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01/12/2015: REMEMBER. HOPE. ACT
Today is World's AIDS Day and reminds us that we are still far from having won the fight against HIV. Here is a song I wrote a few years ago trying to imagine how I would feel if I was one of the 34 million people in the world living with the virus.
How would you feel if, some bleak morning between too many parties and just as many hangovers, you were suddenly told that you had HIV ? Would you break down and blame the whole world ? Or would you live the rest of your life like there is no tomorrow knowing that a candle which shines twice as bright only last half as long ?
This is a rock song about AIDS. Because every 10 seconds, somewhere in the world, someone still dies from it.
It lasts 3:44, I let you do the maths.
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26/11/2015: CONFESSION OF A MUMBAI SURVIVOR
Not just the early morning chaos of the Victoria Station Terminal or an evening walk down Juhu Beach. But the 2008 terror attacks which claimed the lives of 178 people, 7 years ago to this very day. It does not make me a hero. It was only luck that I could find a place to hide while others saved lives, often at the cost of their own. It did not turn me into anybody special. The recent attacks in Paris reminded me that what happened that night in Mumbai is far from over. And in many ways, I must confess I sometimes feel ashamed that I do not have more to show for the last 7 years of my life. Few people can change the world. Maybe the best we can do is to keep in our mind the faces of the people gone, in our hearts the wounds that never heal but remind us how fragile our lives are. And try to live each day touching and being touched by as many people as possible. This a song taken from my last concert, a few years ago: "immerse your soul in love". |
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16/11/2015: C'EST LA NUIT QU'IL EST BEAU DE CROIRE A LA LUMIERE
I have spent the last few days since Friday's terror attacks in Paris in a daze. The gunfires and the cries coming from France seem to resonate in my head, mixed with the ghosts of my own memories.
It is Mumbai all over again. But this time in my country, in the streets where I used to walk, the places where I used to go out and maybe with the people I used to know.
Glued to the images on my screens, one part of me wants to run away and hide. Leave behind the madness of this world. But this is not what our children have a right to expect from us, and far less than what the fallen-down innocents deserve. And as I wipe away the tears another part of me wants only revenge. Drown them in flames, lay everything they care about to ashes.
Fight fire with fire. And the whole world burns down.
Don't get me wrong, the victims of such atrocities deserve justice. And the evil doers must get retribution. But if our only answer is to drop more bombs in the middle-east then we haven't learned anything; I keep thinking just one of these bombs would allow to build dozens of schools for children to really learn what it means to be human, to believe in a god which is full of love and not hatred.
If I was in Paris, I would let my tears flow on the pavement and I would probably have given my blood. Instead I'm sitting at my desk wondering what I can do, me, to honor the victims of Paris, Madrid, London, New York and Mumbai. I cannot see a better way to mark their memories than helping the children of Syria, in the hope that one day they will reject the abject inheritance that fanatics are trying to force down on them. And maybe together we can show the world that we will never give up believing in man, believing in the future.
"C'est la nuit qu'il est beau de croire à la lumière".
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29/09/15: BARON ZERO IS FINALLY ON FM4, AUSTRIA'S BIGGEST ALTERNATIVE RADIO
This will obviously mean more to the Austrians in the audience: after a one-year long wait Baron Zero's first EP "No easy way" has finally made it onto FM4, Austria's biggest alternative radio !
Or not.
It is actually available for listen on "Soundpark", FM4's online forum for independent bands. Which I will confess is rather far from being played between 2 McDonald's commercials.
Apologies for the blatant overstatement, but the title did a good job at impressing my mother-in-law. And what is the point of being the only reader of this blog if I can't indulge myself from time to time ! |
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04/06/2015: NO EASY WAY (AND NO SEX MACHINE EITHER)
I recently submitted No easy way for a placement opportunity and the A&R manager at the record label was kind enough to send me some friendly advice:
Mmmm, there might be a point to it.
I did kind of try to license it online but then the service I normally use (Limelight) apparently went bust. And since I'm not ready to take on the Mr Dynamite Estate all by myself I have decided an alternative version without a hint of James Brown (except for the funk edge ?) would be the safer option. AKA "No easy way" (and no Sex Machine either)" ! |
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30/03/2015: CHECK OUT THE NEW BARON ZERO MUSIC STORE
Over my years as a self-marketed musician I have tried many online distribution platform.
