The Spaceship Days Mothership

Just Like Back in the Day

2011-12-20T16:44:00.001-05:00

Once upon a time, I had the coolest job any band person could ever ask for. I worked in a record store.

Besides being in the enviable position of talking about, listening to, and more or less breathing in music all day long, I got a (meager) paycheck and had an instant icebreaker for every pretty lady who walked in wanting to buy a CD.*

*It was: "Are you looking for anything special today?" Never said I was smooth.

I was also able and quite willing to talk to every musician who came in to post a flyer, every club owner who sold tickets through our store, and every Joe, Bob, and Judy with big dreams of music mogul-hood.

Some of the most valuable things I learned during those wild years, were all of the varied and interesting ways bands and artists promoted themselves. This all happened before the Internet Revolution, so musicians were doing everything at 'street level' armed with nothing but their wits, moxie, and whatever money they could scrape together. Every day was a lesson in DIY.

One of the really interesting phenomena from that time was the 7" vinyl single. Two bands would work together to release it. One group would have a song on the "A" side, the other on the "B". There was quite a bit of that sort of inter-artist cooperation at that time, although it eventually started to fade away.

We thought, why not bring it back?

After a chat with our friends in the excellent band Haunting Heather , who had just had a song mixed by Greg - our very own producer and guitarist extraordinaire, we decided to do just that.

On December 24th 2011 Monochrome Daydream will favor ears across the world with two brand new songs from our bands, in the truest spirit of indie artist cooperation. Just like back in the day.

Find Monochrome Daydream in our Store beginning Christmas Eve.

Naughty or Nice, we hope you enjoy it.

From One Indie to Another: 4 Tips to Effective Cross Promotion

2011-11-26T06:11:00.007-05:00

Cross promotion is one of an Indie's greatest tools.

On paper, it gives an artist access to potential fans they might not have reached, complete with a ready made endorsement from someone who's work said potential fan already (presumably) likes. If used with a little bit of forethought, and a splash of common sense, cross promotion can be efficient, far reaching, and most importantly free. Here are a few things to think about.

1. Don't Keep Score

Sending out CAPS LOCKed emails scolding someone for not commenting on our latest status update, re-tweeting you, or only posting three of your links when you shared four of theirs just isn't helpful. Take things as they come and keep it moving.

2. Say "Thank You"

This is probably the easiest thing to do, but the hardest one to remember. Time zones, crowded news feeds, and busy Real Life make it difficult to catch everything nice that someone says about you. On the occasions that you can, use the two magic words that your Mother taught. They still make a difference.

3. Remember Your Non-Musical Friends

Bloggers, photographers, filmmakers, painters and poets need love too. Most other artistic mediums go hand in hand with music anyway and Indies of those other ilks can help spread your sounds to a completely different type of listener. Which is sort of the whole point.

4. Use All The Forums Available To You

On the internet, the possibilities are endless. Resist the urge to look at everything through Facebook colored glasses. Reach as far and wide as time, net savvy, and motivation will allow.

Indie artist solidarity is a wonderful thing. Use it.

Everything Is Something to Someone.

2011-11-21T21:22:00.003-05:00

Art is subjective. It always has been, and always will be, I get that.

But enough already.

All the ranting about this genre, or that genre not being "Real" music is just silly. Not caring for something doesn't strip it of its value to another set of ears.You can't ( well..you shouldn't) knock somebody for painting in colors you might not use. Unfortunately, it seems that musos are guilty of this quite often.

Shame on you.

Think back and remember when your parents said the something similar about the newly acquired album (or cassette!) blaring in your bedroom.

"You just don't get it." is what I said. And they didn't, but maybe they weren't supposed to.

Music exists to make a listener laugh, scream, protest, cry, grin, pump a fist, reminisce, jump, wiggle a bum, tap a toe, relax, get hype, persevere and on and on and on...

If it does so, then the music has served its noble purpose: To make someone feel something.

That is all.

Music can do that whether it has guitars in it or not.

So please, unclench, keep breathing, and let the art be art.

It's All Indie!

2011-10-25T01:51:00.001-04:00

We of Spaceship Days are pleased to announce our nomination for Best Pop Artist in the 2012 All Indie Music Awards. Sponsored by All Indie Magazine and The Great Unknown Presents podcast, the goal of the AIMAs is to recognize independent artists from around the world in a showcase to take place in Hollywood CA, during Grammys week. There are many excellent artists involved, in quite a few categories.

Listeners will determine the final few nominees with the winner decided by a panel of judges. Voting is easy. There is nothing to register; no form to fill, or mailing list to sign up for. No muss, no fuss.

A vote for Spaceship Days takes just one mouse click.

Vote for Spaceship Days

As always, we thank you for your friendship and support.

M, C, & G

From One Indie to Another: 4 Reasons Why You Should Support Your Local Music Scene

2011-10-08T16:27:00.002-04:00

We go and see a lot of shows.

Most of the time, bands are pretty good, occasionally not so much, but sometimes they turn out to be very good or even exceptional. Now and again we'll come across one that's of the kick ass variety which is to exceptional what The Hulk is to May Parker.

Recently we saw a band that was of the latter sort, a Raleigh, NC group called The Design

Their fantastic performance got us to thinking about those nights when we just decide to stay in, and miss out on shows in our venue rich neighborhood.

Well, we shouldn't have.

Why? Here are 4 Reasons You Should Support Your Local Music Scene.

1. Branching Out

As an artist, what better way to meet people to expand on your list of contacts, swap gigs with, tell war stories, and talk to people who really understand whats its like to walk a mile carrying your guitar case? As a fan: if you like band A, and they are playing with band B, there's a good possibility you'll like band B as well. Musos are adept at crafting complimentary bills, and now you have a new artist to jam out to in your car.

2. It's Yours

Ever since Seattle took over the world in the early 90's someone has been proclaiming a city, or region The Next...whatever. Technology might have made such a concept obsolete, but there's still something to be said about the little extra bit of swag that comes from knowing the bands in your town are great. If you're one of them, it helps you elevate your game. If you're one that loves them, it gives you something to share with people who complain about not having any 'good new stuff' on their MP3 player.

3. Meet Girls (or Boys)

Pop. Rock. Hip-hop. Metal. Electronica. It comes by many different names, but music brings people together. For you single types you can't do much better for a built in ice-breaker than to talk about the band you just saw.

4. You Might Be Missing Out On Something Awesome

Wouldn't it be cool to have seen that 'next big thing' in a little club up the street, then had a chat and an adult beverage with them? Its probably happening somewhere right now. Next time it could even be happening to you.

But only if you're at the show.

Making Strides

2011-08-18T18:01:00.001-04:00

Cancer sucks.

Every year it touches the lives of millions of people, but we believe the disease can be cured in our lifetime. The American Cancer Society: Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk is a way to help do just that.

Spaceship Days are proud supporters of Kate & Leanne's Mighty Boo Bees (why The Mighty Boo Bees? Click the link and find out! ) mission and hope you all will join us in helping them reach their goal.

Together we can make a difference.

From One Indie to Another: 5 Tips to Promoting Your Music

2011-07-06T18:49:00.001-04:00

People will often ask us what we do to promote Spaceship Days. Whether its of the shameless variety or not, self promotion can be something of a slippery slope. Here are some of the things that have worked for us.

They might work for you too.

1. Engage your fan base

In 2011 everyone is an expert at social media, so much so they actually forget to take the time to be social. Instead of posting links all over the place, waving your arms and shouting "Buy this!" try just saying "Hello." The personality of your band can be just as endearing to people as the songs you play. Don't be afraid to show some.

2. Figure out what works for you... and what doesn't

Newsletters are cool, but if you're sending out 2000 emails that only 9 people actually open, it might be time to try a new tactic. Making music is a creative undertaking; use some of that same mojo for your messaging. Try a blog, or video. If you're tech savvy, add an updates page to your website. The only limit is the depth of your imagination.

3. Don't be shy

There are a bazillion different websites that cater to indie artists. Use them. No one will ever stumble across your music unless you toss it under their feet.

4. Think outside the computer

Never underestimate the power of a face to face connection. Visit popular venues. Watch shows. Meet people. Talk to other artists and their fans. Pass out stickers, download cards, even CD singles if you can afford them. Flyers aren't just to advertise gigs. Throw a cool picture and a link on some 11"x17" and now you have a poster. Many a song are on my iTunes simply because I saw clever album cover on a piece of paper pinned to a coffee shop bulletin board.

5. Share the love

If there is a band or artist that you particularly enjoy, tell people. The object of your attentions may or may not respond in kind, but in this business you can never have enough good karma.

Online Music Awards!

2011-06-25T19:50:00.002-04:00

We of Spaceship Days are very excited to announce that we were selected Best Pop Act of the 2011 St Helier Cider Online Music Awards !

The three of us are completely humbled by the overwhelmingly positive response we've received from all over the world. To Butterflies Radio, Reputation Media , Woody Radio and everyone at IMGlobal we appreciate everything you've done to help us tell our tale everywhere, and helping our music reach ears across the cosmos.

To Taylor Van Arsdale our PR Rep Extraordinaire: glad you're here to keep those doors and windows flying open to let us in. We're honored to have you on our team.

To our friends and fans: the outpouring of support that all of you have given us has been nothing short of phenomenal. YOU made this happen. We could not have done it with out each and every single one of you.

Although we will be the ones holding onto it, this award is yours; we truly, deeply thank you.

Respect

M, C, & G

We Play Well With Others

2011-05-24T16:38:00.001-04:00

For as long as I can remember, Matt has been a fan of Depeche Mode. I however, was not.

All that changed in the three minutes and thirty or so seconds it took for me to hear the acoustic version of their song Personal Jesus. Suddenly, I wanted to go off and listen to as much of their music as quickly as I could beam it directly into my brain. Instead of telling me 'I told you so' (which I imagine he really wanted to) Matt quoted Martin Gore.

" A great song will sound great with any treatment" Matt intoned with Jedi-esque wisdom, "whether it's keyboard pop with a full on symphony or stripped down to just a boy and his old acoustic guitar -- that last part wasn't Gore, it was me." he added with a grin.

Any treatment indeed.

It was that philosophy that kept our minds thrown wide open when we crossed paths with veteran remixer Marcel Agterhuis. There was a little anxiety involved, its true; the three of us have worked together long enough that we weren't sure what to expect of another creative lad wanting to jump into our sandbox. Would he hog all the toys, or unload with the hose and get everything all muddy? The only way to know was to just set up the play date, and see what happened. So we did. And were glad for it.

Marcel took our song My Life With You and shaped it into something a little bit different.

The My Life With You (Cold Blue Stars REMIX )

and My Life With You (First Kiss on the Moon REMIX) are the result of his attentions.

These songs are the first collaboration of this sort for us and we enjoyed the results. More than that, we enjoyed learning that we can play well with others after all.

Online Music Awards

2011-05-23T13:51:00.016-04:00

We have been nominated for Best Pop Act in the 2011 St. Helier Online Music Awards
Here is Ace of Base making the announcement:

We'd like to invite all of you to visit the Online Music Awards page, register, and vote.

This is a fantastic honor for us, as potential nominees were submitted to the selection panel by music fans internationally. If we win, the party will be at Greg's house.

Thank you all

M, C, & G

Good Cause

2011-05-11T20:20:00.000-04:00

Outside an occasional foray into the realm of the visual arts, music is what Spaceship Days is all about. We try not to stand on soapboxes, keep our politics to ourselves, and focus all of our collective efforts on creating as many pop music masterpieces as we possibly can.

With all that said, there was one particular Cause that we (as Band Daddies) couldn't help but get behind.

