A Bigger Box

August 11, 2012 3:53 pm \ 2 Comments \

It’s been quite a while since I have posted, and its been quite a year so far. Do you remember my very first article? It was called “Excuses, Excuses” and can be found here: http://www.linescratchers.com/?p=1113 Well, I stopped making excuses and I’ve jumped into this crazy business full time.

It’s been an interesting year as I’ve started my business (2 businesses actually) and have worked with a number of artists and projects, both in and out of the LDS world. This year, my “flagship” project was (for the first time) something that was not just influenced by my beliefs and values, but that was openly promoting a religiously themed message. Working on it has been enlightening and educational as I have begun to better understand the “typical” LDS Market for music. This project was one that was close to my heart, as it was a personal project done with my teenage daughters. Together, we wrote and produced an album of fun, energetic, and uplifting music geared for young adults and teens, and based it on the values and principles promoted by the Young Women’s theme. This was their first serious project. The music has a great spirit about it, and a positive message. It’s well done, and we’ve received fantastic feedback overall on it. I am not shy about putting in a plug – you can check it out at www.ofpreciousvalue.com – but my point in this article is not just to promote this, I am trying to make a point, and looking for some feedback.

My point – we don’t fit in “the box”. Most of us on this website don’t quite fit in “the” box, and that’s why we are here. We don’t quite fit the stereotype of an “LDS Musician” and yet there are many in the world who are slow to accept us if they are aware we are LDS. Hence, the “linescratchers box”. Well, I’m not even sure my most recent LDS project (Of Precious Value) fits in the Linescratchers box…. it’s sort of in no mans land. With a blatent religious message and obvious religious target market, its on the fringe at best of what would fall under the classic definition of a Linescratchers musician. And, with music that is much more a blend of modern pop and guitar driven rock, delivered in a fresh and energetic way, it struggles to fit into the “traditional” LDS music box in spite of having a direct and blatent LDS message.

The music I’ve made may never make it into a “Sabbath Sounds” type of broadcast, and at the same time it’s probably not the right choice of albums to review and feature on Linescratchers. And you know what? I’m fine with that! I’m not here to try to fit into a pre-defined box, I’m here to help make a BIGGER BOX! I hope all of us share that same artistic drive and passion. The LDS market is a tough one to crack. If you don’t fit in or have the right connections, its even tougher. But we need to work together to make a bigger box. We need to support each other and work together to expand the box to include great music that is being overlooked. With going back into music full time, I am reminded how many AMAZING musicians there are who will really never be heard outside of their circle of friends and family.

How do we make more room for them? How do we make a bigger box? Shouldn’t the “LDS Music Box” include not only traditional and contemporary musicians but also include a lot of secular music that is just…well….Good? Free of profanity and questionable subject matter, music that simply celebrates and speaks of the ups and downs and experiences of life? Shouldn’t the “Linescratchers Box” include not only those who are LDS and make secular music, but also include those who are bold in challenging the status quo for LDS spiritual music ? (while staying appropriate of course!)

I am asking for your help making a bigger box. I have a lot of ideas running through my head. I know a lot of LDS youth and young adults and very few of them are listening to LDS music or LDS artists. Some LDS bands and artists are popping up thank goodness, but they are a drop in the bucket on the ipod playlists of our youth. Really?? Do we not have amazing talent among us, both for religious and secular music? How do we reach these people who are ripe to accept us if we can connect with them? One thing I’ve noticed is that the overwhelming majority of broadcasts of LDS music (real or online) are more “Sabbath Sounds” oriented. There are some that are broadcasting, podcasting, or streaming more contemporary music and even secular music, but I haven’t found many. Kudos to Steve Larson at LDS Music Today who has included a very diverse range of music in his regular podcasts. We need more of that.

