Seth Asa: News

Hello Friends!

It's a brand new year and I have fun news, beginning with the show at Terrapin Station. The fine folks there at 16th and Main will welcome us for my 35th Birthday Party on Wednesday, January 6. I'll be joined by Stitch Marker and Chris Cullinan. We'll play songs by Pretty Youth, Semi*Famous, and Hey My People (all my little projects). I hope to have a webcam for the night but I don't know yet.

The next business is Colt 45. No, not the drink. No, not the gun. No, not my song. THE ALBUM. It's coming. Material for Colt 45 will debut at the Birthday Concert.

A family member recently asked me if people would be more likely to celebrate my birthday with me if I didn't play my music at the party. My answer is this: I want to be playing my music on my birthday. If people want to listen, they'll be welcomed with open arms. If they don't want to listen, they will be lovingly missed. I'll be rocking, either way.

My albums and tapes and original music are how I mark my history. This is how I track my life. When people mention 1992, I think of my first multi-tracked project, "Weight of the World" and the bands Farm Dog, Boxcar, Elephant House Party, and Bean Supper. When people mention college, I think of "Walk Without Fear" and "All About Dolls" and "Souvenirs". When asked what I think about, worry about, or love, at any point in my life, one can simply 'compare my dreaming to the reel' for a cryptically-detailed answer, told in music.

When people ask why I use the period mark outside quotation marks or apostrophes, I remind them that this was proper until we invented the printing press and the period block kept breaking off.

The point is, I celebrate my life on my birthday. It many not be my career or my financial "living" but my music is my life. I'll continue to mark my time with my unknown bands and my unheard music. This is me. And in a few days, I'll be 35.

If you're in the Boise area, I hope you will drop by Terrapin Station to celebrate with me!

Rock In, Rock On, Rock Out in 2010

I took a trip to the Great City by the Bay this past weekend and has some amazing experiences, saw many old friends, and simply wanted to say thank you to all for making my trip a great time...!

Rock In, Rock On, Rock Out

Hey ya'all!

I hope everyone is having a happy Thanksgiving holiday with friends and family. It has been a wonderful day for us here in Boise and we hope you're feeling the same wonderfulness.

Peace be with you and yours on this festive day!


Rock In, Rock On, Rock Out

It's early yet but I am always prone to talk up something that won't happen for years. That being said, I want this one done by April 5.

Cult 45: Nine hot songs culled from Pretty Youth, Hey My People, and other awesome projects... projects with snippets that will soon be posted on the upcoming Archives page.

Cult 45: Gut-blues and majority rock with a couple of nice ballads.

Cult 45: in the works!

Webcast: still working the bugs. We want to deliver good quality audio and picture so we're tweaking.


Rock In, Rock On, Rock Out

Hello again, Dear Friends!

GIGS - I'll be performing as Howie Gondu with Red Light Variety at the Visual Arts Collective on the 30th and 31st of October. Check out the gigs page for more details on the upcoming shows!

WEBCASTING - on hold (still working out the tech bugs).

GUESTBOOK - Due to the increasing amount of SPAM, I have disabled my Guestbook. If you want to throw a compliment or insult my way, please email info@sethasa.com...!

FREE TRACKS - Current free mp3's include:

I-iii Without Sleep
up the down slide
III-i The Weather
III-ii Make Magic

...and plenty more!

Coming in late October: The Music Archives Page, which will feature free music tracks from old high school and college bands, current Secret Room artists, and other fun music experiments. Cruise on back!

Rock In, Rock On, Rock Out

Hey Friends!

If you go to the MUSIC page, you'll find there are always a few tracks available for free download.

Here is a list of the current freebies...

Dream:33:
I-i No Guarantees
II-iii Wake Me
up the down slide

Live:
'Black Dog' cover version
Girlfriend Sleeping Arrangements

Pretty Youth:
At The End
Colt 45

Archives:
Whale Song

Feel free to download these tracks to enjoy with your friends!

Rock In, Rock On, Rock Out

Hello Friends!

Red Light Variety and Burlesque won a couple of prizes at the Boise Curb Cup! We were given an award for best costumes and the Fame 15 award which will culminate in a story about Red Light on KTRV Fox12!

I'm told the story will take place sometime next week. I'll post details as I get them.

Yay Red Light!

Rock In, Rock On, Rock Out

Howie Gondu will be performing with Red Light Variety at the First Annual Boise Curb Cup today! We'll be stationed somewhere around The Grove / Main Street, between 8th and Capitol. Beautiful and talented women will perform while Howie Gondu jams percussion, mini guitar, and flute, and Mr. Maid Rite bangs the bucket drums.

