Stahlivision 03: Blue Stahli's 2am Drive To Nowhere

Go Here.
reflected Here.

(check these mofos out and support 'em!):

1. To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie - The Needle
2. Fever Ray - Stranger Than Kindness
3. Enduser - Black Light (ft. Sol Thomas)
4. Low (with tomandandy) - Half Light
5. Diamanda Galas - Skotoseme
6. We Fell To Earth - Sovereign
7. Lhasa - Anywhere on this Road
8. Recoil - Vertigen
9. Massive Attack - Paradise Circus (Gui Boratto Remix)
10. The Raveonettes - Lust (Trentemoller Remix)
11. Division Day - Surrender
12. David Lynch - The Ghost Of Love
13. Svarte Greiner - The Dining Table
14. Hecq - Hypnos III (Hypnos)

Photo Static (2-12-10)

Strawberry scorpion on a stick

Guitar cuts for a song i don't have a name for...just a concept, a ton of live drums (now edited to my liking), an apocalypse mood and two scoops of badass.

Don't fret...

It'll all pick up.

backlit screen of control.

You are now plummeting into a gaping abyss of live drum edits.

So blue.

4 shots of espresso seems like a good way to kick off a session of somewhat discordant guitar

Stahlivision 02: radio/podcast interview

Quite a few people chimed in that they'd like to see some vlog action on here, which i've shied away from previously because i couldn't fathom anyone actually wanting to see them over something actually engrossing. But here goes nothin'



And here is the link in question.





p.s. experiments with these are looming.

Valentines for the rest of us

i was recently given custom Valentines day cards made by the kickass Betty Rumble and had to post them in all their amazing artistic glory. Sure, the Blue Stahli and Celldweller references are awesome...but who hasn't dreamed of getting a Prodigy themed sentiment of (NSFW) love? Or have Karin Dreijer Andersson of Fever Ray and The Knife let you know that someone's thinking of you...and probably watching you sleep. And good lord, mixing a nice sweet card on the day of candy message hearts with one my favorite movies of all time is just pure brilliance.

You can catch more works of Betty Rumble at DitchingOtis.com where she lays the cultural smackdown as their art writer.

Photo Static (2-8-10)

Experiment.

Saw this road out of my peripheral as i was driving somewhat aimlessly the other night and had to flip back around to document it's lonely goodliness. Struck me as a place that's perpetually 2am, or an expository shot in a David Lynch film with something menacing occurring just over the peak, obscured from normal traffic.

More news than you can shake your ass at (try anyway)

The blog has been a bit quiet, though not due to any lack of activity. Truth is, there's been TOO much to cover and not enough time in which to do it. My only net access is at the studio and i've been working my little hot pink ass off on this record, scrambling to get things done, so here comes a freakin' onslaught of news.

-BLUE STAHLI OFFICIAL DEBUT ALBUM
Sure, the singles are all well and good...but they were all leading up to something. A timeframe has been laid the eff down for me to finish this record, which means i am alternating between full on panic and dedicated ass-kickery. Here's the progress:

+ The next single, "Corner" is done and ready to be mixed (this will be the last single before the full album drops, expect live drums from Klayton of Celldweller).

+ i wound up tracking new vocals for the song "Takedown" and i just need to do a bit of editing to find the best performance and this sucker is ready to be mixed.

+ Wrapping up the music and tweaking the arrangement for another track tentatively titled "Doubt" and hashing out the rest of the lyrics.

+ In the middle of live drum edits for a song that i haven't titled yet, but once all the drums are edited "just so", i'll be laying down the rest of the guitars, bass, synths, fx and will hopefully have all my lyrics done at that point so i can track vocals.

+ One song waiting in the wings that just needs me to edit live drums, finish lyrics and slam down the rest of the music and vocals. Saving this mofo for last since it will be the heaviest one on the record.

In addition to scrambling to finish the music, i'm figuring out just exactly how to pull off the photoshoots for the album art within the same timeframe without sacrificing any of the art for the sake of time/budget. Going to be a bit of a blitzkrieg to get this all done (why hello, caffeine!).



-ULTRANUMB REMIX CONTEST WINNERS

The remix contest for ULTRAnumb came to a close and big congratulations go out to GReeNOX, Neon Sky and Armored Defiance for snagging the top 3 places! Head to the main announcement page to check out the runners up. And a massive "THANK YOU" to everybody who remixed, listened, grabbed the stems to play with, spread the word around, voted and just generally played Blue Stahli really freaking loud. i'm hugely appreciative that you guys are digging this stuff enough remix it on your own!


-BLUE STAHLI IN MORE "FROM PARIS WITH LOVE" MOVIE ACTION!



Earlier, i threw a little blog action down that my songs "ULTRAnumb" and "Pure and the Tainted" were in the new trailer for "From Paris With Love". Well, as it turns out, new tv spots (like the one featured above) and the film's official website also use "Kill Me Every Time" and "Accelerant". Very fitting, as i wrote those songs while jumping through a window purely to do backflips and kick people in the face.