From CD BABY back in 2006, TUNECORE in 2009, REVERNATION in 2011 and DITTO in 2013 (as I prepared to release the latest Baron Zero EP).
All had some great benefits which were at the time unique and convinced me to switch: CD Baby offered me the option to sell physical CDs easily on Amazon, Tunecore got me into iTunes and Ditto gave me the possibility of pre-orders.
Fast forward to 2015 and I have now opted for ONERpm as my platform of choice. Finally I get the option to manage from one place my own store, the main online distribution platforms and the option for fans to sell my music via Widget.
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09/03/2015: DOWNLOAD BARON ZERO'S NEW SINGLE "BLACK FLIES" (FAN'S EXCLUSIVE)
Thanks to all the 18,245 of you who were kind enough to like BARON ZERO's latest single 'Black Flies' on Facebook.
That's a lot of of good karma, and you certainly deserved an exclusive link to the track which come a few weeks ago.
Plus the extended AIDS' Day version of 'Positive', a song which was featured on last year's 'No easy way' EP.
Just press 'download' and keep it rocking !
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07/02/2015: THIS IS THE NEW BLACK; GET YOURSELF A LIMITED EDITION BARON ZERO T
Here is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of the day for all those of you who liked the remix of 'No Easy Way': for less than 20 bucks, you can get your hands on the super limited Tshirt.
Black edition (the free download is on us).
Only available at SongAmpr and seriously mucho, mucho macho.
What more can I say ? Black is the new black.
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03/02/2015: NEW RADIO vs OLD, OR WHY PANDORA'S BOX SHOULD HAVE BEEN KEPT OPEN
I'm sure you have heard the story already: in Greek mythology, Pandora (the first woman on Earth) was given a jar by the Gods and told not to open it under any circumstance. What do you think happened ? Yeap, she opened it and released all the evil contained therein over the earth. Only Hope was left at the bottom when she closed it.
As a musician, PANDORA'S BOX takes a different meaning. And I guess we would rather see this particular box open from time to time.
I have just received a rejection note from PANDORA, the internet radio service, which reads as follows:
Thank you for your interest in Pandora. After careful review, your submission for "Baron Zero 'No easy way'" was not approved. To understand more about this decision process, please click here. Good luck with your work and please keep us in mind with any future releases.
The Pandora Curation Team
Curious enough to click on the link provided, I get to the following message:
We have a deep respect for artists and their work, and we take the responsibility of curating Pandora’s collection very seriously to give our listeners music and comedy that enhances their personalized listening experience.This decision has been made purely on the basis of what is best for Pandora’s collection. We curate music that works for personalized radio listening, and that we expect will connect with an audience.
Pandora takes this responsibility very seriously, and we aspire to be as consistent and accurate as we can when reviewing submissions. Each submission is reviewed carefully by one of our curators, independent from bias.
Okay, being rejected (or adored) is part of being a musician and this sure won't be the last time. But there is still one thing that nags me: I naively thought that internet radio was supposed to be about discovery.
Like a Pandora’s box of new music, right ?
Apparently not: I guess new radio is not that different from old radio after all.
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28/01/2015: LEGENDARY ROBBIE WILLIAMS AND LED ZEPPELIN'S PRODUCER REMIXES BARON ZERO "NO EASY WAY"
NO EASY WAY for the title track for the first EP of BARON ZERO which came out a year ago (and is still available to buy in case this money is about to burn a hole in your pocket).
Here is the remix done by STUART EPPS who worked with none but Robbie Williams and Led Zeppelin.
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14/01/2015: DOWNLOAD BARON ZERO'S NEW SINGLE "NEVERAFTER" (FAN'S EXCLUSIVE)
Hey, BIG thanks to all of you for liking BARON ZERO's new single "Neverafter" on Facebook.
Since you guys obviously have outstanding tastes in music, here is an exclusive link to the track which has come out this January.
And just because it's you, I also added in a remix of the previous single 'No Easy Way' by producer Stuart Epps of Robbie Williams and Led Zeppelin's fame. Is this still Christmas or what ?
Just press "download", sit back and jiiiiiiiiiiingle all the way !
