air: all i need

sky smeed

Here's a great song to kick off your Memorial Day weekend: Moving Down by Sky Smeed. It came on the radio as I was driving across the Hudson River tonight and everything just fell into place.

As the folks at WAMC say, "Sky Smeed is the real thing, a kid from Kansas who's making his home in Housatonic, MA while writing songs and working on old houses, which, when you come to think of it, are the same thing." Love that quote.

Buy his records and play them in the car on your summer roadtrips! Sky plays honest Alt-Country that's straight from the heart; his music is the perfect soundtrack for these fresh sweet days in late-spring when everything is possible.

do you hear the difference?

My friend Mr. Tunes turned me on to this cool little test. Try it out & see if you can tell the difference in sound quality between a 128 kbps mp3 vs. a 320k one? Good luck...it's tricky!

best of jill hives

Song of the day: Best of Jill Hives by Guided By Voices

sarah perrotta

Sarah Perrotta has something going on...

She sings clear through the speakers right into my heart. I've been classifying her album "The Well" today, and it's beautiful -- just added her tracks to our catalog here at Pump Audio.

Found this great live recording from my favorite venue, the Bearsville Theater. Sarah plays "Out of Grace" with surprise guest Garth Hudson on accordion (dude, how do you even play an accordion so sweet with a beard that long?!?)

Also, big props to the crew - pretty slick production, eh? And I'm not just saying that because my darling husband Kale recorded the audio & my buddy Chris Rahm produced the shoot.

Well done, boys (and girl :-) Nice one all around!

might as well...

The story goes something like this: joined some pals for a night at the pirate bar down in Catskill one springy night not too long ago, funny place. We loaded up the jukebox and when my selection of Van Halen's Jump! came on, it matched our spirits perfectly. Really kicked the energy up a notch in the place -- I love it when that happens. Air-keytar action ensued and when things settled down a bit, my buddy and I began imagining what the hell it must have been like to be tracking that freakin' session, I mean the energy involved is super-human to say the least! Seriously, try it. Listen to that song and imagine actually being in the recording session at that very moment and you'll get my point. We were wishing we'd been flies on the wall the day that tape was rolling...

So today, I was retelling that watering-hole story around the water-cooler with a fellow friend and engineer, he totally got the idea. He asked if I'd ever heard Aztec Camera's version of Jump! Have you? Totally different vibe, beautiful all the same.

Go ahead and...

i especially enjoyed the scallops

had the pleasure of partying with these fine gents once again over the weekend, and boy they sure are entertaining in so very many ways. 

check out dead unicorn and their podcast & music for end times:

feels like i'm walking

This is a cool music video from one of the first bands that I fell in love with while working at Pump: Huma. Self-described on their site they're "Just three young folks. A brother. A sister. A best friend/girlfriend. Kids behind counters making music on coffee breaks. Teachers after school playing NYC late. Librarians singing softly in the stacks."

They started in Jersey & now live, work, & play in Seattle. They've got a new EP coming out soon & are rising stars in the world of Pump Audio & the universe in general. Check 'em:

for those about to rock...

true blue

Man, have I got a story for you. So remember that good old trusty Volvo that I drove all over the country in with my brothers on all those Phish tours and other fun road-trips?

Well I've gone through a bunch of great cars in my day; most of them well-loved beaters with great stories attached. There was Long John Silver, The Purple School Bus, The Walrus, Verona, The Red Tomato, The Dodge Dart, True Blue, and then...The Green Volvo.

Now The Green Volvo had a lot of nicknames, none that ever really ever stuck, but man...she was one hell of a car. One of those cars that you feel so safe in because your Dad gave it to you and you used to sit in the back seat on family trips and now you're a grown up but you're driving around the world in a capsule protected by your Dad's love? Yeah, just like that. Plus, it was a really nice car that had the kind of stamina to cross the country without breaking down all the time.

About a month before Guthrie and I left for Vancouver for our year at film school, I was looking into storage options, thinking I'd put 'er up on blocks in a garage somewhere and fly out to Vancouver where I wouldn't need a car anyway. It was a hot, sunny afternoon in late August, and we were sitting on the lawn in front of the house we grew up in looking at The Green Volvo. The doors and trunk were wide open, the beer cooler was overturned on the lawn, and various tarps and sleeping bags were draped across the yard. We were all airing out from a particularly sad and soggy drive home from Coventry, the very last Phish show. I think we were all wondering what was going to happen next. Guthrie turned to me and said, "You know Cait? The best possible use for that car is to carry us out to Vancouver and back so I don't have to check my guitars on the airplane and we can have another fun roadtrip!"

