Hi everybody! It’s time for another newsletter:

FISHNEWS:

· BIG News! On September 27 at 7:00 PM Pacific time, I will be playing a live one-hour show at Border’s Books at 9980 North Newport Highway in Spokane, Washington. This will be the first time I play a show that features just me and not a whole group of people waiting in line to be heard. I’ll have pictures on the site from the show, too for those who couldn’t be there! Watch for a similar show coming up at Hastings Records in the near future!

· Fishkill downloads now available: For those who don’t like the committing to a whole CD, here’s an alternative. Download the tracks you want! Click here http://www.carniedigital.com and search for Fishkill under artists and you’ll find everything right there. 5% of all the profits made from sales at Carnie are being donated to music education programs in our schools. Not a bad deal, really.

· Artist First Radio Interview: For those who missed it, and for those who want to hear it again, the show is scheduled for a rebroadcast on August 13 at 9:00 PM Eastern. Click here to get a live stream from the station: If this link fails, go to www.artistfirst.com and follow the links to the broadcast. We had a lot of fun, talked about different things and played music from the “Atmosphere” CD. I’m going to go listen to it as well!

· Where do I get Fishkill CDs? You ask? If you live in Spokane, go here:
Hastings Books and Records -1704 W. Wellesley (Shadle)
Hastings Books and Records - 15312 E. Sprague Ave. (Veradale)
Borders Books, Music, and Video - 9980 North Newport Highway
If not, go here: http://www.cdbaby.com/group/fishkill
· WSVN Radio chooses Fishkill track for Hall of Fame Volume 9: The song “Merry-Go-Round” from “The Big Purple Sky” is going to be featured in a CD compilation from WSVN radio. You can tune in to them by clicking here: http://www.wsvnradio.net/ It’s currently in work, so stay tuned. They’re still working on volume 7 right now.
· I still need volunteers! I need help promoting the music. E-mail me at fishkillmusic@yahoo.com and I’ll put a distro list together—we can all discuss the details there.

SITENEWS:
· Gig calendar: I now have a working gig calendar which you can access from either the web page, www.geocities.com/fishkill (“gig” on the main page)or the club site, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Club_Fishkill/ (click on the calendar option)

· Bring your friends to the Club!: Did you know you can invite others to join Club Fishkill? It’s easy! All you do is click on “invite members” and add the e-mail address or yahoo ID of the person or persons you wish to invite and write a little message telling them what’s so great about this group (you can fill in the blanks here!). Once you’ve done that, hit invite and the message with the invitation will be off to whomever you’ve invited into the group. Let others know about the band and our little group here. They don’t know what they’re missing.

· Radio airplay: I’ve created a list of all the stations currently playing Fishkill music. Mp3.com stations aren’t included in this list, only actual broadcasting Internet stations and eventually, FM and XM radio, should I get confirmations from any of them. Make frequent requests and keep the songs in rotation! Click here: http://www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic/Airplay_Matrtix.htm

· Recent additions: There have been some new links added to the Art Gallery, Rock-n-Roll Altar, and Other Musicians pages. Click on the appropriate options at the site to see what’s new. Here’s a link: http://www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic

OTHERNEWS:
· Fish’s picks updates: I’ve added some new stuff to the station. It’s been getting good reviews from people who’ve listened to it. Come hear it for yourself: www.mp3.com/stations/fishpicks

· Say hello to an old friend: Colin Kennaugh, who’s been in the indie music scene for years now, has re-released all his older recordings with his former band, Salt of the Earth. I have one of these and I think they’re excellent. Here’s a link to his mp3.com site so you can hear for yourself: www.mp3.com/kenna

· “Half-Lit” will be the title of the upcoming new Flashlights CD. They’ve got three songs completed now and one of them, “Younger Than Today” is featured on Fish’s Picks station. The Flashlights official site will be offline for a while, guitarist Jon Mumma says they’re looking for a new website host. I’ll make sure everyone knows where the new site is, once they’re up and running again. You can still hear Flashlights music at: http://www.mp3.com/the_Flashlights

· Artilect: I met this artist down at the Blue Spark last time I played there. Frank Sheridan is the mastermind behind the “Artilect” project, which features jazz-fusion melodies laced with intricate percussion. When he played live at the Spark, he mesmerized the crowd with his playing. He plays an instrument known as a Chapman Stick, which is a cross between a guitar and bass. Those of you who are familiar with a Warr guitar know what I’m talking about. In addition to getting everyone’s attention with this funny-looking instrument you have to sit down to play, the crowd asked him for more when he finished his three-song set! Listen to the recordings on his mp3.com page: www.mp3.com/artilect

· The Indie Watchdog: I’m proud to announce Garage Radio’s John Foxworthy has started a new yahoo group called “the Indie Watchdog.” It is dedicated to all protecting independent musicians from the scams and con men lurking around the industry. I think this is something we’ve needed for a long time and I’m glad to see someone taking the initiative to expose scams to the rest of us who may not know what we’re looking for. Here’s the link to the group site: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/indiewatchdog/

