<![CDATA[James Kinne | Musician & Producer - Blog]]>Fri, 11 May 2012 05:15:06 -0500Weebly<![CDATA[..any available port..]]>Fri, 04 May 2012 15:51:44 -0500http://www.jameskinne.com/2/post/2012/05/any-available-port.htmlThe lessons keep flowing. 

I guess that is always true in life..  but I am certainly going through a period of concentrated life lessons.  Like lemonade concentrate sans H20, and I am definitely puckered up quite a bit these days.

In all fairness, it has been an exceptional week.  My first few days of being 37 have proven to be intense, and I haven't really had a chance to sit and process yet.  I can't say that's a bad thing though..  as I tend to over think and over-process..  so there is a beauty by the flying-by-the-seat-of-my-pants manner in which I currently exist.  But at the same time, I have reached a point where I am burned out of thinking (then, just for fun,  thinking again)..  and I am ready to just act.  That seems to be a successful method for others..  act first, think later (if at all)..  maybe then I would find that elusive gratification that is always an inch beyond my farthest stretch.

But then again, that wouldn't be me.  While I won't ever be able to lose the over-analytical side of my soul, I can certainly find a way to find the middle ground with it.  And the funniest thing about that?  That internal chaos breeds self-worth and faith.  Strength.  A kind of strength I have never known.

And just maybe, at the end of the day - that is precisely the point.  ]]><![CDATA[19,460,104.4 Minutes]]>Tue, 01 May 2012 10:24:29 -0500http://www.jameskinne.com/2/post/2012/05/194601044-minutes.htmlI just turned 37.  Literally.  Like, 2 minutes ago.

9:28am - for some reason I remember this.  My Mother made sure I knew the time..  she was always sentimental like that (a trait I apparent have held fast to myself)..  so I thought this would be a apropos time to blog.  And make mention of said sentimental fact, of course.

To get it out of the way up front, and most importantly..  I am so thankful for the life am I living.  For the music that has been given to me in this life, that I able to share and pay forward in whatever way I can. 

I have spent the last hour or so on Facebook - marveling once again at the power of this social media outlet, and how I could already have so many people (from everywhere), wishing me a happy day and thanking me for my music.  I have had inquiries for guitar tabs and lyrics, and even a few emails asking about song inspiration and creation.  And it's like a small fire which is catching, and spreading.  I can actually watch it grow..  it's unreal.  I have always remained a musician to hopefully spread the same feeling I get when I listen music myself, and it is so cool to have that feeling come around full circle.

And, as if this weren't enough to have a wonderful day - I recently moved into my new living/studio space, and I can't begin to say how psyched I am about that.  Last night I spent the fleeting hours setting up the space (and putting a rack cabinet - which, after some debacle, I actually assembled - no duct tape, or bodily injuries!).  I hung the appropriate pictures, the christmas lights (of course), and got to set up the new gear for the first time.  I was like a kid in a candy store..  I was setting up my music space, a space I have been lacking for quite a while now...  and when it was complete, I just sat and took it in.

I feel like I am gushing and saying "lucky me" over and over here, but that is how it feels right now.  I am really excited to see what lies ahead for the next year of my life..  personally, musically, spiritually.  With each day that passes, I feel like I see things more clearly - and life is more beautiful and magical than I have been capable of seeing for a long time, if ever.  All things in time, things happen for a reason, etc..  these sayings may all be true..  but either way the stars are lining up right now, and I am marveling the beauty of  watching them come together.

Out of the heart, onto the blog:
  • Thank you to my family for always supporting my music and my dream.  I could have not asked for a better family.
  • Thank you to the amazing people who I share my musical path with - I consider myself lucky to share this journey with you.
  • Thank you to all my amazing friends, who have stuck with me through thick and thin over the last several years, and who I can feel supporting me as I enter this new phase of my life.
  • Thank you Mom, always.

And Thank you for following this, reading this, listening, and sharing the music with me.  I am looking forward to an amazing year of music, magical times, and positive energy flow..

Ferris Bueller said it best.  "Life moves pretty fast.  If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it."    Right on.

Cameron did come in a close second with his "dwoop!" sound.  Life's little pleasures..  indeed.]]><![CDATA[{insert clever title here}]]>Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:25:54 -0500http://www.jameskinne.com/2/post/2012/04/insert-clever-title-here.htmlRight on.

Had a blast last night playing a solo acoustic gig with my friends Jayson Fulton and Cougar McCree..  Jayson opened the show, with some awesome new acoustic material.  Then he and I did some acoustic versions of tunes from Startled Arms, which was awesome..  and a first in public.  I played a set in the middle of the night, before Cougar came on and wrapped the night up.

