I was alone. The fire was strong. I stared into the flames, contemplative, and saw a face. I peered at it, trying to make sense of it's reality, but it just was what it was. I accepted that there was a face in the fire staring back at me. I thought to myself (to the face), "OK, what message are you here to give me?" A few moments passed as I stared intently. Then suddenly, the face's eyes burst into flames. Two little balls of fire, staring at me. I peered again, trying to make sense of this -- what kind of message is it trying to send me? And then a gust of wind blew smoke directly in my eyes. In an instant my hands were to my face, muffled cries issuing from me as my eyes burned. And then I realized: I am the face in the fire.

***************************************************************** * BRUCELETTER / Volume 7 / Issue 8 / June 23, 2009 ***************************************************************** News and commentary from Ben Bruce: http://www.benbruce.com Next Performance: July 18 @ El Diablo @ 8pm ***************************************************************** * CONTENTS ***************************************************************** Letter from Me: "Turn It Up" Free Gift: Download "Homesick" Commentary: People Aren't Paying for Music? From the Web: My new Youtube channel, 35% off iPhone, more Next Performance: July 18 @ El Diablo @ 8pm More: Upcoming Dates | Contact Me | Privacy ***************************************************************** * LETTER FROM ME / "TURN IT UP" ***************************************************************** Hey everybody! I had a great time at Marcus' Martini Bar last Thursday. I read that you should introduce yourself to people before your set and so I worked up my courage to actually "talk to people" -- it was really great. Good to meet you Adam and Ann and Sam. Amber won the drawing for the free CD. One funny thing about the night was that I had to set up the PA myself. I did my best. Andy (at the bar) kept saying, "Turn it down" but I had my ear plugs in and for some reason his hand motion made me think he was saying "Turn it up." So I kept turning it up, and he kept making the sign to me, until finally it was on full blast and there was no where else to go. Ha! I think we got it adjusted OK after that. Hope you're doing well, - Ben ***************************************************************** * FREE GIFT / DOWNLOAD "HOMESICK" ***************************************************************** Members of my email list, I thank you. Here is a free download -- "Homesick" (from my first album): (This link is only available in the bruceletter itself -- sign up here): http://www.benbruce.com/connections ***************************************************************** * COMMENTARY / PEOPLE AREN'T PAYING FOR MUSIC? ***************************************************************** I've had two recent experiences that belie this current theme -- which really has an undertone of "people aren't SUPPORTING music -- one was at a moe. show, and one was at a Recess Monkey show. At the moe. show, a man came out at setbreak and said something about "this show on USB Flash drive" and "throughout the set" and "ticket." I didn't really pay him any attention. After the show, I saw a guy I know standing by the merch table -- and at the time I noticed subconsciously that there sure were a lot of people standing around. He and I chatted for a while, and then I noticed a ticket he was holding in his hand and asked him what it was. "Oh, I bought the show tonight." I asked how much he paid for that ticket and he said $15. FIFTEEN DOLLARS. And slowly it dawned on me. All those people standing around? Seems like 30 is not too high a number? They were all waiting around for their USB Flash drive with that night's show burned on it. Incredible. Brilliant. The other night my family and I went to see Recess Monkey at Golden Gardens park (at the beach). We were trying to meet some friends so I looked up whether there were grills available and while I was on the city Web site I randomly noticed that