Rock Proper

Best Videos From Pitchfork 2011

Here is a link to some of the best videos of the 2011 Pitchfork Festival. Tune Yards were pretty great and DJ Shadow sound was off the hook. Although I wish they would have given him a later set so we could have enjoyed the visuals a bit more.

Overall I don’t think that I am alone in saying the highlight was TV on the Radio playing Fugazi’s “Waiting Room”… When they kicked off that infamous bassline everyone was silent / stunned and didn’t quite realize what was happening at first.. Then everyone erupted into a volcanic storm of cheering and dancing. People were “freaking out”.

Enjoy these videos and make sure to sign up at my other site www.chicagomixtape.com if you haven’t already!

Joshua Dumas Chrismas Tune

Here’s a tune from my collaborator and good friend Joshua Dumas.

Remember you can “right click” > “save as” to download this song for use on your favorite, fancy mp3 player.

The story behind the recording goes a little like this:

“At the tail end of a cold, with an unexpected night off, in an apartment full of half-broken instruments (one string guitar, out-of-tune melodica), I ate soup, and covered the loneliest christmas song. Hope your holidays are wonderful! - Josh”

Enjoy!

Josh’s other Rock Proper releases are here:

FYI - They make perfect gifts.

Rachel Ries :: Without A Bird :: Now Available on Rock Proper

We are very excited to announce that Rachel Ries had decided to release her ground breaking album “Without A Bird” for free download on Rock Proper.

This is the album that help to earn her the 3Arts Chicago Award (which came along with a nice cash prize). Rachel is one of the first folk / rock musicians to earn this prize.

Download it here now:

I got Rachel on the phone a 3rd time to tell her how excited I was about this decision. You can check out that quick conversation here:

Also make sure to check out her sweet new website:http://rachelries.com/

A Music Career Out of Jelly and Jam? Rachel Ries Interview 2

So, I got such good feedback and had such a blast talking to Rachel recently that we decided to do another mini-interview. If you haven’t listened to the first one, make sure to go back an check it out!

This time around Rachel talks about her secret recipe for making some extra cash on the road.

Also make sure to check out her sweet new website:http://rachelries.com/

"One of those kids who always sang…" :: an interview with Rachel Ries

I was very excited to get one of my favorite Chicago musicians on the phone today to talk a bit about her early career and how she got started in music.

It turns out, Rachel could communicate musically before she could read and write. She has been doing great things in Chicago (and around the country). Recently she won a Chicago Arts Award worth $15K!

Check it out!

Make sure to check out Rachel’s new website:http://rachelries.com/

Just A Little :: Samuel Stiles Song Series :: Post 6

Here is my version of a song written by The Beau Brummels. It’s one of my favorite pop tunes of all time from the 1960s.

I tried to recreate it note for note.
Hope you enjoy!
This track was recorded to a Tascam 1” analog tape machine. The beastly MS-16.
Samuel Stiles plays: Vox, Backing Vox, 1953 Kay acoustic guitar, 1972 Fender Telecaster deluxe, Bass, Drums, Tambourine.

Please check out my new website:www.samuelstiles.com

New Mama :: Samuel Stiles Song Series :: Post 5

This is the first of many songs that I will do for a charitable cause that is very dear to my heart.

As many of you may know, I work with adults with developmental disabilities. When I lived in New Orleans, I worked specifically with people diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. This is an affliction that has a broad range of accompanying disabilities.

Some of you may not know that Neil Young has two sons with Cerebral Palsy. I have always been inspired by his music and his charitable efforts to fund The Bridge School.

www.bridgeschool.org

Every few months I will be covering a Neil Young song and ask each of you to kindly donate money to help children and adults with Cerebral Palsy.

I will NOT ask this of you for this song.

This is simply the first installment of the series and to give you a heads up to this charitable venture in the future.

Enjoy and thanks for listening!

This is my version of one of my favorite Neil Young songs.

Lyrics

NEW MAMA

New mama’s got a sun in her eyes
No clouds are in my changing skies
Each morning when I wake up to rise
I’m livin’ in a dreamland.

