Stephen Bailey - Assorted Bits

I don't really blog here anymore...

2007-08-07T02:50:00.000-04:00

I was even surprised that it had been over a year since I was here. Anyhoo ... Everything I do can be found at StephenBailey.com. Well, not everything ... some things will remain secret. Well, not much ... but some.

Why Mass Mail Marketing Does Not work

2006-07-17T17:39:00.000-04:00

Take a look at this picture. See anything wrong? Well, if you're familiar with New Jersey you do.

My place in Hoboken is about 31 miles from this 'neighborhood' bank in Morristown.

Why do companies insist on spending money on mass mailings and not even know where the cards are going? Is the payback really that good? I find it mind boggling.

The Annoying Thing

2006-07-15T21:59:00.000-04:00

You tell me; what is better than being the fun uncle (or aunt as it were)? See, without kids of my own, I get to indulge the little ones in my life with all the sugar, rowdiness and toys that make noise as I want. Because when the sun sets, I go home and leave the parents to deal with the aftermath. Evil ... yes ... but fun as hell.

Take, for example, the gift I bought for my friends' two-year-old son Felix. There I was in Target and how could I resist a toy aptly named 'The Annoying Thing' that dances to a horrible few seconds of a horrible song over and over again? I mean ... really ... I had no choice but to buy it.

Pink Floyd Founder Syd Barrett Dies

2006-07-11T18:02:00.000-04:00

Founding member of Pink Floyd and one of the architects of psychedelic music Roger Keith 'Syd' Barrett reportedly died from complications related to diabetes on Friday July 7, 2006. Some are saying it may have been cancer. His brother Alan only said that he died peacefully a his home in Cambridgeshire, England. He was 60.

Click here to read more

Great Month of New Music at Radio-Indie-Pop.com

2006-07-11T01:40:00.000-04:00

Among the many great songs you can hear, July has a few things I especially dig over at Radio-Indie-Pop.com:

- Motel Creeps is one of my favorite local bands and you can listen to their new album by pressing the 'Featured New Artist Debut Release' button.

- Thom Yorke of Radiohead has a new solo album you can hear by pressing the 'Album of the Month' button. If you've been wondering where the band's more esoteric sound of 'Amnesiac' came from ... this will tell you.

I've said it before, I'll say it again ... I love Radio-Indie-Pop.com.

Their mission statement is, "Dedicated to bringing you a selection of music written and performed predominately by independent label artists who do not receive commercial radio airplay."

Even better, nearly a third of their playlist is from unsigned bands or very tiny and DIY labels.

Check 'em out!

Things to Remember, Ways to Forget

2006-07-01T08:18:00.000-04:00

Good news everyone! The new CD from The Base has arrived and it sounds incredible. Of course what is good news without a bit of bad news to off set it? I recently got an email from singer/guitarist Norbert Wally that they lost their distributor. Apparently the company has gone out of business.

This band is just plain fantastic and they deserve to be heard. I encourage all of you to seek out this CD by contacting the band. I've written a review of it over at my other site so check it out. There you will also find a link to the band's website and a few MP3s.

Spam Poetry

2006-06-28T15:43:00.000-04:00

No, I'm not referring to poems about the tasty meat product. It's those wonderfully beat sounding words that can be found hidden in useless email messages. Senders can be clever so they're usually not easy to find. The words can be the same color as the background or set to a size of less than 2px. You should look because, like prospecting in 1849, you may find gold.

The purpose for these hidden words is to confuse spam filters. Which is why they are hidden. This is illegal by the way, so don't get any ideas about trying to improve your email marketing results. Every once in a while a spammer will mess up and place these words right out in the open. Then, of course, it's real easy to spot them. Like this poetic masterpiece I found in spam for a low fixed mortgage:

In the actual subject line:
apostle naples nettle methanol grocery ineffectual emigrate aspidistra brahms healthy fraught carmichael dogleg cherubim book perturbation bragging because sequestration brood teflon sophism florentine gradual sheriff cornelius emilio aeneas yin maximum withdrew lin stack cottage walls

Then, after the sales pitch, it went straight into:
defensive and citywide it brush be radix it's quint may bittersweet in illegitimacy try chlordane be cumulate in packet the bleat try eagan it's louisville may aromatic try elm be bradley in wiretapping it song or clare and ditty or snuffer in incommensurable in corpsman a already may afterimage may provost or eighteenth , dowel not telephonic not trianon not bureau not cancellate! deflater see conquer! Keine email hier, debussy it's hateful not try rifleman and carmine be the coulomb and befall the or assyriology it stochastic on

If you find any gems like this, please let me know :0)

Get Your Music into a Movie

2006-06-25T12:33:00.000-04:00

Well, OK ... there are no guarantees here, but this is a very cool, cheap service.

VersusMedia.com is free to join and then you buy bulk $1.00 credits to look at project profiles. Or you can join for $30.00 a year for a Gold Membership. This gets you 20 credits to view project profiles and places your music in the Versus Media library. This library helps filmmakers find you if your music fits what they want.

Also, what I think is really cool is that they rank each project against your profile so you know before you waste a credit whether or not your music fits the film. They also give you a detailed description of the project. Combined with the ranking system, you won't be wasting too many credits. But now for the caveat...

Yes, I am a member and no, I have not gotten in any big films nor have I made any money off of this. However, I have made a few cool connections and more people now know of my music. Maybe it's just me, but I truly feel that half the battle is just getting people to hear your stuff.

Anyway, you judge for yourself: VersusMedia.com

Bon Voyage Lost Girls!

2006-06-20T09:44:00.000-04:00

My friend Holly, along with 'Lost Girls' Amanda and Jen, are leaving for their around the world adventure today. I'm so jealous!! My around the country jaunt was put on hold due to a lack of funds (thank you gas prices).

