IndieRiver was fun while it lasted, but it never really scaled like we wanted it to scale, and besides, it added a lot of painful steps.
What we’re doing now is simpler: leveraging the Live Music Archive at archive.org to bring you Andrew Osenga concert recordings. All the old shows are available there, as will the new shows going forward. We’d like to thank Andrew for not only being taper-friendly but explicitly allowing us to use archive.org to share these shows with you.
So, one of the things we believe in here at ao.net is concert recordings. We think you know that from following us in the past.
We asked Andy if he would submit to an official taping policy, and he has agreed to the following:
- You’re allowed to tape Andrew Osenga’s concerts.
- If the venue will allow it, Andy is okay with you getting a board feed.
- Andy is also cool with videos of concerts.
We’ll add the following caveats that are standard to the taping community:
- Share and share alike. Don’t sell.
- Trade in lossless formats [FLAC, SHN, etc.], and keep lossy formats [AAC, MP3] for your own personal use only.
- Be respectful of the artist and the venue as you tape.
We encourage you to print this out for proof in case you get asked. Of course, if you’re at a show and wanting to tape, you can just go up to Andy before the show and get him to okay it with the venue if he doesn’t know about it beforehand. The only times I’ve ever had to ask the venue is for a board feed, and most places are definitely okay with it. Just bring the equipment and cabling you’ll need to hook up to the board.
If you have questions about recording, we can address that in a separate post.
Over at his blog Andy just rolled out his plans for four weekends of house shows in March and April. He’s proposed some dates and locations, so if you were thinking about hosting him, head on over to his blog for the details and shoot him an email.
His rates and terms are fully disclosed and very, very reasonable… so this is your chance to get Andy in your town, maybe even in your home, for a performance you won’t soon forget.
Posted at: 10:41 am on Jan 21, 2010 | Filed under:
PromotionI’m kinda behind in letting you all know about this deal, but Geof Morris (ever-helpful host of AO.net and a bazillion other music sites) is incorporating geoF:stop media and is making a couple of his fantastic photos available for purchase if you’re so inclined. (He lays out on his blog, with admirable transparency, how the profits will be shared between him and Andy.) I’ve got one of these standouts, and can attest to the fact that they look FANTASTIC.
So, if you want the chance to get a fantastic piece of art for your wall, use one of the forms below to make your purchase.
8″x12″ print:
11″x14″ standout:
Posted at: 7:20 pm on Jan 06, 2010 | Filed under:
InterviewsSaving the Setlist has a four-part interview with Andrew, and the fourth bit covers the songwriting process:
These days I find I write best when I have something in mind, some sort of project. Where the song is going to be heard helps me know what I’m trying to write. Is it a song for me? I’ve got four records I’d love to make soon, which one is it for? Does it belong in a story arc, is there some scene this needs to fit? Stuff like that. Once I know what I’m writing I can sit down at 9 am, answer my email, make my phone calls, turn off my phone and write til lunch. Also, deadlines don’t hurt!
I wish my process was more romantic, sexier, but it’s really just working. I find I’m rarely inspired when I’m watching TV, but daily inspired when I sit down and just start writing.
It sounds to me like Andy has hit the groove that Elliott Smith had—constantly writing, constantly recording, constantly improving; I remember reading the 33 1/3 series on Elliott’s XO and coming across so many people talking about how he just worked and worked at his craft. To quote Alexander Pope:
True ease in writing comes from art, not chance,
As those move easiest who have learn’d to dance.
‘Tis not enough no harshness gives offense;
The sound must seem an echo to the sense.
– An Essay on Criticism, II, l. 162
We’ve seen this in multiple versions of the same song, how songs have had verses change over time.
[Parts 1, 2, and 3 of this interview set are on StSL as well. And yes, I did pull out my copy of Bartlett's Familiar Quotations while writing this post.]
