WAGONS WEST

We’ve spent almost two years here in New York, which has been undoubtedly amazing. However, come this August we’ll be moving again, this time to Colorado, Boulder specifically, about 25 miles northwest of Denver. We’ve always wanted to live out west, and now it’s actually going to happen. The next couple months will be filled with the logistics of a long-distance move, but I doubt it will be that bad - we’ve done it before. I’ll miss New York a lot, mostly my friends, but also the convenience of the city. Every move causes me to assess where I am, where I’ve been, and where I’m going, which is never a bad thing. And so far, I feel pretty good about this one.

DUSTIN EDGE + STREET SOCCER USA

Over the next week, 50% of all online sales will go to support an organization that I greatly admire - Street Soccer USA. Aside from being an ardent supporter, it's been a privilege to work side-by-side with Street Soccer USA in the past as a guest performer at the Homeless World Cup in Washington DC.

With a mission of using soccer for social change, SSUSA uses team sports to help adults and youths overcome homelessness through a national sports league in 20 cities across the country. Players within the organization commit to change their lives by setting 3, 6, and 12 month personal goals. Then, with the assistance of coaches and volunteers, each player is held accountable to meet – and even exceed – their vision for a better self. Since its inception, Street Soccer USA has helped over 75% of their players get off the streets within a year of joining the program.

WWW.STREETSOCCERUSA.ORG

NOSTALGIA

Here's an old image I found that was taken of me during a show I played in Virginia earlier this year. The picture is grainy because it was very dark in the small tavern where I was performing. It reminds me of good times spent with old friends. I guess I've just been so busy lately that I haven't had much time for that. But I miss it...

...IN WITH THE NEW

I'm headed back into the studio later this month to start recording another EP. This one will be much more acoustic and lo-fi in nature, less rock-oriented. I've been writing a lot on a new classical guitar and will most likely use it on all the new songs we'll be tracking. And I'll be recording once again with Brian Forbes at The Gallery in Williamsburg. He's shared some great thoughts on these ideas and has definitely helped push me into fresh songwriting territory. I'm also planning to make this a much more interactive experience from the studio by posting videos and pictures of our progress, so stay tuned for all that. I'll be back with more as soon as possible...

CD RELEASE PARTY @ OTTO'S SHRUNKEN HEAD - 4.3.10

THANK YOU

Thanks to everyone who came out to the CD Release Party last night! I had such a wonderful time performing for all of you. And I'm so grateful that I have so many amazing people in my life that continue to support my musical endeavors. So thank you thank you thank you for everything.

All the best,

DUSTIN

BY THE NUMBERS

THE GOLDEN RATIO  

SOUND SOUND

GIVE ME THAT SOUND

MELODY SWEET & RHYTHM PROFOUND

WORDS WORDS

ALL OF THESE, WORDS

WRITE THEM DOWN AS THE BEAT DESERVES

PHI, PHI

COULD IT BE PHI?

THE RATIO’S GOLD AND THE TIME IS NIGH

WHEN I WILL LEARN HOW TO ABIDE

LET THE MUSIC BE MY GUIDE

WHEN THE YINS AND YANGS COLLIDE

I’M GOING TO SEE HOW I’M DEFINED

SO I’M GETTING PREPARED

I’M BUILDING WALLS

I’M GATHERING FOOD

I’M WORKING HARD

I’M WETTING MY LIPS

I’M COUNTING CHIPS

I’M LOOKING AHEAD

I’M PLAYING DEAD

I’M CLEANING IT UP

I’M TALKING SHOP

I’M TAKING VOWS

AND MAKING LIFE

SO WHY SHOULD I APOLOGIZE

FOR AN ACTION THAT WAS NEVER MINE?

SHOULD I HAVE BEEN SURPRISED

WHEN I LEARNED I WAS PAST MY PRIME?

NOW THERE’S NOTHING LEFT HERE TO BEGRUDGE

BECAUSE I PLAYED BASS FOR FILBOYD STUDGE

I NEVER WANT TO, BUT I JUDGE

IT’S INVOLUNTARY SLUDGE

I BREAK IT INTO FRAMES

BECAUSE I WANT TO DISCERN

WHAT THE POINT OF THIS IS

BEFORE THE MEETING’S ADJOUNRED

SO TEACH ME TO FORGIVE

OR FATHOM A SIGH

IF YOU CAN’T SHOW ME HOW TO LIVE

THEN SHOW ME HOW TO DIE

SHOW ME HOW TO DIE!