With all this in mind – I’m asking for your input. What can we do? I’m considering a lot of things. One is I’m thinking of starting a 24/7 online radio station that will play a wide range of good music – LDS Music, Secular music, New Artists, Contemporary Christian Music, etc – with a focus on lesser known artists, interviews, themed shows (ideas: Best New Artists Hour, Linescratchers Royalty Hour, Genre specific shows, and more). I’d initially probably start with 1-2 daily shows and some rebroadcasts of those shows and then work up to having a full 24/7 schedule of good content. I’ve also considered doing an annual compilation CD of LDS artists that don’t fit inside the box (for example, did you know that there are some really amazing LDS artists doing country music? Whether you like the style or not – we need to hear more of this diversity within the LDS market!. There are many ideas I’m thinking of as I try to figure out how to help good musicians – LDS Spiritual, LDS Secular, and other just plain good artists – find a voice, and an audience.

Help me make a bigger box. We get a lot more done when we work together. i encourage you to leave your suggestions and feedback.

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Posted in: discussion, indie, radio, the biz, Uncategorized \ Tagged: ,

Hot and Mormon and on the Radio

August 4, 2012 12:37 pm \ Leave a Comment \

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[Because of my ongoing problems with embedding videos, please read this post about The Killers, Neon Trees, and Imagine Dragon at A Motley Vision. Thanks.]

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Posted in: alternative, pop, rock \ Tagged: , , ,

NEW RELEASE – Jeff Zentner’s A Season Lost

June 27, 2012 12:10 am \ 1 Comment \

Album artwork by Matt Page

Linescratchers artist Jeff Zentner has released a new album entitled A Season Lost on his Bandcamp page.  From his Official Facebook Page:

My friends, it is my great pleasure to announce the release of my new album, A Season Lost, on July 24, 2012. I could not be more proud of this album. It features performances from my friends Elin Palmer, Rykarda Parasol, Arborea, Matt Bauer, Sumie Nagano, Hannah Fury, and Josie Little.

I will be getting back with you soon on pre-order details, details about physical copies, etc. But for the moment, allow me to make a small entreaty for you to purchase this album, which will cost $8 for the digital version.

Every penny that went into the making of this album came from my own pocket. Aside from the prodigious musical and artistic talents of my friends, I had no help in making it. Music is not my primary source of income. I work very hard during the day so that when I come home, to steal a few moments for making music, I am able to fund these albums, and I am at the whim of no record label or person. To say the least, sales of this album will not be funding a swimming pool in my backyard.

I don’t need to sell millions or even thousands of copies to achieve my sole financial goal for this album, which is to simply not lose hundreds of dollars. But I do need to sell hundreds, which means that if you are reading this, I need your help.

I know that times are difficult, and money is tight. But imagine the sort of fleeting pleasures you’ll spend $8 on. A salad at a modest restaurant. A movie ticket. A couple of drinks with friends. Coffee and a pastry. Parking for the day in a big city. A couple of gallons of gas. I hope that if you invest your hard-earned money in this album, it will provide you with a more lasting pleasure and satisfaction than any of those things. I hope it’s one of the best $8 you’ve ever spent. I’ve worked very hard to make it so.

And now, please enjoy your first complete listen of A Season Lost.

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Posted in: alt-country, southern gothic \ Tagged: , ,

Campfire Carols from Jiminy Finn and the Moneydiggers

June 26, 2012 3:53 am \ Leave a Comment \

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Crossposted in a slightly different form at A Motley Vision.*

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Campfire CarolsBlair Hodges, whom you probably know best as an insightful reviewer of smart-person books you never quite manage to read, also does drums and vocals (usually backup) and kazoo for the band Jiminy Finn and the Moneydiggers. We’ll talk more about the kazoo later.

Continue Reading →

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Posted in: folk, reviews \ Tagged: ,

provoshows.com

June 1, 2012 12:14 pm \ Leave a Comment \

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First: I want to be clear that I am not suggesting Provo bands = LDS bands. Such, as we all know, is not necessarily the case. That said, there is overlap.

With that established, you should check out provoshows.com and today’s Motley Vision interview with its curator, Chris Coy.

Me, I’ve often wondered about the history of music in Provo, but without much collective memory (college town) that’s been a hard thing to track. Now, that history is finally coming together.

