2010 marked the release of the debut album by Two Door Cinema Club - Tourist History - my favorite album that year. It's inviting Irish pop rock with jangly guitars and catchy vocals. They will be playing Cat's Cradle in Carrboro June 11th!

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I like writing. I take that back. I like the idea of writing more than actually sitting down and forcing myself to write. I come up with interesting thoughts and phrases and sentences and yet I can never seem to put them to paper. Or Word document. Then I forget what I wanted to say and never get started writing anything. I outline stories in my mind, come up with chapters and introductions. There’s a good story or two buried up there but I never feel like I can force it into a coherent enough structure to be put into something readable. The best things I’ve ever writing have been things I’ve never written down. My ability to translate thoughts into words is… a bit lacking. My motivation to expel those thoughts down my neck, though my arms, into my hands hovering over the keyboard is even more absent. Any time where I am actually able to force the black pixels appear on the white screen it certainly does not feel like something that would make sense to anyone. Hell, hardly it ever makes sense to me. “What the hell is this mess? What am I trying to say? Damn if I know.” If only I had an editor who understood what I mean not what I type. Then I would have an actual blog post and not an incoherent, rambling screed about writers block. In fact, I’m not even going to go back and read what I just typed. I don’t see any squiggly red lines under words so I suppose if it’s good enough for spellcheck it’s good enough for this blog. That nobody will read. Because of sentence fragments. Well, because of sentence fragments and it’s an incoherent, rambling mess. This sentence makes it three hundred words.

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This is... I don't know where to start. Former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman teamed up a handful of schoolgirls to make J-pop's version of Bohemian Rhapsody. The video features magical bicycle riding space pirates. I'm still not sure what I just saw and heard. Bonus points if you watch this while high.

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Photos from New York City's Chinatown and along Canal Street. See the entire photoset on Flickr.

See the full gallery on Posterous

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The concert delivered on music and visuals which included wrap around video screens and occasional pyro technics. The experience was more like being in a video game at times than a rock concert, but this being a band featured in numerous anime and video games it felt right. The audience included a great many Japanese speakers, along with a good number of anime geeks, cosplayers, and international fans who made the trek to New York, waving Mexican and Venezuelan flags.

L’Arc en Ciel dressed like punk versions of the upper class residents of the Hunger Games, a bit more glam and a bit less grunge than an average American rock group. Still, the band is a guitar driven rock outfit and has more or less remained in the mainstream instead of the Japanese subculture of Visual kei – a scene known for its over the top goth and glam costumes.

The band was more humble and personable that one would expect for twenty year veterans with much of the rock bravado and machismo replaced with an almost humble appreciation of the audience. Lead singer hyde stated how thankful L’Arc en Ciel is to be the first Japanese band to play Madison Square Garden.

During a break in the action ken brought an I heart NY bag onto the stage to show off souvenirs and read a short note (in English) about how excited he was to visit the Museum of Natural History. There was still a little room for some rock swagger, with Hyde yelling to the crowd before the start of Ready, Steady, Go!, “Are you fucking READY?!”

The Adult Swim generation has heard L’Arc en Ciel week after week performing the opening songs for anime such as Full Metal Alchemist and Moribito, so a few J-rock bands like L’Arc or The Pillows have a strong cult following in America’s large anime geek subculture. For much of the concert the audience sang along to both the Japanese and the occasional English lyrics. That is, when they weren’t screaming their heads off. Just the sounds of a revving engine – the start of their hit song Driver’s High (which is also the theme song for the anime Great Teacher Onizuka, or GTO) – sent the crowd into a frenzy.

For American J-rock fans like me, it was a celebration and a validation of sorts to see a quintessential Japanese rock band headline such a prominent venue.

L'Arc en Ciel's 12th studio album, Butterfly, is now available on iTunes in the US.

Reviews of the concert:

NY Times: A Debut in New York, 20 Years in the Making

The Village Voice: L'Arc-En-Ciel Land At Madison Square Garden

Fuse: Japanese Rockers L'Arc-en-Ciel's Live Spectacle Invades NYC

Forbes: L'Arc-En-Ciel: The Richest Rock Band You've Never Heard Of

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Yesterday I posted a video by Tricot and today I see they will be featured on a compilation by an American indie label next month along with other female fronted rock bands including Shonen Knife, TsuShiMaMiRe, MOLICE and others. From their press release:

Good Charamel Records releases the I LOVE J ROCK 2 compilation featuring their 2012 roster of Female Japanese Rockers on 4/10/12.

