It's been about 9 weeks since last I posted about this amazing project, & it's been now available in 27 different different digital download websites, like Itunes, Amazon, Spotify and EMusic. Heck, you can even just stream it on Spotify and every time a song is played, COTS still makes a little money.
I am really heartened by how well (& how quickly!) this project came together. It's hard to believe that in just over 2 months, we have released the most inspiring Music Collaboration in Burlington for 2013. To have each of the 18 artists/groups donate their music so willingly, to have them stand behind the project so completely, is a testament to just how tight & alive the Burlington Music Scene actually is.
Since we've released this, I went on the Taz Michaels Radio Show & had the pleasure of speaking with Taz & Shannon about the CD launch, & was joined by Jeremy & Victor from the Aerolites. They got to perform live, I got to perform live, & we even jammed on one of my songs (Dritfing) in a really memorable moment. If you were listening, you heard how Taz was blown away. I know I was. :)
Next up was an appearance with Tony at WBKM in downtown Burlington, right next to Nectar's. It was an amazing interview, really delving deep into some of the socio-political aspects behind the cd, & particularly the song I added to it, Twisted. It is, to date, the most haunting & gut-wrenching, soul-tearing song I have ever written, & it's beautiful in a very intense way. I felt it fitting to sample one of the most prolific speakers of our modern era, Gandhi, in a song dealing with social equality. That interview was amazing, & will be posted in it's entirety shortly.
I also had the pleasure of witnessing Second Agenda & Climbing Up Walls at Nectar's, both major supporters of the cd, jam together onstage & show the Burlington Music Scene exactly how interconnected we all really are. Eric LaFave stopped in, & for those of you who know him, that's no surprise. One of the most dedicated warriors behind our entire music scene, Eric has been supporting local artists & running the VT Open Mic Network on Facebook, connecting artists together, for many years.
This last month is a whirlwind, between releasing the cd for digital download almost 3 weeks ago, releasing the physical copy this week, Building momentum. Heck, I handed a copy to Mike Gordon from Phish this week, in one of the most random cool moments. It's not just me, the universe is conspiring to place this project in the light. It is definitely the most important musical project I've been a part of, & I can't wait to continue to share more cool stories with you.
Next up: getting ready for shows (coming soon, the Paramount Theater in Rutland!), some Burlington dates, videos from the artists to be posted, & some work organizing an event for this project for the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival! Thanks for reading, stay tuned!
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Alex Pastewski / Blog
Behind the scenes w. Alex P. in the making of the COTS CD
It's been about 9 weeks since last I posted about this amazing project, & it's been now available in 27 different different digital download websites, like Itunes, Amazon, Spotify and EMusic. Heck, you can even just stream it on Spotify and every time a song is played, COTS still makes a little money.
I am really heartened by how well (& how quickly!) this project came together. It's hard to believe that in just over 2 months, we have released the most inspiring Music Collaboration in Burlington for 2013. To have each of the 18 artists/groups donate their music so willingly, to have them stand behind the project so completely, is a testament to just how tight & alive the Burlington Music Scene actually is.
Since we've released this, I went on the Taz Michaels Radio Show & had the pleasure of speaking with Taz & Shannon about the CD launch, & was joined by Jeremy & Victor from the Aerolites. They got to perform live, I got to perform live, & we even jammed on one of my songs (Dritfing) in a really memorable moment. If you were listening, you heard how Taz was blown away. I know I was. :)
Next up was an appearance with Tony at WBKM in downtown Burlington, right next to Nectar's. It was an amazing interview, really delving deep into some of the socio-political aspects behind the cd, & particularly the song I added to it, Twisted. It is, to date, the most haunting & gut-wrenching, soul-tearing song I have ever written, & it's beautiful in a very intense way. I felt it fitting to sample one of the most prolific speakers of our modern era, Gandhi, in a song dealing with social equality. That interview was amazing, & will be posted in it's entirety shortly.
I also had the pleasure of witnessing Second Agenda & Climbing Up Walls at Nectar's, both major supporters of the cd, jam together onstage & show the Burlington Music Scene exactly how interconnected we all really are. Eric LaFave stopped in, & for those of you who know him, that's no surprise. One of the most dedicated warriors behind our entire music scene, Eric has been supporting local artists & running the VT Open Mic Network on Facebook, connecting artists together, for many years.
This last month is a whirlwind, between releasing the cd for digital download almost 3 weeks ago, releasing the physical copy this week, Building momentum. Heck, I handed a copy to Mike Gordon from Phish this week, in one of the most random cool moments. It's not just me, the universe is conspiring to place this project in the light. It is definitely the most important musical project I've been a part of, & I can't wait to continue to share more cool stories with you.