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12/01/2015: HAPPY NEW YEAR ? HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE ONE TINY HABIT AT A TIME
January always seems like the ideal time to take good resolutions and change your life ... or forget them quickly and not change anything, as it tends to happen.
I'm no stranger to the phenomenon: I used to joke that I stopped smoking every year on January 1st and it would last a day or a few weeks depending on the year.
However it the last 4 months I did not just stop smoking (5 months and counting), I succesfully completed Tim Ferris' 30-day NOBNOM challenge twice, drunk more than 2 liters of water each day, went low-carb, took cold showers several times a week, went up the stairs every time rather than the lift, praticed guitar a few hours per week, started to excercise every morning and medidate every evening, ... the list carries on.
And you know the best thing ? It wasn't even particularly difficult.
Take smoking for instance: I actually did not really decide to quit smoking, I simply decided not to buy any cigarettes for 21 days. And after 2 weeks, I did not feel like having a cigarette at all.
Since that first success, I have started to experiment more and kept building new habits into my life. Sure, some might take more time (I found it easier to skip a bad habit then build a new one, it also takes longer if the habit is less frequent), you might even have to start back from the start a few times but bottom line is it really works.
If you want a good starting point, have a look at TYNAN's book (from which this post take its inspiration). In case you want this year's resolutions to last longer than the end of January.
Happy New Year !
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07/01/2015: C'EST LA NUIT QU'IL EST BEAU DE CROIRE A LA LUMIERE
It is hard not to feel despair tonight as I look to the west towards Paris, the city where I lived so many years.
The names of the journalist murdered today at Charlie Hebdo echo those of too many other victims of blind and mindless acts of terror. And it brings back some of the words I wrote after Mumbai:
Today / it seems the world has fall prey / to the madness of an eye for an eye / for a while.
Today / it seems the world has gone astray / turning deaf to the tears and the cries / tell me why.
Someone wrote that it is in the darkest night that you should believe in light. So maybe there is hope that the events can remind us that tolerance and freedom are not to be taken for granted. They are values worth fighting for, values which unite us beyond races, politics, money and religion.
Wherever you come from, whatever the color of your skin, whichever God you pray to, whatever flag you salute, I will embrace you as a brother. I will not always agree with your ideas (as was the case for me with Charlie Hebdo), but I will listen and fight to make sure you have the freedom to express them today and tomorrow.
But if you choose violence and hatred in an attempt to make them prevail, you will find me and countless others on your way.
Je suis Charlie.
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01/01/2015: NEW BARON ZERO SINGLE "NEVERAFTER" IS OUT NOW !
True enough, the mastering took slightly longer than I triumphantly anticipated in my post last summer (although in all fairness I did not anticipate the subsequent laptop meltdown) but it is finally done.
The album will come out end of March and in the meantime the very britpop-esque new single "Neverafter" is already available in all your favorite digital stores.
Still dazed from last year's celebration ? Just pop in another aspirin and click on play.
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17/07/2014: WHO SAID THAT VINYL WAS DEAD; JACK WHITE SHOWS IT'S STILL KICKING
Who ever said that vinyl is dead ?
According to Soundscan (quoted by Hypebot here), JACK WHITE's latest album Lazaretto reached the number one spot last week, selling 138,000 copies of which 40,000 were vinyl. Which happens to be the largest sales week in vinyl for any title since SoundScan began collecting data in 1991.
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15/07/2014: FOR SOME REASON MY LAPTOP DID NOT AGREE WITH PREMASTERING
Well, that might be a bit of a problem ... but as I always say what's the point of having a bank account if you can't spend (some of the) money you don't have ?
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25/06/2014: PUTTING THINGS (AND SONGS) IN THE RIGHT ORDER
Getting the track listing for the new album has been a lot harder than I expected at first. I knew I wanted to start with one of the 3 short instrumentals as an intro and which song should come next.
But beyond that ... I have tried so many permutations that my head spins !
Before the walls start slowing down, here is the current (latest ? final?) track listing for BARON ZERO's forthcoming album 'Nomad's land'.
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17/06/2014: THE FINAL 100 YARDS FOR THE NEW ALBUM JUST STARTED
Finally every track for the new album has been recorded, edited and mixed. Which does not mean that the album is ready since it will take a few weeks for the mastering to be done.
