OK, So It’s a New Record
May 25th, 2010
That’s what I’m working on. There’s at least one exciting detail I can’t talk about yet, but I can say a few things now. I’m currently writing a bunch of new songs and rehearsing them with a band. I intend to debut (or, “publicly screw up”) these new songs with this band, probably using an electric guitar, at a couple of shows in July:
Iron Horse – Northampton, MA
Thursday July 22 at 7 PM
Tickets: bit.ly/bs6VNn
Somerville Theater – Somerville, MA
Friday July 23 at 7:30 PM
Tickets: bit.ly/cFaSw4
And after that I’ll head back to NYC to write some more and rehearse some more. At some point after that we’ll go into an actual studio and record all my fantastic new songs with talented musicians using high quality audio equipment. Fully licensed audio professionals will record and mix everything. Might put a couple of old ones on there too, maybe a couple from The Aftermath, maybe a couple of deep tracks from the back catalog. But really, mostly new songs, I’m serious this time. I already have at least four that you haven’t heard, and one of them is about mustaches, so that’s good.
As you can imagine, I’m excited but mostly scared about all of this. Here are a few reasons why (I swear I am not fishing for compliments or encouragement – I’m fully invested in this plan and am going to do it no matter what you think, and even if it’s a TERRIBLE DISASTER):
Why The New Project Frightens Jonathan Coulton
1. I barely know anything about playing the electric guitar. For instance, what is an “amplifier?”
2. I’m not sure I can write good songs anymore, and suspect that my best work is behind me.
3. I’m not used to spending money on talented musicians, high quality recording equipment, and fully licensed audio professionals.
4. I fear collaboration with other musicians who might be more talented than me.
5. I’m afraid that even a small change in direction is going to disappoint some fans.
6. I’m worried that even a small change in direction is going to make some aspect of my business not work anymore and that I will have to get a real job.
7. Like most rational humans, I’m pretty sure that I am basically a fraud, and that this move will finally expose my fraudulence for all the world to see.
8. This probably will involve a label and some other new business things that are new to me, I don’t even know what to say about that.
9. Change. Mediocrity. Backlash. Bad reviews. Effort. Internet comments. Mistakes. Regret. Robots.
10. Number 10 is secret.
So, back to work. Mustaches, that’s funny, right?
As long as you are being true to yourself, you can never go wrong. Experimentation is the key to development. I’m as eager as everyone else is to hear this new album. And remember, WE LOVE YOU!
And this post is one reason why.
As for myself, if this project doesn’t fill me with as much joy as your past efforts, I won’t abandon you, but will be patient and wait for the next one. You have been consistent enough in the past for me to believe that you aren’t a fluke and that your best work is ahead of you. I suspect many here share my sentiments.
Don’t let working with a label frighten you TOO much. It’s all about how good your contract is and how much control you retain. Generally musicians can’t get a good contract until they’ve had at least two successful records, but these days there are lots of labels out there interested in working with independent creators.
You can do a lot with a label as long as they’ve truly got your back. Access to a label’s capital can be huge when it comes to hiring a band, getting good equipment, promoting and scheduling a tour, etc…
They can take a lot off your shoulders and free you up to do the creative side.
That’s how it’s SUPPOSED to work anyway. They handle the business, you handle the creative. Everybody wins. Unfortunatley most big labels take advantage of their musicians because they don’t know shit about business or how to make a good deal for themselves, and even if they do there are a thousand other artists eager to sign the crappiest of contracts devaluing everyone else’s work.
So hopefully you got one of the small-to-medium sized labels that actually works for its musicians instead of the other way around.
Buck up, little camper. We’ll tackle that slope… together!
Giant sea monsters, zombies, cyborgs and especially monkeys will all be so happy for you, they have had a wonderful time frolicking in your songs up to this point and what you have created for them will last. (like tweeter’s remorse) Even if you don’t see any more half-pony half-monkey monsters in the audience, there’s always going to be something else, maybe mustachioed cowboys or monocle-wearing gents in absurd (or non-absurd) top hats, flamenco dancers resplendently befeathered or grizzled prospectors with randomly missing and/or gold teeth.
