BRAHMAN SHAMAN & Ghost In My House Studio

2011 So Far

2011-03-29T11:55:00.000-06:00

Hard to believe it is almost April and has been more than 3 months since my last post. 2011 seems to be flying by and while my beautiful baby girl has been keeping me very busy I have also begun working on music again, as much as time will allow at least. Since combining the Brahman Shaman and Ghost in My House Studio blog I will be giving updates on the activities of both below:

Brahman Shaman
My plan is do only do about one live Shaman performance per month in 2011 to allow me more time to spend with my daughter and to work on writing and recording the follow up to Animist, so I have only done a couple of shows thus far this year. Both of these shows were OneManBand affairs, the first at the Root Note in February and the second, last week at Winona State University for a Midwest Music Fest promotional event. The equipment setup for the one man band is still evolving as I find I can't really be sure what is going to work until I try it in front of people and playing drums with both feet while playing guitar and singing has some inherent difficulties. So far I have tried using a miniature 16" kick drum both with a regular snare drum or an electronic snare trigger. The trigger is nice because it sounds good, especially through the P.A. but there is no option for dynamics. However, I am thinking about trying a trigger for both kick and snare next. Anyway, below is a video of a version of the Clairaudience utilizing both the 16" kick drum and the actual snare drum also played with a kick drum pedal.

I have also been rehearsing the electric trio Shaman setup with Jaran Carson & Joe Dawson and we will be playing our first show of the year with that setup on Saturday, April 16th at Dibs Cafe in Winona for the Midwest Music Fest. A bunch of great bands are playing at Dibs on the 16th including my personal favorite, Porcupine, click here for more info. There are also more than 80 bands playing at the festival at several venues on both April 15th and 16th. Check out the Midwest Music Fest site for tickets and more info. The OneManBand setup has been both challenging and fun but I am really looking to playing a more rocking show as the trio.

Ghost In My House Studio
I have been too busy to do a lot studio work thus far in 2011 but have been kept busy enough working on projects for Of The Fact for a debut EP and Neon for the follow up to their 2010 release, If It Was. I continue to really enjoy this work and expect to be doing some more work with both of these groups and Michelle Lynn in 2011 as well as whatever else pops up.

Michelle Lynn & The Bad Passengers
I have begun rehearsing with Michelle and Adam again and am really looking forward some upcoming gigs including our first show together since November, 2010, which will be Thursday, April 14th at Del's Bar in La Crosse, WI. Playing with Michelle again and the prospect of toting a full drum kit around all summer inspired me to put together a mini drum set for my shows with her. Check out the pic and the rough video demo.

2010 Year In Review

2010-12-23T10:12:00.001-06:00

2010 has been a very busy and productive year both musically and personally. While the recent birth of my wife and I's first child, Cecilia, was by far the high-point, the amount of music I had the opportunity to write, record, and perform, coupled with the number of musicians I have had the pleasure of getting to know and working with, both at Ghost In My House Studio and during live performance, has been enjoyable and enriching beyond measure. It has been about 4 months since my last blog post so I thought it would be fitting to end the year with a summary of the above mentioned musical activity. Although I do not have the time to write, or you, the time to read as detailed an account as this year's musical journey deserves, please accept this summary as a snapshot. I would also encourage you to follow the links provided to learn more about many of the artists mentioned. If I have left a musical milestone I had with any of you out, it was not on purpose and I will have to blame the extreme loss of sleep that the care of an infant provides....

Live Performances - 39:
12 shows as Brahman Shaman - 4 Solo, 2 as a duo (one with Jaran Carson on drums and one with Andy Blessing), 6 shows as a trio with Jaran Carson on drums and Joe Dawson on bass. I am very thankful to both Joe and Jaran for supporting me live and allowing me to rock a lot harder than I can on my own...

These Brahman Shaman performances also gave me the opportunity to hear and support a lot of great musicians and bands including in no particular order: Porcupine, Dream 13, ConQueso, Adja Gildersleeve, Corey Koehler, Kasey McKee, Talking Tree, Akai, Brilliant Beast, Hyphon, Alex Toast, Mouse Pocket, Nick Shattuck, Michelle Lynn, Dan-Electric, WigglePuppy, Imaginary Jack, Tugg, Chicane Theory and the Johnson Twins.

23 shows playing drums - 10 for Nick Shattuck and 13 for Michelle Lynn. I would not have considered myself a drummer before this year but after so many performances I do do feel a lot more confident behind the kit than I used to. I also had the opportunity through these performances to get to know and play with a number of great musicians including in no particular order: Pat Longmire, Margit Severson, Adam Ptacek and Andrew Steeno.

4 shows with other bands - 2 as the bass player for WigglePuppy and 2 in my original musical role as the guitar player for Rearview Mirror.

I also had the opportunity to be on local on-air music radio programs either performing or playing and discussing pre-recorded material on radio stations in Decorah, IA, Eau Claire, WI, Winona, MN and La Crosse, WI. Special thanks here goes out to Adam Wiltgen at Driftless Music & 89.1 The Blend, Jeni Holtan-Grouws at KDEC FM 100.5, Ballzy Ballzer at Z93, and Dio at 95.7 The Rock.

Studio work at Ghost In My House Studio:
Nick Shattuck - Chorus & Verse
Moth Mountain - EP
HavanaVana - EP
Brahman Shaman - Animist
Neon - If It Was
Michelle Lynn & The Bad Passengers - Sundial Tree
Steppin' Out in Pink - Randy Erickson
Objective Subject - Adjectives
Corey Koehler - Let's Take a Walk (single)
as well as tracking for some other projects including those by Hyphon and Efftup.

The studio, basically a home studio prior to 2010 kept me much busier than I expected and I learned a lot along the way. The resulting recordings turned out good enough to be featured on a number of area radio stations on more than 15+ occasions.

Teaching:
27 guitar lessons given. I also tried my hand at teaching this year which was also a great learning experience.

Blog:
80+ blog posts over the past year, most readable here some at Thought from Ghost In My House Studio.

While I could go into much greater detail about the above experiences and the talent of the musicians and bands mentioned the above attempt at brevity seems long... so just follow the links and find out more for yourself. Thanks to all of you. Best to you and yours in 2011.

Update July 19th - August 17th - Perspectives

2010-08-17T15:42:00.000-05:00

It has been a busy time in both my personal and musical life which has resulted in it being nearly a month since my last blog update. While I have been busy with a variety of different projects and obligations the main points are summarized below.

Impending Fatherhood: My wife and I are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first child, a baby girl this Fall and have been busy preparing both mentally and logistically for the big changes ahead. Besides classes, doctor's visits etc.. I have also been busy reassessing my musical and creative priorities. I am excited to be a Father and plan to pretty much focus on parenthood alone for a couple of months surrounding the babies birth and then slowly reincorporate writing, live performances and recording projects into my daily schedule.

Studio: The two main projects I have been working on this Summer are Neon's debut album and Michelle Lynn's 4th album, Twisted Logic. Both of these projects have been a lot of fun to work on and I am definitely looking forward to getting a physical copy of both albums in my hand in the very near future. The studio continues to remain busier than I have expected and I look forward to the challenge of new projects in the coming months.

Neon - Currently wrapping up the mixing portion of their 9 song debut album and getting pretty excited about the final result. These guys are talented song-writers and their youth only accentuates this. I think they have made a great first album and I feel privileged to be a part of helping them capture their creativity in more finished and polished form. I am really looking forward to watching these guys develop over the coming years and can only imagine the quality of material they will write!

Michelle Lynn - After working with Michelle to some extent on her previous two albums I am definitely most excited for the current project. I have always enjoyed Michelle's music and lyrics and I think her soon-to-be released 4th album, Twisted Logic is really a step ahead of anything she has done to date! The album was recorded at Ghost in My House Studio and Michelle's project studio and we have been finalizing the mixes and overdubs over the past couple of weeks. I have really enjoyed the opportunity to play drums and even some guitar on a number of her new songs.

Steppin' Out in Pink - The song Randy Erickson wrote and subsequently recorded at Ghost in My House Studio for Gundersen Lutheran's Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser has finally been released with the a video. I feel privileged to have been a part of a great cause and am hoping to have the opportunity to work with more non-profit and charitable organizations in the future.

Brahman Shaman - Besides the upcoming peformance at JB's Speakeasy in La Crosse, WI on September 3rd with the electric trio I am slowing up on the Brahman Shaman activity for the time being. Frankly I have been to busy with the studio projects detailed above to put much time into it besides the occasional rehearsal. I am sort of using this time to reassess what I want to accomplish with the project and am really trying to learn how to just enjoy doing it instead of focusing on some particular commercial goal. I do have about 5 new songs written and plan to continue to write as much as possible but the official release of any new Brahman Shaman material won't be for sometime. I am continuing to work on the One Man Band setup and have had a couple of good shows doing it that way. I recently performed at the 1st Annual Midwest Music in Winona, MN. Driftless Music founder Adam Wiltgen was kind enough to video and post a performance of one my newer works in progress Reactions Inertia.

Moth Mountain, WigglePuppy, Michelle Lynn, Rearview Mirror: Having the opportunity to play music with different groups and with different instruments is extremely enjoyable and I can't help but wish I would have spent more time in my musical youth playing with other people. I continue to rehearse with the groups above and hope to continue performing and/or recording as part of these projects for the foreseeable future. I am anxious for the September 3rd show at JB's Speakeasy in La Crosse, WI in which I will get to play different roles in all four of the bands, should be both an exhausting and rewarding evening!

Until next time...

Weekly Update - July 12th - 18th - Busy Busy Busy

2010-07-22T12:02:00.001-05:00

This past week ended up being very busy. Monday I worked and rehearsed the foot drumming. After work Tuesday I spent an hour working on mixing with Michelle Lynn followed by a rehearsal with her and Adam. Wednesday, Nick from Neon was over and we continued to work on vocals for as long as his voice could handle it. We are making good progress and the tracking for the album is very near completion. Wednesday evening, Jaran and Joe were over and we ran through the Brahman Shaman songs in preparation for our show at the Root Note on Saturday.

Thursday I worked and headed up to Kathy's Pub in Rochester, MN afterwards to drum for Michelle Lynn as one of the two Bad Passengers. The show was a lot of fun, but it ended up being a long day after playing working and playing for four hours and driving home etc.., such is the life of the musician though and I am definitely not complaining. Slept in Friday trying to recover from the late night at Kathy's Pub and found out when I awoke that I was needed to open for Porcupine and ConQueso at JB's Speakeasy that night in La Crosse, WI. I rehearsed through the one man band set in a very warm garage with a cup of coffee and felt comfortable enough to debut the live one man band later that night at JB's. The show was a ton of fun and went surprisingly well which served as a good proof of concept for future shows as a one man band.

Saturday was a warm one and besides some errands and some yard cleanup from the recent storms I tried to stay cool and rested inside. Saturday night I headed down to the Root Note in La Crosse, WI to do a Brahman Shaman set with the Electric Trio (Jaran & Joe) and I also played some more drums for Michelle Lynn during her set. The show was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed watching Hyphon's set, especially when he was joined onstage by Efftupp.

Weekly Update - July 5th - July 11th - Nesting

2010-07-12T10:04:00.000-05:00

This past week was pretty routine music wise but still very productive and a lot of fun. Monday was a holiday so I had ample time to work on the one man band in the garage and feel myself slowly improving. Tuesday was work followed by a few hours of mixing and rehearsal with Michelle Lynn.

Wednesday, Nick Mass from NEON was over at Ghost in My House Studio and we started to tackle the final lead vocal tracking and made some good progress. Wednesday night, Jaran and Joe were over to rehearse some Brahman Shaman material for the show this Saturday night at the Root Note with Michelle Lynn & Hyphon. Looks like we may be ready to try a couple of new songs as a three piece which will be a nice change of pace.

Thursday was spent working with some time to rehearse the one man band before the day was through. Nick Mass was over again on Friday morning to lay down some more lead vocals but the session was cut short as the firewire port on my studio computer finally crapped out for good. Spent a good portion of the rest of the day trying out different Firewire Notebook cards to no avail and had to end up buying a whole new computer which brought on a whole new set of compatibility issues between the new 64 bit windows and the older 32 bit software and plugins but I think I have it all straight now and should be able to get back to work this week.

Most of the weekend was spent assembling some new bedroom furniture and rearranging and reorganizing the whole house which was exhausting but productive.

I have a couple of shows this week, the first being drumming for Michelle Lynn & The Bad Passengers at Kathy's Pub in Rochester on Thursday night and the second being a Brahman Shaman electric trio set at the Root Note in LaCrosse on Saturday night. One of my favorite bands, Porcupine is playing at JB's Speakeasy in LaCrosse this Friday and I suggest you check it out!

Until next week...

Weekly Update - June 28th - July 4th

2010-07-06T10:31:00.000-05:00

This past week was musically rich and more enjoyable because of it. Taught a lesson on Monday and found some time in the evening for more one man band rehearsal. After work on Tuesday I started work with Michelle Lynn on the mixing of her fourth album, Twisted Logic, which was followed by a rehearsal.

Wednesday, Blake Auler-Murphy (aka Hyphon) was at Ghost in My House Studio for a morning session cutting vocals for work with another producer. The beat was really cool and Blake did a fine job of laying down his vocal performances. Blake and I also still have a collaborative track in the works, which may see the light of day later this year.

Matthew and Nick from Neon were over at noon and we were able to finalize a majority of the guitar parts for their debut record. Progress has been good and we all hope to begin the initial mixing in the next couple of weeks. Wednesday evening, Joe and Evan were over for a Moth Mountain rehearsal. The four songs that we have been focusing on at the last few practices are really starting to gel and Joe delivered a couple of inspiring new ideas. We are hoping to have a short set of material ready for a potential debut show this Fall.

Thursday was spent at work, although I did find time to experiment with some new one man band equipment that arrived. The riser unit, made by Drum Workshop provides a stable base to attach a kick drum pedal too as well as support legs to hold a variety of drum types, it took some adjusting but I think I got it set up well to hold a snare drum. However, it seems balancing the volume of the snare with my miniature kick drum may take some creative ideas. I was also able to confirm an exciting show for September 3rd at JB's Speakeasy in La Crosse, WI. The show will serve as a warm up for Rearview Mirror's headlining set at Recession Fest in Decorah, IA on September 25th. The JB's show will also feature performances from Brahman Shaman, Wiggle Puppy and Michelle Lynn & The Bad Passengers and I am really excited to have the opportunity to play a different role in each of those bands all in one night!

