Welcome to Miami.

Ok, there is going to be a huge azzzz Miami post right about to happen. So stay tuned. This weekend was absolutely crazy. From meeting the Black Eyed Peas, Moby, and DJ Ferry Corsten, to chilling with Carl Cox, DJ Reza, and Mark Lewis. We had an unbelievable experience that was all captured with stills and video. Really big post to follow. I'll leave out some of the images, so prepare yourselves.

MONO hitting Miami for WMC!!!

We are headed to the crazy beaches of Miami. This was really a spur of the moment trip planned for us, but since the launch of our DJ assault gear there have been plenty of people asking if we were going to rep there. There will be plenty of DJing going on and we'll most likely be wide eyed and totally unaware of the carnage that they call the Winter Music Conference. We are definitely looking forward to hooking up with any and all DJ's that are in need of the gear they deserve. LETS DO THIS!!!!

Here's a look at where we'll be:

Philip Sayce, legend in the making.

I got a tip from someone that pointed me to Mr. Sayce. I was literally blown away when I heard what I heard. I kept looking at the mans fingers and the tone they created. You can give anyone a 57' strat and plug him into a brown deluxe, but there are only a few people in my lifetime that can make THAT axe sound LIKE that. SRV, Hendrix, those players come to mind. Yeah, I went there. But seriously you have to hear him to believe me. The man gets into a zone.



Here's a little background on Philip:

Philip Sayce first gained international notoriety as a teenage axe-slinger when guitar legend Jeff Healey personally invited Philip to become a member of his band. Just out of high school he performed with Healey at prestigious festivals such The Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, and on bills with The Allman Brothers Band, Robert Cray, Gary Moore, Johnny Winter, B.B. King, and to sold out shows around the world.

Sayce then moved to Los Angeles and landed a gig with Uncle Kracker. He was featured nightly and Kracker's version of the classic song "Drift Away" went to #1 on the Billboard charts for 28 weeks that summer. Philip can be heard on Kracker's release, "No Stranger To Shame."

In the autumn of 2003, Sayce met mega producer John Shanks. Coincidentally, just a week before, super-star Melissa Etheridge had mentioned to John that she was looking for a guitar player. Shanks referred Philip to her and soon after, Sayce joined Etheridge and her band. He performed with Melissa at The Grammy Awards in 2005, and at The Academy Awards in 2007, where she won an Oscar for song of the year, "I Need To Wake Up" from "An Inconvenient Truth". Philip can be heard on her 2004 release "Lucky Live", "Greatest Hits:The Road Less Traveled" (2005), on "The Awakening" (2007), and “A New Thought For Christmas” (2008).

Sayce released "Peace Machine" independently in the autumn of 2005, and has been actively composing material with a number of songwriters and producers for a new solo release.

Philip was kind enough to send me a few clips that I will be sharing on here.

1. Philip Sayce - One Foot
2. Philip Sayce - Anymore

2 posts in 1 day??? Got to do it for PE and the ROOTS!

I had to embed this...so this is how it goes. I go to sleep before the Jimmy Fallon show. So I DVR this bad boy to watch it the next day. Well I got a tip from twitter that Public Enemy and the Roots were mashing up "Bring the Noise". By far one of the best on this show...this was insane!

The Invisible

These guys are extraordinary. I am so enjoying this record and to my knowledge they only got together to try it out as a project. They are currently on tour with Doves, another one of my favorites.

Their mixture of genres it what appeals to me and they remind me somewhat of TV on the Radio. I wouldn't say that it's for everyone, but for those of you who are into art rock or enjoy mixes of certain genres then this is for you.

What's in your M80???

I was just thinking about all the stuff that I pack up into my cases when I go out on a gig. I've gone to gigs missing some very very essential things...like capos, extra strings...yeah I totally learned my lesson. So this got me thinking...what exactly do I have stuffed in my M80?

1. Instrument - Yeah this one is pretty self explanatory. I've got a plethora of instruments that I use and sometimes I bring more than one. It's a good thing we just came out with the double cases.



2. Picks - Never leave home without any of these unless you want to be stuck asking the audience for one, or you don't mind using a credit card.



