The first song we did, which we released in the spring, was a cover of Joe Esposito’s “You’re the Best Around” form the movie the KArate Kid.

It’s actually doing really well on Youtube! Love it. Can you tell what band I’m paying homage to?
congratulate our Friend Brandon, for requesting such a good idea to cover.

The nest song we do is Todd Rundgren’s “Hello It’s Me”, and The sketch I created this morning has me really excited. I actually started this in the spring, but did this wacky solo piano arrangment, and then left it alone, becasue the inspiration came and went.

here is that version:

piano, in five.
gotta love it.
or it may make you puke.
the straight ahead version that is coming is sich, and will steam-roll all those OTHER Todd Rundgren covers.

All from, Robotanists’ Plans in Progress

plus I’m in three videos that Vice Cooler did that could potentially make the second round.

plus our Label, Overhead’s The Long Tangles also has a record on there in several categories.

So, today is the last day to vote!
Fellow Grammy members please hit up Robotanists’ Plans in Progress Best Pop Vocal, On/Off the Ledge Best Short Form Video, Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year, plus a couple others.

Old Blues, (pre war- eisenhower and post war), is incredible.

how bout this guy –

New Orleans’ best –

Lonnie Johnson (introduced by Sonny Boy Williamson)

If you did, you probably didn’t see Baron. Even though he is awesome.
don’t believe me?
check his new video – which has some totally sich footage shot when no one was looking.
Because no one was looking.

You should go to shows.
And get off your ass. (you have a DVR).

When I saw that picture, I said to myself, “I HAVE TO HEAR WHAT THAT SOUNDS LIKE”.

The picture, of a big girl, with an old guitar, in a house dress, glasses, passionate, powerful.

So I listened.

Here, you can too:

My ears were astonished.

Everything my eyes saw, my ears heard, and more.

Something old, yet new.

I, love old soul, blues, stax, chess, all that shit. It happens to be the uncoolest thing to like these days.
People want to hear you like Television and Joy Division. I certainly love that music, but that’s not what 12 year old Daniel was jamming along to.
My parents Otis Reading records, shit even the Blues Brothers soundtrack had more plays in my room. I new who Steve Cropper and Donald Duck Dunn were before I turned 10.
All those things are here in the Alabama Shakes.

So here is where my story gets interesting.

The night that I heard the Shakes (their old name), I had them loaded up on my soundcloud app, making everyone listen to it.

I wanted to let this guy who is a band manager listen. He manages bands including one that was pretty big for a minute in the early 00′s.

He looked at the picture of Miss Brittany Howard, and said “Why would I want to listen to her”?

I sat there stunned, as if he talked about my record, or my wife, or my mother.
He reminded me of the challenges of the record industry, of being judged, of what it is to take a chance, to put yourself out there.

But the great thing is. That guy was wrong!

The Alabama Shakes are blowing up.
Here is an excerpt from NME.com’s CMJ wrap up.

“They’re called Alabama Shakes, and as well as being Alex Turner’s fave new band it seems like pretty much everyone here at CMJ is after them (we spotted reps from Columbia, Heavenly and Rough Trade in the audience). That gig above was their only CMJ show, and their first in NYC ever, and to be fair to them, they absolutely slayed it. Expect to hear a lot more from them in the next six months..”

full article: http://t.co/hzTmym67

Go buy The Alabama Shakes EP from bandcamp.

That young lady’s voice is one of a kind, and it’s just starting to be heard.

Facebook algorithms are super frustrating, and I find myself having to search out people, and mute people, and it’s just silly.

I still will surf twitter (most of my friends are updating facebook via twitter), so please follow me on twitter @danieldeblanke.

and then i was out.

this is a test.

Check it out!

Check yo ponytail!!

here is the link:
click

the song is called “You (what would I do without you)”
i wrote, arranged, and recorded the song in a couple hours.
it embodies my general melancholy, but has an obvious romanticism for the second half.

I’m not going to release the full album at once, but just stream songs randomly through the fall.

Enjoy!

Daniel