Hey, hey, you magnificent patrons, you!

I have four new songs for you this week.  Although, only two of them are keepers, and, frankly, one of them I am on the fence about.  But, I guess not everything I do can be amazing.  Actually, I am happy if a song is listenable after a couple listens.  Which, unfortunately, two of the songs this week are not.  Well, for me.  

Also, the lyrics aren't that great.  In fact, I reserve the right to alter all of the lyrics on this album before finalizing everything.  I'm trying to write as a different person and it's proving to be a bit tough.   But, this gives you a pretty in-depth look at how my process works.  Typically, I write on either guitar or piano, and I frame out the lyrics and the melodies while composing the chord progressions.  Sometimes I'll write a whole set of lyrics only to abandon them days later, as is  the case with the song Day Drinking.  I like the melody, I like the progression but the lyrics suck.  And I need to add a lot more sonic variety to the tune.  So it's still a work in the progress.  

I dig the Internet Is Down.  In fact, I'm sorta thinking that the whole gang vocal approach might be something that I might do for the whole record.  Not sure.  But anyway, I hope you dig the album as it is developing.  Again, this album is being written for my 19-year-old self.  I'm trying to put together an album that I would have loved back then.  *shrug*  You know, as an exercise.  Hopefully, not in futility.  :P

Thank you again for your continued support.  Love you all!  The link is below.  

https://www.yousendit.com/download/bXBiYUREaytlcEpFQmNUQw

M.

http://nightattack.tv/episode/75

This week Brian and Justin are joined by Tom Merritt, Anthony Carboni, and Jeff Cannata live from Nerdtacular 2015!

Hey you beautiful patrons, you!  

Your friendly, neighborhood Mike TV here.  I was just writing to say hello, provide you this week's dose of music, and let you know what's gonna be coming up for the next few months.  

As many of you might be aware, my financial situation is pretty dire at the moment.  I won't get into specifics but, alas, my release of True Crime Television on Bandcamp only took a small chunk out of the money I owe to my creditors. So, I am gonna be forced to take a day job for the next 4 to 6 months to replenish my coffers.  Which means that I won't have time to write music with the same sort of fecundity (I know, it's a bit of a poetic use of that word, but at the same time, not really) as I have over the past year.  I will, however, be able to provide one weekly Ustream show a week.  In fact, I have a link to one that I recorded last Friday.  I play almost 40 songs from every album I have released.  (Well, except Tumors.  I used those songs to sound check an hour before I started the recording.)

Now, I understand that this isn't what you signed up for.  So, if you feel that you must stop supporting me, I completely understand.  I hope to get back to the songwriting before long.  But, my bank account is so close to empty it might as well be so.  I owe hundreds of dollars and I don't expect to see any significant checks for another month and change.  So, I have to take drastic measures to tackle my drastic situation.  

I hope you check out the show to see exactly what I am offering in exchange in the interim.  I played almost 40 songs, I played deep cuts and songs that have long been requested by fans.  I spent two days rehearsing, re-learning old tunes, and re-charting forgotten ones.  In addition to giving you a similar show each week, I am going to provide you with chord charts and lyric sheets to every album I have ever released.  I will give you one album a week.  Starting with the first and moving up to the last.  Once I have completed that project, I will then start recording YouTube videos, explaining how to cover each of the songs, played exactly the way I play them. 

So, I know that you won't be receiving new music from me over the next few months.  But you will still continue to receive quality entertainment, I believe.  A show, along with chord charts and lyric sheets, and then, eventually, YouTube videos explaining how to play my music.  I hope that is enough to compel you to stick with me.  If not, I thank you for your support, heretofore.  I love you all.  

The link below will take you to last Friday's show.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/mike-tv-live-now-with-30-more-feelings

Love you all,

M.

Hey everyone!  