Presented by Reputation Media, we are glad to be a part of the As Heard compilation album

All profits from this release will go to the BBC Children In Need (click for more information). The album is available HERE!! on iTunes and will eventually be carried by all major digital retailers.

Other As Heard artists include:

THE SHANKLIN FREAKSHOW

MATTHEW MEADOWS

ORANGESPINE

RADIOSTAR SF

We hope you enjoy it, and thank you in advance for contributing to this worthwhile charity.

M, C, & G

of Spaceship Days

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

2011-04-26T14:43:00.002-04:00

In the immortal albeit slightly lesser known words of Mr Gump:

"It happens."

The Police. The Fugees. The (real) Smashing Pumpkins. Wham.

Be it the ubiquitous "creative differences", conflicting egos, or just the desire to move on to something new, Life has a way of getting bands to call it quits.

After the demise of grey, I myself remember feeling like I had been tossed aside by a significant other for a taller, cooler bass player with bigger sunglasses, a better car, and more comic books. A scant handful of hours later I found myself at a local venue engaged in some dedicated wallowing with the assistance of a friendly bartender. I had run into an acquaintance there, another bassists who's band had also passed away after a long period of illness.

Our boo hooing was largely confined to shouting in one anothers' ear as the live act that was still enviously alive and rocking was quite loud. We used the silence between songs to fill our cups and privately reflect on all the could-have-beens. Someone had the bright idea to form a band together--but as we both played the same instrument that train of thought didn't travel much farther than the next refill. I listened to war stories about tour dates with Rollinsband. I divulged until then secret details of our New Orleans adventure. Slowly, the pity party turned into a memorial of the good times. After a while watching other people play didn't make me quite so sad.

Eventually, the show ended, we said our goodbyes and Life -- as it always does -- went on.

The first time I heard These Black & White Flames I thought "Cool!"

They had the sound of a band from our neck of the woods even though they lived all the way across the ocean. We shared some of the same influences. Following their progress, through video and headphones became a favored pass time.

Unfortunately, the band as we knew it is no more. The musician in me was bummed by the news, the feeling colored by understanding and memory. The fan in me though, was saddened in a whole different way. The loss of getting to hear what a band will do next, one of my favorite things about music, made me frown my way through a listening of From the Inside of Outside.

Hopefully, we will see the members of These Black and White Flames again.

Until then, I'll always have my ipod. And the t-shirt.

It Ain't Easy Being Indie

2011-04-21T22:49:00.001-04:00

It keeps happening more and more. We like it less and less.

This past week another indie friendly music site went offline for good.

Just under a year and a half ago, Spaceship Days was beginning first tentative steps toward the launch of Operation: Spread Our Music Everywhere . We started posting a few of our songs here and there online, on sites we’d stumbled across or had recommended to us by friends.

Wohomusic was one of those sites.

By then we were getting a little better at the ritual of signing up, adding songs and putting up a picture or three, so it only took about an hour. Before too long wohomusic selected our song “A Little Extraordinary” as a nominee for Track of the Month.

We won, and a few weeks later received a prize in the form of a t shirt and a very cool framed certificate. Both came right to the front door, free of charge.

In the grand scheme of this chaotic ,throbbing, and occasionally confounding galaxy called Indie Music, the victory might not have been as important as the discovery of a new quasar, or a star going supernova but it meant ten forest moons of Endor to the three of us.

‘People are listening, ' it said ' and they like what they hear.’

Ultimately, that’s what everyone who sings or plays an instrument wants ; the realization cemented our belief in what it is we are doing, and set the tone for the next several months we spent on woho. It was there where we did one of our first interviews. There where we began our first foray into blogging. More importantly, it was there on site where we made a few good new friends. We will always appreciate those gifts.

But here’s the thing – we music making types sometimes forget about the people behind those platforms that we use to spread our art across the cosmos. Like us, many of these people do what they do for the love of it, and for the belief that there is good, quality, independent music out there that needs to be heard. Like us, some work ‘day’ jobs and build and run these sites with money from their own (sometimes unremarkable) pockets. Like us, they spend hour upon hour refining, and upgrading, updating and corresponding. Like us, they practice and learn.

They help us get the word out, and sometimes we forget all of the hard work involved.

To the founders and crew of Wohomusic: We appreciate all of your support, and are glad to have been a part of the great community that you built with little more than toil and enthusiasm. Best of luck with whatever life has in store for you.

Likewise to every DJ, Web Host, Blogger, Cross Promoter, Chronic Tweeter, Interviewer, Site Maker, and Tune Sharing Artist Lover who support independent music of any kind:

Thank you for your tireless effort, and dedication to supporting the Cause we all share. None of us could do this without you.

M, C, & G

"Hey, all you need is now!"

2011-04-06T21:28:00.001-04:00

I love Duran Duran.

I do not hide my love for Duran Duran.

Anyone who knows me can tell you this.
Many ex-girlfriends have looked at me with curious and suspicious eyes.
Many of my college buddies lobbed grenades of disapproval at me as they "claimed" to listen to more serious, masculine, and timeless music... you know like Hootie & the Blowfish.

To them I say, "pfff"

Ever since that fateful 3rd grade afternoon on the Harrison Township playground, when I first came upon that cassette tape abandoned on the balance beam, I have been a Durannie.
It was just sitting there coccooned in beam of heavenly light (que angels singing). No one to claim it. I examined the purplish cover with the exotic looking woman. One simple word... "Rio".
What the hell's a Rio???

I remember running home, feeling like I had just committed some high crime of covert thievery. My heart was racing as I placed the cassette in my "boom-box". I hit the rewind button until I reached the beginning of side A (remember those things).

What is that sound???

It was like a distant, growing thunderstorm yielding to a burst of sunlight... the title track. I sat there in amazement for 20 glorious minutes (flipped the cassette) and disappeared to even greater heights... I mean, "The Chauffer"... come on. The sounds were lush and alien, instant and dense. The more I listened, the more I discovered. Even my 9 year old brain could tell that there was something darker happening below the surface, even if my long-haired, denim wearing classmates refused to take notice. And thirty years later, those guys probably still wouldn't get it but Duran Duran wasn't for them. This was life altering stuff.

This was not Huey Lewis & the News or the Footloose soundtrack (the only other albums I owned at the time). This was something new and escapist. Sitting in my suburban home in New Jersey, the music took me from barren snowfields to sipping sunshine off the backs of exotic tiger-women. Even in my coduroy OP shorts I felt like James Bond. I am quite aware that my devotion to Duran Duran has as much to do with their ability to take me back to a less complicated time of my life as it does with the music itself.

Through decades of highs and lows (both mine and Duran's) we have soldiered on together.

But for me their first three albums and Arcadia's So Red The Rose were the cornerstones which all else was to be judged. They stood as monoliths of my childhood. And even though I have stayed on this ride with them for over 30 years, I will confess that I was doubtful they would ever return to their past musical glory. As far as I was concerned those albums could not be rivaled by any other band including Duran Duran. Sure there were other great bands that came along (Mew, Radiohead, and Catherine Wheel) but that's "apples & volvos".

It's been over two decades since the dinosaurs of all things 80s were extinguished by the meteoric impact of grunge and hip-hop... A welcomed apocolypse... but for Duran Duran a new dawn has crested the horizon. "All You Need is Now" is Duran's thirteenth (and yeah I'll say it) their best album since I found that cassette on the balance beam.

(oh yeah, the tiger-women have been replaced with a leopard).

Ask Spaceship Days

2011-03-31T17:06:00.002-04:00

Thanks to everyone for keeping the questions pouring in. Many of them are quite...creative. Is there anything that you would like to know?

Here is our answer to the latest

Its true we had a good time making Black Holes and Butterflies. Beside including our very first ever collaboration ( with the excellent and talented Sarah Pratt ), we felt like we've finally begun to truly master our own particular craft and that is a smile worthy phenomenon.

We hope you enjoy the feel of our music in your ears.

C

Word on the Street: A "Black Holes And Butterflies" Review

2011-02-23T00:14:00.000-05:00

Artist: Spaceship Days

Album Title: Black Holes And Butterflies
Review by Rhonda Readence

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Friends since childhood, Chuck Cox (bass) Matt Mocharnuk (vocals), and Greg Torsone (everything else) have compiled their talents into a creative endeavor titled Spaceship Days. Their album Black Holes and Butterflies is an eleven-track journey into the hearts and minds of these creative individuals and an excursion into melodic alternative pop. The album starts with “Hanging From The Satellites,” a wonderful introductory track with a Third Eye Blind essence to it. The lyrics are full of optimism and vivid imagery. Listeners will adore the contagious rhythm of this piece and the soft comfort it brings.

“Stick On Stars” will likely be a fan favorite with excellent vocal harmonizing, haunting lyrics, and exceptional musicianship. The sound quality is high and the overall feel of this track is one of polished professionalism with an artistic flair that is enviable. “Shadow Walking” begins with a melody that is immediately intriguing and vocals that are again reminiscent of Third Eye Blind. Matt gets the chance to educate us on the diversity of his vocal range in this piece and the rhythm is quietly energetic. The lyrics carry a sense of soft melancholy and are extremely well-written.

“My Life Without You” is a beautiful love song with lyrics that will melt the heart. The vocal delivery is full of emotion and the candid honesty of this song will give listeners an appreciation for the creative and artistic capacity of this band. “Ghost Of California” changes the pace significantly with a faster rhythm and a catchy drumbeat. The vocals sound slightly distant, which allows the listener to focus more on the instrumentation, which is spectacular, particularly the guitar work. This is a solid track that fans will wait eagerly to see performed live.

“Pain In Pretty Things” is a darkly melodic piece that immediately brings to mind the song “Mad World” by Tears For Fears. With thoughtful and deep lyrics, this song is brimming with emotion and candor. The instrumentation is excellent and this is an amazingly well-composed piece of music. “A Little Extraordinary” pretty much sums up this track with its title. Except it should be a LOT extraordinary. Full of optimism and hope, this track embodies the very essence of this collective. Wonderfully produced, the sound quality is the icing on the cake.

Black Holes and Butterflies flows on with “Big World Pop Star,” a song that begins with a nice drumbeat and a slick guitar lick that catches the attention. The vocals are spot on, as usual, and Spaceship Days carries this harmonious melody exceedingly well. “Something Perfect” begins as an up-tempo track with a rhythm that will get legions of fans bopping to the beat. As with most of the songs on the album, this piece carries a romantic vibe to it with hauntingly beautiful lyrics. Fans of Catherine Wheel should be delighted with this offering. “Sweet Suffocation” is the classic Spaceship Days song, containing intelligent and thoughtful lyrics, consistently professional musicianship, and an aura of optimistic hopefulness. This artist has the ability to create emotional songs, without seeming overly emotional, and melancholy pieces without being sad. They are also able to give a sense of possibility; the idea that anything can happen at any moment and that life is full of wonder.

The album closes with “Last Kiss on Earth,” a stellar piece full of exceptional piano work, classic guitar playing, and a rhythm that cannot be replicated. The vocals are smooth and confident, carrying forth some of the best lyrics in music today. Spaceship Days is a band full of excellent musicians who are clearly very talented, but there are a million of those. What set Black Holes and Butterflies apart from conventional alternative music are the lyrics and the sense of confidence and hope that this band seems to radiate. Fans will listen to this music not so much for the music itself, although it is excellent. They will listen to this music for the way it makes them feel.

Review written by Rhonda Readence
--Rhonda Readence is a freelance writer based out of Cleveland Ohio who currently writes the Artist of the Week feature for Exciting City Magazine.