This is always the step which leaves me feeling the most impatient: I want to listen to the final tracks, and I want to share them with the rest of the world. NOW !
In the meantime, I have started to work on the album art (above is the front cover).
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02/06/2014: NEW BARON ZERO DEMO 'NEVERAFTER' (GUITAR SOLO)
Now that the bones in my hand and arm have glued back together, it is time to finally finish the work on the final track of the forthcoming album.
Ironically, 'Neverafter' was the first song that I wrote (actually the first one that I EVER wrote) and the last one to be recorded.
But I'm confident it will be worth the wait: the instrumental version is ready, the vocals in the box and as a little taste of things to come, here is the roaring guitar solo in all its glory.
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19/05/2014: HOW TO MAKE MONEY WITH MERCHANDISING IN 4 EASY STEPS
I have been playing with the idea of putting together some merchandising for quite a while; as you can see above from the design for a limited edition T which would be bundled with the 'No easy way' single.
(And the crowd goes "yeah !")
But like many of you I'm sure, I haven't really got around to do it.
(And the crowd goes "oooooh")
So the post from SOURCE (the blog from NationWide Disc) comes as a handy reminder that merch makes you money and is not that complicated to set up.
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12/05/2014: COLDPLAY SENDS FANS ON A LYRICAL SCAVENGER HUNT
I have posted before about how under-used lyrics tend to be a as a marketing tool. It seems like COLDPLAY have paid attention (well done, lads) as shown by one of the ways they chose to promote the upcoming release of "Ghost Stories".
They didn't just hide the lyrics in libraries, they hid them in "ghost story books in libraries in nine countries, located across the planet", with clues posted ob their Twitter account.
As a reward, one of the finders was promised a "special Golden Ticket" (doesn't it sound deliciously Chocolate-factory-ish ?) to see Coldplay perform at the Royal Albert Hall on 1 July."
And of the search was documented on their website with pics of the lyrics page and a listing of the finder, the library and the book in
which it was hidden.
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11/05/2014: CONCHITA WURST RECONCILES US ALL WITH THE EUROVISION
It's fair to say that I had my doubts about Conchita's chances.
Not about the song which I found absolutely terrific from the first time I heard it and which was easily the best song of the evening in its Goldfinger-like over the top glory.
Not about the performance which was flawless, as you would expect if you had followed Conchita through the first steps of her career here in Austria (starting back with 'Starmania in 2006).
No, I simply had some doubts that Europe was not ready for her and that people in most countries would stop at the controversy. But I was blow away to see it wasn't the case and most of them were simply open to this unforgettable moment.
Respect for this, maybe we are all becoming a bit more tolerant one small step after the other.
And respect to Fraulein Wurst for daring to become who she wanted to be. In spite of the doubts, the criticisms and the laughters. Which remained in everyone throats as soon as she started to sing.
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05/05/2014: MI.MU GLOVES BRINGS MUSIC TO YOUR FINGERTIPS ... LITTERALLY
I have posted before about IMOGEN HEAP and what was an earlier version of the Mi.Mu Music Glove, developed with a team of designers from NASA and MIT.
The gloves are able to tracks the motion of your hands, senses postures, detects sharp movements like drum hits, and enables customized gestures tailored to your style of music.
In order to finalise design and start production, it is now the object of a Kickstarter campaign which gained more than 600 backers even though it is far from the goal they have set.
Still, very, very cool.
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27/04/2014: ANOTHER CASTING SHOW, BUT WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES ...
The casting for DIE GROSSE CHANCE (the Austrian equivalent to "Britain's got talent") was a much more enjoyable affair than for THE VOICE yesterday.
Since a large part of the country's population had apparently decided to enter the competition as singers, I first had to go through a pre-casting. Which gave me the opportunity not only to warm up my vocal chords but also tell my story (terror attack and all).
Then onto the main casting, where I finally had a chance to sing the whole 3 minutes of Michael Buble's "Feeling good". The performance was good but but probably not enough to qualify for the live show considering the number of competitors.
