New Shows, New Members, New Plans, and New Free Music!
Posted by Hudson Eakin on Monday, August 10, 2009
Hello all,
It's been awhile since I last wrote, but I've got a couple news items that I thought y'all might be interested in...
Introducing...Ryan Daniels
Born in Bolton, UK Ryan Daniels was originally headed down the path of a classical musician. But after two years of training in the violin, Daniels was introduced to the otherwordly wailings of Robin Finck while he was touring with Nine Inch Nails on the Self-Destruct and Further Down The Spiral tours in 1994-1995. The devil music had him and wouldn't let go, as Daniels began pushing himself to get better sometimes even practicing up to 10 hours a day. Ryan's talents would go largely unnoticed however, as Ryan never wanted to partake in a project he wasn't excited to be a part of.
Almost 15 years later at about twelve-midnight, Ryan would end up hitching a ride in the backseat of Hudson's car from a concert and roughly six months later, he would meet with Hudson again at roughly the same time, to discuss possible membership within The Way Out Is Through. A small, quiet audition was organized, and after a jam session that went swimmingly, Ryan Daniels was invited into the band.
Ryan's influences have shifted over the years from Robin Finck, to John 5, but currently his interests have settled on Steve Vai. Ryan plays with the ferocity of a caged animal just dying to be free, with his roots in a solid rhythm tradition Ryan knows how to hold it down, but he certainly isn't afraid to occasionally cut loose with a dive-bombing, face-melting guitar solo.
New Show on September 12th!
We'll be playing a street side show at The Shrewsbury Shuffle on September 12th! Check out details of the event here!
City Streets for Free Download.
If you haven't already taken advantage of this do it soon, it's only available for two more months! Go and download this demo of a new song off of my upcoming full length, the song City Streets. Microsoft has been kind enough to sponsor the song and thus make it available for free download WAY before the next CD is even remotely close to being finished. Speaking of which, the closest I can think of that getting released is some time towards the end of next summer, and that's assuming I can get enough saved up to pull it off.
A Crazy Idea And A New Goal...
On Mediocrity...
I'm the kind of guy that either wants to be the best or the worst at something. My rational for this is that if you're one of the two, you're most likely to be remembered later on. Think about it...everyone knows such great bands as The Beatles, Rage Against The Machine, Radiohead, Dr. Dre, etc. But everyone also remembers such terrible bands/artists like WIlliam Hung and oldschool Britney Spears (whose new stuff is a guilty pleasure of mine though, I must confess.). Amidst all this no one bothers to remember the artists that are generally viewed as "okay". For example not many people have heard of the band "Television" (a 70s punk band that kicked ass and opened up for The Ramones on more than one occasion) or remember "Chronic Future" (Those one hit rap-rock wonders from a few years ago that had the single "Time And Time Again.").
As such, mediocrity is something I have come to loathe and despise more than anything else. When I get on stage I either want to blow your mind or I want you to walk out pissed at me for wasting your time. Last semester was a learning experience. It was my first time operating a band under this model and it was my first time being in a serious project outside of "Faster! Faster!". I learned a whole lot and Clark University proved to be an excellent test market for what The Way Out Is Through has to offer. Now, I have a much better idea of what and what not to do. Last semester was mediocre, but this semester I'm positive things will be different. You're either gonna love us or hate us.
The Goal
The Way Out Is Through is a unique project in that it's chief aim is versatility. I want to be able to play at an electronica festival as well as punk clubs and Family-Fun-Days. Bandages is a bit of a selfish album, During the past performances of TWOIT I was more focused on expressing what I was going through at the time, and less focused on showing my audience a good time. Set lists were designed to convey a certain feeling that I was trying to express, not what the audience was wanting to feel at the time. There's a line that I have learned to walk, a line between expression and entertainment. After looking at the results from a survey I sent out awhile ago, conferring with some random fans to get their opinion, and having a lot of discussions friends, family, and other artists that I respect...I think the central problem was that I expected too much from my market.
A Three-Part Solution
Here's what's going on, we're going to start playing a bunch of new material, but at the same time we're holding onto the songs that perhaps weren't so appropriate for venues that we've played before. In other words, TWOIT is learning multiple set lists.
Right when we start rehearsals we're going to be focusing on our "Party List", mostly funk-rock songs like "Don't Care" (with a whole slew of new ones that I've written over the summer) and a couple of covers that we're sure you're going to enjoy. This set list is meant for parties, dances, and can be tailored to be family friendly for the kiddies. All in all, this is probably the set list that everyone at Clark University wanted last year, but didn't get.