Shouting It From the Rooftops: A "Black Holes and Butterflies" Review

2011-02-15T19:26:00.001-05:00

Many thanks to everyone who has helped us spread the word about Black Holes and Butterflies, making it our most successful musical venture yet.

Below, is another review...

Artist: Spaceship Days

Album: Black Holes and Butterflies

Review by Sarah Whited

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

Deeply emotional, beautifully melancholy and touchingly orchestrated, Spaceship Days’ Black Holes and Butterflies is inescapably romantic. Each piece is haunting and intelligent, deep and brilliant. This album’s balance of hope and acquiescence, joy and anguish, and so many other swirling emotions, reflects the maturity level of its members. Greg Torsone, Chuck Cox and Matt Mocharnuk have a long history together. After years as the middling-successful band “grey”, the three friends bid each other farewell in order to pursue music in their separate ways. However, when the trio reunited for a movie night, the resulting songwriting and jam session proved that they were destined to make music together rather than separately. As inexorable as crossing an event horizon, yet as delicately gorgeous as velvet wings at sunset, Spaceship Days’ second album is a truly moving example of how music can strum one’s soul by appealing to a wide range of emotions simultaneously instead of focusing on one at a time.

The post-rock, Brit-pop sound is captured in all its crystalline glory through the consistently outstanding clarity of the production. Poignant lyrics, on par with Anthony Genn’s of British group The Hours, take the listener back to the beating heart of music: our essential need to communicate our experiences to another human. Similar to the newly-signed Disney band, Alpha Rev, Spaceship Days combines digital guitar effects, full orchestra, timeless piano/acoustic solos, rich vocal harmonies, vivid mental images, and intricate mixing techniques. The resulting masterpieces are not merely “tunes,” they are the confessions to the universe.

“Hanging from the Satellites” is a gentle introduction to the album. Unexpected chord changes surrounding the chorus add interest. The complete key change during the chorus gives the song a literal uplift, echoing the lyrics which describe the elation of being young and feeling that even the sky is within one’s grasp. This selection is the perfect prelude to a fun-filled yet classy night, or a great class song for a graduation ceremony. “Shadow Walking” also carries the unmistakable fingerprint of youth in elation, combined with a sense of disconnect. The Rhodes effect of the introductory keyboard line is an elegant way to introduce the full distortion guitars and peppy drums. This pop song uses a major key, upbeat drums, a heavy clap effect on the 2^nd and 4^th beats, and innocent-sounding Rhodes-chimes for an overall effect of happiness. However, the lyrics reflect an essentially lonely theme. This song should have been on the top 10 charts since the day it was released.

“Ghost of California” is a perfect winter day song, a tribute to the 1960’s classic “California Dreaming.” Although this song is a strong selection by the standards of other bands, it does not have the undeniable appeal that the two aforementioned songs have. The extremely simple drums seem repetitive after the first verse, and the flute echo of the lead guitar line is almost too close to “California Dreaming” for comfort. That said, this song is still a beautiful listen, and is appropriately placed in the song lineup.

“Pain in Pretty Things” is a sweet ballad with piano and orchestra swirling throughout. This melancholy rumination deftly describes the pain that a beautiful woman is capable of inflicting while avoiding cliché. Spaceship Days’ strength lies in their ability to convey universally appealing themes through carefully crafted lyrics layered over intense yet youth-relevant instrumentation. The group captures strong emotional content that usually conjures the label “indescribable,” making this album seem like a magical glass prison for distilled inspiration.

“Sweet Suffocation” combines acoustic guitar, a clap track, light syncopation, and soaring harmonies to weave a poignant picture of a doomed yet thrilling relationship. Like lingering in a burning home, the sense of inevitable catastrophe makes the narrator all the more reluctant to leave.

Spaceship Days is a rare creature: exciting, mature, catchy, and masterfully produced. If this band is not featured on major charts and radio soon, the world will have missed out on something exquisitely beautiful.

Review by Sarah Whited

Sarah Whited is an Austin, TX based singer/songwriter, and writer for Music Connection magazine

There is no Escaping the Fever: A Band Daddy Adventure

2011-02-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

My little girl still wants to be a rock star when she 'grows up'. Or a veterinarian. Sometimes a teacher. It depends on what time of day one poses the question; I ask it fairly often, as Good Daddies should stay firmly planted in the loop. So it was the other day during our fifty seventh round of Whoever Smiles First Loses.

Her answer was completely out of left field.

"I wrote a letter." said the child.

I've been a parent for awhile now, so I remained unfazed. Its OK to answer a question that has nothing at all to do with the one you were asked until at least the age of eight.

"To who?" I asked, deftly rolling with it.

"JB" she said, smiling that smile I've come to notice as the one reserved for those older boys who aren't Daddy, that I remind her she shouldn't be talking to.

And yes, she meant that JB

The Letter

Generally, I keep my non-fan-ness of things as low key and inoffensive as possible because, you know, not everyone is into kung fu and zombie flicks either. Personal tastes and all that. Besides, thirty something year old guys who play bass in rock bands aren't exactly JB's target audience, rendering my opinion virtually irrelevant. As always, I thought my poker face impenetrable. At least until I was asked:

"Why'd you do that face Daddy?"

I used that opportunity to do a little bit of my own answer-an-unrelated-question and we went back to big eyed staring at each other and giggling.

Truth to be told I was actually very proud of her. My first fan letter went to a band called Devo; I had some very specific ideas about how they could make the hats they wore in the Whip It! video look cooler and I was at least four years older than she. There was no way I could keep my little one just listening to The Beatles and Bob Marley until she got to high school, so her bopping around to something I wish she'd turn the volume down on is just another part of the parenting gig.

I set the blame for her new found fandom squarely at the feet of my eleven year old niece, who's my encyclopedia for all things hip and tween-aged, but ultimately its totally fine. I figure that Bieber Fever will be just like a regular one.

If I wait long enough, it'll just go away.

Fresh From the Mouth of the Horse : A "Black Holes and Butterflies" Review

2011-02-01T18:21:00.004-05:00

Here is another review for "Black Holes and Butterflies"

Artist: Spaceship Days
Album: Black Holes and Butterflies
Review by Bryan Rodgers
Rating: 3.5 Stars (out of 5)

Black Holes and Butterflies, the debut full length album from Spaceship Days, is instantly striking in a number of ways. From the first moment of the opening track, “Hanging From the Satellites,” the stellar production of the album is evident. As the tuneful, hook-heavy track moves forward, the trio reveals itself to be a formidable pop rock song writing force. Even listeners who may dislike the band’s unapologetically radio-friendly style will have to admit that the young band has a gift for hitting all the right spots when it comes to making songs that have mass appeal. Whether or not their aspirations are commercially motivated, their unrelenting catchiness and sensitive songwriting proves to be both their strongest point and their undoing during the course of the album.

Black Holes and Butterflies is pop honey designed to catch teenaged flies, and it will likely attract more than its fair share. But one twenty-something’s honey is another’s vinegar. Spaceship Days walk the line between moderately masculine and cloyingly emotional, and that’s a divisive path among music fans. It’s reminiscent of the situation of Coldplay, whose megahit “In My Place” is subtly mimed in Spaceship Days’ own “Ghost of California.” Hating Coldplay has become as popular as liking them, and Spaceship Days would possibly inspire a similar kind of phenomenon if given their shot at stardom. The similarities don’t end there. There are enough hand-wringing choruses, massive major key hooks, and dramatic interludes on Black Holes and Butterflies to sink whatever ship Chris Martin captains when he wears those silly coats.

It’s pretty clear who the band wants on their side, and that’s the ladies. When Matt Mocharnuk’s impassioned, heavily effected vocals crash over the dense, catchy melodies provided by bassist Chuck Cox and multi-instrumentalist Greg Torsone, it’s not much of a stretch to imagine this sound pumping from a few thousand dorm rooms and first cars. Even when the vibe gets a bit too sugary, as it does during the “doot doot doos” in “Shadow Walking,” you still feel obligated to forgive the band. After all, they took their name from a lyric in a Catherine Wheel song, and you can occasionally hear the influence of 1990’s alternative rock throughout the album. For a fairly straightforward pop rock album, there’s a decent amount of diversity. The earnest lyrics and elegant instrumentation found between the choruses and crannies of songs like “Pain in Pretty Things” brings the band’s fellow North Carolinian Ben Folds to mind, and there’s a considerable amount of college radio rock influence, such as the acoustic roots rock sound of “A Little Extraordinary.”

It’s a tidy listen, clocking in at around 40 minutes, but if you’re a more, shall we say, “experienced” music fan, it’s likely that one would return for anything other than the tastiest morsels. There are moments where the band just sounds too watered down and self-aware. The shockingly trite “My Life With You” sounds like it was written with the intention of becoming a wedding staple, a Hallmark card set to music. Mocharnuk frequently treads into lovey-dovey territory and well into the realm of self-centeredness. There are few diversions from the topic of relationships and the like. “Tell me where you think we went wrong/I would love to know,” he pleads in “A Little Extraordinary,” one of the moodier tracks. He knows his audience and he knows them well. Whether or not the band set out to make an album full of songs that appeal mostly to young females and the smitten boys that desire them, they’ve crafted a disc full of situations tailor made for that demographic. Want melodramatic woe-is-me pop for those with first world problems? Try “Big World Pop Star,” where Mocharnuk muses about feeling like he’s in a movie, or “Something Perfect,” where he compares his lover’s eyes to stars.

Spaceship Days do what they do incredibly well, but there’s no getting past the fact that this album’s musical and lyrical merit is founded on appealing to the lowest common denominator. It’s safe, inoffensive pop that could easily take the place of any number of the temporary superstar acts making money in today’s music business, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if this band can manage to do that.

Review by Bryan Rodgers
Bryan Rodgers has been in the music business for 15 years--as a writer, DJ, and A&R Rep

What's in a Name?

2011-01-19T04:30:00.000-05:00

Recently, I came across a band with a fabulously cool moniker. Alas, they didn't really do anything to top off my tea cup, but I'd be remiss to not give the group points for being obvious fans of one of my favorite books. Any artist that likes Dune is at least worth a listen.

From time to time, the members of Spaceship Days will talk about band names we wish we'd thought of (30 Seconds to Mars, Our Lady Peace and Birds of Tokyo come to mind) Quite often, we will hit the pause button on the goings on of our everyday lives to listen to a the songs of a troupe with a title that stands up and waves its arms for our attention. It seems many of our friends do this as well, which begs the question: How important is the name of a band?

Our musical adventure has been going on for quite some time now, and confidentially, our Naming was something that took quite a bit of trial and error. One name had a number; one had a not especially pleasant emotion. Our first even had the word "neo" in it, but most were just too silly to bear repeating.

Throughout the course of popular music, artists have been fairly clever about labeling themselves. Band names have been majestic - Queen; descriptive - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, or Steely Dan ; inspirational - Man Up Nancy! ; nonsensical - Toad the Wet Sprocket, Spacehog ; First names - Bjork; last names - Bon Jovi, Van Halen or (gasp!) Winger; verbs - Rush; or even Italian phrases about interesting food - Cibo Matto. Every title has a story ; sometimes finding it out is a neat part of the experience, but its a safe bet to assume when christening one's group, anything goes.

Personally, I prefer an appellation that doesn't give a way too much. I don't want to look at the artist title on a CD and know that they're in going to be screaming at me, or that they like the Beatles, or even if the prefer keyboards over guitars. I like to be surprised when I hear new music--or at least allowed to stay unbiased. As a fanboy, its always better to hear the songs without expectation.

