New Location!

Hey there,

I've moved to http://andrewrohlk.com/

Go there for the latest updates on Andrew Rohlk Music!

Update on the Music I Make

Here's a brief video update on some video projects I've recently been involved with. Straight from the fish room, yo!

In short, I did a video podcast called Aux Send which I've done before with Noble Air. (Which I've even blogged about before.) 

You can watch my solo episode here. 

There's also an audio podcast version of my Aux Send episode, and you can check out my bandcamp page for the 5 song EP "Live on Aux Send." Clever title, right? Fun fact: the cover art is based on the design of the Aux Send room which has a red wall. 

I also did a video for Big Meadow Sessions on a special playground designed for children of all abilities. 

You can watch that up there. 

Thanks for reading and go watch them videos! 

Please and thank you, 

-Andrew 

Now In Rotation

Here's what I've been listening to as of late.

Jimmy Blake has been described as "alt 'n B" and that's as close as I can figure too. Pretty neat stuff. Took me a hot second to get used to the vocals, but I can gel with him now. 

Jamie Woon is to James Blake like Coldplay is to Radiohead. OK, not an exact analogy but close enough. Both Jamie and Coldplay could be considered more watered down and accessible but they still have their merit. In other words, not talking trash on anybody, I'm a genuine fan of all these artists, but for different reasons. 

Self described "electronic folkie" but really the lady just knows how to write a great pop song with some substance to it. It doesn't hurt that she has one of the most captivating voices I've heard in a while. 

Simply gorgeous. Bon Iver adds more instrumentation and slicker production for a more lush, filled out sound on this solid sophomore effort. 

Death Cab you deceitful jerks you. You tell me you're taking away a lot of the guitars for this album and then put out a guitar heavy first single "You Are A Tourist" and confuse me. The songwriting on this single is subpar for Ben Gibbard and the rest of the album indeed has less guitar. Still chewing on this one. It's hard to contend with the Plans, Transatlanticism, Narrow Stairs trifecta. 

"Cosmogramma" by Flying Lotus gives my brain a massage every listen. The Thom Yorke cameo is pretty swell, and I like that I'm a big enough science nerd to know the basis of the album cover is likely based on a real thing. (Relatively real that is.) 

Iron & Wine's lastest is something that needs more listens to have more of an opinion, but so far I like. Some may dislike the seemingly incoherent lack of unity to the songs but so far, I dig the style diversity. I even did a cover of the song "Tree By the River" from this album, so check it out here. 

Insanely awesome grooviness with Motown flair, but new school production. 

Part of my old school soul kick. I could include Adele's latest and even Duffy's most recent too, but this album has gotten way more plays lately. 

HOLY CRAP I LOVE THESE GUYS. Easily my new favorite band. So. Good. 

Been listening to a little bit of these guys here and there. Sometimes I dig it, other times I roll my eyes. 

Solid stuff from one of my favorite songwriters. Simon's attention to detail and superb sound textures make me grin. 

I know that I like Fleet Foxes, but I'm still trying to decide if I love them. This needs more spins as well. 

That's all for now. There's more, but these are the ones with higher play counts than the rest. I'm excited to soon add the new City and Colour to this list. 

-Andrew Rohlk

Another EP review & other news

My good friend and fellow blogger Tyler Conta was kind enough to review my EP. Check it out below!

Also, quick update: I'm just about done with school for the year and will have more time to focus on music. WOOT! Working on some new youtube vids, got some gigs lined up, and even some audio/video recording coming your way.

The Wisdom of Tyler Conta: Album of the Moment: 4/28/11: "This post is coming atcha...TO THE MAX! For today we have a short music review of Andrew Rohlk's A Little Less Rough EP, with a link at th..."

EP Review

So my buddy Spencer Dukoff wrote a candid review of my EP A Little Less Rough (FREE listen & download here) on his blog. A lot of his thoughts are spot on with what I was trying to convey with these songs. It's nice to have another perspective from someone with a natch for writing (especially when it comes to music reviews.)

Check out his blog for music related goodness. He's a supremely cool dude. I wish I had half as much neato stuff going on as him. Ok I'm gushing now, I'm out.

-Andrew

EP Release!!

Today my EP A Little Less Rough is available for FREE DOWNLOAD at http://andrewrohlk.bandcamp.com/

Big thanks to Becca Rohlk (who's 17 today! Happy Birthday sis!) for helping to create the cover art. It may look like some simple finger painting, but it's actually an elaborate process involving shaving cream. She's tried explaining it to me, but I still don't quite get how she pulled it off. It looks fantastic though!

Thanks also to Matthew Huckfeldt for all his support throughout the recording process. He did much more than pushing all the buttons in ProTools as we worked in his bedroom studio.

Thank you to Amy Pontiff, Elizabeth Kiefer, Olivia Small, Dale Price, and Katina Stevenson for letting me goad them into singing the La Da Da's on "What This Will Be"

Thanks also go to Jess Lonett for dealing with all my crazies throughout recording.

And thank you to the folks at Madistrophic and anyone else who has helped in some way that I might have missed. I might be a solo artist for the time being, but that doesn't mean I'm alone and without help.

Where's the music at??

So if you're wondering where my actual music is, I have 3 words for you: HANG IN THERE!

My "A Little Less Rough" EP is still being mastered. I like to think of mastering as the musical equivalent of lamination; it makes things glossier and hold up a bit better. I'm insanely eager to hear the finished product.

Anyway, the whole shabang will be released late March / early April. It's hard to get specifics before mastering is done, so hang in there!

Please and thank you,

-Andrew Rohlk

PS: There will be a pre-release single streaming online soon to help tide you over. Until then, check out my Myspace page or my YouTube page. 

If that still doesn't tide you over, look at this picture of a cat.

