Ryan and Anji hop back in the saddle for a retooled post-PME extravaganza! The band talk about how they almost missed the big podcasting expo because of Bones, discuss recent song placements on TV, talk about Audio Scrobbler and how it works with both Last.FM and iTunes, John Mayer, getting back in touch with Jennifer Ryan Fuller, upcoming 2007 releases and more! Lovespirals have a funky new outro and a more pro intro this time around, what do you think?
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Ryan and I went down to Ontario for the Podcast & Portable Media Expo, but ended up spending most of our time at the PodShow UnExpo2! Originally we thought we’d just go up Friday to check it out, but we decided to go back on Sunday, too, to hang out poolside with my PodShow homies and take part in the live PodShow Music Rewind recording session. You can actually check that out over at rewind.podshow.com — episode #45. Ryan and I come in next to last on the show, though you do hear me laughing or yelling in the background from time to time. Ha ha!
I also did video interviews with Cali Lewis, of GeekBriefTV, and the Rumor Girls, so when I see those go up, I’ll link to them here — probably in the news section. Posed for photos here and there, including a great one with 6 other women PodShow podcasters taken by Frank of Media Artist Secrets.
We’re nearly done with our fifth new song, called “Nocturnal Daze”. We originally came up with the idea back in November but just returned to it last week. Unlike the last song, we didn’t have really strong ideas about the arrangement before going in to record it, so we started simply with the acoustic guitar and vocals of the demo and then let the ideas flow in around it. Ryan decided to play Rhodes throughout the tune, which ended up giving it a bit of a Zero 7/Air feel. I likened the sound to “Trip Hop without the beats.” Anyway, at first Ryan was just going to play his electric guitar at the end, but I had imagined it going in and out of the whole song, so he gave it a shot last night and we both liked the results. The song fits really well with the other 4 completed tunes and once again I am struck by how nicely the album is coming together.
The ubiquitous Anji Bee has just launched a new videoblog on the PodShow Podcast Network called – not surprisingly – Chillin’ with Anji Bee. Her fledgling episode is now up for your viewing pleasure at anjibeechat.podshow.com and should soon be listed on iTunes, as well.
dear cbs,
your labor day tennis coverage was incredibly frustrating! while the #2 seed game was going on, you insisted on sticking with the tedious #14 vs #18 seed game that drug on and on uninterestingly. i suspect cbs of being nationalist, trying to force amercian tennis players on us. get a clue; americans love nadal, not ginepri!
not only that, but you kept showing tennis news while you could have been showing live games. i would have loved to see some of the safin game, but instead you wasted time repeating scores and making commentary in the studio. we can already read the scores on the bottom of the tv screen – so why not focus on the live tennis games going on? frustrating!
i am completely dissapointed in today’s coverage.
— anji
Anji and Ryan chat about trying to record for the new album despite the crazy heatwave, having more Lovespirals music being added to Pandora, seeing Zero 7 and Jose Gonzalez at the Hollywood Bowl, being bummed on the Amazon Advantage program, digital music sales vs CD sales, the Top 5 Lovespirals downloads, Anji winning Podshow’s Earthlink Ad Challenge, and more. They close out the show a clip of a their latest work-in-progress, “Lovelight”. Monster the cat makes an appearance.
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The newest episode of Chillin’ with Lovespirals lists our Top 5 Downloads, which were quite a surprise to me, I must say! I also announce our digital sales vs CD sales ratio… maybe not as much of a surpise to us, but may be to some fans. We also chat about recent band happenings and share the intro to our latest song in progress. And if you’ve already heard the podcast, yes, introoutro.com is taken!
Two Lovespirals singles, “Beatitude” – from Chill Out in the City – and “Walk Away (Bitstream Dream Remix)” – from the 2004 PLP Remix Contest – are currently featured on Podcast Spots Top 20 Podsafe Songs Chart. The site also allows listeners to purchase these songs for just 50 cents via music stores that particpating podcasters set up using the site’s “My Music Store Maker” software. This is the first time either of these tracks have been made available for purchase via download, and neither appear on a Lovespirals CD at present time.
Some friends of ours offered us tickets to the sold out Zero 7 show at the Hollywood Bowl last night just a few hours beforehand. We both love that venue, so even though we don’t own any of their CDs, we decided to go check it out. I don’t know why I haven’t bought their albums yet, really. I’ve liked everything that I’ve heard. I really, really like the new stuff with Jose Gonzalez. He was so cute in person, too. And Sia was really amazing! Her voice really held up live, and her performance was quite charming. I’m definitely picking up the new CD for sure, and probably the other two, as well. I also want to get Jose’s solo album. Gotan Project, who actually headlined, were enjoyable but somewhat of a letdown after Zero 7. The songs were all compentent and pleasant, but a bit samey. There weren’t as many highs and lows in mood. I did dig them, however. Anyway, another great show at the Bowl with a wonderful picnic beforehand. Man, I had Rose two nights in a row this weekend. I feel a bit dehydrated today!
Anji’s chillout music podcast, The Chillcast with Anji Bee will be included as part of Podshow’s “Twofer Tuesday” on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 102 Tuesday, August 22nd at 8:30 PM EST. The half hour program will feature title tracks from CDs released over the past year, including Lovespirals’ “Free & Easy.” If you can’t tune into the show live, you can still hear it via The Chillcast site starting Wednesday, at chillcast.podshow.com!
Started working on the 4th song for the new album last night. It’s a tune we’ve been writing over the past two months or so. It began life as a fairly fast tempo rocker with a funky edge, but being Lovespirals, we had to come up with a sad, slow part, which is the intro we just recorded. I have to say the song is nothing like anything we’ve done before, while still managing to sound like us. In fact, this album is shaping up to be quite different overall from the last two. Kinda picks up where “Habitual” left off.
One cool thing about the new album is that there aren’t any old left over tunes on it. The first album had 3 previously uncompleted Love Spirals Downwards songs on it, and the second album had several songs we didn’t complete for the first album. This time, we’re writing and recording everything fresh. Sure, some of my lyrics have been kicking around for years, but this is their first breath of life with music. So things are fresh and fun for us. We’re both excited.
If you’re a listener of Adam Curry’s Daily Source Code, then you may have heard this week that he has proposed a new PodShow LA drama starring the two of us. If not, you just heard it from me. Pacific Coast Hellway’s Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff is currently brainstorming ideas for this romantic comedy drama program. Should be a hoot, with him at the helm! Lovespirals may write the theme song, which would only be appropriate, eh? Mark thinks we should let the audience get involved in script writing and music, which is certainly an interesting idea. I just warned him against anything too sleazy… Let’s keep it classy, PodShow!