3. Extra strings - Ever break a string and also break the string on your back-up? Yeah.



4. Capo - For those of us that have songs played in weird keys and or use alternate capo tunings.



5. String winder - Here is a device that makes changing broken strings a whole lot faster. It even has a string cutter on it.



6. Earplugs - I've played gigs where you will definitely need these.



7. Cables - This could mean guitar, effects, speaker...anything related to making your amp/guitar/bass work. I usually stick this in my utility bag, but it doesn't hurt to have some in your M80.



8. Pens/markers - You definitely need some type of writing tool.



9. Flashlight - I have a small led flashlight that I keep in there at all times. It is definitely helpful.



10. Tools - This could mean allen wrenches, screwdrivers...whatever you need to adjust trussrods, action, or fix something on your amp.



11. Extra tubes - For those of us who use tube amps. Ever have one blow out on you at a gig? Yeah, no more sound for you. Hey man, make it work. Stuff that quad of 6550's somewhere.

Go green with GE

I got a total kick out of this. You have got to try this.

Click for directions

uncrate.com

I am sitting here at the computer, listening to the BrakesBrakesBrakes and basically loving everything about uncrate.com. This site is so dope. I love looking at gear and stuff that I don't need but hella want. This gets me thinking...maybe we'll see some dope ass MONO products on uncrate.

March 6th

There are 300 days until the end of the year. The month of March also means it is tax season and we all dread this...unless you are going to get a fat check in the mail. But most of us dread the amount of time it takes. Luckily huge improvements in technology have allowed us to use our computers to do our taxes on. I still remember the days of doing them all by hand. I would be sitting there for days writing in numbers and adding them all up. All you needed back then was a pencil and calculator. So we know that many of our readers are musicians, so here are a few tips...taxes for musicians. These are practical and you may want to write this down.

* Make sure you are operating like a business.
* Keep good books and accurate records.
* Advertise.
* Get business cards.
* Get a business license or separate taxpayer ID number (TIN).
* Incorporate your band. Open a P.O. Box.
* Join Musicians' organizations and/or unions.
* Copyright your work. Register your songs with a performing rights organization (such as ASCAP, BMI or SECAC).

Here is a list of stuff you can deduct:

* Instruments
* Equipment/gear & accessories (amps, pedals, effects, straps, carrying cases)
* Consumable supplies (such as drum skins & sticks, guitar strings & picks)
* Music business books, record company directories, venue directories
* Subscriptions to trade magazines (such as Billboard and CMJ))
* Sheet music and "How-To" books and manuals
* Promotional: CD/tape duplication (for demos), photos, bios
* Office supplies: paper, envelopes, photocopies, stamps
* Fees for website and e-mail access for your music-related activities
* Rent for storing your gear and for your practice space
* Membership in professional organizations, associations & unions
* Professional fees (attorney, manager, agent, accountant)
* Copyright and registration fees
* Lessons & instruction
* Travel expenses

We hope this helps and remember, that MONOcase you bought is also deductible.

Ours.

True MONO story:

We've been a fan of Ours for years and years. In fact it was Daniel who introduced me to them way back in the day, before MONO was even created. We both had love for Jeff Buckley and were talking one day about how awesome he was. D hits me up and told me about Ours because of the eerie similarity between Jeff and Jimmy's vocal tone. When he played me a track from their album "Distorted Lullabies", I thought for sure it was Buckley who had risen from the dead...the similarities were so haunting. In fact I later found out that the two were great friends. I have since been on a path to make people realize that these two men, both great vocalists, are indeed a force on their own.

Immediately I grabbed myself a copy of "Distorted Lullabies" and "Precious". I bought multiple copies so that I could just give them out to people. I have yet to get a copy of "Sour" which is still on my radar. And now I find myself totally out of words for Ours 4th release '"Mercy (Dancing for the Death of an Imaginary Enemy)". I will save the album review for another time.

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and THE ROOTS!!!

So like every night for the next umpteen trillion weekdays or so you will be able to listen to Jimmy Fallon and the freaking ROOTS!!! What does this mean for all of us here? Well we will be updated daily and reminded nightly of how freaking awesome this marriage is. So let's slow jam the news:



p.s. Nice threads guys.