We made our way to the Designation: Spaceship Days by listening to the music of our favorite band (click on the link to hear the song that inspired us!) Considering the lyrical content of the tune, we thought it was a good fit -- the fact that it was the first name we ever had that we thought would look cool on a t-shirt helped too.

It took us awhile, but the three of us are quite glad to finally be able to tell someone what we call ourselves without wincing. As far as the tunes go, we think the name gives a chance to listen with open ears too.

C

Sometimes you win. Sometimes, well...

2011-01-11T16:06:00.004-05:00

The smartest person I know ( I like to call her Mom) once told me: "You can't please everybody, so don't worry yourself by trying."

Like all Mom advice, this piece was great. It made High School a breeze, and the transition to playing music for people who didn't know me from third base fairly smooth too. Naturally, Spaceship Days has adopted this philosophy as well, and its proven to be a good thing.

Now, as a band we've never been shy about sharing our good news. Its only fair that we share the not so good bits too.

Here's a piece. Hold on tight.

C

+++

Artist: Spaceship Days

Album: Black Holes & Butterflies
Review by Ian Wise

Rating: 1 star (out of 5)

North Carolina’s Spaceship Days have a long, storied past that shares an unfortunate lack of interest with their album Black Holes & Butterflies. The album shines with the slick production of similarly bland acts walking through the revolving door of one-hit-wonders on the adult contemporary charts. The songs are intentionally “catchy,” which makes them forgettable and barely distinguishable from songs penned for the current crop of Disney stars.

The albums opener, “Hanging From the Satellites,” starts with an acoustic guitar augmented by a few delayed guitar tones. The first two lines give way to the perfectly timed kick-in for the drums, when the song goes “full force.” The melody is executed adequately from a singer with an obviously good vocal range. The singer is a strong tenor and his voice rings clearly with every note, and in the bridge he briefly goes into a falsetto without any hint of strain. The lyrics, however, provide no strength to the song, as they dance around any sort of concrete subject. The second verse explains “There's a beauty in the innocence/beneath the skin/bulletproof/raise the roof/now the show begins/never wanna’ stop/whatever it is that we got,” which effectively says nothing except that the band needed a second verse in the song. The guitars are slightly overdriven with a heavy dose of delay that floats between the stereo channels in a vaguely Wallflowers-esque style.

“Stick on Stars” is, if nothing else, tailored for the radio with a heavy-handed bid for inclusion in the next Kidz Bop compilation. The melody has more in common with Hillary Duff than the alternative acts from which the band claims influence. The arrangement is of the bare-bones “verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge” school, and the production has all the correctly placed background vocals and two note guitar inflections, lost amongst the digital processing. The lyrics are, again, too vague to provide the listener with anything of value. Whatever the message the singer is trying to convey is lost in weak, half developed metaphors and clichés.

A ballad, “The Pain in Pretty Things” is substantially more interesting than most of the cuts on the disc. The string section is produced well and adds a much-needed sense of character to the song that is lost in most of the other arrangements. The build up is well done, but the steady drum beat after the first verse pulls the song back into a blander pop mood that could have been avoided if the band had decided to build on the concept introduced at the beginning of the song.

“Ghost of California” is a hazy representation of subtle UK rock in the vein of Snow Patrol. The melody is still sugary sweet and the arrangement still staunchly safe, but the bouncy drum beat and warm bass tone behind the walking line is a welcome change from the rest of the album. The cut is less slick than the rest of the tracks, but its less standard delivery makes it the most likely candidate for a single.

Spaceship Days may be poised for commercial success in a flash-in-the-pan sense. The songs are well produced, but they are meticulously crafted into a pre-designed molds and lack anything that makes them unique or memorable. Black Holes & Butterflies is so tailored to an audience of everyone that it lacks the ability to reach anyone, and makes it more like the dollar CD bin at your local record shop than a substantial artistic effort. The music is as much of a product as the CD is pressed on, and offers little in the way of consequence.

Review by Ian Wise

Ian Wise is has been a contributor to American Music Press, Hails and Horns, and Razorcake.

Eureka!

2011-01-08T14:21:00.003-05:00

We're certain you've heard this before: "The internet is the best place to find new music."

Its the Truth, and nearly as absolute as the inability to draw a perfect circle. One day people with have this knowledge bestowed unto them moments after leaving the womb, but until then Spaceship Days will send out reminders from time to time. OK?

Case in point: Porcupine Tree

Not since our we were favored with the sonic wonder that is Catherine Wheel have we heard a band whose sound completely lifted us up and swept us away to heights of such auditory euphoria.

Our recommendation: Turn out the lights, lie down, turn it up & drift away.

M, C, & G

The Year That Will Be...

2011-01-05T20:03:00.001-05:00

2011.

Its still sort of funny, looking at those numbers all strung together; I spent most of my youth thinking that Skynet would have taken over the world by now. Still--here we are, a few days deep into a new decade. Long enough to recover from celebrations, break those resolutions, and go back to work.

Like most, Spaceship Days has a lengthy to-do list for the coming year. We plan on finishing up our new EP Welcome to the Plastic Empire, and continuing our series of collaborations with Marcel Agterhuis (who has done work with Duran Duran, Coldplay, & Depeche Mode). We're going to enjoy being on the All Artists Galactic Records compilation Aliens & Humans Collide. We'll probably make another video, and even write a blog or two. I personally resolve to finally break down and purchase that acoustic bass I've been pining over, uness of course someone wants to slide one over to us on the next Spaceship Days gift giving holiday (there are two in June)

Our list also includes some of the hopes we have for others. We hope our siblings all reach their own goals this year. We hope S finally gets started on her solo album. We hope our wives win the lottery.

So too, have we hopes for our music - type friends. For many of them, we think 2011 will be a great year, and we'll be on the lookout for the news.

IAM:YOURHERO, Marshall House Project , Breck Stewart, A Tin Djinn

Utopia Cafe , Damsel Down ,These Black and White Flames , Michelle Vanda, Sound Menagerie , Kingdom of Glass , Butterflies Radio ,Kerry Kelley & Tall Enough, Reputation Radio ,Haunting Heather , New Killer Shoes ,IMGlobal , Rhiannon Wolfe ,Woody Radio , That Stobegirl/ Illustrial Collaboration ,Mama Chill , and a'tris

...we've got our ears on you.

Ultimately though, one can never tell what the future will bring. All you can do is prepare for it as best you can, then charge ahead face first, with your eyes on the prize and a song on your lips. As for the year that will be...check back with us in twelve months so we can tell you how it went.

The Year That Was...

2010-12-31T14:58:00.011-05:00

Most every fanboy and fangirl in the world is familiar with the Tale of the Band. While there are a few massive, scintillating exceptions, ususally the Tale goes something like this:

- Band gets together
- Band works hard
- Band almost 'Makes It' (or Breaks Big, depending on your era of fanboy-or-girlyness)
- 'Making It' falls through
- Band gives up The Dream and breaks up
- Band's surviving work leaves you with great memories and the dull ache of sadness that   comes from knowing their music should/could have been enjoyed by so many more people

Spaceship Days has a Tale too, only ours is a little bit different. After the demise of grey, Matt, Greg and I only hit the pause button on our capital D dream; 2010 was the year we well and truly hit the play button again.

   For the band, the last 364 and 1/4 days has been like making the jump to light-speed in the Millennium Falcon. The world has flashed by in a barely visible streak of CD colored light, leaving us perched precariously on the edge of another decade, wide eyed and wearing grins big enough to make our cheeks hurt.

The continuation of our Tale goes something like this:

- Released The Halo Effect and Black Holes & Butterflies
- Made our first video, Shadow Walking (Thanks Sean!)
- Had a cover version of Pain in Pretty Things performed in a school Talent Show
- Made a second video, Hanging From the Satellites (Thanks Pip!)
- Finally figured out how to use a webcam
- Did our first ever collaboration (Thanks Sarah!)
- Did our first ever radio interview
- Were voted Band of the Year on Somojo Magazine & Radio
- Got nominated for a Hollywood Music in Media Award
- On top of all that we did our first photo shoot, which was a lot of good giggling fun

The most important thing we did this year though, and the one we're most proud of, was forging all the new friendships we've made. Many of them have come through an appreciation of music, but the hows and whys are aren't important when held up beside the bonds of respect and mutual admiration.

It would take twenty seven blogs to send a message to everyone who has reached out and touched Spaceship Days in 2010, but we wanted to offer a word to a bunch of you.

To Mr. Summers, Ms. Peffers, Mr. Locke, Mr. Jackett, Mrs. Hohensee, Mrs.Wilkins!!, Ms. Pratt 2.0 (aka the High School model), Mr. Slater, The Admiral, Ms. Storm, Mr.White, Mr. Fingerz, Ms. Dirty Diamonds, Mr. Beckwith, Ms. Rhodes -Taylors, Mr. Saint, Mz. Behaving, Mr. Kirsch, Ms. Taylor, Mr. Johnno T., Mr. Noonan, Ms. Love, Mr. MacDonald, Mr. Stewart, Mrs. Mory, Ms. Fuchsia, Mrs. Foltz, Mr. Brennan, Mr. Charles, Ms. Acuvi, Ms. Phoenix, Mr. Williams, Mr. Osborne, Ms. Kerr, Mr. Frost, Mr. Allindie, Mr. Saunders, Ms. Burns, and if you're still reading this, then you too: Thank you all for being there for us this year with your support, encouragement, open eyes, opened minds, and listening ears. We love you.

Oh yeah, Mrs. Mocharnuk, Mrs. Cox, & Mrs. Torsone--we love you too.

So its on to 2011, but we'll always remember 2010 as the Year That Was...pretty damn good.

Keeping Ourselves Amused

2010-12-22T17:34:00.001-05:00

It's been said a couple of times before, but we three gentlemen who make music together are fanboys before anything else. We are intensely serious about our entertainments, and will dig, travel, and pay to find amusements suited to each of our particular fancies. This past year we did that quite often, as it turned out to be a fairly good twelve months for the things that we enjoy the most: Music & Film.

Spaceship Days we made two albums of our own in 2010(we'll talk more about that later)--but we also listened to quite a few of them as well. As usual, we decided to share some of our Favorite Albums of 2010...in no particular order.

Chuck's List

1. Stone Temple Pilots - Stone Temple Pilots

2. Deftones - Diamond Eyes

3. Birds of Tokyo - Birds of Tokyo

4. Cee Lo - The Lady Killer

5. Morcheeba - Blood Like Lemonade

6. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

7. Kanye West - My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy

8. Mutemath - Armistice Live

9. Neon Trees - Habits

10. Drake - Thank Me Later

Greg's List

1. OK Go! - Of the Blue Color of the Sky

2. Ed Kowalczyk - Alive

3. Manic Street Preachers - Postcards From a Young Man

4. Brandon Flowers -Flamingo

5. Tonic - Tonic

6. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Mojo

7. The Goo Goo Dolls - Something for the Rest of Us

8. Lifehouse - Smoke and Mirrors

9. Muse - The Resistence

10. Stone Temple Pilots - Stone Temple Pilots

Matt's List

1. Spaceship Days - Black Holes and Butterflies

2. Duran Duran - All You Need is Now

3. Thirteen Senses - Crystal Sounds

4. Editors - In This Light and on This Evening

5. Muse - The Resistence

6. Oceansize - Self Preserved While the Body Floats Up

7. Rogue Wave - Permalight

8. The Ruse - Love Sex Confusion

9. The Golden State - Problem Reaction Solution

10.Mark Ronson - Record Collection

Largely, we prefer our movie viewing pleasures to be in a dark, and quiet theater. Quiet is getting harder and harder to come by, so we did a lot of living room watching this year. Although 84% of this list are the picks of just one watches-too-much-TV member (one other member being busy writing songs, and the third mixing said songs to hang with me on my weekly movie trips) here...in no particular order, are Spaceship Days Favorite Movies of 2010**

**Note the use of the word favorite and not best.

1. Let Me In

2. Paranormal Activity 2

3. Kick Ass

4. Brooklyn's Finest

5. The Human Centipede

6. Faster

7. Predators

8. Bitch Slap

9. Splice

10. Buried

Honorable Mentions : Defendor, Hot Tub Time Machine, The Crazies, Karate Kid, & The Losers

A new year is just a handful of days away. With it, will come more audio and visual delights for all of us to use while we spend time with our families and friends, and soothe ourselves from all those little aches and pains that come from a daily grind. Whatever your amusement of choice, take few moments to enjoy it each day in 2011 - just a bit more than you did in 2010

Spaceship Days would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Holiday Season

The Final Song

2010-12-13T15:24:00.003-05:00

I don't really sleep.

