Now:T-shirts Anyone!

The Reverbnation lesson continues! Part of what you need to do to finish the promotional check list on RVN is to start a store and sell things. I only have signed guitar picks to sell, that I have been putting on EBay to get people to read this blog. I did, actually sell some. Thanks! I now have learned what "Merch" means. I used the handy little RVN program to create my own line of "Designer" t-shirts. I can make mugs and hats too, but I tried to limit myself. I am a good designer after being an artist all my life and I will do some better and more fun shirts soon. I don't like to take away from my music, so it may be awhile. We also tried to make a video yesterday (My wife Dee is a wonderful photographer!) but the wind was too noisey. It sounded like a train going by. We will get one out soon, just for fun! I have moved to #18 today on the Rock chart for Louisville, which is amazing! I did contact some bands, but I do listen to their music before becoming a "fan". I get new fans everyday now, but I noticed that they didn't HEAR MY SONGS! Wow! It is about music isn't it??? At least it is for me. So play my songs and tell me what you think. I'm just learning. Rock and Roll Grandpa Chuck

Now: The Keys To Success!

Next in my journey through music, comes the latest story about fame. My wife Dee is playing a game called Farmville on Facebook. I don’t have time for such games. So I thought. Instead, I signed up for Reverbnation. I saw that some musicians that I knew were on it. After signing up, I found out what a “hub” for the music world it is. You upload your music easily and it can be shared with My Space, Twitter, and Facebook with the click of a button!. This is where I came across the thing called a “widget”. I started placing them everywhere I could, which is something like planting “bugs” in your neighbor’s apartment. It shares your latest songs with a click and also records the play in your “secret log” on Reverbnation. I am not saying that Reverbnation is bad, (I like it!) but you have to remember it really is the game I call “Fameville”. There are rules. Rules you ask? Oh, yes. I get emails from RVN (That’s what the musicians call it.) that tell me how I am doing and when someone wants to become a fan. I got a fan request from Slovakia. The contents of the email was surprising. It had “secret information” hidden in it about how to move higher on the charts on RVN! I am checking things out and I will write more as I learn the “secret rules” of etiquette of RVN. I did move from an obscure #227 for Louisville to # 36 today. Thanks to my “real” fans, not tricks. I am not doing many of things suggested in the email, because I want to see how I do on my own. I do realize that RVN is made up of lots of musicians. (It is like going to an art show opening and seeing that the crowd is mostly other artists or family.) But, I don’t know how many listeners are non-musicians. The CHART really is not like the old Top 40 of the radio days. The chart rating doesn’t help you write songs or pay the bills, although you are supposed to get “a piece of the action” (cash) if you do well. Please visit my site and become a fan to help me out. (My commercial message.) More later, Rock and Roll Grandpa Chuck

Now: Learning The New World at 61!

I just posted a thing called a "widget" which is new to me. As I learn the music business of today, I find myself becoming a bit to a "geek". I guess learning to play and write songs at 60 is not enough. The Reverbnation site is something because somehow I have quickly climbed to #42 (of 250) on the Louisville charts for Rock.I am also meeting other musicians, as they find my songs and contact me. I learn from so many things and people. Thanks, Rock and Roll Grandpa

Now: Reverbation Connection

Then: In The Mixer!

I decided to go crazy and try to record one of my “sketches” in Indianapolis at Hit City Recording with Tim Brickley. We found the studio after being “wowed” by being in the big city with its contrast of Ghetto vs. Mansion scenery . The studio is a great place to record because it has a “lost in the Hippies” decor and vibe. I had no idea what to do at a real studio, because I was just starting to move from the Spanish Program’s mic to a real Shure mic ( a 58 but some people seem to like the 57) that I had been advised to get at a music store. I did try one from Toys R Us, but it wasn’t right for my equipment. It made me sound younger? The first shock at the studio was the Emmy sitting on a table that Brickley had earned. I was totally intimidated, but Tim is so encouraging. He had me play my songs (and re-tune my guitar) as he sat on the rug listening and taking notes. When I would tense up or have problems, he would say,” that’s alright Daddy, you can do it”. He chose a love song which was a ballad and not a Rock tune for our first try. He quickly learned the songs and began playing it as if he had written it himself. Tim is a genius and my playing for him is like painting in front of Picasso. I asked him if my songs were worth recording and he told me that he wouldn’t waste his time if they weren’t. “I could be home watching the Colts!“, he said. The song “Unlucky in Love” was the first to record. I had to re-sing it many times to get it right. He pasted it together to make the final demo. He jokes that that was how Madonna does it. Dee and I listened to it over and over on our way home to Louisville. We in “another world.”