-HOW DO *YOU* WANT IT?

If you read this far, you either really dig this stuff or want to satisfy a morbid curiosity to see if i'll post any further goodies. Here's the deal: i hate that my mad dash to complete this album, coupled with the lack of internet at my place of residence has so severely hindered my update/interaction (even if it's just sharing amazing art i stumbled onto). i was thinking of documenting the race to finish this album with random pics and video, but you tell me (either in the comments section of this blog, via twitter or straight up email). What do YOU want?

Stahliskull Hoodies to keep you warm and stylish as hell

It used to be that if you wanted to use Blue Stahli to keep warm, we had to be dating. Good news for those of you in colder regions (and with impeccable fashion sense), the brand spankin' new Stahliskull Hoodie is now up for pre-order at FiXT! And speaking of the amazing "Stahliskull" batch of goodies (designed by artistic badasses Virocity and Betty Rumble), FiXT will have the Stahliskull T-Shirt back in stock with ALL sizes February 3rd.

ULTRAnumb Remix Contest Voting!

The remix contest for my song 'ULTRAnumb' has come to close (insert sad face here), but now the voting for your favorite remixes has come to an ...open (i hate grammar). What i'm getting at is that the FiXT staff have narrowed the contest entries down to 20 and you can get your vote on over at FiXT Remix or right through this little widget thing (which you can post anywhere you damn well please).

Anti You / Burning Bridges out NOW!

- ANTI YOU

Anti You is here! And it has come to cause uncontrollable gyration, violent outbursts, increased perspiration and to be the middle finger anthem you need to go screaming down the highway to take on the world all by yourself. Damn proud of this thing at the moment as it feels like a successful merging of the unrelenting determination of rock'n'roll and the sleek pulsing throb of electro. All to make something unrepentantly sexy and funky as all living hell. This may be one of the most dancer-friendly tracks i've done. Sincerely hope you guys dig it.




-DELUXE EDITION

So what weird, wild wonderful pleasures await you in the Deluxe Edition of the single? A hell of a lot, i tell ya (hold on to something so as to not become faint, tip over and hit your head on the counter upon hearing of these exotic delights).

Anti You and the Anti You instrumental (which we've already established is a red hot slice of beat-heavy rad).

Burning Bridges: Before "Anti You" there was "Burning Bridges". Completely different vocals and lyrics giving the song quite a variant in feel. i've gone into the how and why a bit on this blog (and in the deluxe version itself), but suffice to say, there's a whole other song waiting for you, ready to tear through your speakers.

Beta Cessions: Why the hell does this song sound the way it does? What took so damn long? What arcane practices came into play to give this sucker such funky voodoo? Well, here is where you get a peek behind the scenes. You get 11 clips ranging from the very first demo to where vocals and arrangement were being worked out, all the rabbit trails i ran down before settling on the jet black final.

Beta Cessions Audio Commentary: Not only do you get those 11 tracks that chronicle the rise of this beast, i've also recorded an audio commentary such as you find on the special features section of a DVD. So instead of just reading about the various versions and the recording process...you've got me being an insufferable smartass like i'm right there in the room with you, explaining why i suck.
"The More Mundane Adventures Of Blue Stahli Episode 2": The continuance of a serialized, fantastical, brainscrewing (fictional? real?) story by brilliant horror/new weird author Collin Landis of Strangities.com (btw, check out strangities.com for more tale of the indescribable, ongoing bestiary, blog....a haven for the odd and curious). Big thank you to Collin for the amazing story.

Art: Phenominal imagery from resident cyberpunk badass, Shawn of Virocity and design/glitch-vixen Beth/Betty Rumble (both responsible for the subliminal "Stahliskull" icon that bursts through in my "Sink" video and can be defiantly worn close to your softparts on the new Stahliskull shirt). Also included is a fan-freaking-tastic bit of art created by Daniel Illingworth, available in regular pic or wallpaper (should you choose to adorn your desktop with awesome). Thank you, Daniel for the amazing art and thank you to Virocity and Betty Rumble.

Lyrics: The hell did i just say in that song? Find out. Carve 'em into passersby, or just know what to sing along with.






-More

Why else is this day amazing? Chapter 2 of Celldweller's "Wish Upon A Blackstar" is released today! Before being signed to FiXT, i was a massive Celldweller fan. So let me tell you from a fan perspective...these 2 songs are perfect examples of what i absolutely love about Celldweller. Precision, cinematic sound design that takes you to another place. Giant guitar riffs. catchy-as-hell vocals. And ultimately, something wholly unique and "more" than the typical. Check out the Deluxe Edition for "The Best It's Gonna Get" and "Eon" (on which, i did some additional editing of live bass and drums), Beta Cessions with commentary that total over and hour and 40 minutes of music! All this plus 18 pieces of cool, moody art submitted from all over the world!