Little known piece of Spaceship Days lore though it may be, it is alas an inconvenient truth. Two or three hours at a time is all I can normally manage, and not even every day. Pretty ironic, as I spent the bulk of my twenties laying down with my eyes closed; its like I used up all of my allotted ZZz's too early.

There is something of an upside to being a insomniac though. I use the wee hours to get plenty of work done, there's always time to exercise, and I've become a full on infomercial connoisseur. Lots of classic movies on late at night too. Flicks like "Switchblade Sisters" don't get that much play on prime time television but I've seen it twice this month already. OK--classic "B" movies.

Unfortunately being a non sleeper carries the requirement of periodic crashes--I'll sleep for ten sometimes twelve or more hours solid when the time comes. Said timing always seems to be bad, but when sleep finally does decide to be my friend, she is extremely hard to resist.

This last time came on a long stretch of highway.

As one of those annoying slow drivers that many flip off from time to time, I log lots of road time over in the slow lane. There I was, rolling along and listening to one of my many mix CDs. I give them silly little names like New Jedi Order, Picture Day Blues, or My Cousin is a Superhero. No meaning behind the titles really, other than Megamix Number...Whatever being just so dull; one must keep ones-self amused after all. This particular CD was called Everybody Happy? I had it up loud, because sleep was pressing down quite insistently on my eyelids and I was still a fair distance from home.

I blinked at the sound of a tooting horn and the disconcerting screech of tires. It seemed that during a previous 'blink' my car had drifted across two lanes of traffic, and into the fast lane hard toward the dividing wall. With the cruise control on, I'd been just a moment away from slamming into it at upwards of 60mph. The driver whom I'd cut off was still laying on the horn while swerving around me.

I took back control of my vehicle, with a few colorful expletives to honor the over all mood. Another heartbeat, and there would have been no more bass playing.

The very first thing I noticed when I came back to my normal not scared witless senses (even before doing a quick mental survey to make sure I hadn't gone Number One all over the place ) was that a David Bowie tune was playing.

Bowie?!

Don't get me wrong, I love the man. He has been alternately number three, or four on my Top 5 Favorite All Time Artists for approaching two decades, but Moonage Daydream isn't exactly the last song I'd want to hear while still shuffling on this mortal coil.

I made it home safe, and sound. For the remainder of the trip, sleep was kept at bay by the gallon or so of adrenaline galloping through me, and the question that jumped into my head a few miles away from where I almost went boom.

Well, I've been semi retired from coffee drinking for years now, but I've dusted off my trusty Spaceship Days Coffee Mug for all subsequent road trips, night time or otherwise. Safer to get a beat down from sleep while on the couch, or at the computer, even in the shower - so the plan is to keep good and caffeinated while behind the wheel. It's worked quite well so far, but I still haven't come up with an answer to that question.

If I were able to have my light switch off the way we all want: At home. In bed. Surrounded by old friends and great-grand children, and other happy things, What would I want to be the last piece of music I ever got to hear?

How about you? What would you want to be your final song?

Our Journey to the Center of the Universe

2010-11-28T20:11:00.000-05:00

Los Angeles!

While we had, in fact, traveled to the birthplace of all things hip before, it had been as athletes not as artists. Back then, there had been curfews, and square meals, speedos and chlorine.

Lots and lots of chlorine.

This time around though, things were quite a bit different. On this trip we saw bright lights, pec implants (yeah, seriously), and $75 t-shrits. We noticed that every other person in Hollywood seemed to have a guitar strapped across their back, little black dresses are mandatory, and people take limousines to nightclubs instead of taxicabs. There was no bed time, and the only speedos we saw were on a particularly daring street performer who we thought might have been modeling for someone.

We drove fast down a winding road that shares a name with a movie we like. We climbed (almost) mountains. I stood in John Woo's footsteps; Greg chose Bruce Willis'. I found out I'm taller than Batman, Greg dueled with Zorro, and we both avoided the lure of a free Celebrity Home Bus Tour--provided we could secure the 'entertainment'.

We got some out of focus pictures of the world famous Whiskey A Go-Go as we drove by at 30mph, and a few ( even more blurry ones) when we got a good laugh while trying to lean out the window to get the Roxy. We came to a complete stop to take pictures of the Capitol Records building, but as we were still on the road that caused us a little bit of grief.

We ate Chinese food by the pound, cupcakes the size of softballs, and the biggest, best(est) hamburgers in the history of beef. Although we never did get to go back and try the Guinness milkshake we had a few grown up drinks while we were there too.

All in all, it was an early morning flight missing good time.

Our trip was no mere vacation however. Instead, it was firmly centered around the Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Spaceship Days was nominated in the Best Alternative category for our single "Shadow Walking"

We lounged in a four star hotel in sight of the award show's venue feeling like we should do some exercise, but unable to muster up the motivation. As members of the Glass is Half Empty clan, neither one of us was sure to expect, so we eventually came to the agreed upon conclusion that we should just turn our brains off, get dressed, and show up.

So that's what we did.

The event itself was a pleasant surprise. Greg and I (and all the nominees) were made to feel very welcome--or rather, like we were every bit as cool as every one of of the artists we all listen to and adore. This came largely in the form of the red carpet strut at the beginning of the show, but it extended to everything that happened throughout the course of the evening. We had a very cool guide who told us where to stand and smile for photos, where we had to go next, what microphone to speak into, and answered probably 95% of our thousand and one questions about the way the world turns in that far away western land (Thanks Bretagne!)

Besides meeting lots of other enthusiastic men and women 'in the club' of music making, we were able to trade smiles with some very clever (and disarmingly approachable) people who stand on the other side of things. Yeah. You know, that side. Not a single person we came across (and we came across many) was wearing one of those flashing red neon top hats that say: I'm Too Cool For You. Everyone had a firm handshake, a ready business card, and ten minutes to chat with us while we tried to pick their brains.

Our category was the next to last of the evening. By then, the grins were a little bigger, the double Windsor knots had come undone, and most everyone's speaking volume had gone up a couple of dozen decibels or so, courtesy of the very diligent and speedy bar staff. Greg and I had somehow wound up on opposite ends of the room. When they announced the winner --who had just completed an exceptional performance-- we managed to catch each other's eye. It was one of those neat, silent 'hey, we made it here anyway' sort of moments.

Suddenly our uncluttered, uncomplicated we-make-music-for-its-own sake adventure was that much more excellent. It never occurred to us to be disappointed, or feel 'beaten'; we'd been invited to be a part of something that none of us had ever imagined we'd actually have the opportunity to--and our imaginations are quite fertile.

I met an older man in the VIP just before the show. Cool hair. Crazily expensive suit. Supermodel for a date. Killer shoes. The man never introduced himself, but I got the impression later that people don't usually just sit down and start talking to him. Glad I did though, he was a very congenial fellow. Before I took my leave, he said to me "No matter how trite it sounds, every one of tonight's nominees is a winner. Watch. You'll see."

I believe him.

And who knows? Maybe next time Spaceship Days will return to Chapel Hill with a tall shiny trinket to go along with all the great memories.

*Thank you to everyone for all of your well wishes and support while we were on the left coast

The Particulars of Inspiration:"Last Kiss on Earth"

2010-11-24T20:10:00.001-05:00

You might not know this, but the members of Spaceship Days take their entertainments very seriously. We watch a lot of movies. Some of us (OK one of us) reads a lot of books--some of which don't even have pictures.

Early one lazy evening, Chuck and I were watching one of our favorite post apocalyptic/sci fi vehicles. As we tend to do in times like that, we started talking about how we'd do things in our movie. It would involve a spaceship called The Minerva, and possibly monsters--or maybe aliens. There was some talk of a comet too. Usually we never make it much farther than that point because we get to chatting about music.

This time, I got a picture trapped in my head.

Songs are born of many things... a personal tragedy, a passing melody, a happy accident.

"Last Kiss on Earth" was born of that reoccurring image.

Two people locked in a slow motion embrace as the world around them "literally" fell apart.

Burning palm trees, ash-choked sky, violent-otherworldly winds... burned out buildings that stood like tired fossils, heaving in the skyline. I tried to imagine what their story was... not the world around them (save that for another song) Why would they chose to spend their last moments together?

And even if their life together had been "less than perfect" at least maybe it meant something. At least they felt something.

And as the world comes down around them they find eternity in a kiss.

"and if the sun burns out without a sound / put your lips against my mouth / hold your breath dear / no one's left here"

Who would you choose to be with?

And would they choose to be with you?

* For maximum enjoyment the members of Spaceship Days recommend one rock out to this song with headphones set to the highest volume.

Ask Spaceship Days #5

2010-11-16T22:03:00.000-05:00

As you can see, this question is far to heavy duty for a video--especially since I have about a 2:45 threshold of talking to my computer before it starts to feel a little odd. On top of that, K.V. was kind enough to share with us a very personal and deeply inspiring story about how music helped her make it through some very tough times.

Art is mad cool that way.

First: The Albums. These are the ones that did the most to shape the way we approach our respective instruments, our songwriting, and pretty much everything else that happens when we put our heads together to do something.

Duran Duran - Rio

Depeche Mode - Violator

Catherine Wheel - Adam and Eve

Radiohead - OK Computer

Mew - No More Stories...

C
Faith No More - The Real Thing
Stone Temple Pilots - Purple
Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness
Catherine Wheel - Chrome
The Police - Zenyattà Mondatta

Jane’s Addiction – Ritual de lo Habitual

U2 – Actung Baby

Catherine Wheel – Ferment

Toad the Wet Sprocket – Dulcinea
Radiohead - OK Computer

As for The Song:

The single most influential song (to me as a songwriter) was "Flower To Hide" by Catherine Wheel. At the time my musical world was ruled by keyboards and pasty European men with heavy eyeliner and sucked in cheeks. It was going to take something powerful to knock me off that course. Then one day Dan(the drummer of grey.) popped in a "cassette" (you'll have to dig into the archives of Wikipedia to understand that reference). Out of his stereo poured walls of lush guitar (both elegant and abrasive) and voice both manly and angelic. "Flowers to Hide" opened me up to new genres and styles of music that I never would have allowed myself to explore and because it showed me that supernatural, space-curving landscapes could be created with four chords (more or less)... and as a burgeoning songwriter four chords was about all I knew.

