A blog all about LINUS

Moving the blog to Myspace...

2008-03-10T11:36:00.003-10:00

I've decided to blog on Myspace instead of blogger because it's easier and we get more comments on Myspace. I will however be leaving this blog up for posterity. For current LINUS updates, musings, features, check out our new blog here: http://www.myspace.com/linusthebanddotcom

Scheduled a recording session at HR for next weekend

2007-12-06T15:37:00.000-10:00

Read a sobering review of the first CD this past weekend and it made me think about the process we go through to record CDs. I'm thinking that anything else we do is going to be EXTREMELY light on post production. I need to just get this stuff out instead of thinking about it too much. Today I got a coffee at Starbucks and The Strokes were playing over the sound system. Then someone changed the song before it finished. Makes me think about how fast music becomes obsolete. Today I'm going to Toys and Joys to pick up my copy of Dance Dance Revolution Universe 2 which LINUS is featured on. I'm excited about that. It came out on December 4.

The Next Atomic Age

2007-12-06T10:48:00.000-10:00

Not sure how I feel about this. Read this article.

Short songs

2007-11-27T11:25:00.001-10:00

Looking through a CD of the greatest hits from 1968 and noticed that not a single song was over 3 minutes. Short songs, that's what I want to do.

I think it's time to go back to steel strings

2007-11-24T20:36:00.000-10:00

Ok paul1 and paul2, I take back everything I said about the Bob Dylan concert in Hawaii. I'd give you a call but I lost your phone number. I'm watching the Bob Dylan special on VH1 right now. It's making me think of restringing my steel string guitar to start writing. I want a typewriter with blue ink. I've been writing solely on the nylon string acoustic for the past two years. I think it's time to go back to steel. Played a show at Red Lion with The Pimpbot last night and had a great time watching them perform. I wish I lived in the mid 60's.

Trials Pro!

2007-11-13T15:59:00.000-10:00

So we were hanging out drinking and watching videos on youtube about ufo's, alien cover ups, and Russian telekinesis. Then Matt showed me Trials Pro. Never would have found this game on my own so I'm glad he shared it.

No download required to play. Play it online now.

Get your DDR dance pad out of storage! LINUS will be featured on DDR Universe 2 on the XBox 360 this winter!

2007-10-29T16:11:00.000-10:00

LINUS! has hit the big time with our very first video game song. It's been in the works for a while and I may have slipped up and told a few friends prior to the confirmation a few times but what can I say, I was excited. You'll be able to dance to your heart's content as LINUS jumps out of obscurity and into the hearts and minds of DDR loyalists. We've worked our song "Arrivals and Departures" into pop culture history! Other artist featured on the game include Outkast, Kool and the Gang, The Bangles, and Franz Ferdinand.

Read the entire list of bands here: http://kotaku.com/gaming/konami/ddr-universe-2-set-list-314952.php

Cool, someone gave me a lesson in photoshop.

2007-10-26T11:34:00.000-10:00

Do you like the new graphics? I'll keep working on updating all the pages.

It must be a Danish themed week

2007-10-25T08:12:00.000-10:00

Really liking the photographs and installations of danish born artist Olafur Eliasson.

Efterklang Mirador

2007-10-22T15:11:00.000-10:00

So I clicked through youtube to see what was on today and who do I see featured on the front page? A video by my two danish friends Sophie and Nanna! I like how the trees are colored and I like how the main character walks. I wish I could manipulate and create that kind of digital color. Congrats you two!

Wow! I'm impressed

2007-10-20T20:24:00.000-10:00

I have two new Radiohead tracks from the new album In Rainbows. I thought "Faust Arp" was self indulgent but "15 Steps" is sooo good. So good I'm going to listen to it again. It sounds like Bjork and Thom are feeding off each other's scraps.

VHS or BETA

2007-10-19T17:54:00.000-10:00

What a tight album. I love the guitar tones. "The Stars we Came From" sucks but the rest of the album is really good. I love the intro to "Love in my Pocket" even though the chorus sounds like a bad attempt at a beach boys arrangement without enough movement. And there's even an asian dude in the band! Listen to the album on myspace

A.R.E. Weapons

2007-10-19T11:01:00.000-10:00

I can't stop listening to "Confusion is the SIgn Today" by brooklyn-ites A.R.E. Weapons.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

2007-10-15T17:11:00.001-10:00

Finally got back from our tour of the East Coast with many experiences that will stay with me for a lifetime. I've got to fill orders for "Local's" slippers this weekend. Apparently the local brand slipper is big on the east coast due to its inclusion in the Urban Outfitters catalog. I will come through for sure.

Anyway, I think I can speak for the rest of the band when I say that we all had a great time. We saw a band called Lowercase Blues after a bunch of people suggested that we catch them at the Dewey Beach Music Festival. The response to our set was mixed. I don't think we played loud enough.

When we got back, I went to one of Tim's shows with Upstanding Youth and stayed in the back during most of their set. Coupled with the shows we witnessed on the east coast, that show made me think about the incentive for going to shows. I don't want to hear someone whine or showoff. I want to be entertained, lose myself in the music. As an attendee, I want to get something out of the performance.

I've been thinking of a new name to encompass the new direction I want to take with music and I think I stumbled onto it last night whilst watching Family Guy. "GLADIATOR MICE." Check out the clip. Nonsense. Like the band Fujiya and Miyagi. As the famous ancient greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “Expect the unexpected, or you won’t find it.”

Busy busy few weeks!

2007-09-17T10:28:00.000-10:00

Busy past few weeks for me, but I'm back! Just learned that a dear friend and loyal LINUS supporter will be moving to Oregon. Thanks to our myspace page (that for the past few months has been incapable of playing our music, but has been recently fixed) we'll be able to keep in contact. Hmm, how should I list these updates... Played a great show on the North Shore, played another great show in the International Market Place (even though I was an hour late because I was waiting at the wrong bar, but thankfully the waitress was nice enough to comp the drink that I had put on the band tab that didn't exist). Does that make sense?

