Blogs
The site is slowly coming back to life so do not panic. All of the media files, blogs etc. are being copied over and we should be back to normal sometime today. As you can probably guess, we had a catastrophic failure on our old server. No idea what happened and they were not being very helpful. We changed companies and are just restoring the site from backups.
Sorry for the inconvenience!!
Just wanted to welcome all the new members to Mixposure. There have been a lot of signups lately so we would like to take a moment to welcome you to Mixposure.
Please let us know if you have any questions!!
Hi, all.
Those who have been tuning in to Aardvark Express and Doug Dickens Showcase of Independant Artists on Mixstream Radio will know that I have a new Brainplant album out by the name of Steampunk. I held contests on both shows to win codes for free downloads of the album. Well done to the winners, who were True Vulgarians, Maureen Quinn, Lyrical Princess, Yvonne Jay, Carmella and Toni.
For those who missed it, you can buy the full album at my Bandcamp page (just click the link) for just £7 ($10).
Enjoy.
Hi, all
Anyone who is planning to listen to Aardvark Express on Mixsteam Radio (8pm EST), I have something special planned for the chatroom. Join me tonight to find out what it is. 
Brainplant
Well we made it through the holiday's and now it seems like the right time to do the next "site" tune. Anyone have a preference? Same Song Title Madness? Same Lyric Challenge? Something else?
As of 24th January 2016, I am releasing my music under the creative commons license. This means you can use in your videos on youtube. All I ask is a return link in the description. So here is the list of tracks I am releasing under Creative Commons License to my fellow creators... Not all tracks are being uploaded as some I do have other copyrights on them and others are colabs with other artists which means I can not release them under Creative Commons Attribution License as I do not owe 100% rights to them even though I wrote the original track. You don't have to use these tracks just for video productions etc, you can download purely for listening pleasure and can copy to as many devices as you wish. Be forwarned I have unquie style of music and sound that sometimes can be a bit out there (while other tracks are more classical ie; rock and dance) some you may like yet others you may not as I try to cover a very broad spectrum of genres, styles and mixes.
All I ask is a link to this page in you video description. Something along the lines of;
“ (song title) ” by Nighthawk Music is released under a Creative Commons Attribution License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Artist: Nighthawk
http://www.wackywoodworks.co.nz/music/songs.php
I've loved music my entire life. Eventually I started writing and playing-- both on my own and with others. After a while, I came up with a few recordings of which I'm proud. I hope you enjoy them as well. When I recorded (most of) these songs, I assumed they would be heard by less then 25 people: my circle of select friends, family, and fellow musicians. I never imagined they'd be available to strangers via the internet. I'm gratified by the response my music has received-- especially when one considers the high caliber of musical talent that exists on this and other original music sites.
My music can approximately be described as post-industrial surburban ragtime, with surf sidetones. I grew up on Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Cars, Dire Straits, and Elton John. Regrettably, my music doesn’t readily reflect that. But I think the greatest influence has been the people I’ve worked with over the years. I’ve learned a lot by watching others develop their ideas. I can’t say I sound like anyone I’ve ever worked with-- but their influence is certainly present.
"The wrong kind of people" by hooyoosay has been included on WOA Records' compilation CD "Independent No.1's, 5th Anniversary Edition".
Wow now on top of Bowie dying Glen Frey also just passed away. 2016 is starting out poorly for lost legends.
Glenn Frey, a founding member of the rock band the Eagles, died Monday in New York City, his publicist announced. He was 67.
Frey “fought a courageous battle” for the past several weeks, according to his publicist, but succumbed to complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia.
“Words can neither describe our sorrow, nor our love and respect for all that he has given to us, his family, the music community & millions of fans worldwide,” his publicist said.
Guitarist Frey and drummer Don Henley formed the Eagles in Los Angeles the early 1970s, along with guitarist Bernie Leadon and bassist Randy Meisner. They would become a top act over the next decade, embodying the melodic California sound.
Henley said in a statement Frey was "like a brother to him."
"The bond we forged 45 years ago was never broken, even during the 14 years that the Eagles were dissolved, he said. "We were two young men who made the pilgrimage to Los Angeles with the same dream: to make our mark in the music industry - and with perseverance, a deep love of music, our alliance with other great musicians and our manager, Irving Azoff, we built something that has lasted longer than anyone could have dreamed."
An Eagles greatest hits collection from the mid-1970s and "Hotel California" are among the best-selling albums in history.
Frey was born in Detroit and was raised in its suburbs. His solo hits include "The Heat Is On" and "Smuggler's Blues."
Frey was lead vocalist on the Eagles' breakthrough hit, "Take It Easy," a song mostly written by Jackson Browne that came out in 1972. His other showcases included "Peaceful Easy Feeling," "Already Gone" and "New Kid in Town."
The Eagles split up in 1980 but reunited in 1994 and were one of the world's most popular concert acts. The band, which for years was made up of Frey, Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit, was supposed to have been honored at the Kennedy Center last month. But the appearance was postponed because of Frey's health problems.
Frey, known for his oversized jaw, big grin and blunt personality, loved music, girls and the rock 'n' roll life. He would meet up with Henley, Meisner and Leadon while all were trying to catch on in the Los Angeles music scene, and for a time the four backed Linda Ronstadt. They also befriended such other Los Angeles-based musicians as Browne and J.D. Souther, who would collaborate on "New Kid in Town" and other Eagles songs.
They harmonized memorably on stage and on record but fought often otherwise. Leadon and Meisner departed after run-ins with Frey, and guitarist Don Felder, who had joined the group in 1974, ended up in legal action with the Eagles.