Next up: getting ready for shows (coming soon, the Paramount Theater in Rutland!), some Burlington dates, videos from the artists to be posted, & some work organizing an event for this project for the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival! Thanks for reading, stay tuned!
Reply
COTS cd - Harmonies for Humanity
Time to catch you up on what is new in my world. The main thing in my world is that the COTS cd is up and about to be launched!!!!! What is it?
For the past year, I have been organizing a way to inspire local musicians and artists to unite behind one cause. We all do our share, but trying to get everyone to share one moment to do the same thing all together is one way of channelling all of our collective power into one focused blast of positivity. So, I have lined up 16 local musicians and artists to unite behind donating one song each, to raise money for COTS, otherwise known as the Committee on Temporary Shelter, here in Vermont. Basically, COTS is THE organization that gives temporary shelter to homeless people, helps feed the hungry who have nothing, helps get people off the streets, and focuses them into positive change. They, in effect, pick people up who are down, and save lives.
COTS needs funding. I have organized a way for them to raise money by getting donations, in exchange for our songs. I will be launching the cd in Mid-December, just in time for stocking stuffing. Can you stuff a Hanukkah Bush, or a Kwanzaa Bush? I don't know, but I hope my friends try. This is an amazing cause, and all proceeds go to feeding and sheltering the homeless and hungry.
I am blessed to have Zack DuPont, Japhy Ryder, Gregory Douglass, The Aerolites, Steven Hartmann, Myra Flynn, Toni Catlin, Jen Crowell, The Beerworth Sisters, 2nd Agenda, Andy Lugo, Climbing Up Walls, Sarah Stickle, Eric Lafave & Seamus the Great join me in releasing a CD to raise money for COTS. I hope anyone reading this blog can lend a hand, and give it some promotion, as it comes out. I also hope it can inspire in everyone a small spark in hope in humanity, and help motivate you to help in any way you can.
More to come soon!!!!!
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Blog...what blog?
So I have an inherent distrust with posting what I am doing on the internet. I don't know, it's probably a cross between big brother issues, being a private person and wanting people to talk to me, not just communicate electronically. But I have to balance this against being understanding of the fact that a lot of people would otherwise not know what is going on in my life, and I want to share my music with the world. It's an interesting dichotomy, and sometimes makes me do things like not post for a long time. I apologize to anyone who enjoys my verbal ramblings, and will try to keep up a touch better. I sort of promise. ;)
So just to catch you up, I have been working on my cd, and gone back and forth between many different ideas for it. I have over 20 songs, love all of them, at times want to rerecord different versions of them, and continue writing new songs. I have different sounds and styles, some really different to what you can hear on my website, so I know you will be surprised when you hear them. The remix cd is about ready, with all new songs, but I find that my non-remix cd needs work, and I kind of want to release them together as a double cd. I promised to work on them to the exclusion of live shows, and found myself not booking anything for long stretches of time. I've jammed with some amazing musicians, been to some amazing live shows, and in general been living life to the fullest.
I will be playing a few gigs in the coming months, so please come and see me when you get a chance and say hi. I'll catch you up, we'll share a pint, and enjoy some good times. :) Cheers!
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Lake Champlain Maritime Festival 2011
Lake Champlain Maritime Festival: What an UNBELIEVABLE event! This weekend not only surpassed my expectations of what I thought it was going to be, it blew it away by a freakin' football field! I can't even put to words all of the incredible things that happened. To name a few: I played with Joe Samuelian on the Burlington Waterfront as a part of the Acoustic Soundstage, overlooking Lake Champlain. I saw dozens of friends and loved ones grooving to our music on a beautiful sunny afternoon. I met Marc Roberge, a personal hero of mine, from O.A.R. I bonded with an extended family that I grew to love, the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival family. I helped organize and expand the Festival to a new section on the Great Lawn, and brought a dozen environmental organizations down to interact with not only each other, but with about 35-40,000 people over the weekend. I found new friends, had fun with old friends, helped get ALS a signed O.A.R. poster and CD (King) and 3 signed Grace Potter posters about the Grand Point North Festival for their silent auction to raise money for finding a cure for Lou Gehrig's disease, helped out dozens of people and grew closer to people I only knew a little bit. I spent quality time with my love. I turned some acquaintances into friends, and felt once again the profound touch of the spirit of Mike P. I bonded deeply with life, and drank in all of the wonderful experiences I could humanly take in. Life is a beautiful, amazing treasure. I thank God for one of the most amazing weekends I have ever had in my life, and send out blessings to all of those who have touched me so deeply this weekend.