--Matt

As for most influential song on my musical development, I’d have to reach way back to the mid 80’s Duran Duran tune “Save a Prayer”. That song was Beauty and Pain delivered at the same time by the same music --pretty powerful stuff if a preteen boy can pick up on it. Minor keyed, with a prominent music counter melody, and simple haunting vocal melody it made me feel something; that was a thing music alone hadn't done for me at that point. The chorus “Don’t save a prayer for me now, save it till the morning after…” was dissonant and tense and the song had this incredibly sensual ebb and flow. Again, 'sensual' wasn't something I was hip to at the time, but the song created a mood too powerful to be denied. All those qualities, especially use of minor keys, counter melodies on guitar, and slight dissonance are things that stuck with me. Those methods color everything I do as a composer to this day.

--Greg

Two words: "Bohemian Rhapsody" I remember sitting stock still for literally an hour while I played Queen's magnum opus over, and over, and over. It was as though my whole life up to that point I had been listening to music without any ears. I was flabbergasted, awed, amazed, and a little bit incredulous that something so insanely creative, and bombastic hadn't just caused the earth to suddenly spin on its axis in the opposite direction. The song sent a powerful knowing straight through me. Suddenly I knew that there were no rules - music could be whatever its creator damn well wanted it to be. The parts didn't have to match. It didn't have to 'make sense'. It could be as far over the top as one dared to reach; all that mattered was that it was done with conviction. "Bohemian Rhapsody" forever changed the way I turned and ear toward music, and what I expected of it as a listener.

--Chuck

What about you? Whats the song that changed things forever after?

M, C, & G

"Who are you again ?"

2010-11-11T00:44:00.003-05:00

"Who is Spaceship Days?"

That was the question we saw hanging in a comment box on a popular social networking site. It looked like an accusation of sorts, poised just below a link to our first Promo Video like a finger in the face. "How dare you post this!" it seemed to say " Because I've never heard of you!"

It only took a moment's consideration for us to unclench, and approach the question from an entirely different direction. It was a fair one, after all.

"Who are we?"

Well, there are people who know about the music, but it occurred to us that some of those same people might want to know a little bit more about the band's dynamic: our processes and pet peeves and such; the-which-guy-does-which-thing of it all.

So we decided to share.

First, we should probably tell you about the absolutes. Every band has them, some artists even get documentaries or tried and true rock & roll anecdotes about theirs. Ours aren't terribly dramatic, nothing about no brown M &Ms or some such, but we take them seriously nevertheless.

We are absolutely...

fanatical devotees of the Great Yarmoth, England band (The) Catherine Wheel, and eagerly await the reunion tour--for which we'd gladly be the opener.

We absolutely...

...enjoy watching movies together. We really, really like movies: Back to the Future, Aliens, Karate Kid & Anything with Indiana Jones to name a few. It can also be noted, that between the three of us we've probably seen the Star Wars films more times than George Lucas.

...have a difficult time keeping a drummer. We are unsure why this is, except for the fact that we may not truly understand how much effort goes in to actually playing said instrument.

...will not perform in a Sports Bar, or in any venue with big TV's that have sports playing (where we can see them). Its just too difficult to handle band business while simultaneously trying to see who won.

Spaceship Days itself is a three headed monster,but if you pry them all apart, you're left with a trio fellows who have spent more time with each other than most anyone else in the world.

Spaceship Days is:

Greg

Age: Eldest
Height: 6'
Build: Adonis-like

Role in Spaceship Days: Multi Instrumentalist, Engineer, Producer, Logic Center

Favorite Bands: Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Our Lady Peace, Counting Crows, Coldplay

Influences: David Gilmour, Peter Buck, Brian Futter

Little Known Fact: Daydreams about smoking celebratory cigars

Guilty Pleasure: Sailing at high speeds (windsurfing and Hobie catamarans)

Historical Figure He'd Most Like to Hang With: Thomas Jefferson

Musical Figure He'd Most Like to Hang With: Rob Dickinson

Greg is the wizard behind the curtain that's behind the great green glowing spaceship. He's solely responsible for the overall production of every piece of Spaceship Days music. He tweaks the knobs. He pushes the buttons. He sets the all the levels and works the sonic magic that brings forth our Exo-pop sound.

Chuck

Age: Middle
Height: 6'4.5"
Build: Chiseled

Role in Spaceship Days: Bassist, Blogger, Manager, Monkey Wrench

Favorite Bands: Queen, David Bowie, The Beatles, Bjork, Smashing Pumpkins

Influences: Paul McCartney, Robert Deleo, Colin Greenwood, Dave Hawes

Little Known Fact: Refuses to watch any DVD not in widescreen aspect

Guilty Pleasure: Never feels guilty about them

Historical Figure He'd Most Like To Hang With: Miyamoto Musashi

Musical Figure He'd Most Like to Hang With: Robert Nesta Marley

Chuck is The Man. He is a rock-star in every sense. When he walks into a room the atmosphere changes and everyone wants to be his friend. He makes the Master Plans and spreads our musical seeds far and wide. Never lacking for words, he gives the pep talks, and the pitches. He steers the spaceship in the direction we all want it to go.

Matt

Age: Youngest
Height: 6'3'
Build: Distance Runner Athletic

Role in Spaceship Days: Vocalist, Lyricist, Chief Songwriter, Devil's Advocate

Favorite Bands: Duran Duran, Mew, Radiohead, Depeche Mode, Silverchair

Influences: Chuck & Greg

Little Known Fact: Terrified of Clowns

Guilty Pleasure: John Denver & The Muppets Christmas album

Historical Figure He'd Most Like To Hang With: Carl Sagan

Musical Figure He'd Most Like to Hang With: Bono

Matt is the voice, the mind, the heart, and all the guts of Spaceship Days. Without him, all the songs would be dueling bass and guitar solos twisted around weak melodies with nonsensical lyrics and punctuated by crappy singing. He is the one who gets up in the middle of the night and pulls out an acoustic guitar to create another pop masterpiece.

That's us in a nutshell, three average guys with an exceptionally cool side job. Now--the next time some one asks you who we are, you'll know exactly what to tell them.

M, C, & G

The Particulars of Inspiration: Hanging From The Satellites

2010-10-19T14:46:00.000-04:00

The first time is never easy.

Ours was a long time ago, in a town not too far away. Grunge was still king. Prince had unrepentantly changed his name to a tattoo, and the Beastie Boys had recently told the world to Check Your Head.

Spaceship Days wasn't even a glimmer in our alcohol soaked imaginations, and the birth of grey was still months away. We were actually on our third or fourth band name by then. This one was less embarrassing than those that had preceded it, but only just; we stuck with it anyway, because we'd been putting the word out about the Big Debut Show and it just wouldn't do to confuse people by changing our name (again) at the last minute. All the cool bands picked an name and stuck with it, no matter how bad it was.

We had been a band for about a month. In that time, we'd already cut our first demo, and had spend the following weeks leading up to the Big Debut Show strutting around like peacocks with our cassette tape feathers stuck up in the air. It wasn't that the recording was especially good (it wasn't) but we were the only people we knew who'd ever even had the brass to try and make one and that meant something. That belief in ourselves carried us along way, and picked up quite a bit of the slack we needed for our skills to catch up.

Still, beneath it all we were only four young men: Matt, Chuck, Greg, and Aaron. Just a breath out of our teens and sitting on the floor of an empty room, we were anxiously waiting to stand in front of everyone we knew and put on our first live performance.

The Big Debut Show was at Aaron's place. He was the drummer so it just made good sense. It was easier for myself and Greg to transport our gear, which included the little 50 W Gorilla Amp that Matt would be using for his vocals. Sure, all the cool bands had PA systems, but we hadn't quite discovered that yet. Our stage was the back porch, which was great with us. The small-ish concrete slab faced a courtyard of sorts, and where our delusions lived that space was going to be jam packed with adoring fans.

Earlier that afternoon Matt had used a sharpie to decorate a semi soiled bed sheet with a picture, and a poem called The Uncoiling. We hung it from Aaron's bedroom window so it could dangle above us as we rocked out because, you know--all the cool bands had a banner. The fact that it was a good ten feet above our heads made no never mind.

I personally remember feeling like I was going to throw up, and then maybe have an accident which no doubt would have led to throwing up again. Throughout all this gastrointestinal distress I held on tight to my 'I'm not scared' face. It wouldn't due to upset my band mates, who were all clinging to their 'unimpressed by this building terror' faces too. Mostly.

Right before it was time to go on, and I had assured myself for the seventh time that my bass strap was not going to spontaneously snap off leaving me guitar-less and mortified, someone started giggling. To this day I still can't remember who, or why but after a moment we all were.

Uncontrollably.

It turned out to be just what we needed. Through the aching ribs and sore from smiling cheeks I suddenly had the sense that no matter what happened everything was going to be fine. We weren't going to melt, or spontaneously combust--we were only going to play some songs for some people. Just as we'd always dreamed.

The four of us will always be connected by that night. It was tense, awkward, amazing, and a more than a little bit frightening in turns but we wouldn't change a thing.

"Hanging From the Satellites" is a tribute to that evening. It coils and slides through the anxiety and exhilaration we felt in the long, long minutes before we began, and hints at the calm out of body surreality of the performance itself.

At the end of our first number, while we were listening to what (in our minds at least) was thunderous applause, we weren't really surprised when the police arrived to shut us down. That sort of thing happened fairly regularly at the swim team parties we frequented in those days. The Big Debut Show was over quickly, but we all were somewhat thankful for the save. Better to leave them wanting more. Just like all the cool bands.

We only had three more songs anyway.

C

The Particulars of Inspiration : "Big World Pop Star"

2010-10-13T13:22:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, songs just happen.

A hook hits you while you’re in the shower, or stuck in traffic, or halfway through the check out line at Target. It’s insistent and awesome. You run home to your instrument of choice, hit RECORD and wait with that sort of mellow, self-satisfied glee that we musical types get while the tune practically writes itself.

Unfortunately, most songs are far more likely to be born old good old-fashioned heartache.

"Big World Pop Star" is one of that kind.

Here’s the tale: It was one of those fantastic and tragically occasional intersections of luck, talent, and being the friend-of-a-friend-who-knows-somebody. The members of Spaceship Days had gone from being ‘those guys on the swim team’ to a solid alterna- rock outfit and were finally going to get the opportunity to prove it.

The venue was a massive one. The projected turnout was epic. The headliner that will never be named (who’s moniker contains the letters m e r) was arguably the most successful band of the era. Enough friends, family, and early concert arrivals stood massed before the side stage to make to make it one of Spaceship Days’ most memorable performances as a band.

For about six minutes.

Then came the metaphorical gut kicking.

The smoke had finally cleared, the fists stopped being shaken, and the untidy language had died down, when Spaceship Days found out that the headliner had taken issue with the venue over comparative font sizes in the area newspaper advertisements, and “a few other things”. Apparently those other things were important enough to cancel the performances of the local acts and have the supporting band take the stage three hours early.

Just as the members of Spaceship Days had begun to really feel their cool quotient rise, a guy with a clipboard and a pair of Buddy Holly glasses had pulled the plug midway through the chorus of the second song. In his wake he left a snide remark, a contemptuous sniff, and a few thousand stunned and staring people wondering what the hell had just happened.

Later the singer of one of the other bands, who were the venerable rock and roll uncles in town at the time, sat down with some of the other dejected players. His crew took the whole thing quite casually, something which would have bothered the members of Spaceship Days had they had the strength to be anything other than mind numbingly sad.

“Pop stars do that sort of shi*t sometimes.” He told the band with that matter of fact shrug that sometimes accompanies nuggets of old guy wisdom. He was right of course, but we never felt quite the same way about that headliner again.

“Big World Pop Star “ is a song not only about that day, but also about all the days before it and all the days after when someone forgot what life was like before video music awards, and platinum records, and clipboard toting minions. This song is what Spaceship Days thinks about not remembering.

