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What Am I Doing Now? (June 2018 Recap)

August 1, 2018 · 1 Comment

  • This month’s theme was motivation, or how to get it back or track. After weeks of eye complaints and restraints, and back-to-back travel from Nashville to Edinburgh, it was a challenge to rediscover my productivity mojo. I spent way too much time rearranging my Omnifocus set-up, thinking about morning routines, and optimizing for capturing a deep work mindset. The first couple weeks felt like slo-mo, a lot of running in place, not getting much accomplished. Of course, the secret is to dive in — perfect Omnifocus set-up be damned — and start. I’m finally at a solid daily clip, which is good as I’ve decided on some ambitious goals over the next few months.
  • Related to my motivation pit, current events (especially here in the US) have me down. I know I’m not alone in how this affects the work mood. Some of my peers talk about moving to another country, but I think a better solution is to create my own (mental) country. Distance me from the news, outside influences, current events — build a creative utopia of my mind. Focus on making things to make the world better. I can’t do my best work and be helpful if I’m curled up in a ball worrying about the state of things. I had already done this to a degree (this article by Ryan Holiday is an inspiration) but there was some leakage, especially from Twitter. David Moldawer says Twitter turned his phone into a ‘depression machine’ and I can relate. Though I’m not leaving social media (but tempted, see Jaron Lanier), I’ve decided to treat it as a one-way street. I’m posting, but I’m not reading. If you @ me, I’ll look and probably reply, but that’s as far as my interaction goes. And no more social media apps on my phone or tablet. Not in my country.
  • On the other hand, I’ve rediscovered Day One and Pocket and have enrolled in the subscription plans offered by both. Pocket has added highlighting on mobile devices (please add this to the browser version soon!) which makes noting and cataloging sections of interest in articles a breeze. Then I can shoot those articles into Day One, add the highlighted text and appropriate tags, and I’ve got fodder for blog posts or future reference material. I’ve also started journaling daily in Day One as paper journaling was a personal bust. I really wanted to make a paper journal work, but I find more inspiration in an electronic platform (and I start each entry with a photograph of that morning’s sunrise over our lake, which motivates) and writing by hand only reminds me how awful my handwriting is. Even I have problems deciphering my scrawl. I’m happy with this set-up, and am even moving my digital commonplace book out of DEVONthink and into Day One (no slight intended on DEVONthink … it’s a terrific Evernote alternative that I’ll use primarily for business purposes here on out).
  • The Timucua Arts Foundation and its White House concert venue are Orlando treasures, and I wish your town had them, too. Combine with local arts collective Civic Minded 5 and our city is regularly treated to mind-expanding music in a beautiful live setting. The Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Zeena Parkins performances were recent, legendary treats — and this month brought the Paal Nilssen-Love Large Unit all the way from Scandinavia to deliver an incredibly intense set of explorer jazz. The stage at the White House is small and intimate, which made this unit seem larger than it already was: two drummers (creating a lovely stereo field), two bass players (alternating between stand-up and electric bass), an accordionist, a brass section that included tuba, trumpet, trombone, and three saxophones (with occasional switches to clarinet and flute), a guitarist (percussive, noisy, great), and an electronics/laptop dude who stepped in front to manically conduct the band at one point. It was as impressive as it sounds. Any time there’s a Civic Minded 5 promoted show at the Timucua White House, it’s a mandatory event.
  • I reconnected with Dave Tomaselli, whose Statra label I used to promote at 8DPromo. He’s now working with Paperchain, a technology company worth checking out. There’s a promise in their model of tracking and advancing royalties, and I’m even more intrigued by an imagined future of automated royalty calculation and payout to artists, creating a solution for labels that are allergic to and unreliable with accounting (which is like 98% of them).
  • My client Buddhist Army released the vinyl 12” version of Arthur Landing’s Spring Collection EP this month and it’s making some waves. Gilles Peterson played a track on his 6Music show, and Test Pressing published a quick interview with Arthur’s Landing founder Steven Hall.
  • What I Read This Month:

    Rework

  • What I Watched This Month:

    Bombshell: The Hedy Lamar Story
    Logan
    Silence
    Dunkirk
    A Quiet Place
    The Terror

  • What I Listened To This Month:

    IF Music Presents You Need This: An Introduction To Black Saint & Soul Note
    Arp – Zebra
    King Tubby & Prince Jammy – Ghetto Dub
    Kamasi Washington – Heaven & Earth
    Agitation Free – 2nd
    SQÜRL – Paterson (Original Score)
    Alessandro Cortini – AVANTI
    Melody’s Echo Chamber – Bon Voyage
    Skee Mask – Compro
    Technicolor Paradise: Rhum Rhapsodies & Other Exotic Delights

  • A Few Other Things I Enjoyed This Month:

    Poppinuts 001 – Eno
    Synthedelia: Psychedelic Electronic Music in the 1960s
    Djs Having Assistants Picking Tracks For Them Is A Dangerous Move
    Inside Vaporwave’s Floppy Disk Micro-Boom
    How Did A Major Label Manage To Lose A John Coltrane Record?
    A Brief History Of Our Addiction To Loudness
    Detroit is Techno City, and Techno is Black
    Robert Fripp’s Frippertronics Explained
    Speak & Spell: The Toy That Talked Back
    Legendary Experimental Composer Jon Hassell Is Still Dreaming Up New Worlds
    The Futuro House: Spaceship Living On Earth
    The Legacy of Conny Plank
    Has 2018 Killed The Pop Star?
    How Headphones Changed the World
    Remembering The Engineer Who Created Rock’s Unmistakable Fuzz
    Why No One Answers Their Phone Anymore
    How David Bowie Invented Ziggy Stardust
    No Hope, No Fear: Industrial Music In Zagreb

Filed Under: From The Notebook Tagged With: Buddhist Army, David Moldawer, Jaron Lanier, Movie Recommendations, Music Recommendations, now, Ryan Holiday

What Am I Doing Now? (May 2018 Recap)

June 1, 2018 · Leave a Comment

  • Continuing the story from last month, I spent the early part of May nursing my wounded eyeballs and anticipating a new pair of contacts to help correct my keratoconus. For the past several years I’ve used hybrid lenses for my special vision needs, which were prescribed early in their development. My new eye doctor (who is fantastic btw) recommended a more recent contacts tech, these intimidating scleral lenses. I say intimidating as they are much larger than my hybrids, and they are hard enough to tap on (while the hybrids were mainly floppy, only hard in the center). The first few days with the scleral lenses were hell as my right eye was still somewhat injured and not happy about this unfamiliar lens. Lots of pain in the first 48 hours or so. And removing the contacts with a mini-plunger was a whole new thing for me — I could use my fingers to take out the old contacts — and that took a bit of getting used to. But I am pleased to say that after a few weeks of trial and (lots of) error I am on board with the sclerals. They are comfortable, and I believe I’m getting better, clearer vision than before. The eye saga continues.
  • Good thing I got the eye issues worked out as in the second week of the month I was off to the MusicBiz 2018 conference in Nashville. This is probably my favorite industry conference, partly because it’s amicable and casual, and partly as it’s in the always fun city of Nashville. I took in a lot of panels, with Monday’s offerings being the highlights — the ‘Legal Summit’ panels were all educational, and the new ‘Podcasting Summit’ panels, hosted by Jim Griffin (my favorite panel moderator), were excellent. The issues of music licensing in podcasts were covered in depth, and I appreciated the dive into the weeds. I hung out a bit with Craig from ReverbNation and Mike D. from Chicken Ranch Records (who I’ve known since my stint in college radio when I was like 19) and caught up with longtime friends/Nashville residents Jamie Blaine and Terry Grant. I also floated around some new ideas as to where I’m taking 8D Industries, and everyone I used as a sounding board was receptive and encouraging. Stay tuned.
  • As I’m getting ready to leave for the airport Mike D. asks, “do you have time for a drink with Tyler Mahon Coe?” Thus, on my way out of Nashville, we stop at a local dive bar and have a great conversation with Tyler, who hosts the brilliant Cocaine & Rhinestones podcast (as well as the hilarious Your Favorite Band Sucks podcast). I wrote about Cocaine & Rhinestones in last month’s entry, and Tyler’s show helped me get through the worst days and nights of eye trauma. It was cool to be able to let Tyler know this in person and to relate my podcast-inspired experience listening to Neil Young’s On The Beach for the first time. Tyler was as knowledgeable and cool to talk to in person as you might imagine. I’ll continue to follow his work, and he’s planning some exciting things.
  • I’m only home from Nashville for three days, and then I’m off to Scotland. This was a long-planned vacation with my spouse and my mother, to be tourists and explore the history of the Scottish east coast. My mother has ancestors from the region (and, of course, so do I), so she was interested in seeing it all. We had a fantastic time — I recommend Rosslyn Chapel and Sir Walter Scott’s house if you’re visiting and want some history. I also had time to find my old friends Jaco (Jaco & Co) and Iain (Funky Transport). It’s been too many years since I’ve spent time in Scotland, and this vacation inspired me to plan regular visits once again. My favorite home away from home.
  • What I Read This Month:

    Thinking Fast and Slow

  • What I Watched This Month:

    Nostalghia
    A Man Escaped
    The Wages of Fear
    Borg Vs McEnroe
    The Farthest: Voyager In Space
    Dying To Know: Ram Das & Timothy Leary
    Magnus

  • What I Listened To This Month:

    Cluster – Qua
    Brian Eno – Music For Installations
    Mary Lattimore – Hundreds of Days
    Deutsche Elektronische Musik

  • A Few Other Things I Enjoyed This Month:

    Questlove’s “Creative Quest” talk at Google
    When America’s Hottest Jazz Stars Were Sent To Cool Cold-War Tensions
    Pirate Radio Stations Explode on YouTube
    How The Kent State Massacre Helped Give Birth To Punk Rock
    Ornette Coleman – The Atlantic Years
    My Dad Painted The Iconic Cover For Jethro Tull’s ‘Aqualung,’ And It’s Haunted Him Ever Since
    Yuri Suzuki’s Musical Appliances Are Designed To Enhance Your Mood
    Glenn Branca: Punk Composer Who Turned Minimalism Maximal
    Elliott Sharp Remembers Glenn Branca

Filed Under: From The Notebook Tagged With: Book Recommendations, Keratoconus, Movie Recommendations, Music Recommendations, MusicBiz, Nashville, now, Podcast, Scotland

What Am I Doing Now? (April 2018 Recap)

May 1, 2018 · Leave a Comment

  • The big (bad) news this month is an eye injury resulting from a combination of a scratched contact lens and my keratoconus. The gist of it is that I’ve been living in a world of fuzzy vision for almost three weeks. The first several days of the experience I could not spend time on screens as my healing cornea was extra-sensitive to light. My work pace was at a snail’s pace, but I somehow didn’t get too far behind. This became a learning experience, and I have a lot of thoughts. I also started listening to audiobooks (something I never warmed up to before), and it was easy to imagine that The Obstacle is the Way was written about my eye condition.
  • A big thanks to Craig at ReverbNation for turning me on to the Cocaine & Rhinestones podcast. This got me through the toughest days of wounded eyesight. Host Tyler Mahon Coe (son of David Allen Coe) is affable, coming off like an opinionated friend filling you in on his obsessions. There are times when Coe gets a little carried away with the nit-picky details (often relegated to the final ‘liner notes’ section of each episode), but it’s endearing and shows his investment in the subject. I highly recommend his history lessons about this important American music and culture. If you’re unsure, then I suggest trying out the fascinating Bobbie Gentry episode or the Rusty & Doug Kershaw episode. The latter inspired me to listen deeply to Neil Young’s On The Beach with headphones in darkness at the dead of night, one of my favorite music moments of the past few years.
  • I posted my recent article Why Streaming is the Future of DJ’ing on Medium, and it’s gotten a fantastic response. It was even reposted by the terrific newsletter Platform & Stream as the top story of the day.
  • Nirosta Steel’s The Dry Ice Remixes 12” is out. It features two hot shot remixes by my friend Sleazy McQueen in collaboration with Colombian DJ duo Vagabundo Club Social. Beautiful modern disco pressure that I can’t recommend highly enough.
  • What I Read This Month:

    The Obstacle is the Way
    Creativity, Inc.