Still, it is a TV program after all so the voice is not the only thing. And interestingly, everything that made me unsuitable for THE VOICE could actually prove to be an advantage here. Clearly having only teenagers (even with incredible voices) would not be so exciting, they need different people with different stories.
I'll admit it was a long shot but we will know in a couple of weeks if it paied off.
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26/04/2014: A HARD CASE OF REALITY CALLS
Well, the whole experience by THE VOICE today left me quite frustrated and more than a bit angry.
Not so much with the fact that I did not go through to the second round. My voice is good and has certainly improved over the last year, but I'm still not in the same league as many of the other contestants who have absolutely terrific voices (in addition to being cute and poppy teenagers).
Not even with the fact I had less than a minute and a half to sing: I could hardly finish the intro of 'Feeling good' (for which I did a rather good job) before I had to quickly move onto the second number for roughly 20 seconds ('Superstition', which I made a mess of). But clearly, having 3 times the age of some other contestant, I would have to sing at least 3 times as well to compensate. Fair enough ...
What I did not expect was for the jury and the presenter to be downright rude, both making remarks about my 'advanced' age. And the feedback I got was nothing but dismissive. I understand they ask themselves what the hell I'm doing there (I kind of ask myself the same question at least once a day) but this is no excuse.
Still, what did I expect ? A red carpet ? A golden contract ? It's reality and I guess sometimes reality bites back.
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20/04/2014: JACK WHITE SETS A NEW RECORD FOR FASTEST-EVER RECORD RELEASE
I have to say, there are only few artists which I admire as much for their creative genius as for their marketing talent. BECK definitely, PRINCE to some extent. And certainly JACK WHITE who has established a world record for putting together the fastest-ever released record for 'Lazaretto'.
Recorded, mastered, pressed and sold out of his own Third Man Records store in Nashville in just three hours and twenty-one minutes.
That's what I call living in the fast lane !
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07/04/2014: I REALLY SPOILED MYSELF FOR MY BIRTHDAY ... WITH A BROKEN HAND
I went back to the hospital this morning and since I had to wait most of the morning (which on the positive side allowed to correct all my students' papers), I thought I might as well ask for an extra x-ray of my left hand which is still painful.
It turned out that the xray was not completly conclusive and I had to wait longer to get an MRI, and even longer for the specialist to come and have a look.
I guess it was all worth the wait since, in addition to a broken arm and a couple of cracked ribs, I now know that I also have a micro-fracture in my left hand.
Very rock'n'roll for sure. Except that I can play guitar and it might last a while ... Bummer !
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30/03/2014: ANOTHER UNFORGETTABLE BIRTHDAY ...
Since today is my birthday, it seemed like a good idea to go skiing one last time this winter.
Probably not such a good idea in hinsight as I ended up with a broken arm and a few cracked ribs after attempting a 360 back flip at the end of a half pipe (obviously the truth is far less impressive but the results just the same).
I'm just back from the hospital and I guess you can say I'm rather lucky: neither the elbow, the wrist or the hand have been damaged (and since it is the left hand, I can still type this down albeit at an even slower rate than usual), the bone has broken neatly and did not move. So, all in all, I should be in for 3 weeks with a cast.
Sparing me the embarrassment of singing at 'The Voice' with it at the end of April. Too bad I probably won't be able to accompany myself on the guitar. But what really hurts right now are the cracked ribs. Hopefully it will get better quickly because otherwise I won't be able to sing more than 3 notes without screaming in agony !
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24/03/2014: GETTING READY TO TAKE PART INTO 'THE VOICE'
After some thoughts, I have decided to register for 'The Voice of Austria' again this year with the first auditions taking place end of next month just outside of Vienna. Unlike its German cousin, it is not broadcasted on TV which is probably a good thing as I won't have to worry about making a complete fool of myself in front of the whole country !
But of course it does not mean that the competition will be less formidable, especially since this time I have decided to make my way throught the live auditions rather than the online application.
I certainly feel that all the time I have spend in studio is paying off, I'm now much more confident in my own voice and much better at knowing how to use it best. But, let's face it: judging from last years' winners, there is no way I will even manage to get through the first round on the voice alone.