There's going to be the "Indy-Electronica" set list, which will have a more electronic feel to it and will have songs like "1900" and "City Streets", this will be aimed more at Indy-Kids, Art-Rock lovers, and (let's be honest here) Stoners.
Finally there's going to be the "Rock Show" set list. This is going to be where songs like "Endorphin", "My Best Shot", and a bunch of new songs end up. This is targeted for club gigs, metal bars, etc.
Ultimately, the band is going to become three separate acts within one band, changing to accommodate the venue and the audience. It'll be the same band, same members, but things like stage antics and dress are going to be different depending on the set list. (Wearing all black for a family oriented show just seems pretentious you know?) On gig announcements I'll be sure to include what set list is going to be played that night. For example, on our Myspace instead of just reading "Venue - Time - Cost", you'll see "Venue - Time - Cost - Funk/Rock/Electronica".
All in all, I feel like this decision is going to make the band a lot more viable for playing any kind of venue / audience while simultaneously allowing me to express myself in whatever way I chose. This is also a little risky. I'm gonna be asking a LOT from my guys here, and there is a chance of, instead of becoming "Great" in one market, we might become "Great" in one market, "Horrible" in another, and "Okay" in the third. I can't think of a time when a band has actually made it a goal to not play only one genre live, but who knows...maybe because it hasn't been done before, that's exactly the reason why it'll work.
Demos for Bandages Available For Free Download.
Now that Bandages (Click here to download it for free!) has been out for a few months I thought it might be pretty cool to do something a little extra and release the demos that I used going into the studio. Just a little something extra for anyone curious about the creative process or just wanting some semi-alternative versions of the songs that appeared on Bandages. Most of them sound really different from how the recordings turned out, and they'll probably end up sounding completely different from the re-recordings of "1900", "My Best Shot", and "Don't Care" that I record on the next album.
Support TWOIT!
Interested in supporting The Way Out Is Through? Purchase Bandages online through pretty much any online outlet you can think of, iTunes, Napster, Amazon, etc. All the money received goes directly back into the project and anything / everything will help keep me going.
No money to donate but still want to help out? Drop me a line on Reverbnation, Facebook, Twitter, or Myspace and let me know what you'd like to do. Nerds (Web Designers and Photoshoppers, etc), Artkids (Photographers and Flier Designers), Tanks (Roadies, Muscle), and Hustlers (Merch Table Workers and Ticket Sellers) are always wanted.
It's been awhile since I last wrote, but I've got a couple news items that I thought y'all might be interested in...
Introducing...Ryan Daniels
Born in Bolton, UK Ryan Daniels was originally headed down the path of a classical musician. But after two years of training in the violin, Daniels was introduced to the otherwordly wailings of Robin Finck while he was touring with Nine Inch Nails on the Self-Destruct and Further Down The Spiral tours in 1994-1995. The devil music had him and wouldn't let go, as Daniels began pushing himself to get better sometimes even practicing up to 10 hours a day. Ryan's talents would go largely unnoticed however, as Ryan never wanted to partake in a project he wasn't excited to be a part of.
Almost 15 years later at about twelve-midnight, Ryan would end up hitching a ride in the backseat of Hudson's car from a concert and roughly six months later, he would meet with Hudson again at roughly the same time, to discuss possible membership within The Way Out Is Through. A small, quiet audition was organized, and after a jam session that went swimmingly, Ryan Daniels was invited into the band.
Ryan's influences have shifted over the years from Robin Finck, to John 5, but currently his interests have settled on Steve Vai. Ryan plays with the ferocity of a caged animal just dying to be free, with his roots in a solid rhythm tradition Ryan knows how to hold it down, but he certainly isn't afraid to occasionally cut loose with a dive-bombing, face-melting guitar solo.
New Show on September 12th!
We'll be playing a street side show at The Shrewsbury Shuffle on September 12th! Check out details of the event here!
City Streets for Free Download.
If you haven't already taken advantage of this do it soon, it's only available for two more months! Go and download this demo of a new song off of my upcoming full length, the song City Streets. Microsoft has been kind enough to sponsor the song and thus make it available for free download WAY before the next CD is even remotely close to being finished. Speaking of which, the closest I can think of that getting released is some time towards the end of next summer, and that's assuming I can get enough saved up to pull it off.
A Crazy Idea And A New Goal...
On Mediocrity...