Anti You release date plus StahliSkull shirt pre-order!

-NEW SONG(s)!
The 8th of December is fast approaching, and what do you have to look forward to besides concepting awkward and offputting holiday cards? 2 things, actually. For one, Chapter 02 of Celldweller's "Wish Upon A Black Star" will be officially released, featuring 2 songs of asskickery "The Best Its Gonna Get" and "Eon" (the latter of which i did some live bass and drum editing on). i've been hearing these songs through various incarnations and i can say they feature some of my favorite riffs Klay has ever dreamed up.

Next up on your list of "Things that happened 'to' or 'at' me on 12/8/09" is that my new single "Anti You" will be released! Those of you who have scrolled through the writhing orgy of text that is this blog will know, this has been in the works for a red hot minute. This song was originally called "Burning Bridges". Final vocals were cut and i was all ready to go into final mix when i got that "i can make song miles better" vibe. So all new lyrics and vocals were cut (with a different direction as well). This now has a vastly different vibe than before, just from the different vocal performance. You bet your sweet ass that with the Deluxe Edition single you will get BOTH versions: "Anti You" and "Burning Bridges" to declare war on your eardrums and all of those around you (plus all the Beta Cessions peeks into how these tracks took shape).
Wonder which song you'll like more?



-STAHLISKULL SHIRT
If you've ever wondered just how *you* (yes, you) can have Blue Stahli comfortably close to your skin without the fear of a kidnapping charge, wonder no longer! The brand new StahliSkull T-Shirt is now available for pre order at the FiXT Store! The design (created by Virocity and skull handpainted by Beth) gets me wildly excited in the bathing suit area and easily destroys the Amazon Wolf Shirt.


For more up-to-the-millisecond exclusive news, links to goodies, and dirty pictures, you can sign up to receive to the Blue Stahli newsletter right there in the sidebar on this blog. Seriously... dirty freaking pictures, i've got a windowless van rented and everything.

Blue Stahli + Armored

"Scrape" in the Armored TV spot!

My song "Scrape" is featured in the new TV spot for the movie Armored! Pretty damn excited since this thing is an action thriller starring Laurence Fishburne and Jean Reno. So basically it's Othello/Morpheous and The Professional destroying the hell out of . . . many things.

Blue Stahli in Spore Hero trailer

Honestly, the last video/computer game i ever played was Doom so i'm a bit out of the gaming loop (is it to the point of Lawnmower Man-esque liquid CG sexin' yet? 'cause i'll do that), but i just got word that my track "Leadfoot Getaway" from Antisleep Vol 01 is featured in the trailer for the game Spore Hero! Looks to be monsters bitchslapping each other...sounds good to me.

ULTRAnumb Remix Contest!

-Remix Contest

If you read between the lines of the "Sink" video, you'll know that hotel rooms in the middle of nowhere are filled with bizarre spirals into hyperedited dream-logic of non-consensual surgery and leggy aggressors. You would ALSO learn that there is a remix contest for my song ULTRAnumb launching right-the-hell-now over at Fixt Remix! Sign up for the contest, grab the remix stems (all the separated elements of the song: Just the guitar, just the bass, loops of the synths, and me singing like a little girl). Then go absolutely nuts showing off your talent and turning this song into whatever tickles your delicate underparts. i can't wait to hear what you guys come up with!

Though having the aural equivalent of a pissing contest is all fine and dandy, this mofo is a contest and the stakes are raised with prizes from Bleeding Star Clothing, Cakewalk, Industriarts Studio, Prime Loops, and Vividbox! As a special bonus for being interested in the remix contest, here's Christopher Walken doing a dramatic reading of Lady Gaga's "Poker Face".



-Sink
Someone recently submitted "Sink" to digg.com, if you're on the site, toss it a little diggin' love (well... i probably could have phrased that better). The goal is to spread this video around the corners of the internet, get more notice for Blue Stahli and the remix contest (though i also made it to stand on it's own as just something fun to watch repeatedly at 3am while jacked up on caffeine/paranoia). So send the link to this sucker anywhere you can, link sites, facebook pages, friends, enemies, etc.

Few little fun facts: The budget was $5. i filmed it all on a hand-me-down jailbroken iPhone, then edited and did all the sound/underscore myself.

There will be more of these.

Sink

Logo and final Stahli Skull image: Virocity
Stahli Skull: Beth
Girl: Beth
Film: bret

spread this

Blue Stahli takes over Philadelphia Oct. 7th!

Tomorrow nite, (October 7th for the retroactive or timetravelling crowd out there) on South Broad Street in Center City Philadelphia, a custom *8 story high* image (or possibly, signal?) of Blue Stahli will be projected against the Anderson building at the University Of The Arts!