Spaceship Days: A Band in Conflict.

2010-10-05T01:54:00.000-04:00

Spaceship Days have been doing a lot of shouting lately.

There have been shaken fists, pointed fingers, rolled eyes, and unfortunately a even little bit of name calling.

The source of this internal strife is an old one. Its a debate that has raged on since before there even was a band, since we were nothing more than speedo wearing teenagers with dreams of Olympic glory. It's been argued at a louder volume than Redskins vs. Eagles, and more often than Temple of Doom vs. Crystal Skull. Yet, as the years wear on, we're still no closer to The Truth.

Queen vs. Duran Duran

That is the question. Which is the better band?

Is it a fair comparison? Maybe.

Are both bands spectacular in their own way? Definitely.

Does this disagreement make as much sense as trying to build a drum kit out of Popsicle sticks and notebook paper? Probably-- but its been two decades, so we're too far gone to quit now.

Alas, Greg has never been much help in our seesaw battle. Whenever Matt or I pose the Big Question, his smug answer was always:

"Pink Floyd."

Guitar players...

As we've presented them to each other over and over, these are The Facts:

Year Founded
Duran 1978
Queen 1971

Number of Members
Duran 5 ( or 3 depending on whom you ask)
Queen 4

Number of Albums
Duran 14* (* the next due in early 2011)
Queen 25* (*Plus one with Paul Rogers)

Top 10 Singles
Duran 14
Queen 18 (at #1)

Number of Times a Founding Member Quit the Band
Duran 7
Queen 1

Top 10 Albums
Duran 0 (but 21 songs on the Billboard Hot 100)
Queen 18 (at #1)

Number of Band Members with the Last Name Taylor
Duran 3
Queen 1

Number of Soundtracks
Duran 1 (a #1 single from the James Bond film that even Christopher Walken couldn't save)
Queen 4 (Including Highlander aka The Best Movie Ever)

Number of Cool Videos
Duran All of them
Queen 2

Number of Albums Sold
Duran Over 100 million
Queen Over 300 million

So those are the numbers....but are any of these things what really matter?

Is a band ultimately only judged by the number of chart topping singles or whether or not those little decorative records the Powers That Be hand out are shiny gold or sparkling platinum?

We think not.

It seems that the great bands--the truly great bands-- give fans like us a little something more. They give us music that we feel, the sort of music that continues to mean something even as the years shuffle by. They give us the songs that remind us of a pleasant afternoon that time way back when, or that wild road trip, or that whirlwind romance that left us with curled toes and face splitting grins.

The greats give us the songs that make us feel like crying, or make us need to stomp. They give us the music that gives us the urge to dance on both of our left feet. They give us the songs that are impossible to forget.

More often than not, these tunes aren't the "hits"; they're the track three on side two's, or the hidden B sides from extra rare imports that we die hard musos will spend insanely irresponsible amounts time and money trying to add to our collections.

Clearly, both of these iconic groups have done these important things for each of us, and yet the quarrel goes on and on. After so long its safe to say that neither of us will ever sway the other, but that doesn't mean we won't stop trying.

One of these bands has to be the winner.

Who would you choose?

C

The Particulars of Inspiration: "Shadow Walking"

2010-09-30T16:07:00.002-04:00

Every now and then, you just get lucky.

The luck might come in the shape of a $20 bill you find in the back pocket of those jeans at the bottom of the laundry basket. It could be finding a code for unlimited ammo scribbled down on the inside of your brand new but previously owned video game, or that crack in the sidewalk that sends you stumbling into your as yet undiscovered soul-mate. For some, the luck is even a life altering Lottery ticket.

Spaceship Days, got lucky with a song.

It was early evening at the HQ, and Matt and I were working on some new music while waiting for Greg to arrive at his customary twenty two minutes late. The tune was a melodramatic little ditty, and as songs are often wont to do, it just wasn't coming together the way we wanted. Getting restless, we decided to take a break. For me that meant food. For Matt that meant more guitar playing.

Suddenly, from the kitchen I heard Matt strumming some chords, and 'doot-doo-ing' at the top of his lungs. I dropped the ham, cheese, and single slice of bread I'd been puzzling over how to turn into a sandwich and ran back into the living room.

Matt was laughing, but I thought what he'd just done was an all together different sort of funny.

"Play that again!" I said strapping on the bass.

"Seriously?" Matt asked, dubious.

We'd been talking about 'bop bops' and 'na nas' and 'la las' and 'woo woos' in music earlier that day, so I knew he was just goofing around, but every now and then...well, you know.

"Yeah," I said. "Seriously."

It didn't take much convincing, or many more chords, and by the time Greg arrived a few minutes later, we had a new new song to work on.

"Shadow Walking"

Shadow Walking is a song about how people sometimes won't see what's right in front of them. Its about bearing the weight of your troubles on nothing but a stiff upper lip, with wide eyes that watch the world go by. This song is for everyone who has ever felt alone in the crowd.

We hope it reminds some that they don't have to.

C

Use Your Toys!

2010-09-24T19:21:00.002-04:00

Once upon a time, there was a Boy with a Computer. The boy loved his computer, and the computer loved the boy. Together, they would listen to music, watch movies and chit chat with friends.

The computer's favorite times were when the boy would sit for hours tap tap tapping on his keyboard, filling up file after file with words he dreamed would one day be printed in big, bright picture books of men and women with capes. The boy's favorite times where when, even if the music player was on shuffle, the computer would play two Catherine Wheel songs in a row--and in really special times, three. They were happy, the Boy and the Computer.

Then one day, the computer died...

Everyone's been through it, that pit of the stomach bubbling, angry feeling you get when an 'essential' piece of technology fails you. The utter frustration of knowing you can do nothing at all to fix it makes the thought of how much money you'll need to spend to replace it is especially vexing.

It could be your phone, your television, or even your car, but when it's your computer there is that extra little sting, an added twist of the How-Are-You-Going-To-Pay-Your-Bills-Now? knife.

When my computer shuffled off to that great Dell store in the sky the only warning I got was a few clicks, a beep and then a flash of that blue screen that I now know was telling me the end was nigh.

I was crestfallen.

My computer had everything on it. Everything. And just like that it was lost.

All my MUSIC!!!

Three years worth of little tales to go into my as yet unfinished graphic novel.

And my TUNES!!! My SONGS!!! They were GONE all GONE!!!

Oh--and other stuff like wedding pictures , account numbers and whatnot. All that vanished too.

Enter my Mother. Beautiful lady. She got me a new computer for my upcoming birthday, just a scant eight months away. I was on the phone with her while setting it up, listening while she rattled off all the new and exciting features on my fresh out of the box gift.

I was nodding, even though she couldn't see me; the nod when my Mom is talking reflex is still strong. She's my hero.

"It even has a built in camera." She said "You can send me videos of my grand baby."

I could only scoff.

"Camera? " I said already thinking about the easiest and most efficient way to get all those songs from all those CDs back into MP3 form. "That's about as useful as me churning my own butter."

She laughed, because our Moms are supposed to help us believe we're funny, but I was eager to get off the phone and get started on the important stuff...

Well, its been almost two years, and my sonic therapy is just now getting back to where it belongs. As it happened, none of my best laid plans were neither easy, nor efficient, but I've gotten my music all back in once place.

While we have never quite gotten as tight as myself and its predecessor, New Computer has been a pretty good sidekick. We watch movies. We type words into files. Shuffle is again in full effect.

We chat with friends too. In fact, we try to answer every email and Instant Message that travels across those invisible spaces between computers all over the world. People talk to Spaceship Days, so New Computer helps Spaceship Days talk back.

Only this time we do it a little bit differently.

It turns out there was a use for that camera after all. Guess I'd better get started churning that butter.

C

The Further Adventures of Being a Band Daddy

2010-09-17T00:49:00.007-04:00

"When I grow up I want to be in a band. I want to be a mommy too. I can be a mommy since I'm a girl."

It was a bit odd, this declaration, considering that we had been in the middle of talking about sidewalk chalk. Still, after making music at various levels of competency for almost half my life, hearing my daughter Gracen say she might want to try it too gave me a hard, fast flash of pride. Of course, I chose to selectively not hear all the 'be a mommy' bits though.

Sure, she's only five (and a 1/2) and will no doubt want to be at least a hundred more things before finally traveling to that far away land of When I Grow Up, but good Daddies just have to play along sometimes.

"What kind of band do you want to be in?" I asked.

"The kind where I play drums!" she replied with a big grin broken only by the space left by a recently lost tooth.

As a member of the rhythm section, this too was pleasing to me.

Grabbing up a set of $8 conga drums I'd gotten from somewhere about a year before she was born Gracen took a firm grip on my thumb, and pulled. It was Daughter Fu--the classic 'Daddy Come With Me' technique.

Naturally, I couldn't resist.

"Let's go have band practice," she said still smiling.

I was smiling now too. It had been a bit of a tense summer for me. For months I'd thought that all Daddy-ish pursuits had been ditched in favor of princesses and stuffed pigs, but it seemed my little girl had finally remembered that I was fun for something other than setting up pretend tea and cakes for the fluffy toy crew.

"Get your Big Guitar," she said-- which is Gracenese for bass.

So I did...and we proceeded to rock out.

That's when the trouble started.

Now, as someone who's sat through 3,027 tea parties I understand that my child likes to have things just so. Obviously this trait was inherited from her mother, but that's a story for another time. Anyway, about thirty seconds into our jam she stopped banging her drums, and waved her little hands about in what I could only interpret as a 'hold everything' gesture.

My last note faded away into silence. My daughter just stared.

"No Daddy," she said with that slow, deliberate tone that we grown ups use when little ones are stretching our patience. "You have to listen better."

"Huh?" was all I could come back with.

"You have to follow what I'm doing. Just listen to my drums OK?"

"Oh," I had been busted. "OK."

She then proceeded to count me in, but didn't start playing until she got to six.

There was a bit more playing, and a little giggling, then the child reached out and started turning the pegs on my bass.

"What are you doing?!" I barked, aghast.

Never Touch Daddy's Bass is one of the Three Laws, superseded only by Comic Books Are NOT For Drawing In.

"I'm changing the frequency," Gracen said with such big eyed (dig-me-manipulating-my-father) innocence that I couldn't help but get over myself " so it will sound better."

What a diva.

"You sure you don't want to be the singer?" I asked, trying not to cringe as the 'frequency' of my instrument was changed into something I probably wouldn't know how to play.

"Yeah, I'm the singer too." was the smooth reply.

And on it went...

We may not have created a pop masterpiece that afternoon--or anything other than some loosely organized noise accented by our own glee filled laughter--but it was easily one of the most fun times we've shared in the five (and a 1/2) years I've been playing at this gig called Fatherhood.

You know what else? Once we had played until our hands were sore and our gear was all packed away, the "after practice tea party" was pretty cool too.

C

The Particulars of Inspiration...& a video : "Pain in Pretty Things"

2010-09-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

Many people, by the time they reach the age of thirteen, have gone through some sort of breakup. Whether it was with your BFF or tween age crush, we can all probably remember the first time we went from having something with someone to having nothing, and how awful it felt. I myself can recall getting none too gently cut loose at my Eighth Grade Formal with an uncomfortable degree of clarity: All the courage I’d mustered to ask for a slow dance was gone quickly as a snowflake in a microwave. There was finger pointing, then name-calling. Through it all Peter Cetera crooned in the background about “The Glory of Love”, blithely oblivious to my pain. All told, it was a lousy way to end middle school. To this day I can’t stand to hear that song.