Also, those of you with knowledge should help out.

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Posted in: Uncategorized

VIDEO – “Maharisha” by Retribution Gospel Choir

May 23, 2012 3:52 pm \ 1 Comment \

New single off RGC’s latest EP. It rocks!

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Posted in: indie, rock \ Tagged: , ,

Imagine Dragons demolishes MTV’s castle keep . . . unless you have a better play on words

April 20, 2012 1:58 am \ Leave a Comment \

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The winner of the 2008 Battle of the Bands at BYU, Imagine Dragons, has been all over lately including KCRW which in my mind means they’ve made it.

This week they’re MTV’s Push Artist, whatever that means. At least part of it is that this video’s on cable.

So it’s a Vegas/Cougar band in a postapocalyptic San Francisco Bay with one of Mahonri’s rock which has properties Moroni never told you about. Best thing ever?

Check it out.

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Posted in: alternative, video \ Tagged:

VIDEO – Staci Marie Carriere, “We Go Together”

March 28, 2012 10:29 pm \ Leave a Comment \

Here’s a brand new video from Staci Marie Carriere, Kentucky native who now lives in Nashville and is pursuing a music career (and a little acting, too).  She did an interview with us back in 2010, and she’s come a long way since then!

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Posted in: indie, pop \ Tagged: , ,

OPPORTUNITY ALERT: LDS Singers/Bands Needed

February 18, 2012 10:00 am \ 4 Comments \

Calling all LDS musicians, singers, and bands – you are needed! Would you like to have one of your songs featured as a bonus track on an album that is expected to have significant sales?

I am producing an album project right now of pop/rock music that is targeted towards Christian teens, and LDS Young Women in particular. The album is in the pre-production stages currently, but recording in earnest is expected to begin early next month, with a single out in April and the full album out in May. The general theme of the album is to promote the values taught within the Young Women Program, but in a non-preachy, upbeat way.

We also would like to use this album project to help aid listeners in the discovery of new, exciting, and positive music – YOUR music! That’s right, we aren’t looking for slow, stuffy, or stereotypical “Sunday only” music, we are looking for strong songs that are fun, engaging, fresh sounding, and positive. They don’t need to have a Christian or LDS specific message, they simply need to avoid the pitfalls of worldly music and leave the listener engaged, inspired, or entertained with a positive, LDS youth friendly message.

I need your help. We have 3 to 4 slots available, and the planned album release will be here before you know it. If YOU or someone you know might be interested, please see the following link to see the general album concept, and also get full details on the inclusion of other artists.

This album is being written and produced with the assistance of LDS youth, and will feature vocal performances by LDS youth. The message will connect, and the music will be happening. We expect good distribution of the album as the word gets out and really feel this is an EXCELLENT opportunity for a new or lesser-known LDS artist to get some great exposure.

Click HERE for more information.

Please check it out and direct any questions to me through the kickstarter site or through my contact information on this page.

Thanks, and we look forward to helping promote your music as part of this project!

 

Matt is a music producer, engineer, and writer.  This album project will feature not only his work but the work of some youth, including his 2 daughters.

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Posted in: causes, news \ Tagged: , ,

Blurring the Lines

February 6, 2012 9:00 am \ Leave a Comment \

Linescratchers is known as “the site for LDS musicians who don’t make LDS music” , but… with all due respect for that motto, perhaps a better motto should be “the site for LDS musicians who don’t make TYPICAL LDS music.”

Recently, our own fearless leader and visionary founder,  Arthur Hatton, proved this with his own album release of spiritually influenced music that certainly doesn’t sound anything like the “typical” LDS music.   He has blurred the lines.

My own recent album release, a pet project that was long overdue, also blurred the lines – not so much in a spiritual sense as Arthur did, and not by directly speaking or preaching of gospel doctrines, but with most lyrics clearly drawing on themes and values that are expressly taught and encouraged as part of LDS teachings, certainly my own project was “in the world but not of the world”.   In fact, I’m working on a new project now that will push this concept more than I have ever done before, but that is a story for another day.

