Thursday, November 29, 2007

BIG NEWS
Logo This Sunday







Tune into MTV's Logo
Sunday, Dec. 2nd
12 Midnight EST (Monday Morning in NY)
for the television premier of the Open Wide music video.

For those of you who don't get Logo
or have the bedtime of a 12 year old girl,
here's the video for your viewing pleasure.

Send the link to all your friends. It makes me look popular. haha.


12 months on the chart





The folks over at Outvoice and Rainbow World Radio have always been supportive.
I'm excited to announce that Sirens of Brooklyn has been on their chart for 12 months "straight" along with some other very talented artists.

This month I find myself at number 32.
Their chart is decided by listener voting,
which makes this such an honor.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Thank You Joe Velasquez

Some of you may know the name Joe Velasquez.
For those of you who don't, He is my graphic designer.
Today he sent me a video that really touched me
a great deal. If this isn't art, then I don't know what is.

Dolly + Amy





















I love Dolly Parton, and I love Amy Sedaris.
Who would have ever imagined that the two would
share a scene on camera?

Yay! New Dolly Video with Amy Sedaris!


Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Sunrise at the Speakeasy

The album is getting close to being done.
I am so excited. It will be hard to hold onto this
for so long before I release it, but I must bite my tongue.
You will have to wait until next summer, but i promise it will be worth the wait.

R

Friday, November 16, 2007

The Egg Report

Last night I was given the egg report. Those girls are gettin' busy having laid 17 eggs yesterday. Congratulations ladies.

In related news I started recording Chickens & Eggs last night.
Ooh La La

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Open Wide



Here you go kids, my first music video. It will premier on MTV's LOGO this month. It is currently on Spike Tv's website, was breifly up on CMT and VH-1's websites but pulled temporarily due to some technical issues.

Enjoy!

not biting my tongue- Amy Winehouse


A friend kept telling me a few months back

"You have to hear Amy Winehouse. She's incredible."

So I decided to listen to her music. I purchased her music and put it into heavy rotation on my ipod. I even performed Back to Black at a Kitt & Kaboodle show.
btw, she was incredible.

I say WAS, because she IS a mess. I understand that there is a great deal of pressure when you go from complete obscurity to becoming an international superstar, but...



Dear AMY,

You have been given an opportunity. So many musicians work their asses off for years and years without ever achieving a fraction of the success that you have. You cancel your shows after people have purchased tickets to see you. These people are supporting you. You show up to shows so drunk that you don't know the words to your own songs and you can barely even stand. You consistently perform at the level of a drunken sorority girl at Karaoke night. You not only spit in the faces of your fans by doing this, but you spit in the face of every musician who would kill for the opportunity you have for your music to be heard. You have a serious drug problem. It's not cute anymore when you're singing about not going to rehab when you are the one person in this world who really needs to go to rehab. It is painful to watch you falling apart when you are so extremely talented. Please go to rehab. Please have the decency and respect to show up to venues capable of performing when people have paid to see you. Please pull yourself together and make more great music or quit wasting our time.

Sincerely Yours,

Robert German

I must have been hungry when I recorded that album

photo by the very busy Carrie Thomas

I am a foodie by nature, the food version of a Junkie.
I love cooking, eating and fantasizing about food. I guess it should come as no surprise that this obsession has creeped into the new album. I realized last night that I talk a lot about food on this album. As many of you know, I have a bacon fixation. Last Saturday was K's birthday. He asked for something fatty and decadent. I of course made him fried pork chops cooked in a blend of bacon fat, butter and Crisco. I swear I am not trying to kill him.

Thus far, the following food items have made it into the lyrics and let me just say that it sounds like I'm cooking up the heartattack special at the Greasy Spoon Diner.

chocolate, bacon, biscuits, gravy, pickles,flapjacks, mashed potatoes, milk, meatloaf, chicken, and eggs.

I forgot about your birthday

Yesterday was November 14th.
I went into the studio last evening to put some fine tuning on three of the tracks from Sunrise at the Speakeasy. Ooh, Glitters and Sparkles is sounding really amazing.
Tonight I go back into the studio and work some more on Ashes and Dust.

Last night as we were finishing up, it suddenly struck me.
I released Sirens of Brooklyn on November 14th 2006. It completely slipped my mind. I guess it's not an anniversary so much as it is a birthday. Yesterday, SOB turned 1 year old. I didn't buy a cake or hire a clown. I focused my energy on bringing another child into the world to keep SOB company. I hope that they get along.

So, happy birthday SOB!
1 day late.

Monday, November 12, 2007

The Egg Report

In a previous post, I mentioned liberating the cooped up chickens with visions of their egg production doubling. I am please to announce that last week, the chickens laid their daily best of 17 eggs in one day. This tops the previous record of 9 eggs in one day and is more than double the 7 eggs a day that was their previous average production.

I receive periodic egg reports on which I will keep you updated.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

A letter to fans and friends

Dear friends and fans,

Thank You for all of the support that you have given to me over the years by coming to shows, helping with posters, mailings and the other numerous ways that you have spread my music to the masses.