This past weekend Stan and I went to highway recording studio and re-recorded the high-hat part of "Hold on Hold," it sounds way better now. I also re-recorded the vocal for Sad to Say the weekend before. Although nothing can replace the old recording we did in 2005, this update should make the music video much more appealing. There's a solo on it now! Drinking a "Premium Roast Iced coffee" from McDonalds. Watched "Coming to America" last night and dreamt about eating at McDowells. Also watched "Who gets to call it Art" on DVD. Highly recommended to anyone who's about to visit the MET in New York.

We're touring in 2 weeks. We have a show tomorrow at Next Door but unfortunately we won't have the projector to show a movie in the background. I'm thinking about making videos on the tour (or at least planning them out) after I talked to stan and phil about our youtube account. All plans, action in two weeks, more recording to be done when we get back.

Removing the Ads for Good.

2007-08-31T19:43:00.000-10:00

'Ninja' teens in Oregon not as swift as those in movies

2007-08-28T16:22:00.000-10:00

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ROGUE RIVER, Ore. -- The three teenagers in hooded black outfits were scampering over rooftops, climbing trees "just like a squirrel," and breaking into houses and cars, police said.

But they weren't quite as slick as their Japanese ninja heroes.

Earlier this summer, an officer chased one of the wannabes across a school rooftop, but the youth leaped into a nearby tree, said police Chief Ken Lewis.

Breaking branches on the way down, "he gave a yelp of pain," and then he scrambled away, Lewis said.

Last week, after months of investigation, police arrested three teens, two 15 and one 16, and seized stolen jewelry, burglary tools, a map of the city and several black ninja suits with hoods and climbing spikes.

The parents of one told police their son complained of an injury about the time of the rooftop chase, Lewis said.

"I believe that's our roof-gliding ninja," said Lewis.

Lewis said one of the three indicated they had been active for a year and a half, and the pranks escalated from flights across rooftops and petty vandalism.

Lewis said the teenagers used a stolen credit card to buy, online, costumes and equipment such as hand-climbing spikes, metal throwing stars and utility belts.

Police got their first clue to the activity seven months ago, Lewis said, when an anonymous caller referred to the ancient Japanese martial arts masters trained for covert operations and assassinations.

"He wanted to know if it was OK for his kid to dress up in a ninja costume and run around in the middle of the night and climb on top of roofs," said Lewis.

"We told him that would be both dangerous and illegal. We never heard from him again."

Art School Confidential

2007-08-20T10:00:00.000-10:00

Watched Art School Confidential this weekend. I thought it was great. The ending was kind of odd but it was a good movie. We have a show tomorrow at Next Door. It was advertised in the paper this weekend. I recorded guitar parts with Phil at Highway Recording Studio yesterday. Phil and I are butting heads when it comes to what to play where. Music video planning meeting tonight.

Pro Tools just stares...

2007-08-08T08:07:00.001-10:00

With the lights out, pro tools just stares at me with its green and yellow eyes.

I know, I know. I should be writing and recording music now that I have the tools.

Revisiting old friends...

2007-08-01T08:47:00.000-10:00

Most of my friends know that over the past few months I'd given up on listening to music. That I'd only listen to podcasts, honoring the art of the spoken word over the manipulation of musical instruments. Well today I revisited some old friends, Rufus Wainwright and the Vetiver boys. I think I've started to make the transition back to listening to music as a recreational activity.

Rough show last night...

2007-07-27T13:26:00.000-10:00

I really need to start taking my digital camera to shows so we can document this stuff. Last night we had a late show at SoundHouse. Not sure what they're going to do with the building once they move out. Demolition? Probably.

Let me be the first to let you know that we're working on a Music Video. Finally, I know. We've partnered with Chris Potts of Potts Pictures. He's got some tight editing skillz. More to post when we start shooting.

Found a cool art/design blog: Form Fifty Five

Dead frog with a webserver can be controlled over the net...

2007-07-24T10:29:00.000-10:00

Found this weird experiment on boingboing.net Remember making the frog's leg twitch in biology class? Now you can do it over the web.

Been a long time...But I finally got Pro Tools!

2007-07-23T08:25:00.000-10:00

Alright, it's been a long time since I posted and I intend to track my progress with Pro Tools here. That's right! I finally upgraded my recording setup. Now I'll be recording in 24 bit. That's a big step up in terms of quality. I'll be tracking my progress with the songs I'm making here. Here's the game plan:

1. Import all LINUS tracks into pro tools.
2. Add hum track over the length of each song.
3. Compose on the hum track.
4. Bump each desirable part to another track.
5. Rerecord desirable tracks on desired instrument (guitar)
6. Mute bed track and export desirable tracks to CD/IPOD

Once I finish tracking the second and third guitar parts on these songs that we've already recorded at phil's I'm going to start working through a 10 song list I created with all the songs I'd like to pursue as the next LINUS CD. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself...

Show this Saturday at Coffee Talk - All Ages!

2007-07-12T11:35:00.000-10:00

What the World Eats...

2007-06-27T15:57:00.000-10:00

Japan: The Ukita family of Kodaira City
Food expenditure for one week: 37,699 Yen or $317.25
Favorite foods: sashimi, fruit, cake, potato chips

Found this site and wanted to share the pictures with everyone. Click on the picture to go to the site. We're practicing tonight and auditioning a new member. Fingers crossed...

Back to the Studio

2007-06-26T11:54:00.000-10:00

This weekend, Nik and I went to the studio and listened to everything we've recorded so far. We had a few drinks, charted out our gameplan, and decided that we'd try to finish this thing as soon as possible. Tonight we're going in to record more parts for a few of the guitar songs.

The Lost year in Iraq...

2007-06-13T08:01:00.001-10:00

I don't know what this man is saying but I liked the illustration. I watched "The Lost Year in Iraq" on PBS last night and found it utterly fascinating. Here's the link to watch the entire thing online for free: link to the webpage with the video

my Two Current Art Heroes...

2007-06-12T14:46:00.000-10:00

Tim Hawkinson

David Bowen

Thinking about getting this one at the music store if they have it...