Friday morning was spent in the garage working practicing the one man band, got the snare dialed in a bit better utilizing some paper towel and painters tape on the snare/beater contact point to get the level more even with the miniature kick drum. Gralyn and Nick from Neon were over around noon and Gralyn finalized his drum parts for the album and Nick had enough time to begin work on the final lead vocals. After a very warm lawn mowing experience I spent the rest of the evening enjoying the company of the visiting Jason Ptacek.

Saturday was sort of a musical break day, but did find some time to jam the drums with Jason on some new material he has been working on, we had a lot of fun in a limited amount of time and are hoping to have the opportunity to work on his new material again soon.

Sunday was mostly spent assembling baby furniture and relaxing but still found ample time to rearrange the one man band rehearsal space in the garage to include some of my thrift store P.A. components which will allow me to get more used to one man banding with a microphone and amplified guitar. While some songs give me more trouble than others I think I should have a decent set of material ready for the Brahman Shaman - One Man Band debut at Midwest Music Festival in Winona, MN at the end of July.

Weekly Update - June 21-27th - Progress

2010-06-28T08:19:00.000-05:00

Another pretty standard musical week. Taught a lesson on Monday after work, continued working on new material and the one man band project on Monday night. Tuesday, had a very warm but enjoyable rehearsal with Michelle and Adam.

Wednesday, spent the morning hours working on new material and practicing more one man band. Theo and Nick from Neon were over around noon and we got all the bass parts recorded and finalized the piano sections in all of the songs as well. Jaran was over Wednesday night and we spent some time trying out some new material that I have been working as I am hoping to start performing some of it in the near future to get an idea of how it goes over in a live setting.

Thursday was spent working although I did get a chance to see my friend Patrick Longmire Jr. to congratulate him and wish him well on his impending move to Austin, TX to play bass for the Eric Tessmer band. Pat is a super talented guy and I am happy to see him get the opportunity to evolve his musical career.

Friday morning was spent working on new songs and one man band practicing. Also did some experimenting with electric guitar/one man band combination which works better for some songs than it does others. Gralyn and Nick from Neon were over around noon and we spent the next 5 hours getting a majority of the drum parts recorded. It is fun to hear the album coming together and I think after a few more days of tracking we should be on to the mixing stage.

A close friend of Lish and I's was visiting, so we spent most of the rest of the weekend bumming around La Crosse and doing some much needed relaxing. However, I did get the chance to put in some good time toiling away on music in the garage and had an especially enjoyable time letting loose during the storm on Friday night as I figured the neighbors wouldn't be able to hear me over the thunder.

Until next week..

Weekly Update - June 14th-20th - Routine

2010-06-21T14:19:00.000-05:00

This past week was pretty routine in the musical sense. Taught a lesson Monday. Rehearsed with Michelle and Adam on Tuesday. Continued work on Neon's debut album and rehearsed with Joe & Jaran on Wednesday. Thursday was mostly spent working. Friday, the work on Neon's debut album continued. The basic guitar tracks and the scratch vocals for all the songs are nearly complete and we are hoping to tackle some bass and drums in the upcoming week.

I also spent time during the week adding drums, bass and a guitar solo to a charity project I am recording. I have been trying to spend 45-90 minutes a night rehearsing as a one man band and writing new songs in the garage each night. I think I am going to have to push back the goal of having a set of one man band material ready in the next month a bit as it is proving more difficult than I thought it would and I want to spend more time working on new material.

This past week I realized that I tend to go a little insane and get hyper-focused on musical projects and end up creating artificial time tables that really don't do anything but increase my stress level. So this week I hope to spend a little more time outside in contemplation and get better work done because of it, we shall see I guess. In other news the upstairs flooring project is pretty much complete, which is good because I am spending my days off focused on the Neon project.

Until next week!

Weekly Update - June 7th - 13th - Neon/Bandit/Moth/Charity

2010-06-14T10:40:00.000-05:00

This past week was a busy one. After work Monday I taught a lesson to my Decorah student, who continues to make good progress on his second original tune. After the lesson I had a quick rehearsal with Michelle and Adam in preparation for our performance at the Bandit County Fair on Saturday. I managed to catch Neon at a private party at the Root Note on my way home Monday night. I enjoyed their short acoustic duo set and it was good to see them live before starting production on their debut album on Wednesday at Ghost in My House Studio. I did get a video of their last song recorded on my iPhone, you can check out by clicking here.

I had Tuesday off and spent a good portion of the day continuing to rehearse being a one man band. This has been both fun and very difficult but I am nothing if not determined and I am confident I can work up a decent set of material with a month or so of daily practice. The purchased the glass jar at the right to facilitate some sun-charged water but the the lid does not fit as tightly as I hoped and some gnats met their doom inside of the luke-warm cauldron calling the water's drink-ability into question.

I had Wednesday off as well and after spending the morning in more one man band rehearsal I was excited to get started working on the production of Neon's debut album. Matthew, Nick and Theo arrived around noon and proceeded to lay down nearly all the tracks for their song Nobody's There in about 3 hours. I was impressed with their musical skills and professionalism and was even more excited about how the recording was sounding. I am definitely looking forward to continuing work on this project on my days off for the next couple of months.

Wednesday night Joe and Evan were over for the 2nd official Moth Mountain rehearsal and we are all slowly getting more comfortable with the tunes but I wouldn't expect a live performance to late Summer or early Fall.

I worked both Thursday and Friday and did not get a lot accomplished musically besides more fun/frustrating one man band rehearsing in a very hot garage. However, all the heat and humidity has done wonders for the container garden and I hope to begin enjoying the fruits of my gardening labor in the not to distant future.

Saturday morning I packed up the car and headed over to the Bandit County Fair to play drums for Michelle Lynn as one the Bad Passengers with Adam on Bass. It turned out to be a beautiful day and I only wished I had been able to stay and camp at the festival all weekend as a ton of great musicians were performing. The show went well and it was fun to play while being amplified by a real big P.A.

Sunday was mostly spent cleaning and running errands but local musician/songwriter/journalist Randy Erickson was over to Ghost In My House Studio for a couple of hours in the afternoon to lay down guitar tracks and vocals for a song he penned for a local charity. I will be laying down drums, bass and potentially some lead guitar on the track this week and will have more details available on the tune soon.

Until next week!

Weekly Update - May 31st - June 6th - One Man Band

2010-06-07T14:45:00.001-05:00

Because of the extended holiday weekend this past week was slightly abbreviated. After work Tuesday I taught a lesson to my Decorah student who is making great progress on his second original song. After the lesson I had a rehearsal with Michelle Lynn and The Bad Passengers. Our next gig is this coming Saturday, June 12th at The Bandit County Fair in DeSoto, WI at 1pm. Click here for more info.

Wednesday I had the day off and spent the morning continuing to work on new songs. I have also been trying to spend a little more time with the guitar than I have been in the past couple years and use that as starting point for the writing of new songs. Wednesday eve Joe and Jaran were over for a split Brahman Shaman / Wigglepuppy rehearsal and we continue to get more comfortable with each projects material.

Thursday I left work early to go to an ultrasound appointment with my wife. We are happy to announce that we are expecting our first child, a baby girl this Fall. We are very excited and although I may take a break from any live performing for a few months around the birth I think all the changes the new baby will bring to my life will be nothing but positive.

Friday I worked and also mailed out DEMO packages to a number of my favorite independent labels. Not expecting much, but little feedback would be nice. Friday night I constructed my make-shift one man band equipment with a miniature bass drum and a tom drum modified to have snare sound and to be played with a bass drum pedal. Special thanks to Adam and Michelle for loaning me a couple of these components to test out the concept. Once I got the two drum kit assembled I soon realized how difficult it is to play a drum beat with two feet while singing and playing guitar, but practice makes improvement and I am excited to work up a whole set of material utilizing this set-up, check out a video of my progress on Why oh Why using this one man band setup below.

Saturday I gave a lesson to my La Crosse student and it is good to see all his hard work paying off. The rest of the weekend was spent doing errands, chores, working on the home improvement projects and continuing practice as the one man band.

Until next time...

Weekly Update - May 24th - 30th - Midlake

2010-06-01T11:25:00.000-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/polyglot-2">Polyglot by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

I worked Monday and taught a lesson on my way home. We started work on my student's second original song and I am encouraging the young songsmith to take the reigns more on this one and he is doing a great job. After work on Tuesday I headed up to Minneapolis with my close friend and RVM bassist, Jason Ptacek, to see Midlake's show at the Cedar Cultural Center. The Cedar is one of my favorite venues because it sounds amazing and you can literally stand at the foot of the stage with no one pushing on you etc... The show was really good and I was impressed by the tightness of the 7 member group who often had 4 guitars going at once. The drummer was also very impressive and seemed to play a larger role in the live situation than he does on the records.

I had the day off Wednesday and continued working on new songs as well as the seemingly never-ending laminate floor project. Wednesday night was a Moth Mountain practice sans Evan who was otherwise engaged. Joe and I worked through the 4 finished songs a few times each and were starting to feel more comfortable with the material again by the end of the night.

Thursday night I headed down to Del's bar in La Crosse, WI to drum for Michelle Lynn with Adam on bass. The show was a lot of fun as our weekly rehearsals have continued to increase the amount of material we are comfortable performing together. Driftless Music founder Adam Wiltgen has been kind enough to tape some of these performances, check out Black Hole from our set at the Acadia Cafe last week below:

Friday was spent doing work around the house. I was also able to make it down to the Root Note to catch a portion of the Adam Without Eve CD release party where I watched 3/5 of Mouse Pocket deliver a quality set followed by good sets from a collection of local rhyme slayers including Hyphon and Efftupp. I spent the rest of the holiday weekend relaxing around the house doing cleaning, laundry and playing some music when I could.

I am taking the month of June off from playing any Brahman Shaman shows to focus on recording a talented local band, Neon. More soon...

Weekly Update - May 17th - 23rd - City

2010-05-24T09:23:00.000-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/auction">Auction by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

This past week ended up being fairly busy music wise. Taught a lesson on Monday afternoon. Did a rehearsal with Michelle Lynn on Tuesday evening after a nice long walk with her and Adam as we awaited the closure of the retail store below their apartment. Wednesday I spent the morning enjoying the outdoors while working on the arrangements for some new in progress songs. Spent most of the rest of the morning being frustrated by baseboard trim installation in the house. Got the yard mowed before it got too hot and had a good Shaman rehearsal with Jaran and Joe in the evening.

I also had Thursday off and again spent the morning working on songs and the most of the rest of the day being frustrated by baseboard trim, alas a carpenter I am not. Friday, Joe, Jaran and I headed up to the Acadia Cafe in Minneapolis to play at a Driftless Music showcase put on by Adam Wiltgen. Unfortunately the sound man for the show decided not to show and left the bands to sort of figure out on our own which we did with varying degree's of success. Had a lot of fun drumming for Michelle Lynn during her set and also had a fun electric Shaman set, however, the late night drive home was about 3 hours longer than I would have liked.

After unsuccessfully trying to catchup on missed sleep Saturday morning I headed down to Iowa for another Rearview Mirror rehearsal with the original lineup. Practice went well and it is always fun to hang out with Jason, TJ and Adam all in one place.

Made it back in time Sunday to teach a quick lesson and unload and set gear back up in the studio. After getting most of a large branch which had fallen cut up I retreated to the air-conditioning for a lazy end to the day.

Will be drumming this Thursday at Del's bar in La Crosse, WI for Michelle Lynn and with the other Bad Passenger, Adam Ptacek at 10pm.

Weekly Update - May 10th - 16th - Spill

2010-05-17T10:31:00.004-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/president-of-the-free">President of The Free by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

This past week was fairly uneventful. No live shows to play. Had another fun practice with Michelle Lynn on Tuesday after work and she has approved of Adam and I calling ourselves the Bad Passengers, so any shows we play with her will likely be billed as Michelle Lynn & The Bad Passengers... "are we there yet?"

Wednesday, we attempted the first official Moth Mountain rehearsal with a lineup of Joe Dawson on Guitar and Vocals, Evan Klug on Bass and me on Drums. It was a fun first practice and I am looking forward to getting more comfortable with the material and hearing some of Joe's new ideas. May try to do a show or two late this Summer or early this Fall.

I haven't been getting as much time to record and work on new ideas as I would like as I have been spending most of my free time installing laminate floor in the upstairs of our house and my limited construction skills and the slanted walls have made the job take longer than it should. However, I do have about five new songs written and I am trying to focus on a more defined groove for the songs. With this in mind I have been working on singing while drumming to spark some new ideas. I was attempting to video one of these sessions on Friday with the Iphone and inadvertently spilled a whole cup of coffee on my studio laptop, bah! Luckily after a few days drying out in front of the dehumidifier it seems to work like new and now has quite the delicious coffee aroma!

This week I will be playing with the Brahman Shaman electric trio (Jaran Carson & Joe Dawson) at an Adam Wiltgen established Driftless Music showcase at the Acadia Cafe in Minneapolis. I am really looking forward into taking in Chicane Theory's acoustic set as well as playing drums for Michelle Lynn's set if I can get up there in time.

Until next week, be well and create!

Weekly Update - May 3rd - May 9th - Double Duty

2010-05-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/im-sick-of-me-on-the-tv">I'm Sick of Me (on the tv) by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

Last week was filled with musical fun. I got to teach a lesson on Monday and my student has completed his first song and is now anxious to work on more. Tuesday I had a fun practice with Michelle and Adam until the lightning shut us down. Didn't do the usual Wednesday practice but still got to hang out with Jaran for a bit and chat drums. I spent Wednesday morning working on new song ideas and spent most of the afternoon working on home improvement.

Thursday night Jaran, Joe and I headed over to Ed's No Name Bar in Winona to play some Brahman Shaman songs opening for Danelectric and The Brilliant Beast. We had a lot of fun and I was happy that my new two amp set-up worked out as well as it did.

I spend Friday demoing a newer song as well as spending some more time working on bass parts for the Wiggle Puppy songs. Friday night Jaran, Joe and I headed down to the Root Note in LaCrosse to play two sets, the first as a WigglePuppy and then another electric Shaman set. The show was a lot of fun, I got to play bass for a set, play guitar and sing for a set, if only I had played drums the night would have been a real turkey... Imaginary Jack and Brilliant Beast both played great sets as well.

Saturday was spent cleaning the basement and setting up all the gear that had been brought to the shows the previous two nights, which was a surprisingly large amount. Also got a quick chance to try out the 1960's Zildjian Hi-Hats I got off of Ebay and while they sound awful paired together they sound pretty good matched a variety of ways with my Paiste hats... Sunday was Mother's Day...

Weekly Update - April 26th - May 2nd - Routine

2010-05-03T10:36:00.000-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/big-ideas">Big Ideas by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

I will keep this brief as this past week was pretty routine.