Follow their progress over at The Lost Girls blog. Stop by and say hi. Tell them Stephen Bailey sent ya :0)

I Saw My Cousin In Brooklyn

2006-06-15T16:09:00.000-04:00

That may not sound weird to you , but it took us both by surprise. I was coming back from a job interview yesterday in the Dumbo section of Brooklyn. At the time I felt pretty good about how the overall interview went. Unfortunately I'd wind up not getting the job. No matter though since that is not the reason for writing this.

As I was walking down into the 'F' station on York & Jay streets, I see my cousin Michael Shelley. I hadn't seen him in ages. At least not since he had moved to Brooklyn. He doesn't live in this neighborhood but it turns out that he works in the same building where I was interviewing.

We caught up as much as two people can in just a few minutes. Talking about music, work, relationships, Burning Man, etc. Yeah, it was a fruitful few minutes. He has always been into music. I almost lost him during the Primus set at Lollapalooza back in 1993. Don't tell his parents!

Anyway, I asked what he was up to musically. He told me he's been writing and every so often hits the Sidewalk Cafe (94 Avenue A NYC) to play a quick set. Check out My Space for a taste of his sonic endeavors. I dig it and I think you will too.

My W.E. Fest Summary Is Up!

2006-06-10T19:42:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to take a moment to let you all know that my W.E. Fest 2006 summary is up. So come by and see the pix, read about the shows, find out what I learned and why one band has been (more or less) omitted. Click here to read all about it.

New Majestic Twelve Video

2006-06-07T12:57:00.000-04:00

Watch the Majestic Twelve save the beach with their magical powers of rock in the new "Livin' On The Beach" video. Just go to:
http://www.myspace.com/themajestictwelve
. . . and scroll down a bit.

Darth Tater

2006-06-04T14:21:00.000-04:00

OMG! This is the funniest thing I've seen in a while! For all you Star Wars geeks (like me)!!

Back from W.E. Fest X!

2006-05-31T11:18:00.000-04:00

It's always nice to come home after a vacation, but I am feeling blue. I got back from WE Fest around 3:00 this morning. I miss everyone already. My plan now is to re-acclimate myself to city living and make sense of my various notes, pix and micro-cassettes. Then I'll let everyone know when my recap is up. For now, here are links to all but one of the bands that played. Cheers!

Day 1 - Jim Testa, Tom House, Regina Hexaphone, The Majestic Twelve, Ape Fight
Day 2 - Chickens And Pigs, Nina57, Clang Quartet, Dan Bryk, Aviso' Hara, Billy, Glass City Colonels
Day 3 - Charlie McAlister, Oliver Squash, Eyelight, Pattern Is Movement, Nuees Ardentes, The Difference Engine, Stuyvesant
Day 4 - Sabado Domingo, Meredith Bragg and the Terminals, Olivia Mancini and the Housemates, The Sharp Things, Skyline Rodeo, Sparks Fly From a Kiss
Day 5 - Andy Bilinski, The Specs, Funeral Crashers

These three bands had to cancel due to various urgencies. Check 'em out anyway: The Slow Wire, The Explorers Club, Hero Pattern

Yes, there is a band missing from Day 3. I'll explain it all soon enough. Let's just say they didn't understand W.E. Fest or why we were all there so I've chosen not to support them.

Things Overheard in NYC

2006-05-24T11:50:00.000-04:00

In the category of "Why Didn't I think of This" comes www.overheardinnewyork.com.

The site is exactly what it sounds like. The things people say can be quite odd whether taken in or out of context. This is a place to list them and get a good laugh.

I have said in the past (as I'm sure many of you have) that some of the best stories come from the bits and pieces you hear as you walk around the city. And there's a book too! God I hate when people move faster than me on great ideas. :(

The Cookie Sutra

2006-05-20T12:52:00.000-04:00

A funny little book I found that demonstrates the positions of the Kama Sutra using a playful gingerbread couple. Apparently the cookie recipe is yummy. However, just like some of the more daring gymnastics depicted, I haven't baked these frisky treats yet.

clueLess

2006-05-20T12:47:00.000-04:00

This band plays EVERYWHERE ... all the time! It's amazing. Besides being friends with the Pla Brothers since 1 million years ago last Tuesday, this is really good stuff.

The call their sound, "acoustic, middle-eastern, celtic, folk, funk, pop, rock with a mood and subject matter as varied as the band's description." Yeah, that about covers it.

Check 'em out: www.cluelessmusic.net

W.E. Fest X

2006-05-19T17:01:00.000-04:00

I have to plug W.E. Fest X! It's the tenth anniversary of this authentic indie music/publishing shindig. For those of you not down with the Roman numeral system X = 10 (duh). It takes place from May 25 thru May 29, 2006 and the Soapbox Laundrolounge in Wilmington, NC.

Anyway, I haven't been there since 2002 for both personal and professional reasons. I am so friggin' psyched to be going this year. Plenty of great music, zines and parties! Wanna know more? Check out: www.wefestival.com or www.myspace.com/wefestallstars
Rock On!!

My Ego Made Me Do It

2006-05-19T13:24:00.000-04:00

Call me a egotist, but I think it's fair that my first featured pick here be my own site (StephenBailey.com). I call myself a Cultural Exchange Advocate, which is just a fancy ass way of saying that when I discover new things, I tell others about it. Could be music, beer, food, art, books, candy, girls, cacti ... whatever.

So, if you're in a band, own a club, promote events, take pretty pictures or partake in some form of creative outlet (particulary if you're independent of any corporate money) or simply love things creative, send me some stuff.

I can't promise I'll respect you in the morning (or ever), but I may buy you a drink if I see you out and about. For more info, go to StephenBailey.com.