So I started working a day-job this last week.  I'm gonna have to work for the next few month to allow my bank accounts to replenish.  Which means that I am not going to be able to do a lot of song-writing over the next few months.  But, I will be able to perform one weekly Ustream, and also provide you the lyrics and charts I promised last week.  So, here they are.  The first link is to a file with lyrics and chord charts for the first half of So You've Ruined Your Life.  The second link is to the recorded Ustream, in case you missed the live version.

https://www.yousendit.com/download/bXBaOU1jTkxxRTJwSHNUQw

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/mike-tv-live-now-with-30-more-feelings

I hope you all are willing to bear with me for the next couple months.  As soon as my finances have recharged, I will get back to song-writing.  I just need to buckle down and work a dayjob for a while.  So sorry.  

Thank you so much for the continued support.  I love you all!

M.

P.S. I forgot to mention that the vocals are really hot on the Ustream.  I am still figuring out how to dial them in.  So I apologize for any clipping you might encounter.

http://nightattack.tv/episode/79

Brian books a dinner date in LA, Scott Johnson joins us for Chatrealm Feud and X GON' GIVE IT TO YA

Hey, everybody!  So, I have had a few people reach out to me regarding my decision to focus on live shows for the next month while I am working my part-time day job to help replenish my savings.  I am sorry I haven't had a chance to respond to everyone that has commented or written.  I will eventually.  I promise you that.  But, the strange thing is, some people prefer the live shows and others prefer the recordings.  Some people have said that they feel they get more value when it's a couple hours worth of entertainment as opposed to fifteen minutes of songs, and others feel like they were patrons because they wanted me to be able to provide them the fruits of a full week's worth of labor in the studio.  So, I was hoping to explain my position on all this.

For me, they both require a pretty significant amount amount of work, although, to be honest, when I am inspired and excited to write music, the recording process feels like it's easier and requires less actual hard work.  When I am not inspired and excited to write music, the live shows seem to require less work.  However, they both require lots of time.  For me to put together a live show, I have to spend a couple hours going through my music sorting out what songs I would like to play.  What deep cuts I think I can learn in the margins of my day and then it requires sitting down for a few hours every day, rehearsing.  Certainly, this does not require as much work as the time needed to write and record songs, but, when I am writing and recording, I am also not working a day job.  So, whether writing/recording or playing live, they both require significant time commitments.  So, whether you prefer the live shows or the recordings, please know that I am not phoning anything in.  I live to make music and sometimes, when I hit financially tough times, I have to make adjustments.

That said, this week's Ustream will hopefully be interesting.  It's a little more talking that I was expecting, as I sorta walk you through a narrative of my approach to song-writing and my inspirations from my very earliest days of songwriting up until the last couple years.  I tried to include some deep cuts, particularly from the early stuff.  And I am going to also provide you, for free, the complete collection of Vermicious K recordings.  Vermicious K was the band that directly preceded Get Set Go.  If you watch the stream, you'll get a better sense of what I'm talking about.

I will upload those tomorrow and make them available via a free Patreon release. 

Anyway, I gotta run.  I have to set up for band practice.  

I love you all and am so, so, so very appreciative of your continued support.  Be well and I will talk to you next week.  Click the link below for the live-stream.

ustream.tv/channel/mike-tv-live-now-with-30-more-feelings

M.

P.S. Oh, sorry about the advertisements on the stream.  I don't really know another service that allows me to archive multiple hours of live-streaming shows.  I'm already paying a monthly fee to make sure these episodes are archived.  The ad-free version of Ustream costs dramatically more per month.  I'm so sorry, but I just can't afford it.  If you know of a better service, please, let me know and I will switch.  

http://nightattack.tv/episode/81

It's our sixth annual DragonCon live episode! As is tradition, Tom Merritt, Veronica Belmont and Bonnie Brushwood join the show to talk about Justin's wedding, robot cockfighting, cosplay and Don't Get Brody'd.

Brian has finally cured his dance fever as he, Tom and Justin get ready to play Chatrealm Feud, watch Netflix and chill

The water on Mars announcement has inspired us to put our lab coats on. With the help of Dr. Kiki we bring butts to the audio listeners, we spread scientific knowledge to the art community, and we energize one of Brian's employees.