Images of LVL and FiXT will also be terrorizing hapless citizens along with the giant image inspired by my noise (sure to make you feel like you're taking a flyby through Blade Runner terrain). This building-as-canvas is all the work of Amber SWD, who chose to use her artistic talents for pure, unmitigated evil (and that's the kind of thing i can really get behind). i cannot, for the life of me, figure out why she chose Blue Stahli over something actually cool, but i am amazingly appreciative of the time and skill that went into putting this all together. Drop by Amber's page and let her know exactly how much ass she kicks.


Amber was also kind enough to explain the whole project in video (with surprisingly little veiled threats).

It's not all so black and white...

Videodrome: Your responses

Yet another video from the vast, flickering network. This time from Charlotte out in the UK (one my 3 whole fans) letting me know what she thought of my track Throw Away. i find it pretty damn amazing that someone would jump in front of the webcam to shoot a personal vid message to me (i feel like i'm in Blade Runner). So thank YOU guys out there for listening, for shooting me messages and for kicking copious amounts of ass.

i was alerted to this vid via my handy twitter thingy (note to self: never use the phrase "twitter thingy" ever again) by RuruAnderson who took the time to throw down a video message letting me know what he thought of my new track Throw Away! Holy crap, thank YOU! Much appreciated.

New single: Throw Away

-THROW AWAY
It's finally here. My new single Throw Away is available in the FiXT store! After a good few days of Klayton and me tag teaming the mix on the SSL board (it's the song's fault for dressing like it wants it), it's good to finally have it finished. My soundboard mixing skills aren't anywhere near Klay's yet, so it's a good lesson in "what my kung-fu should be" whenever i think i have something dialed in and then he makes it that much better. i'm pretty damn proud of this track at the moment. Many nights were spent lost in the atmosphere i was trying to create (with David Lynch flicks playing on loop on a laptop in the background as my lightsource), and this was the fastest lyric writing process i've had yet...the whole thing felt like a bit of a hypnotic state (if i were into strange practices, i'd say automatic writing never felt so good). Hope this track does something for you, that you connect with it, or at the very least...just plain dig it.

Like the song? Beautiful, the single's available.
Hate my voice? Don't blame ya, the instrumental is available
Want behind-the-scenes demos and 4 pages of me making an ass out of myself along with a dark noir/horror story? Who wouldn't, the Deluxe edition is out as well.


-DELUXXXXXXXXE
So what in the hell is the "Deluxe Edition"? Well, it's a special single filled with mostly nude photos of me surrounded by a room full of amateur taxidermy and Care Bears posters. Actually, you have:
-The lyrics to Throw Away,
-7 demo clips that trace this song from being something i sang into my phone at 2:16am on the side of the road to the full track of awesome you hear on your stereo now. This song was really 3 separate ideas that all came together just right, how the hell did *that* happen?
-4 pages of rambling, semi-coherent "possibly a cry for help" text that explain each demo clip along with the how and why it was eventually changed and why it was brought into reality in the first place. It's like seeing the strings that hold up the rubber monster in a Bruce Campbell movie.
-extra art including abstract painting by Beth as the background for those 4 pages of text, and a new shot of me that may or may not be a still frame from a snuff film...
-And something i'm really excited to include . . . Episode 1 of "The More Mundane Adventures of Blue Stahli" by horror/new weird fiction author Collin Landis of Strangities.com (and *that* will be a subject for another more in-depth blog post). But yes, you get a special serialized Lovecraftian noir story by a phenomenal horror author.



-CELLDWELLER
i'm sure every person reading this is already a fan of Celldweller (who is also my producer and played the hell out of some live drums on 4 upcoming songs from my album), but just to reinforce how cool a release day this is, Chapter 1 of Celldweller's Wish Upon A Blackstar is available today from FiXT as well. i've had the pleasure of hearing these songs go through some of their various incarnations as they would be blaring down the hall, listening to demos during our quests for sci-fi movies and cheap Mexican food, or when i cut up a few drums for one release. i routinely get these tracks stuck in my head and i can tell you, they are only the tip of the iceberg of what is to come from the new Celldweller material. The songs themselves are catchy as hell and should be played at high volume, but i'll warn you...once they're in your head, they will stay there. That and the riff in the bridge of Louder Than Words is guaranteed to get you moving no matter what. Klay went overboard with Deluxe single content as well. As these songs were in development since 2006, he's amassed many demos and revisions. You get to hear all this noise, plus full audio commentary of Klay being a sarcastic ass about the production process.

It's amazing to be able to be a part of all this, and i want to publicly thank Jimmy Rhodes and the FiXT crew (whose badassery knows no bounds) for all the hard work behind the scenes.

If you read this far, you deserve a medal for wading through my nonsense, or at least an extra fact about the song. Okay, how about why i wrote it? A few reasons, i wanted to make the song i needed to hear years ago. And very simply, if you need it...i made it for you.

New Single This Tuesday!!!

