I had to say it in all-caps!
What do you get when you cross Chicago sophistication (not an oxymoron), superb alt&indie music and the internet? Chirpradio.org!
It's like a cross between the best college stations and the best non-commercial stations (eg. KDHX).
I enjoy almost every tune and all of them are at least interesting. You know, the exact opposite of commercial radio.
Radio is dead; long live chipradio!
http://chirpradio.org
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Sunday, April 17, 2016
AEJOTZ, world renowned synthesizer player!
Yes kids, old Jotzy is known and loved the world over. I have fans across the US, Europe and even in Latin America. Of course my entire fan-base only numbers about 20 people, but still...
Thanks to the internet I can reach some of the .0000000000000001% of people who are receptive to the kind of music I play.
It's not that I suck any more than the average amateur musician. If I played more mainstream music I would have more fans. I know this for a certainty because I had more fans when I played more mainstream music. But I'm tired of mainstream everything, so I have to settle for fewer fans.
I don't make music for fans. I make music because I make music. I tried to quit but the urge wouldn't go away. I wouldn't even bother publishing the music I compulsively create, except that it doesn't ever feel quite finished until and unless someone hears it; a concept that hovers on the verge of making some kind of sense.
I value my few fans. It's wonderful to have someone, anyone, enjoy my music. And my few fans are typically themselves creative musicians, which means a lot to me. I value their opinions much more than the drunk redneck who once, during my mainstream days, told me he loved the Lynnerd Skynnerd song my band had played. We hadn't played a Lynnerd Skynnerd song.
I ruined live performance for myself by experimenting during performances. I would play a superb song superbly then slowly fade it out. Silence. Then I'd play a crap song brashly and end with a big finish. Standing ovation. So much for audience approval.
Around 2000 AD I divorced my guitar and tried to quit music. But after a few years I felt the urge to continue my synth experiments from 1983.
[Begin Digression]
In 1983 I was the only kid on the block who owned Tomita and Synergy albums. I bought a Casio MT-65, a Syndrum and a 4-track recorder to augment my guitar-based demos with other instrument sounds. Instead, I found myself spontaneously making AEJOTZ style synth music. I was excited by how good it sounded to me. I spent a month making this new music, resulting in a 60-minute cassette album that I gave to friends, family and fans of my guitar-based music. The response was unanimous:
"Don't quit your guitar job."
[End Digression]
In 2011 I finally gave in to the creative urge and bought a couple of secondhand synths and a new-fangled digital recorder. AEJOTZ was reborn. The biggest difference from 1983 was that I no longer cared very much if anyone liked my synth music. I cared some, but not enough that it broke my heart that no one thought it was as good as I thought it was.
Then a funny thing happened. Not long after I uploaded some of my music to electro-music.com I heard it played on radio/electro-music.com and I received appreciation and encouragement from a number of forum members. I had found my synthetic siblings!
Other cool things have happened since, like getting played on terrestrial FM and various web-radio programs, but finding my electronic brothers and sisters is the best thing that ever happened to me, musically. The world is stuck with me now, because my bros have got my back.
Thanks to the internet I can reach some of the .0000000000000001% of people who are receptive to the kind of music I play.
It's not that I suck any more than the average amateur musician. If I played more mainstream music I would have more fans. I know this for a certainty because I had more fans when I played more mainstream music. But I'm tired of mainstream everything, so I have to settle for fewer fans.
I don't make music for fans. I make music because I make music. I tried to quit but the urge wouldn't go away. I wouldn't even bother publishing the music I compulsively create, except that it doesn't ever feel quite finished until and unless someone hears it; a concept that hovers on the verge of making some kind of sense.
I value my few fans. It's wonderful to have someone, anyone, enjoy my music. And my few fans are typically themselves creative musicians, which means a lot to me. I value their opinions much more than the drunk redneck who once, during my mainstream days, told me he loved the Lynnerd Skynnerd song my band had played. We hadn't played a Lynnerd Skynnerd song.
I ruined live performance for myself by experimenting during performances. I would play a superb song superbly then slowly fade it out. Silence. Then I'd play a crap song brashly and end with a big finish. Standing ovation. So much for audience approval.
Around 2000 AD I divorced my guitar and tried to quit music. But after a few years I felt the urge to continue my synth experiments from 1983.
[Begin Digression]
In 1983 I was the only kid on the block who owned Tomita and Synergy albums. I bought a Casio MT-65, a Syndrum and a 4-track recorder to augment my guitar-based demos with other instrument sounds. Instead, I found myself spontaneously making AEJOTZ style synth music. I was excited by how good it sounded to me. I spent a month making this new music, resulting in a 60-minute cassette album that I gave to friends, family and fans of my guitar-based music. The response was unanimous:
"Don't quit your guitar job."