See, a breakup is a many-headed beast. Sometimes they take too long, but occasionally they’re right on time. They can be spontaneous and quick, or planned with marching band meticulous precision. They can get carried out with a kiss or with a shout. They can end in a cuddle or a cry. They can be a relief, or a Shakespearean in magnitude tragedy. ‘It’s not you it’s me’…’We just need some time apart’…’Let’s still be friends’… and on, and on, and on.

A break up can be a lot of things, but easy is never one of them.

“Pain in Pretty Things” is a song about the part of relationships where they end, and the emotional spiral leading down to that place people never really plan for. The song is an imagined conversation between a Spaceship Days sibling, and significant other who plays drums with an almost famous rock band. It’s about the hows and whys and maybe nots people find to try and explain the reasons they feel the way they feel. The world of Not Easy is the place this song comes from.

“Pain in Pretty Things” is a song not just about breaking up, but about the internal struggle that comes from your head saying that something makes sense, no matter how loudly your heart disagrees.

One of the coolest things about this song--and possibly every song we've ever committed to a re-playable medium--is the fact that this one got covered. Our very good friend the Lovely Ms. Lettie P. performed "Pain in Pretty Things" with her uncle at a school Talent Show.

The Adventures of Being a Band Daddy

2010-08-30T13:53:00.000-04:00

"It's ALIVE!"
"It's ALIVE!"

These words were immortalized by the infamous Dr. Frankenstein as electrical currents ran through his monstrosity, bringing the creature to life.

Well, it seems that I have created a little monster of my own.

SPACESHIP DAYS has no greater fan on the planet than my son, Dylan. Unlike my band mates he knows every word, singing them and mimicking every drum fill from the back seat of my car. So it was no great surprise when he finally asked me to teach him how to play the guitar and write songs. What was surprising was the mixed feelings I had about this request.

On one hand, I was excited that he might have an artistic streak and craved a musical outlet to release all the emotions that any prepubescent boy feels. I thought it was great that we have such a connection that for this very brief moment in time my son actually thinks that what I do is "cool". That will undoubtedly change.

Then again, I knew that I was setting myself up for hours and hours of listening to him bash through the same two chords on a horribly out of tune, toy guitar. I felt like the Grinch "All that NOISE, NOISE, NOISE, NOISE from all the Who Girls and all the Who the Boys!" Also, keep in mind that for all of the pride and beauty that comes from being American... we are not the most patient people in the world. It's in our DNA.

So after a whole 5 minutes of guitar lessons, my son wanted to record an "album"...

OH BOY (pause for deep breath)

"Let's start off with one song before we get to an album", I said flashing back to my own experience with 'cutting a record' after being in a band for a whole week. Alright, it was a cassette but there were other, more important details to consider just then.

"What do you want this song to be about?" I asked.

He sat back and thought with that intense and unbelievably cute 'I'm Thinking' expression that young ones get from time to time, "Hmmmm... " he mused.

A few seconds went by and I could almost see a light bulb appear over his head

"I got it...." the boy declared triumphantly. " This song will be about my most favorite person in the world!"

Pride took the form of little teardrops in my eyes. WOW! I thought. My son thinks I am so awesome that he is going to write a song about me.

"MOM!" he yelled.

And the dream crashes and burns...

"Oh OK"... "Yeah, I guess she's pretty OK" I said, as an unnatural lump developed in my throat.

Over the next few minutes we string together a few chords and some beautiful lyrics...

"Mommy, you are my world....BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, something, something, whatever" (I am definitely not jealous or anything)

Then we set up a little microphone... record it into my computer... and burn... a CD!!!

A CD ??!!! (What the...?!)

It took me 20 years of living to hear my band on compact disc and now my little guy has recorded a solo track on one in just under 7!

Best of all Mommy loved the song, and even if the tune's subject matter is a bit suspect... I couldn't be prouder.

Well done Grasshopper... Your kung fu is good!

--M

Is It Better From a Stranger?

2010-08-24T00:57:00.004-04:00

"The Halo Effect" was the first recording we approached in true DIY (Do-It-Yourself) style from beginning to end. Completing the album was good fun, but finding SPAM -less ways to tell people about it was considerably less so.

Not too long ago a (somewhat) wise person told us: "No one will ever believe the CD is any good if you keep telling them so. People have to hear that stuff from someone else"

That little tidbit of advice--and others-- were delivered brusquely enough to dent our bulletproof exterior, but proved to have some merits if one could selectively listen around all the expletives. After all, once our ears stopped ringing it seemed perfectly logical; who but an already uber -successful-don't- have-a -day job-and -can-talk-about-it- three-albums-later-artist would ever cop to making a bad LP?

So here it is, thoughts on "The Halo Effect" as written by someone else.

Album Title: The Halo Effect

Artist: Spaceship Days
Reviewed by: Rhonda Readence

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Title of Review: Polished and Clean Soft Alternative

Review Summary: Spaceship Days brings forth a lasting bond with their album The Halo Effect. Soft alternative has never sounded this clean while brimming with emotion, optimism and hope. Precise engineering, skilled musicianship and unbridled talent leave listeners with a feeling of having just heard something distinctly different and special.

Review: Spaceship Days’ album The Halo Effect begins with the track “A Little Extraordinary,” which can also describe the sound of this trio of musicians, based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, who have known each other since childhood. From the opening notes, it is clear that the bond shared amongst this collective is a strong one. Drawing heavily on influences such as Catherine Wheel, Radiohead, and a plethora of soft alternative bands that have influenced them throughout their impressive musical careers, Spaceship Days provides listeners with an optimistic and enlightening approach to music and creativity.

“Pain in Pretty Things” carries a vocal pattern that is reminiscent of the song “Mad World” by Tears For Fears, specifically the Donnie Darko soundtrack version. While that tune is dark and perhaps a bit disturbing, “Pain in Pretty Things” is much lighter by contrast. There is a melancholy feel, but there is also a rather uplifting rhythm to it that prevents it from being too heavy. The sound is crisp and the vocalist’s range is extraordinary. This track gives the listener a sense of anticipation at what is to come on the rest of the album.

The next track, “Big World Pop Star,” has a mellow dreamy quality about it that is sure to make adolescent girls get butterflies inside. The piano work is a nice touch and each note is precise, clean and well engineered. The track fades out softly and paves the way for “Stick On Stars,” which should be Spaceship Days’ hit single on this album. This piece surpasses expectations and sets the bar high for what is to come. Musically, “Stick On Stars” is a brilliant composition with an incredible sound. Lyrically, the piece gives hope, inspiration, and an optimistic sense of possibilities. This track is sure to be a fan favorite and a commercial success.

“Something Perfect” is clearly a song heavily influenced by Catherine Wheel, and yet Spaceship Days creates their own sound and unique way of portraying the world around them through music. Listeners familiar with the band Slowdive may find some similarities there as well. The polished sound and near flawless engineering shines through with clarity on this track and the vocalist showcases his range and the smooth transitions from high to low. The gradual fade out is the perfect compliment to the next track, “My Life With You,” is a beautifully written song that sends a message of undying devotion and unconditional love. This emotional ballad is exactly what women (and men) want to hear from their partner and Spaceship Days performs it wonderfully.

“The One That Got Away” is a rather deep piece that also focuses on love. Listeners near and far, from every walk of life, can relate to this heart-breaking melody and the powerful lyrics that bring forth emotions and memories. Candidly sung, Spaceship Days touches upon the insecurities that humans feel; the self-doubt and the questions we ask ourselves late at night when sleep is far. The instrumentation is not overly complicated in this piece, which adds to the charm of it and allows the listener to really focus on the exceptional vocals and lyrics. This song hits home in many different ways to many different people and would be an excellent song choice to perform live. Lighters will be flickering and wavering as the crowd sings along.

The album closes with “Oceans” and it’s a fantastic choice to end on. The track is upbeat, optimistic and melodic with a touch of sadness. A song written about time passing and the inevitable changes that occur, “Oceans” is another track that is easy to relate to. Spaceship Days leaves their fans with a sense of being understood and understanding of others. The message that Spaceship Days is giving their listeners is one of warmth and hope, belonging and comfort. This trio of skilled musicians has succeeded in bringing people together through their music and providing an escape from reality while still retaining an awareness of it. It’s a beautiful experience when a band is able to do that, and Spaceship Days does it amazingly well throughout their album The Halo Effect.

Review written by Rhonda Readence
--Rhonda Readence is a freelance writer based out of Cleveland Ohio who currently writes the Artist of the Week feature for Exciting City Magazine.
Original Review

"The Halo Effect" is available through Reputation Label at an extra low price. Now that you've heard about it from someone you don't know, why not pick one up?

Then you can tell another stranger.

--C

Want to be a Space Cadet?

2010-08-11T18:32:00.006-04:00

It all began with an inquisitive feline.

Sitting in my favorite chair, riveted by a favorite Russ Meyer classic, I failed to notice that my favorite movie beverage mug had been placed somewhat precariously on my favorite table.

Enter the kitty cat. Doubtless in the last seven years he had climbed, clawed at and /or sniffed every thing I own, but somehow he manages to find the most inopportune moments to do so all over again. Glued as my eyes were to the television, it wasn't until the distinctive crash of something that was once whole being made less so that I realized what was happening.

Mr. Furious eyed me with the regal indifference common to his kind, but not before giving me one of those lazy slow head nods toward what he had so callously done.

There was profanity, and quite a bit of soaking from the water pistol I employ when the pet imperiousness in my household starts to infringe on my own (perceived) alpha male status.

A devoted friend since the college years, my Batman mug lay in ruin on the floor. As I lamented, cleaning up the pieces and laying them to rest in their own hallowed trash bag, the villain of the piece calmly dried himself, then came to me and demanded that his ears be scratched.

Though grieving, I still understood the need to replace my movie watching drinking receptacle. That would mean a new mug--but what could be as dear to me as the cape and cowl wearing mad man whom I'd followed since youth?

The answer, as it happened, was pretty simple.

I needed a SPACESHIP DAYS mug.

To the internet...!

A few hours later, my problem was solved, something new to call my favorite was en route. I smiled a little bit then, secure in the knowledge that I'd once again have something to sip out of while enjoying my second favorite pastime.

I'm not ashamed to admit the smile became a little happy dance when I realized that Spaceship Days finally had Merchandise. All manner of apparel and trinkets had been created during my quest, and we'd like to share them with the world.

create & buy custom products at Zazzle

You can browse the Spaceship Days Launching Pad at: http://www.zazzle.com/spaceshipdays
and use the page to customize your own gear by mixing and matching colors, and styles.

So go on....get yourself an apron or a, hoodie, or a magnet for your 'fridge.

Be a Space Cadet. Just like us.

--C

Welcome to The Mothership

2010-08-01T19:04:00.001-04:00

Hello and welcome to the newest, latest and finally Official Spaceship Days Blog.

This is where we will be gathering to write about everything that goes into being a part of the band: the good the bad the trivial, and the not always music related.

We're just coming off a little vacation after a very productive summer of recording, mixing, making friends, and all the requisite bickering that comes when you get three creative people together all in the same room without enough candy.

A few updates:

The first single from our upcoming release "Shadow Walking" has been released exclusively on The Nervecast Show at Reputation Label www.reputationlabel.com so if you'd like to hear it drop them a line and say so.

We will be appearing on a local television show in the near future, and will be (gasp!) shooting a video the last week of this month.

Our second album is a few tweaks away from completion and should be available for your listening pleasure before the seasons change.

That's all for now. Thanks for being a part of the Spaceship Days Armada.

Right now we're finishing up our follow up to "The Halo Effect" which is entitled "Black Holes & Butterflies"