Shelter #1 cost $45 to reserve. Only later I realized that was what RM had reserved for their performance -- they reserved Shelter #1 and invited all their fans -- families with young kids -- to the beach for a barbecue. They had acoustic guitars and the drummer had one of those boxes with a hole cut in it so it amplifies itself but I can't remember what they are called. There were a lot of blankets laid out on the small hill between the beach and the shelter, so they kept picking up and moving around so that at some point during the show everyone's blanket was front and center. It was totally wacky and fun. They had about two hundred people there, I'd say. Near the end of the performance they announce they have a new CD for sale and head over to the merch table after they are done to hang around. The table was MOBBED. We went to go get a treat, and when we came back about fifteen minutes later they were STILL selling. Amazing. I guess the theme that comes out of these two stories for me is that -- accepting as a given that the music of these two bands is great -- they are both using new and untested methods to maintain their career, with success in my opinion. Any band that can get a few hundred of their fans out on a Monday night is doing something right. Replies: bruceletter@benbruce.com More on moe.: http://www.moe.org/ More on Recess Monkey: http://www.recessmonkeytown.com/ ***************************************************************** * FROM THE WEB ***************************************************************** My New Youtube Channel / Live at Martini Heaven http://benbruce.com/video For Those Who Always Wished They Knew How http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Open_a_Beer_Bottle_With_a_Lighter Get 35% off a new iPhone (with new contract) with Bing Cashback http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/06/19/want-a-super-cheap-iphone-3g-s-bing-it/ Oh, you like deals: ***************************************************************** * NEXT PERFORMANCE / JULY 18 @ EL DIABLO @ 8pm ***************************************************************** El Diablo is family friendly. Beer and wine selection in addition to tea, snacks and, of course, amazing coffee. 1811 Queen Anne Ave. N Seattle, WA 98109 http://www.eldiablocoffee.com/ 206-285-0693 Map: http://www.bing.com/maps/#JnE9eXAuODExK1F1ZWVuK0FubmUrQXZlJTQwMitOJTJjK1NlYXR0bGUlMmMrV0ErOTgxMDklN2Vzc3QuMCU3ZXBnLjEmYmI9NTkuMTMwODYzMDk3MjU1OSU3ZS04NS4wNzgxMjUlN2UzMi45OTAyMzU1NTk2NTExJTdlLTE1OS4wODIwMzEyNQ== It's right on top of Queen Anne hill, about halfway down the strip. It's in the same building as the bookstore. PS. Don't forget "The Deal." Anyone who brings a friend who has never seen me play to the show tomorrow night gets free music from me as a thank you (by e-mail, not on the spot). Not, obviously, the same tracks as I give to my e-mail list members: http://benbruce.com/thank-you. I really want to get more people out and this is one way you can really, really help! ***************************************************************** * MORE UPCOMING DATES ***************************************************************** Jul 25 @ Three Trees Coffeehouse (Bellingham) Aug 6 @ Marcus' Martini Heaven (Seattle) Sep 18 @ The Alley Upstairs (Seattle) Details: http://benbruce.com/shows/ ***************************************************************** * MORE: PRIVACY POLICY / UNSUBSCRIPTION ***************************************************************** Privacy Policy It's really simple. Your information is private. I won't use your information for any purpose except connecting with you directly about my music. Unsubscribe Don't want to get these emails? Just send an email to this address and you'll be automatically removed from the list: unsubscribe@benbruce.com If my email is in your Spam/Junk Folder, please add bruceletter@benbruce.com to your address book. ***************************************************************** * Honest Songs, Honestly Sung: http://www.benbruce.com *****************************************************************