Editorial: Recently there’s been a lot of discussion about the future of music and the fate of Internet file sharing. This will probably shock many of you, but I don’t have a problem with downloading files on the Internet. If people want to share a file of mine they’ve downloaded, I see nothing wrong with that anymore than I would someone borrowing a CD from someone else.
Most of the files I’ve downloaded from these free services like Kazaa or Morpheus were crap anyway. Many were lo-fi and a lot of them cut off prematurely or had breaks in the music. I don’t download new music, only stuff that’s been around for twenty years and hard to find on disc—in some cases out of print. I want the new musicians to have the chance to make their million. However, if someone wants to download something that’s not to say this individual won’t later buy the CD for a better-sounding quality. For the independent musician, allowing downloads is a lot like giving away free samples. Let’s face it; no one will buy your music if you don’t let them hear it first—unless you’re a name-brand artist with a huge record company or publicity firm behind you.
As I have stated, I don’t see a problem here, but the Recording Industry Artists of America (RIAA) does. Of course, they have an axe to grind, since they’re losing money. That doesn’t concern me—CDs are still being sold and just because less than a million copies of a particular CD are being sold doesn’t constitute a crisis for me. I am more concerned with the fact that congress has gone along with this RIAA sob-story.
Senator Orrin Hatch (R- UT) has recently put forth a suggestion that there should be software that will destroy one’s computer if it is used to download illegal music files! OK, sure this is a knee-jerk reaction, considering Mr. Hatch has his own music site (no joke, really! Here’s the link: http://www.hatchmusic.com/) and has an interest in promoting his own music. I’m not interested in destroying computers, however, I’m interested in entertaining people…and promoting my own music. I don ‘t want to lose sight of the objective here. There’s this little concept called freedom that I find very hard to let go of. Pre-emptive strikes into people’s computers, to me, constitute a violation of that freedom. Should the government or the police be able to blow up your garbage can because you put recyclable materials into it instead of the recycle bin?
Here’s something that’s even more troubling: Senator Diane Feinstein (D - CA) has commented that file sharing is a threat to National Security. What! How’s that possible? According to experts in the field, file sharing can—under certain conditions—allow private documents to be accessed by system software. My answer to that is fix the software, dummies! Specifically, the operating system is the program responsible for granting access to files and programs. This is obviously a software glitch only recently discovered by someone and can just as easily be fixed with a service pack. Besides, I don’t know too many people that have classified documents residing on their home computers—at least they shouldn’t have any, according to the law. Most machines that would have information like that won’t be connected to the Internet or are protected by a firewall, a piece of software which acts like a filter for anything entering and leaving the computer network.
Too much emphasis has been put on National Security these days and it seems like anything can affect it, depending on the wants and needs of our elected officials. Perhaps we can get Bill Gates to make software that actually works by claiming that Windows XP can be considered a threat to National Security!
Our freedoms are being slowly limited to the point where eventually columns such as this will become illegal. Frank Zappa once said that one day, music would be illegal. Some of you may think I’m overreacting, but I urge you to look again. If we start narrowing the areas where free speech is allowed, we’ve effectively started to control the media and ultimately the nation.


Chris Nelson
President, Club Fishkill

( No Comments )

Date: Sat Apr 19, 2003 10:08 pm
Subject: FISH-Gram #18


Hello everyone! Long time, no hear from, I know. Unfortunately it can't be avoided. Fishkill hasn't been able to do a whole lot recently, but there's lots of things to talk about so I've got enough for a newsletter. Here we go...

FISHNEWS: Even though there's been no activity, interest continues to grow for me on the internet. I've been picked up by more internet radio stations. This is the list as it stands right now. The new ones are asterixed:
*M4 Internet radio - www.m4radio.com
*Garage Radio - www.garageradio.com
*Artist First Radio - www.artistfirst.com
Naked Rock Radio - www.nakedrockradio.com
Hometown Radio US - www.hometownradio.us
GroupieChick Radio - http://www.groupiechick.com/radio.htm
440Music - http://www.440music.com/index.html
BubblesCatClub - http://www.bubblescatclub.com/
Luver.com: www.luver.com
Here are the three "singles" that all the stations have settled on:

"Threats, Lies, and Empty Gestures"

"Freedom"

"I Quit"

As always, please contact these stations with requests. That's how you keep the songs in circulation. Thanks for your support.

SITENEWS: I've been using this time to update my site. I've got new links on the links page. Now there are two pages full of links. Keep 'em coming!

http://www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic/Links.html

There are some new articles posted this month. I have added an article by Col Walt Johnson on studio preparation which I thought would be useful.

For the fans, I've started a "Facts About the Tracks" series covering each record I've made. There's one for both of my albums out there now. You can get to these articles from here:

http://www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic/Articles.html

In addition, through an agreement with Undergroundbeatonline magazine, I've linked the articles I wrote for them to my page for you to look at. Undergroundbeatonline is a collection of articles from the entertainment industry from the top acts to the independent musicians (like me!). They're planning on starting a paper magazine on the west coast this summer. I wish them the best of luck and hopefully, they'll do well. Magazine pubishing isn't for the faint of heart. If you're curious about Undergroundbeat, here's the link:

www.undergroundbeatonline.net

Tell 'em Fishkill sent you!

Look for a detailed chart of all the stations currently playing Fishkill sometime in the future. I envision it to have URLs, request e-mail addresses, phone numbers (if available) and what's being played. this is in preparation for starting a "street team" which can help bring the band to the next level. I'lll be sure to let everyone know about that when it's ready.

