Russ Somers 👓 🎸

In seven days, the world will know how I feel about my Sweetwater Sales Engineer. Pre-save the new song now! show.co/sZz2EMU

I want Eric Alper to ask "What artist is most likely to argue with music AI grifters on X?" so you can reply "probably me."

Kind of hoping that @m_millsey and the band reunite to record a version of 7 Chinese Brothers as a tribute to the 7 Chinese dogs

@JoyceCarolOates Trump loves America” seems to be proven by the same logic as “Obama divided the country.” Which is to say none. Both statements seem to be articles of faith to a certain audience.

trying to comprehend what lies behind these oddly chosen words. "raw"--does that mean crude, criminal rapist/pedophile? as a consensus seems to be growing regarding T***p. yet, MAGA spokesman seems to think that T***p "loves America".... in what way? how is this evidenced? is there something unspoken here, we are meant to decode? does T***p's love = elevating the white race, especially white men? any ideas? obviously must be a coded message since it is obscure.

@davidclowery I hear the same from my college-age kiddos. My son is loyal to buying merch from the band because “they don’t make anything from streaming”, and his friend group shares that value. The kids are, indeed, alright.

This. But I will add, there are dual tracks developing. Normie pop music increasing bland and similar sounding. The so-called mono-genre. But on the other hand a backlash to music streaming clearly developing among my students. A deep, consciously transgressive adoption of live and analogue musical experiences.

@BluebeardBard Thank you! It was one that felt really good to do.

@rsomers This is really nice man. Good mix, good songwriting/lyrics, good arrangement. Really solid work. One to be proud of.

How many singer-songwriters do I know on here? Like people who play a 'real' instrument to accompany themself singing lyrics they wrote. It's what I do, and I'm looking for others. Bonus if you have performance experience, even if it's just an open mic. Holla at ya boi!

A song about watching your kids grow up, and also about becoming grown up. It switches perspective a time or two. Very happy with the airiness of the track and with the tremolo guitar. open.spotify.com/track/1ezxKFqY…

@vurnt22 My humble opinion: people treat this like an attribute of the _player_ (“I use 10s”) when it is better thought of as an attribute of the _guitar_ (“my Strat is best with 10s, but my Les Paul is best with 11s”). Still subjective, of course.

This points to something significant- many think that lighter strings are easier - not necessarily so. If you need resistance because of the nature of your hands, lighter strings aren’t a bargain in your case. That’s why imposing what works subjectively doesn’t work on others.

@davidclowery And most of that evolution happened during the three minutes and twelve seconds of Sweet Potato, many people are saying.

Probably me.

@davidclowery Because of Sweet Potato

Probably me.

@emollick Scarcity is inversely correlated with (perceived) value. When you have to dig for information, you value those insights. When they are abundantly on tap, you discard the ones you don't care for and cherry-pick the ones you like.

As a kid, if I had a science question that couldn't be answered in an encyclopedia, I would call the public library's fact line and they would research it and get back to you (local call). Probably mostly hallucinated answers, but it did help you know what the deadliest shark was It is astonishing that (a) information is now so easy to access since then and (b) having access to all that information actually hasn't had as big an impact on life as I think anyone in the 1990s would have suspected.

@davidclowery And I now have this running through my head. Which is not a bad thing. youtu.be/xkwqiqsfoZw?si…

Pete Droge and I took pictures of each other taking pictures of each other. Outside Central Square Records. 30A songwriters festival Seaside Florida.

@vurnt22 Les Paul said something similar - about how it will challenge you every day and you’ll never master it.

Guitar is a funny thing to have in your life. Over a long time. We all learn & absorb material in different ways, and rates. One thing I have come to believe is the only to move forward is to keep a beginner mindset. No matter how advanced you are. Slowly. Evenly. Mindfully.

@davidclowery 3/ At a D&B subsidiary I worked at in 2005 that provided company information, the Product team moved company phone #’s, the most sought-after piece of info on the site, to a second page and celebrated the increased engagement. AI bots are just another enshittification tool.

@davidclowery 2/ goaled on driving engagement and moving you down their funnel. An example is the team in charge of a corporate website celebrating “doubling engagement” by moving a key piece of information to a second page, requiring an extra click. This happens a lot.

Has anyone ever used an AI powered chat tool on a corporate website that actually worked to solve a problem or give you the information you were looking for?

Ring in the new year with a commitment to human rights! Listening parties on 1/2 and 1/3 for The Weapon and The Shield, a compilation of protest music featuring @BlackDoldrums, @sickrobot , me, and many more. theweaponandtheshield.bandcamp.com/merch/the-weap…

@MikeOCull @FrankiPineapple Put another way, it’s often said that the way to master anything is 10,000 hours of deliberate practice. What’s less often said is that the first 9,900 or so hours will suck. Persistence > talent.

It absolutely is. Dues must be paid. I’ve seen countless people quit playing because they couldn’t master the guitar in two weeks. The Suck must be endured in the privacy of practice and then publicly on any stage that will let you perform. There really isn’t any other way. Remember when we talked about how music makes you confront all your inner stuff? That’s what The Suck is all about. Do we have the fortitude to keep going? I do and I know you do, too.

i wonder if willingness to suck is aligned with greatness

@davidclowery That one’s up there with “yippie-ki-yay, Mister Falcon” and “I am so tired of these monkey-fighting snakes on this Monday-to-Friday plane.” I’m admittedly a bit obsessed with cable edits.

“You see what happens when you find a stranger in the alps?” Even I know the reference and I’ve never watched The Big Lebowski.