Musical Resolutions

Making a New Year’s resolution on or before January 1 is admittedly a somewhat arbitrary annual goal-setting regimen. Sure, the Greco-Roman calendar correlates approximately with our astrological lap around the Sun, but getting your ambition on should ideally happen more than just once a year. Still, aiming high is rarely a bad idea, (unless you’re defending yourself against a murderous Leprechaun) no matter how trivial the underlying reason for doing so may be.

Making a New Year’s resolution on or before January 1 is admittedly a somewhat arbitrary annual goal-setting regimen. Sure, the Greco-Roman calendar correlates approximately with our astrological lap around the Sun, but getting your ambition on should ideally happen more than just once a year. Still, aiming high is rarely a bad idea, (unless you’re defending yourself against a murderous Leprechaun) no matter how trivial the underlying reason for doing so may be. Laughing at lame jokes serves a similar function. We do it because laughter is good for us regardless (stress relief is one of the most obvious health benefits but it’s certainly not alone).

One of my own personal resolution-esque aspirations is to record new music. As many of you know, I am a baritone songwriter (among other things). Custom singing telegrams put Benjamins in my pocket, and his illuminating discovery in my light bulbs. To date, I’ve released one four-song EP on CD and a few tracks on Denver’s own Beatport.com. The Beatport releases unfortunately got yanked from the site when a longtime employee was let go. Fortunately, my Velcro City Records debut drops February 10 on Beatport just in time for V-Day, which just so happens to be the single busiest holiday of the year for singing telegrams. In fact, 9 News aired a segment on me last year called “My Funny…and Unusual Valentine”. I was the water-skiing squirrel–as Anchorman’s Ron Burgundy would say–of that particular newscast.

In mid-December, I was contacted on Myspazz by a Casting Director for America’s Got Talent. While I haven’t the foggiest how she found me, forgiving whatever cyber-stalking may have been involved shouldn’t be too difficult. Submitting for next season consideration, at her request, was a no-brainer. Any Joe Schmo can submit via their site, but being invited to do so by one of the show’s actual employees was a smidgen exciting (having an actual telephone conversation with her was the clincher). As I understand it, they will keep me abreast as to whether my video submissions are sufficient to qualify me for the boob tube, or whether they’d like me to audition in the flesh as well. Which videos did I submit? The 9 News clip, along with a brand new self-financed short film entitled “Vampire Ambush” featuring a spoof of the Zombie Michael Jackson uber-classic “Thriller”.

The Casting Director in question seemed to dig my submissions, though there are obviously no guarantees. Either way, it behooves me to have a fresh release in the can just in case. After all, my glass is always half full (even when it’s dry as a bone). Brotherhood Studios’ Kyle Jones, best known for his work mixing and mastering Flobots’ multi-platinum breakout platter Fight With Tools, is on board to co-produce, while “axe-tapper” Mike Brick, pianist Elizabeth Rose, electronica producers Ishe, Satori-C and PJ Stroller and “skin-beater” Dr. John are potential co-conspirators. I have never been more amped. I gotta feeling…2010’s gonna be a good year. Do you have any musical resolutions of your own? Taking piano lessons? Teaching yourself how to DJ? Mastering Guitar Hero?

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