2007-06-10T15:32:00.000-10:00

Today I started looking for sequencers for real.

Yet another reason the musical landscape is shrinking...

2007-06-01T14:26:00.000-10:00

Now, for just $10 a song music service Music Xray can analyze the "hit-ability" of your music. For just a few bucks more a real A&R guy will give you his two cents too... this is stupid, but i guess it works. They even predicted that Crazy by Gnarls Barkley "would be the summer's biggest hit."

"I know a guy in Barcelona who has started a company to develop algorithms to determine whether a song is going to be a hit. It analyzes music to figure it out -- and they're selling it to the record companies, and it's quite effective. If you expand on that, there's no reason you couldn't have your own personal search engine that understands your taste and can instantly analyze music based on a whole bunch of different, very subjective criteria to determine whether you might like it." -- Moby, musician

One more TED Talk... On Suburbia...

2007-06-01T14:09:00.000-10:00

In James Howard Kunstler's view, public spaces should be inspired centers of civic life and the physical manifestation of the common good. Instead, he argues, what we have in America is a nation of places not worth caring about. Reengineering our cities will involve more radical change than we are prepared for, Kunstler believes, but our hand will be forced by earth crises stemming from our national lifestyle. "Life in the mid-21st century," Kunstler says, "is going to be about living locally."

Forget Surface, this is much more interesting to me... Jeff Hawkins' talk "On Intelligence"

2007-06-01T13:57:00.000-10:00

I want to buy this book after I watched Jeff Hawkins' TED Talk video:

David Kelley of IDEO explains the techonology that went into creating the Prada store in New York City and Dilbert's ultimate cubicle:

Mircosoft Surface...

2007-06-01T13:56:00.001-10:00

Learn more about Microsoft Surface here

Loverboy sings "Turn Me Loose"

2007-05-25T12:03:00.001-10:00

This rules!

I want a robot butler... Enter Joey Chaos and Jules - two robots with real AI

2007-05-25T08:54:00.000-10:00

Found these videos on gizmodo today. Looks like androids are getting closer and closer to becoming a reality. Joey Chaos seems like he'd get irritating really fast. Dude, fix your glasses! Well, what can you expect if he doesn't have any arms...

Here's his older brother Jules. This robot/android seems much more appealing to me. He's got heart. When he says good bye before they turn him off it reminds me of the movie A.I. So sad.

Interesting Article... If you're not working during the day, what are you doing?

2007-05-23T08:17:00.000-10:00

An interesting article by Chris Colin starts like this,

"Two mysteries have followed me well into adulthood: Does soaping yourself work underwater, and how come there are so many people out on the street all day, seemingly not working? Having pitched a work, and not a soap, column, I recently attempted to answer the latter.

Because look out your window. Who are these people? At any given hour on any given workday, well, it turns out it's not a workday at all. Not for these hordes roaming free, anyway. By rights our parks and movie theaters and stores should be minor ghost towns between 9 and 5 -- chanced upon by the occasional tourist or late-night bartender but otherwise peaceful. Instead, they're inexplicably packed. I didn't doubt that the packers had sound explanations. I just wanted to hear them.

It occurred to me last night that you can learn as much about a city from what its people don't do as you can from what they do do. So I drove to as many parts of San Francisco as I could and interrupted as much leisure as possible to find out. "

Read the rest of the article here

Papercraft: Cool analog instruments...

2007-05-22T10:18:00.000-10:00

Found this cool flickr photoset of analog instrument models made from paper. I thought it was cool so I thought I'd share.
See all images

Show Tonight with the Crud at Ana Bananas

2007-05-18T13:06:00.000-10:00

I think we'll probably play at 10 or 11pm. We may or may not have a surprise guest player tonight. See you there. Oh, and it's free.

Ana Bananas
2440 S Beretania St, Honolulu, HI
(808) 946-5190

Show at Next Door Tonight....

2007-05-15T14:51:00.000-10:00

We're playing a show tonight at Next Door. That's downtown on Hotel Street. There's street parking all over the place. There are two other bands playing tonight but they're both playing acoustic sets. We'll be experimenting with some new show tools. That's all. Hope to see you there.

Very interesting article on the changing role of the artist in the 21st Century... Just read it...

2007-05-14T14:00:00.000-10:00

Just read this very interesting article on the New York Times online. It talks about how the role of the artist is changing due to changes in distribution and marketing over the Internet. There are a bunch of references to bands that I don't care to look-up. The point's been made. Things are very different these days and I'm not sure I want to participate the same way.

Read the Article Here

"Roller" by French Kicks

2007-05-11T09:16:00.000-10:00

Just when I thought I had gotten over the French Kicks they go and record a song like "Roller" to get me all excited about their music again. It must be a sign. When I was walking to work yesterday in the light rain I slipped on the earphones and randomly chose "Following Waves" and only stopped after "You could not Decide" because I had reached my door.

So today I went on myspace and found them to add as a friend. As the page loaded "Roller" started streaming. The first few seconds sound like the start of one of my favorite Strokes songs (with a little too much bass in the bass drum), only to drop into a euro-pop euphoria. I don't agree with some of his vocal decisions but the song is so good from beginning to end, I can't help but loop it.

Listen to "Roller" by going to their myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/frenchkicks

BAND UPDATES: I'm getting back into Flash programming. I'm working on something like James Patterson's Presstube drawings for some of our shows. I got the Wiimote bluetooth hack to work! Now I'm just deciding how to use it...

Crunch on this... Money saving tips...

2007-05-11T08:40:00.000-10:00

"Easy come easy go."

"A fool and his money are soon parted."

Pithy remarks abound regarding money. As I grow older each remark seems to ring truer with each passing day. Yesterday my car overheated and I had to take it to the auto shop again (it hasn't even been a month). I'll refrain from revealing the auto shop's name until I get my car back for fear of online discovery and retribution. Today I thought I'd post a few links about the money trap that is my car:

Four Gas-saving Myths - Courtesy of CNN Money

Gasbuddy.com - Enter your zip code to find the cheapest gas prices.

Hello Friends...

