Southbound
/PitchBlak is about to take the road for our longest run of shows yet. Do you live in any of these cities? I always love meeting new people in new places, so let's hang!
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What. A. Tour.
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I just got back from the first leg of PitchBlak's You See Us tour, which included stops in Buffalo, Traverse City, and Grand Rapids. We were lucky to play for amazing crowds at each venue, particularly at the Traverse City MicroBrew Festival. We met a lot of friendly faces and everyone was really enthusiastic about our music. It was an incredibly rewarding experience and I can't wait to hit the south for the second leg of tour in March! Shout out to Founders for the incredible hospitality! Free beer+ free food is unbeatable!
PitchBlak in DownBeat!
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What's that? PitchBlak is featured in the latest issue of one of the biggest music magazines in the world? NBD... Yeah right! Check out the full article here.
ALCO Masterclass: A success!
/Despite some gnarly weather, the PitchBlak masterclass at my old high school went off without a hitch. We had some very enthusiastic young musicians come through. Everyone participated! Here I am above with brothers Jacob and Lucas Matthews of the bluegrass band Grand Ole' Ditch. We critiqued a few of their tunes and boy did they sound great. I wish them best of luck at the Telluride Bluegress Festival Band Competition this summer.
Thanks Nike!
/I had a great time at Niketown yesterday for the launch of the FuelBand SE. I played three sets on the street throughout the day with PitchBlak which delighted many and annoyed some I'm sure. Check out this video shot from above. I also thoroughly enjoyed playing on the above Yamaha Oak Custom. Great sound!
Drum Setup: PitchBlak at Brooklyn Bowl
/As expected, playing Brooklyn Bowl was a total blast. The staff do a great job to ensure everything runs like a well-oiled machine. We played well and the Bowl made sure we ate and drank well, too. A fed musician is a happy musician!
Last night, my Roland SPD-SX got a lot of use. I used a kit for almost every song (often just to run a click) and it ran so smoothly because of the kit chain function. At soundcheck, I was able to load some WAVs via USB and edit them and assign them internally. I really can't recommend an electronic device more highly. The possibilities are endless!
Make Music New York
/Here is my set up for this year's MMNY. I didn't realize how challenging it would be to balance on one foot while playing bass drum for 40 minutes! I ended up flipping the splash for most of it, which provided a nice rhythmic effect that helped drive the band.
Video: Doppelgänger
/I hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed smashing instruments! I will post a side-by-side of the video and me recording the track in the studio when I get a chance, so stay tuned!
Takin' it to the streets
/Some of the PitchBlak crew busking in Harlem last Sunday. Gotta raise some funds for our summer tour! Check me out awkwardly trying to fix my broken drum throne in the opening shot.
Littlefield, 4/21. Photo by Seth Walters
I had a FANTASTIC weekend of music making with PitchBlak. The Balkan Shout Out gig was absolutely off the hook. I don't think the audience stopped jumping once during our hour set. They really knew how to get down! The crowd at Littlefield was equally as awesome, and I really enjoyed watching BatalaNYC do their thing. It was very inspiring!
Additionally, the first round of mixes for our forthcoming album, You See Us, just hit my inbox and my God is it sounding fresh! Aaron Nevezie is the man!