I don’t get out much. Maybe it’s because I’m a devastatingly yellow-livered chicken when it comes to social situations, or because there are few places a solo singer-songwriter can get a show in this town, but whatever the reason I tend to play music huddled over my guitar in my bedroom and rarely do I let others in on the experience, live or recorded.
But all that is about to change, for today I have concocted not one, but TWO new projects that will (I hope) exponentially increase the amount of material available to you, my wonderful listener, as well as make the listening experience far more personal. I’m tentatively calling the first project Got You COVER’d. If you’ve ever wanted to hear me cover a particular song, maybe your favorite song, maybe a song you hate that needs to be reworked, this is your chance. Every week from Monday through Friday you can submit your requests via the comments at www.NoReallyRock.com or by Twittering @noreallyrock. I’ll choose one request at the end of each week, record it over the weekend, and put it online that Sunday (or Monday if I’m running terribly behind). You can request a different song each week, or keep requesting the same one and at some point I’ll probably get around to doing it. They’ll all be posted here as 320kpbs MP3 files, and maybe I’ll throw in a video now and then.
The other project has no name, but it’s similar to what several more famous musicians have done recently. For a measly forty bucks, you can commission me to write an original No, Really song about the subject of your choice. (Go to www.NoReallyRock.com/commission to start the process.) I will record it, send you a 320kbps MP3 file, and also burn a copy to CD and snail-mail it to you in custom handmade packaging. The song will be released to you under a Creative Commons license. You can do whatever you want with it, short of selling it. Make copies for your friends, put it on your website (with credit), it’s up to you. You ALSO get to choose whether I get to put the song on my website so others can download it, play it at shows, and/or use it on a future recording. Songs are personal things, after all, and your song can be as personal as you want it to be.
Both these projects will continue as long as I can reasonably sustain them, so file them under “for a limited time only”. Don’t miss this opportunity to get a totally custom original song or request a cover. I look forward to hearing from you!
2 years ago
•
0 notes
Okay chillens,
After spending 2008 doing essentially nothing of value as No, Really, I made it my 2009 resolution to play shows as much as possible. It would appear that providence closely monitors my inmost thoughts, for that very night--New Year’s Eve--I received an e-mail from an enthusiastic young man in New Hampshire, asking me to come play a show there in the spring. My response, in brief, was, “Hell yes!” When the universe makes it that easy for you, you don’t say no.
But New Hampshire is a bit of a drive from Tennessee for just one show, so I decided to go whole hog and do something I’ve wanted to do for years now: book a mini-tour. I will bring my friend Mel with me, and we will work some Minor Vine (myspace. com/minorvinemusic) songs into the set, and it will be, in brief, awesomesauce.
The NH show will likely happen on April 3rd, giving me a week beforehand and a weekend after to travel and play shows. Places I would like to play include Atlanta and/or Athens, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; Asheville, North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; Washington D.C.; Baltimore, Maryland; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Asbury Park, New Jersey; New York, New York; Providence, Rhode Island; Boston, Massachusetts; Portland, Maine; and anywhere else within a couple hours of those places. If you live somewhere along that meandering itinerary and want to see me play in your town, shoot me a message either here on MySpace or by e-mailing hannah at noreallyrock dot com.
I have basically no preference when it comes to venues--I will play just about anywhere people can hear me. House shows are grand, as are bars, coffeehouses, outdoor pavilions in a park somewhere, empty lots, whatever. I am just as comfortable unplugged as I am amplified. If you know of a great place in or near one of the locations listed above where people would be receptive to my material, again please send me a message or e-mail.
If you’re an artist in or near one of the aforementioned cities, I’d love to do a show with you. I’ll happily open for acts of any genre and style, and as long as people are cool and I end up with enough cash at the end of the night to cover the next tank of gas, I’ll be thrilled. Message or e-mail me to make such an arrangement.
Finally, I intend to couchsurf my way through this tour, so if you have the space and would like to host a couple of poor musicians for a night, please let me know. We are good company, and will play you some Radiohead covers in exchange for a place to rest our heads.
That’s the latest. I am so ridiculously excited, and I hope you are too. Let’s make this happen.
No, Really loves you,
--Hannah
3 years ago
•
0 notes
NoReallyRock.com has just been refurbished. In moderately related news, I’m planning a spring mini-tour of the East Coast. If you are interested in hosting a house show or can suggest a good coffeehouse or acoustic-friendly venue in your town, please get in touch.
3 years ago
•
0 notes
Late last month, I spent some time in a very fancy studio with my new band, Corelli. We recorded two songs, one of which is a full-band version of “Breathing On Another Planet”. It turned out better than I ever could have hoped. You can download it here.
3 years ago
•
0 notes
It’s a little odd to make an inaugural post by apologizing for the long delay since my previous update, but I’ve gone a while without communication on any of the No, Really social networking profiles. Life has been moderately busy and I’ve neglected keeping up my Internet presence. So, sorry about that, and welcome to my new Tumblr!
Now, down to business. Back when I started hosting acoustic night at the Grind here in Murfreesboro, I let them use the microphone I bought for recording my first EP and subsequent demos. I haven’t been writing much new material lately, so it was no biggie; I didn’t need constant access to my AudioTechnica.
A few weeks ago at a metal show at the Grind, my microphone got swiped. At first I was pissed, but then I gave it some thought and decided my recording rig is a little unwieldy for the type of demoing I do. And I decided to get rid of that stuff and get one of those nifty Snowball microphones so I can demo wherever I am. I’m feeling some new material coming on, and I want to be ready for it.
With that in mind, I’m selling two microphone stands and one Line 6 TonePort UXII recording interface. The mic stands are $15 each; one’s a boom with a tripod base and one’s a standard round base. Only the boom has a mic clip attached.
The TonePort UXII is a sweet little machine. I recorded the Thousand Yard Stare EP with it, as well as all the acoustic “first drafts” for Rust and a crop of B-sides and covers. It has two microphone inputs and two instrument inputs as well as two line inputs and footswitch plugs and a headphone jack. It’s USB powered and the drivers are freely downloadable from the Line 6 site (sorry, I no longer have the software). Works swell with GarageBand, Cubase, and just about any other recording software that can handle USB devices. It’s in good used condition and I’m asking $100 (paid $200 new).
I can ship the TonePort, but the mic stands are only available to people in Middle Tennessee who can pick them up. If you can’t afford that stuff but still want to support future demos of new songs, please consider donating to a penniless songwriter. My PayPal address is hannah@noreallyrock.com.
Other than that, there is little to report. I have joined a band calledCorelli and it’s forcing me to actually practice guitar, which is a new experience. I am coordinating next year’s Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp, which promises to be an amazing experience. I have bronchitis, and the lump on my left wrist that I thought was a bone out of place may actually be a ganglion cyst--woohoo! And I’ve started this Tumblr, rather on a whim.
I’ve been itching to play out more lately (maybe 2009 will actually be the year I go on tour?), so keep an eye on my MySpace for new show dates and stay tuned right here for any other developments. Cheers!
3 years ago
•
0 notes
