Both The Chillcast and Chillcast Video are now available on the Boxee Beta via a Mevio Network app. Boxee is a free cross-platform home theater program designed to organize and play all manner of media, from streaming online video and audio, to audio, video, and photos from your own hard drive, on either your computer or television. It also integrates social network aspects, so you can rate and recommend content to your friends.
Having only briefly checked it out, I can see some similarities to Hulu, Roku, and Miro (which also includes Chillcast Video). It looks like there is promise as an elegant solution to the ever-growing problem of collecting all your content in one place with easy-to-use functionality. I’m particularly excited at the prospect of using the Boxee Remote iPhone app to control my streaming Netflix content.
After an extended hiatus – over a year in, fact – Adam Curry has revived his popular Daily Source Code podcast. Hurrah! Though not as religious a follower as some of the more rabid Curry fans out there, I was a fairly regular listener as well as a contributor to the show. I was drawn in initially by my interest in his then-brand-new Podsafe Music Network (now known as Mevio’s Music Alley), and was thrilled when Adam played the Bitstream Dream remix of “Walk Away” by my band, Lovespirals. I sent in some audio feedback, which Adam played and responded to, and thus began our mutual online love affair. LOL! It seems strange to me now that many of Adam’s fans once referred to me as “Adam’s Girlfriend” when they ran into me in Second Life or elsewhere online.
Adam and I have only met in person a couple of times and even then it was in a crowded group situation, but my career in podcasting has been strongly tied to him almost from the beginning, and he has been a huge influence in my life. Not only did he start me on the Podsafe Music path, but he was the one who signed me to his then-brand-new media company, PodShow (now known as Mevio), as part of his initial “Quit Your Dayjob” campaign, PLUS he was the person who dubbed me “the sexiest voice in podcasting.” It was the verbal exchanges with Adam on the DSC that really invented the sexpot persona so many people associate with Anji Bee.
And apparently his fans still remember me from the show; when I dropped into the chatroom on Friday for the return of the DSC, people got excited. Some told me they’d been subscribed to The Chillcast since hearing my special guest hosted episodes of “The Charley,” which was great to hear. Others lumped me in as “part of the show,” along with other guest callers such as the infamous Comic Strip Blogger, who was also on hand for the relaunch. Of course, nobody but Adam was officially part of DSC, the rest of us were simply enthusiastic listeners who sent in audio and hoped Adam would take a liking to us. The DSC is like part radio call-in show, part reality show, with its part live/part pre-recorded format.
But I digress… what I meant to do when I sat down was give you the links to the two latest episodes of Daily Source Code which include little audio bits I sent in, but somehow I ended up writing an old-fashioned fan girl blog about the man who really put me on the path to where I am right now. Some people seem to hate him, but even with all his little foibles and public scandals – I love him! And apparently the feeling is mutual. Listen on…
Ryan and I AKA Lovespirals were recently the special guest hosts on The Mothpod, along with show producer and creator, Zack Daggy. Not only did we answer questions about our latest album, Future Past, but Ryan and I selected 6 songs for the show. We had a lot of fun chatting with Zack via Skype and the show came out really well. You can check out the full shownotes and such on the official Mothpod Podcast #177 entry or just stream or download the show below. You can also read a fun written interview with Ryan and I on Mothpod’s Lovespirals Artist Feature. As part of a full week of Lovespirals love, Zack also selected Future Past as the Mothpod Pick of the Week, featured “Home” on Music Video Wednesday, and presented a video of Lovespirals practicing for our recent Harlot gig in A Day in the Life of Lovespirals. To top it all off, Zack held a contest for a free autographed copy of Future Past. Thanks Zack – you rock!!!
To celebrate the release of Lovespirals’ new album, Future Past, San Francisco electronica act, Karmacoda, are hosting a very cool Happy Hour event at Harlot. Featuring a Chillcast DJ set, Lovespirals meet & greet and short acoustic set, plus a full Karmacoda performance, this is one party you won’t want to miss! Ryan and Anji will also be on hand to autograph eco-friendly digipacs of Future Past (and their previous 3 albums, as well.) This will be the first time Lovespirals have performed live in San Fran, and their first public performance since 2006, not counting their late-2007 virtual concert in Second Life. This is a very special night and we hope you’ll be there to share it with us! Be sure to arrive early as this event starts promptly at 7pm and ends at 10pm. Please spread the word on Twitter, Facebook, and your favorite social media sites.