Worked and gave a lesson Monday.
Worked and practiced with Michelle Lynn on Tuesday.
Had the day off Wednesday, worked on new music and had good Brahman Shaman and Wiggle Puppy rehearsals.
Worked Thursday.
Had the day off Friday, spent some time playing music and was on 95.7 The Rock in LaCrosse, WI with Dio, spinning a few songs off of Animist.
Spent the weekend at my cousin's wedding in IA.

Two shows this coming week:

May 6th @ Ed's Bar in Winona
Brahman Shaman Electric Trio
w/ Dan Edmonds Band & The Brillant Beast
9pm

May 7th @ Root Note in LaCrosse, WI
Brahman Shaman Electric Trio & WigglePuppy
w/ Imaginary Jack & The Brillant Beast
8pm

Weekly Update - April 19th - April 25th - SpringFever

2010-04-26T11:20:00.001-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/popsung">PopSung by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

Monday and Tuesday were spent working. After work Tuesday I headed over to Adam & Michelle's new place in Decorah and we attempted our first rehearsal in the new space. I quickly realized that the drum kit that Michelle bought was going to need a little TLC to function correctly, but we still managed to get through a handful of songs before deciding that a room rearrangement might allow things to run a little more smoothly.

Wednesday was my 29th birthday and I had the day off and thoroughly enjoyed it. The early morning was spent sitting outside with a cup of coffee working on a new song. I made it down to Dave's guitar shop in the late morning and managed to find some great bargain items that will fill some roles nicely in the armory of rock. After lunch I fired up the mower for the first time in 2010 and decapitated my fair share of dandelions. Jaran and Joe were over around 5pm and we had a great time rehearsing the Brahman Shaman and WigglePuppy material and are definitely feeling more prepared for our upcoming shows.

Thursday was spent working although I did have the opportunity to teach a lesson to my Decorah student on the way home. I had a couple hours of relaxing at home before heading down to Del's bar to drum for Nick Shattuck from 10pm-2am. The show was a lot of fun, especially with the ace of Bass Patrick Longmire Jr. adding some sweet harmonies. This may be my last show with Nick for awhile as I will be otherwise engaged during his next two shows and then he is leaving for Catalina this summer.

Friday I had the day off and after sleeping in late to recover from the show at Del's I had fun working on some new music before a birthday dinner with my folks in the evening.

Saturday morning I continued work on a new song entitled BigOceanWave. I recorded a rough version of it on my iphone, however it doesn't seem to have reoriented it so it is sideways. Check it out below:

Sunday was mostly spent doing errands and relaxing and teaching a guitar lesson. Pretty great week overall, gearing up for a bunch of shows in May and my appearance on La Crosse's 95.7 The Rock Local Lixx on Friday, April 30th @ 11:00pm.

Weekly Update - April 12th - April 18th - Spring Breaker?

2010-04-19T09:50:00.000-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/lost-at-sea">Lost at Sea by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

Monday and Tuesday were spent working. Tuesday night Jaran & Joe were over and we did a split practice focusing first on the Brahman Shaman material and then on the Wiggle Puppy tunes. Things are moving along pretty well and I think we will be prepared for our upcoming shows at the beginning of May.

I had the day off Wednesday and spent the early morning working on a new song "Love it or Leave it".

It was a beautiful day outside and I was happy to get my container garden planted, now to see if anything sprouts.

I worked Thursday but had a chance to see both Adam Ptacek and Adam Wiltgen before I left Decorah for the day. After that I had a great meeting with local talents Neon at the Root Note. These guys write great songs and I am hoping to have the opportunity to help them get some good recordings done this summer at Ghost in My House Studio.

I had the day off Friday and my brother and singer-songwriter Mark Vana arrived early in the afternoon and we immediately set to work on recording nine songs. This project took us through Sunday noon and it was exhausting and rewarding all at the same time.

This next week is already looking busy, but maybe some relaxation time on the weekend...

Weekly Update - April 5 - 11th - Memory Lane

2010-04-12T11:34:00.000-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/sometimes">Sometimes by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

I was planning to sort of relax into April and work on some more studio projects, but the month is already keeping me very busy. Monday I worked and gave a lesson on my way home. Tuesday I worked and looked at a drum-set with Michelle Lynn so we can more easily rehearse without her needing to make the trek to Onalaska. Also had another Moth Mountain/WigglePuppy practice with Joe and Jaran on Tuesday night. I am getting a better handle on the songs and more used to playing bass again and really having a lot of fun.

Wednesday I had the day off and spent a portion of the day getting a better handle on some new studio equipment as well as doing my best to remember a number of old Rearview Mirror songs. I also learned that edits had been completed on my recent interview with Mark Judkins Helpsmeet for the "Song of The Soul" radio program on Northern Spirit Radio. It was fun to do a longer in-depth interview that really dug into the spiritual side of the music and you can check out the full interview by clicking HERE.

Thursday I worked. Friday I had the day off and busied my self with a variety of spring cleaning / organizational tasks as well as some more practice of old RVM songs. Friday night I headed down to Bodega to drum for Nick Shattuck from 9 to 1. The show was a lot of fun and I experimented with bringing down an even smaller kit as I don't feel talented enough to need all that many drums.

Saturday I headed down to Iowa for a rehearsal with the original Rearview Mirror lineup. We got some practicing in and a lot of good time to hang out and catch up. Slowly but surely we will prepare for a show or two this Fall. We also happened upon a full box of original Blown Out albums which we all thought were gone, get your copy before they actually are gone for good today by clicking HERE.

Weekly Update - March 29th - April 4th

2010-04-06T09:37:00.000-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/ancient-man">Ancient Man by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

I worked Monday and gave a lesson to my Decorah student. The song he is working on is continually developing. Brought a little digital recorder this time so we could give a little listen to what we have done so far. Hoping to surprise him with a free recording of his song at Ghost in My House Studio once it is complete.

I worked Tuesday and did an in-depth interview for Song of the Soul out of Eau Claire, WI with Mark Judkins Helpsmeet of Northern Spirit Radio. The interview consists of Mark interviewing me regarding the lyrical and spiritual aspects of seven songs off the recently released Animist double-album. I really enjoyed the content and depth of the interview as Mark asked probing questions that provided an opportunity for deep reflection on the meaning behind the album. Mark is currently editing the 60 minute interview down to 45 minutes and I will let you know when it is available.

I had the day off Wednesday and Michelle Lynn and Adam Ptacek were over to in the early afternoon for another enjoyable rehearsal of Michelle's songs. Practice definitely makes improvement and it is becoming evident that we are getting much more comfortable in our musical interactions which should make for some really fun shows in the upcoming year. Jaran Carson and Joe Dawson were over Wednesday evening for the first rehearsal of the Moth Mountain/WigglePuppy material for our upcoming show at the Root Note on May 7th. I really had fun filling yet another musical role, this time bass. Looking forward to getting a lot more comfortable with the material in the next couple of weeks.

I worked Thursday and enjoyed my brother who made it town from Chicago that evening. The rest of the weekend was spent doing family related events. However, I did have the opportunity, thanks to Adam Wiltgen, to attend the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra's performance at the Ordway Theatre in St. Paul, MN on Saturday night. This was my first time seeing a live orchestral performance and I thoroughly enjoyed it the refreshing musical perspective it provided and it definitely made my rock and roll flailings seem amateur by comparison.

Weekly Update - March 22nd - March 28th

2010-04-01T11:09:00.000-06:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/kdec-1005-fm-artist-direct-interview-march-19-2010">KDEC 100.5 FM Artist Direct Interview - March 19, 2010 by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

I am a little late in getting this past week's update up. Last week was so busy that it has taken me most of the week this week thus far to catch-up.

I had Monday off and it was pretty relaxing. Michelle was over in the morning for some more tracking on her upcoming album, Twisted Logic. Adam Ptacek was over a bit later in the day to lay down some bass parts. The Studio Projects VTB1 tube preamp I purchased to test out in the studio was terribly disappointing and it looks like the reviews are correct and one would need to spend at least $300 for a single channel pre to notice any improvement over the preamps in my interface.

I worked Tuesday and taught a lesson my Decorah student on the way out of town. We have been hard at work on his first original song and I am continually impressed with how well he is doing. I have also been surprised at how much I am enjoying teaching. I found that when I am up front with people and tell them that "I can't really read music that well and I am not going to teach your son/daughter a bunch of cover songs, but I will teach them how to use the instrument as a creative tool" it sets appropriate expectations and works out really well for all involved. Looking forward to adding more students in the near future.

I worked Wednesday as well and managed to get in a rehearsal with Michelle and Adam after work for our upcoming full show at Del's the following night. Practicing in my tiny basement can be a bit loud overall but I have really been enjoying playing drums with Michelle and Adam.

I worked Thursday and then headed down to Del's bar in La Crosse, WI to play drums for Michelle Lynn. We made it all the way through the 4 hour show without any noticeable mistakes and really had a good time playing. A couple of free Down Town Brown's from the local Pearl Street Brewery never hurts either.

Friday I had the day off and Joe Dawson was over at 10am to start work on the mixing of his 4 song Moth Mountain EP project. It went pretty smoothly but ear fatigue got the better of us by the end of the day and we will probably need to make some final modifications in the next couple of weeks before we release it to the public.

Saturday morning I headed down to the UWL Rec Center to do a Brahman Shaman solo-acoustic set for the annual St. Baldrick's Cancer Benefit. Nothing like singing songs in a gym while people are getting their heads shaved to give you a new perspective on you craft. I also brought a simple drum kit down and ended up playing drums for about three hours backing up Michelle Lynn, DocsFidelics (not sure of the name) and Nick Shattuck.

After the benefit I had a couple of hours before heading over to Winona to drum for Nick Shattuck at the acoustic cafe. The show went well but I could feel my energy level waning. Unfortunately, after 5 hours of drumming on Saturday I was too tired to make it downtown to the Popcorn Tavern to help one of my local favorite groups, King Everything celebrate the release of their Mermaid Frosting album. Hoping to catch them again soon.

Sunday was spent doing all the chores and errands I didn't have time for during the week. It was a fun week but also exhausting. I only have a couple of shows booked in April and am sort of looking forward to a bit of a break to focus more on studio projects, but I am sure I will end up playing more shows as I have a hard time saying no what I enjoy.

Weekly Update - March 15th - March 21st

2010-03-23T07:36:00.000-06:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/holy-roller">Holy Roller by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

The warm weather definitely has a positive effect on one's mood.

I worked Monday and had a good lesson with my Decorah student. We are continuing work on his first original song and the young writer is getting more comfortable suggesting lyrical ideas and modifying the chord progression. He has also done a great job of mastering the lead guitar lick we came up with for the intro and I am glad to see that songwriting has inspired him to spend more time with his guitar.

I had Tuesday off and Michelle Lynn was back at Ghost in My House Studio continuing work on her new album Twisted Logic. Adam Ptacek was over around lunch time and the three of us spent the next few hours rehearsing songs for the upcoming shows on March 20th at the Root Note and Del's Bar on the 25th. The more I get comfortable with the songs the more fun they are to play. I have really been enjoying having the opportunity to play some drums for other musicians both live and in the studio as it improves my drumming and gives me a much needed new perspective on songwriting in general.

Tuesday night Joe Dawson and Jaran Carson were over for a quick Brahman Shaman rehearsal in preparation for our set at the Root Note on Saturday. I am finally starting to feel comfortable with the trio and feel that we are definitely able to do the recorded versions of the songs justice.

Wednesday was spent working. Thursday I had the day off again and managed to get my drum parts recorded for 8 of the songs on Michelle Lynn's new album. Having recorded the guitar with a click track definitely this process go quicker, although it still took about 5 hours. After that Michelle and Adam were over for another rehearsal. Michelle has also been experimenting with the electric guitar and the handful of FX pedals I have available.

Friday I was up early and headed down to KDEC FM 100.5 studios in Decorah, IA for the weekly Artist Direct radio show. I enjoyed talking with Jeni and Tim and also got a kick out of hearing both Pride and Holy Roller from the recently released Animist album on the radio. I am going to try to get a copy of the show this week and will have it available online soon. I worked the rest of the day Friday. Friday night I headed down to the Bodega in LaCrosse, WI to play drums for Nick Shattuck from 9 to 1. Nick always seems to draw a great crowd and this definitely makes the show more fun.

Saturday night I had the opportunity to participate in a fun show at the Root Note. My good friend and local MC Hyphon opened the show with a great set, even performing our collaborative track "Have it Back". The Brahman Shaman electric trio followed and I can honestly say I had the most fun I have had thus far performing as Brahman Shaman. Driftless Music founder Adam Wiltgen was kind enough to grab some video of one the performance of Spoke of the Wheel, check it out here. Michelle Lynn was the headliner and she played a great set that started with her playing solo-acoustic until Adam and I joined her on bass and drums about halfway through. Adam got a video of a couple of songs available here and here and has also posted a new blog about the performance here.

Sunday was spent running errands, cleaning the house and just relaxing.

Weekly Update - March 8th - March 14th - Here Comes The Sun

2010-03-15T10:06:00.000-06:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/to-educate">To Educate by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

This past week was both very busy and very enjoyable. I had a great lesson with my Decorah student Monday. I am helping him write his first original song and it is really a lot of fun. He has already come up with some great ideas for the rhythm of the progression and is playing the lead guitar part we came up with really well. Hopefully we will get a little farther on the melody and lyrics next week.

Tuesday was my 5 year wedding anniversary, so besides working during the day I spent the evening with my wonderful wife.

Wednesday was spent working as well, however did get the chance to do another Brahman Shaman rehearsal with Jaran & Joe at Ghost in My House Studio for our upcoming debut gig as a trio at the Root Note on March 20th w/ Michelle Lynn & Hyphon. My song "Youth" from the recently released Animist double-album was featured on La Crosse's Z93.3 FM's Play it or Hate it radio program. I was surprised to get enough votes for a "Play it" and was pretty fun to hear my song on the radio twice in one hour. Also, really enjoyed hearing the snippets of people calling in and voting.

Thursday I spent most of the day helping Michelle Lynn record her new album, Twisted Logic, at Ghost in My House Studio. Michelle was a quick study with the click and we spent the day recording rhythm guitar tracks and scratch vocals. Thursday night Joe Dawson was in the studio to finalize overdubs for his 4 EP solo project, Moth Mountain. We are hoping to get it mixed and available online in within the next couple of weeks. Later Thursday night I enjoyed listening to Michelle Lynn on La Crosse's 95.7 The Rock Local Lixx radio program. She did a great interview and they even spun our collaborative effort, Death By Fear, from her recently released album, Pre Echoes for the Post Modern.