OTHERNEWS: There's a lot of it this time around!

Congratulations to Solarcade who managed to get one of their tracks included in a cable series on HBO starting in June. Solarcade is inclluded on Fish's Picks and can also be found at www.mp3.com/solarcade. Send them and e-mail congratulation this accomplishment.

The Flashlights have established a presence on mp3.com and have been proudly added to Fish's Picks. Their new song "Younger Than Today" is at www.mp3.com/the_flashlights. Hopefully, there'll be more up there soon. You can also got to their website at www.flashlights.com and download ther rest of their stuff to listen to.

Another band I stumbled into recently was Misfilter. These guys are an up and coming techno band which has a lot of old-school feel to it. I particularly like their cover of the Beatles' "Tomorrow never Knows" and their own song "Sunshine From the Rain." they meld the newer prodigy-like grooves with old style Depeche Mode sounds, creating something completely new and original. Check them out for yourself: www.misfilter.com

I also found out about this band, Demuirge (don't ask me how to pronounce that!). The band is no longer in existence, but the singer is outstanding adn these tracks are a must hear. Kate is planning on developing a new solo project later in the year. Here's the Demuirge link:

http://www.anti-industry.com/cd/demiurge.html

You can also go to the Anti-Industry Bulletin board, which is a great place to advertise your band's doings (for those of you who do, that is) www.anti-industry.com

Speaking of Fish's Picks, I've updated a lot of the songs on the list, so you may want to come listen again. There's new songs from such old favorites as John Fiore and Judee Plourde just begging to be heard. Here's the link: www.mp3.com/stations/fishpicks

EDITORIAL: I've always been fascinated by the creative process. Especially how ideas find their way to becoming finished projects. I just recenlty heard an old song which I realized had inspired a piece of one of my own tunes years later. In a lot of cases, the ideas stay pent-up inside until something pushes them forward into your conscious mind. You can get ideas from just about anywhere--it may not even strike you the same way twice! As musicians, we are always taking in what people are playing and processing this information in our own brains until it comes out as something different which we have put our own creative stamp onto. However, for everything you take in, you are putting something back out there which someone else will possibly use to create his or her own music. I'm not talking about blatant copyright infringement here, simply the fact that music is a process of give and take. You could visualize each of these ideas as Lego blocks; by themselves, they don't really have much value. Each of these "blocks" stick together an can be used to create something. If you think of the music currently available--whether on the internet, commercially avaible, or whatever--available around the world as a big bucket of Lego blocks, with each of the participants taking these "blocks" and rearranging them into something else more reflective of their own personality. You could think of this process as intellectual file sharing; a sort of Napster for the mind, if you will. So, for those of you who've been in the business for a while, if you hear something new which reminds you of one of your own compositions, maybe--just maybe, someone has been listening and, more importantly, has been influenced by you!

Until next time, keep listening and tell all your friends and relatives!

Chris

President, Club Fishkill






Fishkill -- Alternative. Hard. Rock.
Music: http://fishkill.iuma.com
Info: www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic
Club: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Club_Fishkill/

( No Comments )

FISH-Gram #16

Hello everyone and welcome to all our new fans and friends! I hope everyone has recovered from the holidays and is ready to face the new year. Theres a lot of stuff going on, so here we go...

FISHNEWS

Mark your calendars, everyone! On 12 February at 10PM Eastern (7 PM Pacific time), Fishkill will be featured in an hour-long special on the ArtistFirst Radio Network. I'll be discussing the where the band has been, where it's going, and talking a little bit about some of the songs. They'll be featuring tracks from the "Big Purple Sky" CD. I hope you'll be joining me that night, it sounds like a good time. Here's the link for ArtistFirst: www.artistfirst.com



Yes, there will be a new Fishkill CD. I finally made up my mind to begin work on another one, despite all the problems with mp3.com (more on that issue later on). It'll be called "A Change of Atmosphere" and will feature all-new music. When I get it all put together, I'll make sure that everyone gets the word. The plan is to have it available for purchase at mp3.com, again, we'll see how the new policy affects that.



This month has been kind of rough at work, so I haven't been able to play anywhere, but I'll start back up with my acoustic sessions in February.



Speaking of acoustic, if you haven't heard the live acoustic version of "Circles," here's the link to play it: http://www.besonic.com/User/0,1391,g0r0l0t0o0i696038,FF.html#

It might or might not stream directly from this message. If not, go to www.besonic.com/fishkill and look for it.



Fishkill went through kind-of a homeless period last month after hearing the news about mp3.com's change of policy. I've since found a new "main" site where I can direct everyone to listen to my music. I'm now at IUMA. Here's the link, as it reads on my biz cards:

http://fishkill.iuma.com

Please note that there's no "www" on it. I have other sites, but this has the most stuff on it.



