I can’t believe January is almost over, doesn’t it seem like New Years just happened? I suppose it did, in a way, but no matter: onward to February! Michael and myself will be spending a lot of time on the road over the next few weeks (check out the events page to see when we’ll be near you.) It’s going to be a lot of fun, I just hope that the impending snow won’t get in the way!

I don’t like bad news, but right now all eyes are on Haiti. Fortunately, donations have been pouring in from all manner of agencies, aid drives, and charitable citizens– the US government itself has already spent $379 million on rescue and relief efforts– and now I’m doing my part. One dollar from every CD purchased from my site between now and February 7th will be donated toward relief efforts in Haiti. You can purchase the EP here. Michael is offering the same donation, you can get his album here. In addition, every digital download purchase of over $8.99 will also contribute to the fund.

Here’s something really neat: two researchers at Imperial College London started an experiment last year called DarwinTunes, a sound generator that has learned to make music based on its user’s ratings of streaming, 15-second clips. It’s very interesting, but you’ll lose track of time very quickly playing around on it. You can hear how the music has “evolved” on their News page, where they’ve posted samples from various points along the experiment.

And now, some music produced (mostly) by humans. First, I’ve posted my favorite song by French quartet Phoenix, a tune apparently inspired by Franz Liszt, or maybe by the Ken Russell film of the same name. In any case, I really thought I had posted this song back in September, but I was still figuring out all the bells and whistles of the internets, so I must have made a mistake.
Secondly, a song by Major Lazer, a collaboration between DJs Diplo and Switch (of “Paper Planes” fame) and a seemingly endless line-up of Jamaican guest rappers and dance hall artists. It’s a bizarre combination, but weirdly catchy, and I have been powerless to get it out of my head.

Phoenix – Lisztomania
Major Lazer – Keep it Goin’ Louder

I’ve been doing some research on how to get my EP out to more people, and I’ve determined that I may be missing a key demographic by having plain cover art.

I did a quick search for platinum-selling album covers, and found these two:

©2004 Reprise Records

©2009 Reprise Records

After carefully studying the stylistic and compositional elements of these two examples, I have produced a “Limited Edition” EP cover, which officially goes on sale this week:

©2010 Geoffrey Osborne

If you’d like the new Limited Edition EP, just send a message through the “Contact” link over there on the left, and when you order I’ll send you a signed copy! (The original version is still available, too.)

It’s been a long time between updates, my apologies. I kept very busy (and had a lot of fun!) over the holidays, but the dust is finally settling, so it’s back to the grind for me. Michael and I played an awesome show last weekend in Virginia Beach at the Regal Beagle Taphouse. It’s a very cool space with a huge bar, about a million beers on tap, arcade games, and a fun crowd. We also enjoyed the colorful stage and lighting effects. We made some new friends after the show, then spent the rest of the evening catching up with old ones over drinks and Chinese food. Truly, some of life’s simplest and most profound pleasures.

That does it for now, keep the feedback coming! I love reading the comments I get on the site. Tonight’s music is a song whose title is also a movie, by a band whose name is taken from a line in The Office.

MP3: Does It Offend You, Yeah – Dawn Of The Dead

Merry December, I hope you’re staying warm and happy. Get your shopping done early, too. I did most of mine on the interweb; I like to support my local economy whenever possible, but it’s hard to refuse lower prices and free shipping.

Fortunately, I’ve been wicked busy playing out around Virginia. Michael and I stopped in Richmond and Charlottesville last week and played two great shows at The Camel and Coupe DeVille’s.

We were in Portsmouth this past weekend, playing at the Baron’s Pub. I had a great time, the crowd was awesome, and I can’t wait to return to the beach area in January. Right now, we’re gearing up for Roanoke this Friday, at Zak’s Café. In our small amount of down time, we’ve been finishing some songs for our upcoming album, which we’ll start tracking this month. I promise it will be amazing.

Sometimes, I’ll forget how much I love a certain artist or song, then eventually rediscover them and resume my obsession. That happened to me this past week with St. Vincent (known to some as Annie Clark), in particular her song “Landmines”. I couldn’t stop listening to this for about a month when I first found it, and now it’s making a comeback for me:

MP3: St. Vincent – Landmines

Here it is! My EP is online for sale today, and for $4.99 you’re practically snatching it from my hands. You won’t find a better deal this side of the AIG board room. Want more? You can download the single, “Come Down“, for free, too. Michael Chagnon also released his compilation album today, check it out. I make an appearance on the track “The Only One”, singing heavenly vocal harmonies and ripping on the guitar solo. Go forth, listen, and download!