2007-05-08T15:16:00.000-10:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been sick with a cold for the past week and I just didn't even feel like looking at a computer last week. We auditioned a friend as the fourth guitar member at a practice two weeks ago. We finished up a 3 night run of appearances at Soundhouse. It was fun but once it was over, I didn't pick up the guitar for at least 3 days. Maybe there's a clean ratio there.

Anyway, hope everyone is doing well. I will resume the regular posting schedule once I have returned to 100% health.

David Bowie is Starman...

2007-04-26T16:57:00.000-10:00

"Starman"

"Stay"

We have a show tonight at Soundhouse. We're playing there tonight, tomorrow night, and the night after that.

How'd they do that?!

2007-04-26T11:37:00.000-10:00

Celine Dion sings with Elvis Presley Hologram on American Idol. WTF?

Your Royal Highness says...

2007-04-18T15:39:00.000-10:00

Last night was a blast. I had a great time trying out some new stuff on stage. Both bands we played with did a great job. I'm getting ambitious. I'd love to have a full horn section backing us. kinda like this...

Or maybe I'm just really really into radiohead right now...

damn. we need a johnny greenwood. Anytime... Anytime...

Rant Rant Rant

2007-04-12T08:27:00.000-10:00

Today I heard a good radioshow on KTUH on the ride into town at 6:30am this morning. The DJ played a mashup/whatever of Bonnie Prince Billy then a mashup/whatever of Aracde Fire and the Talking Heads. It was good.

I missed practice this week (first time ever) due to my shitty, been-out-of-comission-for-several-months car. I am so desperate to get a new member to join our band. I have so many ideas right now that just can't be done with only three people. It's just not going to work that way. I was talking to nik the other day about perhaps organizing a round-table of friends/artist to take turns as interim members, but that idea was quickly squashed when I thought about the time and effort it would require to teach new parts, get acquainted with the material, etc, blah, blah, blah.

I have a good computer but I have the worst possible setup/programs. Listening to KTUH today makes me think that I want to make very expansive musical soundscapes, but owning the world's worst audio editing suite makes that very difficult to acheive.

Rant Rant Rant. I'm going to try to get my car fixed today.

Weekly updates...

2007-04-04T07:34:00.000-10:00

Hello everyone. We still have not found a new guitarist. I'm getting very anxious to sign someone up. We're looking for someone with a good ear for music. Some one who can listen to a song and play a great part that pulls it all together. We're still looking for you. If you know anyone, call nik at 741-6450.

We have a show on Friday at Red Lion. Check out our set as we will be playing 3 new songs. We've been working on these new songs at every practice for the past 3 weeks.
Check out our myspace page for more information about the show: http://www.myspace.com/linusthebanddotcom

VIDEO: Will Wright and Brian Eno talk generative music... VERY INTERESTING

2007-03-29T14:27:00.000-10:00

View Will Wright and Brian Eno on FORA.tv

Cool video by Toshio Matsumoto...

2007-03-21T13:21:00.000-10:00

This video is called "Damaged Right Eye." I found it whilst looking at my favorite art website: fecalface.com. Wouldn't it be cool if we had a art website like that dedicated to underground art in honolulu, hawaii?

Anyway, just got word from E that we'll have access to some crazy video editing software/hardware to get a music video/movie/thriller going. I've been working on some other technology to make our visual display more immersive... anyway....

Check out this video. It's cool. Shot woodstock like.

New Article on LINUS! - "After and Under Construction" by Evan Tector

2007-03-21T06:54:00.000-10:00

Linus the Band (www.linustheband.com) is a local Honolulu, Hawai'i nu rock outfit now operating as a trio. Having heard them since 2004 on KTUH college radio after their first album release and seen them live a couple times, I make a point to catch them periodically when on O'ahu. The draw is double edged; the outright fun musical energy generated and the curiosity as to what inventiveness will unfold.

The members at the core of the band are David Neely on vocals and rhythm/lead guitar, Nikolaus Daubert on bass and Stan Hardjadinata on kit. To be effective as a contemporary trio everyone must be adept, inventive and flexible and Linus pulls this off in spades. Nik plays essentially a lead style bass that never looses flow and creates interest and texture throughout. Stan's drumming is a combined rock solid, energetic and nuanced, pushing the aural flow forward with poignant breaks, accents and jazzy flourishes. David switches between a patterned rhythm guitar flow and lead hooks that alternatingly bubble along, elevate and focus. To allay fears of long jams, most Linus songs are tight, short and sharp.

Musically, Linus the Band live is an open "conversation" where you're continually lined up for the next surprise. During a set a collective "lift" takes place that you can see and feel reflected in the whole room. On top, David's vocals are as distinctive as anything in modern pop, delivering grounded yet whimsical lyrics that will pull you into each song's atmosphere. This is not a trend emulating or end of line genre group, but a highly original artistically driven breath of fresh creative boot to your groove thing.

Into the unjust realm of comparisons... Linus reminds me of early 80's REM when they were helping to "create" college radio as a viable backlash against corporate domination of the airwaves and the "dying" rock and roll. This was a sound that caught the imagination and paved the way for rock, pop, and punk influences to synthesize into hardcore and underground whose creative field didn't fall under the hand of "industry" again until the early 90's. Linus comes up diverse and fresh like that with all the highlights and none of the conventions. Besides remote hints of early REM and also Psychedelic Furs, Linus pulls inflection from jazz and fusions of power from punk sensibilities to craft moving, danceable and interesting songs. In the recent set I heard there was not one gratuitous or over-leaned on element in any song of the engaging hour long set.

This is a band that could be said to draw from the best elements of 60's Beach Boys, 70's alt rock ala early Talking Heads, American and British Punk, and 80's college underground but is not derivative or cobbled together in any sense. They eclipse the malaise and under-charactered 90's to reinvigorate modern rock pop stylings with melody, movement, humor, irony and drive all with a sparse but satisfying post-punk crispness. That's where the fresh and fun come in, there are no stifled "whatever" attitudes. These guys are stoked, aware and can receive and deliver energy.