We had such an amazing turnout of local friends..  thank you so much to all those who came out and threw down for an epic Valley Night @ The Big Picture Theater.  There was lots of love in the room, and the vibes were undeniable.  It meant a lot to me to look out into the crowd and see all the smiling faces..  Thank you.

Big thanks for Cougar and Jayson for sharing the night with me as well..  we will definitely have to do that again.  It's also been quite awhile since I performed a show solo, and it's always freeing to be able to jam freeform and completely let myself go.  I'm not even sure where the music went last night, but it was a blast.

Other big news from this side of the blog:  SoundMIND studio has a brand new computer coming in tomorrow.  The old computer has worked hard, and produced every album that I have worked on in the last 7 years.  In recent months it has been getting more and more temperamental..  and now it more-or-less unusable.  With several albums in-que, including Phineas & ...of the flow, and even Jayson Fulton's second offering..  it was time to bite the bullet and upgrade.

I am really excited for the upgrade, and sincerely want to thank my dear friend Serena of Serena Fox Designs for her help in making this happen.  Once again, the word grateful needs to be mentioned:  as I really am.   Thank you..

The music shall be flowing from the studio again shortly..  and 2012 looks like a monumental year of recording...  Psyched!!

Phineas Gage plays tonight at The Skinny Pancake in Burlington...  hope to see you down on the waterfront for a great night!  ]]><![CDATA[A big weekend...]]>Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:20:58 -0500http://www.jameskinne.com/2/post/2012/04/a-big-weekend.htmlLast October debuted in NYC @ The Living Room this past weekend.  We played to a full house upstairs @ Googie's Lounge..  and we had a fantastic time.  Thank you so much to our friends and family for coming out and sharing this amazing night with us, the love in the room was undeniable.  It was also really cool to play our music outside of Vermont..  just for a moment (in that room), the pace of the city seemed to slow down.  We're looking forward to coming back to NYC soon, and doing it again..

The following day I donned my kilt and marched in the annual NYC Tartan Day Parade.  It was such a trip to march down 6th avenue, in the spring sunshine, waving to the people behind the barricades & shaking hands with the cops on every corner.  We marched right in front of Radio City Music Hall & I was even filmed for some local NYC cable channel.  By comparison, the Tartan Day Parade is pretty tiny for New York..  but to my Vermont eyes there were tons of people there - all waving Scottish flags with smiles on their faces.  It was freaking awesome..

Next up for Last October:  This Wednesday we play live on-air @ 96.1fm WDEV at around 2:15pm (central Vermont, or streaming from their website), before returning to Moog's Place in Morrisville Wednesday night.
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Smoking a cigar just prior to marching in the NYC Tartan Day Parade - 4/14/12
]]><![CDATA[...of the flow & Bullfrog Audio..]]>Mon, 09 Apr 2012 09:43:32 -0500http://www.jameskinne.com/2/post/2012/04/of-the-flow-bullfrog-audio.htmlTony & I entered the studio this weekend to lay down drums & additional keys & guitars for our upcoming album.

Before I say anything else, I want to apologize the lack of pictures from the weekend.  We did have pictures taken (thanks to James for coming & snapping shots of us in-action)..  but I did not take any myself.  My cell actually died on me halfway through the weekend, and I was so focused on recording that documenting it was forgotten.  Apologies on that..

My biggest challenge of the weekend was the massive drum parts this album demands.  Obviously, I have laid drum parts into CDs in the past, but never before have the drums been such a focal & important part of the sonic landscape.  For the most part, drum tracks were laid to hold the beat, occasionally run a fill, and provide the rhythm.

On this album, they are their own entity.  I was able to approach these tracks as a drummer (which, until I was about 18, was all I was..), relinquish all production thought & action to Jeremiah, and play my primary instrument to the best of my (somewhat rusty) ability.

All in all, we laid drums into 8 tracks..  and we are psyched.  The songs have entered the next phase of development, and with the exception of a few fixes here and there, they are some of the best drum tracks I have ever played.

That took up our first full day in the studio..  On Sunday Tony began to lay down amazing Rhodes & electric piano parts..  and I was able to amp up with some sick electric guitars and shred for the remainder of the day.

Big thanks to Jeremiah @ Bullfrog Audio for hosting us, and doing a amazing job in keeping up with our frantic pace.  Thanks to Tony for the amazing music, amazing keyboard parts, and amazing fun..  Thanks to James Donaldson for coming and documenting the weekend in pictures, and thank you to Les for helping us out & providing us a place to crash on Saturday night.

Pictures to come..  but for now, I could use a nap. ]]><![CDATA[A deeper insight..]]>Fri, 06 Apr 2012 09:43:23 -0500http://www.jameskinne.com/2/post/2012/04/a-deeper-insight.htmlI had someone tell me recently that they respect me still following my heart, and continuing to pursue music in the fashion that I am.  For not selling my talent out, moving to LA or Nashville to become a session or touring player, and making a comfortable living.