FEBRUARY 26th, 2010
7 pm to 10 pm
No Cover, 21+
Harlot
46 Minna Street
San Francisco, CA 94118
415.777.1077 www.harlotsf.com
Lovespirals first Future Past single, “Shine” has won the Garageband Reviewer’s Pick Award for Best Female Vocals in the Alternative Pop genre for this week. This is an ongoing contest judged by site users, primarily musicians who are also participating in the contest held by this unique i-Like owned music site. Songs are judged in an anonymous fashion, with the reviewer having no information about the track other than the soundfile itself until after they have rated it and posted their review comments.
Quite a haunting song. Nice mood with the Rhodes, and the female singer has a sexy voice which works really well when layered. Reminds me of the French band Air. Good sound, well done.
Kieran Moore
Visit Lovespirals page on Garageband to read all the reviews thus far, as well as to stream or download “Shine” for free. You can also check out more Lovespirals songs, including the multiple-award-winning “Love Survives,” which won Track of the Day and Track of Week twice each, and currently holds #16 Best Female Vocals of All Time in the Electronica Genre.
Shine Wins Garageband Award for Best Female Vocals in Alternative Pop Category
You can now buy Lovespirals’ brand new album, Future Past, exclusively from the Lovespirals webstore! This gorgeous 6-panel eco-friendly digipak includes all of Anji Bee’s song lyrics plus beautiful photography by Susan Jennings and original artwork/design by ithinkitsnice. The CD itself was replicated using real-time glass mastering and vintage CD manufacturing equipment for audiophile-class sound, care of Groove House Records. Anji (and Ryan) will personally autograph your copy if you request it, PLUS you’ll receive an immediate digital download of the album when you purchase the CD directly from Lovespirals. In keeping with this green release, the band are packaging orders in non-bleached mailers made of 90% recycled content (50% post-consumer). You can read more about the Future Past eco-friendly packaging in an earlier blog post. Future Past will also be distributed via Projekt Records, CD Baby, Amazon, iTunes, eMusic, Rhapsody and all the usual online music sources, but the band wanted to make the album available to fans as soon as possible. As an independent band, it is difficult to schedule simultaneous release on all platforms, so those will be trickling in over the next few months. Please join the Lovespirals mailing list to keep up with the latest news and events.
Future Past by Lovespirals released by Chillcuts Digital Media
Last week, Ariel of Cyber PR selected The Chillcast as one of her Top 100 picks for the Indie Maximum Exposure List under Category 6- Online Resources (Where to Submit). This is an incredibly thorough list of resources for the independent musician with advice from a number of different people including Derek Sivers (founder of CDBaby), Jed Carlson & Lou Plaia (Reverb Nation), Tom Silverman (New Music Seminar & Tommy Boy) and, of course, Ariel Hyatt.
#80: The Chillcast: The Largest Podcast For Chillout & Electronica
The Chillcast is a weekly music podcast featuring hand picked podsafe music hosted by Anji Bee, vocalist of Lovespirals. Anji Bee is a Southern California vocalist, lyricist, podcaster and vidcaster. Anji’s podcast gets tens of thousands of downloads per show and Anji is always looking to discover great new artists in the genres listed.
Lovespirals band founder, Ryan Lum, proclaimed that the band’s last album, Long Way From Home, would be the final one to come out on CD. But response to such claims in interviews and the band podcast, Chillin’ with Lovespirals, was consistent amongst fans; they want a physical product, not just a digital one. So the band scrapped their plans to release one or two digital-only EPs per year and returned to their original format, the full-length album. This time around, however, the eco-conscious duo decided to do their homework before going with their usual compact disc manufacturer. The resulting packaging is one that the fans are sure to love, and that the band can feel good about. Future Past will be Lovespirals’ first digipac, printed on 100% recycled stock with 100% recycled plastic trays, printed with vegetable-based inks and coated with water-based biodegradable varnishes. You can hear Ryan and Anji talk about the CD packaging — and hear a clip of the opening song from Future Past — on Chillin’ with Lovespirals #70.
