My second song is about Indiana Avenue, and the music
scene during the early to mid 1900s. Blues was one of
the popular genres during the Avenue’s heydays. The
song is written from the perspective of someone who
knew the saloons, bars, and juke joints during its golden
years, which is why they are singing the blues. They miss
the greatness that once was. I also did my darnedest to make
it sound as if it was recorded during that time period. Give it
a listen here.
I can’t believe this is my first post of the new year.
On the other hand, I’ve been living my life more in
the real world instead of online, so I guess I can believe
it.
My most recent and exciting endeavor is my 10-week
music residency at the Harrison Center for the Arts. I’m
in the middle of my third week, and I have to write and
record one song per week. Each song must be placed-based,
so it has to be about Indianapolis in some way. My first song,
which you can listen to here, is about Lady Victory atop the
Soldiers and Sailors Monument.
This is my first attempt at recording all by myself, so it’s
not perfect but it’s a great learning experience. With that
said, it turned out pretty good. I definitely have a greater
respect for sound engineers. Make sure to give it a listen
and stay tuned for the next 9 songs.
This EP has been a long time coming. I wrote it back
in January of 2013, and almost two years later it will
be released. I’ll be digitally releasing it on my Bandcamp
site on November 16, 2015. Here’s the album art and
track listing.
I hope to post more about the EP as the release date
draws nearer.
Well folks, it’s official. I launched my first Kickstarter campaign this morning.
It’s a scary thing to ask for help, especially when it’s financial help. It feels
weird and no one likes to do it. At the same time, it’s wonderful to be part of
a community. To share in the excitement and to press towards a common goal.
My hope is that I’ll meet my goal, but I also hope people can get excited with me.
Ways to help meet this goal is by giving financially. Another way is to spread the
word, and with social media nowadays, it’s not too hard. Another way to be part
of this journey is to invest in it by the ways listed above, but also by staying up-
to-date with the project.
Ways to do that are by following my blog updates,
Kickstarter updates, following my band page on Facebook, following on Twitter,
following on Instagram, and dialogue. Feel free to contact me at my email:
raywyattmusic@gmail.com. Feel free to ask questions, leave feedback, or just
say hello. I’d love to hear from you.
The “LA” EP is one step closer to being finished and being in your ears.
I received the first rough mix from my sound engineer, and honestly I
haven’t heard these songs for a few weeks. When I listened to it, I felt
as if it was a first listen for me. I tried to approach it as if I had never heard
these songs before, and tried to hear it as you would hear it. I might post
some thoughts once I release it on how I would like you to approach these
songs; similar to an artist statement.
A tentative release date for the EP will be mid to late August. Stay tuned.
I’ll try to keep sending out updates as things progress.
Thanks to everyone who has downloaded my album
Blinds on Noisetrade. If you haven’t downloaded it
yet feel free to follow the link. Please leave a tip if you
feel so inclined. It would be greatly appreciated.
In other news, I will be doing a Concert Window concert
on June 17 at 8:00pm EDT. This is going to be an intimate
atmosphere, since I’ll most likely be playing from my living
room. It’s an interesting way to connect with viewers because
there is a message board that people can message me in real-
time. I’ve never done anything like this before, so I’m excited
to connect with people in this way. You can pay whatever you
want for the ticket as long as it’s $1.
In other, other news, we’re still finishing the LA EP. I’m really
excited for everyone to hear it. It’s a little more experimental
than my album, but it’s still my style of music.
A few days ago I decided to upload my music to Noisetrade.
I’d rather have people buy my music, but I’m a nobody. I’m
not a house-hold name, I don’t have an established rapport,
and I haven’t proven myself to be a great songwriter yet. In
order for these things to occur, I might have to give my music
away for a period of time.
It feels unjust to put my heart and soul, my life, into my music
just to give it away when it’s all said and done. But like I said
above, I haven’t earned the right to charge people for my music.
Now that it’s available for free, I hope people will discover, listen,
and the rapport will start to be built over time.
I made some new merchandise for the upcoming EP.
“LA” EP sticker based off the album artwork. 3″ x 3″
Robert Indiana inspired “LA” EP sticker. 3″ x 3″
5″ x 7″ Postcard
One year ago today I released Blinds. Today I released the cover art
for my upcoming EP. It’s set to release sometime this summer but the
specific date is too be determined. Don’t fret, I’ll keep you posted as
things develop.
Greetings. About a week and a half ago, I appeared on Indy In-Tune
Radio. It’s an internet, Indy-based, Independent music radio show.
I did an hour-long interview with Darrin (the host with the most), which
entailed 4 live tracks, lightning-round questioning, and some general
get-to-know-the-artist questions. It was a great time, and I hope to
connect more with Indy In-Tune. A link of the interview will be posted
shortly.
The same day, I had a house gig in Fountain Square, which is an up-and-
coming neighborhood in Indianapolis. The house gig was titled 3×5 House
Gig, because it contained three artists playing five new/ never-heard songs.
We probably had 50-60 people spread throughout three rooms of the house.
It was a lovely evening with local beer, wine from I don’t know where, fun
people, and sweet music.
I played three songs from my upcoming “LA” EP, and two from a potential
new album 🙂 Here are some photos from the day.
Post-show silhouette. Photo credit: Cara Zimmerman.
The Yellow Kites sound check.
Live sangin’. Photo credit: Darrin of Indy In-Tune.
Indy In-Tune Radio. Photo credit: Darrin of Indy In-Tune.
Sound check for the house show. Photo credit: Adrian Pumphrey.