Questions, questions, questions... what the hell happened to me? Where have i been? Where'd that dead hooker come from? Where does this highway go to ("water flowing underground"...sorry, new wave flashback). While i can't answer your query about the hooker (she was in the trunk when i bought the car in Nogales), i CAN clear up the issue of my absence. But *first*, a bit of news...


-NEW STUFF!!!
This Tuesday, i'll be releasing a brand spanking NEW single called Throw Away. Just for you.

"Waitaminute!"---i can imagine you saying---"What's this 'Throw Away' business? What happened to the 'Burning Bridges' track that's been talked about pretty frequently the past few weeks?!" Well, i'll tell ya. i had

music: done
lyrics: done
final vocals: cut and placed
virgins: sacrificed

i was getting ready to prep for mix . . . then started wondering how differently the music itself would feel with just a different vocal. Started throwing some ideas around, and touched on something that, artistically, i like MUCH more. It still needs some work (and is a completely different lyrical theme as well), but in the end it will be a much better song for it, and a stronger artistic statement. This is part of the fun of you guys being along for the ride as i write the album, you're right there with me when the unexpected happens. Curve balls made of red herrings come out of left field next to a rabbit trail, all to make the art better. Sharper. More effective. So not only are you guys getting a brand new song from me this Tuesday, but also when Burning Bridges *IS* retooled and transfigured into it's new state, you'll have BOTH versions to enjoy in the deluxe single. The song that it was. And the song that it becomes. Maybe you like the old version better, maybe you identify more with the new version, maybe you want to play both versions at the same time to see if any psuedo-satanic messages pop out and issue deviant commands . . . i'm just asking that you get all Kafka with me and dig the metamorphosis. It's worth it. Promise.


-THROW AWAY
Now that thats cleared up, what can you expect from Throw Away when it hits this Tuesday? Well it's the slowest song on the album, but it's by no means delicate. Sensual vocals galore. It started off as something very sombre and "down", then the guitars got a bit louder, prepared pianos got run through distortion chains, bizarre sound design experiments were performed for days on end and the mood became much darker.

This single will definitely have a deluxe edition. The demos that were initially thrown down sound wildly different from the final song (almost makes me want to do alternate versions for later on...hmmmmm). So you'll have early demos, a completely alternate intro, the first appearance of key elements, plus i'll be walking you through each revision and giving you a behind the scenes glimpse of the process of building this track, plus extra goodies. Get ready . . . it's coming for you.


-THE HELL
have i been? Wouldn't you like to know. Actually, the frequency drop of my blog/twitter/myspace/facebook activity is due to me being without internet at my place of residence. i'm out of the studio later at night so most all free wifi spots are closed, which leads to me sitting in the car on the laptop for as long as the battery holds out in front of one of these places. i learned upon my arrival in this state that having pink hair and numerous tattoos causes the police to inform me that i "match a description". Of what?...an anime character?...a malnourished, misanthropic Molly Ringwald? At any rate, i try to limit activites that give the boys in blue a reason to even come up and talk to me (hence why this blog post doesn't have a ton of random links interspersed, trying to be brief). i'll get the internet situation worked out soon. i love posting the vids, pics, updates, artsty crap and random links to fan dancers, but most of all, i love going back and forth with all of you out there. i appreciate every single one of you who writes in or leaves comments. Whether it's here, the twitter, the facebook, myspace or even youtube links. Hell, even the people who just dig the music. It's nice to know someone's listening and that these songs aren't just being shot out into a void. So, a big "thank you" to ALL of you.

i have much more in store for you...

Blue Stahli + The Final Destination (UPDATE!)

Thanks to the intrepid detective skills of the 3 (possibly 4) people who listen to Blue Stahli (either as a weapon against others or a masochistic need to destroy their eardrums), i've been alerted that the trailer for The Final Destination featuring my track ULTRAnumb is now online! Check it out!

Blue Stahli + The Final Destination

i was alerted via twitter that someone had witnessed a trailer on TV for the new Final Destination movie, and happened to hear a big heaping slab of my track ULTRAnumb! Thanks to Eric out there for letting me know. Freakishly excited to learn that this feature is running in 3D! Now i'll feel a bit less ridiculous for physically dodging CGI in my seat when watching onscreen action (or Zach Galifianakis' prosthetic penis in The Hangover).

What's the sound of teenagers being brutally killed? . . . i am, baby. i am.


It's apparently running in a brand spanking new TV spot and hasn't hit the web yet, so if anyone out there finds the ad with Blue Stahli cranking through the murder and mayhem (or simply uploads it to Youtube themselves), shoot me a link! In the meantime, here's the theatrical trailer [minus the Stahli] to get you ready for all the intricate Rube Goldberg-esque methods of vicious teenager annihilation.

