17_

this guy gets it.

here's the story behind the album title, "Man Can't Fly."

we can do so much as a society. technology has made it so that we don't have to leave our houses in order to be entertained, educated, and connected. we can get in a plane and travel to Guam, we can LEAVE EARTH (!), and we can fix genetic deficiencies with stem-cells.

in the midst of all of this chaos, i think people are starting to lose track of the fallibility that makes us all human. without mortality, we would be robots... devoid of emotion, and lacking original thought and the capacity to innovate.

man can do lots of shit, but he still can't fly... he'll never be able to. once he can flap his arms and lift off the ground, he won't be a man anymore. but i've embraced this... technology will come and go, but we'll always have our humanity, and the beauty in our imperfections.

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

in the headphones:

man can't fly - the project

"awake in the city.
a black cloud above me.
perfection of progress.
a woman who loved me.
i filled up my lungs with.
the air of tomorrow.
and coughing and choking.
and swimming in sorrow.

but its alright.
man ain't never gonna fly away."

sexteen

so i've been tweeting.

no, i'm not a fucking bird, i've just been using this pre-teen jibber-jabber thing: some call it twitter, some call it satan. ya, i know... i'm part of the problem.

check this out:


but you know what, its kind of cool to just shout into the empty cyber-universe. as for the band, we've gained another 15-20 followers this week alone (mailing list signups and blog followers) and i'm pretty sure i have twitter to thank.

look out for some info on the junky new album. it drops in t-minus 11 days.

peace,
the project (boston dot com)

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in the headphones:

soul dream - the greyboy allstars

you might recognize this track, as the horn line has been sampled by quite a few hip-hop artists, but this is nu-jazz and funk at its finest. if any of you like medeski, or soulive, etc., you NEED to hear fred wesley (james brown's slide player) and the greyboy allstars!

FIFTEEN!!!!

:: 3.13.09
OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

The Project will be releasing their second EP, entitled "Man Can't Fly" on iTunes (worldwide), Amazon.com, and our website on April 4, 2009.

You can preview a few tracks on our myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/theprojectboston).

We're throwing a CD release party at Bill's Bar on Landsdowne St. in Fenway that night to celebrate (look for ticket info at http://www.theprojectboston.com)

Track Listing:
1. Love & Music
2. Man Can't Fly
3. Neighbor's Wife
4. Graffiti
5. Mr. Recordman (Vinyl Sound)

We're so pumped to finally have some new music for you... we hope you're ready to experience some Junky-Ass Rock (Jazz/Funky-Ass Rock).

Welcome to The Project v2.0.

Prepare yoself!

Peace, Love, & Music,
The Project :: Andrew, Shane, Phil, Sham, & Jake

P.S. PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD! Thanks for the support - without you guys, we'd still be screwing around in someone's basement...

numero fourteen

this weekend i drove through hampton, va to try and score some miracle phish tickets for their big-daddy reuinion shows. seeing as i'm a pretty big fan, and was denied tix in the lottery, it was kind of a no-brainer to go try my luck in the lot, and see if someone wanted to make my day.

well apparently 74,999 other people had the same idea... and the venue only holds 12,500.

anyway, this was what a band with a dedicated following should look like. there were people there who had been to over 100, some over 500 phish shows over the last twenty years.

sure, some were wookie-ass hippies, cracked-out heavy drug vendors, and dudes still flashing back to when jerry was playing in san fran... but for the most part, it was just good ol' wholesome music-lovin folk.

i dug it.

i want to thank everyone who helps build a scene like this, from the bands, to the crews, to the fans. these communities are really some of the coolest, purest things on the face of the earth.

that is all.

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in the headphones:

fluffhead - phish

#_13

so it seems like there's been some push back on the creativity front lately.

did anyone see the grammys? not only did thom yorke and johnny greenwood steal the show with the USC marching band (one word for that: amazing.), but there was some actual talent laying it down on stage all night.

all is not wrong with the world of popular music. jt killed it, al green was still magical, and some crazy british girl with an angel's voice (adele) stole my heart.

i have a feeling people are going to start feeling pressure to fight back against the despair and impersonality that has characterized this generation. especially with the way the economy is going... sure, president obama (still feels good to say that) will change things, but its going to take time. for now, artists will actually feel what it's like to hurt. people might feel what its like to struggle, or to have the strength of character to persevere in the face of a challenge.

i don't wish bad things on anyone, but our generation has such a strong sense of entitlement that it might be time we fought our own battles - rather than paying homage to those that have been fought before us.

i know robyn thicke and weezy's performance may not have been on top of everyone's list, and new orleans might be in the back of everyone's mind. but when the dirty dozen brass band came out and marched through the crowd in a tribute to that fallen mecca of creativity, it gave me hope in the future.

i'm running from my problems and i can see the clouds are starting to break.

feet, don't fail me now.

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

in the headphones:

when the levees break - led zeppelin

(#_44) barack_obama

power to the people waving flags and shit
its another generation heading north
marching strong past hatred racially united
as divided as a nation on the fourth

its the simplicity of a clenched up fist
it’s the futile implications of the fight
and when we all got together seemingly excited
we decided there’s no color in the night

the sun comes up
the music blares
the windows down
in hope we stare

cause its time. we’ll finally be fine.

on a cold plain day on the steps of change
stand refreshed because our confidence is wealth
fuel the fire with desire its the progress in our minds
the time is ripe for him to nurse us back to health

and when tomorrow comes we’ll speak our minds
feeling pressure from the rising tide of hope
just as the river cut through rock, we walk in footprints from the past

good morning.

hope this headache doesn’t last.

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

in the headphones:

young jeezy - my president is black

"my president is black, my lambo's blue, and i'll be goddamned if my rims aint too"

one_ one_

we're putting the final touches on the album. it's gonna be ready in a few weeks.

before that happens, i have to use this blog to talk about vinyl records, because one of the tunes on the EP is about the rise and fall of this resurrecting media.

one of my buddies got a record player in his spot and we've been spinning records for a few months now. we've all stolen records from our parents, we've bought them used for $4, and we've spent hard cash on new ones (ya, we're broke too... but it's so GRATIFYING). but the sound of a vinyl record... that warm, vintage, crackly authenticity is what has been turning my world around for the last few months.

in this "digital age," we're used to getting our music in mythical files called "mp3s," that we can never actually see. they come out of our crappy computer speakers or shitty earbud headphones, and we trade them freely over networks.

i fucking hate it.

at the record store, i buy ACTUAL RECORDS that i can take home with me on the recommendation of some old dude who smokes a lot of pot (he knows what's up, by the way... as do 95% of record store dudes). after i come home from the record store, i listen to a work of artistic talent... not just a randomly arranged collection of singles on an ipod.

it's too bad pressing vinyl is so expensive. i promise, if we sell enough digital copies of our new EP, we'll print vinyl before we ever make a CD again.

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

in the headphones:

vinyl sound - the project

too bad you guys can't yet hear this track. it's about this dude named "Mr. Recordman." he's born, he's mine, then he dies - and it's our fault. the way the music listening community is headed, the "record" as we know it might be dead. but we're hopeful... we're trying to make people aware that a revolution is necessary. if the purchasing public demands more creativity and thought before they buy music, then the bands and record companies will be forced to change.

this is our cause. when the EP comes out, support it.

even if you don't, though. do yourself a favor and go listen to your favorite band on vinyl.