I'm the kind of guy that either wants to be the best or the worst at something. My rational for this is that if you're one of the two, you're most likely to be remembered later on. Think about it...everyone knows such great bands as The Beatles, Rage Against The Machine, Radiohead, Dr. Dre, etc. But everyone also remembers such terrible bands/artists like WIlliam Hung and oldschool Britney Spears (whose new stuff is a guilty pleasure of mine though, I must confess.). Amidst all this no one bothers to remember the artists that are generally viewed as "okay". For example not many people have heard of the band "Television" (a 70s punk band that kicked ass and opened up for The Ramones on more than one occasion) or remember "Chronic Future" (Those one hit rap-rock wonders from a few years ago that had the single "Time And Time Again.").
As such, mediocrity is something I have come to loathe and despise more than anything else. When I get on stage I either want to blow your mind or I want you to walk out pissed at me for wasting your time. Last semester was a learning experience. It was my first time operating a band under this model and it was my first time being in a serious project outside of "Faster! Faster!". I learned a whole lot and Clark University proved to be an excellent test market for what The Way Out Is Through has to offer. Now, I have a much better idea of what and what not to do. Last semester was mediocre, but this semester I'm positive things will be different. You're either gonna love us or hate us.
The Goal
The Way Out Is Through is a unique project in that it's chief aim is versatility. I want to be able to play at an electronica festival as well as punk clubs and Family-Fun-Days. Bandages is a bit of a selfish album, During the past performances of TWOIT I was more focused on expressing what I was going through at the time, and less focused on showing my audience a good time. Set lists were designed to convey a certain feeling that I was trying to express, not what the audience was wanting to feel at the time. There's a line that I have learned to walk, a line between expression and entertainment. After looking at the results from a survey I sent out awhile ago, conferring with some random fans to get their opinion, and having a lot of discussions friends, family, and other artists that I respect...I think the central problem was that I expected too much from my market.
A Three-Part Solution
Here's what's going on, we're going to start playing a bunch of new material, but at the same time we're holding onto the songs that perhaps weren't so appropriate for venues that we've played before. In other words, TWOIT is learning multiple set lists.
Right when we start rehearsals we're going to be focusing on our "Party List", mostly funk-rock songs like "Don't Care" (with a whole slew of new ones that I've written over the summer) and a couple of covers that we're sure you're going to enjoy. This set list is meant for parties, dances, and can be tailored to be family friendly for the kiddies. All in all, this is probably the set list that everyone at Clark University wanted last year, but didn't get.
There's going to be the "Indy-Electronica" set list, which will have a more electronic feel to it and will have songs like "1900" and "City Streets", this will be aimed more at Indy-Kids, Art-Rock lovers, and (let's be honest here) Stoners.
Finally there's going to be the "Rock Show" set list. This is going to be where songs like "Endorphin", "My Best Shot", and a bunch of new songs end up. This is targeted for club gigs, metal bars, etc.
Ultimately, the band is going to become three separate acts within one band, changing to accommodate the venue and the audience. It'll be the same band, same members, but things like stage antics and dress are going to be different depending on the set list. (Wearing all black for a family oriented show just seems pretentious you know?) On gig announcements I'll be sure to include what set list is going to be played that night. For example, on our Myspace instead of just reading "Venue - Time - Cost", you'll see "Venue - Time - Cost - Funk/Rock/Electronica".
All in all, I feel like this decision is going to make the band a lot more viable for playing any kind of venue / audience while simultaneously allowing me to express myself in whatever way I chose. This is also a little risky. I'm gonna be asking a LOT from my guys here, and there is a chance of, instead of becoming "Great" in one market, we might become "Great" in one market, "Horrible" in another, and "Okay" in the third. I can't think of a time when a band has actually made it a goal to not play only one genre live, but who knows...maybe because it hasn't been done before, that's exactly the reason why it'll work.
Demos for Bandages Available For Free Download.
Now that Bandages (Click here to download it for free!) has been out for a few months I thought it might be pretty cool to do something a little extra and release the demos that I used going into the studio. Just a little something extra for anyone curious about the creative process or just wanting some semi-alternative versions of the songs that appeared on Bandages. Most of them sound really different from how the recordings turned out, and they'll probably end up sounding completely different from the re-recordings of "1900", "My Best Shot", and "Don't Care" that I record on the next album.
Support TWOIT!
Interested in supporting The Way Out Is Through? Purchase Bandages online through pretty much any online outlet you can think of, iTunes, Napster, Amazon, etc. All the money received goes directly back into the project and anything / everything will help keep me going.
No money to donate but still want to help out? Drop me a line on Reverbnation, Facebook, Twitter, or Myspace and let me know what you'd like to do. Nerds (Web Designers and Photoshoppers, etc), Artkids (Photographers and Flier Designers), Tanks (Roadies, Muscle), and Hustlers (Merch Table Workers and Ticket Sellers) are always wanted.