WEIGHTS & MEASURES

PLEASE OH PLEASE STOP LOOKING AT ME

OH PLEASE OH PLEASE STOP LOOKING AT ME

WHY WON’T YOU JUST STOP LOOKING AT ME?

TURN YOUR HEADS AWAY BECAUSE

I MUST LOOK SO TERRIBLE

I MUST LOOK SO TERRIBLE

I NEED TO WORK OUT MORE I GUESS

I NEED TO WORK OUT MORE OH YES

I’M GOING TO SET MY SCHEDULE

AND GET THINGS DONE

THERE’S NO TIME TO WASTE

IT’S NOW OR NEVER

OH, I’M GONNA TO FEEL INVINCIBLE

YES, I’M GONNA TO FEEL INVINCIBLE

AM I DOING THIS JUST FOR THE PRINCIPLE?

OR IS IT ALL JUST ABOUT ME?

NO, I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THOUGHTS LIKE THAT

NO, I DON’T HAVE TIME TO SIT AND CHAT

I HAVE TO GET UP EARLY AND DROP THE FAT

SO THEY ALL WILL DESIRE ME

I’M GONNA LOOK SO GOOD

HOW GOOD? SO GOOD!

AND EVERYONE WILL THINK

I HAVE MY LIFE TOGETHER

EARLY TO RISE

I’M STUDYING THE MIRROR

FLEXING MY BODY

PAIN IS THE PRICE

I’M GONNA PAY

FOR A FINE PHYSIQUE

OF COURSE

MY DISCIPLINE’S SHARP

AS I FOLLOW MY DIET

FORCE ALL THE EVIL TOXINS OUT

AND PUT THE VITAMINS THROUGH MY VEINS

AND I SHOULD LIKELY SEE RESULTS

IN ABOUT EIGHTEEN WEEKS

OH, BUT IF THESE PLANS DON’T WORK

I CAN ALWAYS SAVE UP MONEY

TO CONSULT A SURGEON

WHO’LL ADJUST EVERYTHING

WITH A QUICK PROCEDURE

SO I WON’T HAVE TO WORRY

UNTIL I NOTICE SOMETHING ELSE

UNATTRACTIVE WITH MYSELF

THAT NEEDS FIXING

HUMAN OR MACHINE

IT WAS A SLEEPLESS NIGHT OF RESTLESSNESS

WHEN FROM OUTSIDE, I HEARD A NOISE

IT WAS STRANGE AND DISTURBING

IT WAS SO CLANDESTINE

IT WAS DIFFICULT TO KEEP MY POISE

I RUSHED OUTSIDE AND I STOOD THERE, SILENT

LOOKING FOR THE SOURCE OF STENTORIAN VIOLENCE

ALONE, I WONDERED WHERE THE NEIGHBORS WERE

WAS I THE ONLY ONE WHO HAD HEARD THE STIR?

THE NEXT THING I KNEW, I WAS OFF MY FEET

RISING STEADILY ABOVE THE STREET

ALL MY EXTREMITIES BEGAN TO STING

I HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO ME

AM I HUMAN OR MACHINE?

AM I IN TUNE OR OUT OF KEY?

IF I COULD JUST HEAR THAT SOUND AGAIN

I’D BE ABLE TO BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND THE STATE I’M IN

WHEN MY FEET TOUCHED GROUND

I WAS DIFFERENT SOMEHOW

I COULD SEE THE WINDS MOVE

SO I CHOSE TO ESPOUSE

THAT THE MOMENT WAS REAL

AND I WAS ACTUALLY THERE

AND IT WASN’T JUST THE IMPACT

OF A FABLED AFFAIR

I KNEW NO ONE WOULD TRUST ME

IF I TOLD THEM THE TALE

DESCRIBING EVERY SECOND

OF THIS AURAL TRAVAIL

IT WAS JUST ANOTHER STORY

THAT NO ONE WOULD BELIEVE

EVEN THOUGH I DETERMINE

ANY NUMBER TO THE NTH DEGREE

AM I HUMAN OR MACHINE?

AM I IN TUNE OR OUT OF KEY?

IF I COULD JUST HEAR THAT SOUND AGAIN

I’D BE ABLE TO BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND THE STATE I’M IN

AM I HUMAN OR MACHINE?

AM I IN TUNE OR OUT OF KEY?