As always, you can help me out by bugging these internet radio stations to keep playing Fishkill music:

Naked Rock Radio - www.nakedrockradio.com
Hometown Radio US - www.hometownradio.us
GroupieChick Radio - http://www.groupiechick.com/radio.htm
440Music - http://www.440music.com/index.html
BubblesCatClub - http://www.bubblescatclub.com/
Luver.com: www.luver.com


Fishkill fans, I need your help! I have a working banner now and I'd like to get it out to as many palaces as I can. Now that I figured out how to make them work, I'll have more in the future. What I need from you is to place it anywhere you can for me. This link has the code, simply cut and paste it wherever possible. There's a picture of what it looks like there as well:

http://www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic/Banner_Page.html

Thanks in advance for doing this!



Fishkill is proud to announce the opening of "Fishkill's Flea Market!" Go browse the store and see what you think: http://www.cafeshops.com/Fishkill

The interface is a little cranky, so you may need to use your refresh button in your browser. Enjoy!



SITENEWS

I've been doing a lot of work on the site recently. I've got a new article for you to read by Zitter's Bjorn Gustaf about the songwriting process. It's a really insightful look into the way songwriters approach the process:

http://www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic/Articles.html



I've updated the music page somewhat, putting as many of the sites I maintain around the internet into one location. Also, I got rid of those stupid-looking guitars. I think this layout is a vast improvement over the old one. Here's the page:

http://www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic/F_Music.html



I'm working on compiling a more complete list of places where musicians can upload their music on the Internet. I'll create a page for that when I finish it. In the meantime, the page with all my links will help out a little.



There's new links on the links page: http://www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic/Links.html

I also have someone I'd like to introduce to all of you. This group is a just-for-fun pop/rock group who get together just purley for the fun of making music. In a world where everyone is trying to get their music heard and be considered by this station and that label, these guys have reminded me what the spirit of music making is really all about. They've got an 8-track CD which they'll be happy to send you if you send a donation of no more than $10.00 and, of course, an address where you want it sent! They're called The Flashlights and they're really good. You'll have to download the tracks from their site in order to play them, but it's worth the wait, in my opinion. Here's their site: http://www.theflashlights.esmartmusic.com/



CLUBNEWS

I've made some modification to the Club Fishkill site. I deveopled two open databases where members can post information which might be useful to others.

First is the band directory where bands can add their information and URLs. The other is a directory of venues, where you can add information from places you've played, would like to play, or just enjoy going to. If you're not a club member, that's easy to fix, just click here: fishkillmusic-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Here's the link to where those databases are located. I hope to see them filling up, now: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fishkillmusic/database



EDITORIAL

Earlier, I said I would talk a little more about the new mp3.com policy. For those who don't know, mp3.com will change their membership policy on wednesday, 15 January. At that time, they will no longer offer payment for playback of premium Artist Service (PAS) members, nor will they allow non-PAS members to display anymore than three songs on their page.

To me, that seems a little extreme. If the company (Vivendi-Universal) can't afford to pay artists for tracks played, that's one thing. However, I don't see how limiting non-paying artists is actually going to do anything for their cause. I believe it will actually turn people away from their site. If you're going to promote yourself as a medium for artists to be heard, offering free space seems like a no-brainer to me. After all, freebies often encourage people to do more and, ultimately, spend money. A lot of bands just starting out may not have cash availble to plop down on site membership right away.

There's also that fact that on the internet, you can never be sure of what you're getting. There are a lot of so-called fee-for-service sites whcih proclaim they'll jump-start your career and get you in front of the top A & R representatives at the major labels. They promise the sun, moon, and stars, but there's no proof they actually deliver. I read a contract one time where if my band didn't do well after three months, they could drop me and STILL make me pay for a full year's worth of representation! It pays to read, folks!

I've discussed this matter with some professionals who are in the music business and most of them agree--you shouldn't be spening money for someone to promote you up front! They should be asking a percentage of what you make for anything you are involved in (live performance, record deal, etc.) There are way too many people with their palms open on the internet asking payment for something or other.

That's why what's going on with mp3.com is so disenchanting. This was a place that once held promise for a struggling artist. It's a shame that what was once probably the best place on the internet to get your music heard is now going to be a lot less of a contributor in the independent music community.

Until next time,

Chris

President, Club Fishkill

( No Comments )

Hello everyone and welcome to all our new fans and friends! I hope everyone has recovered from the holidays and is ready to face the new year. Theres a lot of stuff going on, so here we go...

FISHNEWS

Mark your calendars, everyone! On 12 February at 10PM Eastern (7 PM Pacific time), Fishkill will be featured in an hour-long special on the ArtistFirst Radio Network. I'll be discussing the where the band has been, where it's going, and talking a little bit about some of the songs. They'll be featuring tracks from the "Big Purple Sky" CD. I hope you'll be joining me that night, it sounds like a good time. Here's the link for ArtistFirst: www.artistfirst.com



Yes, there will be a new Fishkill CD. I finally made up my mind to begin work on another one, despite all the problems with mp3.com (more on that issue later on). It'll be called "A Change of Atmosphere" and will feature all-new music. When I get it all put together, I'll make sure that everyone gets the word. The plan is to have it available for purchase at mp3.com, again, we'll see how the new policy affects that.



This month has been kind of rough at work, so I haven't been able to play anywhere, but I'll start back up with my acoustic sessions in February.



Speaking of acoustic, if you haven't heard the live acoustic version of "Circles," here's the link to play it: http://www.besonic.com/User/0,1391,g0r0l0t0o0i696038,FF.html#

It might or might not stream directly from this message. If not, go to www.besonic.com/fishkill and look for it.