The next thing I knew, we were squabbling over who would "take the trunk" and who would "take the back seat" in terms of filling it up with possessions for the big year ahead. Between my clothes and Guthrie's gear, believe me, we didn't waste an inch of space. We hit the trail once again, driving the entire length of I-90 from Springfield to Seattle and watched the leaves turn the entire way, listening to Chariots of Fire as we set out, and to the Northern Exposure theme song as we crossed the Black Hills, silly and road-weary, with our sights set on the border. Then exactly a year later, with gleaming Pro-Tools Certifications under each of our seatbelts, we packed her up and drove all the way back home again.

So you get the idea. Great car, great times, family bonding, etc. About 2 years later, I called Guthrie and said "Well, I'm afraid she's reached the end of her trail, for us anyway..." The repairs were way too expensive to justify, and I sold her for "parts" to my friendly neighborhood Volvo mechanic. I was secretly hoping that he would revive the car and give her a second life. My husband and I bought a beautiful Prius just when the gas prices started to really go up. We said goodbye to The Green Volvo and started the next roadtrip in our new ride.

When my Mama gave her safe-capsule-of-love-Volvo to Guthrie, he started taking it to the same mechanic for oil changes. He would call me from the garage with occasional status reports about The Green Volvo, like "eh, she's still in the junkyard" or "oh, he moved her into the other lot today". Time passes. Then one day last year, winter was approaching and Guthrie went to get his snow tires mounted. He called me from the shop and said, "You'll never believe it! The Green Volvo is back in action! Bill fixed it and sold it to someone nice! It's here in the bay right next to my car and they're still trying to figure out that problem with the electrical system so it will pass inspection." I was happy to know that it would have some more adventures, and Guthrie got a kick out of telling the mechanic about the coincidence.

A winter went by, spring happened, and then about 20 minutes ago, Guthrie called me saying "Hey, check this out, I'm having another reunion here!" He'd gone to get his snow tires removed, and low and behold, there is The Green Volvo getting an oil change right in the bay next to his! The new owner even left the Phish sticker on it. I said, "Hey! send me a picture from your cell phone," which he did. Now check out this sweet sight: our two capsules of adventure and love side-by-side just saying hi to each other again & sharing their stories from another season down the road:

stash

this is just amazing. i am at a loss for words. you fellow phish fans will know what i mean:

sweet jane

the rumor

"Close your eyes, hang down your head, until the fog blows away, let it roll away. Open up your arms and feel the good, it's a-comin', a brand new day."

from 'The Rumor' by The Band

sunscreen

Thanks, brother for reminding me about this one today!

radiohead re-mix project

I love Radiohead. I love In Rainbows, and the whole concept of "pay what you want" for it. I paid 5 pounds, because that was what I could afford, although if I was a millionaire, I would have paid 500 pounds, because the record is just that damn good.

And you've probably heard of this by now, but if not, get ready for yet another revolutionary musical gift from Radiohead: how about giving us fans access to 5 stems from the original track "Nude" to mix up to our hearts content! Yeah!

Read all about it out on their site.

They want you to make something new out of their song. For a small fee of $5.94, you can purchase the stems and have a blast.

'Stems' are individual tracks that make up a song. Every song is made up of several stem tracks; one for drums, one for bass, one for guitar, etc. Before you've mixed the stems down into one track, you still have the freedom to play around; you can boost/cut the volume, (say if you want the other instruments to get quieter during a guitar solo, all you've gotta do is lower the levels of the other tracks & boost the guitar track). You can also drop out parts completely, or add beats and effects. Once the mix sounds good to everybody, you weave those stems together and that's what makes a finished song.

Once a song is mixed, you can't change anything about specific elements, like say, drop out the vocal track to sing your own karaoke over it. But, before a song is mixed, you can make new arrangements until your heart's content using a music software platform, like Pro Tools, Nuendo, Logic, or Garageband.

So, back to the "Nude" remix project. You can download the 'stems' from iTunes, and you get bass, voice, guitar, strings/fx and drums, each for use on their own track. They'll even give you a special Garageband session to make things easier. You can mix the stems any way you like, by adding your own beats, instrumentation, vocals, and effects, or just by remixing the original parts until you come up with something cool and original.

Then, you can upload your finished mix to Radiohead's website. Tons of people will listen and vote for their favorite remix, and then Radiohead will listen to the best remixes.

There are some really cool remixes up there on the site now to check out. I'm excited, it's a great song and I can't wait to mix it up. What a band.