This is a fairly new song -- I've played it out a few times and have been singing it at home for a few months now. I sat down to record a different song, but then I'm not sure what happened and this is the one that got done tonight. I've added it to the "short list of songs for my next album." I'm considering a few ideas -- one idea I had was setting the demos to downloadable, and letting folks "vote" on songs by which ones they download from me, and when the album version is released your demo gets you the album version of the song. What do you think?

The other night at Marcus' Martini Heaven was a really good time. I'm only just getting around to recapping it because I left at 4am the next morning to go to LA to meet Steven Tyler and Todd Rundgren. You know how it is. Then my parents came on Wednesday and left this morning and that is a whole whirlwind. The bar is great. I had a bunch of friends there at two raucus tables and I know they enjoyed it. It makes me feel so good when my friends show up for my performance that it reminds me how important it is to support them and all my friends in their passion. I debuted "The Deal" which is free music if you bring a friend to the show. 3 people get "The Deal" but I haven't actually gotten to that part yet. I will though. I felt like it was my top performance (kind of tied with my last Bellingham gig). Which is the right trend. I've been feeling very solid at each of my last few gigs but it certainly helps when twenty of the loud people in the bar are your own. One thing I've been pondering is this: how to get people to sign up on the e-mail list? It's truly the only way to stay in touch with folks, at least to begin with, but unless they sign up I have no way of letting them know when I'll be back or where I'm playing, even if they were interested. Any ideas? - Ben

I received some kind compliments last night, but one of my favorites was from a friend of mine who said my voice sounded like "a fine Scotch whiskey." What a compliment! One reason that felt so good is that's really what I'm going for -- something special, something mature, something smooth, but powerful, with a devil at the bottom of the bottle. Nobody guessed the name of the Bon Jovi tune ("Wanted Dead or Alive," natch) but I think several people knew it and just didn't want to reveal their knowledge. I also played "New Shoes" by Paolo Nutini and I also played a Waxen Wane song (my old band) called "Style" (written by Dave Benton with lyrical assist by me). I'm really looking forward to my date at Marcus' Martini Heaven. I know martinis aren't made with Scotch, but it seems like my voice will feel at home there. I'll see you there.

This weekend I busted out two new demos: "So Predictable" and "Water Always Makes Waves." The first I wrote recently (and wrote about "here":http://www.benbruce.com/scraps/new-song-its-a-shame and the lyrics are "here":http://www.benbruce.com/songs/its-a-shame). The second was written a while ago ("here":http://www.benbruce.com/songs/water-always-makes-waves), and I actually had some work done on the demo already, and I just finished it up this weekend (this one I'm also referring to as "REALLY a demo"). ..

New lyrics are "here":http://www.benbruce.com/songs/its-a-shame. The guitar and vocals are worked out -- I could record this demo if I had time. I love songs like this. Bits and pieces of flotsam coalesce _of their own accord_ -- I'm just standing there -- and a song is born. You know how I'm always saying, "This is a new song -- I don't know what the words are yet"? That's because I rarely _actually sit down and work out the words_. With this song I did. Tonight I sat down and went through the words and the music -- those bits and pieces of flotsam that coalesced -- and made all the different pieces fit together, or allowed them to play. ..

I'm still listening to the new Gomez album. I'm hesitating for two reasons -- the more I listen, the better it sounds; and I don't know when the album is releasing. When I heard Kelly Clarkson's "All I Ever Wanted" I didn't dismiss it outright -- I like Kelly Clarkson -- but it did sound too polished and over-produced. The songs I liked immediately are the rawer, more rocking songs. But a friend came by and asked if I'd heard the new album, and that "My Life Would Suck Without You" is the "best pop song this year" -- so I had to go back and listen again. The thing is, produced pop is not my thing so I think I can be turned off quickly. But listening again to the album it's great -- inventive, strong, raw (at times) and sometimes hard to categorize. There are bits where she sounds like nothing she's done before.

I listened to "Oracular Spectacular" by MGMT when it first came out and honestly it didn't grab my attention -- and listening to it again, I know why. It's not a subtle album, but it's not a loud abrasive set either. I would have missed it entirely except ... The other night before the Winter Warmup in Bellingham, we were out with some friends at the mighty Casa Que Pasa having drinks and burritos, when two friends of mine who don't know each other all that well started in on MGMT, and both of them (respected music opinions) agreed that "Oracular Spectacular" was one of the best albums of last year. That was enough to send me back to listen again, and I'm glad I did. It is a great album, though it's not right up my alley. One of the best of last year? I don't know because I didn't keep a good list! But it's definitely a good listen. I suspect it's a good cloudy-afternoon-in-the-car album, but we'll see. ..

No, not the movie. The new song by J.J. Cale, with that classic Cale groove, both upbeat and cool, in a minor chord.

I’m biased. I like J.J.‘s songs, but this one caught my ear today. His new album “Roll On” is out today.

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