Fishkill went through kind-of a homeless period last month after hearing the news about mp3.com's change of policy. I've since found a new "main" site where I can direct everyone to listen to my music. I'm now at IUMA. Here's the link, as it reads on my biz cards:

http://fishkill.iuma.com

Please note that there's no "www" on it. I have other sites, but this has the most stuff on it.



As always, you can help me out by bugging these internet radio stations to keep playing Fishkill music:

Naked Rock Radio - www.nakedrockradio.com
Hometown Radio US - www.hometownradio.us
GroupieChick Radio - http://www.groupiechick.com/radio.htm
440Music - http://www.440music.com/index.html
BubblesCatClub - http://www.bubblescatclub.com/
Luver.com: www.luver.com


Fishkill fans, I need your help! I have a working banner now and I'd like to get it out to as many palaces as I can. Now that I figured out how to make them work, I'll have more in the future. What I need from you is to place it anywhere you can for me. This link has the code, simply cut and paste it wherever possible. There's a picture of what it looks like there as well:

http://www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic/Banner_Page.html

Thanks in advance for doing this!



Fishkill is proud to announce the opening of "Fishkill's Flea Market!" Go browse the store and see what you think: http://www.cafeshops.com/Fishkill

The interface is a little cranky, so you may need to use your refresh button in your browser. Enjoy!



SITENEWS

I've been doing a lot of work on the site recently. I've got a new article for you to read by Zitter's Bjorn Gustaf about the songwriting process. It's a really insightful look into the way songwriters approach the process:

http://www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic/Articles.html



I've updated the music page somewhat, putting as many of the sites I maintain around the internet into one location. Also, I got rid of those stupid-looking guitars. I think this layout is a vast improvement over the old one. Here's the page:

http://www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic/F_Music.html



I'm working on compiling a more complete list of places where musicians can upload their music on the Internet. I'll create a page for that when I finish it. In the meantime, the page with all my links will help out a little.



There's new links on the links page: http://www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic/Links.html

I also have someone I'd like to introduce to all of you. This group is a just-for-fun pop/rock group who get together just purley for the fun of making music. In a world where everyone is trying to get their music heard and be considered by this station and that label, these guys have reminded me what the spirit of music making is really all about. They've got an 8-track CD which they'll be happy to send you if you send a donation of no more than $10.00 and, of course, an address where you want it sent! They're called The Flashlights and they're really good. You'll have to download the tracks from their site in order to play them, but it's worth the wait, in my opinion. Here's their site: http://www.theflashlights.esmartmusic.com/



CLUBNEWS

I've made some modification to the Club Fishkill site. I deveopled two open databases where members can post information which might be useful to others.

First is the band directory where bands can add their information and URLs. The other is a directory of venues, where you can add information from places you've played, would like to play, or just enjoy going to. If you're not a club member, that's easy to fix, just click here: fishkillmusic-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Here's the link to where those databases are located. I hope to see them filling up, now: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fishkillmusic/database



EDITORIAL

Earlier, I said I would talk a little more about the new mp3.com policy. For those who don't know, mp3.com will change their membership policy on wednesday, 15 January. At that time, they will no longer offer payment for playback of premium Artist Service (PAS) members, nor will they allow non-PAS members to display anymore than three songs on their page.

To me, that seems a little extreme. If the company (Vivendi-Universal) can't afford to pay artists for tracks played, that's one thing. However, I don't see how limiting non-paying artists is actually going to do anything for their cause. I believe it will actually turn people away from their site. If you're going to promote yourself as a medium for artists to be heard, offering free space seems like a no-brainer to me. After all, freebies often encourage people to do more and, ultimately, spend money. A lot of bands just starting out may not have cash availble to plop down on site membership right away.

There's also that fact that on the internet, you can never be sure of what you're getting. There are a lot of so-called fee-for-service sites whcih proclaim they'll jump-start your career and get you in front of the top A & R representatives at the major labels. They promise the sun, moon, and stars, but there's no proof they actually deliver. I read a contract one time where if my band didn't do well after three months, they could drop me and STILL make me pay for a full year's worth of representation! It pays to read, folks!

I've discussed this matter with some professionals who are in the music business and most of them agree--you shouldn't be spening money for someone to promote you up front! They should be asking a percentage of what you make for anything you are involved in (live performance, record deal, etc.) There are way too many people with their palms open on the internet asking payment for something or other.

That's why what's going on with mp3.com is so disenchanting. This was a place that once held promise for a struggling artist. It's a shame that what was once probably the best place on the internet to get your music heard is now going to be a lot less of a contributor in the independent music community.

Until next time,

Chris

President, Club Fishkill

( No Comments )

Fishkill's FISH-Gram #15

Greetings everyone and welcome all our new members!

FISHNEWS:

I have a new live track ready for you to listen to out at the club site. It's a live version of the song "Circles" I recently played suring a local talent show. It had been years since I'd done anything like that and boy, was I nervous! The track turned out really nice, though. Click here to find it: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fishkillmusic/files/ .