Linus' first album, "the construction" is 10 diverse, worthy, well produced songs that exemplify their unadorned formative character and musical spirit. In addition to the aforementioned melange of rock, punk, jazz and alternative styles, on a couple songs I got a little essence of Joabim-- giving them a European-in-a-good-way flare. On harder edge numbers, the alchemy of the rhythm section recalls later period Descendants while the guitar layers and passionately delivered vocals have a Nirvana quality edge. They also achieve a rare but highly appreciated interplay of bass and lead guitars as-extensions-of-each-other pioneered in mid-period Meat Puppets (Up on the Sun, Out My Way). David's lyrics, delivered in engaging voice, craft a down to earth portrayal of relationships and modern life in a quirky, practical and personable light to which a listener will enjoy unfolding an interpretation.

"the construction" fulfills its promise nicely, doesn't overreach, sounds distinct and knows when to quit. In fact, Linus in general is a band that knows how to end a song so well that you are ready to soon listen again, not having been assaulted by cliche. There is not one song I would take away nor change the order of in this satisfying assemblage. Great on the open road too, before you know it-- you're there.

"the construction" is a CD that the turned-on will un-datedly listen to 10 years hence and the musicians will be able to respectfully look back on as a good representation of what they were about. I also see glimpses within "the construction" that in the studio/recording process Linus is a creative force that can enhance and grow their "core" to find new surprises and enhancements. Look forward to their "discoveries".

In 2007 Linus the Band is ready to birth a second album. Having seen them live this March as a trio, I have great hope that the song craft, energy and elevated musicianship witnessed live make it into and out of the studio. Linus the blog mentions that they are currently looking for an additional "guitarist". I assume it's to facilitate the new material as it is being laid down in the studio, but based on how they jam as a trio, I wonder if there is even a need? I do trust they're on a good track and know their business. ;) 3 or 4... don't miss 'em live.

At the recent show they showed a killer J C Staff animated movie side stage that was a fun enhancement and not a distraction to their set. That type of exploration and consideration for fans helps to explain the appreciative good vibe people that seem to populate Linus shows. One's friends say a lot about you... That is one CD release party to which I will confidently invite folks and won't miss.

Wrappin' up--- Linus the Band is on the cutting edge of a talented, unpretentious and energized revival of contemporary music nationwide. With all the world and musical history a pallet to be inspired by and draw from, they start from an original place and make diverse elements elbow into an adventurous, evocative, playful and bodygroovin' higher expression. With melody, top musicianship and character back in play-- Linus is refreshing "food" for the body, mind and spirit. I expect these are part of that rarer local breed-- musicians from the distant middle of the Pacific ocean with the potential to connect with the broader audiences across the pond. Their inspiration and jams are solid. Our poi and smiles for now. Oh, and the website is under construction.

3.20.07 Evan Tector

Updates galore...

2007-03-19T08:37:00.000-10:00

Much news to report:

Didn't see 300 yet.

Been getting great reviews from old and new fans alike. I put up a myspace page to host my music projects... www.myspace.com/deeniri

Played a new song called "Losing Focus" at Next Door. It went over well. I'm not liking the name anymore. Wish we had a saxophone player for that song. Saxophones are selling for $400.

Getting a free portastudio from a friend.

Writing new music and having fun doing it.

Must go to beach.

Show Tonight at Ana Banana's... starts at 9pm

2007-03-09T10:55:00.000-10:00

March, 9 2007 at Anna Bananas
2440 S. Beretania Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96826
Cost : FREE

Hello again everyone. Looks like the ads are here to stay. I didn't get any negative feedback so I'm going to leave them where they are. I just checked our myspace and it looks like tonight's show is FREE! We're playing with Busekrus, The Crud, and The Whaley boys.

I hope you'll join us instead of seeing 300.

Hello Everyone...

2007-03-08T11:59:00.000-10:00

You may have noticed that there are ads on this site now. This shit aint free you know?! oh, it is. anyway, you can now buy our first CD on paypal. It's been a really hectic month. I feel like I don't have any free time to do anything other than record. But I can't believe our luck, being able to record another CD. It's a lot of fun to think about the final product, it's another thing to take 15 takes and still not get that track.

I hope no one minds the ads, if you do, comment or send me an email david@linustheband.com and I'll see what we can do about it.

We have a show this friday at Detox, but now it's called something else. I haven't been there since they remodelled but I'm told that it looks completely different. So anyway, we're going to be playing tomorrow (i dont know what time). We are working on a new song with a saxophone. It's going to sound cool.

There's nothing better than being covered by another musician...

2007-03-02T00:15:00.000-10:00

I was reading through this blog tonight and I came across YMF's cover of our song Hobby Hunter so I played it for the millionth time.

It just really means a lot to me for someone to have learned all of the notes in the song (and the solo!), and to have even taken the time, that's so impressive to me.

YMF's cover of Hobby Hunter, by LINUS!

Some choice music videos....

2007-03-01T16:11:00.000-10:00

Album Update

2007-02-28T09:13:00.000-10:00

Last night I went to Phil's by myself to record more parts for the song "Listen UP!"

Phil mentioned that his wife could hear the guitars downstairs through what might be a crack in the ceiling. So instead of recording more guitar parts we recorded the vocals for the song. I think it came out harsh and well.

We wrapped at around 9 o'clock and I rode my bike home. I'm very happy with how this album is going (although it's a lot more ambitious). I'll keep you posted along the way. Sorry I haven't been updating the blog in a while. We've been busy looking for a new guitarist and writing new material (which is always easier when we're recording... for some reason...)

How did I miss this! Pure bollywood awesomeness...

2007-02-16T15:47:00.001-10:00

You only live once...

2007-02-15T13:03:00.000-10:00

Listening to "You only live once." It is currently my favorite Strokes song.

Ready boots? We have a show tonight!

2007-02-13T14:04:00.000-10:00

Tonight we are playing a show at Next Door. We're going to be doing something different at tonight's show. It's a surprise. Come out tonight and tell us if you like it when we're done...

Apples in Stereo isn't my favorite band but I found these videos on YouTube of them recording their newest album... I see a lot of similarities....