Friday I got some time in the morning to experiment with the new compressor I got for the studio before Michelle was back in the studio finishing up the the rhythm guitar tracks and scratch vocals on the 13 songs that will make up her upcoming release, Twisted Logic. Her partner and my close friend Adam Ptacek (Rearview Mirror, Objective Subject) was over in the afternoon and we had a fun rehearsal as a three-piece. Hopefully we will get a few more of those in before the Root Note show on the 20th, where we will be playing a few songs together and Del's Bar on the 25th where we will be playing 10pm - 2am.

Saturday night my friend and amazing bass player Pat Longmire picked me up and we headed to Tomah to play with Nick Shattuck at the Gas Alley Pub. We had a great time and really enjoyed performing as a three-piece.

Sunday I had another good lesson with local student. He is getting his fingerings in order and we will be hitting some right-hand rhythm techniques harder in the next couple of weeks.

In other news Ghost in My House Studio is now fully operational and available for bookings at a flat rate of $20/hr for tracking, mixing and mastering. Spring dates are already filling up so if you are interested in doing some recording just click here.

Audio Mastering - Dynamic Range Explained

2010-03-11T13:35:00.001-06:00

What is audio-mastering, what does it do, is it necessary, and most importantly, why is audio-mastering important to an independent musician? Before mastering my new double-album Animist, I spent a lot of time trying to answer these questions.

Simply put, audio-mastering makes your music louder. In other words, mastering is the difference between the volume level of (insert any major commercially released album here) vs. the volume of the album you recorded on your laptop or 4-track recorder. If you are not sure what I mean, just compare the volume of your favorite major label CD vs. the volume of a CD you recorded yourself.

Although the subject of mastering is much more complex than this, volume level is good place to start. Volume, or how loud a CD sounds is directly tied to the dynamic range of the recorded audio. Dynamic range is simply the range in decibels between the softest and loudest parts of a recording. However, it is important to remember that dynamic range is measured in the aggregate, i.e the dynamic range of a particular recording is based on a collection of the peaks and valleys of the audio signal as opposed to anyone particular peak or valley.

For example:

The difference between how loud a Frank Sinatra record sounds (dynamic range of about 12 decibels) versus the heavier, more aggressive recordings of Tool (dynamic range of about 6 decibels) is an example of how differences in dynamic range changes the listener's experience. In other words the Tool CD sounds much louder than the Sinatra CD because the overall range between soft and loud is smaller making the entire CD sound louder. If you are still confused there are some great visual examples of similar comparison available on YouTube. One of my favorites is available by clicking here.

During the mastering process a mastering engineer will take the bands mixed audio and attempt to make it have more punch and increase the overall volume through the use of compression. In this case, compression is used to increase the level of the quieter parts of a mix while compressing or limiting the peaks. During this process the dynamic range of the audio is reduced to make the whole recording sound fuller and louder. The amount of compression a mastering engineer uses is a large component in how loud or quiet your CD sounds.

Since the digital revolution of the early 90's there has been a push to make all recordings sound louder. For example, Pearl Jam's 3rd album, Vitalogy, released in the mid 90's has a dynamic range of about 9 db while the Radiohead's most recent release, In Rainbows, has a dynamic range of about 6 db. While you may be thinking, who cares I love both those records, it is important to understand how the quest for an ever louder CD is changing not only how recorded music sounds, but also our perception of it.

While a smaller dynamic range increases overall volume it also reduces the overall dynamics.The reason audio-mastering is so important to an independent musician is because you want your CD to sound as loud as those that are commercially released. The main problem is determining how loud is loud enough and how loud is too loud. I like to think about it in terms of how much do you want to "squash" your mix. For example it is easy to make your CD sound louder by using compression to "squash" the hell out of it, but by "squashing" the mix too much you lose the dynamics that you originally intended.

The debate amongst audio professionals in regards to how loud is too loud continues to rage. Organizations like the Pleasurize Music Foundation are attempting to gather support to standardize the dynamic range of all commercially released music at 14 decibels. Personally, I am still on the fence as to whether or not 14 db is the appropriate range or whether the reduction in dynamic range is destroying the quality of recorded music because for some genre's the "always loud" sound is exactly what is needed. However, I do think that is essential that independent musicians have a basic understanding of this concept because you don't want to spend hundreds of dollars having your album professionally mastered only to get it back and be disappointed with the loss of overall dynamic range.

In other words, be aware that some level of audio mastering is necessary to compete with commercially released albums, but one must be wary of taking that quest for loudness too far.

Until next time....

--Brahman Shaman

Weekly Update - March 1st - March 7th - Spring is in the air

2010-03-08T13:09:00.000-06:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/clairaudience">Clairaudience by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

This past week was a very enjoyable one. The weather stayed consistently mild, alluding to the approaching spring. I also had the chance to play music with a variety of people in a variety of ways which is my favorite thing to do.

Monday was spent working and scheduling conflicts prevented me from teaching my Decorah student. Tuesday was also spent working, however I did have time to release a free Animist 5 Song Sampler.

Wednesday I had the day off and despite sleeping in a little longer than I had planned I had time to record a basic electric guitar track for one song and drums tracks for two new songs I am working on before I accompanied Michelle Lynn and Adam Ptacek to the Dave's guitar shop to help Michelle pick out her first electric. She ended up picking out a cool Danelectro re-issue and I was so enamored with the guitar that I ended up buying one for myself. After the shopping trip, the three of us headed back to Ghost in My House Studio and experimented playing a variety of new and old Michelle Lynn songs as a three-piece with Adam on bass and me on drums. We had a blast and are looking forward to working up a good collection of songs to play together for some potential live shows.

Wednesday evening Jaran and Joe were over for another Brahman Shaman rehearsal. This was a lot of fun as usual and now that we are starting to feel more comfortable with the ten songs we have been focusing on we may try to add some more songs at the next rehearsal.

It was back to work on Thursday but afterwards Joe Dawson came over and finalized another vocal track as well as laying down a 2nd guitar on one of the songs. We also did some synth experimentation with a borrowed Roland Juno, but used up most of our time messing with the sounds. I think there are only a couple more overdubs left before we can start mixing and hopefully the whole project will be done within a couple of weeks.

I had work off Friday and got a little time in the morning to work on some bass lines for a new song. Michelle Lynn came over at 10am and we started work on the recording of her 4th album, Twisted Logic. Michelle played through all the songs for me and we did a quick live recording of them for reference and to figure out tempos. Michelle definitely seems more interested in tracking the songs with the click track this time which will make adding additional instrumentation that much easier. In the afternoon Adam came over to the studio as well and the three of us spent an hour or two trying out some more of Michelle's songs as a three piece.

Saturday was mostly spent doing errands and chores around the house. Saturday night I loaded up the drums and headed down to the Root Note to drum for Nick Shattuck's all ages CD release party. Nick drew a great crowd and we pretty much just played the album from start to finish and had a good time doing it. You can check out some of the videos of the performance by clicking here.

Sunday I had fun giving another guitar lesson and I find that it really helps to play drums with the student when we are focusing on rhythm aspects of guitar playing.

This coming week on Wednesday the song "Youth" from the recently released Animist double-album will be featured on Z93.3's "Play it or Hate it". For more info click here. This coming Saturday I will be heading to the Gas Alley Pub in Tomah, WI to drum for Nick Shattuck.

Until next time...

Weekly Update - February 22nd - 28th - Variety

2010-03-01T12:30:00.000-06:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/youth">Youth by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

This past week proved to be a musically diverse one and I can't help but enjoy the wide variety of musical adventures I get to have each week.

I worked Monday and taught a lesson to my Decorah student on my way home. We started work on his first song with a basic progression. After that we are planning to add some lead guitar licks to the intro and then we can start brainstorming vocal melodies. The more I give lessons, the more I enjoy them.

Tuesday I worked and did not get much time for music besides some vocal practice in the car on my afternoon commute and some brief drumming when I got home.

Wednesday I had the day off and spent a good portion of the day working on a new song entitled "The Will of the People" that is slowly but surely coming together, although I am still struggling with the timing changes between the sections. Wednesday evening was the second rehearsal with the full Brahman Shaman electric trio with Jaran Carson on drums and Joe Dawson on bass. It has been a lot of fun to play with these guys. We are just focusing on ten songs for now for our first official performance as the trio March 20th at the Root Note with Michelle Lynn & Hyphon.

Thursday I worked, but Joe Dawson was over at about 5 and finished up main vocal tracks for another of the 4 songs he is working, as well as adding more background vocals to "Of Devil's & Beasts". The material is really starting to sound good as Joe has a really cool voice that blends nicely with some great chord progressions. Hopefully a couple more sessions of tracking and we should be close to the mixing stage. After Joe left I headed down to Del's to play drums for Nick Shattuck's "Chorus & Verse" CD release party. The show was a lot of fun and the 4 hours of playing flew by much quicker than expected. Having recorded and produced "Chorus & Verse" at Ghost in My House Studio it was pretty cool to see the finished product and I am definitely glad both Nick and his fans are digging the sound of the record.

I tried to sleep in Friday after a late night on Thursday, but couldn't make it much past 8AM. Spent most of the day in Ghost in My House Studio doing more reorganizing and arranging of gear as well as doing some experiments that involve me singing and playing guitar while playing drums. This proves to be very difficult but also very rewarding when you can get a good kick/hi-hat groove going.

Saturday was again mostly spent running errands and doing home improvement projects... I also found out that "Youth", a Brahman Shaman song from the second disc of the recently released Animist double-album will be featured on La Crosse's own Z93.3 radio station as part of their weekly "Play it or Hate it" radio show. I should have more info for you on that soon.

Sunday was mostly spent cleaning and relaxing before the next week. However, I did teach a fun lesson around noon.

Until next time, check out www.brahmanshaman.com for the lastest news and upcoming shows!

Weekly Update - February 15th - February 21st - Progress

2010-02-22T08:21:00.000-06:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/ghosts">Ghosts by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

This past week ended up being very productive and enjoyable. The snow on Monday was light enough that I could still teach my Decorah lesson. I am starting to understand why people like to teach because it is very rewarding to help someone learn how to do something they could not do before, especially when you can see the creative spark in their eyes.

Tuesday was relatively uneventful. I had the day off on Wednesday and I spent the morning toiling away on new ideas. I also completed the mixing and mastering of Each & Every Night, a great song from the upcoming Brillant Beast debut album. Joe Dawson came by the studio in the evening and finalized bass tracks on a couple of the songs. The project is really coming together nicely and I am anxious to hear the completed songs once we start on vocals.

Thursday I worked and then had a great Brahman Shaman rehearsal in the evening with Jaran on drums and new addition Joe Dawson on Bass. Something about the three piece feels right and it is really nice having that low end support for the songs. The first show with the three of us will be March 20th at the Root Note in La Crosse, WI with Michelle Lynn & Hyphon.

The new issue of Second Supper came out on Thursday as well, which featured a Nick Shattuck cover story which includes some very kind words about yours truly relating to the recording of his debut album at Ghost in My House Studio. Check it out here. I am excited to see the physical copies of Nick's album this week and looking forward to drumming for him at his first CD release show, Thursday February 25th at Del's Bar in La Crosse.

Friday I headed up to Minneapolis in the morning and successfully sold a guitar, that was not getting enough use, through Craigslist without getting killed. I spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with my good friend and Driftless Music founder Adam Wiltgen. The whether was nice enough for a great walk into downtown St. Paul and we also had enough time to jam on some of Adam's songs which are evolving nicely and I am hoping I have the opportunity to record.

Friday evening I headed down to the Acadia Cafe in Minneapolis for the Driftless Music Showcase kickoff event. The show went great and I had the opportunity to play alongside a number of great acts including Kasey McKee, Akai, Talking Tree and The Brillant Beast.

Joe Dawson was back at Ghost in My House Studio on Saturday morning and he put in a solid days work getting the guitar doubling done on most of the tracks as well as a great lead vocal and some really cool background vox on one of the tracks as well. Now that we are getting closer to done and I am hearing the vocals I am getting even more excited about Joe's EP. You should all have the opportunity to hear it in a couple of months or sooner.

Sunday was mostly spent cleaning, getting groceries, home improvement etc.. In the afternoon I had fun teaching a lesson and my student really enjoyed jamming his blues riff while I played the drums. What can I say, playing music is fun!

Weekly Update - February 8th - February 14th

2010-02-15T13:19:00.000-06:00

This past week was a surprisingly quiet one at Ghost in My House Studio. I wasn't able to teach my Monday lesson in Decorah because the snow-storm started early and made me want to get on the road home before dark.

The snow continued through Tuesday forcing me to stay home from work. Besides a fair amount of shoveling I continued working on new songs and spent a portion of the day cleaning and reorganizing the studio. With such a small space, every items needs to have a place.

I was back at work Wednesday and only got a little time in the evening to work on some new song ideas.

Thursday was spent working as well and I headed over to Blooming Grounds in Winona to perform a solo-acoustic set with Adja Gildersleve and Corey Koehler. The show went pretty well, there is no P.A. there and it is actually pretty fun to play directly to a small audience with no amplification, seems a little more relate-able somehow and the audience can hear the lyrics better.

Friday I had the day off and thus had some time to mix "Each & Every Night", from the forthcoming Brillant Beast debut album. Also, finished up mastering the songs I have so far for that project. In the afternoon I spent a little time working on a bizarre video to promote Animist that is viewable below.

My wife and I spent the whole day Saturday installing some laminate floor in the upstairs bedroom. It came out good but we have been sore for the last couple of days.

Besides giving a lesson Sunday afternoon, the rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Spent the majority of it recovering from the flooring project and hanging out with the wife.

Weekly Update - February 1st - February 7th - Ramping Up

2010-02-08T09:24:00.002-06:00

After having a nice break to recharge the musical batteries last week this week was a little busier and a good warm-up for a musically active February and a very busy March.

Monday - Was the official release date of my new double-album, Animist. The album is available directly from me, at Dave's Guitar Shop, Deaf Ear Records, Kephart's Music, iTunes, Amazon etc... If you are going to download the album I would recommend getting it directly from me as it is cheaper, includes lyrics in pdf format and album artwork in jpeg format. You can also download in high quality Wave or Flac formats as well. The day went well and I had another fun lesson with my Decorah guitar student. He is coming along really well so I think we will start trying to help the young rocker pen some songs of his own next week.

Tuesday - Jaran Carson was over again for another rehearsal in preparation for the Friday show at JB's with Porcupine. Now that Jaran has become more familiar with the songs and we are getting more used to playing together we are having a lot more fun.

Wednesday - Fortunately I had the day off of work so I was able to spend most of it working on a new song, Reactions Inertia. The track has a pretty 80's techno song to it, but I tried it with just acoustic guitar and drums and I like the keyboard version better. Sort of learning on the keyboard as I go so it should be interesting to see what happens with it once it is more developed. Ended up finding some time to post the first in a series of blogs entitled "Thoughts from Ghost in My House Studio" regarding the concept of less is more. Check it out at Driftless Music by clicking here.