"I Love J-ROCK 2" is the second in a series of compilations from Buffalo, NY based Good Charamel Records featuring some of the most exciting female fronted rock bands from Japan's current rock scene.

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I have a penchant for female fronted indie rock bands, so I like this tune by Kyoto based Tricot. I haven't heard of them before, but their YouTube channel has a quirky mix of videos of the band members goofing off and working on writing music.

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Making record labels increasingly irrelevant, the website Bandcamp as released some impressive new sales numbers. Sites like Bandcamp are letting artists sell direct to fans, and is allowing fans to buy the music in the format they want and knowing that the money is going to the band and not the pockets of a record exec. As Bandcamp says, “we’ve noticed something awesome: every day, fans are buying music that they specifically set out to get for free.” Here are some of their recent stats:

“In the month of December alone, Bandcamp artists raked in more than one million dollars in music and merch sales.

22% of those sales happened because of Bandcamp, driven by things like tags, the home page, recommendations, and search.

40% of the time, fans pay more than the asking price for name-your-price albums.

53% of all purchases are made by fans located outside the U.S.”

The press release goes on the describe how many time people searching for torrents of albums end up landing on Bandcamp’s page and decide that paying for the album is easier than “sifting through torrent sites.” Cheaper than free

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I would never bother to watch the Grammy, which I mocked mercilessly on Twitter, but this is an interesting and telling fact nonetheless. I was already familiar with the success North Carolina's own Merge Records had with The Arcade Fire, but still differentiating between what is an indie label and what is a major label is, as the article states, becoming more and more murky.

Indie Labels Win 34 Grammys

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I've posted my first song of the 2012 RPM Challege (the challenge? record an entire album in February). Free download. Check it out here or on my Facebook page. One down, nine more to go.

James_Willamor_-_Odaiba.mp3 Listen on Posterous

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What is the RPM Challenge?

What is the RPM Challenge? February is Record Production Month - the challenge is simply to record an entire album (at least 10 songs or 35 minutes of material) during the month of February. Why? Because a challenge can be fun motivation to get things done. You know there a couple thousand other bands and musicians around the world working on the same challenge, and you can connect with them on RPM related forums and social media.

Background

I participated in the RPM challenge in 2008 when I had my home recording studio. Afterwards I ended up selling off my equipment and instruments which helped pay for our honeymoon and my first DSLR camera. (As some of you may know, I’ve been piddling around with photography for the past few years).

During the 2008 RPM challenge I was finally able to “put to tape” some of song ideas I’d had for a while. A few of them turned out pretty good. Well, they turned out as good as one could hope for when recording in a living room.

Today

This past year has been one of big changes for me. I’m taking a sabbatical from photography for a while and I’ve been slowing working on putting together a little home studio and picking up a few instruments. I like music as a hobby because I can pick it up any time when I have a few minutes to spare. Unlike photography I’m not taking gigs to go do something for a few hours – I simply have to walk across the hall from the bedroom.

My plan for RPM12

This year for the RPM challenge I’m keeping it simple. I’m writing and recording an album of synthesizer music. I suck at playing keyboard slightly more than I do other instruments, but I have fun messing around with the different sounds. I find it very liberating to be unencumbered by the responsibly to make quality music that comes with talent.  

Technology has made recording music incredibly simple. Gone are the days when you needed mixers and reels or tapes or minidiscs to record to. You don’t even need a computer – an iPhone will do. There are volumes written about how to set up a home recording studio so this won't be a how-to post.

My setup

For an audio input I use a Presonus Audiobox USB connected to my laptop. My DAW (digital audio workstation – a software multitrack recording and sequencing program) is Sony Acid Pro 7. I picked Acid because I’ve been using  it since around 1999. I like it’s loop building features as well as for recording acoustic instruments and vocals. If you do only MIDI and soft synth recording FL Studio may be better. Otherwise Pro Tools, Cubase, Cakewalk, and Abelton are industry standards. If you have zero budget, Cockos Reaper and Audacity are free options.

Besides my M-Audio Keyrig 49 and Alesis Micron, I’ve just started using the Akai Synthstation 25 which has an iPhone dock. In addition to the Akai Synthstation app, many other apps with work with the keyboard including Nanostudio. I picked up a new, open box Synthstation for 50 bucks (the app is $1.99).