On Black Friday, we played at the Cowboy Café in Arlington to a great crowd, then stopped by WNRN in Charlottesville for an interview. We’ll be posting the audio soon on Michael’s website, but it will only be available to mailing list subscribers, so make sure you enter your email to get exclusive access. More big things to come soon, check back often!

Also, check out the last video release in our series, “Casablanca by the Riverside”. It’s relaxed and jazzy, and there’s a little something in there for Gershwin lovers, too:

I hope you’re all as stuffed as I am! If you’re slightly more comfortable, that’s good as well. You probably made wiser decisions at the dinner table than I did, but I choose to blame the homemade sangria.

Now that November is effectively dead to the world, I’ll be kicking off a busy four-week streak of performances and interviews, culminating in what I hope will be a relaxing Christmas holiday. Tomorrow we’ll be in Arlington, at the Cowboy Café. If you’re in the D.C. area doing your holiday shopping, I’d love for you to stop in for a drink and a few songs!

Finally, the fourth installation of our video series, in which I make my debut on drumset:

I apologize for being so late with this update, but I accidentally set myself adrift in my dad’s weather balloon and wasn’t able to land until earlier today. The third video this month is one of my favorite songs from our live set, “Play.” I keep it heavy holding down the low end on bass for this one:

It’s also an online exclusive: despite its infectious groove and booty-shakeable Spanish rhythm, Michael won’t let us record this one :’(

We’re about to have a very busy week, culminating in a show in Arlington and a radio interview, but I promise to pop in with another update soon.

If you’re alive and breathing, it’s impossible not to love the Wii, especially the Tanks! minigame on Wii Play. I might say that I’ve spent a shameful amount of time playing that game, but in 2-player mode, someone else is at least as guilty as me.

I recently picked up The Dear Hunter’s new album, Act III: Life and Death, and I have been unable to stop listening to it since. The overall tone of the album is fairly dark, but with dynamic, high-energy delivery in the vein of The Mars Volta. Go and get it, unless you hate great composition and musicianship. If that’s the case, then this album will piss you off. In keeping with today’s theme, here is my favorite track from the album, “The Tank.”

MP3: The Dear Hunter – The Tank

As promised, here is this week’s video, “Abby”, which is one of my favorite songs from our live set. Too bad I didn’t have my 12-string when we filmed it!

I’ve learned that the actual Abby whom inspired the song will be at our next show, on the 27th in Arlington, VA. If you’re in the DC area, you should join us for the festivities. After all, something’s gotta take the edge off of trying to shop on Black Friday.

If Stone Cold walks into a Cold Stone, do the two create a paradox and vanish? I can only assume that he would get a free ice cream, take some money from the tip jar, and have the staff serenade him until he stops the noise with his fist. Above is my artist’s interpretation of what this scenario would look like, assuming he left the store intact.

We’ve been keeping busy at the Lynchburg compound, working on some new music and preparing for the mass-distribution of musical propaganda (the good kind, though). Speaking of which, I want to know what you think of this site! You can drop me a line through the “contact” link to the left– tell me what you want to see more of/less of, submit special requests.  I’ll be as accommodating as I can, unless you’re Tom Cruise.  Stay the hell away from my website, Cruise.  Lastly, here’s your music for today, in which Melbourne-based artist Muscles provides the soundtrack for the picture posted above:

MP3: Muscles – Ice Cream

My site went live today! Go ahead and take a look around, it’s a pretty sweet space. Here’s where I’ll be posting news about shows and music, songs that have been stuck in my head (and may become stuck in yours), assorted images, and whatever else may come off the top of my head.

As a site-warming present, I’m making one of my songs, “come down”, available for download by right-clicking here and selecting “Save link as…” It’s the single off of my upcoming EP, which I’m planning on releasing on December 1st.

If you didn’t know, I play guitar, bass, and various musical implements with Michael Chagnon, who is also releasing an album on December 1st. Here’s a video of us that was recorded as footage for a television pilot, playing Michael’s song “The Only One.” Look for more videos as we release them each week this month!