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Article about Mixposure appearing in my hometown newspaper, the Defiance Crescent-News:

Talking about change of time with local musician

Perhaps one of the best things         

about writing and recording

music is the ability to capture a

sign of the times, immortalizing

it forever within a snapshot of

creative effort

and release.

But what makes

it even better is a

situation where

carefully-crafted

lyrics tell a tale

of prophecy that

only grows more

poignant with

age.

Take Bob

Dylan, for example.

When he ever so epically

announced to the world “The

Times They Are a-Changin’”

back in the mid-1960s, the rambling

king of cultural observation

captured the flow of an entire

generation hinged on the cusp of

eminent change.

Fifty years later, while illuminating

an entirely different

societal climate, the ebb and flow

of the world is still so perfectly

depicted by the words etched

into history five decades ago

at Studio A in New York City.

And since musical messages

ultimately find their final resting

place within the perception of

the listener, they can apply to an

endless array of situations.

Which brings me to the context

of this week’s column.

There was a time in a not

so distant past when the only

method of preserving music for

eternity was to hit the studio

and make it happen. Solo, with

a band, collaborations — it all

went to tape and was typically,

take by arduous take, hammered

out in the same room.

But, oh, how times have

changed again in ways I doubt

even Bob Dylan could have seen

coming, especially when it comes

to recording with like-minded

individuals who may never even

meet each other in person.

With the inception of the

technological explosion, musical

community sites such as

Mixposure (www.mixposure.

com) have opened a worldwide

door for musicians to connect

with one another, also offering

a promotional smorgasbord of

management, labels, comedians,

listeners and DJs.

Or as longtime local bass and

guitar instructor Dave Coonrod

explained it, “A one-stop site

for pretty much everything you

could want out of music resources.”

While Mixposure is just one

of countless sites of its kind on

the musical webscape, it is one

Coonrod has certainly made the

most of. A frequent collaborator

with renowned keyboardist

and area psychologist Dr. David

C. Deal — notably in the live

Christmas season project Siberian

Solstice — Mixposure has provided

a convenient opportunity

for both to compose with other

musicians from around the

globe.

And it’s all done from the comfort

of home, or wherever comfort

happens to find you.

“The main advantage of a collaboration

site such as this is the

availability of musicians and

genres that extend the local talent

pool,” said Coonrod, who

splits time teaching bass and

guitar between Tri State Music

in Bryan and Defiance College.

“I have done recordings online

with people that I have never

met face-to-face from as far away

as England and as close as south

Defiance. I’m currently working

on a project from a guy from

Montana.”

How can this be possible? It’s

actually remarkably simple … at

least, the sharing process is.

A recorded riff or idea can

be uploaded to file sharing

sites such as Dropbox (www.

dropbox.com), where another

awaiting musician can access it,

add another element and fire it

right back. This can be bounced

around to an unlimited number

of players on any given project.

When all the pieces are in place

and the final mix is applied,

the song or project can be

uploaded for review, sale or a

mere listen to the entire world

via Mixposure’s host of Internet

radio connections in addition to

the site itself.

The best part for aspiring talent

is that all you need is a computer,

an interface and the proper

recording software to have endless

creative possibilities literally

at your fingertips.

“I don’t always record at home,

either,” Coonrod explained.

“When I am away on vacation

all I need is my laptop, a pair of

headphones and my guitar. All

of this made possible by building

upon contacts made on the

Mixposure website.”

For a smooth taste of what

it’s really all about, search

Mixposure for Coonrod’s musical

work under his “Fender Bender”

profile, and also open your ears

to his rich bass tone complimenting

Deal’s heady keys on the

David C. Deal profile.

And as always, support our

vast community of immensely

talented local musicians.

Stay in tune.

(Contact Kevin Eis by email: keis@

crescent-news.com; or on Twitter: @

cnKevinEis