As Linescratchers has recently moved into a new chapter of leadership and direction, I have reflected on the meaning and value of the site as we move forward, and frankly, I think that the blurring of lines is a good thing.  How does one define when music is or is not “church related” music?  While I certainly create categories in my mind, it is ultimately impossible for me to completely separate “church” and “secular” music in my own original works. Why? Because as a believer and a follower, it is impossible for my belief system to not impact my creative works.

My understanding is that this site was created somewhat out of frustration that it seemed that anyone who claimed to be both LDS and a musician was instantly stereotyped into a very narrow box. There has been for some the perception that being LDS and living/working/creating outside of that box would lead to being ostracized.  In all fairness, neither of these perceptions translate 100% into reality across the board, but as an LDS musician, I certainly have seen and experienced this to some degree at some time or another.  The linescratchers mission has been to help bring awareness to LDS musicians who don’t fit that box, but whose work is still a worthy art.

So, has the linescratchers mission been watered down, become outdated, or forgotten?  I say absolutely not!  I think it is great to see more acceptance of LDS musicians making music that contains spiritual themes, but doesn’t quite fit the perception of what LDS music is “supposed” to sound like.  I think that it is great to see the blurring of the lines – remember, we aren’t talking about blurring the lines between right and wrong or good and evil. We are talking about blurring the lines between what is considered secular music and what is considered church music. If we are diluting the church message with secular music – that is the equivalent perhaps of mingling the philosophies of men with scripture, and is not a good thing.  But if we are enhancing secular music to include more spiritual and value driven content, that is a wonderful thing indeed. And, if we are tastefully expanding the available options of styles of spiritual music, that is also a wonderful thing.  We are taking a good thing, and making it better by expanding it.

God gave us talents, and he intends for us to use them.  I challenge LDS musicians to not be afraid to blur the lines in the right way.  Don’t be afraid to wear your faith like a badge of honor, and let little messages, spiritual moments, and a strong value system creep into your “secular” music.  Music that is raw, real, and honest connects better with listeners anyway, and little in life is more personal, and real than someones deeply held beliefs.

I will continue to make music that is not intended to be spiritual or church oriented but upon close examination, it will be hard to overlook the beliefs and the lifestyle that influence who I am and how I create.  Yes, blurring the lines is a good thing. I am both a secular AND and religious artist – I’m proud of it, and in doing so I will help to continue to fulfill the mission of linescratchers in my own little way.

 

Matt Mylroie is now a full time music professional, operating under the name of Driftwood Tide Music. You can learn more at www.driftwoodtidemusic.com

 

 

 

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Posted in: causes, discussion, linescratching post \ Tagged: , ,

The 2011 Linescratchers Awards

February 2, 2012 12:10 am \ Leave a Comment \

It’s that time again!  Despite a slow-down of posting, Linescratchers is still going to have a contest for all the Linescratchers artists who have released albums in 2011.  Here is a list of our winners from last year.  Awards will be given in three main categories:

The Linescratchers Award
This award is given out to featured artists on Linescratchers who have released a full-length album anytime in 2011.  Because our staff has less time to search through each artist’s recent releases, we are leaving the responsibility to our readers to nominate artists who released a full-length album (not an EP) anytime between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2011.  The nomination pool is taken from the list of Our Artists, and the decision will be made with a popular vote.

Popular Award
This award is available to any LDS musician who released a full-length album in 2010 who is not a Linescratchers featured artist.  This could be someone like Brandon Flowers, or a faith-based LDS musician, if our readers feel that it is good enough to nominate. Nominations will be done by you, our readers, in an upcoming post. Then, the decision will be made by popular vote.

Staff Pick
This award is given by the staff of Linescratchers to one musician or band who we think really embodies the mission of Linescratchers.  Decision is made by secret combination.

The nominations can begin now!  Tell us what artist you’re nominating, what award you’re nominating them for, and if you can, a link to their album so we can confirm the release date.  Please either post them in the comments here or email them to arthur@linescratchers.com!

