On top of all that, Sean writes. A lot. Usually about bass. It all began with his Music Business Survival column here on our site. Next thing you know, he was invited to provide a Soap Box article for Bass Player Magazine. Now, he's got his own blog, in which he'll write about bass . . . and whatever else he has on his mind. So grab a cup of coffee and follow along with one of Nashville's busiest bassists.
April 9, 2008
My Dear Low-Enders,
I'm here today to tell you that I'm OFFICIALLY STOKED!!!! The first shipment of my solo CD "TAPESTRY" is in hand and I am seriously pleased. Hats off to everyone at Duplium in Dallas, TX for getting this turned around quick and hooking a brother up. Now to get it out to distributors so all you fine folks can buy copies on the 22nd. Was that subtle?!?!? If not, try this……….GO BUY MY RECORD!!! I kinda like that one. Check out my MySpace too. I'm just saying…….
This past weekend was a blast. Our dear Jedi Master of all things Eden, Lane Baldwin, was hosting a pair of clinics in Tennessee. The first was here in Nashville at Sam Ash and was a great success. Lane and his band Deeper Blues kicked into overdrive and put on a great clinic. It was also great to see a lot of Nashville's elite bassists on-hand to support Lane and Eden including Professor Roy Vogt, Abe White ( Cold Truth ), John Billings ( Donna Summer ), Dave Webb ( Sugarland ), Bob Marinelli ( Colin Raye ) as well as my musical partner and Groove Therapy Records executive Rich Krainak. It was a great hang!
So day two of Eden mayhem equaled me guest appearing at Lane's clinic at L&M Music in Chattanooga, TN. This was especially cool for me since I grew up in Chattanooga and have hung out in this store many, many times. It was great seeing some old friends and family that I haven't seen in over a decade and we put a hurtin' on them. Lane let me sit in with Deeper Blues and we were on the groove like a cheap suit. I find it funny that he "threw a flag" on the play when I played too many notes on a blues tune so in typical "me" form, I put down the fretless and grabbed my trusty 4 string US Masters and proceeded to blaze him with even MORE notes. It's kinda what I do. Love ya buddy.
So initial responses to the CD continue to floor me. For instance, on My Music Stream we have had the CD available for download for a week and we have already charted as the # 2 Jazz Artist and # 12 Artist over all genres. That does not suck. If this is a preview of things to come I am not going to complain. Check it out.
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New York's top internet jazz radio station www.smoothjazzandmore.com has now put the single "Sweet" into regular rotation. Log onto the site to listen and please let them know what you think. It is the support of all of you that keeps the ball rolling.
Finally, I'm stoked about another part of my career as well. When I started writing my Music Business Survival column here at Eden, I was amazed at the response from all of you and decided to pursue writing more. Well I am pleased to announce that I'm now published as a writer in the latest issue of Vintage Guitar magazine ( look for Winwood on the cover ). I penned a review of the Valley Arts Custom Pro bass and this has opened up the door for a number of reviews that I am going to be doing with VG in months to come. Check out the issue at the local Barnes & Noble or Borders bookstores, your favorite git-tar shop, or call 800-844-1197 to snag a copy. Otherwise that is this round. Until next time.
Keep groovin',
S
April 16, 2008
Four Grooves and Seven Beers Ago…………I got nuthin.
Anyhoo, Baldy Locks here talking about the world of bass. In preparation for my CD release party this Friday and the World Premiere on Tuesday I have been ridiculously busy. You never know how much work is involved in getting CDs to reviewers, organizing with program directors, rehearsing musicians, meeting with your publishers, somehow see your girlfriend, etc until you do it. If I had thought about all of this when I started the recording process I may have thought differently. Who am I kidding? Foresight? Me? Not so much.
I am super excited to announce that for two weeks rolling I am on the charts at My Music Stream. We released my CD for download on April 1st and for the second week I am the # 2 Jazz Artist in the World. This is extremely exciting not to mention the fact that the charts also have “Tapestry” at # 9 in the US over All Genres and # 12 over All Genres in the World. You can check it out as well as download the CD. By the way, “Tapestry” will be available to order starting April 22nd. Check out my MySpace for details.
Reviews continue to roll in for another album I played on. Dear friend and blues preacher Gypsy Carns’ new CD “The Watchman” is getting rave reviews worldwide. Recent reviews from Barcelona, Australia, and Brazil have all been stellar both for Gypsy’s performance and message but your dear Baldy Locks’ ability as well. Gypsy blends gritty 3 pc blues rock while spreading the gospel and it makes for a very unique presentation of the Word. Be sure and check out the Website for more details on Gyp.
Well that is about it for now gang. I am off to a rehearsal for this Friday’s CD release party. If any of you are in Nashville, come by The Rutledge Friday night and hang. It will be a grand time.
Until next time.
Keep Groovin’,
S
April 23, 2008
What an absolutely amazing week of music!
