Updates

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studio report: three new tracks to be added to CD project

As we reboot the CD project on Kickstarter,  we also realized we needed to update the project to make it current, so we  decided to include two new tracks. Back out to the fabulous Third Eye Studio we go!

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As luck would have it, we managed to track THREE new pieces, and update two  older ones.

The new ones are --

1) An open, loose  tune in 5/4 ranging from Lydian swing to R&B to whole tone funk, with a 5/16 intro/outtro !  2) an India-inspired rocakbilly/bhangra piece; and 3) a wild Middle Eastern - tinged fast prog/funk that jumps cuts into a swinging jazz walk, and back.

We also revisited  two pieces from last year's sessions. A year's worth of playing changed some approaches enough that we thought we should update them, so we did. We added some oud to a new run though of "Surf" that also reflects Jefferson's reworked drum approach for the tune, and we took another shot at the country-esque "Leo."

I did some minor cleanups Thursday, and that's it! Its all in the bag!

How many bands do you know can track 5 tunes in a day and a half? :)

Want to hear it? So do we... i get test burns in the middle of the week.  I'll share a little bit as we start  to edit.

But the only to way hear  it all is to share this Kickstarter project with folks you know. Please share  the link: http://kck.st/15BNsUX . Wide, not big, will help this project be a success.

Thanks again -- we'll keep you posted!

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Pray For Brain ringtones available through Kickstarter

As part of our Kickstarter campaign to finish out the CD, we're offering  free ringtones with a pledge of $5 or more.

Whether you like funk , country/rockabilly, middle Eastern, or psychedelic South Asian, we have the phone tone for you!

Here are the ringtone edits for "Five", "Drop The Needle" , "God's Mirrors" and "Circus." I downloaded and tested them myself, they sound great.

But you can only get them as part of the effort to make this CD come to life... so please support the Kickstarter effort before June 6 at  http://kck.st/15BNsUX  so we can get the entire CD into your hands and this ringtone on your phone.

Heading into the studio Wednesday to finish it out. Christine saw this on FB this morning, I'll keep it top of mind:

 

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Once More Into The Breach: Restarting Kickstarter to finish the CD

I'd like to thank all of you again for your support  last year in the effort to get  Pray For Brain's CD "None Of The Above" out the door. As you recall, we fell short of our goal, but then again it was an ambitious target.

Since then we've worked hard, set band money and personal funds aside for this and drastically tightened the scope of the project . Now, we're forging ahead once more into the breach to get this music into your hands and hearts and ears: http://tinyurl.com/P4B-CD2013 .

Our new, more focused goal of $3,299 will allow us to track two new pieces to bring the CD up to speed with our current development, then mix and master the entire project and get it out to the door to you.

In addition to revenues from more gigs and applying as much personal funds as we dare,  other ways we've trimmed the budget include reorganizing the rewards at various levels,  adjusting the number of CD units to be produced, and tweaks to the  CD packaging (don't worry, it will still look good!)

The biggest sacrifice we've made from the original budget is the alllowance for proper promotion. My hope is, however, with a more attiainable goal, we can go over our new number and apply the overflow for the reputable publicist we have lined up. The more you are able to partner with us, the more successful the project will become.

The only obstacle in the way of seeing this project to completion is the funding. We're very, very close, but  we need your partnership on this last bit to bring this music to the table.

So if you'd like to join the ranks of early adopters for something truly unique but accessible, then we invite you to share our passion in what we do, and we'd love your partnership and being a part of our community.

We also encourage to share your support of Pray for Brain with other adventuresome folk you know - wider is good!

We're going into the studio Wednesday for one day to track two new tunes. The band  has grown and developed so much over the past year, we thought it best to make the CD as current as possible without redoing the whole thing. This should strike a good balance between where we were, where we are, and where we're going. We'll post roughs shortly afterward.

The new Kickstarter drive is at a new location:  click on http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/msdill/be-a-partner-for-pray-for-brains-cd-none-of-the-ab for details on this year's effort.

Thanks again for your support, interest and faith. We look forward to working with you and getting our music to you!

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Thanks to our 10K Facebook fans! (and other news)

We've been busy!

 A great show last month at the Cowgirl in Santa Fe (working on video highlights from it):


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We also introduced at that show someone who is destined to be a permanent guest- Talon VanHowten on tabla:
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We've brought him on to a couple of the shows at Rasoi, where we're hoping to work out a regular schedule:

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We did a last-minute show at the Orchid Chamber, where we met the ethereal and haunting Minor Birds duo as well as the fabulous Kat Jones... Kat was so amazing , we even had her improvise a little bit with us in our set!

Paranoid Social Club was also on the bill, but they had unforeseen problems.Was looking forward to hearing them as well

And  most especially, we would like to thank our Facebook fans from across the globe -- where indeed, most of them seem to be. We hit our 10,000 Facebook fan mark this week.

Thank you all so much for your support and interest! We're very moved.  Every one of you who take the time to discover us, inspires us further.

And feel free to give feedback, let us know your thoughts -- engage with us! Thats what FB is truly for -- and we will try to engage with all 10K of you :)

What's ahead: back into the studio in the next month  or so fro the final touches on the CD -- some new tracks to be done. Summer-ish release date? Ironing out the Rasoi schedule, and  a few other things in the pipeline.

We'll keep you posted!

 

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P4B on KSFR today

Tune into KSFR-FM 90.7 today at 5 pm for a live on-air interview with Christine Nelson and myself. We'll play some previews from the CD, talk about the The Cowgirl BBQ gig next week, the bhangrafication of the band, and more!

KSFR live streams as well, so you can follow it wherever you are!

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The Bhangrafication of Pray For Brain: Rockin' at the Rasoi Jan 13!

We are honored and excited to have been asked by our favorite Indian restaurant in Albuquerque (Rasoi Albuquerque) to provide music for their special Lhori (Punjab harvest holiday) evening on 1/13... so its bhangra dance party time!

Music from India and South Asia are probably our most pervasive and most ingrained influence, going back to the Duo days with sarod and tabla, then fretless guitar. A lot of our repertoire and even more of our improvisational approach is shaped by India's musical grammar, even when absorbed into other idioms.

Here's some context: http://soundcloud.com/
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While we can't learn an entire greatest hits catalogue of the bhangra genre in a week, the plan is to work up a special indo/bhangra/funkified take on how we do music. This fits in with the current rehearsal direction of long continuous blocks, tunes and fragments weaving in and out of each other, bridged and bracketed by improvisations or shorter melodies. So in this case, key bhangra grooves, well-known phrases, will form the raw material, and we'll pull out some classic Bollywood phrases to quote and work from as well.

Today's rehearsal was spent applying various bhangra feels and grooves to the existing original P4B repertoire. One tune from the Sama Duo days that we've always done in P4B is "Yaman", which originally had its genesis in a bhangra-esque feel. That was so long ago, and the tune has evolved quite a bit since then, including wondering far from its original home.

It's been  a little elusive as of late, as if it hasn't found its place and voice in P4B. But today,  playing it with a bhangra head and heart space, it finally came back alive -- this is a song happy to be home.

The week ahead promises more interesting journey and discoveries. You can hear it all come together next Sunday!

 

 



that's a week away, peeps! Bring your appetite and get ready to balle balle.


BRRRRRRRUUUAAAAAAAA!