Doorway to Stahli

i cannot believe someone put the time and pure talent into doing this. Amber SWD adorned her door with some hand painted FiXT action


And even though that would have been amazing on it's own . . . she somehow managed to paint me on her door and actually make me look cool and stylized as hell.


i'm pretty well blown away by the sentiment and the freakishly awesome display of talent here! She sent along a video explaining the how and why of how this whole shebang came together (which is cool, because i was thinking it could be a dart board):





i have no idea why she didn't choose someone *actually* cool as artistic inspiration, like Ogre or Gary Busey, but it's pretty humbling and i'm massively appreciative. So thank you, Amber SWD.

Check out Amber's art over at SWD Photographics and hit her up over here and let her know exactly how much ass this kicks.

Antisleep: Undercover (7-24-09)

As stated in the previous post, this is the last song from the small live acoustic cover set i performed. The next time i throw down an Antisleep: Undercover track for you, it will be something with actual production rather than just an acoustic performance (and will be tied into the release of the next song, "Burning Bridges"...but i'll go into that a bit later).

As for this song, it happens to be the only number from this show that wasn't a cover of IAMX or Sneaker Pimps. Who did i cover? Who's song did i ruin with my godawful live vocals and atonal guitar playing? Lamb Of God? Bette Midler? Hell, you'll know it when you hear it...


Listen here:




Download right freakin' here:

Download MP3

It's all ending! (not really)

Tomorrow i'll be posting the last song from the acoustic live cover set i performed, and i'll let you be the judge on whether i saved the best for last. This isn't the end of Antisleep: Undercover by any means, you'll still find me completely ruining perfectly good songs on the blog, pairing them up with official releases and generally having an outlet for the weird ideas for song destruction that come screaming into my brain at 3am. It will just be a bit more sporadic and spontaneous...like when i break into your house late a night and move every object 1 inch to the left (just because).

AND are you aware of why you shouldn't put a cellphone in the microwave? It releases the ancient unholy evil, that's why:

Demo To Final...a process of VHS excretion

Demo to final, beta to V1.0...ever wonder what takes so damn long to go from rough song concept to the audio blaring out of your speakers? If you want, maybe i'll take you guys into the process a bit down the road and post little video updates of me trying to make one of my crappy demos listenable. In the meantime, the best way i can describe it is in the Big Dog quadrupedal robot from Boston Dynamics. Consider the finished project in action as it runs, corrects itself, and handles nearly anything thrown at it:




NOW compare that with the early beta version that harasses people, can't dance, and fails at the swings:

Antisleep: Undercover (6-26-09)

Let the record show, that i am an ass. i had no idea how many days had passed since the last blog or even marginally informative twitter. i could tell you that i've been wrapped up judging both The Hipster Olympics and The Belated National Douche Off, or that i've been set upon by a series of Lovecraftian horrors . . . but those would be hilarious, awesome lies. Actually it's because there's a lot going on in Stahliland (note to self: Create theme-park filled with rad), everything from editing live drums on the new Celldweller track Louder Than Words, to cutting vocals on the next Blue Stahli single "Burning Bridges" while writing a new track that brings the BIG riffs, sensual vocals, tribal drums played by Klayton and so much rampant sexiness you'll need to lay down a tarp or dropcloth of some kind (that's right...you better *believe* i just comically insinuated). In addition to that, i'm doing some extra little side thingies that you definitely would not expect from me (more on those later!). Rushing a bit to get everything done before making a a bit of an emergency trip back to the desert (where i'm from) for a few days. The only way i can make up this past absence to you guys is to fill this particular post with entertaining goodliness. But before i actually give you all something enjoyable, here's the Antisleep: Undercover track from the acoustic live-set for this Friday:

Today, it breaks away from The IAMX covers for a bit of slaughtering of a Sneaker Pimps song...which isn't really breaking away at all as it's the *exact* same artist just in his previous band (i promise the very last track from this set is a different artist). i know i mentioned that

Listen to me desecrate a perfectly good song here:




And turn your iPod into a torture device, by downloading the free MP3 here:

Download MP3



And now a bit of random fantasticness for you:

-HERE is an amazing photo and story of a ginormous volcanic eruption as photographed from the freaking International Space Station. i'm not entirely convinced they aren't just filming an expository scene for Michael Bay movie.


-Wiland Pinsdourf's "Samparkour" is a breathtaking glimpse of São Paulo through the eyes and superhuman displays of Zico Corrêa. i've never been to Brazil, but if i find myself there, i hope i see it in this manner (though i'll probably jut jump off a curb, into a nearby puddle saying "Check THAT shiznit out!").

SAMPARKOUR from Wiland Pinsdorf on Vimeo.

-They're bout to play some dooguh. DOOguh Greeahrn:




-And finally, if you're easily offended and don't want to see a gritty, animated criminal underworld filled with saucy language, sex, violence and subtitles...then skip it. For the rest of you, enjoy this brilliant music video for N.A.S.A.'s "A Volta" (who's album, The Spirit Of Apollo, i am absolutely *loving* . . . hard).