I’ll post updates as the RPM challenge progresses. I hope to have my first completed song up by Friday.

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There has been a lot of talk on Twitter about whether East Carolina deserved to be invited to join the Big East along with or in place of Boise State, SMU, Houston, Air Force, Central Florida, and Navy.

The greatest threat to the Big East is losing its status as an automatic qualifier in the BCS, so teams that will improve the conferences score may be more favorable than teams with better TV markets.

I'm not entirely sure how the automatic qualification works for BCS conferences (here's a description if you want) but the next evaluation will cover 2008 though 2011 seasons, and includes factors such as final ranking in the BCS standings.

Below are the six teams mentioned above along with ECU with stats from 2008 through October of 2011. Can you tell which team is which? (Note: Record vs BCS teams includes only teams currently in BCS conferences this season.)

Mystery team 1

• Total win/loss: 29-18
• 1-6 vs BCS teams
• Finished ranked or is currently ranked: 0 times
• 2-1 in bowl games

Mystery team 2

• Total win/loss: 28-21
• 3-12 vs BCS teams
• Finished ranked or is currently ranked: 0 times
• 0-3 in bowl games

Mystery team 3

• Total win/loss: 45-2
• 6-0 vs BCS teams
• Finished ranked or is currently ranked: 4 times
• 2-1 in bowl games (one was a BCS bowl)

Mystery team 4

• Total win/loss: 27-21
• 2-8 vs BCS teams
• Finished ranked or is currently ranked: 1 time
• 1-1 in bowl games

Mystery team 5

• Total win/loss: 31-16
• 4-4 vs BCS teams
• Finished ranked or is currently ranked: 1 time
• 1-1 in bowl games

Mystery team 6

• Total win/loss: 29-18
• 7-10 vs BCS teams
• Finished ranked or is currently ranked: 0 times
• 1-2 in bowl games

Mystery team 7

• Total win/loss: 21-26
• 1-4 vs BCS teams
• Finished ranked or is currently ranked: 0 times
• 1-1 in bowl games

Southern Miss, included for comparison:

• Total win/loss: 29-18
• 3-4 vs BCS teams
• Finished ranked or is currently ranked: 1 time
• 1-3 in bowl games

Answers: 1 Air Force, 2 ECU, 3 Boise State, 4 UCF, 5 Houston, 6 Navy, 7 SMU

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I set up a page on Bandcamp. For teh musics. I think I'll work on writing some more music soon.

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See the full gallery on Posterous

Saturday at BarcampCLT I did a session on setting up a do it yourself photography for around a hundred bucks.

The total cost of the equipment used to make the three photos above was around $105. I haven't retouched the photos other than to crop and resize them. In the first photo I used a small shoot-through umbrella places just to the left of the subject. In the second photo I used a white sheet on the subject's right side to bounce some light into the shadows on this face. In the third photo, I kept the sheet on the subject's right side but also had him hold part of the sheet under his chin to bounce a little light up onto the bottom of his face. If you don't have an assistant to help hold a sheet, a piece of white foamcore clamped to an umbrella stand works just a good. 

Critique of the mock photo shoot:

Given that I had just five minutes left to throw a light up next to the subject and snap off a few photos there is plenty of room for improvement. First, I would try moving the light stand so the shoot through umbrella pointed more towards the front subject's face. It is a bit too far to the side and there isn't enough light hitting his eyes. With portraits you always want to light the eyes. Second, there is a bit of a hot spot on the subject's forehead. I was using a very small umbrella; the smaller your light source the harsher the light. You can increase the size of the light source in relation to the subject by moving it close to the subject. However, you would have to decrease the power of the flash to compensate for moving it closer.

Here are some links I referenced during the session:

The best reference for learning how to use off camera flashes (also called strobes or speedlights) is Stobist.com. David Hobby, a former newspaper photojournalist, takes you through Lighting 101 and walks you through actual photo assignments. Hands down it has been the biggest help for me to learn lighting. 

Zack Arias is famous for his One Light workshops and DVDs. Check out this into video. Here is part 1 and part 2 of a live shoot on stage as Arias thinks through how to set up his lights. Here is a great portfolio review by Arias as he addresses many mistakes we all make when we're learning.