Thursday - After work I worked on Reaction's Inertia some more but actually ended up coming with part of new song, The Will of The People and spend most of the rest of the evening working on that.

Friday - Got some time to work on mastering about half the tracks from The Brilliant Beast's debut album. The material is really cool and I am looking forward to getting the rest of the tracks finalized. Found some time in the afternoon to post a another blog from the "Thoughts from Ghost in My House Studio" series that explains some of the concepts of audio mastering and dynamic range. Check it out by clicking here.

Performed a 10 song set of Brahman Shaman songs with Jaran at JB's Speakeasy opening for Porcupine and Dream 13. The show went well and we had a lot of fun. Porcupine killed it, one of the best shows I have ever seen of their's and they just keep getting better and better. I highly recommend taking the time to give those guys a listen. Dream 13 followed Porcupine and it is always a blast to watch Jeff Sherin play guitar, I affectionately refer to him as Honky Hendrix.

Saturday - Joe Dawson was over in the morning and he got bass and acoustic guitar tracks done for 2 of the 4 songs he is currently working on. The material is sounding really good and I am looking forward to hearing it with vocals soon.

Sunday - I made the trek over to Rochester in the morning to help my good friend and Rearview Mirror band-mate Jason Ptacek get his home recording set-up working correctly. It was good to see him, he played me some great riffs and I am really looking forward to hearing some of his new ideas recorded.

Until next week....

BRAHMAN SHAMAN

Weekly Update - January 25th - 31st - A Break

2010-02-02T10:20:00.000-06:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/pride">Pride by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

The last week in January was relatively quiet at Ghost in My House Studio. This was actually a nice break after a few busy weeks completing Nick Shattuck's new album, Chorus & Verse. Nick has posted a handful of songs from the record on his Myspace, check them out by clicking here.

On Monday the weather was a bit unpleasant so I didn't end up doing my Decorah lesson, just spent extra time carefully driving home from work.

On Tuesday, Wigglepuppy drummer Jaran Carson came over for another rehearsal in preparation for our upcoming show on February 5th at JB's Speakeasy in La Crosse, WI with Porcupine, Dream 13 & ConQueso. I am really looking forward to this show and have really been enjoying Jaran and I getting more comfortable playing together now that we have had a couple of shows and few practices.

On Wednesday the physical copies of Animist arrived, so I spent a majority of the day distributing those to retailers and mailing out promotional copies. For more info on that check out last week's blog post "Animist gets Physical". I also received the additional external hard-drive I ordered for the studio and am happy to say that I am now double-backed up.

Thursday was spent working and Friday was mostly spent taking a continuing education test in Rochester. I did get some time in the afternoon to test out some new kick drum beaters I ordered and am really preferring the attack of the wood-beater at this point, haven't had a chance to record with it yet though. I also had time to continue working on a new song entitled Reactions Inertia. I can't decide if I should do it on guitar or the Casio keyboard as I do want to force myself to branch out musically as much as possible for the next record.

Saturday and Sunday were spent doing errands, chores and working on home improvement projects.

Balance is key to an enjoyable life and this week was a nice break from studio work that has allowed me some time to rest my ears and plot the next project.

Less Is More

2010-02-01T13:36:00.000-06:00

Less is more. The less we have of some-thing the more we enjoy it. Whether that thing be music, relationships, food, alcohol etc... Contrast is the spice of our corporeal reality.

In our youth the value of a $ is much higher than in our adult life. Aging not only changes our value systems but also changes what we value.

I recently sold all my cds (those in good enough condition for re-sale) to the local Deaf Ear Records. I have about thirty cds left that didn't go to Deaf Ear or Goodwill. I got rid of the cds because the mp3 revolution reduced their use. Ironically, since I got rid of the majority of my cds I have actually been listening to cds more often. Because I have less choices it is easier to make a choice. I have rediscovered the value of the cd by having less of them.

The mp3, ipod, web 2.0 revolution has altered our experience of music in amazing ways. One now has the ability to store hundreds of albums worth of music in a handheld device, purchase music online and discover and enjoy millions of artists from around the world. In other words there is more music available, more ways to hear it and more ways to store it for later listening. This "more" has altered our perception and enjoyment of music.

The iPod and similar devices are great tools for musicians. The ability to store and have ready access to the entire catalog of music I have written all on one device is very useful. Besides my own music, I have hundreds of my favorite songs and albums on my ipod. While very convenient, this has reduced the value of any one album, artist or song because there is always more to listen to. For example, I often find myself downloading a new album I am interested in, loading it on the ipod, I will listen to it once, but, if it doesn't grab me right away it inevitably becomes lost amongst the hundreds of albums already on the ipod as I choose something more familiar.

Any independent musician would be a fool not to embrace the web for networking and promotional reasons...

The ability to record a song on your computer, upload it to the web and have it immediately available for millions of internet users around the world is astounding. But, in many ways this has actually reduced the value of any single artist because there is always more to listen to. The immense volume and variety of free music online removes any incentive for music fans to invest any time or money in one particular artist or album.

Even in the short 14 years that I have played in bands I have seen the devaluing effects of "more" in action. In the late 1990's, before the internet had become as ubiqitous as it is today, it was more enjoyable and financially stable to be an independent musician. A music fan's options to hear new music were few (infinitely so in comparison to today), which increased the value of the artist. The only way for fans to hear a band and its songs were to go to a show and/or buy the band's album (most likely at the show). Less options for people to access music inspired fans to invest more fully in a band by attending shows and buying merchandise.

While the evolution of information technology has had many destabilizing effects on the traditional means with which an independent artist can make a living and may have destroyed the "album" as a commercially viable art-form, there are also many positives. For one, it pushes an artist to work harder. The lack of huge albums sales and a dedicated fan base inspires the artist to hone their craft and to in essence value their own music more.

More success can also be a problem. The rise and fall of Nirvana is an example of this problem. They started out as a unique independent band that had a handful of die hard fans. After achieving immense commercial success they had many more fans, but the original die hards no longer liked them because everyone else did too. This obviously tortured Cobain, who found that his music was not as valuable to him as an artist when he had to play it to a stadium full of people who only began valuing his music when it became mainstream. In this example, "more" success reduced the value of fans to the artist.

The key to the "less is more" philosophy is not to focus on the "less" or the "more" but to find contentment in the space between.

In talking with a number of local artists that I respect and enjoy I have seen this unconscious evolution at work. A common theme in conversation with a diverse genre of artists like Michelle Lynn, Porcupine, Nick Shattuck, Hyphon, The Brillant Beast, and Kasey McKee is an organic feet-on-the-ground approach to their craft and their potential for commercial success. In other words these artists make music because they need to and it is essential to their emotional well being. They write songs and play shows with the realization that they will likely value it more than most potential fans. Less appreciation from others has inspired more appreciation of themselves and others like them. Their creativity has become a therapy for "more".

Would love to hear the thoughts of you the reader and get a discussion going.

--Brahman Shaman

January 27th - Animist gets Physical

2010-01-28T15:31:00.000-06:00

The physical copies of my new double-album, Animist, have arrived. I had been checking the FedEx tracking updates daily since the limited run of 100 copies shipped last Thursday, so I decided to call and have them hold the package at the nearest FedEx. I awoke early this morning (5:15am) from an anxious sleep, not unlike a child on Christmas morning, and rushed to the FedEx center in Holmen, WI where the box was waiting.

I am really happy with how the package turned out, thanks to the finding of Ernst Haeckel's old illustrations online. The package is a 4-panel eco-wallet that folds open to reveal a disc on each side. I spent most of the rest of the day mailing out some promotional copies and dropping them off at a couple of retailers in La Crosse, WI.

As of right now, Animist is available at:
Deaf Ear Records in La Crosse, WI
Dave's Guitar Shop in La Crosse, WI
Kephart's Music in Decorah, IA
or directly through me at www.brahmanshaman.com.

Weekly Update - January 18th - 24th - Good Job Done

2010-01-25T10:19:00.000-06:00

2010 continues to be an extremely busy and rewarding year.

Monday - Had a great lesson with my new guitar student in Decorah on my way home from work. Drove home from there and headed down to Ghost in My House Studio where the very talented, and all around good guy, Joe Gantzer (T.U.G.G) stopped by to add some of his electric guitar magic to a couple of the tracks on Nick Shattuck's upcoming debut album, "Chorus & Verse". Joe did an excellent job and it is always nice when a guitarist brings two cool small amps and a splitter box to run them both at once.

Tuesday - Jaran Carson, a good friend and often 1/2 of the Brahman Shaman Electric Duo, stopped by to do a quick preliminary rehearsal for our upcoming show opening for Porcupine and Dream 13 at JB's Speakeasy on February 5th. Now that we have had a few rehearsals and a couple of shows together things are really starting to gel and we are both having more fun because of it. A couple of more rehearsals and we should be all ready to roll on the 5th.

Wednesday - I had the day off and spend most of the morning working on mixes for Nick Shattuck's "Chorus & Verse". Nick stopped over after lunch and finished some vocal and harmonica overdubs as well as experimenting with some potential harmonies. Although I have been trying to take a break from writing any new music for a month or so, to clear the mind after the extended Animist writing/recording project, I did start work on a new song. You just have to follow the ideas when they arrive and let them take you where they may.

Thursday - At work most of the day but did have some time in the evening to tweak the mixes and the mastering templates for Nick' album in preparation for the listening party on Friday morning.

Friday - Got up early and spent a portion of the morning working on new songs. Nick arrived at 10:00am and we listened through a nearly completed copy of his upcoming debut album "Chorus & Verse". The listening session went well and Nick took a copy home for a more thorough review. The rest of the day was spent working on the new song and preparing the studio for Joe Dawson's arrival at 5pm. Joe stopped over after work and we set about laying down the basic tracks for two more of his new songs. The live tracking has been going really well and I have been having some good luck with some experimental room mic placement.

Saturday - Tried to take a little break from the studio but still ended up working on refining the new song through some keyboard experimentation. At 8:30 I headed down to the Popcorn Tavern to set-up drums to play for Nick Shattuck. Once we got all the musicians there and found all the necessary P.A. cables everything came together and we had a great show, unfortunately the last one with bassist Andrew Wild who is heading West in the near future. Margit Severson also did a great job of adding violin to some of the songs, much to the audiences delight. All the time spent recording and listening to the songs has really helped tighten up the sound and the set which definitely makes me look forward to the many upcoming shows. The more I play the drums, the more I like it.

Sunday - I had a good guitar lesson in the afternoon. Nick came over about 5pm and we made the final edits on the "Chorus & Verse" masters. We are both really happy with how the album turned out and I really enjoyed the process of helping another musician capture their creativity in a recorded format. I think this is a good omen for an increasing number of exciting recording projects at Ghost in My House Studio.

Weekly Update - January 11th - January 17th - ssstudio

2010-01-19T10:01:00.001-06:00

January continues to fly by. The week started out great as I began giving guitar lessons to a new student in the Decorah area who is conveniently located on my way home from work. He has a good basic understanding of the instrument and seems to know a majority of the open chords so I am looking forward to working on more lead guitar and songwriting stuff with him. I have determined that if I am ever going to make 100% of my living off musical endeavors that giving lessons will inevitably be an essential part of that. Though I am sort of testing the waters and starting out slow with only two regular students, the process has been very rewarding so far.

On Wednesday I was fortunate to have the whole day off of work so I got up early and spent the whole day tracking drums to a number of songs on Nick Shattuck's debut album, "Chorus & Verse", which I am producing. While my drumming has certainly improved greatly in the past few years it still takes a fair amount of effort and a number of practice takes to capture a performance I am happy with. However, I am really enjoying playing the drums as of late and the more I play the more comfortable I get which makes playing all the more fun.

After work on Thursday, my good friend and great musician Joe Dawson made the trek to Ghost in My House Studio and we set to work getting basic tracks for two out of four new songs he wants to demo. Already having the drums miked up from Wednesday's drum-tracking session cut out some serious set up time and we were able to get rolling right away. Joe's Savage Rohr 15 combo sounded great and we are both looking forward to fully utilizing it's capabilities during the guitar overdub phase of the process.

Friday turned out to be an amazing day in the studio as Nick was able to schedule four of the five musicians (besides myself) who are adding instrumentation to the album all on the same day. We got started at 8 am when local violinist Margit Severson came in and tracked her violin parts for four of the albums songs in under 2 hours. Next we had Andrew Wild, of local punk band Here's Johnny, in at 10am and he also did a great job, adding bass to a handful of songs. After lunch I had the pleasure of recording T.U.G.G drummer Ben Rohde as he added a killer beat to one of Nick's songs. It is always fun to listen to and record a great drummer as I get to spend a little more time focused on the mics and levels when I am not jumping back and forth between the computer and the kit. Ben also does this great groove on the hi-hat that slays me and really added a great feel to the song he was drumming on. We finished out the day by 5:30 or so with Gigi Galle coming in and adding some great backing vocals to a track from the album.

Saturday night I headed down to the Root Note to play drums for Nick during his headlining set. Andrew Wild was there on the bass as well and we had a great time playing his new album in it's entirety as we were all feeling that we had a much better grip on the material after working on it so intently in the studio during the week.

On Sunday I had another good lesson with a 10 year old guitar student. You can tell he has been practicing and it is always fun to see a young guitarist get more comfortable with the instrument.

All and all it was a great week of music, with the lessons, live performance and diverse recording sessions at Ghost in My House studio I couldn't be more satisfied. Helping people record their music is very satisfying, especially when scheduling works out as well as it did. It is great to be able to record other musicians using a variety of instruments and equipment. This feels especially good after spending a good portion of the last year toiling away alone in the studio working on Animist. Until next week.

January 12th, 2010 - Animist Pre-Order

2010-01-12T14:04:00.005-06:00

I am excited to announce the impending release of my new album, "Animist",

in just a few short weeks, on February 1st, 2010. "Animist" is a double album consisting of twenty songs spready evenly over two discs. Pre-orders (which inludes immediate digital download) are available now by clicking here.

I have been working on this album steadily since the release of "Vision Question", in September, 2008, and am excited to finally release it. I will be playing a number shows where the album will be available

in the upcoming months.

Weekly Update - January 4th - January 10th

2010-01-11T17:54:00.002-06:00

Finishing an album is always a painful process for me, especially when it is 20 songs on two discs. I have trouble calling anything done, but, I also cannot engage fully in new projects until I complete the current project. This is where the problem lies, as I feel that with more time I could always execute some instrumental or vocal performance better. I often forget that the any finished work art is nothing more than a snap shot in time, or in the multi-track recording world, multiple different snapshots of time layered on top of one another.