Come down and throw your tokens!

Rock In, Rock On, Rock Out

In celebration of my nomination in the Just Plain Folks Music Awards this year, I'm giving away some songs. From now until August 31, "I-i No Guarantees", "II-iii Wake Me", and "up the down slide" will be available for free download on the music page of sethasa.com.

The afore-mentioned songs will still cost money from download services like iTunes and Amazon MP3.

I also added one of the newet Pretty Youth songs, "At The End".

For those of you who voted for "I-i No Guarantees", thank you. For those that didn't, I hope you find something else here that you can enjoy...!

Rock In, Rock On, Rock Out

I'll be playing an intimate little acoustic show at Ophidia Dance and Art Studio.  I'll be joined by Chris Cullinan and each of us will play solo sets and a few numbers together.  Feel free to bring a snack and a camp chair and chill for a couple of hours...!

That's all for now.  Have a Happy Week!

Rock In, Rock On, Rock Out

Hey friends! Dream:33 is beginning to show up on digital distribution sites, including iTunes, Amazon MP3, Napster, and TradeBit. I couldn't be more excited that my music is now available world-wide. It's a dream come true!

Unfortunately, some of these sites currently have incorrect track titles and/or track order. Most of the problems are about capitalization, or the lack thereof. Some have errors in the roman numerals.

I have already written to many of these sites, including allmusic.com, from whom many companies derive track information. In the meantime, however, you may run into misinformation here and there. If you're an album purist and want to be certain of the correct track titles and order, a track list has been added to the product page.

Thanks for listening...!

"Dream:33" was entered in the 2009 Just Plain Folks Music Awards... and my song "No Guarantees" has been nominated for an award in the "Jam Band Song" category! Check the link to see for yourself: http://jpfolks.com/09songnoms.html.

Just Plain Folks is a music network of over 50,000 musicians and music activists, with members representing over 150 different countries. The JPF Music Awards take place about once every two years. This year had over 40,000 album entries and over 530,000 songs.

The JPF Awards are judged by a wide cross-section of music industry professionals, music lovers, and musicians just like you and I. The judges are asked to evaluate the music by only one question: "Does it move you?"

Just Plain Folks recognizes that music can move people regardless of quality of recording, size of record label, lack thereof, playing experience, age, sex, location, etc.

Founder Brian Austin Whitney believed that the music industry lacked an awards process for the other 98 percent of us who don't have major label recording contracts but are still making great music.

The awards ceremony will take place in Nashville, TN, on August 29, 2009.

Just Plain Folks offers free memberships to anyone with an email address. Any musicians out there who aren't JPF members, I highly recommend this positive resource. Go to http://www.jpfolks.com for more information.

The last time I formally entered the JPF Awards was the first year they took place, in 1999. I sent them my self-copied CD-R album, "Think of Me..." which garnered an honorable mention for the song "I Don't Know You".

Wish me luck in the 2009 Just Plain Folks Music Awards!

Rock In, Rock On, Rock Out

If you have been looking to buy a copy of Dream:33, go directly to http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sethasa where Dream:33 is available as a physical CD and for download as MP3's. There you'll also find instant-play previews of every track. You can also click on the "BUY" tab to your right! There you will find a page with the link to Dream:33 on CD Baby.

Enjoy!

Rock In, Rock On, Rock Out...!

For those of you who don't know, I have a band called Semi*Famous with my friend Chris Cullinan, a fine singer-songwriter of varying styles (and taste levels). Live gigs are more often booked under the name Semi*Famous than either of our individual names. So if you're looking for my live shows, look for Semi*Famous...!

We'll be playing on July 2nd, in Garden City, for the opening of the Ophidia Dance and Art Studio. It's located at 200-7 37th Street, in a business park near the Woman of Steel Gallery and the Visual Arts Collective. There will be live entertainment, visual art, dance and movement demonstrations... and I'm told there will be cheese!

See you there...!

Rock In, Rock On, Rock Out

As you probably noticed, I changed the overall look of the site. I liked the blue/black color scheme but folks were having trouble reading the content. So I switched to this black and white version with large print...! Now everything is easier to see and I still like the look of it all.

DREAM:33 UPDATE
As of today, "Dream:33" has been distributed to Napster, iTunes, Lala, GreatIndieMusic, Verizon, and Tradebit, with Amazon MP3 on the way.

That being said, it will take up to three months for the album to post on these sites. I guess they must be pretty busy!