Changing times,
all the reasons,
that turn to lies
Throw them all away
Head in hand,
gift of wonders to understand
And open all the way.

New mama’s got a sun in her eyes
No clouds are in my changing skies
Each morning when I wake up to rise
I’m livin’ in a dreamland.

Credits

released: 20 September 2010
This song was recorded to an Tascam MS-16 analog tape machine using only Cascade ribbon microphones.

Samuel Stiles plays: acoustic guitar, banjo, piano, vox, shaker, stomps, tambourine, and claps.

Please check out my new website:www.samuelstiles.com

Lonesome Road :: Samuel Stiles Song Series :: Post 4

This is my version of an old, southern, Mississippi Delta spiritual. The song was first recorded by “Cryin” Sam Collins in 1927. It is a year in time that I have become quite fascinated with. I have modified the lyrics slightly from the original.

Recorded to a 1953 Webcor Royal Coronet Tape recorder and the ribbon microphone that accompanied the machine.

Samuel Stiles: Vox, Classical Guitar, Banjo, Shaker

You will be hearing two separate takes of the song fused into one. I performed the song once with guitar and voice, and then again with banjo and voice.

Both times, I was listening to a shaker recorded for a click track. I couldn’t decide which version I like better, so I just got experimental and fused them into one. On the left speaker, you will hear the guitar/voice take, and the right speaker you will hear the banjo/voice take.

While tricky, I am proud of the way it turned out.

Enjoy!

Please check out my new website:
www.samuelstiles.com

LONESOME ROAD BLUES

I’m walking down that lonesome lane
Hung down my head and cried
I weeped and I cried under a willow tree
‘n’ my fate’s in the deep blue sea
My mama’s dead, papa can’t be found
And my brother’s on the county road

You did cause me to weep you did cause me to mourn
You did cause me to leave my home

I cried last night and the night before
And I swore not to cry no more
I got no money and they call me no honey
I have to weep and moan
In eighteen hundred in that ninety nine
He got killed on that streetcar line

You did cause me to weep you did cause me to mourn
You did cause me to leave my home

Your fast mail train comin’ round the curve
It done killed my little blue-eyed girl
Her head was ground in that driver wheel
And her body it done never been seen
Says I done been to that long plank walk
And I’m on my way back home

You did cause me to weep you did cause me to mourn
You did cause me to leave my home
Beauty caused me to weep Beauty caused me to mourn
Beauty caused me to leave my home

Rock Proper Hits Germany

Yesterday I did an interview for Deutschlandradio Wissen, a nationwide German public radio station. I am told that Deutschlandradio Wissen is the German equivalent of the BBC Network/NPR.

Here’s a 6 minute sample of what turned into about an hour an a half interview:

The reporters who contacted me, Christian Grasse and Jochen Dreier, are both passionate radio-journalists from Germany. They are also open source and creative commons fanatics. Two years ago Christian and Jochen launched their own netlabel, www.aaahh-records.net.

Now they want to bring together their two passions and introduce the creative commons movement to a wide range of people. They are working to gain exposure for the rapidly developing internet music scene that creative commons has spawned.

Here is a quote from Christian and Jochen, “Because for us, creative commons and open source means a culture of sharing and that there is always a further development of a creative product and we like to see this in (radio) journalism too.”

Last week they featured a very interesting Chinese Netlabelist:
http://wissen.dradio.de/index.40.de.html?dram:article_id=4899

Purple Weather Girl :: Samuel Stiles Song Series :: Post 3

New song is complete my friends.

It is called, “Purple Weather Girl”

This is a new arrangement and first recording of an Andy Wagner classic.

Hope you enjoy!

It was recorded to a Tascam MS-16 analog tape machine.

Credits:
Samuel Stiles: chordal arrangement, Acoustic guitar, Banjo, Piano, Bass, SK-1, Vox, Beat Box, Banjo percussion, shaker, and e-bow.
Andy Wagner: Lyrics

Check out my new website: www.samuelstiles.bandcamp.com