'Future Past' by Lovespirals available on CD Nov 2009
Please add yourself to the official Lovespirals newslist to stay informed of release date, news, events, and specials. Check out the video section to view in-studio clips of the band at work on the new album.
Have you seen the Xtranormal site yet? It allows you to select from various characters and backgrounds — including your choice of gender and language — then animate them using various actions and expressions. Type in what you want them to say and how you want them to say it — even choose which camera angle — and the site turns your script into an animated video. It is way too fun! I had heard of it somewhere, but once I saw it in action – via a video by Ryan Coseboom of Stripmall Architecture, I knew I had to try it out.
“… Now my sad little cubical is filled with beautiful tunes!”
What the heck? Here’s my first movie, about the new Lovespirals album. I think it’s pretty cute, anyway.
“Is Lovespirals that old Goth band?” “No. They are so not Goth.”
Lovespirals are in the final stages of producing their 4th full-length album, tentatively titled, Future Past. The 11 songs comprising this new collection include some of the band’s most ambitious work to date. Band founder, Ryan Lum, has achieved what he feels is truly a big-studio sound in his private home studio. His attention to detail in sound design is born of a true love of the craft, and he’s been perfecting these skills since his first indie release, Idylls, back in 1992. Lum has updated his musical equipment and recording system quite extensively since Lovespirals’ 2007 album, Long Way From Home. This might be most noticeable to the listener in the range of guitar and keyboard sounds used on this album. In addition to the Rhodes piano and Hammond organ featured in the past, Lum has enhanced his vintage keyboard palette with analogue synth and string machine sounds. And guitar tones too have been pushed into new future retro sonics, utilizing both vintage and modern boutique guitars, tube amplifiers, and effects pedals.
Ryan Lum strums acoustic guitar in Chillcuts Studio
Band vocalist, Anji Bee, who began collaborating with Lum in the early 2000’s, has also worked hard to improve upon her sound and performances. Armed with a new microphone, cabling, and preamp, she has pushed her voice to new heights, exploring diverse vocal territory. From deep, sultry rhythm and blues soulfulness to bright, ethereal breathiness — and all points in-between — from a single voice to a 3-part harmony; Bee is the vocal equivalent of a one-man band. And lyrically, Bee has dug deep to unearth some of her most revealing and intimate lyrics yet. Though her song topics have always touched upon more than personal relationships, the abundance of such fare in the past has led critics to label Lovespirals as purveyors of “love songs.” Bee feels confident that will not be the case this time. Interestingly, the two songs most obviously tied to romance are not ballads, but upbeat numbers; “Feel So Good” is soulful funk with a distinctly retro feel, while “Love” is an atmospheric drum ‘n’ bass song, reminiscent of the duo’s earliest work together.
Anji & Ryan of Lovespirals listening to a fresh take
Not that this new album is wholly composed of electronica vibes; on the contrary. Lovespirals have achieved a fine balance between their various influences, including moody classic-rock ala Pink Floyd or Fleetwood Mac; groovy late-period Motown soul & funk; bittersweet electropop in the vein of Air or Zero 7 — with a sprinkling of sensual slow-burning blues, and a dash of the soaring ethereality that the band has long been known for. Somehow Lum and Bee are able to take such disparate elements and combine them into an easily identifiable sound that can only be described as “Lovespirals.” Though it’s hard to label their music for today’s highly genre-defined culture, Lovespirals are not concerned. The joy of independent music is that it is not bogged down by marketing research and sales strategies; it exists because of the creator’s love of music. And Future Past is certainly a labor of love for Lovespirals.
Anji Bee in Chillcuts Studio working Lovespirals’ new album
Ryan Lum in Chillcuts Studio working Lovespirals’ new album
Please add yourself to the Lovespirals newslist to stay informed of release date, news, events, and specials.
