Celebrity Look-ALike: Jason Abraham vs Benjamin Harrison (23rd President of the United States)
It’s all in the beard.
Random Fact: Harrison holds the 2nd highest number of states admitted into the Union with 6. Washington leads the pack.
Ghost Shuffle Mastering Day/Restlest Heart
Today the band heads over to Colossal Mastering to finish up the EP. Despite the fact that the last few days have been filled with mixdowns, mishaps, and a lot of driving. I am hyped. If we like the final prints, then we’ve got the tough part out of the way, but are no where near finished. None the less, I am HYPED.
Then I got Peter Cetera’s ‘Restlest Heart’ stuck in my head. Now I’m DOUBLE PUMPED. I love this song. So does every mom in America. They apparently also love Peter’s teeth.
Wish us luck.
— Jason Abraham
Gear Envy: Fuzz Head
What is it?
100% Grade A Creamy Fuzz Dreams. or Fuzz Head by Keeley Electronics.
Why do I get goosebumps when I turn it on?
The Fuzz Head only has two knobs. Fuzz and Head. The fuzz controls the amount of drive and Head controls volume. It also has a Silicon/Geranium selector switch which controls what diodes it goes through. The “SI” mode inserts two diodes (one silicon and one germanium in parallel.) It increases the gain and compression a bit for more sustain and for more of an overdrive mode. The end result, a true set it and forget it pedal - no matter where the knobs/switches are it sounds great.
Hear:
Geek Specs:
NPN Germanium Transistor, Silicon Diode, True Bypass, Large Blue LED(A Keeley Trademark)
— Jason Abraham
Fashion Envy: Nike Air Max 1 (Metallic Silver)
Tonight. On stage. Me. Air Max. Come for the shoes. Stay for the rock.
Where to find it? I bought mine at Encore Sneakers in Chicago. But they are also available online @ SSense
— Jason Abraham
Music Envy: Album of the Week
The Shins: Wincing the Night Away
Song Highlight: Australia
“It’s time to put sie ear-goggles on..”
“NO!”
I’m not even sure I can fully comprehend what motivates and inspires The Shins, but i do know that they nailed it with Wincing the Night Away. I’ve been on the fence about The Shins ever since Garden State came out. I went back and bought or listened to in some capacity their previous releases. To be honest, I was baffled. I found the lyrics to be a little too clever for their own good. The melodies a little bit too complex, everything just a little too self indulged for my tastes. Turns out I was just not ready. With this record, I think that the band perfects the formula for a Shins record that has mass appeal. I think Sub-Pop Records would agree with this, as Wincing debuted at number 2 on the charts — a first for Sub Pop.
With Australia, Mercer demonstrates his knowledge of the English lexicon, carefully crafting a tale instructing the listener to seize the day. Although the lyrics are hard to memorize — even after countless listens — its quite easy to see the beauty in them. Lyrically there is no repeating chorus in sight but I still find myself botching the words to “You be damned to be one of us, girl, faced with the dodo’s conundrum - I felt like I could just fly”
Musically — Australia gets my foot tapping immediately with a simple shuffle and a refreshingly bouncy bass line. Who can argue with a few “la la la’s” to get the melody established? Not I. From here the song establishes a delicate ebb and flow of guitars beautifully arranged to near sonic perfection. Let’s not forget the Banjo breakdown at 1:53. Killer. The song’s solo section really builds on the bounciness of the bass line, and captures the mood of song while driving it forward. My take? 4 minutes of Indie-pop bliss.
“Wincing the Night Away” is really a quality record. I hope that everyone who has not heard this record has been given a little bit of insight into a record that halfwaynorth wholeheartedly and unanimously enjoys. For those who are already familiar I hope you gave the record a spin this week.
— Jason Abraham
5 Things: iTunes Random
1. Matt Pond PA - Last Light - Taught to Look Away
I don’t listen to Matt Pond PA often, but when I do I’m often pleasantly surprised. Neko Case has a nice guest spot in this track.
2. The Beatles - A Hard Day’s Night - Tell Me Why
Not a huge fan of the early Beatles. I said it. That being said. They are truly amazing as a force of pop culture. This song is 2 minutes of tooth sweetening bubble gum pop rock.
3. Pearl Jam - Ten - Oceans
I just recently discovered Ten. Where was I during the 90’s? This might be the last true rock’n’roll album.
4. The Turtles - 30 Years of Rock and Roll - Buzzsaw
My absolute favorite Turtles song. Period. F Happy together.
5. Stevie Wonder - The Definite Collection - Fingertips (Parts 1 and 2)
I don’t even know if I’ve ever even listened to this cut. Just Stevie rocking out on some harmonica. Can’t be too bad and we all know Superstitious is my all time favorite song.
— Jason Abraham
Christmas Miracle pt.2
Today I walked into my office and what did I see?
A new Zoku Quick Pop Maker waiting for me.
I can’t wait to try out some of these recipes!!!!
— Jason Abraham
Fashion Envy: Nike Dunk High Supreme
You might find me on stage rocking a fresh pair of these. The woven nylon gives it a bit of a sparkle when the light hits just right. Plus the name Dunk High Supreme makes all other shoes feel slightly inferior.
Where to find it? I bought mine at Encore Sneakers in Chicago. But they are also available online @ Shoebacca.
pic via (http://standardatl.com)
— Jason Abraham
Gear Envy: Custom In-Ear Monitors
What is it? Jason’s Ultimate Ears UE7-Pro Custom In-Ear Monitors (IEM’s)
Geek Specs : Input Sensitivity: 124db @ 1mw; Frequency Response: 20 to 16,000 Hz; Impedance: 17.5 ohms; Internal Speaker Configuration: 3 proprietary precision balanced armatures; Noise Isolation: -26dB; Input Connector: 1/8” (3.5mm) Gold plated
English Please? Really Fancy Headphones. Handmade customized earphones molded to fit my ear shape.
Making the Mold : An Audiologist injected a quick drying silicon into my ear canal. After the molds had set they were slowly wiggled out of my ear. No ear hairs were injured during this procedure.
Why do I need them? As lead singer of the band I must be able to hear my voice clearly over the rest of the instruments. While playing on stage decibels levels can be quite high. With floor sitting monitors there is a delicate balance between how loud you can get your vocals before they start to feedback. Feedback is the enemy. The IEM’s have -26dB of built in noise isolation. This helps reduce stage volume allowing the monitor engineer to send a clean, low volume, personalized mix of all the instruments into my ears. The end result : A perfect mix at a comfortable volume to help me sing as on key as possible.
Where to get them? Ultimate Ears offers a wide selection of custom and universal fit headphones aimed at everyone from commuters to audiophiles.
— Jason Abraham
Celebrity Look-Alike :
Jason Abraham vs. Adam Savage (Mythbusters)
(pic via http://www.arsgeek.com/2008/08/19/adam-savage-is-a-geeky-pirate/)
Ghost Shuffle Mastering Day/Restlest Heart
5 Things: iTunes Random
Gear Envy: Custom In-Ear Monitors