Which means I have to make sure that everything else, from the choice of the songs, the attitude, the arrangements to the stage performance has to be thought through. So, it took me a while but I have finally come up with a short list of songs which could take me all the way to the final (in line with my motto 'hope for the best, plan for the worst):
- Stevie Wonder - Superstition
- Michael Buble - Feeling good
- John Newman - Love me again
- Pharell Williams - Happy
- Rihanna - Stay
- Doobie Brothers - Long train runnin'
- Wild Cherry - Play that funky music
The only thing now is to make sure I do them justice in my very own way.
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18/02/2014: ANYBODY KNOWS A GREAT NAME FOR AN EDM BAND ?
Finally the dance music side project I've been involved in since last year is about to see the light of day.
If I may say so myself (why the hell shouldn't I), it sounds absolutely fantastic. It is hard to actually believe I'm the one singing. And of course having someone as talented as Maya Hakvoort (who sang in Elisabeth, Les Miserables and Evita among others) on backing vocals can only make it more amazing.
Now, the only thing we need now is to make the harmonizer work. And find a suitable name for a brand new red hot EDM act.
Any idea, anyone ?
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13/01/2014: THE RETURN OF THE MAD TEACHER
I'm about to reboot my teacher career later today as I will start to take some unfortunate students through the fundamentals of marketing over the next semester. Getting ready was more work than I thought but once things are in place, I should have more than enough time to get back to writing recording.
I'm sure the classes themselves are going to be fun, I'm definitely looking forward to it !
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07/01/2014: BARON ZERO NEW EP 'NO EASY WAY' IS NOW AVAILABLE TO BUY
Finally, every track has been recorded, edited, mixed, EQ'ed, re-mixed, pre-mastered, re-recorded, re-re-mixed, compressed, maximised and mastered (re-re-remixes will have to wait for another day).
Finally, it is available on all your favorite online platforms, including iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and Deezer amongst others. If you can resist the urge to get your hands on it, you can get all the details here.
And in the meantime, you are invited to a party ! A listening party I'm afraid so no free buffet, and no good looking waitresses but you can always make yourself another coffee, press play and leave your comments after the jump.
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15/12/2013: FINALLY MOVING ONTO THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF MY LIFE
Today was my last day in the office. I guess you could say that things well pretty much according to plans: after one year in the job my boss was fired, after two years my company was sold and after three years ... Well I didn't get to that point since I was fired before alongside most of the employees !
Tonight was the last Christmas party. Like any good funeral parties should be, it was full of drinks and laughters, full of good memories and nostalgia. Full of life. And it was important for me to be there, to see the coffin being laid into the ground and to throw one last handful of earth on that chapter of my adventures.
Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life. I can't wait to see the sun rise ...
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09/09/2013: MAYBE I SHOULD GO ON HOLIDAYS MORE OFTEN
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18/11/2013: ROBBIE WILLIAMS AND GUY CHAMBERS REVEAL THE TRUTH BEHIND "LIFE THROUGH A LENS"
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11/11/2013: AFTER 3 YEARS, STILL FEELING LIKE A TIGER IN A LAND OF SNOW
Yesterday was DIWALI and in honour of my 3 year-old Indian daughter, we decided to do something this year to celebrate the occasion.
We therefore drove one hour west of Vienna to go to Schallaburg and attend the last day of the "India of the Maharadjas" exhibition, which in fact covered most of the country's history till the present day. And even though it was a far cry from walking down the streets of Mumbai, it made me realize how much I miss India, as well as the rest of Asia.
More than 3 years after moving back to Europe, I still feel like a bengali Tiger in a land of snow.
Happy Diwali everyone !
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05/11/2013: WHAT MATTERS IS NOT THE MUSIC, IT'S THE STORY
If you have been reading some of this blog, it should be obvious to you that this is not only about the music (however hard I work on it and however great you may find it).
It is about the story, my story as a musician but also as a person.
I don't believe it is necessary to share everything in order to build connection but I know that I care more about the people I know and this also applies to the musicians I love.
BRITTANY COOPER wrote a very good post going in the same direction on ECHOES, from which I copied a few lines:
If you write music or perform or breathe in and out on a regular basis, you have a story. The key is identifying it and effectively sharing it with your fans because, regardless of what you may think, they actually do want to hear it.
Fans want to be more than just listeners, they want to be involved, and the artists who have figured this out are rising to the top.
On with the rest of our story ...