2007-02-12T16:10:00.001-10:00

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

a little morning goodness...

2007-02-08T08:24:00.000-10:00

ATTN: We're going hi-res on the new website....

2007-02-06T09:11:00.000-10:00

If you have a tiny monitor, you just might be out of luck when we debut our new website. Our website is going to be 800 pixels wide. Not that you really care, it's just and update.

Last night we practiced at Kewalo and while the room was quite small, we made the best of the night by playing through our entire set for Tuesday night's show at Next Door. In band acquisition news, we've just purchased some new sound processors and a few pieces for the drum kit.

We're supposed to record tonight but I'm not sure I can make it (car trouble). We'll see....

If you knew my story word for word, knew my whole history....

2007-01-31T16:00:00.000-10:00

I know I know I know I know I know... The new website is supposed to be up today... also the computer that im writing this on will not let me type in any apostrophes... dont ask me why... ok, so the new website was supposed to be up today. ...fucking apostrophes! anyway, the new site was supposed to be up today. i dont know what to say, its been really hard coming up with something definitive during this transition time. these past few weeks ive had a lot of time to think about the past 6 years and the future... and its not making that much sense... im not sure what we are going to do in the future, im just sure that we are going to be doing something... i dont really want to control this band anymore, i want to go with the flow so to speak... i want to jump at every opportunity but i dont want to box it up and take it home every night... so, this is my informal apology to all of you fans who came to the site today to see the new website. we are really doing a lot of thinking as a band... maybe im just taking too much on with this whole website redesign... i always do...

if you go to UHM, keep an eye out for our "guitarist wanted" posters. if you know someone who would be interested in joining our band, please tell them to contact nik at nik@linustheband.com or call him at 741-6450. The hunt begins now...

Wiimote as sound controller? Sounds good to me...

2007-01-29T14:36:00.000-10:00

This is a video from Japan where some DJ created some software to control his music with the Nintendo Wiimote. Pretty cool idea.

Live Music Blog - Podcasts

2007-01-26T13:56:00.000-10:00

I downloaded the latest live music recording from livemusicblog.com. It's a live recording of Jack White's new band The Raconteurs. The recording is really good. It was so good that I thought I'd post a link to it here.

Listen to the Raconteurs Live Set(mp3)

How cool would it be to ride your bike through New York City... Assuming you don't die....

2007-01-25T16:47:00.000-10:00

I want to ride my bike now.

This is going to be my Led Zeppelin album...

2007-01-23T10:32:00.000-10:00

Stan's finished with his parts for the album so tonight Nik and I are going into the studio to begin polishing this album off. I've written out the guitar parts for only a few of the songs. Who knew it was so hard to tab out guitar parts... Anyway, I don't know what song I want to start with. I suppose we'll just go in and listen to the album how it is now then I'll just start with whatever jumps out at me.

I've been looking for pianos on craigslist recently. I found a few that are only a couple hundred dollars but they either have stuck keys or they go out of tune. I really don't want to buy a new one but I may have to.

The Way the Music Died - A Frontline special report on DVD

2007-01-22T13:20:00.000-10:00

Last night I watched "The Way the Music Died," a documentary on the factors that influence music consumption in the United States. It was interesting and unsettling. It almost makes me not want to get signed. You can watch the entire program online by clicking on the link.

"I could kill..."

2007-01-19T11:54:00.000-10:00

Alright, I'm finally settling into a routine. We've taken stock of things and we have a new game plan. First step is finishing this CD. I'm going to hit the studio in a matter of days to finish these songs up. They're hanging over my head already.

I've had that horrible INSPIRATION furniture store song in my head all week, you know, "If you're dreaming.... INSPIRATION!" You have no idea how much I hate that song at this moment. I want to call danmerle and get brunch this weekend. If you're reading this, call/txt/email me.

Sometimes all this baggage gets to be downright debilitating. I want to go on a trip and travel right now. Clear my head.

I wrote a cool dance song last night....

2007-01-17T09:10:00.000-10:00

I thought it was cool last night, but now I don't remember how it goes. There are two that I'm writing right now. I'm not sure how the bass is going to sound but I have the notes. Good thing I recorded it.

Ringing in the new year with LINUS in JANUARY!

2007-01-12T14:21:00.000-10:00

Our friend Katie Whitman created a "Hawaii Scene Calendar" for this year. It's the second installment, and wouldn't you know it, guess who the featured band is in January? We are! Thanks for including us in the calendar Katie!

The calendars are $5 a piece and feature 12 of Hawaii's Biggest bands. Make sure you buy Version 2 of the calendar to ensure that you get the one with LINUS. Version 1 has a bunch of other bands. But no LINUS.
Click here to learn how you can purchase it.

Oh, to be a Norwegian rocker... On the stage or on the sand...

2007-01-11T09:36:00.000-10:00

I'd rather dance with you...

Toxic Girl...

So cool... Misread on the beach... Bam bah bah...

Oh well, on with the show...

2007-01-10T16:19:00.000-10:00

I'm not going to say that last night was fun, but it was much less depressing than I thought it would be. There was a large crowd and the bands were good. We started the night by drinking at Bar 35 where Vicky presented Danmerle with a "memory quilt." We took a ton of photos and waited for Josh whatever-his-name-was to finish his set. We setup the equipment and watched Shokokono's new band. They were actually really good.

Then we took the stage.

As we were playing our last set with Danmerle I started thinking about the tours that we had, all the practices we had, and just hanging out as a band over these past 6 years. It sucked to be playing our songs, knowing that it would be the last time the three founding members of LINUS shared the stage.

I'm glad we got to play one last show together... Oh well, on with the show...

OMG - I want an iPhone.

2007-01-09T11:09:00.000-10:00

Forget the ipod screen replacements... I want an iPhone! It was just announced today. I'm guessing it comes out in June of 2007.

UPDATE: Here's a clip of the iphone in action:

Anyone know where I can get a screen replacement for my 3rd generation ipod?

