Recently I decided to create a new playlist for my iPod which would consist entirely of female artists, musicians and singers. I didn’t think I’d have a long playlist, because honestly, most of the artists I listen to are white … Continue reading Women in Music Day Thread
Making music is obviously a lot of work, but it’s a lot of fun as well. This weekend I’ve been thinking a lot about what it is that drives us to make music, and what it is that we find … Continue reading The Avocado Jams! Finds a Reward
WOOHOOO! Alright! Today is the deadline for the first Avocado Jams! songwriting challenge! (I have a lot of exclamation marks and I’m not afraid to use them!) Two months ago I issued a songwriting challenge to our little community. The … Continue reading The Avocado Jams! Throws a Listening Party!!!
Over the past few days, we’ve had some discussion in various threads about teachers and their ability to both inspire and discourage. I’ve had a variety of music teachers over the years, and I can say that I’ve encountered a … Continue reading The Avocado Jams! Gets Schooled
Well, I hate to say it but I don’t really have any big ideas for this week, so I’m just going to share a couple of things from my inbox. Sweetwater had a cool story about recreating the Phil Collins … Continue reading The Avocado JAMS! just kind of phones it in
Many years ago, my brother-in-law and I had the brilliant idea of putting together a record label to release some albums from our noise project. I did some research, filed some papers, wrote some checks, and boom! My label was … Continue reading The Avocado JAMS! gets down to business
So I’ll admit that reading music has never been my strong suit. Piano lessons as a kid have ensured that I can distinguish a treble clef from a bass clef, though forty years of neglect haven’t really helped my skills … Continue reading The Avocado JAMS! tries to decipher all these notes
I have to admit that I’ve never had a good practice routine, except when I was a kid and had to practice piano for half an hour a day. Even when I was finally allowed to switch over to snare … Continue reading The Avocado JAMS! ponders how to get to Carnegie Hall
So I’ve had this idea kicking around in my head ever since I thought of starting this little weekly feature, and what the hell, I’m going to give it a shot. Back in 2007, I came across this thing called … Continue reading The Avocado JAMS! Issues a Song Writing Challenge
Last week we talked about recording, so this week I want to talk about the flip side, playing live! In front of people! It’s kind of weird to imagine these days, but I’m pretty sure that used to be a … Continue reading The Avocado JAMS! Comes Alive at Budokan II
So this week I thought we’d talk about one of my favorite subjects…recording! I love everything about the process, whether at home or in a real, honest-to-goodness studio (something I’ve only done a couple of times). I took a class … Continue reading The Avocado JAMS! Hit the Record Button
Let’s talk about those musicians that inspire us to turn up our instruments and make us sing until the neighbors complain! Continue reading The Avocado JAMS! (The Musical Inspiration edition)
Everyone is welcome, from seasoned shredders to beboppin’ beginners! Come on in and discuss making music with us. Continue reading The Avocado JAMS! (a thread for musicians)