[End Digression]
In 2011 I finally gave in to the creative urge and bought a couple of secondhand synths and a new-fangled digital recorder. AEJOTZ was reborn. The biggest difference from 1983 was that I no longer cared very much if anyone liked my synth music. I cared some, but not enough that it broke my heart that no one thought it was as good as I thought it was.
Then a funny thing happened. Not long after I uploaded some of my music to electro-music.com I heard it played on radio/electro-music.com and I received appreciation and encouragement from a number of forum members. I had found my synthetic siblings!
Other cool things have happened since, like getting played on terrestrial FM and various web-radio programs, but finding my electronic brothers and sisters is the best thing that ever happened to me, musically. The world is stuck with me now, because my bros have got my back.
Monday, March 28, 2016
Same Old Shit
This is the least innovative period in the history of popular music. The music business has all but ruined musical art.
On the other hand, independent music is still producing some gems. It's just hard to find the handful of gems in the mountain of common gravel.
Innovative musical artists can barely make a living anymore, which might be a good thing. Money, fame and business have spoiled many artists.
This is all just a long way of saying that I can't stand the crap on the radio. There's an occasional non-crap tune but you can get old and cranky waiting for it.
I'm the living proof.
On the other hand, independent music is still producing some gems. It's just hard to find the handful of gems in the mountain of common gravel.
Innovative musical artists can barely make a living anymore, which might be a good thing. Money, fame and business have spoiled many artists.
This is all just a long way of saying that I can't stand the crap on the radio. There's an occasional non-crap tune but you can get old and cranky waiting for it.
I'm the living proof.
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Friday, February 26, 2016
AEJOTZ is the greatest synth musician of all time!
Delusions of grandeur and genius earn Kanye a lot of press.
I thought I'd give it a try.
I thought I'd give it a try.
Sunday, February 14, 2016
CORNER GOSPEL EXPLOSION
They aren't really gospel.
They're like post-rock-alt-prog.
They're the best new band I've heard in years.
They're from Bend, Oregon.
None of that matters.
Just go listen to them:
https://soundcloud.com/cornergospelexplosion
They're like post-rock-alt-prog.
They're the best new band I've heard in years.
They're from Bend, Oregon.
None of that matters.
Just go listen to them:
https://soundcloud.com/cornergospelexplosion
Saturday, January 30, 2016
New Year News
As often happens after a musically prolific autumn, my thoughts turn to self-promotion in the new year. This time round has been a blitz of online venues.
AEJOTZ music now has presence in Awdio, Baboom, Soundclick, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Niconico, Songladder, Mixlr, Tune in, 8tracks and some other online venues I've already forgotten.
Also, since links to "aejotz.com" are scattered all over the cybersphere, I renewed that domain. On my new homepage I explain that my music can be used royalty-free for anything except recordings sold for money. I figure that everything other than recording sales is just good advertising. Anyway, it's far more important to me that my music gets heard than that I get any money from it.
Lately I'm calling my musical style "retro-futurist synth music." I'll probably call it something else pretty soon.
I hope plenty of people download my music so that it will live longer than I do. I don't know why I hope that. Frank Zappa did an interview when he knew he was dying of cancer and when asked how he wanted to be remembered he said it didn't matter. I can dig that. He did what he wanted to do. He did his thing. That's important. One could argue that a true artist isn't just a performer trying to be a star. One could argue that a true artist makes his art because he's an artist. I know my music isn't important. But it would be nice if it made people smile sometimes after I'm gone.
AEJOTZ music now has presence in Awdio, Baboom, Soundclick, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Niconico, Songladder, Mixlr, Tune in, 8tracks and some other online venues I've already forgotten.
Also, since links to "aejotz.com" are scattered all over the cybersphere, I renewed that domain. On my new homepage I explain that my music can be used royalty-free for anything except recordings sold for money. I figure that everything other than recording sales is just good advertising. Anyway, it's far more important to me that my music gets heard than that I get any money from it.
Lately I'm calling my musical style "retro-futurist synth music." I'll probably call it something else pretty soon.
I hope plenty of people download my music so that it will live longer than I do. I don't know why I hope that. Frank Zappa did an interview when he knew he was dying of cancer and when asked how he wanted to be remembered he said it didn't matter. I can dig that. He did what he wanted to do. He did his thing. That's important. One could argue that a true artist isn't just a performer trying to be a star. One could argue that a true artist makes his art because he's an artist. I know my music isn't important. But it would be nice if it made people smile sometimes after I'm gone.
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