must see vid:Should you quit your job & join a band?

[Cellotron]

A hilarious must see (and oh so true) video on the realities of being a touring musician given by the amazing cellist Zoe Keating (a former member of Rasputina, who now does shows doing live looping of solo cello - and one of the big success stories of the "new biz model" showing that you can actually earn a decent living making cool eclectic music as an independent artist) ->

YouTube - Ignite Show: Zoe Keating - "Should you quit your tech job and join a rock band?", Ep21.


Best regards,
Steve Berson

[MoreSpaceEcho]

it's so true about the food.

hey steve do you know what software she's using for the looping on this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYrcXX4nWOA&feature=fvw

[Cellotron]

it's so true about the food.

hey steve do you know what software she's using for the looping on this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYrcXX4nWOA&feature=fvw

I think she customized her own with Max MSP - but I'm not positive. When we shared a couple bills about 4 years ago she was still using the Electrix Repeater. I think she moved to using her MacBook completely for her looping a couple of years ago.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

[Gentleman Jim]

It's so true about everything.

It's a great life when you're in your twenties, but after a while you either need to commit to that being the the way you're going to live your life or get out.

[MoreSpaceEcho]

I think she customized her own with Max MSP

wow, now i'm even more impressed.

[tubetapexfmr]

It is a freeware program called Sooper Looper in the song video.
http://www.essej.net/sooperlooper/

[Cellotron]

It is a freeware program called Sooper Looper in the song video.
http://www.essej.net/sooperlooper/

Thanks for the info! A good link to know!

edit:
more info from http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/05/keating/

She makes it all happen using a MacBook Pro running Ableton Live and SooperLooper. She controls the computer primarily with her feet, tapping on a bank of 10 MIDI foot pedals near her chair. The pedals activate custom AppleScripts she has created, which in turn control the audio software, enabling her to create and play back sometimes dozens of simultaneous loops.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

[cale w]

Oh god, how I want to be on the road now after seeing that video... it's so much more fun than answering emails, dropping off rough mixes, turning up guitar solos 2db, and buttering my own goddamn toast in the morning before work.

[Gentleman Jim]

Prior to tonight I never knew anything about Zoe Keating, but now I'm not sure if I'm developing a celebrity crush or if I'd just wither in her presence due to her superior intellect.

First, she absolutely NAILS the non-superstar touring experience in the youtube video linked in the original post. It should be required viewing for anybody who is considering altering their life for going on tour.

Then, in the wired.com video, she says this:

"Everything I do is... um, based on, like, the limitations of technology. I would say recently I can do a lot, and I'm sort of dealing with the repercussions of what it means to be able to do almost anything... which is... um, a new problem for me."

So there you go. She's probably the smartest person I've ever come across who is speaking about making music and being a musician. Others may speak well or tell an interesting story, but in less than 10 minutes of video she called out the two biggest hardships facing working musicians today. I can't decide what to order for lunch in less than 10 minutes.

EDIT: In reviewing this post, I realized that by transcribing her verbatim, including "um's" and "like's," I might have come across as sarcastic when I say she's smart. I'm not being sarcastic; I think her observations are right on the mark and she communicates her thoughts precisely.

[MoreSpaceEcho]

Prior to tonight I never knew anything about Zoe Keating, but now I'm not sure if I'm developing a celebrity crush or if I'd just wither in her presence due to her superior intellect.

yes, this.

[b3groover]

Nice vid. Thanks for posting. She's spot on.

[mrc]

Yes