Mikey and Andy of Lighten Up and Shoot are another good resource. Here they are showing off their backpacker studio and demonstrating a live shoot on the streets. 

Creative Live hosts free live online workshops.

Ken Rockwell offers thoughts on learning composition and what makes a great photo. 

Here is a blog post I wrote on beginning photography and here's my portfolio.

The hard stuff:

The hardest part about learning off camera lighting is learning the manual setting on your camera. The best resources for you won't be ones that tell you what flashes to buy or what light modifiers (umbrella vs softbox) you need. To do off camera lighting you will need to learn shutter speed (shutter speed controls ambient light) and aperture (f stops) and the manual power settings on your flash. Along with those, ISO (the digital equivalent of film speed) and the distance from your subject to your light source will determine your exposure. Start at Strobist.com and read the whole blog, practice all the assignments and you'll have a good grasp of the concepts. 

Here is the equipment needed for a beginner studio. This equipment I used to make the three photos at the end of the session (seen above):

CowboyStudio stand, bracket, and umbrella kit - $40

CowboyStudio NPT-04 wireless trigger - $20

Yongnuo Flash Speedlite Yn-460ii speedlight - $45

Here are some other options for cheap off camera lighting:

Vivitar 285HV speedlight - $85

LumoPro LP160 speedlight - $160

Yongnuo RF-602 wireless trigger - $33

Also check out Midwest Photo Exchange MPEX.com for some strobist kits

Adorama is my favorite place to shop for quality used camera gear.

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Thursdays are a cesspool of negativity for me. It’s not the day, it’s me. My wife and I are lucky to have jobs, but our jobs are two hours apart, which means right now I spend 3 nights a week away from home. By Thursday I’m tired of everything. Tired of work. Tired of driving. Tired of being away.

Thursdays I’m combative and mean. My desire to be positive and lift people up is gone. I vent at people around me. I vent at people online. About anything. About everything. Believe me I can always find something to be pissed about. My own negativity puts me in a terrible mood. I’m far from the zen like state of euphoria I feels on weekends.

Where’s my music? Where’s my photography? Where are the things that make me happy content? Not here on Thursdays as I dwell in the negative. I miss living in Charlotte. I miss being home. I miss tacos. 

So I embrace the negativity. It gives me something to keep my mind busy. I don’t feel like doing the things that make me happy after all, I tell myself. Why shouldn’t I be in a bad mood?

There’s always next Thursday, though. I’ll call it “Positive Thursday.” I’ll try to, 1) Be nice to people, 2) be positive in my thoughts and actions, 3) do something constructive and creative.

Record some music. Take some photos. Eat a taco. Write something that encourages someone. I have 52 Thursdays a year, so I have 52 chances to improve my state of mind. No, I won’t always be positive and kind, but if I work a little each week I’ll be in a much better place.

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Spotify is the new kid on the online music block, offering not only streaming music like Pandora, but searchable music and the ability to create and share playlists.

"Our goal is to have all the world's music -- all the African music, all the South American music, all the Asian music,"Spotify founder Daniel Ek was quoted on CNN.” Asked what percentage of the world's recorded music is in Spotify's database, Ek estimated, ‘probably closer to 80% than 20%.’”

It's hard to be sure how accurate that estimate is. The problem with Spotify is they are forced to work with record labels, not with music fans and artists. I’m not aware of a way for fans or independent artists to upload music directly to Spotify.

While more mainstream groups such as Wild Nothing and MC Chris can be found on Spotify, omissions include SXSW alums Das Racist and Japanese female rockers GO!GO!7188. Even international acts with millions of views on YouTube such as The Pillows and Sakanaction are nowhere to be found.

Come to think of it, YouTube has a larger selection of underground and international music than Spotify. YouTube allows indie musicians, bands, and (if the label doesn't complain) music fans to upload music and videos.

The internet has created a vast ecosystem of music creation and consumption. New ideas spring up (Napster, MP3.com) and wither. Others change the system, such as iTunes. The internet has allowed people to discover new music like never before. There are websites and internet radio stations dedicated to just about any genre or language of music.

One such example is Japan-a-radio. For more than ten years Japan-a-radio has streamed Japanese anime and pop music targeted at North American listeners. The listener-funded station has found a sustainable niche in the long tail of online music.

While Spotify will appeal to lovers of mainstream music, websites and blogs focusing on small music niches need not worry. The long tail is long, and Spotify comes up short.

