Paul & Storm are cool with it too AFAIK, so if you could get their set too, that would be awesome (I am presumptuously assuming you intend to upload this recording at some point) …

Luke: That’s actually the second reason I asked on here, so that assuming he said he’d be fine with it (which as we both know he did) that I’d have proof when calling the Ark about it in the next few days to get their approval or not.

Those are the well-established Rules of Ethical Taping, for those not familiar with the practice. You can trade recordings, you can give them away, or you can accept just enough money to cover burning and postage (called a “B&P trade” — although a lot of that is now moot thanks to file sharing. If the artist asks that people not record, that’s that (I remember when Nickel Creek apologetically asked fans to stop taping because their record label didn’t like it). Sites like Dime a Dozen and Lossless Legs exist for no other purpose than to facilitate ethical trading. (Sharing the Groove, you are missed!)

Just a little context for those who may not be in the know about the context of Jonathan’s position on this. He’s right in line with pretty much every trade-friendly band.

P.S. You should be on the forums.

A few sites are saying the concert DVD, entitled “Best. Concert. Ever.” is coming out on 10 February 2009. Can you confirm or deny this?

You and Hodgman are hilarious. Anybody who goes to see you are getting their money’s worth Isn’t it great? You guys are big time enough to go present at Google–someday.. someday I may be that cool.

I didn’t realize you’d hacked away at the oak for that long before it started really paying the bills…

Congratulations for escaping the box – most people do not understand that really, very few engineers are like Dilbert.

In fact, the further up the food chain you get, the more rockstar the people are like – hell, I’m pretty much a roadie slash guitar tech equivalent…lots of the big brains need handlers.

It is insane the amount of training, practice, and creative effort it takes to bring a concept out of your head or collective heads and into reality in a usable and sellable form…I know more engineers that are painters and blues musicians (or total gun nuts) than I do ones that are dry and lifeless.

Crap…digressed again. Started out with intent to let you know I’m trying to use you guys as a good role model and that if you really work at it and don’t give up you can probably escape the fates of ordinary…frightening. /darkening doorstep for real now

That said, we left the younger kids at home. I did not want my 4-year-old going around bellowing “outdoor f-cking starts today.” Also, she would have probably taken P&S’s “Better Version of You” a little too literally, given that my wife was pregnant at the time!

I was in a barbershop quartet in high school, so YEAH! I KNOW!

Yes, a member of the SPEBSQSA…oh why did I give it up?? *ahem*

Anyhow…legality of bootlegs…HAHAHAHAHA (by definition they’re not – otherwise they’re “live recordings”). The short answer is that it’s not much longer until it’s moot. Can’t stop the passing of information now, and music is just another type, just more lossless in emotion than most. Blame it on the internet…it we ever achieve something close to global consciousness it will be for that reason alone. I saw Britney Spears try and perform a cappella on SNL once…it was miserable. So no faking it anymore…people will have to perform and earn their pay We get to see them and give them money directly. /digression

Now what do we do about Ticketbastard? I know how it happens so I won’t ask how the stranglehold gets put on the distribution channels, but that’s going by the wayside as well…just like the distribution of the music itself.

Paul and Storm missed an arrr joke that I thought for sure they would get – you know, genetics…arrrrRNA. And ctrl-alt-del vs. Mac joke and nobody even brought up Linux/UNIX (ctrl-D!)…for shame.

I was the guy in the audience that responded he brought his kid when the irresponsible parent comments were laid. I actually have 4 now, this was #2 and she’s 14. All the kids are you tubing everything (try farting mario head – man I wish I could stop that nonsense) and Rock Band pimpin’ (Still Alive and Skullcrusher Mountain) means that all the chilluns (now 10, 12, 14, and 15) know a bunch of JC’s work. I randomly came across that the show was happening while looking for other stuff (I have wicked netmojo – cool stuff just finds me) and after mentioning it to the kids and confirming it was all-ages show, Ame (#2) said she wanted to go instead of getting a birthday present in April. Since my hours at work were cut back we really couldn’t afford to have everyone go outright and really it’s not for everyone’s taste in humor (it’s mine for sure – I’m an engineering technician for wireless product development teams) she got the special outing. I had to explain a few things (like a Chuck Mangione reference P&S used, and I had to use a Family Guy episode to back-reference the reference and I can’t believe she didn’t get the KoL since they all have accounts) but she was busting up too.

And I don’t think the First of May tune is tongue in cheek. I think it’s a fabulous idea and everyone should foster and encourage this. It’s certainly easier than trying to do it during the Polar Bear Plunge.

