the 'nac faq
all about the almanac

a work in progress
updated june 2011

1. So who runs this place?

Hey, I'm Brad. Bradley's Almanac has been my modest little online hangout since I registered the site in February of 2000. I was Vermont-born and raised, and now make my home Allston, part of Boston, with my wife Amie, our son Brendan, a dog named Nina, and a cat named Hazel.

You can read a bit more about the Almanac in this Muzzle of Bees "Get To Know Your Blogger" profile, a slightly more recent article in the Boston Globe, or this short interview at Songkick.  If you want to say hello at a show, check out the picture with the Globe article or at my Facebook page (just make sure it's not during a song, or your voice may end up on a live Almanac mp3 ;) ).

A few quick things:  I don't post leaked album tracks, I don't use ads or site sponsors, and I only write about music I love.  The Almanac is strictly non-profit (technically,um, negative-profit), and I firmly believe in respecting music-makers and spreading the word, not in (to borrow from D. Bazan) selling advertising or maximizing traffic.  No sponsors, no banners, no money coming in.  I do it for fun, and because music plays, and has always played, such an important role in my life.

2. How can I get ahold of you?

If you're an unsolicted band or promotions company, and you want to send me some info or music links, then use (promo--at--bradleysalmanac--dot--com). More details on that below.  Apologies in advance if I don't respond right away, but it's a safe bet that I will eventually, especially if I like the music you're plugging. If you're a reader without anything in particular to convince me of, you can reach me at (bradleysalmanac--at--gmail--dot--com).

3. Why "Bradley's Almanac"?

Blame rockstar Colin Clary for that one.  One of his old bands, the Madelines, wrote a song called "Bradley's Almanac" [Mp3 here].  It felt only right to name this place after the pre-made theme song.  He claims that some of the lyrics are things I once said, but I'll never admit it. No one but my mom actually calls me Bradley, except for Almanac visitors who haven't read this faq. :)

4. So where'd you find the time to build this site?

Years ago, thanks to the good ol' dot-com crash, the fine company I was working at began its own slow, sad decline in 2000.  During a 6-month march of death, as the work dried up, I killed time and stayed sane by building the 'Nac, and began blogging on it in the summer of '01.  It started out as a sort of therapy, and it still is (whether it helps or hurts, can't say).  It's really just a place to share my digital stuff.

5. Are you an 'mp3 blog'?

For the most part, yeah, although I won't share tracks that are still commercially available or that aren't specifically allowed by the artists or their management.

The 'Nac regularly hosts live and rare mp3s by bands I like, bands I've been in, and friends.  And I frequently offer up live sets that are either worth sharing or relatively rare. I get most of this stuff from shows I attend, or from the shelves of vinyl that I'm slowly transferring to my pc.

I don't limit myself to posting only about music, so you'll sometimes find random stuff about comics, movies, tv, video games, life in Boston, websites I like, or trivial things that are on my mind or going on around me.

But mostly I dig sharing the music I love, and I try to stick to the following short list of rules...

1. Never host or link to illegally-posted pre-release tracks, full albums, open directories, or other repositories of pirated, commercially available music. 

2. Always try to link to where the artists' work can be purchased (through their record label, amazon, itunes, insound, etc). 

3. Whenever possible, link to the page where a song has been made available, not directly to the file itself (i.e. no deep linking), unless an artist/label allows it. 

As I said, I generally only host live or rare songs that are not commercially available, unless the track has been offered online by the label or band themselves. I strongly encourage visitors to support the bands you love or discover here.  Buy an album, order a t-shirt, see them live and buy some merch. 

I also swear to never use the word "drop" when referring to a release date. 

6. I want to send you some stuff by my band or a band I'm promoting... where do I send it?  Will you write about it?

If you want to send me something through the postal service, first drop me an email (promo address up above), and I'll let you know my mailing address.  If you just want to email me some info, please don't send me mp3s as attachments, just links if you've got them.

Naturally I can't, and don't want to, write about everything I get sent (I'm hardly able to listen to it all), but if I love something, I likely will.  It just might take some time.  One of the things that will help things come to my attention is come kind of Boston connection: You're from here, or you're coming to play here. Having a chance to see you play makes writing about you more fun for me, and I love pointing people in the direction of bands they can check out on stage.

Oh, and if I don't like something, don't worry... life's too short to go negative. 

If you're a PR person, please have a look around my site to get an idea of my tastes before you send me promo emails.  And while I do like random artists in these genres, sending info about the latest hip-hop, funk, country-pop, or super-mainstream release is probably a waste of your time and mine.  Lastly, if you're promoting a show happening in the Boston area, cool, send it my way. But something in LA, NYC, or London? Not much of a point there.

7. Where else do you live online?

Well, the 'Nac has a Facebook page and I have a Flickr photo page.  I also randomly stop by the VHive forums (mostly the TV forum), and I'm compelled to frequent Lemmingtrail, against my better judgement.