Here's the original version of Nude:

pump audio rocks times square

What an amazing time! After arriving at work on Thursday armed with garment bags & sheriff badges, about 30 of us from the Tivoli crew of Pump Audio boarded a Rock Bus headed straight for the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square. The folks from Getty Images joined us in hosting a night that was action-packed with incredible music, contagious excitement, beautiful people, colorful lights, fancy dresses, flashing cameras, wild dancing, and just a little bit of drinking. The Alexis P. Suter Band played a set that was literally incendiary. Epic. They've also been opening up the Midnight Rambles at Levon Helm's studio up here in Woodstock lately. Here are a few pics from the night:

hello tomorrow

Here's a good one for a Monday. Yes it's a commercial, but a great example of music used well in a commercial -- I think so anyway. Cool video too. This spot came out in 2005 and was created by Spike Jonze. The title song, "Hello Tomorrow" was composed specifically for the ad by Spike's brother, Sam "Squeak E. Clean" Spiegel. Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs sings the lyrics.

ain't love funny

Thanks to my brother Guthrie for sharing a sweet tune this morning; it's a JJ Cale song Ain't Love Funny from his album Closer to You. This version was covered by Phish on June 6, 1997 at their road manager Brad Sands' house in Charlotte, VT. This private, unannounced concert was attended by 50-60 family members and friends of the band and is lovingly referred to as "The Fourth Ball" or "Bradstock". Happy spring!

four eyed monsters

Just revisiting one of my favorite films here; Four Eyed Monsters. A great one to check out this weekend if you haven't seen it yet. It's a fresh and delicious love story for the eyes and ears alike. And you don't even have to wait for Netflix or b-side films to send it to you, you can watch it right now, all 71 minutes of it right on their myspace page, how's that for innovation? That's right, they've embedded their entire feature film right into their damn myspace page! I'm pretty sure that after watching about 4 of the 71 minutes online, you'll want to order yourself a nice DVD to show off your new flat-panel with, but there is nothing like instant gratification.

Here's the trailer:

25 Things About Me

1. I'll try anything once.

2. I learned how to fly an airplane before I learned how to drive.

3. My brothers are my closest friends on the planet.

4. Living in Vancouver for a year only amplified my love for rainy days.

5. I recently earned my EMT-B certification and have already put it to good use.

6. Dropping out of high school was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

7. I survived "Hook Worms". Enough said.

8. I believe in love at first sight.

9. My parents still own and live in the house I grew up in. I feel comfort and ground whenever I go back there.

10. Sometimes I wish people would call me Caitie but I haven't figured out a cool way to spell it with a "C".

11. When I fall in love with a song, I crave it on a visceral level.

12. I can't wait to meet my future children and I think about them all the time.

13. If Steve Jobs made a toothbrush, I would buy it.

14. I am a proud member of the mile-high club (see #2).

15. I will attend my 100th Phish concert on March 8th, 2009!

16. I worked as a shad fisherman on the Hudson River for several years every season each May. It was one of my favorite jobs I've ever had.

17. Sunset is my favorite time of day.

18. I've transformed from a "cat-person" into a "dog-person", thanks to Habibi.

19. The company I work for pays me good money to listen to music for 8 hours every day (?!?) Yes.

20. I love plane, train, and automobile trips. Especially the ones where the road stretches out for so long ahead that it takes days or weeks to get "there".

21. When I was ten, I memorized all the words to "We Didn't Start the Fire". I still sing it regularly.

22. The first vehicle registered in my name was a full-sized purple 1978 Bluebird school bus.

23. According to my (very patient) husband, I have long, detailed, one-sided conversations in my sleep almost every night.

24. I can cook an awesome meal out of whatever is left in the fridge as long as we have garlic.

25. If you are reading this, I love you.

runnin' on faith

I'll never forget one of the many times I asked my Dad for mix-tape advice while raiding his record collection. I was 15, the whole ecstatic summer was glistening ahead, and I was dubbing songs from vinyl to cassettes; crafting the soundtrack for my first big road trip. He played me "Key to the Highway" from the Derek & the Dominos record, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. It's one of my favorite albums of all time. He said, "play this one as soon as you turn onto 91..."

The next thing I'll never forget is the rush that I felt in my soul after cranking up that mix tape in the van and actually hearing that song while watching those yellow lines stretch miles ahead as I left Cheshire County far behind & began my own adventure of self-discovery. Good call Dad!

The image above was on my desktop for a while during my "Winter of Eric Clapton Appreciation Season of 2007-08". Really spiced up the 'ole cabin fever this year to read his autobiography & chronologically listen to his entire discography of recorded material. His book, appropriately titled Clapton, is a real page-turner. As a writer for Publisher's Weekly says "Readers hoping for sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll won't be disappointed." And baby, I wasn't. It was amazing to hear him describe his journey of teaching himself to play guitar by listening to records and playing along, recording himself on a tape recorder, and learning from his mistakes. The story unfolds from there into a tornado of wild adventures as he travels through adolescence, self-discovery, addiction, women, tours, bands, a search for his roots, and a brilliant outlook on the future.