In the meantime, copies of "Dream:33" are available online at CD Baby...! Go to http://cdbaby.com/cd/sethasa.

The physical CD costs a penny more than the download but it is currently the individually-numbered signature edition (limited run of 333 copies) with a special running time that may not appear in download form...!

I recommend the physical CD over the download version... but I'm the sentimental type. If you're not into online shopping, look for my band, Semi*Famous, playing live in your area. At our live shows we sell the CD at a discount!

More news as it comes.

Rock In, Rock On, Rock Out

I'm just beginning to process our audio recording from the gig at the Visual Arts Collective in Garden City, Idaho, April 16, 2009. I've posted our cover of Black Dog for listen or download and I'll be adding more later...!

It's all pretty good. The VAC did a fabulous job mixing and recording us and were super to work with.

No gigs to post as of yet. There may be an engagement on/around June 17 but we're still working the details.

Rock In, Rock On, Rock Out

Check out the Local section at Record Exchnge in Boise (one of the best record stores in the world) for limited-edition, individually-numbered copies of "Dream:33".

The RX is selling "Dream:33" for $8.99. It will also be available through their online catalog...!

Monday 03'30'09:

FREE LIVE MUSIC by Seth Asa and Chris Cullinan...!

Fulton Street Center for the Arts
854 Fulton Street
Boise, Idaho
(on the corner of 9th St and Fulton St).

Doors at 6pm, Show at 7pm.

Beer and Wine and other beverages will be sold to benefit Boise Contemporary Theater.

Come on down and celebrate!

Okay. The date is set. The venue is Fulton Street Center for the Arts. Be ready to come downtown and rock with us as my buddy Chris and I both celebrate a twenty-year-old goal: releasing an album.

I'll be putting up "Dream:33" while Chris promotes "Chris Cullinan's Greatest Hits" and we'll be rocking hard for you...!

Early showtime for the Tuesday morning commuters...!

Come on down and bring a little cash for beer and wine - all beverage sales benefit the wonderful arts organizations who reside at Fulton Street Theatre. Come celebrate...!

Happy Holidays...!

I dig Christmas socks. There is simply nothing like a brand new pair of warm socks for a snowy winter evening, after all of the food has been eaten and stories have been told.

What ever your own holiday may bring, may peace, health, and love be with you.

See you in 2009...!

Almost there...

"Thanks to all at once and to each one..." - MacB, ACT V, Scene ix

Today we did our final performance of MacB in Cleveland. There were plenty of great reviews over the course of the show, wonderful audiences, and the show was a blast to perform in the new Hanna Theatre, which is absolutely gorgeous.

I'll post some more snippets of reviews here after I return to Boise but right now I need to take time to thank a bunch of people.

I have friends and coworkers who pulled double-duty for the last five months to afford me this weird and wonderful opportunity... and still have employment on the other end. The College I for whom I work is a fabulous environment, with incredible people behind every door, and in every walk of it's daily life. So thanks to Jill, Tracylea, Debi, Mike, Jeff, Leroy, Alan, Matt, and everyone else who kept watch and kicked butt for my sake.

I would also like to thank the cast, crew, staff, administration, and everyone else at Great Lakes Theatre Festival. They were amazing to me; always kind and supportive... even when I was broke IATSE union rules by being on stage under ghostlight (though, in my own defense, I have probably spend far more of my life in dim light or darkness than anyone I know).

Great Lakes Theatre Festival is a great company of artists who I can only hope will thrive in their new space. I hope the Hanna will prove to be a great home for GLTF and that Playhouse Square becomes the center of a true downtown renaissance in Cleveland.

Lastly, and mostly, I need to thank Hannah. You see, I take off on flights of fancy. I follow whim to the point that reality and responsibility become frustrating. Simple matters like paying bills or filling out paperwork only seem obstacles between myself and the giving of my heart. Hannah is patient with me; she knows how to make me see these tasks as detours instead of roadblocks. She laughs with me when it's funny and she soothes me when it hurts. I can only hope to do as well for her.

I only have a few more tracks to record before Dream:33 is ready to go out for mastering.

Most of the songs are actually done, with the exception of a few vocal and guitar tracks.

I can't wait to share this album. I think it's sounding pretty good....

MACJOURNAL 2.4

"You lack the season of all natures, sleep." - MacB, Act III, Scene iv

Well, the show has opened and now Great Lakes Theatre Festival is in tech rehearsals and previews for their next offering, the musical "Into the Woods" by Stephen Sondheim, opening this Saturday. My lovely Hannah will be in town to attend opening with me (high-pitched squeal of glee)...!