2007-01-09T10:01:00.000-10:00

I am the proud owner of two 3rd generation ipods with broken screens. I did a quick search on google for replacement screens and the best price I could find was $69 for each screen on ipodmods.com. Does anyone know if this is the standard price for these screens? Email me or comment on this post.

Show at Next Door Tonight at 10:00pm - Danmerle's final show with LINUS

2007-01-09T08:20:00.000-10:00

Please come out tonight to witness the departure of one of the founding members of LINUS. Danmerle will be playing her last show with LINUS tonight at Next Door. We start out set around 10:00pm. We will miss her. Here are a few photos of us playing together over the past 6 years....

I can see clearly now, the rain has gone.

2007-01-08T11:12:00.000-10:00

No, that's not the newest member of linus, that's jimmy cliff.

Last week we were hit with a bombshell when we found out that one of the founding members of LINUS had decided to leave the band. While this represents a very large change for our organization, it will not deter us from the original goal that we set out with: GLOBAL DOMINATION.

Please join us tomorrow night at Next Door when we play our last show with Danmerle. We will be playing the hits from our first album. After that, LINUS will continue to play shows as a three piece until we secure a fourth member. Thank you for all the emails and messages. See you at Next Door tomorrow night :)

-David

In "you heard it here first news", Danmerle has informed us that she is retiring her LINUS status. We wish her the best in all her future pursuits.

2007-01-05T11:56:00.000-10:00

Today Danmerle informed us that she will be leaving LINUS indefinitely. She will be playing one last show with LINUS on Tuesday, January 9, 2007 at Next Door. As this news was very unexpected, please allow us some time to deal it.

I’ll post more details as the story develops…

Late last night, I played music with a couple(seven) friends in the studio....

2007-01-03T14:10:00.000-10:00

Yesterday, my friend, who's in town for christmas and new years called me to ask me if I wanted to play music. I called Vibe Asylum and made a reservation for studio time. We convened at Sandy beach for a supposed drum circle (it was raining so it didn't happen). After he finished night swimming, we headed into town.

If you've never played music with 7 people in a room, you haven't lived. It was so much fun to just play whatever to whatever everyone else was doing. Too bad stan and nik couldn't make it though. I'm sure it would have been crazy with 9 people in that little room. I meant to take photos but I left my camera in the car. I'm thinking of getting a compact camera that I can take to shows so I can post photos on this blog.

I think we got a little carried away at the studio because the owner came in and told us that we were playing too loud.... We were. But he wasn't too pissed off about it so I don't think any harm was done. It'd be great to make this a regular thing but only time will tell.

LINUS might get together this weekend to hash out the particulars of our band. We all have new ideas that we haven't been able to express to one another because we haven't had a chance to meet up in what feels like weeks, because of christmas and new years obligations. Personally, I'm looking forward to just playing music. I got some new recording equipment that I'm going to use to record our practices. In fact, that's my new year's resolution. "I'm going to record every practice." Hear that danmerle?

Alright, this is getting too long.

Had to push back the launch of the website to make sure it all works before we change

2007-01-02T11:36:00.000-10:00

Hey everyone, happy new year. Hope you didn't get burned lighting those firecrackers. I nearly did. Anyway, I'm very sad to say that we'll have to push back the website launch a few days. We are not going to transition any of the user accounts to the new website so that everyone starts from scratch.

We have a band meeting this week where we're going to decide what we want to do in 2007. Right after that, we're going to go record more parts for the CD. Sadly, I think I will have to be killing the song "Crystal Clear." It never made an appearance at any shows, but we recorded it. Maybe we'll release it as a B Side. I'm working on the DVD. That's pretty much it. You can check us out on myspace.com/linusthebanddotcom while the website is being finished.

Later,
David

Buying a new AKG microphone today...

2006-12-28T12:21:00.000-10:00

Today I'm going to get one more microphone at Easy Music. I've been happy with the AKG that I bought last week, or was it a couple of weeks ago? Anyway, I've been happy with how this 59 dollar microphone records (it comes with a free 15 ft cable, and a mic stand clip). I hope it's still on sale...

I want to start doing stuff like this... whatever you can get out of the computer and into a speaker.

2006-12-28T11:48:00.000-10:00

I wonder what kind of reaction we'd get if we started playing electro dance music? I'm really thinking about it. I want to keep LINUS, as LINUS, but I really want to start doing dance music. What'd you think?

We have most of the equipment to start making this stuff, I think I just can't motivate myself enough, to start making this kind of music because I can't really see the four of us playing live. Still listening to Erland Oye's Every Party while I quietly plan an attack. Been listening to what's been created so far for our second CD and I really like it. There's still a lot of work to do, and I'm dreading the work, but I have the time to do it right now so I should just suck it up. Wasn't that Polysics song good? I'm still humming it in my head. New song, "Group Theory."

And now for a video from Polysics, a japanese no-wave band. I want those glasses...

2006-12-28T10:11:00.000-10:00

Another gem from chris' blog. This band is called Polysics. When we first started playing music, a few people told me that we sounded(or looked) like this band. I think it's the fact that they use a Nord Lead. Anyway, here's another video from Polysics. Now if I could only find that Hana Suka No Dance Party video...

Next Door was packed last night

2006-12-27T13:02:00.000-10:00

Last night I went to Next Door and saw VAX, Ecto Gamut, and My Ex is Dead. VAX sounded good and put on a tight set. Ecto Gamut was even tighter, and My Ex is Dead, apart from sounded tight, put on a great show. That fish-head was genius. Overall, it was a very cool show. I really need to start taking a camera to these shows. Seriously, the fish head was genius.

In LINUS news, I'm busy working on the new website, we have a band meeting sometime this weekend, and we'll be recording guitar parts next week.

That's all for now,
David

I can't stop listening to this song!

2006-12-25T14:57:00.000-10:00

My friend chris blogged his list of the best music videos of 2006. I've watched only a handful of them but this one by Peter, Bjorn, and John is by far the best. I can't keep myself from hitting the play button again and again after it finishes. The video's cool too.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2006-12-25T02:37:00.000-10:00

I posted that image last christmas and it still seems appropriate. This year my brother built a Festivus pole. It's standing next to the christmas tree, which by comparison seems garish. I'm starting to see the appeal of a minimalist pole. Next up, the Airing of Grievances. Well Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night...

