She's Out There // Honeybus.
How dangerous? Well, I tell you this because as an artist I think you'll understand...
Cat photos are everywhere and they are the captains of time consumption and productivity.
But I'm going to try and tackle it in the only way I know how; musically! Productivity, what exactly is that? Let's start with an example of what it does not look like.There are some days where I barely get out of bed mentally but my body tends to wonder the apartment floor like some lost soul. I either get stuck to my computer watching cat gifs, or I'm glued to my TV because I am on my latest fix of How I Met Your Mother. But if I'm feeling really lethargic I revitalized my X-box or Nintendo and I put in an unhealthy amount of hours working my way to becoming the next Sith Lord, Dragon King or Pokè-master. It's safe to say that I am barely productive when these days occur, or at least what I'd like to call "productive".
The dictionary says:
the quality, state, or fact of being able to generate, create, enhance, or bring forth goods and services.
So lets go with the "bringing forth of goods" section of that definition. Therefore, I want to be "sonically productive". To go forth within this techno world as a crusader. I want to discover new worlds, cultures, languages and bring them back for your listening pleasure. When I am being sonically productive I know that I haven't wasted a moment finding out what the hell is out there, and I find my life to be more enjoyable when I am sonically productive. I love it when I find new music that revolutionizes what my ears have been used too.
I am a hunter and gatherer.
I am man, hear me double click!
I peck around till i find little gems, like free bandcamp.com downloads My most recent and proud discovery :) Damn Robot!<---
I have gathered a couple of sites for you to use, just as I do. So be ready to dive right in.
"Yoo-Hoo shit head!"
:) Happy hunting
<---
1) TasteKid
When you first stumble on this website it will look like a normal search engine, but its not. This site is built kind of like pandora but no audio player. Another exception is that it recommends music, movies, book, television etc... You type in your favorite band, movie, what ever it is and it gives a list of similar bands, movies that you'd be interested in. In the image below I typed in Neutral Milk Hotel into the search bar just for an example.
Granted... I don't think I would have placed Panda Bear or The Antlers in the similar category of like styles... but hey at least its suggesting good stuff!
This is really helpful if you are really trying to zero-in on a musical style or genre. You may have to be careful though, when using this for making mixes, because not every band belongs there. But the cool thing is that you can save your "likes", "dislikes" and "Mehs" on to a profile. Once you save it, that artist or movie no longer pops in the que.
Here is a screen shot of a part of my profile.
I hope you sign up and enjoy collecting as I have done. It's totally worth it.
2) Chart Attack
This is a website that I am still getting used to, but it is full of amazing indie and undiscovered music. You can stream full albums and they also have a sub-group called MP3 round up. It delivers a ton of videos that you'd have to hunt for otherwise on Vimeo or Youtube. They have interviews, artist of the month watch live concerts, like when Bon Iver and Radiohead preformed at Austin City Limits.
What initially attracted me to their website was an article on the "best" time wasting online music creators/generators to which you can find HERE. I definitely recommend Chart Attack when you feel that righteous vibe and need to water that buzz before you get all harsh, dude.
3) Sputnik Music
I absolutely love this review site. It's a lot like punknews.org or pastepunk but associates it's self with more genres. They have 7 different sections: Metal, Punk, Alt/Indie, Rock, Hip-Hop, Pop and Other. Their contributing writers are a lot better than the "hit or miss" that you might find looking else-wear. Sputnik Music also allows their users to write reviews as well, and whats exciting about that is a message board begins to percolate, brewing a decent discussion. Their user reviews also review albums of the past, which is awesome! They have discussion boards, sound-offs and you are able to keep track of reviews that you have liked and disliked. Forward thinking users unite!!!
I usualy hit up this site about twice a day, just to see what's come out that I have missed. So far, I am more glad that I have, than I haven't. Take some time to read their reviews and you won't regret it.
Ever imagine how Taking Back Sunday's - Tell All Your Friends or Pink Floyd's - Darkside of the Moon would be received today?
Well now is your chance.
4) Brain on Fire
Do you love free downloads? I would hope so. Brain on Fire is a Blogspot based site that endorses new music and provides links to Bandcamp.com. Most of these bands will allow you to download their music for free or you can donate how ever much you would like. It's rather simple... You see band, you read "like" bands, track listing, can listen to them right there on the spot or go to their bandcamp site.
Above is a screen shot of Damn Robot!'s little piece, but the most important part for me was the highlighted DOWNLOAD link. I have found many bands to be appealing, ranging from prog-post rock to metal. Now be warned, you might like everything, so use your excellent judgement based on album art...
Last but not the least.
5) 8tracks
The human imagination is an amazing machine of emotion and ingenuity. A girl, dark and beautiful once said to me:
"Brady, mix cd's are you love language, aren't they?". I responded with the most proud and blushed face I could muster and said, "It's how I tell you i love you with out saying I love you. It's how I cry in front of you, it's how I laugh with you, it's how I talk to you... with out even saying a word. Mix cd's are a gateway into our soul."
At 8tracks anyone can make a mix and post it and I love it.
There are tens of thousands of mixes for you to sort through. You'll never get through them all, its impossible... that's why you should listen to mine! (ha... but no please?)
With 8tracks you can create a profile. Once you have done that you can like mixes or just individual tracks. Your profile keeps track of your activity and provides you with a direct youtube link to the songs. You can also follow particular individuals and be notified once they post a new mix. This is a great way to get into the heads of the people around you and also friends of yours.
So now that I have told you some of my secrets, it's time to implement them. Go forth and discover music. Let me know what you find, what you like, what you hate, but most of all tell me that you have been productive. My little sonic-naut :)
My name is Brady Effler and I am currently unemployed because I am going through chemo treatments. I was diagnosed with Multiple Meyloma at the end of July 2013, and now I'm fighting the good fight. If you liked what you read, please feel free to donate. I am currently trying to pay off my student loans and other bills (pills, hospital visits, etc...). Anything you give is awesome. Thanks again for reading. I'm not begging, or trying to pull the wool over anyone, just being honest.
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