While much of the company continues on a daily work schedule for the musical, others among us are getting a bit of down time. For my part, I have been recovering from a slight muscle strain in my right shoulderblabe (and catching up on sleep).

The reviews for MacB here in Cleveland have been largely positive. We drummers have been mentioned nearly as often, and as favorably, as the rest of the cast and designers. My flute playing has also been mentioned on a couple of occasions.

I hope to have more to report in the future as I explore Cleveland. So far I have only made it as far as Prospect Music, an established music equipment retailer downtown. I bought a couple of beginner fifes there and had some nice conversations with Mike, the owner. Mike gave me his unique perspective on the life and times of the downtown Cleveland retail scene.

Last night, actor Lynn Berg and I attended "Noises Off" at The Cleveland Play House. The Cleveland Play House is America's oldest regional theatre, founded in 1915. Their performance complex is one of the largest in North America, housing four separate performance spaces. This beautiful theatre complex looks like a castle. If it weren't for some tall floor-level windows and glass doors, the building looks like it could mount a substantial defense against a Zombie attack.

For more information on The Cleveland Play House, visit http://www.clevelandplayhouse.com/about-history.asp
Today looks a bit gray outside. But I hope to take a walk across the bridge to the West Side Market. The West Side Market is a bit like Boise's Saturday Market except it is housed within a couple of permanent structures and is open daily. And it's more food oriented where Boise's Market caters more toward crafters. Housed within the West Side Market are about a dozen produce markets and an entire complex of meat specialists. There's even real Polish Keilbasa and Pierogi. And cheese. And chicken and lamb and goose and goat and just about any other meat you can think of. There's probably seafood, too, but I don't really look for that.

I continue my adventures. Those of you who are reading this blog (all two of you), please send some positive energy toward my kitty, Bebe Awa Gita. Her hair tangle problem has gotten out of hand and she's getting a little trim today. I should have pictures from Hannah later on. Rock on...!

"Fair is foul and foul is fair." - MacB, Act I, Scene i


Well, okay. The witches in MacB aren't talking about baseball. But I am...!

Tonight, while many of my fine peers enjoyed a fabulous Gala to celebrate the opening of the Hanna Theatre, my buddies and I took the opportunity to see a Cleveland Indians baseball game. It was the second-to-last game of the season and my last chance to take in Cleveland's home team as they engaged in a classic rivalry game against the Detroit Tigers.

Cleveland Indians games are played at Progressive Field, affectionately known as "The Jake" due to it's earlier, non-corporate monicker "Jacobs Field" (after former team owners Richard and David Jacobs). We arrived sometime around 6pm to see a bit of the warmup.

Our seats were in the left field bleachers, beneath the Diamond Screen Scoreboard. It was "Rally Hat" night, so we all achieved free inside-out hats. As we wandered in and acquired our prerequisite beers and hotdogs, some reps from Time Warner gave us all orange t-shirts. We found our seats, three rows up from the field railing, right near the Home Run Porch. One of my buds got some peanuts. Cracker Jacks would come later.

I chose to buy myself an item I have desired for a long time: a large foam-rubber finger. I don't know why, but I have wanted one of these things for, like, fifteen years.

A cameraman and interviewer came into our section early in the game and he and his lovely assistants gave us all copies of "The Best of the Doors" 2-CD compilation. And yes... we appeared, larger than life, on the Diamond Screen - foam finger and all...! This proved to be a great night for a ballgame and an even better night for shwag. My other friend was remarking on his intention to buy a game shirt. And, errily enough, he WON a game shirt (signed by infielder Ryan Garko) simply for having the winning ticketed seat...!

While my friend ventured into the depths of the stadium to claim his mighty prize, I had my picture taken with a giant hot dog with onions.

Herein I will list the garbage Iate: 1) hotdog with onions and 'ballpark mustard'; 2) draft beer; 3) peanuts; 4) canned beer poured into plastic cup; 5) Cracker Jacks; 6) draft beer; 7) soft pretzel and nacho cheese; 8) polish sausage hotdog with peppers and onions and 'ballpark mustard'; 9) chili cheese fries. We shared the peanuts, Cracker Jacks, and chili cheese fries. The three of us were roundly defeated by the fries.

It's worth noting that, before tonight, I had never been to an American League ballgame. I saw two New York Mets games (National League) about twenty years ago. I was amazed at home much of the game I had forgotten. And at how quickly I picked it all up again. It was truly a magical night. The Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers, 6-3.

Go Tribe...!


(To see this blog entry complete with fun and goofy photos, please visit http://www.sethasa.blogspot.com)