Aux Send

This is Aux Send.

Aux Send is a video podcast based on live studio performances of unsigned artists. The guy behind it all, Doug, has a really cool vision and hopes to continue having artists on the show based on recommendations from other artists who have already done the show.

My band Noble Air, a project where I simply play guitar (no singing for me, I'm afraid of getting in the way of Eileen's lovely voice), recorded an episode and now it's up!

Go check it out here.  

Please and thank you.

-Andrew Rohlk

Update on the Music I Make

So I've been working on an acoustic EP titled "A Little Less Rough" for my solo project, and now all that remains are some loose ends that need tying up. The whole thing is going to be released late March/ early April. I'm normally not a good sharer, but boy oh boy am I excited to share this thing with you. So excited that I might even let slip a track or two before the official release..... Stay tuned.

Please and thank you.

-Andrew Rohlk

City & Colour New Album

So pumped for this.

Developmental Stages of Musicians

So I've been thinking a lot about how I've progressed as a musician over the years compared to others I know and have read about, and I think the general development is in the following stages. This obviously isn't true for everyone. Some people get stuck in certain stages, skip stages, or don't follow this arch at all. So again, IN GENERAL this is how I've found the stages of musicianship to progress:

1. What is this and how do I make it make noise.
2. Ok now I know what to do to make sound/play notes, but I suck.
3. Sweet cheeks of a Gerber baby! I can play 3 notes/chords in a row!
4. I'm good enough to learn some songs now. Let's do this.
5. This is hard. I just want to be really good.
6. I can now play something that sort of resembles someone else's song.
7. I have mastered my favorite song by my favorite band.
8. I can play my favorite band's entire catalog.
9. I make up original stuff every now and then, but usually just stick to my favorite band's songs.
10. I wrote my first song, and it sucks.
11. I wrote some more songs, and they all sound like my favorite band.
12. I wrote some new songs, and I think they're pretty original.
13. Nope, they all sound like my favorite band.
14. I wrote some new songs, and you can still tell what my favorite band is, but it's less obvious.
15. I wrote some songs that are good. People don't play the you-sound-like-so-and-so game as much.
16. I've found my sound and don't care about comparisons.
17. ???????
18. Profit.

Add in writer's block/getting stuck in the same habits, riffs, etc. after step 10 or so and you're good to go. Tell me if I missed anything.

Please and thank you.

-Andrew Rohlk

Good Advice From a Dead Guy:

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." 

                                                       -Theodore Roosevelt

Cool Perspective

In this Stereogum article with Fleet Foxes, they discuss their sophomore release and other related topics. It was a good read, but this tidbit at the end made me really perk up.

"After the first record came out, I had to really come to terms with what it is that we actually do. It sounds so pretentious, but in deciding to play folk music there is this almost curatorial aspect to the music you make. You are working within a tradition. Everybody who makes music is making a choice — you see the unlimited options out there and pick the one that feels right for you."

That last line rings pretty true for me. I'm in a place right now where I'm still trying to find and define my sound. I have a lot of music that gets me going and there are several directions I want to explore musically. The tough part is deciding what direction to go in. Unfortunately my choices are limited a bit right now for several reasons, but on the bright side, that buys me some time to decide. 

If you haven't heard of them already, and you dig Folk and/or gorgeous harmonies check out Fleet Foxes here. 

Please and thank you. 

-Andrew Rohlk

Freak Owls

Saw these guys the other night at Clementine and enjoyed it. If you like Folky Indie-Pop, Check'em out here.

Please and thank you.

-Andrew Rohlk

Be Nice to Your Ears

Consider this a friendly Public Service Announcement. I have no endorsement or affiliation with this company, but these bad boys are awesome. If you dig live music, play music, or are around loud music, you kind of need these. They actually make music sound BETTER in my opinion. Most foam earplugs give you that muffled sounding thing that messes with pitch. These are great because it's just like turning down the volume without the muffle or pitch shift. You can hear everything more clearly, because your ears aren't overloaded. They're easy to clean, come with a cool/dorky carrying case, and even have a string you can attach so you can dangle them around your neck when you take them out. You'll be the coolest kid at your favorite music hang! Ok, that's it for this infomercial. Protect your hearing. 

Please and thank you. 

-Andrew Rohlk 

Oh yea, here's the link.  

The King of Limbs

A lot of people are talking about Radiohead's recent release, so I won't bore you with another review of the album. Instead I'll offer you my perspective on this band that everyone loves to rave about.

I wasn't always a Radiohead fan and only somewhat liked the "OK Computer" album. I've never cared for anything on "Pablo Honey" and eventually gave "The Bends" some spins. What really turned me from casual listener to raving fan was "Kid A" and "Amnesiac". Oddly enough, I turned my nose up at both these albums and was NOT feeling them at first. After a few listens though, it seeped in and these two quickly became my favorite albums.

I then discovered the beauty of this band: They sound better and better with each listen. For me, there's no better reward for a listener than having this happen. Most (maybe not most, but a lot of) music gets stale and its effects wear off with repeated listening. "In Rainbows", "Hail to the Thief", and now "The King of Limbs" are no exceptions.

So maybe you're not a Radiohead fan, and maybe you never will be. The point is if you hear this band or any other music that makes you ask, "How on earth could anyone like this?!", maybe give them a chance instead of writing them off right away. Listen with an open mind.

Please and thank you.

-Andrew Rohlk

Starting Somewhere

So I've tried my hand at blogging before and just end up getting overwhelmed with the possibilities of what to share. I'm going to try to limit the scope this time to just music. I can't promise straying from these parameters from time to time, and I can't promise you'll like it. Promises are dumb anyway.

I promise to keep writing if you keep reading.

Please and thank you.

-Andrew Rohlk