Read Jim Mitchem's more detailed review of Spotify: Spotify is a Pretty Girl with Bad Breath

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Kids ask a lot of questions and "Because I said so!" just doesn't cut it as a reply. Since we're expecting a daughter in a few months, I thought it would be good to reflect on some of the more usefull replies my father has used over the years. I hope you will find inspiration in them as well:

• “Why?” “Because ‘y’ is a crooked letter.”

• "I wish..." "Wish in one hand and spit in the other and see which one fills up the quickest."

• “I’m thirsty.” “I’m Friday. Come over Saturday and we’ll have a Sundae.”

• "I can't." "Can't never could!"

• “If I had…” “Well if a frog had wings he wouldn’t be bumping his butt all the time, would he?”

• “But, but…” “If ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ were candy and nuts it’d be Christmas all year ‘round.”

• “Who?” “Hoo? You might poop through feathers but your feet don’t fit no branch.”

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Hey little baby,

It’s hard to believe you are more than half way to your birthday. Mommy and I are both looking forward to meeting you! We loved seeing you dance around on the ultrasound monitor but holding you in our arms will be even better. We were so worried you wouldn’t still be with us, but at your last checkup the doctor said everything is looking fine!

Last weekend I felt you kick for the first time. I was very excited. I told mommy you were giving me a high five because Alabama had just beat Penn State. I’m pretty sure Mommy rolled her eyes at me. Mommy asks if you could please not kick and headbutt and punch her quite so much while she’s at work all day, all right?  I told Mommy I was jealous of all the cuddle time she has with you. “Okay, I’ll show you what it’s like,” she said as she repeatedly punched me in the stomach. Ha ha, silly Mommy.

Mommy had a surprise “It’s a girl!” balloon and banner waiting on me when I came home from work the day we found out. Grandma and Grandpa said they knew you were a girl because you kick and squirm around so much. We always love learning more and more about you!

I asked mommy and she said it was okay to tell you your name. Shhhh, don’t tell anyone else, okay? It’s our secret for now. We hope you like your name! Now at night when Mommy is lying in bed and I talk to you I don’t have to call you “little baby” any more.

Mommy says you should weigh about a pound now and will grow a half-pound a week. Get big and strong (I think Mommy is hoping not TOO big) and we will see you on January 19th! We are going to have so much fun together as a family.

Before you know it we’ll be making snowmen and catching lightning bugs and putting flowers in your hair. I know how much you like to kick so I’ll have some soccer balls waiting for you when you get here.

We love you!

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Thoughts and observations on my travels around the state:

Perhaps the only Cook-Out restaurant with indoor seating is in Asheboro. UPDATE: Salisbury too. And Lincolnton.

Perhaps North Carolina's smallest Wal-Mart is located in Richfield.

Sushi is still an exotic novelty in small towns. Don't expect the local Harris Teeter to have a sushi chef like they do in Charlotte and Raleigh.

The easternmost Ingles is actually in Thomasville, not in Albemarle or Walnut Cove. This puts it within rock throwing distance from the westernmost Piggly Wiggly in Greensboro.

FroYo is starting to catch on in smaller towns.

Eighteen stores in North Carolina carry Blenheim Ginger Ale.

They are actually still opening new video rental stores in small towns. It's like small town business climates are a half decade behind bigger cities.

A well placed nuke could wipe out the world's supply of Cherry Lemon Sundrop. This is an important national security risk.

Geocities still inspires the page layout of small town newspaper websites.

It’s tough finding burrito joints in small towns. Moe's? Chipotle? Salsarita's? Not likely.

Remember in the 80's and 90's when every small town started to get their own Chinese restaurant? Now Thai is the new Chinese with Thai places popping up all over.

Every small town Mexican restaurant has a Speedy Gonzales lunch special. Taco, burrito, and rice or beans.

If you think finding Blenheim Ginger Ale is a challenge, try finding Dr. Enuf. I've seen it in a couple of convenience stores in the mountains, and a couple in the Piedmont. You would have better luck finding bigfoot who apparently commutes between Gaston and Montgomery Counties.

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Colors. Paterns like notes of a song. Towering over us. Angles. Textures. Hiding the sky. Complementing the sky. Shapes that change as we move around. As we view them differently.

See the full gallery on Posterous

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