I have also collaborated with Gary Neilsen of Axis 1 (again) and co-authored the song "To Finally Tell You" a really short, but pointed song. I gave him a music track and he came up with everything else. You can find this song here, towards the bottom of the page: http://www.javamusic.com/Music/ArtistProfile.asp?Usercd={C2A65E3F-CF8E-11D4-AA30-00D0B71FF7AB}

I played live at the Blue Pillar Creamery this past Monday, and the crowd really enjoyed it. It's a small ice cream and coffee parlor. I played three songs, just trying to get a feel for the place. It was a little llike playing n a lobby with people coming in and out, but a lot of them stayed to watch part of the show. There were a total of five players and it ws really good time. I think everyone enjoyed themselves. I'll be out there again on the 16th of December. If you're in the Spokane Washington area, send me an e-mail from one of my sites and I'll give you directions. I'd love to see you there!

The radio airplay lists is getting longer and longer! Here's who's palying me so far:

Naked Rock Radio - www.nakedrockradio.com
Hometown Radio US - www.hometownradio.us
GroupieChick Radio is playing "Into A Dream" http://www.groupiechick.com/radio.htm
440Music - http://www.440music.com/index.html
BubblesCatClub - http://www.bubblescatclub.com/
Luver.com: www.luver.com
Try to visit these stations and request a Fishkill song to keep the tracks in rotation.

I also put some black and white flyers which those who are interested in helping me promote the band can print out, cut and distribute wherever they're allowed. They have my picture on them along with the two CDs, featured song titles, and the price and site address where they can be ordered. I'd appreciate people spreading the word around.

I've been working on a band directory for all of my fellow musicians out there. The idea is to add band sites you know and make this thing as big as I can get it. If you know of anyone or you have a band site, please enter it into the database. Hopefully, we;'ll be able to build a really big searchable list of band and artist contacts that will be available to all the club members. You can find that at this link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fishkillmusic/database?method=reportRows&tbl=1

Guitar Club has added my site to it's "Kewlest Links" poll. Show your support by voting for Fishkill. Here's where the site is: http://guitarclub.indiegroup.com/favorite_links.html

Music Search also has a "Site of the Day" poll. You can visit this link and look for Fishkill. When you visit from this site, fishkill gets credit for the visit and rises in the stats, similar to the way mp3.com credits plays for mp3 streams. Click here to help out: http://www.musicsearch.com/sotd/


Finally, Fishkill has merchandise! I found a place where I can put the band logo on things and people can buy them. It's kinda neat! Anyway, come see for yourself. I've got stuff out there right now and, hopefully soon, I'll be able to expand on the lineup. I have to use existing images and most of the original designs were lost during a disk failure, so I have to re-do most of them. That's going to be a lot of work and probably won't happen for a while. Here's the link, enjoy! http://www.cafeshops.com/Fishkill

OTHERNEWS:

Axis 1 is working on a new CD. The first track from it, "American Life Jam" is already available at the Javamusic site. This song really rocks! If you get a chance, go listen--it's worth the time!

Dusty Reed has sent me a link to an e-book she's written about music called "Music Is Everywhere" If you're interested, take a look at it: http://www.booklocker.com/books/947.html


Ray Smith, an artist I know has expressed an interest in developing artwork for all you musicians out there. If anyone's looking for original artwork, drop him a line through his website. If you just like art, come take a lok at his stuff. His approach is very similar to the way a musician approaches making music. Here's the link: http://www.geocities.com/r_r_r_r_r_r_r_r_r/R.html

As always, spread the word and tell everyone about me and the club, here. See you next time!

Chris

President, Club Fishkill

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FISH-Gram #14

Greetings! Welcome to all our new members! Spread the word, let everyone know about the Fishkill presence. We're growing bigger and bigger and soon we can make a really loud noise!

FISHNEWS
I just got to play a live acoustic set for the first time in 19 years! I played "Circles" in a local talent contest. I got a recording of it, so I hope to have it posted to the site fairly soon. IT was a little scary getting out in front of people after being mostly left alone all these years! The audience really liked it, so I'm glad I have the chance to get these songs out to people. It would be nice if I had a full band, but these things take time. I'll be playing a much longer set at the Blue Pillar Creamery a week from Monday for open mic nite. If you're interested in seeing it, here's the link to a map & directions:

http://yp107.superpages.com/supermaps/mapinit.phtml?STYPE=R&SRC=msn&A=509&P=4750&X=922&AL=&MC=&map.x=212&map.y=125&level=8&lat=0476686&lng=-1171050&POI1lat=0476686&POI1lng=-1171050&POI1name=Blue+Pillar+Creamery+Inc.&streetaddress=&city=Liberty+Lake&state=WA&zip=99019&LID=0093621371&LS=&display=1&AD=&GV=0&GL=&FN=&PP=&CID=

If you haven't had a chance to hear my new song "Frustration Blues," please go to my site and give it a listen. I think its the best song I've recorded so far. This is the link to the song page:

http://artists.mp3s.com/artist_song/2845/2845591.html

I'm co-writing a tune with Gary Neilsen in Axis 1 called "To Finally Tell You." When its done, I'll be sure to let everyone know. It has a really psychedelic quality to it.

I'd love to have some more reviews. There's places all over the I-net where you can review. One place in particular is MyMp3Network.com. Their whole focus is reviewing music and the more reviews a band gets, the more points they receive.

