pearl jam's first album_

ahhhh. that's it.

the feeling of having created something. i mean, anyone who's taken freshmen shop class in high school, who's had to do some stupid paper mache project, or even doodled a picture should know what i'm talking about.

the guys and i essentially locked ourselves in a room a few weeks ago and played until some real music came out. then we took it home and worked on it: our sound has REALLY COME TOGETHER on this album. the tracks are all done, and they range from straight up funk, to acoustic-driven compositional stuff (that is oh-so-much-more-mature than we used to write), to pop songs with an edge. we go from indie to herbie (hancock) to groovy in five short songs.

we were talking with the (super talented) mix engineer about our sound. we all agreed this album should be super personal.

we want to re-introduce ourselves to you all.

the listener should feel as if they were sitting in a room in between the five of us, grooving to some music. the lyrical themes that tie the thing together - love, people fucking up the world, music saving the world, the downward spiral of pop music, etc. - echo the statements and emotion of the music. it's chill, but it can kick your ass if you aren't careful.

the album comes out in january.

download it legally (support the revolution).
download it illegally (as long as you promise to listen to EVERY note).

i hope you all get sweet presents for the holidays.

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in the headphones:
spoon - don't you evah

i recently unearthed spoon. this song is off their most recent LP "ga ga ga ga ga." this and 2005's "gimmie fiction" are some of the most unbelievable examples of modern production and unique songwriting. it's beck with a little cake mixed in - its heaven.

britt daniels might possibly my hero of the month. stay tuned for more...

no in german.

shane laid down all of his leads last night. talk about a transformation. the kid is an animal... but his riffs have, like the band's music, just matured so much. it seems like yesterday we were in my sophomore dorm room writing "three step drop" thinking music couldn't get any better than that...

anyway. this album is really coming together. the only stuff we have left are sham's key parts and the vocals. jon sage, a fantastic engineer and microphone master, has been doing a PHENOMENAL job producing and engineering these sessions. here is a track listing for those of you keeping score.

keep in mind, the order and titles of the tracks are still tentative:

1. love & music
2. graffiti
3. man can't fly
4. neighbor's wife
5. vinyl sound (mr. recordman)

hopefully you guys recognize a few of these... and hopefully some of them are brand new to you. most of all, we hope you like them once they're released.

one love,
andrew

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in the headphones:
after the rain - little dragon

this is a sick track. the female vocalist reminds me of M.I.A. with a little Feist in her. she's a chameleon, though... there are a few tracks where she brings the soul, the funk, and everything in between. the little middle eastern flourishes in her voice kick ass and the backing beat is driving, but dynamic. things are flying everywhere, but it never seems gimmicky. you could dance to this at a party, or kick it at the library with it in the headphones. check their debut self-titled album.

ate.

so we have drums, bass, rhythm guitar, and a few leads laid down on this new EP.

it sounds phenomenal. we're working with a fantastic mix/tech engineer and we sound as good as we ever have before. we're finishing up lyrics, and shane and sam are going to lay down some leads/keys tonight. sam's gonna play only his vintage rhodes... i'm so excited to hear how it sounds on "tape."

i guess that's it for now. we'll get back to you with another report from the studio soon, but for now keep on keepin on.

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in the headphones:
bob dylan - mr. tambourine man

sevone.

so its studio time.

we've grown up. we're writing more mature, more meaningful music right now. the new lineup is full of guys who know how to really lay it down - in the studio or in a club. the songs are ready to be laid down - there are two brand new ones and a few you all might have heard before, if you were listening carefully.

we're getting a party planned to release this bitch in january. there's gonna be booze. and members of the opposite sex. and probably some illegal narcotics. but enough about what'll be going on backstage...

we think we're gonna charge you fools to buy this record. cause it's gonna sound like it's worth it. we've given away all our live shit for the last year and a half, and we're definitely going to keep on with that. if you dig the music, let your buddies back home know what's up. send em to the site to check it out and see whether they dig it for themselves. trust me, stumbleupon is only giving us so many website hits per month haha.

this track (head to the site for a free download) is a sneak peek as to what our studio effort's gonna sound like. its a new take on a song that we first recorded about two years ago. its free.

ya. $0.

i gotta say. i love playing music. it's tight that some of you people like to listen.

peace, love, & rock,
andrew

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in the headphones:
hate it here - wilco

six.

i've been in the studio mixing up some live tracks from our show at harper's last may. they sound great and we're really excited about them.

some of us in the band are heading into the last semester of college. this is crazy shit... we have to decide what we want to do in the real world, how we're going to make our mark, and whether we want to keep playing music together.

i've decided that i'm going to keep playing. jake and sham are going to school to be studio cats, so i'm sure they'll keep playing. shane and phil are figuring things out. one thing i do know is that these next six months could be the last for The Project, or it could be the beginning of an evolution that readies the band for some national success in musical circles.

what does this mean for you all?

if you want the music to keep coming, let us know. keep tabs on the site, come see some shows, and grab some free live downloads. we really just want to share the music with you, and we're working really hard writing material and spending hours in the studio to get you guys what you deserve. thanks for everything so far, and we look forward to keeping the dialogue open between the fans and the band.

on tap in the next six months:

1. the release of our long-awaited second EP (should drop around mid january)
2. the release of our first ever live-EP (in the final mixing stages and should drop in the next few weeks)
3. our first ever CHICAGO shows (mid june)
4. some boston club shows and a possible concert cruise in late may

hopefully you're all along for the ride. here's a track my dad used to play for me. it's an old school folksy beatles song that i've been in love with for a long time.

Peace, Love, & Music,
Andrew

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in the headphones:
norweigan wood - the beatles

Number Five.

Everyone loves buzz words.

"scene."
"indie."
"originality."
"musicianship."

Yet it's rare that anyone has a chance to think about what they actually mean, or whether the music they're characterizing with such words actually has an impact on the society around them.

At Boston College, we're in a pretty cool spot. There has been NO music... NO originality... NO musical creativity on campus for a few years now. Other than that dude from The Hold Steady (Craig Finn, BC class of '93), BC has been a graveyard where creative talent goes to rot under an avalanche of scarlet tape.

So we decided to say fuck that. The Project wants to actively push boundaries and get the students here what we deserve: quality original thought and a forum for kids with such opinions to voice them.

The Roots in Conte? A disaster... Ludacris on campus? Too vulgar... Kids getting arrested for tailgating? Ridiculous...

Instead of bitching and whining, we've decided to take action. When you come to our shows, you are escaping campus and riding into a Boston "scene" that is full of fun to be had. There are no RAs breathing down your neck, no BCPD to bust into your room and arrest you for a joint. Sure... we've broken a few administrative rules with our advertising. Ya, we probably piss you off with the facebook and myspace messages that flood your inbox.

But its all for a good cause.

It's because we want our music to be a driving force behind originality in an academic atmosphere that is as stale and static as any I have been around (BC). That's not to harsh on the kids here - its NOT YOUR FAULT! The administration sets the norms and the students are forced to follow them.

Public Enemy said:
"The revolution won't be televised..."

They were absolutely right. If you want change in anything, you can make it happen yourself. Public Enemy also said, "It takes a nation of millions to hold us back." If you have a few good people on your side, initiative, and a noble cause, it takes a lot for you to fail.

By the time we're done playing music (as the same entity, at least) next May, we hope that we can build a sustainable "scene" at Boston College. We hope that "indie" bands, teeming with "originality" push one another to challenge boundaries, innovate, and create. We want freshmen with talent to be able to speak their minds to the MASSES without censorship or administrative pressure... because THAT is how bands are formed. THAT is how people find fun shit to do in the city with their friends.

Listen to our call. Read our manifesto. Question authority.

------------------------

We are Boston.
We are College.
We are Rock.

The Project.
Boston. College. Rock.

-----------------------

Peace, Love, & Revolution,
Andrew

numero tres

"330"

sup kids.

i was just having a conversation about the ideology behind my band. it really made me think about whether or not you all have had a chance to figure out what we're about.

as a band writing our own original music, we are very passionate with regards to our unified voice. as far as musical composition goes, everyone contributes their emotions to the music. it creates our diverse, unique sound.

however, as far as our lyrical message goes - that's pretty much my department. i have attempted to really pour my heart and soul into the development of a lyrical voice that people will both want to respect and listen to. building upon the foundation laid by the principles of the reggae movement, i believe that promoting a message of peace and universal harmony is probably the single most important thing one can do with their music.

bob marley – the father of putting the reggae struggle into words – once said, "the thing about music is, when it hits you, you feel no pain."

but it should still hit you. though i wasn't part of the same struggle bob was in kingston, i instead draw inspiration from my dylanesque approach to life, love, and loss. i strive, like dylan, to be as honest as possible – as marley would say, “being true to myself.” dylan’s unique singing voice and lyrical style only served to make him a distinctive personality that people wanted to listen to. what’s most important, though, is that the messages of both of these men were rooted in concepts with extremely personal meaning.

when you listen to our music, we want the nostalgia, the introspection, and the emotion that is poured into our lyrics to stir something in your soul. i share my experiences so that people can learn from them...

i talk about girls putting on short skirts because i believe that life is too short to be uptight. go out, have fun, meet people - EXPAND YOUR MINDS!!!

i talk about temptation in the garden of eden because we’re only so human and desiring your neighbor’s wife because, as humans, the grass is always greener…

the next time you're at a project show, maybe we'll play our song "revolution." i know many of you people have heard this song, but be honest with yourself - how many of you have listened?

"a broken voice, 45s and dust, makes me think of days when nothing had to hide
i'm running fast, from these visions of my past, make a future where the music didn't die"

when i put on one of my dad's old 45s and hear “broken voices” like dylan, marley, and hendrix... i see the raw emotion that music is supposed to convey. don mclean talked about the "day the music died..." in american pie. that day might be fast approaching.

really - tell me that music is "alive" when the top 10 songs are from miley cyrus, fiddy, and lil wayne. in 1965, music like that would have been buried under an avalanche of great music from the beatles, the allmans, motown, and coltrane.

not to say there isn't great music today - i just feel like without the presence of major labels to push it, no one has the initiative to go seek out the music they want to hear.

a friend of mine, john paul roney (the lyrical voice behind the uber-successful band "We The Living) has posted a video on his band's website - www.wetheliving.com. go check it out. this video helped me realize that people who listen to music are at an extreme disadvantage because they live in 2008.

there is great music out there right now. bands like:

radiohead
the whitest boy alive
aesop rock
my morning jacket
etc.

push boundaries and talk about personal issues.

no matter what your preference, don't hesitate to be passionate about music. without that passion, music would have never mattered.

for years, record companies rode on the backs of artists with passion and drive. they lined their pockets with the revenue from session recordings full of hard work and ideological innovation. however, bands began to become complacent and the record industry stopped searching so hard for talent.

now its up to fans of music to revive the soul of the industry. You should like music because you agree with it and it moves you, not because you agree with your roommate who heard on iLike that this band was the most popular.

and I don’t want to sound jaded, so this is my final point: at the end of the day, music is about enjoyment.

we all love to dance to a little rap. there's nothing wrong with that - and there's definitely talent in crafting that club music and those gangsta beats we all love to grind on girls to. don't necessarily equate the mainstream with evil anti-progressive music. just make sure you don't rely on the mainstream to be inspired.

if you're anything like me, that will leave you sorely dissapointed.

number two

"324"

sitting on a plane from Chicago to Boston, these thoughts popped into my head. i wrote them down:

letters written, never sent.
a lonely walk over bridges.

next to rivers

stealing glances
at the paths i didn't choose.
stealing seconds
from the youth and heartbreak's tears.

god.

i think.

i cry.

i stop sometimes.

but it's past the point where prose can pull me towards the pinnacle of some forgotten lover's lullaby.
and some of it makes sense...
but some dollars are too ripped and tattered to buy a single moment of peace and quiet in a place that was once just a beautiful silence.

where am i going?

where the fuck did I come from?

goodnight.
or good morning - i guess that's the next choice I'll be forced by convention to make.
and to think: i actually spent these precious seconds writing down nothing

and everything all at once, like the broken world we inhabit, tries to make cents.