We all grow, and change, heck, even the Architeuthidae start as eggs less than an inch!
4. If you only hire musicians who are slightly more talented than you, it will make you look bad. If you hire musicians who are a LOT more talented than you, they’ll be so good that they can scale to your level and make you look amazing, because that’s their job, and they’re great at it.
Today is my actual 15th wedding anniversary. As our gift to ourselves, we’ll be in seats 1 and 2 in Orchestra Row B in Somerville on the 23rd (WOO HOO!). Our very FIRST Coulton show, and I am ridiculously excited.
JoCo – as far as your trepidations about trying something new go, there’s a lot of encouragement and advice in the previous comments that I completely agree with. My favorite advice was ejk’s “Feed the cow. Trust the cow. Love the cow.” Because, really, it’s true. There’s another animal analogy about how sharks need to keep moving or they die, right? Are you a shark? Hmmm – maybe it applies to giant quids, too. Whatever, the point is that change is good and testing your limits is good, and if what you are doing is slightly terrifying, it just means you are on the right track.
Does #10 involve accordions?
Don’t worry. If there is one thing that the human race has pretty much proven is that we’re all a fraud at detecting frauds. So go right on being a fraud and we’ll go on loving your work and declaring it genius.
It really sucks to feel like that, JoCo. I’m glad that I’m not the only one. Hang in there.
Looking forward to it, and even if it blows I will still buy it, basically because every time you come to Philly I get hammered at the show and make an ass of myself, so Karma dictates I still owe you one.
*hugs* We love you, and we think you’re awesome, and everybody has Teh Fear on occasion. Keep at it! With beer if necessary. Can’t wait to hear you rock the electronic thingummy.
In Richmond, you played all of my favorite songs and I was blown away. So what song was stuck in my head for three days? Mr fucking Fancy Pants.
You have nothing to worry about.
OMG This is going to be AWESOME.
Will the songs still be DRM free and CC licensed?
I think your newer work is some of your best. Always the Moon is just a wonderful love song and Space Doggity makes me cry. Can’t wait for the new hit single by JoCo, Mustaches.
As long as you don’t become a children’s musician, we’re golden.
Good luck!
Br0dy, was that a shot at TMBG?
Anyways, I’m looking forward to whatever comes out of this.
Some people didn’t like it when Bob Dylan or Neil Young “went electric” either.
Neil Young, Bob Dylan.. that’s a fair comparison, isn’t it? No pressure.
Thanks for being human enough to admit being scared to try… and thanks for stepping up and doing it anyway! Your ability to just see what happens is what started you and your fans down this robot-monkey-zombie path!
Omigod! Joco, how could you say your best work is behind you!?!?!?!? It’s just starting! I believe in you! Perform in Florida so i can see you! You can do it!!!!!!! Dying to hear the new songs!!! Ideas? How bout a fat kid who gets women? (see thats a joke, cuz they dont!) Haha.
Here we go, JoCo, here we go! *CLAP CLAP!*
Here we go, JoCo, here we go! *CLAP CLAP!*
JoCo JoCo he’s our man, if he can’t do it no one can!
Ok, I didn’t go to many games in high school so those are the only two cheers I know… Anyway. GO YOU!
Aww… well, honesty is refreshing.
Your concerns are understandable. I would feel the same way, and often do every day at work! I’ll love your music no matter what. If you sing about poo, I will be singing with you on my drive home from work. If you sing about goiters…I will be thinking to myself how great the word goiter is, and why didn’t anyone else think to write a song about goiters before now!?
And to think that didn’t involve ANY coercion. I gave those little gems of friendliness freely! :p
Thank you for sharing your jitters. I have confidence that you will be awesome, as per usual.
Mustaches are very funny. Here’s a fact from today’s Mental_Floss email:
Guinness estimates that in Great Britain alone, 92,749 liters of beer are lost in mustaches and beards each year.