  • What I Watched This Month:

    Stalker
    The Sacrifice
    Babylon Berlin
    Purple Noon
    Brian Eno: 1971-1977 – The Man Who Fell to Earth

  • What I Listened To This Month:

    Yung Wu – Shore Leave
    The Windows 95 start-up sound, time-stretched 4000%
    Laraaji’s stunning FACT mix 648
    Group Listening’s lovely cover of Arthur Russell’s “A Little Lost”
    Neil Young – On The Beach

  • A Few Other Things I Enjoyed This Month:

    But Does It Float (try the ‘Random’ tab)
    This interview with Steve Albini
    Great advice from Sloan on how to keep a band together
    How Miles Davis Changed Jazz
    The amazing + addictive Tones web app
    An Introduction to Conny Plank in 10 Records
    My friends David + Jennifer go to Düsseldorf and meet a Kraftwerk

Filed Under: From The Notebook Tagged With: Buddhist Army, Keratoconus, now, Podcast

What Am I Doing Now? (March 2018 Recap)

April 1, 2018 · Leave a Comment

  • I started testing a new music marketing consultancy package that I plan to unveil next month. The process in a nutshell: I interview the client and audit his or her online assets and overall presentation. I create a report with my initial insights and recommendations, and we get on a call to discuss and brainstorm. I follow this conversation with an expanded, final version of the report containing actionable tasks that the client can immediately implement. We then have a limited email exchange to go over any questions about my recommendations, and I’ll follow-up a month later to check on progress. The client is also welcome to schedule regular brainstorm sessions and audits to keep the process going. The goal is to set the client up for the next stage in his or her music career, whether it’s for an upcoming release, a tour, or just a professional ‘polish’ to become more attractive to the likes of record labels, promoters, or managers. I can work this magic for recording artists or labels — or both, as was the case with the first client to go through this procedure, the talented techno producer Deepak Sharma of Hidden Recordings. I’m excited for what this will bring and the people I’ll be meeting and advising.
  • Two new releases I’m assisting with that you should check out: Arthur’s Landing – Spring Collection EP on Buddhist Army; and More Ghost Than Man – The Courage To Lie To A Dying Man on Westerns With The Sound Off. Also, we’ve received vinyl copies of Nirosta Steel’s The Dry Ice Remixes (featuring remixes by Sleazy McQueen), and these should be hitting the cool record stores at the very beginning of May.
  • I’m always testing new systems to improve daily productivity. This month I’m trying out Cal Newport’s Daily and Weekly time-blocking scheme. In the past, I attempted time-blocking using a calendar app but found this to be too rigid. For example, there was no room to extend a task ‘on-the-fly’ for a few more minutes when nearly finished, and it was difficult to change a schedule if confronted with the unexpected. These issues, combined with nagging calendar alerts, stressed me out more than increasing effectiveness. Newport’s system allows some ‘float,’ is refreshingly paper-based, and it’s easy to rearrange the calendar if things get out of whack. I also like the idea of a Weekly Plan reminder in my email inbox. It’s become a game to have that reminder email be the only thing in the inbox at the end of the day. The early results are encouraging and, if it continues to work, I’ll do a blog post about this and the rest of my productivity system.
  • Great discovery: Kanopy. If you’ve got a local library card (and you should), then chances are you will be able to access this streaming movie service for free. You’re limited to five movies a month, and the selection is strong, including more than a few Criterion classics (French New Wave, Italian Neorealism, those samurai movies I love …) and recent independent offerings.
  • What I Read This Month:

    Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
    Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative
    Wait But Why: The Elon Musk Post Series (which is basically a book)

  • What I Watched This Month:

    Kim Dotcom: Caught in the Web
    Wild Wild Country
    SHOT! The Psycho-Spiritual Mantra of Rock
    Journey To Italy
    and @garydvisualz took me to my first 3D blockbuster, Ready Player One

  • What I Listened To This Month:

