So, last year I cut "A Tik Tok Christmas" with Leaving Cash, and this year I decided to do one solo and landed on Maroon 5's "Moves Like Jagger" as the basis for the parody. I went for a Maroon 5/Prince/Isley's style vibe on the track, staying true to the original, but adding in, among other things, clavinet and "disco" strings. This was a blast to put together, both cutting all the tracks, and then shooting and editing everything. Merry Christmas, ma peoples!
I just wrapped up this video, after 2 days of cutting the audio and video. Covering David Guetta & Usher's "Without You" was a fun return to the vibe of playing with DJ's in clubs. Besides the fog and heavy lighting in video production, the 40+ track string section that I cut for this cover was a blast. I'm considering releasing an acoustic version, built purely around that.
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This past Wednesday I performed at the PA Convention Center in Philadelphia for the Annual PCVB Luncheon. For the well over 1300 attendees, I opened the event with a 20 minute solo performance, concluding with a duet with saxophonist Andrew Neu. Many thanks to Brandywine Valley Talent!
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REDEFINITION is finished! I wrote and tracked it over 3 days, challenging myself to write entirely new compositions built around the a cappella tracks of Talib Kweli and Mos Def. This was a really fun project and I tried some new methods as a producer on these cuts, sometimes using "the wrong gear for the job" to make new sounds. The reaction so far has been very strong, buzzing on Twitter and Facebook quite a bit. You can download it for FREE at BandCamp. |
REDEFINITION was released on Tuesday, coinciding with a great live show at The Legendary Dobbs with my six-piece. We played to a packed house, sharing the bill with Rone, Young Gliss, Finesse, and the amazing Tsunami Rising. Video of the entire set is gradually making its way online so be sure to check it out!
PHOTO: GMS PHOTOGRAPHY
I've been busy kickin it with Dice Raw on Tuesday nights down in the city at his JAM HOUSE event at Dobbs. An amazing amount of talent is coming through there so come out and be witness to it! This past Friday I played the Queen Theater with Tom Esposito of Hippocampus and Chaplin's with Greg Thomas. Two excellent singer/songwriters in two very different styles -- an awesome experience! In other news, I've been working through the tracks for my next record, and also cutting demos for a project with James McLaughlin (The Sermon!, Monacy, Chubby Checker, etc.) and Matt Radomile that is vintage vintage vintage. A release by the end of the year is what we're hoping for. Got some more Fitzy Trio gigs in the next month or so as well, plus several more feature performances with local artists.
This past Sunday I got back together with my band Leaving Cash to play the Turk's Head Festival in West Chester, PA and yesterday we graced the front page of the Daily Local Newspaper!
We'll be getting to work on a new project in the next few months. I can't say much yet, but it's going to be awesome -- just take my word for it!
The legendary Duke Nukem is returning this summer in his first game in over 12 years. I've loved this franchise since its inception and had wanted to cut this track for quite some time. I arranged and performed 100% of the parts, and did the production and engineering work on both the audio and video. So far this video has been generating some buzz in the past day or so. Gotta thank Yatta over at Duke4.net for the support!
On another note, this TUESDAY I'll be at The Grape Room in Manayunk (Philadelphia, PA) playing one set with my quartet solely of cuts from the new album, and Thursday night we'll be at Side Bar in West Chester, PA starting at 9pm for a full night of scorchers.
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RETROSONIC is out TODAY! Doors open tonight for the release show at 9pm. We've got Brian Lefchak opening up the night starting at 10pm. The album goes live on iTunes and on my BandCamp page this weekend. Hope to see you there tonight! |
