Thursday, December 20, 2007

Wammie Nomination

I am very excited to report that Paint the Evening Sky has been nominated for best electronica recording of 2007 by the Washington Area Music Association (WAMA). The awards, called Wammies, are to be announced February 17th at a ceremony at the State Theater in Fairfax VA. It's an honor to be nominated but hey - I want to win it ;-).

Congrats also to the other nominees in this category: Reminted by Fort Knox 5, Pop Filter (Rethoughts) by Ben Young, Kadath - The Dream Quest by XCross, Beneath the Watchful Eyes by Arthur Loves Plastic.

But if you know any WAMA members give my album a plug - I am trolling for votes on a Huckabee budget. Spread the word. Peace!

Brent

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Still kickin..... in the goood ole US of A

December is here. The sky is blue clear, the wind is chilled but not like Ohio at age 2. Ellie is two at the end of the month and a buddle of pure entertaining cuddleness. I have been getting pleasantly surprised by my sales of digital music lately. Apparently I am big in New Zealand ;-) and there are a handful of fans out in the fantastic UK. I must admit it is fun to me to log into my distribution services for deepnine and the new Brent Roberts release and see roughly where it is selling. I still think of it as so personal since I am not plastered on billboards. I often wonder since I have made so little in the way of public relations efforts on the new release - "How do people find my music?" So if it is not too much of a bother - when you buy a song I released feel free to email me here and tell me why. I would love to know.

I do know I have found some exciting new acts via myspace.com and also via cdbaby's DIY podcast interviews. My latest (ok I am behind the curve on this one I know) is "i am jen." I really dig her melody, arrangement, vocals, the whole nine yards. For the first time since I completed "Paint the Evening Sky" I was inspired to write a new tune after purchasing her first EP. My new tune is called "Life Goes On." I am thinking I will post a demo of it online for download when I get there. I am loving it although it has a heavier, moodier, Grey's Anatomy kind of vibe that my recent work.

OK - I am off to have a day. Peace - more peace and please love yourself and maybe even your neighbor. I know I am working on it!
Brent

Friday, July 06, 2007

In Loving Memory of Joe Winston Rowe

I was very saddened to learn that my original musical collaborator and dear friend Joseph Winston Rowe tragically passed away June 18th. Joe was absolutely one of a kind and words don't come close to conveying his magnetism. Joe was an artist whose medium was whatever he happened to turn his attention to.

We lived together - first in Arlington, VA on South 7th Street and later with our close friend and third Charlie's Angel, Dave Summers on Holmead Place, NW in DC in the early 90s. We bonded over musically tastes (Cocteau Twins, 808 State, My Bloody Valentine), horrid drinking binge histories, and a love of peroxide.

We had been back in touch over the last few years since our mutual friend Dave died of HIV complications in December of 2005. I last saw Joe I think in April before he left the DC area to move to Portland. He looked good again and sounded upbeat but I had been worried about him and his health both mental and physical for a while.

Joe and I started working on music together in 1990. We called ourselves (after about 1000 band name sessions) Shivering Blondes and we went on to write hundreds of songs. Some of them were tragically bad, but a lot are quite good. I was primarily a lyricist and Joe wrote the music at first. Watching and working with him taught me a lot about inspiration and just showing up for creative work, and doing it until something good arrived. With Joe it never took long. He was so talented an artist that music, photos, graphics all practically poured out of his body.

We used to drive Dave crazy with guitar riffs and drum loops that played over and over deep into the morning while we drank pots of Folgers oh so tasty coffee. My new CD features one of our oldest songs called "Bring Down the Lights." I actually used a midi performance he did live in 1991 or so for one of the synth string parts. I shared it and a couple of other tracks with him when I saw him last and he emailed this to me:

"Bring Down the Lights: unbelieveable - I almost cried. It's so good. I'm both jealous and elated for you. Anything I can do to promote your new CD, let me know.
BTW: How the hell did you get Kate Bush to do back-up on track 2?
LOL.
xxoo
joe"

Kate Bush is no-where to be heard my my new CD (don't I wish!). He was referring to Amikaeyla's whispered spell incantations on "Come Away". He was so quick and smart and pop culture savvy. Sort of Kathy Griffin meets Waylon Flowers via Sandra Bernhard. To give you a taste of Joe's humor, I sent him a note after a coffee we had in February of this year when he seemed so out of it I was quite upset. He replied with this opener:

"Uh oh......Dementia. When you said it was great to see me it took me quite awhile to remember when we had met. Then, 'whew', I remembered. It was in LA was at the premiere of Rocky XXVVII, right? You wore that great backless, satin, lavender Prada gown with the pink boa and I decided to go with the Versace empire dress. I'm still laughing about the fact the Kate Hudson was fuming that you were wearing the same thing! LOL!"

Even with his faculties at half mast he still managed to make me laugh. I am trying my best to hold on to all the good times and be grateful for what he brought to my life. I wouldn't be a songwriter really if I had not met Joe. Here's hoping he is zooming through the Milky Way feeling no pain and free at last. Love you always Joe.

Brent

Monday, June 04, 2007

"Paint the Evening Sky"

My latest CD "Paint the Evening Sky" on Collabitat Records is finally out - it was many years for me in the making. It is darn hard for me to sit back now, let it go and not fret about whether you like me, do you really like me? .

Perhaps it is fitting that the day I released "Paint the Evening Sky" Paris Hilton decided to go to jail early ;-). So Paris if you're bored and happen to be reading this hop on over to CD baby and buy my CD baby and tell your friends ;-). Heck I listened to "Stars Are Blind" and even liked it pretty much.


Buy the CD
album cover
click to order



Thanks for supporting independent recording artists!!

Best wishes and peace out.
Brent

Friday, February 09, 2007

SoulMaid

So I saw my old partner in songwriting crime Joe Winston Rowe and he managed to get a song from our Shivering Blondes catalog called "Color Junkie" into an indie movie called "Soul Maid". So far I have found this from the movie:



I can't wait to see if we made the cut.
The song was about our 20 something addiction to hair coloring products.
Cheers!
Brent

Oprah Made me Cry Today

So I haven't seen Oprah in like 300 years but I am having a lazy weekend to myself and I turned it on this afternoon. She was doing a show about these kids in Ghana who have been sold into slavery to fishermen which was recently in the NYTimes. She had a woman on who had decided to rescue the boy featured in a picture on the article. Just a typical mom from the midwest who found a way to help this kid and 6 others get out of a dead end life. I swear I balled like a baby. It was very moving and so tragic to know that somewhere in the world there are STILL children who have to work 8-10 hour days at 7 years old. And this woman was so inspiring. It took her just a bit of perseverance what is like a small amount of money, and she made the world a better place.

I find myself wanting to recommit my life to doing something for someone other than my lovely self. My partner and I have been under financial stress lately and yet ... we have a home, we have wonderful kids, we have food to eat, cars and other luxuries. Life is short and this world is a bit %$#@ed. Make your life a positive - that's what I am telling myself.

Another random upsetting thing happened recently. My partner came home a few nights ago and said that the really sweet guy who worked at our gym was murdered. He was so young, maybe 30ish, handsome, friendly, warm from Central America I think. I have not seen anything about it in the news here. It is strange how fragile we are.

Grow flowers not guns.

Allah is not asking for blood. That is mankind you are hearing.