Visit them here: http://www.mymp3network.com/

People have been surprised to find out there are CDs for sale at mp3.com. So, I've decided to let everyone know who may not have realized it. Fishkill has released two CDs, "Past Mistakes" and "The Big Purple Sky" both sell for $10.98 and are available at the mp3.com site. They make great gifts!

Fishkill's now running on these internet stations:

GroupieChick Radio is playing "Into A Dream" http://www.groupiechick.com/radio.htm
These stations are playing selected Fishkill tracks:
440Music : http://www.440music.com/index.html


BubblesCatClub: http://www.bubblescatclub.com/


Luver.com: www.luver.com
Give them each a listen and show your support for Fishkill!

OTHERNEWS

Axis 1 has just released a new CD under the Car Wreck Records label. You can listen to it at his JavaMusic site. Please visit the site and show your support. He is an outstanding songwriter. If you like what you're hearing, buy the CD!

Adenosine Tri-Phosphate is currently working on another CD due out in the spring. Their Guillstein soundtrack is available through Amazon.com and the DVD release of the film is due out any day now. You can hear them at: www.mp3.com/ATProom

Plans are in the works for Joyslam to record this Winter and a new CD is scheduled for release by mid-March. The new CD may as with Attitudinal, be a Multimedia CD. Musically there will be new styles from Hard Rock to Ska will give the band a stronger vibe and get them even more "Attitudinal" ! Hear Joyslam's music at www.mp3.com/Joyslam

Composer DeAnna Shaddy has finally got her mp3.com site up and running. Her sound is an intense blend of classical and modern sounds which can actually "photograph" a moment and convey its full emotional feeling. Take some time to listen to her music and, maybe even comment to her about it through her site. Sample it here: www.mp3.com/DeAnna_K__Shaddy

Ronald Silverlight a.k.a. MyndsEye has been steadily cranking out tunes for his site. A few months back, his site was shut down by mp3.com and he lost close to 40 songs. He's been rebuilding the site pice by piece and offered up some brand new tunes. My favorites are "Tell Me," "Son of A Gun," and "Jewels." I'm hoping he will re-load "Just For Me" since that's great song too. Hear him at www.mp3.com/MyndsEye

EVERYTHING ELSE

For all you guitarists out there, I came across the Dr Tube web site. If you haven't been there, there's some interesting information about the evolution of the Marshall sound and company history. http://www.drtube.com/marshall.htm

Here are some bands to watch. Tight instrumentation, great production, and excellent songwriting. They'll be gong places for sure:

Olive Trees - www.mp3.com/olivetrees

Red Shift - www.mp3.com/REDSHIFT

Until next time...

Chris
www.mp3.com/fishkill
fish.dmusic.com
www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic

( No Comments )

FISH-Gram #13

Hello everyone! Lots of stuff to tell you about in the Fish-world this time around.

MUSIC NEWS
There's a new song out called "Frustration Blues." I think it's one of my best pieces to date! It's currently waiting for approval status on mp3.com, but if you can't wait to hear it I have two options for you:

Go here and download the file from the Club Fishkill site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fishkillmusic/files/

Or go here and you can listen to it:
http://fish.dmusic.com/

Otherwise, it'll be about ten days until mp3.com has it. There will be more new Fishkill tracks in the coming days. I'm set to record another track in about two weeks. As always, if you're a Club Fishkill member you get the file first on the Club Fishkill site. If you're not a member, here's the link. Come see for yourself:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fishkillmusic/

You'll get all kinds of band updates and newsworthy notes about the goings-on in the indie music world.

I'm also pleased to announce Fishkill is being played on TWO internet radio stations:

"Into A Dream" is being played by Groupie Chick Radio:
http://www.groupiechick.com/radio.htm

You can e-mail DJ Dr. Don and request this song , helping keep it in rotation, at this address:
questions@groupiechick.com

Fishkill music is also being played on Bubble's Cat Club radio:
www.bubblescatclub.com

These are songs I'd like to see played:
- "Threats, Lies, and Empty Gestures"
- "Freedom"
- "Make It Shine"
- "I Quit"
- "Into A Dream"
You can requests these songs at this address: radio@bubblescatclub.com
The more requests these songs get, the better chance they'll be played more often. Help me improve their chances for success by frequently requesting them.

Also on the horizon are some live acoustic gigs. I'll be playing acoustic versions of songs like "Circles," "1982," "Into A Dream," and others as I begin re-working them. I hope to have live recordings of these performances sometime in the future. You'll be the first to know when that happens.

The collaboration works continue, too. I'm always interested in working with other musicians either co-writing or covering other original tunes. If anyone has any ideas, let me know. Expect more of those projects in the months ahead, too!

WHAT'S NEW ON THE WEBSITE
There's new stuff to look at and listen to on the Fishkill website if you haven't visited in a while.

