Ryan and Anji of Lovespirals talk about their Thanksgiving holiday and the exciting lovespirals.com exclusive pre-release launch of Future Past, as well as their first new single, “Shine.” The band talk about the impact of Twitter and Facebook messages on their sales, as well as the uniqueness of selling music in today’s social media enviornment. Anji also breaks down the various music sites that she posted “Shine” to, explaining each of the site’s unique functions and how you can use them to become a Lovespirals Street Team member (or to promote your own band!). She also lists all the podcasts who have played “Shine” thus far. Feel free to post a comment if you’ve played it, too! The duo close out the show with the song “Shine” in it’s entirety.
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Last week I gave away a pair of tickets to a great event going on Nov 24th in San Fran called Le Chill Du Nord. The contest come up suddenly as I was recording the voice-overs, so this week I’m featuring music by the bands involved in the event. I’ve also got a brand new remix of my band, Lovespirals, by a former Chillcast Artist of the Week. The show is filled out by some great new podsafe and special permissions tracks, some by new bands to the show and others by some old favorites.
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Le Chill Du Nord Concert:
The Beat Box Armada & Cafe du Nord present this year’s finest Tuesday night chill-out, featuring Below Zero, Under, Micropixie, Mia Calderon and Divasonic, plus art by Nicolette Nigro and Lark Calderon-Gomez, and a fashion experience by Itpapalotl. 100% of door sales and proceeds of art and merch go to Rape & Human-Trafficking Awareness. 21+. Nov 24 @ Cafe du Nord, San Francisco, CA 8pm. View the official Le Chill Du Nord Facebook event page.
Sorry this week’s show is running late. I’ve been up to my eyeballs in all things Lovespirals, preparing for the imminent release of our new CD, Future Past. Today I’m premiering our first single from the album and I’m as nervous as a mother sending her child off to their first day at school! Our digipaks are all arriving here today via FedEx and I’m in a highly excitable state, but I still managed to put together a nice little show for ya’ll. Of particular note is the 3 song set of Drum ‘n’ Bass I close out with – quite rousing!
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Le Chill Du Nord Concert & Contest:
The Beat Box Armada & Cafe du Nord present this year’s finest Tuesday night chill-out, featuring Below Zero, Under, Micropixie, Mia Calderon and Divasonic, plus art by Nicolette Nigro and Lark Calderon-Gomez, and a fashion experience by Itpapalotl. 100% of door sales and proceeds of art and merch go to Rape & Human-Trafficking Awareness. 21+. Nov 24 @ Cafe du Nord, San Francisco, CA 8pm. View the official Le Chill Du Nord Facebook event page. Buy advanced tix at Brown Paper Tickets
To enter for your chance to win a pair of tickets, please email beatboxarmada@gmail.com – Attn: Paz Davis in the subject line — and let them know that you’re entering The Chillcast Ticket Contest in the body of the email. GOOD LUCK!
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.
Lovespirals are back with tons of stories, mostly related to their upcoming new album, Future Past. The duo just returned from a trip up North to master the album with Robert Rich, and throw an intimate pre-release listening party at the BlizzzzCrib with a few friends including members of Karmacoda, Under, and Falling You, as well as band photographer, Susan Jennings, and Sinikus and Sarika of Below Zero. The band also discuss finalizing CD artwork with Scott of ithinkitsnice and going green by manufacturing with Groove House Records. Ryan and Anji also talk about attending the Immersion Festival and hanging out with Steve Roach and Loren Nerell afterwards at Noisebug. The show closes with a clip from the opening track of Future Past, “Home.”
Steve Roach plays his didgeridoo at the Immersion Festival in Pomona, CA
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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.”
This week’s episode is quite reminiscent of my short-lived podsafe music podcast, Unwind, which – in case you aren’t familiar with it – was designed to be listened to as you drift off to sleep. You see, I had a mind shattering headache the day I put this together, so I really needed to keep things chill. Expect a soft mix of quiet sounds, soothing voices, and beautiful atmospheres in this one-hour show. I am taking “chillout” to a whole new level – so kick back, relax, and enjoy!
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The band are really excited about finishing up their upcoming album! Ryan and Anji talk the mixing process, discuss what’s next, and chat about some of the promotion they’ve already begun. Anji asks listeners to send in questions for the in-studio videos they are uploading to the Lovespirals Facebook page, and urges them to add themselves as fans. The duo also talk about spending the day at Village Studios for the Audio Underground talks, attending the Blame it on Rio show at Hollywood Bowl and Bob Weir show at the Greek. Be sure to join the band email list to keep up with album release news and to get a free download of Lovespirals’ cover of “Cymbaline” — which the band play a clip of at the show’s end.
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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.
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.
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.
Please add yourself to the Lovespirals newslist to stay informed of release date, news, events, and special events.
Jazzy chillout artist, The Grooveblaster, is working on a new album and is once again collaborating with me on a sensual electro-lounge tune. I thought I’d share a video snippet of me working on the vocals here in the Chillcast studio. The song is tentatively titled, “Put Some Music On.” Release date is unknown at this time, but you can be sure you’ll hear it on The Chillcast just as soon as it is available!
While you’re waiting, be sure to pick up our summer-themed single from last year, “Summer Days,” if you haven’t already. That track plus Grooveblaster’s remix of my big Lovespirals‘ single, “This Truth,” and another original song called, “Whole Wide World,” are all available on the 2008 album Cities, Streets & Bebop Nights on iTunes.