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Posted in: linescratchers awards \ Tagged:

A Grateful Departure

January 14, 2012 11:40 am \ 8 Comments \

Hi everyone, it’s Arthur Hatton here.  It has been around three and a half years since I created Linescratchers, and as many of you may have noticed, our productive output has decreased over the last year or so.  This is directly attributable to the fact that I’ve had my first kid (he’s one year old now), and started graduate school.  Those two things have really taken away my energy to micro-manage things and make time in my schedule to talk with artists, listen to new music, and go to concerts.  Our fundraiser was an attempt at providing the incentive necessary to take Linescratchers to the next level, but it was not successful enough to really meet our minimum goals to do so (though we will have plenty of money for web hosting bills for the indefinite future).  I have given this decision a lot of thought and have decided that, in order to make room in my life for graduate school and research, being a father, and new blogging interests, I’m regretfully going to have to step down as the in-charge person at Linescratchers.

This was not an easy decision to make.  In a lot of ways I feel like I’m giving up a baby for adoption.  However, I also know that I’m a perfectionist, and I get very dissatisfied with myself if I do things half-way.  Either I do them right or I don’t do them at all.

However, I also did not want to just shut Linescratchers down.  So we have worked out a new system whereby contributors will still post articles, interviews, and reviews, without me telling them what to do.  On our Staff page I will compile a list of active contributors along with the styles of music they specialize in.  If there are any new artists who wish to be featured on Linescratchers, you can contact the contributors directly.  Expect lots of great new content over the next months (and hopefully years).  Don’t go away!  It’s just that I won’t be directly involved anymore.

One thing I just want to say here is that, in my mind, I consider Linescratchers an unqualified, total success.  When I created Linescratchers, I had reasons for doing it, and goals that I wanted to achieve.  Some of them were more abstract, like that I wanted to create a safe place for LDS artists to be able to really express themselves.  Some were more concrete – I wanted to interview Alan Sparhawk.  Along the way I’ve met some amazing artists, writers, fans, and people, and seen some amazing musicians live.  I was even able to create a couple dozen podcasts, some of which were great interviews of some amazing musicians.  I love Linescratchers and I really hope that it continues long years into the future.

If you are interested in what I’m doing nowadays, you might have noticed that I was recently interviewed about an album I just released, Odes.  I have also started a personal blog that I have been using to record my thoughts about my personal musical journey and other random things, and if you’re interested in following me there, I promise to try and entertain you as best as I can.  If you want to follow me in my music, you can find me at my Facebook fan page or on Reverbnation.  I am also involved with a psychology of religion blog called The Value of Saintliness, related to my graduate studies.

The thing I want to express most here is my gratitude.  I am so thankful to each of you – each contributor, each artist that really believed in us, each fan who follows us, each listener of the podcast, every family member that offered support, and every person that donated to the fundraiser.  You’ve all made this wonderful site possible and I wish I could just shake your hands individually.

You’ll still see me lurking around Linescratchers, and hopefully posting every now and then, and I will still be happy to answer questions or press inquiries about the site, I just won’t be pulling the puppet strings anymore.  To get in touch with me personally, please email me at arthur@linescratchers.com.

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Posted in: discussion, linescratchers business, news \ Tagged: , , ,

Interview – Arthur Hatton, founder of Linescratchers

December 19, 2011 10:54 am \ Leave a Comment \

Arthur Hatton is a singer-songwriter based in the southern US (first Kentucky and now Georgia). He has just self-recorded and self-released Odes, his first full-length album.

Arthur is also the founder and honcho here at Linescratchers. He sat down to talk with us about the desperation that bore his new album, why anyone should care that he’s Mormon, and how Eastern Orthodox Christianity has influenced his work.

 

Odes has a unique creation story. Can you describe the contributions from all the people involved and how it came together?