I'm gonna roam this old highway until the break of day...

golden ears

Most humans can hear sounds within the frequency range of 20 Hz and 20,000 Hz. Anything below 20 Hz is silent to us, but we can feel it, like the bass of a song through a sub-woofer (ha ha), or the vibrations of the floor at a concert.

Check this one out: dogs (as well as many other animals) have a wider range of hearing than humans, about 40 Hz to 60,000 Hz (you probably knew that, but hey)!

I love watching our dog Habibi (adorable) react to sounds. It never ceases to amaze me at how he can tell that Kale is coming home at least 30 seconds before I hear any footsteps or keys jingling in the door.

To me, the vacuum just sounds loud, but it's actually giving off a very high frequency sound which scares the living daylights out of the poor guy.

One time I learned that part of dogs' secret to sharp hearing is the fact that they have so much mobility in their ears. If you watch 'em, you'll notice that they perk up their ears when they pick up on a fascinating sound, and move them to "tune it in", the same way that we can cup our ears to increase sensitivity to sound.

I just know that those extra 40,000 Hz give Habibi a whole different perspective of the world. He would definitely be one awesome sound engineer.

i can't believe i ran my hybrid out of gas...

Yep, what began as a simple Friday lunchtime trip to the diner with a couple of friends turned into an adventure that will not likely be forgotten anytime soon by the folks at our local watering hole... I guess now i know that when the Prius says E it means it!

make the jump!

I'm lucky to say that two of my favorite things in this world are my amazing brothers, Travis and Guthrie. And since this blog is about music, life, love, and adventures, I think it's about time I introduce them to y'all.

Travis plays bass (and guitar hero), has attended more live concerts than anyone I've ever known, is a critical and talented music writer, and also has a photographic memory of which he devotes an entire hemisphere of his brain to cataloging musical experiences and data. His most recent endeavor involves recording live concerts (with the bands' permission, of course) and posting the torrents to his site, The JumpStation.

Once again, thank the sweet Lord for brothers, because The JumpStation has been a real publicity kick for our younger brother Guthrie, an incredibly talented working musician. Guthrie plays bass in Middle America, pretty much the hottest rock band in the Hudson Valley. He's also the bass player in another great local band, Johnny Unstoppable, and plays a bunch of solo gigs here and there. He's also a pro-tools engineer, sound designer, film composer, remote classifier for Pump, and one of those guys who can pick up any instrument and play it beautifully, (or rocking-ly, depending on the groove) with very little ego.

Middle America played a hot set at The Basement the other night which Travis recorded and will soon be uploading as a torrent on The Jumpstation. For now, you can check out and download some other cool shows from his site; there's also a killer Dead Unicorn show up -- they're yet another insanely awesome Kingston band.

I love you brothers, you keep on rockin' now boyzzzzz....

tegan and sara

Tegan and Sara aren't Pump artists, but their fifth album "The Con" has been in slot 4 of my cd-player for weeks now. They're twin sisters from Calgary, Alberta. Currently, Tegan lives in Vancouver (a city close to my heart) and Sara lives in Montreal. I'd say for about the last 25 week-days or so, this song has been key to my morning routine: Wake up, hit the shower, eat cereal with Kale and Habibi, run out the door, realize I've forgotten my cell phone, run back in and grab it, rev up the 'ole Prius, and skip straight to track 6 for a great morning-drive soundtrack. Saw a video of them recording this a while back and learned a whole bunch of cool studio tricks like throwing a mic on a bottle of sunflower seeds (which shaking) to emphasize the crisp snare-rattle. Check out their fantastic final product:
back in your head

that sea, the gambler

I love my job at Pump Audio. I listen to music all day. As a classifier for our ever-expanding catalog, I screen the submissions that come in from independent artists all over the world. Some days I hear a lot of good music. Some days I hear a lot of what we like to call "average" music. Most days it's a stew. But then there are days like today when I come across a real gem -- a song or an album that warms me to the core of my soul and makes me want to listen over and over and play it through speakers big enough to wash through the whole Hudson River.

So today was pretty much a regular day until the album "That Sea, the Gambler" by Gregory Alan Isakov (of The Freight) played through my speakers about an hour ago. First, I fell in love. Then, I added "The Stable Song" to my myspace page. Then, I said, hey...I think today's the day to actually start that music blog I've been wanting to for a long time. So thanks for the music Gregory, and for the inspiration... from now on when I hear something cool I'll post it up here for y'all to enjoy!

Here is a video-track from "That Sea, The Gambler" by Gregory Alan Isakov:
Check out this video: Black and Blue



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