Since last we blabbed I have been in musical bliss. It really started on Thursday when I hit the studio for the latest CD for jazz artist Anna Wilson. This project is a collection of holiday jazz originals that will be released before Thanksgiving. Anna re-assembled the line-up of first rate producer Monty Powell, Jeff Franzel on piano ( Les Brown, Frank Sinatra ), and Nashville’s top session cats Wayne Killius on drums and Mike Noble on guitar. This same line-up, including yours truly, cut her last record “Time Changes” and found sheer magic. Needless to say, we did it again. There's something about this studio band that has extreme chemistry. I'm also featured as a guest artist on the CD and featured on upright on the track “Resolutions”. Look for the CD this holiday season on iTunes and at major retailers.
Let me just say that the CD release party for “Tapestry” was off the charts hip! First of all, we had a rather crappy weather night and we still had a packed out house at The Rutledge in Nashville. It was especially cool seeing friends and fans from Alabama, New York, and LA in for the show including some very heavyweight industry folks and players. Yeah, no pressure there at all!! Anyhoo, after Kristen Cothron finished her solo set the band took stage and “owned” it from the first note. The band featured percussionist Chris Nelson, keyboardist/vocalist Gary Brown, drummer Jim Klingler, guitarist Travis Henson, blood brother numero uno/saxophonist Tommy Ogle, and my musical partner Rich Krainak on all things auxillary. That alone is fearsome but you know me. I want more.
Halfway through the set it was guest time. The first special guest was guitarist Rich Eckhardt. Rich is best known as Toby Keith’s lead guitarist for the last umpteen years. Don’t let that fool you that he doesn’t have anything other than country game. The cat can PLAY. He joined us to play a couple of songs he guested on for the record. It didn’t suck. The next guest was a serious hoot. Knowing that he was in from LA after just cutting a record, Steve Vai/Dethklok bassist as well as Bass Player magazine writer Bryan Beller took the stage. Bryan is a BAD MAN and we ventured into a dueling bass rendition of “Ain’t No Sunshine” that is STILL being talked about. I may have met my match. Damn You Bryan! Continuing with the guest list it was time for my two keyboard guests. First was Kansas blues legend Larry Van Loon and the other was the aforementioned Jeff Franzel. Face them off in the two corners on stage with Jeff on piano and Larry on B-3 and it was ON! They tried to hurt each other over an Huber–funk version of “All Blues”. It was extremely cool. To close the night we brought Eckhardt back up to reprise “Tapestry” in a very “surf” rendition into our finale number. What is the one tune you wouldn’t expect a smooth jazz bassist to go into to close the night you ask? KASHMIR!! I'm going on record to say the roof came OFF the venue. To top it all off we did the show again on Saturday in Franklin, TN. Sunday I collapsed.
All for now gang. Be sure and check out my MySpace for all the latest happenings. The CD is getting picked up by radio and reviewers everyday and is now AVAILABLE on CDBaby. We are also happy to announce that for the third week running I am the #2 jazz artist in the world on My Music Stream. WOW, that still blows me away. Anyway, much more coming.
Until next time.
Keep groovin’,
S
April 30, 2008
What up, my Bottom Thumpin' Mighties?
I hope everyone is doing well. As usual your dear Baldy Locks has been crazy
busy. My Executive Partner at Groove Therapy Records, Rich Krainak, and I have
been slammed with the radio promotion for "Tapestry" but all is well.
The CD continues to get an overwhelming response and is now being reviewed by
jazz magazines all over the world including Spain, Indonesia, and the Netherlands.
How about that? Something about sending a CD to Jakarta is surreal. The best
news is that you can finally get the CD at iTunes
and CDbaby.
Come on…….you know want a copy. Impulse buy baby!! Impulse buy!
In addition to my solo career, I'm still busy writing and performing with various
artists. This past weekend I was back in Memphis with The Justin Conn Band at
his home base venue The Blue Monkey. It was a blast to get back with the boys
especially since our saxman Lance was back from another world tour. To top it
off, I recently scored a SWEET '74 Fender Jazz and I'll just go on record to
say that it likes a WT-405 and a pair of D-410XSTs A LOT! There was much funk
for all.
In addition to Justin, I am going to be back on the road in a couple of weeks
with jazz singer Anna Wilson to Biloxi, MS for a huge concert to support Habitat
for Humanity. I am particularly excited about it because A ) Jami and I are
going down a day early and chilling on the beach and B ) I will be backing up
not only Anna but Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, and the Mississippi Mass Choir.
SCHWING! To top that I will be meeting President Jimmy Carter and First Lady
Rosalind Carter since they are hosting the event. Can we say this won't suck
and not just because of Jami in a swimsuit?