I don’t know if that’s true or not, but what I really want to know is how they measured it. Also, mustaches are very big in the crafting community right now, so you’ve got that going for you:
http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_query=mustache&search_type=handmade
Cheers, mate!
You didn’t get famous being the same as everyone else, or writing the same song over and over. You have always been for change, so the most extreme change in you creates the best music. Go for it!
“It’s probably even going to be a Strat isn’t it? Not even a respectable Les Paul!”
Gibson is for wimps.
YEEEEEEEEEEEESSS!!!! I’M SO HAPPY!!!!!
These two dates save my summer! Maybe the next three
months won’t be an extended “staycation,” after all.
I’m totally bringing my tent and pitching it at the nearest state park between the two venues.
As for your reservations, they’d probably be mine too if I were in your position. But, it’s exciting that you’re trying something new and we’ll all
be here to help out with our love, money and honest opinions.
As Tiger Woods says: “Just Do It.”
This is awesome news, JoCo – and exactly what I thought would be the next logical step in your career. And I’ve every confidence that you shall succeed. Why? Because you are AWESOME!
I can’t wait for the shows in MA. I’ll definitely be there for at least one (if not both) of them.
I’m not sure if you read about the python script that converts any song into it’s swing version. someone made a website that auto converts. someone else put ‘still alive’ into it. I found it here.
http://glasnost.us/~knifa/swinger/index.php/view/1769
Looking forward to the new album. If you didn’t fear failure, your album probably wouldn’t turn out as good. Use the fear, don’t let it use you.
You can do iiiiiiiiiit!
Go go go! Yay! <3 <3 <3
Jonathan,
You are absolutely doing the right thing, whatever it is (decadecimal internet confessions aside) that you are in fact doing. I will call it your own personal Moving to China. So I’ll pass on what our friend Susannah Meadows said to me: “You’ll never regret going to China, no matter what happens after that.” The bigger the change in direction, the more this is true, no matter what China one’s talking about. So good luck old man!
I am beyond excited to see you play with a full band.
I’ve been waiting for new JoCo songs for SO long, that even if they’re a disaster (they won’t be) I’ll gobble them up like a starving person. You’re my #1 favorite artist, so I’m excited like all hell.
One suggestion- Mix your sad with your funny. You create music gold when you do that. Or just sad. Or funny. They’re all good. But the songs you write about the sad, but depressingly funny human condition are the best of the best in my opinion.
One more suggestion- Maybe, I dunno, you could, you know, like, tour your new songs in San Francisco too or something like that. I’d suggest The Great American Music Hall again, just because, no reason in particular or anything. Just to please some of those west coast fans, ya know? Those IMPORTANT WEST COAST FANS. >:(
You have nothing to fear I love all your music and one day you will take over the world and improve its tech then fly, no, warp to another world and conquer it and make its inhabitants go to another world and conquer it and so on and so forth… I am a loyal fan and will stick with you till the end… like a plasma grenade. lol
Yay! New songs! Someday soonish…. maybe.
Is there any way to get them faster? I tried hanging out on your lawn at night… your wife’s really not cool. If you had an outhouse, or you just gave me the songs, we wouldn’t have these problems. I just need the new JoCo stuff now. That’s all I’m asking. Now.
JoCo,
Don’t be afraid of fear, since fear is always around.
Just don’t turn into menacing ‘modern’ music that is ‘so today’. Change. For you, and for us. Because I’m pretty sure you hate the ‘modern’ music that is ‘so today’. It scares you. I know it.
Keep doing the thing you love.
And I can’t wait to hear your songs on Portal 2. If it’s sung by you or not, it’ll be great to hear. Since you’re one of (or) the best songwriters in this world.
Good luck.
I love mustaches.
Too late now, you’re an archetype: Normal guy with an unsatisfying job trying to do what he really wants to do. If you’re afraid that you’ll end up as another used-up meme, a one-hit wonder, that’s bullsh**. Why? Because you’re honest: You’ve had some hits, a bunch of misses, and you’re still worried that you’re not doing enough.
