when modernsextrash found its core members and the group began to gell as musicians “rise, start, go!” was our first crack at huddling together in a rehearsal studio and manifesting music. although a little more raw and live than the first release and where the band is currently going musically, i feel there is a sense of excitement and nervousness in these tracks that makes them pretty special! i hope it was obvious and people enjoyed the fact that we were total NOOBS!
ps – this video for “thing” goes out to my man john waltmann of four letter lie and 2012 threads. it’s his favorite (so far) modernsextrash song and for the last few years john has become a favorite dude of mine.
so as i’ve been cruising around DR for the past month and a half, i’ve found myself more often than not in shotgun, manning my ipod. since i’m writing new modernsextrash material down here during my stay, i thought i’d share the tunes i’ve been jamming as i travel the land to give you an idea of where some possible inspiration may be coming from for the new set of tunes….
all of these files will work with iTunes, iPod or iPhone and are complete with artwork and correct tags. just download the folder, unzip and drag into the left side of your iTunes to create a new playlist and enjoy!
for those of you who don’t know, StumbleUpon is a service that randomly “stumbles” you around the web to sites that it thinks would interest you based on the way that you vote on sites it shows you and what your interests are.
below are my favorite sites that i found using StumbleUpon this year in 2009, check em out!
Ourstage.com recently added modernsextrash to their playlist for a blog post entitled “The Next Electronic Prodigy.” By using the British act “The Prodigy” and the release of their new record “Invaders Must Die” (which also features Dave Grohl) as an example of just how powerful artists in the electronic niche can be, @ourstage has some great things to say about new artists finding success within their site. Ourstage more recently included us in yet another blog post entitled “Hey! You Got Electronica in my Rock Music!” modernsextrash is included in audio examples on their playlist.
Ourstage has been one of my favorite sites to reach new fans on. It takes the cake for one of the most interactive and personally rewarding promotional tools for any band looking to connect with lots and lots of artists or possible fans in the DIY realm.
As of november 29th, modernsextrash is the 8th most popular fan club in the experimental category. Check out the modernsextrash fan club to see Ourstage.com in action.
a good buddy of ours and member of Four Letter Lie, John Waltmann founded a clothing company called 2012 Threads centering around the lore and hysteria that the year 2012 is bringing to our culture.
when i first saw the clothing, i was INSTANTLY amazed and asked if i could help out in some way. John decided to appoint me to head up some of the business operations of 2012 Threads and plug him into the Panacea3 machine as well.
after a long battle with an overseas web design company and the help of Virtual Monk, we are finally launching the site. you may have noticed some photos of us sporting 2012 Threads and we hope to see you supporting this small company as well. just in time for all your holiday shopping i might add
throughout the establishing year of the band, we had the privilege of hooking up with photography guru and information technologically savvy jamie maldonado in order to capture both live moments and press shots.
i found Jamie on myspace by searching for photographers in minneapolis and you can imagine the options that were thrown at me. however, jamie’s digital presence and obvious passion for photography in his work grabbed me much quicker than the rest along with his quick response and work ethic with taking the 414 soundbar gig at the last minute. Unfortunately, the lighting scenario of the club made things difficult for any photographer. but with a jimmy rigging that would make macgyver proud, jamie used a make shift, low level flash device, or modified snoot for the photographers, to capture the action.
our 2nd live show with jamie took place at envy nightclub and made up for the technically challenging environment of the 1st show. having longer than a 20 minute set allowed more time to adapt to his surroundings and really capture some wonderfully colored close ups on a much better make shift stage. check out his tactics and tips used in creating these beautiful live moments.
our latest work with jamie maldonado featured press shots of the band and captured his idea of “stealth band photos” to give a sense of photojournalism within the average and often cliche band photo. the set of the shoot lived in the top level suite of the gorgeous cloud 9 sky lofts in minneapolis inhabiting the old united health group headquarters now located just down the street.
on friday, novebmer 20th, modernsextrash will be playing our last show until the spring. why such a break? because i’m moving as far away from the snow as i possibly can!
3. continue to build the Panancea3 empire via the web.
this trip is a temporary relocation to avoid the physical and mental wear that the minnesota winters tend to deal to my existence.
this is in no way, shape or form a sign that modernsextrash is slowing down, as a matter of fact, things are just starting to become quite epic. we are currently mixing our next set of 6 songs that will be released sometime this winter. we’re also lining up some very exciting touring/management scenarios for 2010.
additionally, we are launching the “live” portion of mst.com which will feature bi-weekly streams of us doing really cool, earth shattering stuff. the first one will be hosted by me @ 8:30pm CST on monday november 23rd, tune in and let me bid you farewell before i venture south!!
modernsextrash is playing a farewell show….. but just until the spring! details of why there will be a break from live shows will be released shortly but until then, put Friday November 20th on your calendar!
i recently had the pleasure of jamming on the new four letter lie album called “a new day” with producer matt goldman in atlanta, georgia. this is the 3rd release under victory records for these great friends of mine and i couldn’t be more stoked to help them pull this whole thing together in the amount of time that was allowed.
the reality and pressures of forcing organization upon your in the moment creativity skills is an aspect of professional music that i have both enjoyed and loathed. this pressure or stress to perform or create under the microscope can be a sure turn away for most, but if you can focus that energy into a part of the creative process often times, it kicks ass when its all said and done.
i captured some content from the earliest stages of song creation on this project which can be viewed on my youtube or vimeo page. please purchase the final album out now from itunes, amazon or order the package straight from victory to check out how the tunes evolved within a matter of a few weeks!!
you know how much we love to throw free parties downtown… apparently the My My Misfire dudes are on the same page. they were recently placed on the Saw VI soundtrack and wanted to throw a little shindig with us, 2012 Threads, the Ladies of Metal and more.
here’s the deal: we just wanna get you guys into a free party downtown. we’ll be playing a “stripped down rock set” sometime after 10p but we’re mainly here to party it up and hang.
on friday, novebmer 20th, modernsextrash will be playing 