IF I COULD JUST HEAR THAT SOUND AGAIN

I’D BE ABLE TO BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND THE STATE I’M IN

EASY AS PI

COME OVER HERE

MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT

FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE

SING IT LOUD AND CLEAR

YOU LEARNED THE MOVES

BUT FAILED TO UNDERSTAND

WHAT YOU THOUGHT WAS FAITH

SO NOW YOU JUST PRETEND

THAT YOU’VE BLOWN AWAY

THAT YOU’VE BLOWN AWAY

THAT YOU’VE BLOWN AWAY

THAT YOU’VE BLOWN AWAY

BUT I CAN TAKE YOU FAR FROM HERE

I WON’T MAKE YOU LOST

BUT I’LL ENGINEER

OUR ESCAPE

THE BEEZY DOUGLAS CARNIVALE - 3.20.10

Photos courtesy of Brooke

NEW DESIGN

I'm not sure if you can tell, but we changed a few things last week regarding the layout of this site. The left-side menu is gone and has been replaced with the menu at the bottom, which now includes links to the store, social networking sites, free music, and a place to sign up for the fan club. All these options were available before (except for the networks page), but we wanted to make them more accessible for you. As always, the credit for these operations goes to the one and only schmakt, whose technical expertise will knock your socks off and set them aflame as they fly across the room. And although we hope you enjoy the new design, we're always open to suggestions.

ALPHABET CITY SOUP - 3.15.10

Photos courtesy of Brooke

DEMONSTRATIONS

I finished a fresh set of demos for the upcoming acoustic project this past week. For some reason, it feels a little awkward to be starting a new project when I haven't even released the current one - but it shouldn't. This is how things get done, right?

RAW MATERIALS

Just a bit of promotion here...

I'm going into the studio tomorrow to start recording a new collection of acoustic songs that I hope to release later this year. And since I'm planning to use my new classical guitar on most of the tracks, I needed to stock up on strings, picks, and so forth. So I went to Matt Umanov Guitars over on Bleecker Street. Visiting an instrument store always brings me a lot of happiness, as I assume it does most musicians. And all the employess at Matt Umanov are attentive, knowledgeable, and kind, always willing to help. So I've listed the website below in case you're ever if the neighborhood. It's important to me to support my local music store because, as Jim Osman, friend of the sculptor Lawrence Fane, stated so eloquently, "You need raw materials to have hope."

MATT UMANOV GUITARS

THE TRIP NORTH

Ok then. I haven't been able to sit down and write a post about the drive up the coast until now because we've so busy getting from one place to another. We're back in New York surrounded by a few inches of snow. Anyway, here are a few pictures from the trip that I hope you'll enjoy...

VINYL ADVENTURE

I'm in Florida at the moment for a friend's wedding, after which I'll be driving back up the east coast to transport a large collection of old vinyl records that were bequeathed unto me more than a year ago. I've included some selected images at the bottom of this post.

I didn't want to mail them to New York because I thought they might be damaged in transit - therefore, this seemed like a good time to make the trip. I'm going to take some pictures and such over the scope of the journey and post them here, which I hope will turn out to be at least somewhat interesting (especially the 'such'). Furthermore, I also recently received another collection of vinyl from my great aunt Lois, which I will most certainly document at the earliest possible opportunity.

Above all, I simply want to treat these collections with respect - these items were purchased and cared for over the years by people who enjoyed listening to this music - and I look forward to enjoying and learning from it in order to evolve further as a musician...

EVIL SANTA

Canal Street Subway, NYC

EVEN MORE PRAGUE DEMOS

Here are three more ideas I recorded in Prague during 2007. None of them ever turned into into anything more than what they originally were, however. Sometimes it's strange to look back on ideas such as these, wondering what it would have taken for me to follow through on them, to make them better. Apparently I wasn't in a state of mind where I felt like putting the time and energy into improving them into full-fledged compositions. Some songwriters say that their songs are their 'children' and that each one is special. I suppose that's true - but if I had keep track of 30 new offspring each year, I'm pretty sure I'd be unable to give each one the attention he/she deserved. And it's safe to say that my wife would be fairly upset...

NEW SONG #2 - LIVE @ GOODBYE BLUE MONDAY (1.30.10)

Here's a second video of another new song I played at Goodbye Blue Monday in Brooklyn this past Saturday. I played this song live for the first time at Grudge Match earlier this month. I'm really looking forward to recording this one, plus all the others I have in mind for this new acoustic project. After a few years of recording rock songs, it should be pleasant to pursue something more lo-fi for a while.

NEW SONG #1 - LIVE @ GOODBYE BLUE MONDAY (1.30.10)

Here's a new song I finished last month. I'm going into the studio next month to start recording an acoustic record that this plus several other new songs will appear on. Hopefully it will be ready by the end of the year if all goes well.