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22/10/2013: WHAT PRICE ARE YOU READY TO PUT ON YOUR DREAMS
Call it the wonders of the digital age ! Today I had the opportunity to spend 30 minutes on Skype talking to world class producer from LA; no name at that stage but suffice to say that he developed and produced a band which went on to sell more than 60 million albums worldwide and played a key role in inventing nu metal along the way.
Although the conversation was (too) short, he gave me unvaluable insight on my songs but also inspirations as to which musical directions I could be taking in the future. And he also pretty much invited me to come to LA next January to work with him on a few songs.
Which got me to think seriously about what is the price I'd be ready to put on my dreams.
Flying to LA and producing these tracks would probably cost me at least 30,000 $ for recording (including studio time and musicians) and mixing. Quite a lot of money especially when you don't really have it.
But also quite cheap for having a shot at your dreams. And let's be honnest, going into a LA studio to record some of my songs and having the chance to work with an A-list producer would go down as one of the highlights of my life ... whatever happens afterwards.
I guess you can say it is time to put the money where my mouth is. But I might have to sell the car first !
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08/10/2013: TREAT YOUR BAND AS A BRAND ... BUT FIRST LEARN WHAT IS A BRAND
As an "ex-future markeeter", I often tend to take a few things for granted.
Like what is a brand, why does it matter and what it means for band.
Here is a simple but accurate reminder which could be used in marketing schools.
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07/10/2013: HOW TO GO FROM YOUTUBE COVERS TO SELLING 5 MILLION DOWNLOADS ?
A few years ago I happened to be in Manilla ahead of a concert by BOYCE AVENUE. I was taken aback to see the amount of frenzy their venue generated with Philippinos.
These guys started by doing covers of other artists on YouTube (they even covered every song of the new Coldplay album before it was on sales - meaning they came on top of the YouTube search everytime someone was looking for it) and have now reached a few mind blowing landmarks including becaming the third ever artist to reach one billion views on YouTube and selling over 5 million digital song downloads !
Here's their cover of TRACY CHAPMAN's "Fast Car" featuring Kina Grannis.
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01/10/2013: WATCH OUT, UNCLE JIMMY IS BACK IN TOWN
After working flat out for a couple of days, I have finally nailed down the guitars solo for BARON ZERO's latest track "Firebird".
And to celebrate, here Mr. Page himself playing the incredible solo of "Heartbreaker" at Earl's Court 1975.
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24/09/2013: LISTEN TO TRENT REZNOR IN CONVERSATION ... WITH HIMSELF
Here is fascinating recording of TRENT REZNOR in conversation with ...himself talking about his inspirations for the new NINE INCH NAILS record 'Hesitation marks'.
And sharing more than a few demos in the process.
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17/09/2013: ANYBODY GOT JIMMY PAGE'S NUMBER, BY ANY CHANCE ?
Here is the visual for a new BARON ZERO song called 'Firebird' that I'm putting the final touch on: only the guitar solos to record ... which always gets my head in !
I'm not really the one-take solo man, it's agonizing.
Aaaaargh, somebody get me Jimmy Page !!!
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22/08/2013: BARON ZERO HIJACKS THE HABANERA FOR "NO EASY WAY" VIDEO
Here is a new video for BARON ZERO red hot funk rock track "No easy way".
Put together by shamelessly hijacking the incredible "Metube" which deservedly won this year at the Vienna International Short Film awards as well as the Berlin Music Video Awards.
Hope you enjoy it and keep rocking !
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20/12/2006: MEET THE AUSTRIAN MUSIC G-U-R-U
I'm in Vienna for a few days where I'm planning to meet up with Austrian producer G-U-R-U.
Amongst the roaster of bands he has been involved with, I particularly enjoy the Billy Rubin Trio who have made some great jazz covers of rock standards such as Nirvana's. The Trio are playing in Vienna tonight and I might still be around to catch them.
In the meantime make sure to check out their excellent Myspace page here.
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19/12/2006: PLATINUM BLUE CONFIRMS THE HIT POTENTIAL OF "NO EASY WAY"
I have now received the results of the analysis conducted by Platinum Blue on "New day rising" and "No easy way" ... And it looks like Santa Claus is coming early for the Baron this year !