Not that I haven't considered that as a viable option through the years, especially as the belt has gotten increasingly tighter around me.  But this is something I figured out a long time ago, back when I was touring with Angry Salad.

Within Angry Salad, I was just that..  a paid side man.  I came in, played, got to tour, and got paid.  On the surface, it looked like the perfect rock and roll lifestyle..  (well, minus the sex and drugs).

But I still remember feeling distinctly unfulfilled with my relationship to music..  even though I was playing a ton.   Over time it began to feel like a job.  Ultimately, this lead me to leave the band..  (twice, on two unrelated occasions, but for the same reason).

At the end of the day, music is the point for me.  Whatever I am investing myself into musically, it has to come from the heart.  Music cannot lie in my life..  out of everything, and everyone, it is the one pure element that has never changed around me.

Ironically, this has never been more true than in my current life.  I am blessed to have SO MUCH music flowing right now, and in completely different areas..  and it is what is keeping me.  In every other respect of my life, I am practically on autopilot.  I wake up, put one foot in front of the other, and make it through to the end of the day.  Things change around me constantly, emotions run from one to another, and everything else looks like a question mark. 

But the music is more solid than ever.  And grows more, every time I can sit with it and give it time to develop..  

I appreciate my friend telling me they respect me for not selling out and capitalizing on my talent alone.  That is never an option for me, no matter how anything else in my life turns out.  If, at the end of the day, I end up just playing my acoustic alone to an empty room, I will have kept my connection to music as pure as how it manifests itself in my life in the first place.

Life changes.  People change.   I have been through enough in my life to believe this, and know that nothing my heart tells me will change this as a basic experiential fact.

But music never has, and never will.  

That's why I do what I do, and why I am who I am.  
]]><![CDATA[April Music brings May..?]]>Tue, 03 Apr 2012 09:35:57 -0500http://www.jameskinne.com/2/post/2012/04/april-music-brings-may.htmlApril is off to a fine start.  No showers to speak of today, as I gaze out on a bluebird Vermont morning..  coming off another straight weekend of music & recording..

The weekend was a three show marathon, with time in-between shows being spent in pre-production and recording sessions.  On Saturday, Phineas returned to the Champlain College gymnasium, and rocked out a mid-afternoon set for the staff and students.  That night, Last October made our Montpelier debut at Positive Pie - and what an awesome spot!  The room is awesome, the crowd was attentive and receptive, and we had a blast.  Big thanks for Joe Smith @ Dubtek Productions for having us that night, and running such spot-on production during the show.    We had a great debut, and look forward to returning soon..

Sunday morning I went to my first full-band rehearsal in a long time..  I got to hang out with the guys in Lava Moss at their rehearsal space..  listening to them play and beginning to map out a plan of attack for recording their upcoming album.  They are a very unique band - 100% their own sound - and it was bittersweet watching a 5 piece band made up of buddies, interact and work within the delicate (and sometimes volatile) atmosphere that can only be described as a 'band'.  These 5 guys come together, from seemingly opposite directions, and collectively contribute to the sound that is distinctly Lava Moss.   The rehearsal was great, and we made some solid foundation plans for beginning their CD..  Thanks to Arthur and the guys for letting me hang out, and stick my beak in a little... 

I went straight from the Lava Moss rehearsal to our Sunday afternoon Phineas unplugged show in Stowe.  We played at the Black Cap Coffeehouse..  the same spot I played last summer with Marty Lloyd of the Freddy Jones Band.  It was great to be back, especially playing unplugged with Phineas.  It was the perfect Sunday afternoon cap-off to the weekend, just relaxed and jamming with Rob & Erica, unplugged & natural.
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Phineas unplugged in Stowe
The momentum & productivity didn't end with the weekend..  Yesterday Tony & I went through all the rough core tracks we have laid out for the ...of the flow album, and began to put them together in a rough order.  Due to time limitations on physical CDs, we were actually forced to cut two songs from the 9 total to bring the CD time under 80 minutes..  but we wound up with a 7 song list that we are thoroughly psyched.  Even though no one has heard anything yet, I am going to list the songs here (even if only for my enjoyment - if not to ignite further interest)..

...of the flow - it may actually go somewhere

1.  Something Familiar
2.  Strollin'
3.  Steep Edges
4.  New Day
5.  As Real as it Gets
6.  Dusk Ridge Mountain Line
7.  ...Of the Flow
      I.  Beneath the Flow
    II.  Within the Flow
   III.  Above the Flow

Tracking drums & additional keys are going to be recorded this weekend..