Frey and Henley also became estranged for years, their breach a key reason the band stayed apart in the 1980s. Henley had vowed the Eagles would reunite only when "hell freezes over," which became the name of the 1994 album they never imagined making.
Artists today need their tracks to compete with what they are hearing on the radio; there is just no excuse for a crappy sounding track. In fact, if you’re track sounds like shit, then it’s our first red flag as to just how lazy, un-resourceful, clueless, and out of touch you are with the music business these days; kinda like showing up to a gun fight with a butter knife. Today’s music is consumed so fast and there is so much of it available that YOU HAVE TO BE FREAKING AMAZING in every way to stick out. Why on earth would you cut any corners on your artistry?? I mean, aren’t you the one always complaining about how crappy music is on the radio and how YOUR band could do so much better? If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. Here are 5 really good concepts to internalize before you spend any money recording anywhere that will hopefully help you rise above the fray!
1. Good Demos Are For Songwriters - Demoing your songs as an artist used to be an essential piece of the puzzle to getting a record deal; nowadays, your demos are more a private process of crafting your songs and arrangements to prepare for a master recording session. Unless you are a songwriter trying to get an artist to cut your song, you are WASTING YOUR MONEY with demos no matter how much cheaper the process is compared to cutting master tracks! Forget publicly pushing/presenting demos! Record Labels stopped developing talent a decade ago; so they don’t care about your demo no matter how good your songs are! They care about your momentum, how many tickets, CD’s, Merch, and downloads u sell. If you only have $2,500 and you find someone to demo your 8 songs for that price, you wasted $2,500 because that budget will not have been spent on any activity that will create momentum for you. Relax and save more money or cut fewer songs.
2. Don’t Be Naïve In Your Strategy – It’s FAR better to spend your limited budget on 3 or 4 GREAT tracks than 10 mediocre cuts. For the love of GOD if you seriously are trying to make a living in the music industry, do your music right or don’t do it at all! It’s so easy to freak out on what it costs to really make a great record these days, I get it! The cold hard reality is that you are going to have to spend some money to get this dream of yours going. The more you cut corners, the more you make it an expensive hobby; so don’t be frustrated because you are the one getting in your own way. I think of one of our artists named Tanya Marie Harris from Canada. I remember our first phone conversation, and she said “Johnny, for what you and Kelly are charging me for 2 songs, I can cut a whole record up here…” and my mind went to the pre-programmed response of thinking that we weren’t going to be able to help her, but before I could open my mouth she finished her sentence, “…of mediocrity.” She approached her project with us as if it was the end of the world and it HAD to be done right. We ROCKED those 2 songs of hers and she is now blowing up major radio in Canada because she has 2 KILLER tracks. I wouldn’t be surprised if she ends up with an investor very soon, because she has created real momentum! Bottom line, her approach has opened WAY more doors for her as an artist.
3. It All Starts With the SONG – This is probably 80% of your problem, your songs suck; or some of them are good and the rest are weak. If you spend $25,000 recording a lame, crappy song with Mutt Freakin Lange, it’s going to be the most expensive, slickest sounding crappy song on the planet (he would never cut it, but you get my point). Get some co-writes with some seriously talented writers! If you are now saying, “but I don’t have any of those where I live” then MOVE! Like Sam Kinison said, “GO WERE THE FOOD IS!” It’s quite possible that your songs are very good but maybe just need a little tweaking here is where a good outside ear can make the difference! Which brings us to our next point; Producers.
4. Get a Producer – Make sure that your Producer has a killer engineer or IS a killer engineer; LISTEN to what they have done. ASK who they have worked with. Your best friend who just went to school for a recording degree is NOT going to deliver for you this time; he/she needs their 10,000 hours before they are going to be able to get anybody to the next level artistically. Since you are responsible for your own development now, you have to think like a record label would think. After you sign with a label, if you are ready to record the next step is PRODUCER SHOPPING so why the hell would you skip this step on your own project? Do you really think a Major Label would allow your buddy right out of school to produce your first effort?? HELL NO!!! I recommend using your buddies with the cool home studios for your creative demo process; use them to craft arrangements and songs, but don’t rely on them to deliver expertise because they have none, or they would be working with professionals already. Kelly went to school and got a recording degree; then he wiped his ass with his diploma and moved to Nashville to learn how to make records. I was an artist right out of high school and learned to make records in a trial by fire kind of method. A good Producer is going to help you pick the songs. A good producer is going to tell you, “NO” to the songs that aren’t ready to be recorded or shouldn’t be recorded at this level. A good Producer is going to have heart to heart discussions about your lane and then service those collaborative decisions musically. A good Producer is going to have relationships with the studio musicians and ensure you don’t get “run over” by them. A good Producer is going to have the psychological skill-set to push you and your band to artistic performance heights you never thought possible. A good Producer is going to be just as excited about your project as you are!
5. Be Realistic About Your Band’s Musicianship – You would be surprised how many members of your favorite rock bands didn’t actually cut all or any of their tracks in the studio; the ones that did were AMAZING musicians. In Country music, most professional live musicians, as Godlike as they are live, do not cut in the studio; it’s just a different animal because live is here & gone already and the studio recording is forever. All too often I see bands come in determined that everyone in the band is going to play on the record. If your drummer sucks, then we are going to have to manufacture the performance in Pro Tools to get the track in time and find a groove. If your drummer sucks then your bass player is NEVER going to consistently lock up with the kick drum and this spells S-H-I-T; which means we are going to manufacture the bass performance as well since the drum track has been altered. You see where this goes? It becomes a hot mess and your record sounds, well, MANUFACTURED. You would be better served to make the best recordings possible and let any weaker musicians grow into the role; sorry to say it, but if their feelings are worth the whole record budget you have a problem.
