitely a hard task, but fruitful.

I advise anyone trying to promote themselves, or anything, to ask that question. And give yourself and honest objective answer, or else there's no point.

GOOGLE ANALYTICS -

VERY VERY good for promotion, since you get to see EXACTLY where the traffic came from, what worked, and what didn't. This is simply a must for anyone trying to do ANYTHING on the internet.

They even added a new section which allows you to try out promotion experiments.
Very cool, very cool indeed.

CONTEST -

I created a much needed contest for a logo and a cd cover, and since I wanted it to be a bit street, and a bit graffiti, I went straight to bboy.org because I love those guys. (which reminds me I still need to post it on other graffiti boards, which I actually know well, and already have forum status, which helps. Fame begets fame.)

This helped massively, pretty much getting most of my traffic. Might not be for the reason I want, but if even one artist hears the music by chance, likes it, and shows a friend, thats already awesome. One by one, you can make a million.

On another note, I seem to have a lot of people from california, makes me think maybe people in cali like my music more. Also from norway, UK, and NY. I will be able to use these statistics later.

Gotta run.. shit.

Trying... To... Blog!

2009-07-29T09:21:00.002-07:00

Behind me.. My friends are arguing over religion. One believes, one does not. The one that does not, was a Rabbi. The other one is my woman. Its fucking hilariously annoying actually. I'm trying to stay out of the conversation, but damn it's tempting.

You see, they're both trying to force their beliefs on eachother, and it's funny, because they're both denying it haha.

Haven't had much time to do any music for the past two days, I needed money fast, so I was working as a mover, it was fridge day. We did over 45 fridges, to a variation of different floors. Amazing what the human body can do. I got fucked on the cash.

I hope I can find some time to write some music either tonight, or tomorrow because I'm really itching to create something new, or finish something old. God knows I have a lot of that.

I have these random files in my computer named "New Document 1" scattered all over the hard drive in folders named "New file 1". Its amazing I know where they all are. I guess it just works my memory out. Plus.. Windows find is great. Very time saving.

Lately I've been naming the files more, and naming all the folders for the masters. I guess I'm trying to get more and more serious about this. I should be too, after all I've been wanting it ever since that one morning at some age where I "woke up" and started remember things, meeting people.. controlling my mind rather than being controlled.

Try or die.

Welcome to my skin.

2009-07-29T09:21:00.001-07:00

If you've read my other posts, you must be wondering why I'm so sure I will make it by now. Truth is, it's because of the stories of my past. "Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future."

Imagine this, you are twelve years old again, your standing outside your house with your whole family, and your bags are packed for, what as far as you understand, is a vacation, and the cops roll up and lock you out of your house, leaving nothing but a slip of paper on the door that reads "EVICTED". You then move to Israel, from VA, USA, on a not so short ten year vacation. (Current Location)

Now fast forward to the age of fifteen. You have stopped going to school, from excessive fighting. You hang out with your friends all day, and smoke pot. Your mother dies, and you are left alone with your siblings, which typically, at the time you do not get along with.

You move out of the house your mother rented, which you can no longer pay for being a fifteen year old child which no one wishes to hire, and move into an abandoned house which has a pool with a frog/toad/godknowswhat infestation. The constant croaking of the reptiles drives you mad. You haven't cried for your mother.

At the time, you have a band which plays heavy metal, which is the reason you don't want to move away from your town, and join some kind of organization for homeless children. You are so delivered into the world of musical processes that even when your mother was sick with cancer, you barely went to visit her in the hospital. For as short as it lasted.

You are seventeen now. No longer homeless, you have moved up north to live with your brother, away from the town you.. we'll just leave it to committed crimes in, for legal sakes. You think that you will be able to get out of that world, but since its all that you know, all the people you meet are undeniably connected to that world, and you dive into it once again.

You witness death, sorrow, joy, and happiness many times on your way to nineteen when you are living in a house with thirteen people that you are supporting because they have no families and you sympathize for them. One brings a kilo into your house without telling you, you get busted, he doesn't say its his. You get fucked, You fuck him, He fucks you, you fuck his friends, his friends fuck your friends, their friends fuck their families, and so forth. You end up broke again, and burnt to char.

You decide that you no longer wish to possess friends, for they are only diabolical, and you need to focus on your aspirations and dreams. Your talents. For you have been creating and playing music since the age of around 8-10, you can't remember, from lack of memory. You lose all sense of emotion towards humanity, and give less of a fuck about the world around you. It shows in your music too.

Oddly this comforts you, and you slowly grow back into a happy, funny person at the age of twenty one, and regain your love for life through living it right, and producing your own music at home. You are working, making money, eating, surviving. Your everyday routine is all that seems to matter again. You delete all the sad music you ever made. Now wishing you didn't for memories sake.

One day you wake up and have all of your dreams back. Your goals, your lack of limits. You feel alive again, as if you've been numb and dead for years. You feel fifteen out of sheer glee just from KNOWING. Knowing that its all true, that you can still feel the power of success in your veins. Pumping. Burning.

Welcome to my skin.

Try or Die.

NSJ's Get a Song Made Contest!

2009-07-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, another new contest for you!
Send in your song ideas, and they will get voted on and then the winner will get made into a song!

Comment your ideas here!

NSJ Site

NSJ's Logo Contest!

2009-07-27T10:33:00.000-07:00

Hey, here at NSJ.000space.com we are looking for two things for our CD.

a: An awesome logo

and

b: A couple SINGLE covers.
For the covers, the three concepts are (The first coming, Renegade, its not real).

The logo will get posted on all of the NSJ sites, and the covers will be made into real CD covers and sold in record stores. Thanks guys.

NSJ Site

A guide to setting your soul free through music

2009-07-26T00:18:00.000-07:00

Is your soul aching? I know mine is. It doesn't stop. Like a machine, a small pumping organism inside of my skin that tells me when I am this, and when I am that. The tricky part is to convert these emotional spikes into melodies and lyrics. Yes hard, but it can be done, and I'm going to give you some song writing tips on how to get started on your road to becoming famous. I've heard from all the people that i've taught music to, that in the beginning they don't even want to learn for the writing aspect, but as they learn more, they feel they NEED it in order to improve.
So once again, here are some creation tips.

BASICS:

1: Usually what will happen, is you will be playing an instrument and hear a chord which sticks in your mind. Something new and fresh that you like.

2: You need to take that chord, and try to find different progressions for the song, depending on the emotion you have. So if I have a temper, I'm not going to write a song about lollipops and candy, but maybe rather about taking the world down a notch.

3: After you find a chord progression you like enough to continue, play it around 50 times until the chords get stuck in your head. You don't want to have to be thinking about the background music while you are trying to create the other elements of the song, like drums, bass, etc.

4: Find a melody. I usually start off with a basic chord progression from guitar, because I generally do rock music, but this works for any genre or style of music. You can go about this two ways:
a: Find lyrics to match the background music.
If you are a song-writer who also write lyrics, then you may find it easier to
start the creative juices if you write the lyrics first, and then grab the
melody from the lyrics. You would go about this by writing the chorus first,
then the verses, and taking the melody from your singing, stripping only the
notes and not the lyrics, and then converting those to other instruments.

b: You can also just jump right into creating the melody with another instrument
without giving so much thought towards writing lyrics. Lets dive into this a
bit. A melody is a re-occurring system of musical notes which create a
Fresh/new/unexpected/flowing/loopy sound. Your melody will be the part of the
actual music aspect which people will remember, so make it catchy.
The melody is to the song, what the title is to the blog. It catches your
interest, and holds you there. The great thing about melodies is that they
aren't specific, so if you write the melody beforehand, and only THEN write
lyrics, they will still mesh to the music, however the opposite might not be
true.

5: A little on lyrics
When writing the lyrics to a song, it is always easier to start with the chorus. I variate between writing the lyrics and the melody to the chorus before I start writing the rest of a song. I have found through my experiences, that this process is much easier to accomplish than the standard process of writing a song fro the first word to the last, which can be quite creative blocking. Repetition is good. Having phrases which you keep hearing in a song is a great way to make people sing it in their head. Its hard for someone to sing something they can't remember.
Lets look at an example of how I would write a lyric for a chorus.

First lets find a subject.. Hmm.. Lets take something serious,
"Everyones out to get me". I'm sure we've all felt this before, so lets try this.
Remember, even though your making music for yourself, it would be nice to be understood by the whole of our populous, so don't write about how you have a pimple on the left side of your right nostril, but rather write about how it suck to be a teen with acne. Get it?
So lets take a look.

Im going to create a standard 8 line chorus.
Topic: Everyone's out to get me.

"I can't get away,", I write the first line first. To me its the first that came to mind, and its a powerful statement, which will leave people thirsting emotionally. Now we need to find a way to explain, and connect.

Explain:
First, just write out what you want to say, 7 lines of this, and then add our last line to it.

"I never knew,
that they were watching
I never knew,
that they were there
I tried to run,
I tried to hide,
I tried to it all,
but, I can't get away."

Okay, now we have the explanation of a chorus, it says everything we want to say, but it doesn't connect very well rhyme wise, so we want to fix that now. Take your chorus and re-vamp it so that it can be sung effectively. Lets break it down as well. On the first line I wrote, "I never knew," which I then repeat in line 3. I want to catch people imagination, and have them flow with me, so im trying to drill the concept of the song into their head so that they can follow easily. Just like everything else in this world, people want to be told exactly where to go, and what to do, so show them.
Second line is "That they were watching" typically referring to the world in this case, but the word themselves are vague enough for the listener to build an image in their mind which can encompass any story they are going through with the similar emotions. The "That they we're there" has the same purpose. To tell the story, but to keep it general.
"I tried to run,
I tried to Hide,
I tried it all"
This is where we want to get people singing, so it should be easy enough to sing for everybody, but pretty enough to be listened to.
"But, I can't get away"
The climax of the chorus, its bringing everything in the chorus together, and putting the lat puzzle block into it. Its a common technique to make a totally vague chorus, and then add one sentence at the end which makes everything clear, leaving the listener totally blown away.

Okay now lets connect it all.

"I never knew,
that they could hear
I never knew,
that they were here
so, I tried to run,
I tried to stay,
I tried but they.,
wouldn't let me get away."

So now I've changed what the chorus says a little, but the overall concept stayed the same, and on point to our subject. Plus not it rhymes. Notice how I didn't rhyme everything together, so that it doesn't sound all meshed together like an unmolded lump of clay, but rather a statue with form.

I will be writing full blog pots solely about lyrics in the future, so I don't want to delve to far into this section, but I hope that this helps some of you.

6: When to break?
The typical format of a song is this, 2 beats opening, 2/4 beats chorus, 4/8 beats verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, etc. The beat are what is important. Now this isn't to say that you HAVE to write this way, but it DOES help to learn this formula in the beggining. Now if you stick by this system for long enough, not only will all of your songs sound the same, be predictable, and be boring, but you won't find yourself with very many listeners. What your songs need are breaks. In my eyes, the kings at this were metallica. They had found a way to create melodic breaks in heavy metal songs which pushed them to the top. The most important factor to think of while creating a break in a song, is its purpose. Different breaks have different purposed. Lets discuss a few to give you ideas.

Prolonged break, This is a break which is like the metallica style, which helps to build tension. You would use it when you want to find a way to lift the energy of a song from a low to a high energy, or from a high, to a low, to a high. Usually these types of breaks have pretty guitars, slow low drums, and slow singing crescendoing higher as you get closer to tension relief.

Chorus break, a break used after a chorus to morph back into the verse. Usually happens on the last line of the chorus. In our case, the "wouldn't let me get away." line would be said without any music whatsoever for added effect, making it a chorus break. After a chorus break people usually go straight into a verse, or into a bridge.

Verse break, This kind of break is used to enter the chorus from a verse. It could be a simple drumroll on the drums, or a 1 beat slowdown for the BANG of the chorus. These are kind of important, as they add a lot of theatricals to the chorus coming in.

Semi-beat break, a lot of hip-hop artists use this style of break while rapping. Its when you hear the music fall off in the middle of a verse, and then pop back a second later giving added effect to the lyrics being said while the music is muted.

Find a place to break in your song, and don't think that these are the only ways to break, you can do whatever you want, its music. Experiment.

8: Listen, Learn, Live.
So now you have the lyrics for your song, the background guitar, the lead melody, maybe the bass, maybe the drums, whatever you have, what you want to do is to record it. When you record a song, you play the various parts over and over again, trying to get them down perfect (even though the more you record, and the less time you have, the less and less you strive for musical perfection, which is also good sometimes), something odd happens. You start hearing things that you didn't hear while creating. New ways to make the melody spicier, new lyrics that work better. Everything is much easier to look at when viewed by the eye of the observer. So record those track, play them back and listen hard.

If you want a free recording utility, try out Audacity. Its a free open source audio editing console. Pretty easy to use, and will help you a lot on your journey. As for microphones and equipment, I'd say research a bit into electronic sound devices before you even consider buying anything. I've bought and sold more musical junk-ware than I'd like to admit, lets keep it to just me who did that, k? ;)

Audacity CLICK HERE
NSJ SITE CLICK HERE
MUSES MUSE CLICK HERE

PART 2 COMING SOON.

Another gift for the gifted ones

2009-07-24T18:07:00.001-07:00

Didn't feel I got the most out of today's writing, so I'm going to give it another shot.

Today was funny, my girlfriend and I have declared prank war on eachother, after she played a prank on me, making me think that she didn't have enough money for rent, and was going to go whoring for it. She ended up getting offended when I said that I would break up with her for it because it was disgusting to me. She though it was horrible that I could think she would do that. She then continued the joke for a few hours. Maybe I should be writing these posts on FML haha. But she will pay. Oh yes. She will pay. >=)

I have had the urge to go out and do something for the past month, but my busy schedule of bullshit has got me totally plastered to a slow existence of doing nothing and enjoying it.

Call me an idiot, but it seems to be quite enjoyable to just sit around, even though if you met me you would think im the most determined person in the world. Which I am as a matter of fact, but I guess I just feel that I need a break from following my dreams and heart for once.

Thousands of chorus' stream through my head every second I breathe.

So think of me as a devil,
think of me as a saint,
think of me whatever,
what you think is what you think,

and so forth. Thousands of words meshing together in unison to create sentences out of my emotions and the situations of my life.

The quiet swoops in and kills all of my thoughts, and I start thinking about how to attract fans again. It seems to be on my mind constantly. After all, I have a mission that i've laid in my own hands. My self proclaimed destiny of succeeding in the music industry is all I care about now, and I fear that the people around me will start to notice my lack of enthusiasm in their well-being soon, but its time to forget.
It's time to let others be others, and me to be me. Those who love me truly will understand, no?

Try or die. Thats all there is now.

The long waits of life

2009-07-24T17:35:00.000-07:00

Today has been an unfruitful day in the aspect of being a musician. Actually, lets be honest now. Today has been totally useless in every aspect humanly possible. I can't stop thinking about how much of an utter bum I can be sometimes. A total couch potato.

Spending the day with my woman doesn't help. The time we spend not watching movies or eating, we utilize by choking each other verbally, and sometimes nonverbally. When I do it, its sexy. When she does it, I REALLY wanna do it.

Consequentially everything that happens in my head, has some direct connection to these fights, which actually happened to be a horrendously useful muse. Too bad with all the fighting I barely get the time to write them all down, I might just have to write them here in the future if I remember them as I write.

I'm going to try to be serious about this blog, as I've neglected many before in the past, and will probably neglect many in the future, but this one interests me.

I think it would be a cool blog to see someone's whole journey from being an average joe, to becoming famous, and my life is devoted to solely that. There's never been a moment in my life where I went, "Maybe being famous isn't for me." or "I'm just not going to make it". I have always known its for me, have always loved the spotlight, and its about the only thing that I'm truly sure about in this world.

So I'm going to go out and grab it. Try or die right?

Un-Add Me!

2009-07-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

Leave your email here in the comments to un-suscribe yourself.