Having the artwork completed I determined that Thursday, which I had off from work, would be the day that the album must be completed as I would begin recording Nick Shattuck again the next day. While I started the day feeling I had side one of the album done, I soon found myself fixing vocals, tweaking mixes, mastering and remastering as I listened to the mixes on all of the music devices in the house. In the end, I just had to say done! Still spent the next 3 days second guessing myself, convinced I could fire off an emergency email to the manufacturer to halt the press until my improved masters arrived.

I guess in the end I will probably never be 100% satisfied with something I have recorded, especially if I look at the last 14 years are any example. Ironically enough this doesn't bother me. I have slowly learned to enjoy the process more and not take myself to seriously. While I still torture myself over some details I let some others go without a thought. Glad to be done with "Animist" and on to a rich musical year in 2010.

Friday, Nick arrived early at Ghost in My House Studio (a.k.a my basement) We set to work finalizing basic guitar tracks which took the first few hours of the day but went very smoothly. After the noon hour Nick basically killed it, knocking out the main vocal tracks for every song on the album. Not to be deterred by progress, he also completed his harmonica parts in one take. Called it a day in the late afternoon, happy to have gotten a large piece of the musical pie finished.

Saturday was mostly spent on errands, cleaning, relaxing and eating. Did get a chance to test out 7 different microphones on the snare drum. While I like the condenser at a close range the best, it would pick up to much hi-hat bleed to be useful, ended up deciding the SM57 still worked the best. I also taught my 7th lesson to my first guitar student. I have really been enjoying the process of rediscovering the guitar from a 10 year olds perspective, reminds me I need to get back to the basics.

December Newsletter

2009-12-02T12:01:00.001-06:00

December 2009 Newsletter

October and November both ended up being busier than expected and I was unable to find enough time to get a newsletter together either month. I have been hard at work on a new album and a variety of other musical projects and am definitely excited about a musically rich December, check out all the details below.

December 4th - I will be performing as an electric duo with Jaran Carson (WigglePuppy) on the drums at the Root Note in downtown La Crosse, WI. This show should be excellent for a number of reasons. First, the Root Note is my favorite local business in La Crosse and is owned and operated by many of my close acquaintenances. They provide a delicious local and organic food and beverages as well as a great venue for live music.

Second, I will playing the show with a diverse group of local musicians that I am excited to watch perform. One of these is local singer/songwriter Nick Shattuck who has been building a substantial following in the area. He has also been kind enough to let me play drums for him during a number of live performances over the past few months, which has been a blast, and I will be drumming for him again for this show. Nick has also asked me to produce his debut album "Chorus & Verse" which we are currently working on at Ghost in My House Studio. Nick is playing shows all the time with a revolving cast of musicians, for more info on his music and upcoming dates just click here.

The show will also feature a solo performance from my good friend and local hip-hop guru Blake Auler-Murphy a.ka. Hyphon. We collaborated on the song Have it Back earlier this year and are currently working on some new material together. Check out Have it Back and more songs from Hyphon by clicking here. Another great local act, Beauford Firebeard, will be closing the show. This will be my first opportunity to see them live and I am really looking forward to it. For more info on the show click here.

December 10th - I will be back at the Acadia Cafe in Minneapolis performing as a three piece with Andy Blessing on drums and Matt Uttech on bass who. My good friend and independent music industry maven Adam Wiltgen set up this show through the Diverse Emerging Music Organization (D.E.M.O). Adam will also be performing with the Brillant Beasts, another favorite Minneapolis area band of mine who are nearing completion of a new album as I type this. Hyphon will also be doing a set at this show. For more info on this show click here.

December 26th - This is a very special show for me because I will be performing for the first time with my brother Mike on drums. He will be in town from Chicago for the holidays and we have been itching to perform together for awhile now. The show is at the Popcorn Tavern in La Crosse, WI. We will be opening for Nick Shattuck, who I will be playing drums for.

Other musical happenings - My good friend and talented singer/songwriter Michelle Lynn was kind enough to add some amazing vocals to a musical track I wrote, the resulting song, "Death By Fear", will be on her recently completed new album, "Pre Echoes for the Post Modern". I also did a little bit of post production work on the record which should be out in early 2010. Her new album is amazing and definitely worth a listen, in the meantime, do yourself a favor and check out her first two albums by clicking here.

My favorite local band, Porcupine, is hard a work on their second record. I am quite excited to hear the new material because their debut album, "The Trouble With You", is still close to my favorite record of 2009. If you haven't heard any of their material yet do yourself a favor and get some more info on the music and upcoming dates by clicking here.

Adam Ptacek and I are still slowly working on more material for our collaborative project, Objective Subject, which is currently about half done. We have been working this one for awhile and hope to have it completed and released sometime in mid 2010. Look for more info in the near future.

I have been hard at work on material for a new album since the release of Vision Question in the Fall of 2008. I currently have 18 songs written and recorded to some extent for my as yet untitled second album. Hoping to pick the best 10-12 songs, with a little help from some close friends, and have the album out in early 2010. More info in the near future.

In other news I have begun giving guitar and beginning drum lessons. If you yourself are interested or know anyone who is feel free to drop me an email.

I am on all over the web on Facebook, MySpace, Itunes, Amazon, YouTube, Twitter, Band Camp, Zazzle, Blogger etc...
As always www.brahmanshaman.com is the best place to access BRAHMAN SHAMAN info and music on the web all in one place as there are links to all the above mentioned sites there.

Until next time, enjoy the holidays, be well and take a little bit of time everyday to do something creative.

September 8, 2009 - Long Weekend

2009-09-08T09:15:00.003-05:00

The extended Labor Day weekend was relaxing and productive.

Nick Shattuck began recording his debut album Friday morning at Ghost in My House Studio. He put in a hard day's work and became great friends with the ornery click track and got most of the basic guitar tracks recorded for the album. We will be back at it this Friday and should be able to get most if not all of the basic tracking done.

I will be playing solo acoustic this Thursday at around 7:30 at Blooming Grounds Coffee House in Winona, MN, opening for the Bluff Country String Band. Should be a fun show. For more info click here.

September 2nd, 2009 - What The Hell Ya Gonna Do (nowhere left to go)

2009-09-02T07:56:00.003-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/what-the-hell-ya-gonna-do-nowhere-left-to-go">What The Hell Ya Gonna Do (nowhere left to go) by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

Today's featured free music download is the newest song I have written and the last song I was able to get completely done during my recording time at Ghost in My House Studio last week. It is longer than most of my songs and has several parts so it may take a couple listens. Check it out.

September 1st, 2009 - Vision Question (the song)

2009-09-01T08:01:00.002-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/vision-question-the-song">Vision Question (the song) by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

Today's featured free music download is another new song I recorded last week. I had a love/hate relationship with this song for sometime as I have struggled to present it in a way that satisfies me, however everything worked out great with it last week and I am really happy with how the recording turned out. It will be available for free download today only.

Since it is the first day of September I think it is appropriate to layout what I have going on musically in the next month or so.

September 4th - First day of recording for Nick Shattuck's debut album which I am producing and recording at Ghost in My House Studio.

September 10th - Playing solo acoustic and opening for the fantastic Bluff Country String Band at Blooming Grounds Coffee Shop in Winona, MN. Show starts at about 7:30. For more info click here.

September 17th - Playing drums with Nick Shattuck at Del's Bar in La Crosse, WI. Show starts at 10:00pm.

September 23rd - Going to see Michachu and the Shapes live at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. Really looking forward to this show.

September 30th - Going to see Grizzly Bear at First Avenue. I have fallen in love with this group over the past few months and am really looking forward to seeing them live.

October 2nd - Playing two songs live and doing a brief interview on the Decorah, IA's KDEC 100.5 FM Morning Show at about 8:00am. The show can be streamed through the web, check out more info by clicking here.

August 31st, 2009 - Spoke of The Wheel

2009-08-31T09:39:00.003-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/spoke-of-the-wheel">Spoke of The Wheel by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

I was on vacation from work last week so I decided to spend a majority of the time recording new songs. Getting down into the basement studio by 7:00 AM and working until 4:00 or 5:00 in the afternoon day after day was both exhausting and rewarding. It was interesting to see how life would be if my only job was to write and record music all day, it was a blast.

Today's featured free music download is the first song I got recorded last week. I am really happy with the way it turned out and the instrumentation and overall sound is most likely what I will be utilizing for all the songs on the next album. I have been taking a step back from the loud electric guitars and drums in favor of a more emotive dynamic approach that works better with my voice. Check it out and send any feedback you have.

Last week I was also able to take a much needed break from the internet, social-networking and self-promotion and really enjoyed focusing on the music as opposed to trying to convince people to take the time to listen to it.

Today also marks the beginning of a month long cleanse. I will be avoiding all bad habits for the next thirty days including alcohol, caffeine, sugar etc... We will see how this goes. I think if I can get first the first week I should be good to go.

August 20th - Watered

2009-08-20T08:13:00.002-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/watered">Watered by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

Today's featured free music download is "Watered" from a 2002-2003's Completions.Constructions.&.Works in Progress Disc 2.

I will be playing both drums and guitar tonight at Del's Bar in downtown La Crosse, WI in support of Nick Shattuck. Should be a great show, music starts at 10:00 and goes until close at 2:00am. See you there.

August 19th, 2009 - Wasted

2009-08-19T08:05:00.002-05:00

Today's featured free music download is "Wasted" a song written and recorded in 2001-2002 while on the road with Rearview Mirror. The song addresses my growing disillusionment with the minor success Rearview Mirror achieved as we realized our record company had dropped the ball, so to speak, and we were playing shows with no promotion. This resulted in the shows being less and less fun as the lack of any continued success fueled interband turmoil. I was also just getting into Wilco which is reflected in the alt-country feel of the track.

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/wasted">Wasted by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

August 18th, 2009 - Denial

2009-08-18T08:27:00.002-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/denial">Denial by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

Todays featured free music download is a demo of "Denial" recorded Winter 2009 at Ghost in My House Studio.

I am in the process of booking a couple of shows for this Fall and should have more info up soon.

August 17th, 2009 - Guns & Gold

2009-08-17T08:03:00.002-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/guns-gold">Guns & Gold by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

The weekend slipped away too quickly as usual. Spent some time painting the bathroom after the recent remodel. Still found enough time to play some music and finished demo'ing a newer song, only five of those left to go and then I can take stock of what I have and decide if I am ready to tackle the full album.

Will be playing drums and guitar this Thursday with Nick Shattuck at Del's Bar in La Crosse, WI. Should be a blast, show starts at 10:00 and runs till close.

Today's featured free music download is one of my favorite tracks from Vision Question, "Guns & Gold", a song that was originally written in 2002-2003 and updated an re-recorded in 2007. Check it out.

August 13th, 2009 - Satisfy

2009-08-13T08:33:00.003-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/satisfy">Satisfy by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

Things have become very busy around Ghost in My House Studio. I am working on recording demos of about 6 new songs and once I get that done I am going to start work on recording a new album. I also will be helping Michelle Lynn with a bit of additional instrumentation on her new album that is quickly nearing completion. I will be helping Nick Shattuck record his debut album beginning in September and I am hoping to get another track to local MC Hyphon within the next couple of months.

In other news I will be performing with Nick Shattuck next Thursday, August 20th, at Del's in La Crosse, WI, my favorite bar. I am going to bring down a stripped down drum kit and will also be playing some guitar. Should be a fun show, starts at 10:00pm and runs to close. We are playing for tips, so bring your ones and I will work on my pole tricks.

I am anxious to get a new Logan Custom Hot Rod Telecaster I ordered from Robert Logan. Robert is a custom guitar builder from right here in Wisconsin who makes amazing hand-built guitars for a much lower cost than Fender, Gibson, etc... Definitely worth checking out if you are a guitar or bass player. This will be my second Logan Custom Telecaster. Check out a pic below:

August 12th, 2009 - Strange Behavior

2009-08-12T08:38:00.003-05:00

Today's featured free music download is "Best Behavior", a Vision Question B-Side. This song was originally written around 2003 and I had done some initial demos of the song at that point but ended up not doing anything with the song until 2007 when I made some attempts to make an updated version. I like a number of the elements of the song but could never get a version I was totally satisfied with. Check it out!

Also, I have got the preliminary site done for Ghost in My House Studio done, check it out at www.ghostinmyhousestudio.com.

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/best-behavior">Best Behavior by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

August 11th, 2009 - Spoke of the Wheel

2009-08-11T08:01:00.002-05:00

Thanks again to Adam Wiltgen for recording the above video of my performance at the Acadia Cafe in Minneapolis, MN on July 30th.

I have about 16 songs written for the new album from which I think I can select my 10-11 favorites. Time allowing I would like to get the album recorded and released by early 2009.

August 10th, 2009 - Weekend Recap

2009-08-10T08:38:00.002-05:00

The weekend was both relaxing and productive. I had a great time performing "Have it Back" live with Hyphon on Decorah, IA's KDEC 100.5 FM and am looking forward to working on some more tracks with Hyphon in the near future.

Besides recording my own music at my home/project studio I have begun doing some production work for other musicians and bands. I had a good meeting with local singer/songwriter Nick Shattuck on Saturday and will be helping him record his debut full length album in the near future. If you are interested in more information about Ghost in My House Studio and the music I have recorded there so far, just take a minute and stop by www.ghostinmyhousestudio.com.

My good friend Adam Wiltgen was kind enough to provide me with some more live Brahman Shaman footage. Just posted a live solo performance of Capture What Eludes You from my July 30th performance at the Acadia Cafe in Minneapolis, MN. Check it out here.

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/homeland-security-version-2">Homeland Security - Version 2 by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

August 6th, 2009 - Sometimes

2009-08-06T08:23:00.003-05:00

KDEC 100.5 FM Radio Show Update
Due to the length of the radio program we will only be able to do two songs live so there will not be time to do Clairaudience as was previously reported, however, Blake and I are still going to do Have It Back and Blake and Dru will do their collabo track. The show should be great and the three of us are really looking forward to it. I know a majority of you do not live in or near Decorah, IA, however, the show can be streamed anywhere through the KDEC website. Until the radio show, take a minute to enjoy Have it Back which is available for free streaming and download.

The August newsletter was delivered yesterday, if you didn't recieve it just subscribe by clicking here.

I have been starting to do a little more production related services for other friends and local musicians. This has been a lot of fun for me because it allows me to experiment with my microphones and recording equipment in ways that are difficult to do when you are recording yourself. I also love to help other musicians see their vision realized and really learn from watching the creative process of others. May put up a site soon for Ghost in My House Studio.

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/sometimes">Sometimes by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

August 5, 2009 - Radio Transmission

2009-08-05T07:53:00.002-05:00

My good friend Blake, AKA Hyphon, has invited me to be on Decorah, IA's KDEC 100.5 FM Morning Show with him this Friday at 8:00am.