Phew!
]]><![CDATA[Comfortable]]>Wed, 28 Mar 2012 23:51:51 -0500http://www.jameskinne.com/2/post/2012/03/comfortable.htmlThe musical energy of this week has been really inspiring..  Since the week began, I have spent a night playing in each project I am a part of, and in every case it was something special and new.

On Monday, Tony and I ran through some material on the upcoming ...of the flow record, and our friend James was hanging out with us, taking some pictures while we played.  The songs are really developing and finding their space, yet they also seem to be constantly evolving.    It was an awesome night, and I'm psyched to see how the pictures turned out.

On Tuesday, Erica and I reclaimed our writing place..   by the fireplace with the acoustic, and two new songs  flowed out of us like water.  It was so rejuvenating to be back in that space, I could feel the vibrations of each note of the guitar.   It once again reminded me how intense our musical connection is, and it was really comforting to be in that space after so long away.

And last night, Phineas played an amazing set at The Purple Moon Pub.    One of the most unique things about Phineas to me is that we are always evolving.  The songs evolve, the harmonies evolve, and even the sound of the music itself evolves.  Tonights show seemed to highlight that for me...  It was really lighthearted and funny (springing capos, and incorrectly fretted capos come to mind.. ), yet really intense and connected musically.  Plus. I love playing that room,  and tonight was really on-fire for me.  

I have written a lot about gratitude on here in the past...  The three preceding paragraphs illustrate quite simply..  why.  I have been musical my entire life, and have dedicated my life to playing and writing the most honest music I can.  I am so honored to be a part of such amazing musical partnerships (and amazing friendships), and I am very humbled of the music that flows into my life, out of me, and into the world.

And it feels comfortable..  it feels like home.  ]]><![CDATA[Weekend Recap]]>Mon, 26 Mar 2012 06:03:12 -0500http://www.jameskinne.com/2/post/2012/03/weekend-recap.htmlIt was a full weekend of shows and studio time..  and it was awesome.

Began Saturday with Last October playing at The Valley Players Theater for Lawson's Finest 4th Anniversary Party.  It was a great turnout for the celebration, with vendors from all around the valley participating.  We played 3 sets, one morphed into Phineas when Rob jumped onstage and joined us..   great times, thank you so much for having us..

We went straight from that gig over to Middlebury to play at Two Brothers Tavern with The Phineas Gage Project.  We began there at 10pm, which for most other shows is when we usually wrap it up.  We played 3 sets again, locking it down and ripping it up until about 1am.  Being folk musician, not rock stars, this was a late night for us.  But we held on, and had a blast playing the other side of the mountain.  Thanks to Andy and the staff at Two Brothers for an excellent night.
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Jamming @ Two Brother Tavern w/Phineas Gage
Slept in on Sunday (not Saturday), and wrapped up the weekend by laying down more tracks for the upcoming ...of the flow record.  Tony and I continue to blast through recording the core tracks in anticipation of our weekend at Bullfrog Studio in early April.  We will be heading down there to record drums and additional keyboard tracks.  If time permits (and lyrics are finished), we will also attempt to lay down some lead vocals as well.  But we have a lot of music happening..  the last song recorded was a self titled instrumental, written in 4 parts, total track time 30:30.  

Yes, you read that right.

More to come involving more recording (for all projects I am involved in), shows and tours, and new SoundMIND clients & albums.  Ready to embrace everything that 2012 has to offer, and SO psyched about it.
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Laying down a guitar part for ...of the flow
]]><![CDATA[March showers bring April flowers..?]]>Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:39:05 -0500http://www.jameskinne.com/2/post/2012/03/march-showers-bring-april-flowers.htmlThe Phineas Gage Project reconvened last night at The Skinny Pancake in Burlington.  For our first 3 songs we played outside as the skies began the threaten and then spritz rain.  Although the rain didn't ultimately last, we hurriedly carried the gear inside and continued the show there.  But we DID play outdoors in March in Burlington.  What a way to come back after a few weeks down..

The show itself was great, and Phineas was in top form.  We broke into some new material, revamped some old stuff, saw some friendly faces, and ate some great crepes.  Win squared.  Thanks Skinny!

Been a busy musical week, and heading into a full weekend.  Tomorrow at around 2:30 Last October plays at The Valley Players Theater for Lawson's Finest Anniversary Party - this will be my return to that stage after 5 years..  the last time (only time) I have played there was the Nothing About Grover CD release party.   Should be a blast!

Tomorrow night The Phineas Gage Project returns to Two Brother's Tavern in Middlebury, 10pm set time.  Always enjoy bringing da' pholk-phunk to the other side of the mountains...  Hope to see you out there!
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