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On & On, and ya don't stop!
Well, has this ever been an unbelievable summer! I can't even tell you all how intense this last few weeks has been, you all don't even know what's been going down. Allow me to catch y'all up right here.
First, the BOMB: Tribe of Light is no more! Yup, you heard me.
After almost 2 years of playing together, we've decided to disband and pursue separate musical directions. It's been an intense decision, and I have nothing but love for my ex bandmates. I wish them the best and hope they find music, good vibes & good times.
Personally, I'm feeling really happy with my decision to move on and find my own way. I can't explain it exactly, but with the freedom I've gotten pursuing my own musical direction, comes a renewed sense of adventure. Jumping off a cliff and learning I can fly sounds about right.
I've been looking to play more and more of my own tunes, and the gig opportunities are flying out of the woodwork. I just played a surprise show at the Blockhouse Coffee Shop & Art Gallery last Wed. for the kick-off of Mission:Possible (what up, Lisa!). I'm reconnecting solo and floating on my own, and life never seemed more full of possibilities. Looking forward to the amazing journey ahead of me. Stay tuned, it's going to be a wild ride!
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X FACTOR Contest Update
WOW! The FOX44 XFactor Auditions Pass Contest yesterday was OFF THE HOOK! For those of you who didn't hear about it, the new big tv show this fall to premiere (XFactor, with Simon Cowell, co-producer of American Idol), gives all local FOX tv stations (my emplyer here in Burlington) the opportunity to host a local singing contest to send in for a National Audition. Our station (FOX44 here in Burlington, VT) put on a huge local singing competition at the Sheraton Hotel, and after much gentle persuasion (ok, flat out begging) they let me be a co-emcee. What an amazing day it turned out to be! Over 200 SINGERS, all competing for 1 spot! BIG PROPS to ALL of them! We heard some amazing talent from people who even came down from Montreal and from Maine, and I was floored by the talent. I co-emcee'd with Lauren Maloney and Kristian Reid from FOX 44 Local News, and 99.9 the Buzz Radio Emcees Even Steven and Pete. I was also able to have 2 solo sets to play my songs to over 200 people, and mixed in a lot of originals that I do both solo and with my band Tribe of Light, as well as some covers (My Hero by FF, Best of What's Around by DMB, Running to Stand Still by U2). Besides being able to connect with such local artists as Running Bear and Tammy Fletcher, I also was able to connect with the winner, Learie! Check him out on the FOX44 Local News FB Page! What an amazing singer, he honestly gave me chills he was so good. The SHINING MOMENT of the day was spontaneously pulling up over 30 musicians on stage with me for a quick impromptu jam on LEAN ON ME. I'll post that video soon, it's already on the FOX44 Local News Page. THANK YOU to all the musicians who shared in the groove!
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What's new?
Hi everyone! It's been a little while, so I figured I'd give you a quick update on what's new with the band. Jeff and I have been working on some of his originals and we'll be recording them in short order, and we've also been working on some covers to break out at the next set. Not sure when the next show will be, but we'll keep you posted. In the meantime, I'll be posting a few more live songs we've covered. It's getting cold out there up here in VT! At least it's not mud season yet ;) Hope the fall weather is nice in your neck of the woods! Get out there and enjoy it! Peace
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The Acoustic Tour Solo Continues!!!!!
Tonight at the Two Brothers Tavern in Middlebury, VT, I'll be rockin' the open mic with all originals, unless I feel a Soulshine by the Allman Brothers and can't resist. I'm excited, new venue for me, and this is THE SPOT in the Middlebury/Stowe area, good light show, good stage, exposure, ridiculous food...LIFE IS GOOD!!!!!
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Hi!!!! Quick Update...
Kind of a quieter week this week for me, but I did manage to get another song written. This one is called "Be Good Family", and I can't wait to break it out. I still haven't posted "Tree of Life" yet, which I wrote 2 weeks ago, but will get to it soon.
Hope y'all are havin' a good week!!!! Stay tuned, and if you haven't yet, check out my newest original posted last week, "Never Mind the Rain." PEACE!!!!
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Great night the other night at Manhattan Pizza
Had an awesome set, really dug playing my new songs in front of a live crowd. People really liked them, or cheered because the beer was very intoxicating. Either way, it made me feel good ;) A HUGE thanks to Kim for snapping some pics to post here, and for taking the video too, which we are working on editing to fit online. Check back again soon, and we should have that up and running. In the meantime, Happy Friday, everybody!!!!
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