Now Accepting Pre-Orders For My Debut Album

Needs A Re-String o_O

I begin tracking my first ever full length album tomorrow 06/10/2011.

According to marketing experts I should give you the spiel about this fantastic opportunity I have for you. But fuck that, I’m just gonna be real with you, because that’s what I believe in when it comes down to it… The truth is that this IS a cool chance for you to take advantage of a limited offer & be a part of what I believe will be a very cool full length album, BUT it’s a two way street & you will be helping me in the process.

Bottom line: I need your help. This album is not going to pay for itself & I am not signed to any major label, I don’t have any financial backers. Just you, my listener, my fan, my family & friend. But I’m not asking for handouts, oh no, you will be getting something great in return for your contribution & what you get will depend on how much you choose to invest. Recording a full length album professionally is not cheap, but every bit of cash helps me make it that extra bit special. You will see from the pricing structure below that the prices are very reasonable & once the album is done, there will not be much profit made on these pre-sales, just extra money to fund the damn album!

Before I get into the pricing structure, let me ask you a quick question… Did you ever have a favourite band/artist & then one day they broke up/quit? How much does it suck? Well here is my promise to you: I will never quit. Regardless of bands I may join / create, I will always be a singer/songwriter, it’s in my blood. So make ME your favourite artist & we can evolve & grow old together :)

I have a PayPal account setup so all pre-orders will be invoiced & you can be sure there will be no funny business.

As if you wouldn't trust this face anyway though right?

Here is the price breakdown

It Could Be Worse (Lyrics)

I see fat people
Eating more than they need
I see homeless & retired
& not much in between
& these obsessive observations are something short of a curse
So I guess it could be worse

I see thin people
Starving to their graves
I see you & I blind
To the path this paves
But Donald couldn’t trump the poor without something averse
So I guess it could be worse

I see drugged people
Beg for my change
Then turn to the next guy
& mumble the same
These days I say no & don’t part with my hard earned
So i guess maybe I’ve learned

I see fat people
Eating more than they need
I see homeless & retired
& not much in between
& these obsessive observations are something short of a curse
So I guess it could be worse

A Precursor To A Journey

Can You Hear The Distant Beaches?

‘It’s been two years… Since I said I was leaving here, now It feels like I’ll never go.’

Those are the first few lyrics from the first verse of the demo I just uploaded after cutting a rough mix at home.

It’s funny how when you want to leave a place, there can be so many things that tie you to it.

I am planning an Australian & then European tour & have been for the past two years.

Some days it really gets to me that I haven’t left yet.

The song is called ‘distant beaches’.

Here is the MP3 - It would mean a lot to me if you shared the song with your friends if you enjoy it.

Here are the chords ‘n’ lyrics – I would love to hear your cover version or anything you want to say about this song or the subject matter.

Love,

- Stanmore

What Would Social Media Look Like?

Imagine faces on the inside... You can do it!

When I magine what social media would look like, it’s like this:

Imagine a big sphere of faces all looking inwards at each other.

When someone posts something, they float awkwardly towards the

One Foot On The Platform, One Foot On The Train

 

Don't be like this guy

 

So about three months ago I moved in with my girlfriend. We live in a share house in Newtown with three others. “Who cares?” I hear you thinking or possibly saying out loud as you munch loudly on your delicious honey glazed cashews. Well, that is a good question but not one I care to answer. But I digress… I wanted to share this with you all because I think some of what I’ve learnt may enrich your lives & possibly even help you if you’re ever in a similar situation.

A lot of us have trouble making decisions. “Should I, or shouldn’t I?”, “Scotch or Beer?”, “Burger or wrap?”. In my case it was “Move in with GF or not?”. In relationships, I am always reminded of some advice a wise friend once told me, he said “At 6 months, evaluate. At 1 year, move in together. At 2 years, you’ve been living together for a year, it’s time to shit or get off the pot.” Ie. if you can stand living together for a year, you’re ready for marriage & conversely if you have had a rough time during that year, it’s probably time to move on & stop wasting each others time.

While I may not agree with the timeline 100% I do find it hard to fault the logic of the whole thing. If you’re going to

What Does Your Whiteboard Say?

^ Note the whiteboard ^

When I used to work in Newtown & catch the train out from Parramatta to work each day, on the way through the back streets of Newtown, I noticed out the front of one particularly dirty looking town-house a ratty looking whiteboard with an interesting quotation on it. “Cool quote” I thought. The next day a different quote was on it & I was hooked. Each day I would go out of my way to pass by that house. I never met or saw it’s inhabitants but it was so refreshing to absorb a piece of wisdom/humour each day.

The point I am trying to get across to you guys is about the profound & far reaching effects our words, actions, thoughts & (initially) feelings have on the world around us. You may just be one person but no matter how little difference you feel you do or can make, EVERYTHING you do, say, think & feel DOES MAKES A DIFFERENCE.

Pay someone at work a quick compliment about how they look, *BOOM*, you may very well have boosted their mood exponentially. OR, Bitch at them about something minor because you are frustrated about something else & you just might irritate them enough that they end up bitching at someone else… & so on.

Laugh at that nerdy ‘loser’ kid at school when everyone else is & it just might be the last straw. He goes home & puts his head in the oven. OR, Tell him something that you genuinely admire about him (like his work ethic) & he just might pull through that tough day.

I’m sure you can think of a time when someone has made some minor act of kindness which has turned your day around completely… You can do it too.

I’ll try to be succinct here: As I have been planning to do for awhile now, I have a white-board that I take with me whenever I busk.

Music Is Not A Competition…

It looks like these two have not yet absorbed the message of this blog.

“If I promote other bands, my band won’t be noticed”

It’s not something I hear musicians say a lot but it is certainly often implied. This post is here to kick that way of thinking right in the ball-gina. Musicians, bands: I implore you, help support each other! Stop thinking about your own music as the only music deserving of praise & attention. There is lot’s of cool bands out there, lots of cool artists & many of them work just as hard as you do on your art.

Here’s the rub,

Creativity V Commercialism…

Tired Of The Sound Of Your Own Voice? I Have The Solution… (Pt3)

Mmmm, another idealistic portrayal of meditation. It's like how I think of smoking... The idea is quite appealing, but in practise it's a whole other story. PS. I quit smoking years ago

To bring you back to the present, it’s around 0500 on day 1 of my 10 day vipassana meditation course. my fellow students & I have been given some rudimentary instructions regarding the practise the night before in the hall just before the noble silence kicked in. Basically we were told to sit silently & breath through our noses. Not to control the breath & not the try to imagine any visions or images. We were also told not to verbalize anything, even something seemingly innocent like just saying these instructions to yourself. Just to focus on the sensation of the breath from the area above the upper lip to the area just inside the nostrils. We weren’t told much more than this. For me these instructions presented a challenge from the word go for multiple reasons as I will now detail (Disclaimer: Prepare for

Tired Of The Sound Of Your Own Voice? I Have The Solution… (Pt2)

Ommmm. Oh wait, I'm not allowed to say Om in Vipassana. Damn.

So there I am, asleep in my tiny bed in the dorm room, my dreams bouncing around through space, colliding with the 7 other unfortunate souls I was sharing the room with. I was probably dreaming optimistically about doing these ones (pic to the left) when all of a sudden…

*DING*

“Hmmm, that must be the bell, I think I’ll go back to sleep… ZZzzzzzz.”

*DING*

“That was a lot louder this time. I guess it’s 4am, great.”

*DING*

… & on it went, this dude walks around the whole centre colliding a rubber mallet with a large, resonant, hunk of steel also known as a bell every morning at 0400, then does another round at 0415. *DING* I decided to wait