I first opened the link to the results of "New day rising" and I was pleasantly surprised to see that Platinum Blue has given a Hit Grade of 598 for the song.
Not exactly a guaranteed hit but close enough to make me feel that the track has what it takes to appeal to people.
Then to the 2nd song I sent in, "No easy way".
Bingo !
It achieved a Hit Grade of 716 where, as written by Malcom Gladwell in his recent article, "everything above 700 is exceptional". Talk about a nice Xmas gift.
All I need to do now is have another Xmas punsch and get my head around how to use this in the new Year.
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05/12/2006: SOME LESSONS FROM INDIE MUSIC AGAINST AIDS
As everybody knows (or should know) World Aid's Day took place last Friday and it is the opportunity to review what happened since I launched the idea of the 'Indie Music against AIDS' compilation last summer.
Well, I'm afraid the answer to the question is 'not very much' !
At the beginning, everything went according to plans: I went on creating a page on myspace here with a very nice logo you can see on the right side of this post.
The page generated quite a lot of viewing although not many artists offered to take part - with the notable exception of Woodstock Taylor here.
Generating any kind of buzz proved to be more difficult. People at World AIDS Campaign turned down my suggestion of any kind of endorsement and my efforts to recruit independant musicians into the project did not come to much in the end (apart from sparking a long - and from time to time mildly amusing - debate on the Sonicgarden forum).
Still, I believe the idea has got legs; give me a bit more time to think over plan B and I will certainly have another go in the future.
And in the meantime, I'll keep supporting the fight against AIDS the "easy way" by making a donation ...
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19/11/2006: AIR GUITAR LIKE NEVER BEFORE WITH THE WEARABLE INSTRUMENT SHIRT
The CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia's national science agency) have just unveiled the WIS (Wearable Instrument Shirt, we like our acronyms today) which has to be a dream come true for legions of air guitar addicts.
All you have to do after putting it on is strike hard these invisible chords. The sensors built in the fabric pick up the wearer's movements, one arm interpreting them as picking and the other one as frets chords. The information is sent to a computer (via wireless technology) and the signal is played through an amplifier in the form of guitar chords.
An interview of chief -engineer Richard Helmer as well as more details are available on CSIRO website here.
Blimey, I have to get myself one of those for Xmas !
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16/11/2006: BOOTLEG YOURSELF AND SELL YOUR SHOWS LIKE THE RACONTEURS
The Raconteurs (whose album 'Broken boy soldier' is a definite must-hear) are now recording every single concert of their UK tour and selling them online as limited edition CDs. But only 1,000 copies of each show will be available. In addition, fans will also have the possibility to buy an exclusive double-live CD with artworks specific to each venue as they leave after the concert. Details here.
This is what I call brilliant !
Who would not want to keep a memory of the specific concert they attended ? Other bands like for instance the Pixies have done similar things in the past but the Raconteurs are adding a few nice twists.
I had a similar idea some time ago with an extra hook: a photographer (or members of the band if they are too bored) take pictures of people in the first raws during the gig, pictures which are then available online (I guess there might be some issues with rights since you have to ask for permissions first, mmmm, I'll get back to you on this one ...).
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14/11/2006: BARON ZERO ACOUSTIC SET COMING NEAR YOU ... SOMEDAY
For those of you who wonder what I do when I can't sleep after the 2 am baby bottle, here is the list of songs I'm working on for a forthcoming acoustic set:
- Baron Zero: New day rising, She shines, Nothing but a shadow (don't frown guys, this is a brand new one !)
- Cake/Gloria Gaynor: I will survive
- Counting Crows: Mr Jones
- David Bowie: Heroes, Ashes to ashes
- Doobie Brothers: Long train running
- Jacques Brel: Ne me quitte pas
- James Blunt: Goodbye my lover
- Franz Ferdinand: What you meant
- Oasis: Wonderwall
- Paul Weller: Wild wood
- Placebo: Meds
- Radiohead: Black Star, Street Spirit
- Robbie Williams: Angels, Eternity
- U2: One, Stuck in a moment ...
- Verve: Lucky Man
Yeap, I know, it is like 47 new songs to learn not forgetting that there is a good chance that the audience might be sleeping half way through.
So what ?
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