S.D.R.E. Minus One = The Fire Theft
Posted on July 31, 2003 at 8:15 am | No Comments
Do you share my Sunny Day Real Estate love? Dang, I loved that band, although not quite as much near their end as near their beginning. They put on some pretty intense live shows, although by the time the final tour hit, things got a bit too crazy, a little too crowded for my tastes.
Well, three fourths of Sunny Day (all but guitarist Dan) are picking things back up as The Fire Theft. Received via email just now, via the old Sunny Day mailing list …
Hello, hello!
Jeremy Enigk, William Goldsmith, and Nate Mendel have reformed as a new band called The Fire Theft. The guys completed their first North American tour as TFT last spring, where they cooked up a ton of anticipation for a Fire Theft album release.
The band is currently in the studio recording their debut album whose release is targeted for Sept 23 in the States, and Oct 7 overseas. Our first North American tour to support the new record will begin Sept 26 with dates in Vancouver and Toronto. Tickets will be on sale in the near future. The band will be heading over to Europe very soon and is looking forward to seeing you all.
We�re all very excited, and we�re going to be needing your help, so keep an eye on www.thefiretheft.com and look out for chances to promote the band and spread the word about their music.
Enjoy the new sound!
Kind Regards,
Marni Wandner Assistant Manager/The Fire Theft
John Despirito Webmaster/The Fire Theft
New sound? Hmmm. More stripped down with just the one guitarist? Will we get the sweeping, almost proggy songs of the last S.D.R.E. record, or will they lean towards the catchier Diary-era rock songs? Maybe a bit o’ both? Something completely different? Time to check out the demo mp3 at the Fire Theft site.
A Digitial Dilemma : BuyMusic Stealing Music?
Posted on July 30, 2003 at 12:53 pm | No Comments
Here’s a story for ya.
Seems the launch of the new PC-centric digital download spot BuyMusic.com is not only full of the dreaded “technical difficulties“, but it’s walking a dangerous legal tightrope as well.
Given what former Amalgam band member Jody Whitesides has to say, it might be more than a tightrope… they might be walking themselves right off a cliff. Pimping your new online service as “helping the artists survive” in the face of illegal downloading and declining cd sales, while at the same time not getting permission from (or offering payment to) a potentially large number of lesser-known artists is not exactly the cleanest way to kick things off.
Sure, maybe they’re clueless. Maybe they thought the catalog they bought from the Orchard distribution weasels was legitimate. Not bothering to ask for documented proof of digital distribution rights, though? More than a slight oversight. If what Whitesides says is true, that his original contract with Orchard included no reference to digital rights, it’ll be very interesting to see how this all plays out, to say the least.
Me? I’ll just wait for PC-compatible access to iTunes, which is still rumored to be happening by the end of the year. Even though my Archos Jukebox Recorder 20 (with the excellent RockBox open-source firmware, of course) is treating me just fine, once PC-iTunes hits… an iPod will be mine.
Addendum : Speaking of iTunes, here’s an interesting article at BusinessWeek.com on the battle between artists and iTunes downloaders when it comes to single tracks vs. full-album downloads.