And when you’re done, you can say that you lived the dream however long you end up doing it. And that, I think, will be however long you want.
You v. Big Bad World: Tie
You think your best work may be behind you? I’ve got news for you. OF COURSE YOUR BEST WORK IS BEHIND YOU! But did that stop Paul McCartney from forming Wings? Did that stop Billy Joel from writing crappy psedo-classical music? Did that stop Tobey Maguire from doing Spiderman 3? What about George Lucas and Star Wars 1 to 3?
If you want to write “Return to Skullcrusher Mountain – Scarface’s Revenge” you go right ahead. We’ll buy more live show tickets than ever, pretend we kinda like the new stuff, and spend the rest of our free time blogging about what a tool you’ve become.
Dude, whatever you do will be great. It’s awesome that you’re trying something new and going further with your music, and I love to see it, since it means I get more to hear!
Hope the mustache is not a lie! (horrible pun intended)
I agree with Chris, and say to you: bring it on! Hit us with your mightiest commercialized hammer!
I will personally still listen to your stuff, and wait for you to come to Europe (anywhere, really) I’m willing to travel anywhere my crappy salary can take me to attend your concerts.
So, do not fear (or have you forgotten some tiny green dude’s words?), I know there’s a lot of others who think like me, we will like your new stuff, or pretend to do so, like Jack F says, anyways, tickets, money, yeah.
I’ve always wanted to drum for you, JoCo. I hate that it seems like I’ve missed my chance.
I saw you at WorkPlay in Birmingham (which was AWESOME), and I meant to give you my card and tell you about how I would drum for you–anytime, anywhere. But I was a little star-struck when I meant you after the show and forgot. Crap-balls…
Anyway, I think you’re a great songwriter and guitar player. I look forward to your “new project.” I shall acquire it using some of my money.
Have you seen Woody Allen’s Stardust Memories lately? All these people keep coming up to him saying they like his “earlier, funnier movies.” Maybe you better not watch it. Unless that’s the secret number 10 on the list.
Coulton may just be an “Advanced Genius”. We may not understand his change, but he’s already proven his talent to us.
http://www.esquire.com/features/music/ESQ0704-JULY_AMERICA
http://advancedtheory.blogspot.com/
It’d better be available on vinal, otherwise you are a faux hipster. Not that I own a record player since I am not a hipster, faux or otherwise.
Remember what happened to TMBG? They started playing with an actual band and became even more successful.
Pull the string, and this whole thing’s coming down…
No, I’m sure it will be awesome.
“Like most rational humans, I’m pretty sure that I am basically a fraud, and that this move will finally expose my fraudulence for all the world to see.”
And there you are, in my head again. I thought I was the only one who felt that way.
First, I say, “Thank you!”. Your music has seen me through some really dark matter. There isn’t a single song I don’t listen to like an addict. I think you and Joe Q Public have forgotten some of my favorites…CURL, W’s DUTY, and DANCE SOTERIOUS JOHNSON DANCE. I’m pretty sure they weren’t played on box guitars, at least not once recorded.
No matter what you record or how you record it I know I will love it. We, your fans, love your deliciously twisted brain and your warped perspective of life.
You need to talk to George, something inside of you is fighting to get out…
If you have yet to decide on which high quality audio equipment or fully licensed audio professionals you want on your project, I can offer my professional recording studio to you. I’ll give you the proverbial “hook up.” Drop me a line and we’ll work out whatever you need.
Bitch, don’t be trippin’
(By which I mean, in my nebbish white girl way: stop worrying about “what ifs” and do your thing, or thang, if you will.)
Can’t wait to see the show at the Iron Horse! I’ve already gotten time off from work, and I’m ordering my tix as soon as I can get a posse to go! =D
I am very very very excited that you’ll be playing at the Iron Horse again. It’s always a great time, and I’m lucky to live 25 minutes away from such a nice venue.