To that ahole behind me in the balcony that kept shouting buttsecks, I hate to give y’all attention because it just encourages you (it took all my resolve to not at the show even though I was RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU) but F*&*&# OFF.

I have rarely seen performers handle heckling and rap with the audience as smoothly and fluidly as you guys…you are awesome (real-time even)…lots of people that need love in the crew that night and you spread it around…

Oh, and Molly rocks. The kids say, so it must be true.

Stay kickass and I hope everyone comes back to town soon.

“I’m Your Moon” wasn’t played at the Portland show. Whatever…. “Always the Moon” is great too.

Somehow I think you’re going to get a lot of emails from depressed geeks having a hard time writing uplifting songs.

So, the answer is most likely “at least twice, but now, probably not so much!” : )

(Spoken as a father of 4, ranging from 14 years to 11 weeks old).

You are wonderfully talented musician but if it is all the same to you, I would prefer not knowing if you are getting laid.

The GF came too… her first exposure to JoCo outside of hearing me sing along to Ikea when we shop there…. she mostly worried about the number of ‘unrequited love geek’ songs in a row… a direct quote “Jesus, even though I am a dyke I am tempted to fuck the boy to see if he could write something uplifting and less depressed… Is he getting laid?”

I assured her you probably were, with all the groupies you have… but now I want to know, are you getting laid?

You know, I think touring like this is great, just to give some general feedback.

A) How often would guys like my socially awkward geeky husband get out? Come on, really… I know I’m not the only one in the same position. The dudes (with wives at their side) in front of me were of the same sort, blathering on about stuff in a geek language I can identify but can’t understand. I asked if he wanted to gather his friends over for the superbowl and he said he’d need a week to think about it.

B) We drove 3 hours to hear you sing, so you know now the commitment of even just the newest fans. And like I said, it was a feat of great social exposure for my xenophobic husband. He loved your show, Paul and Storm, the jokes, Molly’s Myspace song (which we full heartedly concur) and of course being with a bunch of people who understand him/me .

Take care!! -Sophie

I

As for the recordings of live shows — I appreciate your generosity there too. The Grateful Dead didn’t go broke allowing people to distribute recordings. My hope is that my little bootleg (does that term still apply?) will just encourage more people to support your work.

Looking forward to your Ann Arbor show! Although I think I will not be recording this one — too much distraction from actually just enjoying it in the moment. I have signed up with Scarface as your minion for that show since I live very close to the venue — get in touch if you need anything.

All songs that I have written and recorded are creative commons licensed. This means they are still protected by copyright, but I give you permission ahead of time to share them with your friends for free and use them in derivative works that are not commercial as long as you credit me. Songs that I have not written (or Still Alive, which was a work for hire and does not belong to me) can’t be put under a creative commons license by me, because I don’t own the copyright. Some would argue that Baby Got Back is parody and protected under fair use, but a judge or jury would have to decide that.

I am fine with people recording and distributing recordings of shows for non-commercial purposes. I don’t believe creative commons applies to this really, because we’re talking about a new recording – there are lots of other licensing layers that would apply to audio/video recordings of live shows, and it’s thorny enough that it’s not worth talking about. Just know that I don’t mind if you record my shows and pass them around without commercial gain. Legally, you’re on your own if you include cover songs, I can’t give you permission to do anything with your recording of me playing Birdhouse in Your Soul.

stupid fingers.

As an _individual_ distributing these recordings I have to be certain; I don’t have any kind of indemnification against lawsuits. The last thing I want is some kind of DMCA/RIAA assault that would wipe me out (get what meager savings/investments I have, and even garnish my future wages for some kind of ridonculous settlement. Yes, this really happens).

Personally speaking, I believe that if a child is still awake at 11 pm or whenever the time is that “First of May” rolls around, and have been capable of sitting through a 2.5 or 3 hour show, then they’re old enough to handle the language and/or mature enough to realize that they’re bad words and shouldn’t be repeated, etc. But everyone parents differently, and we certainly don’t begrudge those differences.

Paul Potts’ suggestion of previewing some material on YouTube is probably your best bet. If you find our stuff too much for the kids but still want them to see Jonathan, you could wait in line, and get seats, but then go eat & play pool outside in the bar area (or go somewhere down the street) for the ~60 min. of our set, then come back for Jonathan’s set.

Paul (and Storm)

Jeremie: He’s already posted about the fact that he’s going to release an official live album/DVD set. I think the title is “The Greatest Concert Ever!” or something like that.