There are two new articles, one is about internet collaboration, by Ken Casper and the other is about scams in the music industry by Col Walt Johnson. There's some good information in these and, especially if you're a musician, this is good information for you. You can read them here:
http://www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic/Articles.html

I added some new bands to the other musicians page and updated some links which have changed:
http://www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic/Other_Musicians.html

There are some new internet radio stations on the I-Net radio stations page:
http://www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic/Internet_Radio.html

There are some new links on the links page to explore, if you like that sort of thing:
http://www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic/Links.html

NEW BANDS
In other news, I have a new band for you to listen to called the Olive Trees. I think they're great and I hope you think so too. Here's their link:
http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/362/olive_trees.html

There's more Olive Tree information at their website, http://www.olivetreesmusic.com/

Danny Katz, a solo musician in New York City is getting ready to embark on a tour of Japan. Talk about a working vacation! For any of my Japanese listeners, you can get the dates for this tour at his website. Tell him Fishkill sent ya! If you haven't had a chance to experience the Danny Katz sound, there are samples at his website. Here's the link:
www.dannykatzmusic.com

Joyslam, a band from Canada and Plush, a California group have made some updates to their pages. Here's their links:

Joyslam: http://www.joyslam.com/

Plush: http://www.plush-music.com/

See? I told you there was a lot to tell! See you next time,

Chris
www.mp3.com/fishkill
fish.dmusic.com
www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic

( No Comments )

FISH-Gram #12

Greetings!

I want to welcome all of you who've joined Club Fishkill so far--thirteen members and climbing! Thanks for your continued support. Please spread the word about the music and about the club. I've got links to join Club Fishkill at both my mp3.com and my geocities site. I'd like to see more people discover it. With the exception of Shredding Paper and a few others, most people like what I do and I'm more than happy to share it with you. I upload any new music file of mine to the club site first, and you'll get a notice saying that its out there--no more waiting for mp3.com or Javamusic or any of the others to "approve" the track! It goes straight to you first.

You can also post things to the bulletin board for discussion. This is a great way to get your opinion or message to others. We're still small, but if we make a loud enough noise, we'll grow bigger!

I'd also be happy to post links to your site, if you have one or know someone who has one. Music, art, whatever; the more, the merrier!

The "Shredding Paper" review of the "Purple Sky" CD is available on the website. I also updated the "Random Comments" area, too. There's been a few more people willing to speak out on Fishkill's behalf. Here's the link: http://www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic/Reviews.html

My opinion about reviewing bands and artists, especially those who are unsigned or just starting out, is they want to hear is honest criticism, not just insults and put-downs. A good place to get reviewed is MyMp3Network. When you register, you listen to a particular band or artist and then write a review of them. You can also rate the band too. This is a great source for those who need publicity and press. If you want me to review you, let me know and I'll post one to your listing there--you have to join in order to get reviews there, but it's free to join. http://www.mymp3network.com/
I updated some of the links on the links page. If you're interested in traveling to Ireland, there's a castle there that looks interesting. My friend Tom manages it. There's also a new page full of musician's resources, painstakingly collected by Nathan Stack, complete with a special section for North Carolina artists. Check it out! http://www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic/Links.html

Speaking of Nathan Stack, if you haven't heard this guy yet, go do it now! This is great stuff and hopefully you'll agree. www.mp3.com/nathanstack

Ronald Silverlight is now MyndsEye and back up on mp3.com again. He's got a brand new song that I consider one of his best, called "Tell Me." You have to hear this! http://artists.mp3s.com/artist_song/2765/2765723.html

Aris, the band from Reutlingen, Germany has lost their mp3.com page (again!) I've updated their link to the Javamusic site, so you can still enjoy their music.

What's with mp3.com, anyway? It seems that many people have been kicked off of there because of suspected "gaming." There isn't really a solid definition to that term. I don't see a problem with artists all getting together to help each other out with support play exchanges. That's probably one of the most cost-effective ways of publicizing yourself!

There are some new artists to discover: First, there's Offset, a punk band from San Diego, CA. Then, there's DeAnna Shaddy, a composer from Caldwell, ID who has a musical presence that's hard to describe. You can hear both of these at my artist links page. http://www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic/Other_Musicians.html

Don't forget, if you're interested in hearing new music, go to www.mp3.com/stations/fishpicks and listen to Fish's Picks. If you're in a really odd mood, there's always www.mp3.com/stations/freakies Fishkill's Freak Show, a sideshow of the odd, unusual, and truly bizarre. It's an experience you won't soon forget.


Thanks for listening,

Chris Nelson
www.mp3.com/fishkill
fish.dmusic.com
www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic

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Hi everybody!

I wanted to let you all know what's happeing in the Fishkill world.

First, I've made some improvements to the website. There's a place
to join this group if you're not already a member. I added some new
articles and a "random comments" page whcih contains musings from all
over the web on my music. There are also three new games added to the page, for those
interested.

Go take a peek! Here's the link: www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic

Next, I've added some files to the group which you can now hear.
You'll find several samples of my music PLUS the brand-new cover of
the Axis 1 tune "It's My Soul" which hasn't even been released at
mp3.com yet!

Why not invite your friends to join this group? I hope to get things
moving here very shortly. To start, post messages at the club board
here and let's get some discussions going. I already started one
thread, but still no takers yet.

MUSICIANS: Send me links to your site and I'll add them to my daily
playlist. The more pays, the better your standings, right?

Finallly, thanks you for all your support and especially for joining
this group. You guys are great!

Chris
www.mp3.com/fishkill
fish.dmusic.com
www.geocities.com/fishkillmusic

( No Comments )