Blue Stahli + trailer for a Robert Rodriguez movie?

Hell yes, it is. Found out that i landed the trailer for the new Robert Rodriguez movie "Shorts" (you'll hear my track 'The Perfect Heist' from Antisleep Vol 01) from about 0:36 - 0:52. Like Spy Kids, it's one of his features to take your spawn to. Sure, i was hoping the first Robert Rodriguez film i wound up in would be something involving firearms, nudity and wanton destruction, but i'll catch the next one.

Antisleep: Undercover (6-12-09)

This . . . is a huge mistake. Not only am i giving you guys a track that was recorded totally live (which means no fun overdubs, pitch correction, reverb/delay, turning down the "suck" knob, etc.), but this particular song, with which i began my short set, features both a guitar that goes out of tune (great! should match the vocals) AND you can hear me actually *talking*. i realize no one has really heard my speaking voice (and how fortunate you've been...until now). So if you had an image of me speaking in a low, sexy gravel-tone-of-love like Barry White after eating a delicious French truffle laced with E . . .sorry, it's actually more akin to a hopped up Kermit The Frog. At any rate, the song i'm killing today is once again from the amazing IAMX.

You can expect to be assaulted with Antisleep: Undercover tracks from this acoustic performance every Friday for the next 5 weeks. Be afraid.


Listen to it here:




And if you're a masochist, you can download it here:

Download MP3

Un-Broke! Blue Stahli + Rosario Dawson + Samuel L. Jackson = Eff Yes.

i just got word that my song "High Roller Mojo" (from the album Antisleep Vol. 01) will be the theme song to the Prime-Time special "Un-Broke" airing on ABC this Friday, May 29th at 9/8c (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET)!!! Keep listening throughout the whole damn thing because i've also been told that the special will be featuring even *more* auditory assault from me (though i have no clue which songs). The website for the show (which is HERE) describes it as an "unconventional look at the fundamentals of everyday finance with all the facts about credit cards, mortgages, stocks and bonds, investing and 401(k)'s, in a fresh new format combining information and humor." The special features the lovely Rosario Dawson, Samuel L. Jackson, Will Smith, Seth Green and more.

And if, by chance, Rosario Dawson happens to be reading this little entry after being overtaken with the sheer sensual ass-shaking beat heavy power of Blue Stahli . . .

Yes, Rosario, i am all kinds of single.

Getting closer...getting closer (thanks Mr. Ebb)

Just 3 more days and ULTRAnumb will be unleashed on the world like a 'roided-up, shaved lemur after downing a pack of pixie sticks and losing a bet in Vegas. But before my new single comes for your daughters, there's 2 things i wanted to mention:

(1). We're doing something a bit more fun with this release... Sure, there's the content you're used to, you can grab either just the main vocal single or just the instrumental (and no one would blame you if you only wanted that version, i sing like a cat going through a wood chipper with Steve Buscemi). The cool thing is actually an idea that Jimmy Rhodes at FiXT had. There's a *deluxe* edition of the single which will have the main version, instrumental AND the original demo that i wrote for this song (when i was supposed to be working on Scrape) plus a pdf booklet with pics, lyrics and a little "Behind The Music" type write up where i talk about just how in the holy merciful hell this track went from the demo [which borrows heavily from Balkan folk music, Norwegian death metal, and inuit throat singing] to the lovely little bit of middle-finger-filled-funkiness that you'll have blasting out of your stereo. Klay talks a bit about the mixing process over at his blog, right here, where these hyperlinks point to.


(2). i started working on something ULTRAnumb related last night, purely to give out as a free goodie for everybody. It's not ready quite yet, but in a little while you'll have a bit of audio radness to torture friends and family with. i'll be working on not only getting the rest of my album underway so you guys will always have new singles coming down the pipe leading up the release of the full album, but also extra FREE stuff thrown around just for sticking with this Blue Stahli action and actually listening to noise i make (because free time and sleep are to be feared and executed without mercy).



bret

DIY FTW

Apologies for the lack of random blognasty-craziness. Sure, i could tell you that i was off wandering the earth like Kwai Chang Caine, or giving random acoustic performances in the back corner of a sleazy dive on the outskirts of town, or some other ridiculous and farfetched story. But actually, it was more like this:


and this:


with a dash of this:




i plan on making up for lost time and getting back into the swing of things here, so i figure i'd kick it all off by giving a massive public thank you to Saint Tanis for going WAY above and beyond by making his own Blue Stahli promo flyer to pass out at concerts (since he was sick of waiting for official street team stuff to drop). i'm absolutely dumbfounded and humbled that someone would put that much effort into this. Anyone wanting cheap, free punkrock flyers to stick onto various surfaces (big clear packing tape? what?) go ahead and click-to-enlarge (no, not like the pills) and print this bad-boy out:

BT Remix!!