    Gwenno – Le Kov
    Ryuichi Sakamoto & Alva Noto – Glass
    Mariah – Utakata No Hibi
    Kenneth James Gibson – In The Fields Of Nothing
    The wonderful ‘long’ versinon of Wire’s “Outdoor Miner”

  • A Few Other Things I Enjoyed This Month:

    Anil Dash on what it’s like to be a ‘non-celebrity’ with 500,000+ Twitter followers
    An interview with the mayor of the curious, Orwerllian town of Scarfolk, UK
    Planet Earth as described in the 116 photos aboard the Voyager spacecraft
    This video of Brian Eno getting giddy over his Ultra-Harmonizer in 1994
    Ten moments in the history of Cocteau Twins … some which were new to this longtime fan
    That time Sterling Morrison left the Velvet Underground for an academic life in Texas

Filed Under: From The Notebook Tagged With: Book Recommendations, Buddhist Army, More Ghost Than Man, Movie Recommendations, Music Recommendations, now, Productivity

What Am I Doing Now? (February 2018 Recap)

March 1, 2018 · Leave a Comment

  • I’ve brought on a couple of new clients for publishing representation: San Francisco’s Sleight Of Hands (check out their excellent cover of “I’m Not In Love”) and Nathan Maners. There are others in the works. Exciting times here at 8DSync.
  • I’m also working on two new projects in an advisory role: an upcoming EP from Arthur’s Landing titled Spring Collection; and a single from Terry Grant’s More Ghost Than Man project, taken from his stunning 2016 self-titled album.
  • A major project this month was the launch of Snax’s PledgeMusic campaign for the vinyl version of his excellent Shady Lights album. I was closely involved in putting this together and enjoyed collaborating with Snax and the PledgeMusic team. This company has a great crew working behind the scenes. If you are a fan of limited edition vinyl in a deluxe package or solid electronic funk music in general, then I implore you to check out Snax’s Shady Lights campaign.
  • Eagle eyes may notice that I’ve removed the Services tab from this site. I’ve decided to do fewer label services projects and focus more on music publishing, licensing, and consultancy. I’ll be revamping things here over the following weeks, and will be offering a new way that I can help independent labels and self-released artists determine and implement innovative strategies. Stay tuned.
  • The weather is warming up in Florida. We’ve already hit the mid-80s a few times, and we’re not yet out of February. I’m torn between being worried and overjoyed. Regardless, I’m resuming my Lake Holden paddle board sessions, a highlight of my day and the preferred way to meditate and think.
  • What I Read This Month:

    The Founder’s Dilemmas
    Finish

  • What I Watched This Month:

    The Square
    Hiroshima, Mon Amour
    BPM (Beats Per Minute) (my favorite 2017 movie, I think)
    Phantom Thread

  • What I Listened To This Month:

    Deutsche Elektronische Musik 3: Experimental German Rock and Electronic Music 1970-82
    Palta – Universel
    Pendant – Make Me Know You Sweet
    Patrick Cowley – Afternooners
    San Mateo – Breather
    The House In The Woods – Bucolica
    Kuniyuki Takahashi – Early Tape Works (1986 – 1993)

  • A Few Other Things I Enjoyed This Month:

    Seth Godin has a fantastic new weekly podcast titled Akimbo
    If you make true crime documentaries then act quickly to acquire the rights to this tale of the Worst Roomate Ever
    I like the writer Steven Johnson, and I’ve been wrapping my head around blockchain, so I found this article fascinating: Beyond The Bitcoin Bubble
    Artist Winston Smith designed all those Dead Kennedys album covers I loved as a teenager. It’s a pleasure to find out he’s a pretty cool dude, too.