We will be doing our recently completed collabo track, Have it Back. Blake will also be doing a song with Dru, AKA Efftupp, and then I will be doing an acoustic version of Clairaudience with Blake adding some improvised rhyming, should be very cool.

If you are not in the Decorah, IA area you can stream the show live. In the meantime check out Have it Back, which is available for free download streaming now.

In other news I got a new guitar last night, a parlor sized Guild, which has inspired more guitar playing, singing and other creative endeavors. For some reason getting an instrument that is new, or at least new to you, always seems to inspire new ideas. You will hear it's public debut live on the radio Friday morning.

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/clairaudience">Clairaudience by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

August 4th, 2009 - Yellow House

2009-08-04T08:02:00.002-05:00

The daily drive was a bit more enjoyable today. I got Grizzly Bear's previous release, Yellow House, in the mail last night and got to listen to it in it's entirety this morning. It's a pretty wild record with a bunch of strange sounds and auxillary instruments and I am looking forward to spending some more time with it over the next few days.

Last night I had the extreme pleasure of getting three cavities drilled and filled, unfortunately it is not possible to get the headphones loud enough to block out the sound of the drill in your mouth. The whole event inspired me to take better care of my dental health in hopes of avoiding this unpleasantness in the future.

The semi-annual gear purge is going well with a couple of the items sold already. I am considering upgrading to a nicer acoustic guitar because I do most all of my songwriting with the acoustic, I also would love to be able to give my backup acoustic to a close friend who finds himself guitarless. Music is for everybody and nothing makes me more excited than seeing others utilize their creative abilities.

I have a new song I am working on that I hope to record a rough demo of this week. Should be interesting as the song has 4-5 different parts which I am considering just doing in sequence with no repeating. Trying to push myself to construct more interesting song arrangements has been a learning experience.

Got all the live recordings from the Root Note show last Friday downloaded off the Iphone but haven't had a chance to listen through them yet. If anything turned out really well I will be sure to post it for your listening pleasure.

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/dimes">Dimes by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

August 3rd, 2009 - Weekend Recap

2009-08-03T07:52:00.002-05:00

I had a great time playing at the Root Note on Friday night. It was great to hear Joe do his solo set, hopefully I can talk him into doing it more often. Casey and Jeff's performance was also great. Special thanks to all three of those guys for joining me on a handful of songs towards the end of the night as well.

My wife was kind enough to operate the iphone for me and I have recordings of most of Friday night's performances, once I get a chance to get them downloaded I will try to post a few live tracks if the recording quality is up to par.

It never ceases to amaze me that there is so much great music that I have never even heard. Lately I have been really drawn to music from the 50's and 60's as I love the simplicity of the songs and the fact that they were recorded with real people playing all at once in a room, a feeling that is often lacking in this era of computer edited music. I am really enjoying the Sam Cooke compilation album I picked up used on Amazon. Sam has such a great voice and has done a wide variety of music. I also like that he wrote a number of his hit songs.

I don't have any shows scheduled at this point and after playing three in the last week I am anxious to have some time to focus on writing and recording new material.

Today's free music download is one of my favorite songs from Vision Question.
<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/we-stream">We Stream by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

July 31st, 2009 - Root Note Show Tonight

2009-07-31T12:19:00.002-05:00

Ended up performing sans rhythm section last night in Minneapolis as Andy was injured at work. Show still went very well and I hope Andy feels better soon. Had a good time hanging out with Adam W. discussing music, writing and the related industries. Really looking forward to the show tonight at the Root Note, a great venue with great energy.

The drive to Minneapolis gave me sometime to listen to music as I continue to enjoy the latest releases from Wilco, Grizzly Bear, Micachu and Feist. Also, finished listening to a great Coast to Coast show from March 14, always food for thought.

Starting to get in some samples of the merchandise I've been designing through Zazzle and really enjoying the result.

Look forward to seeing many of you tonight.

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/denial">Denial by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

July 30th, 2009 - Acadia Cafe Tonight

2009-07-30T08:16:00.002-05:00

I am really looking forward to playing with Andy B. and Matt U. tonight at the Acadia Cafe in Minneapolis. We have never gotten together to practice so there is a great spur of the moment improvisational feel to the show which makes it a lot of fun for me as I play the songs so much the same way on my own. We open the show at 9:00pm.

Haven't been listening to much music the last couple of days. Mostly NPR and Coast to Coast. Listening to a great Coast to Coast program about the spiritual experiences of extreme atheletes like mountain climbers and base jumpers that is really interesting.

As I mentioned yesterday I am trying to sell a bunch of gear I am not using on Craigslist and what not. I have gotten some pretty amusing spam scam messages that say things like "Hi,
I have instructed my assistant to send out your payment as soon you provide your full name,phone number and address. I can only pay via money order as am on business trip." Hilarious. I guess it is like telemarketing though, send it to a million people and a certain percentage will fall for it.

I have about 15-16 songs written for a new album, but I am really wanting to let the songs develop over a longer period of time, I have recorded some multiple times and doing performances of the songs with different groups has definitely helped the process. Enjoy the Process. While the new album will not be recorded or released any time soon, demos of about 10 of the songs are up at my online music archive site.

Also, if you haven't gotten a chance to check out my collaboration with local MC Hyphon, it is now available for free streaming and download. It was fun for me to work with music and musicians that are outside of my comfort zone so to speak.

I also have a track that my good friend Michelle Lynn and I collaborated on that will be on the new album she is working on. Until that comes out it is definitely worth taking a couple of minutes to check out her previous albums.

Objective Subject is another project I am really excited about. It is a collaboration album with my good friend Adam Ptacek. We always worked well together in Rearview Mirror and it has been great working on another project with him. The album is slowly but surely coming together. Haven't released any tracks yet but until we do you can check out some old collaborations we did together and also some of Adam's solo work.

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/pride-of-the-night">Pride of The Night by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

July 29th, 2009 - The Return

2009-07-29T09:10:00.004-05:00

Was in meetings yesterday so I didn't get a blog up. Got a couple of shows coming up tomorrow and Friday that I am really looking forward to. Tomorrow I am playing with Andy and Matt U. at the Acadia in Minneapolis, we hit the stage at 9:00 for a 45minute set. Friday night I am doing a show at the Root Note in LaCrosse playing solo with solo and duo sets from Joe Dawson and Casey Virock & Jeff Sherin. Should be a fun show, all ages, music starts at about 8:00-8:30. For more info on both of these shows click here.

I have almost finished uploading and organizing a archive of music I have recorded over the past 12 years. Most of the listenable cuts are available to listen to for free by clicking here. Definitely worth checking out when you have sometime.

Also, if you haven't heard it yet, my good friend Hyphon created a great track out of some music I recorded last year. Check it out now by clicking here.

In other news I am going through a musical gear purge and getting rid of everything I am not currently using. Not sure why I seem to do something like this on a semi-annual basis, but hey, my loss is your gain. Got a bunch of stuff up on La Crosse and Minneapolis Craiglist.

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/clairaudience">Clairaudience by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

July 27th, 2009 - Edit Path

2009-07-27T07:53:00.002-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/edit-path">Edit Path by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>
Today's featured free music download is an experimental cut off 2002's "Completions Constructions & Works in Progress : Part 1". Monday has arrived, once again signaling the end of a productive weekend. Had fun playin with Joe, Jeff, Casey, and Adam at the St. Paul Eagles Club. I am still struggling with being able to hear myself as well as I would like at the louder rock shows which directly correlates to my enjoyment of the show. I sing fairly quietly and singing louder to hear myself often results in bizarre African throat singing.

This weekend I listened to the new Portugal The Man record "The Satanic Satanist", pretty good record, a little more major key than their previous effort "Censored Colors", and to be honest listening to the new album just made me want to hear the previous record. Also listened to more Grizzly Bear, Department of Eagles, Micachu, Chordettes, Gentleman Reg, etc...

Getting an old Airline/Montgomery Ward 1x12 combo shipped to me today. Hoping it survives shipping in good shape and is a good pairing with my favorite amp. The Lectrolab 1x10 combo.

Couple of shows coming up this week should be fun. Thursday night at Acadia Cafe in Minneapolis with Andy and Matt U. and then a quieter percussion free show Friday night at The Root Note in LaCrosse, WI with Casey Virock, Joe Dawson and Jeff Sherin.

Finished up designing some new merchandise this weekend, got some buttons on order for my bandmates and am anxious to see how some of the designs look when they get shipped to me this week.

July 24th, 2009 - Capture What Eludes You

2009-07-24T07:45:00.002-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/capture-what-eludes-you">Capture What Eludes You by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>
Today's featured free download is a demo of "Capture What Eludes You". This song is really about how in life we are all searching for a purpose, something to make us want to get up in the morning and how often our fear of the unknown or trying something new prevents us from capturing what eludes us. If you have ever felt that way it is probably worth checking out.

I have got 3 shows coming up in the next week so you should easily be able to catch one. I am playing tonight in Minneapolis at the St. Paul Eagles Club with the full five-piece electric group, next Thursday in Minneapolis at the Acadia Cafe with the 3-piece electric group and next Friday acoustic/electric with friends Casey, Jeff S. and Joe at the Root Note in LaCrosse, WI. Check out Facebook for more info.

Casey and Jeff who play in the amazing Porcupine and also help me peform my music just did an interview you can check out online here.

Below is the albums I listened to yesterday:

Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
It took me awhile to get into this record, like a long while, but it was definitely worth the effort, may be true for you as well. Especially the opening track "Peacebone".

Blind Melon - Nico
My best friends and bandmates in Rearview Mirror (Jason & Adam) got me into this group finally a few years ago and I have become a big fan. This album is a collection of unreleased b-sides and what not.

The Dismemberment Plan - Change
This a really cool group that is no longer playing together. They released a number of albums and this is my favorite by far. Be warned though, if you get it you will be listening to it daily for the next six months.

July 23rd, 2009 - Jiggy

2009-07-23T07:59:00.002-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/jiggy">Jiggy by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>
Today's featured free music download "Jiggy" reaches deep into the archives and offers up a track that was recorded over 10 years. Gives you a good insight into what I was working on in Highschool. Listen and discuss.

Music I listened to yesterday =

Department of Eagles - In Ear Park
This is a great album which gets better with every listen. Featuring Daniel Rossen of Grizzly Bear. This album was released last year and definitely worth a listen.

Eddie Vedder - Into The Wild (soundtrack)
Pearl Jam's singer provides a musical soundtrack filled with short "Who" inspired tracks that do a great job of supporting a great movie. Definitely worth checking out the music and the film if you have not yet done so.

Frank Sinatra - Classic Sinatra
Oh to have Sinatra's sweet crooning abilities for even one day would be fascinating. This greatest hits style collection travels through the world of Sinatra. Always a great listen after lunch.

July 22nd, 2009 - Why oh Why Acoustic

2009-07-22T08:04:00.002-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/why-oh-why-acoustic">Why oh Why (Acoustic) by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>
Today's featured free download is an acoustic version of "Why oh Why" which was recorded during the pre-production stages of the Vision Question album. Check it.

Below are the albums I listened to yesterday.

St. Vincent - Actor
This is the second album from Annie Clark, a former member of the Polyphonic Spree who has discovered that she can make magical music on her own. I have really been enjoying this album and think it is definitely worth checking out.

Thom Yorke - The Eraser
If you like Radiohead you like Thom Yorke and I do like Radiohead. I also really enjoy his first solo album that was released a couple of years ago. Definitely worth spending sometime with this album.

Throw Me The Statue - Moonbeams Throw me the Statue is the solo recording project of Scott Reitherman. This album was released a couple of years ago on Secretly Canadian. While the album has way to many songs in my opinion, that does not detract from the fact that many are very enjoyable.

July 21st, 2009 - Escape Escape The Great Escape

2009-07-21T07:50:00.002-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/great-escape">Great Escape by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>
Today's featured free music download is a full demo of "Great Escape". This song is mainly focused on the drive to escape the structure of traditional society and just go live in the woods like an animal. We are animals after all and I think the drive to live on instinct is present in all of us. Also, three shows coming up in the next two weeks. This Friday at the St. Paul Eagles Club with the full 5 piece electric group, next Thursday in Minneapolis with the 3 piece electric band and next Friday at the Root Note in LaCrosse, WI with Casey and Joe acoustic.

Below are the albums I listened to yesterday in no particular order.

Criteria - En Garde
I am a big fan of singer/guitarist Steve Pedersen's other previous group, The White Octave, so I was not surprised to find that this debut album from the group he started after White Octave to sound pretty similar. Seems to be a pretty good record but still liking his work with the White Octave more.

Grizzly Bear - Vecktamist
Listened to this album last week as well, not tiring of it at all yet. Great record, if you haven't listened to it, do so now.

Pearl Jam - The Fixer (single)
The first single from Pearl Jam's new record "Backspacer" is now streaming at their Myspace site. Pretty cool little punk rock song, nothing to exciting here though. How does a great American rock band compete with it's own youth?

Thom Yorke - Present Tense (solo acoustic)
Thom Yorke debuted a new song at a festival this weekend, pretty hard to get much satisfaction out of the poor audio quality of the You Tube video but worth checking out if you are into Thom.

Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
I am not huge into Jazz, but I do like my the groups that push the envelope and love the experimental leanings of this double album. If you haven't heard it yet, make time soon.

Weezer - 8 bit Tribute Album
A Weezer tribute album with the songs reimagined in 8-bit. In other words Weezer as video game music from 1989. Not really that satisfying, didn't listen to the whole thing.

July 20th, 2009 - President Of The Free

2009-07-20T08:01:00.002-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/president-of-the-free">President of The Free by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>
Today's featured free music download is "President of The Free" off the Vision Question album which was released in Fall 2008. This song developed over a number of years with the first half of it having been written around 2003-2004. The "we" should be president of the free, you know it...

Had a great rehearsal yesterday with good friends in prepraration for the show at the St. Paul Eagles Club this Friday night in St. Paul, MN. Should be a great show full of good music and good fun. Will be back tomorrow with what I listened to today at work.

July 17th, 2009 - Addicted to Girls

2009-07-17T06:43:00.002-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/addicted-to-girls">Addicted to Girls by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>
Today's featured free download "Addicted to Girls" is a tongue-n-cheek lampooning of dating in highschool which was written and recorded while I was in highschool. Sort of a fun track, still get kick out of the really long and syncopated drum fills I programmed. Check it.

Below in no particular order is the albums I listened to on Thursday.

John Frusciante - The Will to Death
If you haven't taken the chance to check out any of John Frusciante's solo material you are missing a majestic boat. Recommended listening includes the album above and "Curtains". His music and approach has been a huge influence on my solo material, check out "Tides of Time" from last year's Vision Question Album for an example of that influence.

Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
I picked up the sophopmore effort from this group last year and the whole album is great, not a bad song in the bunch. Often compared to My Morning Jacket I think Band of Horses is more my flavor especially after the Evil Urges album. Worth checking out.

Bonnie "Prince" Billy - I See A Darkness
Decided to pick up this late 90's classic last year after people on MySpace kept telling me that my music reminded me of his. This turned out to be a very kind compliment indeed as Will Oldham delivers a haunting disc of great tracks. Took me a few listens to get into but now I cannot get enough.

Daredevil Christopher Wright - In Deference to a Broken Back
I had the pleasure of playing my first solo acoustic show in an opening slot from this talented band from Eau Claire, WI. Great harmonies and some interesting arrangements really elevate this debut album which was mixed by the might Bon Iver, another Eau Claire, WI native. Highlight track is definitely the "East Coast". Must listen.

July 16th, 2009 - Ugly

2009-07-16T08:15:00.002-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/ugly">Ugly by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>
Above we have another track from the archives. "Ugly" was a song I recorded in 2002. It was meant to be my mild attempt at making a Modest Mouse style song as I was a big fan of the group's earlier records. Check it out!

Below, in no particular order is the albums I listened to on Wednesday.

Junior Boys - Begone Dull Care
This is a record I picked up earlier this year that is pretty much straight electronic music. I find it relaxing, the production is excellent and I also think a lot of the vocal lines are really well written. Check it out if you are into electronic music.

Kasey McKee - Well Wisher
This is a great debut album from a Minneapolis, MN based singer-songwriter. Kasey recorded the album all by himself in his 2nd floor apartment and the result is great songs and great sounds, definitely worth checking out.

White Rabbits - It's Frightening
This is another album I picked up earlier this year. I really like the sound of the record, it reminds me of Radiohead at different points. Worth a couple listens at least.

Jim James - Covers George Harrison Streamed this EP of My Morning Jacket's Jim James covering 6 George Harrison songs online.

Dead Weather - Horehound
I have to be honest and say that I was anxiously awaiting this lastest Jack White side project. While I never paid that much attention to the White Stripes or the Raconteurs I was intrigued by this latest combination of players. Have only had a chance to listen to the record a couple of times and I like it pretty well, especially the monstrous kick drum sound. However, I think it is funny how much the instrumental track "Birds" sounds like a musical demo of Korn's "Freak on a Leash", bizarre.

T.V on The Radio - Dear Science
I will agree with the majority and say that this is a great record with a great title. If you haven't checked it out yet you should.

Okkervil River - The Stand-Ins
This album, released last year, is the first record I heard from these guys. I am a fan of it, especially the traded vocals of "Lost Coastlines", which is a standout track, in my opinion.

July 15th, 2009 - Gold This Plant (Bronze This Tree)

2009-07-15T07:35:00.003-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/gold-this-plant-bronze-this-tree">Gold This Plant (Bronze This Tree) by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>
Today's free music download is "Gold This Plant (Bronze This Tree)" a stream of consciousness song I recorded at Ghost in My House Studio sometime in 2006. Never made it on to any official album but I still dig the feel of the track and think you might to. Check it out!

Here is a breakdown of the albums I listened to yesterday.

The Builders and the Butchers - Salvation is a Deep Dark Well
This album came out earlier this summer and I picked it up used on Amazon for a $1. Only have had a couple of chances to hear it all the way through. It is definitely an interesting record very focused on the devil vs. salvation. The singer sounds a lot like Colin Meloy of the Decemberist.

Pale Young Gentlemen - Black Forest (tra la la)
This is another record I picked up earlier this year. This a great band from Madison, WI. Definitely worth checing out.

Micahu & The Shapes - Jewellry
This is a new group from across the ocean. Frighteningly bizarre on the first listen this album has grown on me and is now my favorite record of the year thus far. Going to do my best to catch a show when they are in the U.S. this fall.

Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Just a classic record. Was not a big Beach Boys fan in my youth but have come to really enjoy them. Hoping that some of their beautiful sunshine harmonies rub off on me.

The Dodos - Time To Die (pre-release stream)I got into this duo last year and really loved their first record, "Beware The Maniacs". There second record "Visiter" was also good. They are currently streaming their new record "Time to Die" at the link above and will be releasing the album in the coming months.

Battles - Mirrored
I am a huge fan of these guys and their latest record "Mirrored" is a great starting point for new listeners. They are more of an instrumental math/experimental rock band. I can't seem to get enough of them.

The Chordettes - "They're Riding High" Says Archie
I discovered this amazing female vocal quartet from Sheboygan, WI when I was scouring the internet searching for the version of "Mr. Sandman" that I remembered from an episode of Family Ties I had seen during childhood. The sound and songs are this record are great and it really makes me appreciate the simple recording techniques utilized in the 50's and early 60's.

Deerhoof - Offend Maggie
I am a big fan of this group, especially their drummer Greg Saunier. Definitely worth checking out some of the live videos on You Tube. Had the opportunity to see them last year at First Avenue and it was an amazingly tight show. They are not for everyone though, I recommend starting with their "Friend Opportunity" album which came out before "Offend Maggie" as I think it is the most accessible.

July 14th, 2009 - Download Polyglot Demo Album Free

2009-07-14T07:41:00.003-05:00

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/album/polyglot-demo">Clairaudience by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>
Today's free download is the entire Polyglot Demo Album. This album is a collection of ten demos recorded over the past year that may make it on the new album I am working on. Check out some of the songs in their formative stages.

I also have decided to expand this blog a bit and will be posting albums I have listened to on my work commutes and in my office. Yesterday I listened to the following albums:

Grizzly Bear - Vecktamist
I had never listened to these guys before but the buzz for their latest record drew me in and it has really grown on me, definitely worth a listen.

Gentleman Reg - Jet Black
A Canadian group released this album earlier this year and I have been enjoying it from time to time.

Radiohead - Amnesiac
One of my favorite Radiohead albums. I didn't start listening to Radiohead until Kid A was released so I sort of enjoy their post Ok Computer music more, although it is all great.

Porcupine - The Trouble With You
This is a great band from LaCrosse, WI that just released their debut disc earlier this year. They are great live and on the record and definitely worth checking out.

Wilco - The Album
Picked up the new Wilco album last week and it turned me off at first, couldn't shake the feeling that it sounded like adult contemporary soft rock, but repeated listens have revealed how great a record it really is.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz
I never really got into these guys when they were blowing up on their first couple of records but decided to give this one a chance and I love it. It really appeals to my electro-pop interest.

July 13th, 2009 - Free Album Download

2009-07-13T08:05:00.002-05:00

Beautiful start to the week. Today only I would like to offer a free download of "Medicated Mostly Meaningful" a album I recorded in 2001. This material was recorded on a dilapidated old PC utilizing the left ear of some headphones as the microphone I am really happy with the mood and how it sounds like emotional robots or something. Anyway, this material is quite a bit different than the more pop-rock stuff I am doing now but fans of Thom Yorke's solo material, wacky Radiohead stuff and Bjork may dig it, check it out.
<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/album/medicated-mostly-meaningful">Sometimes by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

July 10th, 2009 - Download Vision Question for FREE!

2009-07-10T07:23:00.003-05:00

Now that I have finished uploading a majority of my listenable (in my opinion) back catalog, not yet having addressed a number of albums I made straight to cassette(which will take some time to get on the computer box), I have decided to provide a free download of my entire 2008 album "Vision Question" for today only. Thanks for all your support and Enjoy!
<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/album/vision-question">House of Hay by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

July 9th, 2009 - PopSung

2009-07-09T08:43:00.002-05:00

The BRAHMAN SHAMAN archives are slowly but surely being uploaded to http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com. Band Camp provides a free service which is pretty amazing and is allowing me to put my whole back catalog online. I continue to feature a free daily download from this collection. Today's free track is "PopSung" the title really doesn't have much to do with the song but I think the track represents a great example of the experiments I was doing with mashing to very different musical elemements in an exciting way.
<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/popsung">PopSung by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

July 8th, 2009 - Into The Sunshine

2009-07-08T08:13:00.003-05:00

Today we have another track off the "On The TV" album which I recorded and originally released in 1999. All the songs on the album were recorded in my windowless basement bedroom on my Yamaha Cassette 4-Track. I would spend hours down there with headphones on making noises into the microphone.
<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/into-the-sunshine">Into The Sunshine by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

July 7th, 2009 - Clairaudience new version

2009-07-07T07:55:00.001-05:00

Today we have the newest version of Clairaudience. I recorded this version a couple of months ago and it is a bit quicker than the Demo version. I am still taking steps to improve the site and implement a way to easily get all of you new music.

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/clairaudience">Clairaudience by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

July 6th, 2009 - Pushing.Spinning

2009-07-06T07:42:00.004-05:00

Today we have another track off the Medicated Mostly Meaningful album which was released in 2002. "Pushing.Spinning" is a fair amount different from most of my more recent material and it is more focused on creating an atmospheric sound as opposed to being a short and catchy pop rock song. The more I listen through some of my older material the more tempted I am to return to a more electronica infused sound.

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/pushing-spinning">Pushing Spinning by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

July 3rd, 2009 - Some Day Soon & New Site Info

2009-07-03T05:15:00.007-05:00

Welcome to the new BRAHMAN SHAMAN - Free Music site. You can now subscribe to the BRAHMAN SHAMAN - Free Music RSS Feed, allowing you to get your daily free music sent directly to your RSS feed aggregator of choice. To subscribe just click the subscribe button below this widget. Each post also now includes the share/save link which allows you to share any song you like through email, facebook, twitter etc... This new site also only allows me to put up one song per post so for posts that include more than one song they can be accessed by clicking the subsequent posts, blah blahblah.

Today we have "Some.Day.Soon", another song off 2002's Medicated Mostly Meaningful Album. The material on that album is a fair amount different from what I am doing now and simply represents a different part of my musical interests than I am currently trying to express.

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/some-day-soon">Some Day Soon by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

July 2nd, 2009 - Channel 9

2009-07-02T08:23:00.007-05:00

Today we have another track from the archives. "Channel 9" was a song I recorded 11 or 12 years ago on my Yamaha 4-Track in the basement of my parent's home which was then in Cresco, IA. I don't have a lot of memory of the motivation for the song but I believe that it was referencing my love hate relationship with television and how it can be a complete waste of time but also an enjoyable waste of time.
<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/channel-9">Channel 9 by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

July 1st, 2009 - Medicated Mostly Meaningful

2009-07-01T08:00:00.002-05:00

Today we have "Sometimes", my favorite track off the album "Medicated Mostly Meaningful" that I released in 2002. The whole record was influenced by Bjork's Homogenic album and Radiohead's Amnesiac, which were the only two records I was listening to at the time. The whole album was also recorded through the line input on my computer which translates into some interesting clipped sounds.

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/sometimes">Sometimes by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

June 30th, 2009 - Part 2 - Best Behavior

2009-06-30T08:01:00.002-05:00

Best Behavior

June 30th, 2009 - Spoke of The Wheel

2009-06-30T08:00:00.002-05:00

This summer has been amazingly mild for the most part and I am enjoying it. For today we have a live acoustic version of a newer song "Spoke of the Wheel", there is also two live videos of this song available online,click acoustic or electric.

June 29th, 2009 - Monday Monday

2009-06-29T08:00:00.002-05:00

Monday monday so good to me. Today we have a live acoustic version of a newer song, "Ghost In My House" which is about the supernatural activity in the house and my feeling that maybe it is my spirit causing all the mischief. We also have a demo of "Stack The Deck" a song written within the last year or so.
<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/stack-the-deck">Stack The Deck by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

June 27th, 2009 - The Old with the New

2009-06-27T08:00:00.004-05:00

Decades are both long and short. Today I have uploaded "I'm Sick of Me" a song I recorded in my parent's basement in 1999 on my Yamaha Cassette 4-Track for my "On.The.T.V" album while I was still in highschool. I have been writing and recording my own songs and compiling tapes and cd's since 1997 and I literally have hundreds, so I will be incorporating some of these old tracks as part of the free music project. I have also uploaded "Greed" a demo of a song I wrote and recorded prior to the financial meltdown. Have a good weekend, my next post will be on Monday.

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/im-sick-of-me-on-the-tv">I'm Sick of Me (on the tv) by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>
<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/greed">Greed by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

June 26th, 2009 - Part 2 - Youth

2009-06-26T08:01:00.001-05:00

Youth

June 26th, 2009 - Homeland Security

2009-06-26T08:00:00.001-05:00

Today I have posted "Homeland Security", a B-Side demo from the Vision Question album which I wrote a portion of several years ago and combined it with a newer section. I like the song but didn't think that the version I recorded fit with the rest of the material on Vision Question. The second track is an acoustic version of a newer song I am working on called Youth.

June 25th, 2009 - Great Escape & Ready The Net

2009-06-25T08:00:00.003-05:00

Today we have a demo of "Ready The Net" another song I am working on for the new album and a recent live acoustic recording of "Great Escape". I have 16 songs written for the new album but I want to give them sometime to gestate and evolve before finishing them. I am still struggling with getting this page to render correctly across all browsers (IE, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, etc), got some new ideas to try to remedy this today.
<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/ready-the-net">Ready The Net by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>

June 24th, 2009 - Vision Question - The Song

2009-06-24T08:01:00.000-05:00

Vision Question

June 24th, 2009 - Web 2.0 - Capture What Eludes You

2009-06-24T08:00:00.003-05:00

I am a web programming novice, so if any of you are having trouble viewing this page just drop an email to brahmanshaman@hotmail.com and I will do my best to fix it. Today we have "Capture What Eludes You", a demo recorded last fall at Ghost in My House Studio and a rough version of a newer song aptly titled "Vision Question" which was recorded on my trusty Olympus Voice Recorder.

June 23rd, 2009 - Site Launch

2009-06-23T08:00:00.002-05:00

To provide some material to start my free music site I have uploaded the demos Clairaudience, Pride of The Night, Great Escape, Lost At Sea and Polyglot, five songs I have written over the past year. All of these songs were recorded at Ghost In My House Studio in Fall 2008. I often record songs multiple times because it allows me to hear what they sound like with different instrumentation, tempos, lyrics and arrangements, it is also a good way for me to learn the parts better. Thanks for listening.

<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/clairaudience-2">Clairaudience by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>
<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/pride-of-the-night">Pride of The Night by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>
<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/great-escape">Great Escape by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>
<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/lost-at-sea">Lost at Sea by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>
<a href="http://brahmanshaman.bandcamp.com/track/polyglot">Polyglot by BRAHMAN SHAMAN</a>