-Earlier on, i teased about having some cool big news soon. i tried to draw out the tension by leaving clues and riddles written on walls around the city. Didn't quite work. Not only because the 3 people that listen to Blue Stahli don't actually live in Detroit, but as a passerby pointed out to me there were 2 things wrong with what i was doing:

1. Tagging a wall with crayon is not considered "hardcore".

2. Crayola Brick Red does NOT show up on a brick wall.


Fine. Since this is announcement day, here's the ending to the big tension campaign: Bruce Willis was dead the whole time! . . . Sorry, that was the Shyamalan twist . . . the ACTUAL news is that Klayton and i were approached by BT to do some remix action. i dig BT's stuff quite a bit, so to get the opportunity to tear it apart, run it through distortion and jack my guitars and bass to 11 and attack it like i caught it breaking into my house is pretty freaking exciting!

The name of the track i'm doing is "Feed The Monster" and i have one of my favorite things in the world to play with...sassy female vocals. i love sassy female vocals more than oxygen (which ive been told i need to live...i didn't say it was an entirely healthy love). i got to listen to what Klay had rocking on his remix yesterday and HOLY CRAP...it's freaking sick! It *instantly* makes you need to move upon hearing it. Klay asked why i was violently spasming during playback. i replied "That's how i dance, fool!" So there's your warning, Klay's mix WILL make you want to simultaneously shake your ass and bang your head. Check out more details from him at his blog HERE.

What does my remix sound like? Hopefully like every Jason Statham movie condensed into a double barreled blast to the face while careening through downtown on a nitro powered bulldozer.


-Oh, and for those of you into the whole micro-blogging Twitter thing, i should be consistently making an ass out of myself over at
http://twitter.com/bluestahli


bret

Bitch Slap!

-Now THIS is exciting... 'Kill Me Every Time' and 'Scrape' (both from my upcoming album) will be featured in the new movie "Bitch Slap"! It looks like a hellspawned rollercoaster ride of sex, violence and snappy dialogue...so they managed to combine all of my interests into one film. This thing screams 'Tarantino/Rodriguez wet dream' (and i'm actually shocked those guys aren't hiding in the background), but the filmmakers of this might be claiming that throne. This will be one of the *greatest* things put to celluloid.

Here is the Red Band trailer in HD. Your first warning is to prepare yourself, because this is an onslaught of carnal radness and badassery. Your second warning is that if you're unfamiliar with the term "red band", it means the actual *interesting* trailer featuring more sex, violence and saucy language than normal watered down TV trailers. If you are easily offended...why the hell do you listen to this music?]:



Go to the official website HERE and take a look around. This is going to be fun...


-On the new music front...there's a lot going on that i can't wait for you guys to hear! the next song ULTRAnumb was completed just before the end of December and is waiting to be mixed and released to you guys. Another song "Throw Away" just needs some finishing tweaks (that one is more on the downtempo side), and i'm working on something right now with chainsaw guitars, slamming beats, searing synths and should be the equivalent of of drinking 80 bottles of those 5-hour energy drinks. As always, as each song is finished, it gets posted up here and released through FiXT so you can have it "right-freaking-now". There is a LOT of new music coming your way! Stay tuned...

bret

Intervew & Mashups

INTERVIEW (NO...NO VAMPIRES, SORRY)
-For reasons i can't quite figure out, the people at Sphere Magazine wanted to ask me a few questions (aside from "what the hell is wrong with you?" and "why don't you stop this?" or the typical "why does your hair look like a melted pile of My Little Ponies?"). You can check it out HERE

MASHUPS BY AGGRO1
-It should be noted that i love the high holy hell out of mashups, remixes and anything involving cutting/splicing/hacking/slashing (that's why i always watch the surgery channel in my underwear in a darkened room). Aggro1 Is one of the reigning kings of the mashup action [go ahead, click that little link and find out]. Recently i stumbled across a few mashups he did of a few Antisleep Vol. 01 tracks, so i thought i'd post 'em here for you guys to snag. Pass 'em around to your friends, post on blogs, get inspired to do your own (and don't forget to drop by Aggro1's site and show him some love [as long as you buy him dinner and a movie first]).

Here's my favorite one:
........

Get this player from Fairtilizer!

HERE is a little slice of Korn vs. Blue Stahli

And here's some Soundgarden action (leading to a Reeses commercial i'd like to see "You got your Jesus Christ Pose in my High Heeled Low Life..." and so on).

........

Get this player from Fairtilizer!

i think this stuff is cool as all living hell. i hope more people jump on this, i love hearing it!

Oh, and by the way...the next single is called "ULTRAnumb" and is ready to be mixed and then will be up in the player ASAP. Have to say again, i'm really excited to be able to let you guys hear the songs for the official debut album as soon as i write them...it would kill me to have to wait. i'm partway through another song right now that should be perfect for long drives into oblivion... stay tuned

bret