Since I started writing my blog and column on Music Business Survival here
at Eden I have been actively busy as an author. Over the past year and a half,
I have been blessed to be published in Bass Player magazine, Vintage Guitar
magazine, and Premier Guitar magazine. I am now happy to announce that I will
be a contributing writer for Gear Trap ( www.geartrap.com ). Gear Trap is a
great new website featuring blogs on equipment, music biz info, and more. Lots
of manufacturers and writers are catching onto the site and it is most definitely
worth checking out. Be sure and check it out and leave Jaux feedback.
Well that's about all for now, kids. I'm off to send info to program directors,
eat lunch, chart a tune to learn for Garth and Trisha, go to rehearsal, and
then promptly collapse. I'm sure I'll have some form of mayhem to report on
coming up. By the way, IMPULSE BUY BABY!!! Yes, I am shameless!!
Until next time.
Keep groovin',
S
May 7, 2008
Greetings Minions of the Monster Notes,
It is I, Lo-Funkus!! Or is that fungus? I never know.
Anyhoo, as seems to be the routine every week there's a ton of great things
happening centered around the new solo CD. This week we've seen sales come in
from press releases around the World. I have to admit that it's bizarre seeing
sales in The Netherlands and Russia but it makes a bald man smile for sure.
Physical and digital sales are doing great and you can now get Tapestry on CDbaby,
iTunes, Napster, eMusic, Rhapsody, Amazon, and MyMusicStream.
This week has been a good week for radio. We have been extremely focused on
getting CDs out to internet based radio stations as well as traditional radio.
This week we have been added to rotation on the Tennessee
Jazz and Blues Society Radio Hour. Late last week the song "Rain"
was world premiered on San Diego's Smooth Jazz Beach Radio and there is heavy
rotation out of Tacoma plus a great song by song review of Tapestry at CitySoundRadio.
There are more stations picking us up daily so be sure and request it at your
favorite jazz station.
I am extremely excited to announce that Bass Player Magazine has published
an outstanding review of Tapestry in the June issue of BP!! Being a major fan
of the magazine since its inception, this is an absolute honor for me as well
as a dream come true. The review is already helping to generate the buzz about
the CD with tidbits like "….soulful, melodic, and unpretentious….".
I could not be happier and an extreme thanks goes to Bryan Beller, Bill Leigh,
and everyone at Bass Player Magazine.
Rehearsals are underway for this weekend's performance in Biloxi, MS for the
Jimmy Carter Project. The Project is a huge event for Habitat for Humanity are
yours truly is the house bassist of the evening. In addition to backing my regular
artist and Habitat spokesperson Anna Wilson, I will be backing up Garth Brooks,
Trisha Yearwood, and the Mississippi Mass Choir. I am sure I will have a full
report next week and not just on the amount of seafood that Jami and I are planning
to consume.
That is the Poop of the Week from my Fortress of Groovitude. There are great
things happening daily around all the pockets of my career and I have to look
up and thank the Man upstairs daily for all of it. Thanks for listening to me
blab.
Until next time.
Keep Groovin',
S
May 14, 2008
Groovers and Groovettes,
What an outstanding week I've had since last we rapped. First of all, thanks to everyone who has sent out their love regarding the review in Bass Player Magazine on Tapestry. The review has already conjured up a great amount of support for the record and your dear Baldy Locks is ecstatic to say the least. I want to thank all of you for helping me truly realize that being a professional bassist AND a solo artist is worthwhile. You all rock!
So this past weekend was a great combination of downtime and a stellar show. A lot of you know I've been playing for jazz artist Anna Wilson for a number of years. We always get to do killer gigs and this past weekend was no exception. Anna is one of the spokespersons for Habitat for Humanity and we performed in Biloxi, MS for the Jimmy Carter Work Project. The event was a great cause and kicked off a week's worth of builds in the Biloxi area to help rebuild damage from Hurricane Katrina. That alone was reason to go but I was also honored to perform.
President Carter and First Lady Rosalind were onsite and both spoke at the event as well as Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood. Many heavy folks were in the crowd including Senator John Edwards also. To top it all off we performed the finale for the event. This ended up being one of the highlights of my career to date due to the fact that Anna was joined onstage by the legendary Mississippi Mass Choir. The Choir has been a viable entity in music for over twenty years and I feel completely blessed to have not only shared the stage with them but make many new and dear friends. Hats off to all of you gang.
That's about it for now gang. I am back in heavy radio promotion mode this week, as well as writing some product reviews for magazines. Thank GOD that Jami and I got some downtime on the beach in Biloxi while we were there. It is going to have to last me for awhile.
Until next time.
Keep groovin',
S
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As if he doesn't have enough to do already, we asked Sean O'Bryan Smith to blog about his life as an UberBusy Nashville Bassist. In addition to being an in-demand bassist for sessions and live dates, he's got his own solo act ("my Circus Freak Act"), his production duties, and now, serves as Musical Director for a new Prime Time TV show.