Okay, now it's working.... it's christmas eve. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone.

2006-12-24T14:32:00.000-10:00

Ok, so we're starting the move to our next website. It might take a while to move all of the LINUS user accounts to the new website but we'll get it done sometime in 2007, just joking, no, really, it might take a really long time... email me if you have any questions about the move. david@linustheband.com

Testing Testing, the blog has not been working for the past few days...

2006-12-24T14:17:00.000-10:00

is this post working????

Good News and New Equipment

2006-12-20T18:32:00.000-10:00

Found out today that I passed all my classes. I am now a certified college grad. Today I went to easy music and bought some new recording gear. I got a behringer mixer, an akg microphone, and a mic stand.

End of the Year

2006-12-15T14:26:00.000-10:00

I just came in to work from finishing the last final of my last year in college (fingers crossed). I'm not walking so don't even ask. I want to take a whole week off from doing anything, work, school, whatever. I want to just sit around and be as lazy as I want for one full week.

We've finished recording the bed tracks of almost all of the songs that are going to be on our next CD. I've been listening to it in the car and on my ipod. I'm trying to figure out the order of the tracks. So anyway, it's so nice to not have to worry about any homework assignments right now. I'm eating a piece of cake and some mango cheesecake to celebrate.

Yeah for me.
-David

Battlestar Galactica

2006-12-10T10:25:00.000-10:00

It's the weekend before finals and what am I doing, I'm working on the new LINUS website. I have the entire thing designed out and today I'm going to work out the code to make it all work correctly. It isn't too pretty, but we'll work on it as it goes. I mainly want to be able to interact with fans and stuff.

Another thing that's taking a lot of my time this weekend has been Battlestar Galactica.

Now, I usually don't fall into watching a scifi series that's been produced by *cough* *cough* USA Networks, but this show's got a lot of buzz on the internet. So I borrowed season 1 from the library. It's 5 discs total with 4 episodes on each disc (i hope, but i haven't checked yet). Think of LOST meets Star Wars. I've only watched 2 discs so far but, if you're looking for some good scifi, rent Battlestar Galactica. I wonder if Serenity or Firefly is anything like BSG?

Ok, I'll be posting more soon...

We have a show at Next Door on Tuesday!

-David

Rocky Balboa, are you going to see it?

2006-12-07T08:37:00.000-10:00

This trailer makes the movie look really good. I think I might even see it in the theater...

I'm thinking of scrapping this blog

2006-12-06T14:46:00.001-10:00

well actually, I'm thinking of starting from scratch. I want to make a new website but honestly I just haven't had the time to do it with school, work, and recording the new album. I've been listening to new music. Well actually, not as often as I'd like to. I'm listening to a lot of podcasts lately. some that I really don't want to mention here. anyway, we had a good show at pipeline. We were all really glad that our friend Dylan got to see us play a show before heading back to seattle. thanks for coming to that show dylan!

im thinking that we're going to reinstate the linus messageboard once again. i think im getting sick of only hearing myself talk on this thing. only one more week of school! come on now! I promise that a new website will be up soon (once school's over!).

This week I've been frantic. You see, I was carrying around all of the LINUS material in a DVD case so I could carry all of the CDs in one place. Now that all the songs have been moved onto my ipod, I have no need to carry around the DVD case. Well, on Monday I couldn't find the case anywhere. I imagined it falling out of my bag at school, it being picked up by some student, taking it back to their dorm room, and listening to all the songs... I found it last night in my room under some papers. I'm listening to pandora right now. I'm so sick of hearing emo music. I want to do dance music.

Album #2 Update

2006-12-05T12:57:00.000-10:00

Last night Nik and I went to Phil's to start recording bass parts. They got 4 done before I went home. We're practicing a few new songs on wednesday, then we're going to record everything on thursday.

Show at Pipeline Cafe tonight!

2006-11-29T13:24:00.000-10:00

There's a CD release party for our friends Kai Roots at Pipeline Cafe. We're playing at 10pm tonight. It's 18 and over for sure. See you all there. We'll be playing tracks from our new CD.

-David

Cherry, not a berry....

2006-11-22T14:53:00.000-10:00

I went to Next Door last night and I saw the Malcognitas (and scored a CD, woot woot!), happy music man, and ctrl-alt-delete. This was a surprisingly good combination of bands and it made for a very entertaining time. If I'm not mistaken, this was happy music man's first show. I thought it was awesome, although a few parts were a little hard to take. Pots and pans and an acoustic guitar... what more do you need. If they put out a CD, I'd buy it.

Finished 6 more

2006-11-21T09:01:00.000-10:00

We all got there at 7pm and we rerecorded a song called "Listen UP!" We're calling it the choke out song cause that's what it sounds like. Anyway, last night we also rerecorded Sasha, On a Holiday, and You Talk too Much.

Nik's going to Kauai for Thanksgiving so we're going to take a recording break for a week. We're playing a show at Pipeline next Wednesday with Kai Roots and another band who's name escapes me right now.

I'm going to continue writing music and finishing up parts this weekend, after I eat mad turkey. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

-David.

This weekend we recorded 4 more tracks

2006-11-20T13:36:00.000-10:00

Tonight we're recording 2 more.

Walter's Karaoke

2006-11-17T14:58:00.000-10:00

Yesterday I copied a bunch of audio files that I want to use on the DVD. I also found some songs I want on the CD. Not sure if they'll make it on, but they're there. They're in one of the three folders on my desktop: New LINUS Album, LINUS DVD, and B-sides.

I need to digitize the footage from my camera to start making the DVD. I've been recording footage of random things. I have a feeling that the DVD is going to be of the "making of" sort. I wanted it to be ambient LINUS, but I think it'd be more interesting(cohesive) if there's a point to it. I'll post more photos soon.

See everyone in the studio tomorrow at 9am sharp! Unless you want to get breakfast before... call me.