Filed Under: From The Notebook Tagged With: 8DSync, Book Recommendations, Buddhist Army, Lake Holden, More Ghost Than Man, Movie Recommendations, Music Recommendations, now, Snax

What Am I Doing Now? (January 2018 Recap)

February 1, 2018 · Leave a Comment

  • In addition to strengthening a daily journal habit that began a couple of years back, I’ve decided to plunge into Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman’s The Daily Stoic Journal, accompanied by a reading from The Daily Stoic. I’ve been casually studying Stoicism (indeed, taking part in what’s become a resurgence), fascinated by its intersections with Buddhist teachings. The most profound learning comes from action or reflection, so Holiday’s prompts to journal on these philosophical teachings are themselves an encouragement to dive in further.
  • This leads to a change in my morning routine. This month I’m experimenting with waking by 6:30 AM and quickly making a cup of strong tea (usually a teaspoon each of green tea, black tea, ginger, and MCT oil). I then read the day’s entry from The Daily Stoic and meditate for 20 minutes. After my quiet meditation, I journal in The Daily Stoic Journal, write at least a page about what’s on my mind in my blank journal, and then plan out my day in the Panda Planner (something else new I’m trying out). Then it’s coffee time, light breakfast, and the start of my workday. So far so good, and I’ll report back if this routine changes in the next months. (update: the Panda Planner is a great idea, and it might be perfect for you, but it turns out it doesn’t quite fit into my routine.)
  • Speaking of meditation, I highly recommend Kevin Rose’s Oak app. It’s free and useful for meditators at any level, though I still recommend Headspace if you’re just getting started. After using Headspace for a few years and becoming comfortable with meditation, I find that Oak’s unguided meditation feature is perfect for my needs. I’m enjoying the app’s breathing exercises, too.
  • I started 100 days of Seth Godin’s The Marketing Seminar. This is my second time through this program. The first time I didn’t finish as I got sidelined by things that needed attention in my personal life, and overlap with my intense four weeks in altMBA (which deserved 100% of my attention). Now that I’m fully focused, The Marketing Seminar is impactful, and I’m having a great time and learning a ton. It’s making me a better writer, too, as it’s kindly pressuring me to write all the time. (I highly recommend The Marketing Seminar and altMBA … feel free to contact me if you have questions about either.)
  • As part of a goal to ramp up a writing practice, I’m going to try my hand at writing record reviews (or short essays about records I’m listening to). Maybe this will also give some virtual ink, and a shiny new search result to a few overlooked album releases as I’ll be focusing on the mostly unrecognized. Here’s my first effort.
  • This month I spoke to a copyright class at Full Sail University and sat on a couple of panels at this year’s Music Placement Conference. Both were terrific and fun experiences, and I enjoyed talking with (and hopefully inspiring with encouragement) the students, songwriters, and music industry types I encountered. I’m aiming to do more speaking and panel appearances throughout the year.
  • My friend (and fellow altMBA alumnus) Dean Caravelis interviewed me for his fantastic Outrageously Remarkable blog. It’s a straight transcript, so I come off a bit ranty and stumble through frequent run-on sentences, but I believe this conveys the enthusiasm and excitement I feel when I talk about these subjects. I also don’t think I’ve ever publicly told that Mike Watt story.
  • What I Read This Month:

    Start With Why
    Perennial Seller
    The Accidental Creative

  • What I Watched This Month:

    I, Claudius
    Wormwood
    The Florida Project
    A Ghost Story (loved it)
    The Disaster Artist
    Call Me By Your Name

  • What I Listened To This Month:

    Art Feynman – Near Negative
    The Gentleman Lovers – Permanently Midnight
    Hiroshi Yoshimura – Music for Nine Postcards
    Ebo Taylor And The Pelikans
    Goran Kajfes Tropiques – Enso
    F ingers – Awkwardly Blissing Out
    Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection of Music From the Arab World

  • A Few Other Things I Enjoyed This Month:

    How to Be a Responsible Music Fan in the Age of Streaming
    Jaron Lanier on The Ezra Klein Show
    See With Your Ears: Spielberg And Sound Design
    Another Green World: How Japanese Ambient Music Found a New Audience
    How Kraftwerk’s Classic Album Computer World Has Changed People’s Lives
    Legend of the Fall: Mark E Smith Kept Swinging to the End

Filed Under: From The Notebook Tagged With: altMBA, Book Recommendations, Full Sail University, Meditation, Movie Recommendations, Music Recommendations, now, Ryan Holiday, Seth Godin, Stoicism

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