I recently was given the news that the studio where I record my music will be closing its doors on Dec. 3rd of 2007. Having recorded more than half of the music for the
next album, sunrise at the speakeasy, I was rather heartbroken to learn this news. Though I could possibly go to another studio or work with another person, I have gotten into a rythm with this album and want to keep a continuity to the sound of the record. I am confident that I can finish the album before this time.

Most of the expenses for my music come out of my own pocket without the backing of a major label. This is something that I wouldn't change for the world. For this reason, I am only able to pay for recording time in small increments. I find myself in a position where I must finish this album with less than a month to do so. I believe this is possible with some help.

For those of you who would like to contribute $10 or more to the production costs, I will send you one signed advance copy of the cd when it is finished.

For those of you who would like to contribute $20 or more, I will send you 2 signed advance copies of the album when it is finished.

For those of you who make a donation of $100 or more, I will give you special recognition as a sponsor for this album and the opportunity to put either your name, company name or and/or website in a special acknowledgement section on the inside of the album artwork and you will receive 3 signed copies of the album.

If you are unable to help, do not worry. Many of you have given more to me than I could ever repay. I love you just the same.


Again, thank you for your support.

Yours truely,

Robert German









"I am not a common bum, but I can sing and I can strum and turn your change into a meal. One step from being homeless, fucked up but never hopeless. Is this the way you feel?"- Selling out

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Fragile

Today, I find myself fragile and raw for some reason.
Maybe it is lack of sleep.
Maybe it is stress, fear of failure, acknowledgement of failure.
I don't know.

I feel like the smallest wind could send me into tears.
A part of me holds it all together another part of me wants to fall to my knees and cry.

Sometimes I don't know if I can do it all.
I don't know what all this work is for.
I see a light at the end of the tunnel and imagine it to be a train.

Often, I don't revel in accomplishments.
I don't allow myself to be proud or happy.
I just look towards the next step.
It is uphill with the wind against my face.
The weather has changed. It is colder.
I haven't adjusted. Maybe it's just the weather.

I have given birth to another baby, a small one.
I have begun the presale for the Unplug single.
I wrote Unplug right after releasing sirens of brooklyn when I really felt exhausted and burnt out.

I had expected this monumental change, magic.
Instead I looked around to see that things were pretty much the same.
I couldn't answer my phone. I looked at the world crumbling around me, not my world, but rather the global sense of the world.

I am sure that tomorrow I will wake up with a spring in my step and a new found resiliance, but today I do not have it.

Tonight I go into the studio to work some more on glitters and sparkles and to add some vocals to ashes and dust. I will try to channel this for the greater good.
My thoughts are with Mr. Carpentier.
Today is the closing of a chapter and the beginning of another.
It is the cliched beauty of life.
Time for life #21. I will enjoy swinging along side you.

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

High Riding Bitch-Diversion

Delores Claiborne is a brilliant and underrated film.
With a cast that includes Jennifer Jason Leigh, Christopher Plummer, Eric Bogosian and of course Kathy Bates,
You just can't beat it.

My favorite scene, and one of the few movie scenes that I will
reinact verbatum however involves the actress who plays Vera Donovan, Judy Parfitt.
She is AMAZING!!!

Enjoy...

Last Night

Last night I went into the studio and began recording backing vocals on glitters and sparkles. The original demo I did for this song was rather psychedelic. This version for the album has a decidedly 60's folk feel to it with 2 part harmony on the verses.
The album is really coming together in my mind. I can see how all the pieces fit. This is a good sign. I need a light at the end of the tunnel that doesn't belong to a train.

Friday, November 02, 2007

Glitters and Sparkles-Lyrics

Your glass
it glitters and sparkles
You make love to the booze inside
cuz you just can't find love.

Your heart
is constantly searching
but you'll never find it sitting at the bar alone

Sometimes it breaks your heart
just to breathe the air
when they see you falling apart
they love to stop and stare

and you can pick up the pieces
and you can sweep up the floor
or you canreach for your glass
and ask him to pour.

The world
is tossing and turning
drowning and burning
and you're just playing with your phone

The screen
it hums and it flickers
with the sounds and the pictures of the twisted threads we've sown.

Sometimes You're lost in the crowd
and you just start to cry
and then you're laughing out loud
and you don't know why

Your wires are twisted
and your circuits are blown
You don't know what to feel

Well,
You're not alone.
You're not alone.
You're not alone

Set List Nov. 1st Googies Performance

Last night's show at Googies went smashingly.
I feel like I gave some of my best performances on a few of the songs. Yay!
Here's the setlist for those of you who missed it.

1. Lemon Scented
2. God in the Telephone Book
3. Mr. Carpentier
4. Follow Me Home
5. Flapjacks
6. Sirens of Brooklyn
7. The Siren
8. Selling Out
9. Walking
10. Follow
11. Hiding From Your Pain
12. Fishnet Sailor
13. Single File

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Nov. 1st at Googies

Come one, come all!
You can never recapture this moment once it has slipped away

Thursday, Nov. 1st
9:30 PM
Googies Lounge Above The Living Room
154 Ludlow Street
(between Stanton and Rivington)
website

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