I'm not sure why, but the holidays always seem to bring lots of extra movie/tv viewing to me. Probably because I take long flights and download a bunch of stuff to watch on the plane.

Also - when family has nothing left to do - we turn on the tube. Films I saw with family -

1408 (mediocre, not scary)

Grind house / Planet Terror (great fun - popcorn movie!)

300 - (still think there's major homo-eroticism going on there - not that there's anything wrong with that - otherwise - philosophically bankrupt.)

Among this year's airborne holiday viewings were tv show "Damages" starring Glenn Close. I totally missed this series when it was on. Took a shot and got hooked after the first 4 episodes. Way smarter than every other "law" show on TV right now. Critics loved it - audiences were watching "boston legal" instead. Pfft.

The Metallica documentary "Some Kind of Monster" - see this & tell me making music for a living isn't like a day job. Albeit in Metallica's case - a day job with piles & piles of cash. I thought it was as honest as multi-millionaires can get. They weren't posing - that's for sure.

Also - "Before The Music Dies" an indie film that sets out to demonstrate the difference between the "record business" and the "music business" and why the former is screwed while the latter is thriving. Cynically inclined minds (like mine) might walk away thinking this film was an info-mercial for Dave Matthews and his ATO record label.

Overall, I think the film fairly captures the current state of opinion about the music industry. Factually speaking - the section on radio was 90% accurate - although the conclusions drawn by some of the artists were off base. Just goes to show how you can get the facts right and still leap to the wrong conclusion. Logic is - by it's nature - garbage in - garbage out. But again - it's very close to representing the current state of the biz.

You can get B4MD for just $2.99 download on their website. I'm sure it's out on P2P - but it seems like bad karma to steal a movie sticking up for the artist - particularly when they only want 3 bucks for the download version. You can upgrade to full DVD later on and have the amount you already paid deducted from the price. The way it should be.

As for how my holiday went - it was very nice & mellow and I got sick. He.

Have a great new year - see ya on the other side!

Posted by Jeff Schmidt at 02:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

a jem from my link blog - a MUST read - David Byrne talks music "biz" in Wired.

Posted by Jeff Schmidt at 07:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EDIT: For some reason - the code Google Reader gives me to post the 10 most recent items from my link blog isn't working. I blame google.

EDIT: 12.18.07 - 4pm - Looks like it's working again. wtf?

Posted by Jeff Schmidt at 11:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bit of geekery to share with you. I read (skim actually) lots of blogs.

About 2% of the stuff I skim/read is stuff I feel compelled to share.

So I've added a LINK BLOG over on the left. These are posts I've found on other blogs that I really like.

Only the last 10 links are showing in the side-bar, but there's many more behind that. Topics are stuff that interests me - tech, media, music, marketing, business, space/astromomy/science, politics, philosophy, religion, humor, serious stuff, frivolous stuff etc...

Don't read too much into why I might have posted an item. I post stuff I agree with and support and stuff I disagree with and think is stupid - as long as it strikes me in some way.

Good luck figuring out which is which. ,-)

Direct link to the whole thing HERE

And for the truly daring - an RSS feed

Posted by Jeff Schmidt at 11:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Jeff Schmidt at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It might be a cliche this time of year to look back at the previous year AND look ahead to next - but so what.

2007 was a pretty remarkable year for me musically. I went into 2007 with only 1 goal in mind - complete my first solo CD release. Not only did I do that with Outre - but I also traveled a pretty good amount and got to play with lots of really talented people. I played more gigs in 07 than I have in my entire life.

Also - quite unexpectedly - in a creative burst I gave birth to an alter-ego musical project "ruiner severhead" by writing, performing & producing a full length release - The Jesus Fist Tapes.

By comparison - 2008 looks like it will be really mellow. At least that's what it looks like right now.

I have a few ideas for projects I'd like to accomplish next year.

Write & release another solo bass project.
I'm thinking an EP, 7-9 tunes. Released on-line as a download. Probably for free. More details in the weeks ahead.

Write & release the full length electronic project that I've had in the back of my mind since 2004. Sound wise - think Ruiner Severhead tripping balls on Barbiturates. Online download - for free. Not sure if this will be a "Jeff Schmidt" project, or under another name.

Write & release another Ruiner Severhead CD. Online - for free blah blah blah.

Performance wise I'm totally into doing solo bass gigs and bass events.

I'd also like to get the Ruiner / Jesus Fist stuff on stage.

Of course - none of this is carved in stone. It's a guide. But I find these ideas exciting and inspiring. And staying excited and inspired is the biggest asset to a creative person.

Posted by Jeff Schmidt at 11:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Jeff Schmidt at 10:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)