Well, there are a couple creation stories for Odes.  The first is that the project was initially created to help me repair my car.  Long story short, my wife and I were driving down to Charlotte, NC, with our very small baby, for a grad school interview, when our car broke down in the middle of Tennessee.  We were then completely taken advantage of by an unscrupulous tow/mechanic guy and depleted our savings completely.  We didn’t know how we were going to pay bills that month.  So I decided that maybe I should just get a bunch of my recorded demos into some kind of presentable form on a Bandcamp account and sell them to raise money for our bills.  I had been particularly inspired by a collection of ancient Christian hymns called the Odes of Solomon and a few of my songs were strongly influenced by those hymns.  However, due to my pathetic need to pay the bills, a bunch of family and friends pre-ordered the album, enough that our immediate need was fulfilled.  Since the matter wasn’t urgent anymore, I decided to create an album out of the material that was truly worthy of being called an album.  Around 10 months later, Odes was finished.

A few of my musical contacts I’ve made through Linescratchers helped along the way.  Ian Fowles (from The Aquabats!) volunteered to play lead guitar on some songs, and he can be heard in “Don’t Wake Me Now” and “Last Song.”  Davey Morrison Dillard asked me to write a song to be featured in his upcoming film adaptation of the play WWJD? and that was “Don’t Wake Me Now.”  Adam Kaiser of the Neighbors almost played drums but moved out of his city last-minute and couldn’t do it.  I got a friend of a friend, Jared Palick, who plays drums in Portland, to play drums on “Last Song.”  My sister sang harmonies on “Gabriel,” and my brother sang harmonies on everything and played drums on all the other songs, so it was really a collective effort from a lot of friends.

Lastly, Young Sim has invited me to list my album under his Feel Good Music Coalition label which I happily did.  I love that guy and take every opportunity to work with him that I can.

Continue Reading →

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Posted in: folk, rock, singer/songwriter \ Tagged: , , , , , ,

Interview – Tristyn Elizabeth, a rising star in Austin

December 6, 2011 12:10 am \ Leave a Comment \

Deep in the heart of Texas is a town known for live music, cowboys, and the blues.  When I think of Austin, Texas, I really don’t think of pop music… until now.  Allow me to introduce you to Tristyn Elizabeth.  After a couple of years of paying her dues as a singer-songwriter at many of the open mic events in Austin, she has emerged from the studio with her first real studio effort, an EP entitled Kiss Me in the Rain.  Like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, she has used her time in the studio to transform herself from a singer-songwriter into a more polished pop artist, without abandoning her roots.  I actually know Tristyn, after being in her ward for a couple of years in Georgia.  I recently connected with 21-year-old Tristyn to hear her story about her development as an artist.

 

How did you get started in music?

My dad is a songwriter/producer type as well and he’d always be writing or playing or talking music all the time. That was a huge influence all my life. I remember when Britney Spears and N’sync and Backstreet boys were  huge, I’d blast it in the living room and sing and dance to it with my siblings and imagine growing up to be a singer. I started writing sometime in high school. It started when I would listen to songs on the radio and it didn’t fit how I felt. There wasn’t a song I could sing from my soul I guess, I was in high school and I was dramatic. So I started writing music on my guitar.  All the songs I wrote were kinda bad and embarrassing. Over time they got better with re-writes and new life experiences. I wrote better ones when I went off to college. Also, when I was in high school  my dad would need vocals for various projects and songs and I’d record on those. That’s basically where it started. Continue Reading →

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Posted in: indie, interviews, pop, singer/songwriter \ Tagged: , ,

An Interview With Myself – Matt Mylroie

December 1, 2011 12:00 am \ 1 Comment \

Matt MylroieUpon hearing rumors that I had been working hard to wrap up an album project for December release, I decided to sit down with myself for an interview. Here are all the facts for our loyal Linescratchers readers.

 

Does your album project have a general theme?

To me, these are guitar-driven songs about life. They are real, they are raw, and they are relevant.  That’s pretty much the theme of the project.

Continue Reading →

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Posted in: country, folk, indie, interviews, pop, recording, rock \ Tagged: