Calvin Yordy http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:29:53 -0700 Fuzz.com en http://www.fuzz.com/ http://www.fuzz.com/_/images/logo/blimp.png http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/MACHINES-IN-THE-SKY-explained http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/MACHINES-IN-THE-SKY-explained#comments
One night in particular involved a late evening walk in the country - not a particularly rare event in my childhood as I spent a major part of my formative years staring up at the sky wishing my real parents would fly down, land in the pasture and take me up to my real home 'somewhere up there.' Yes, I admit, a bit silly and dramatic. But I was a kid and I felt alone and strange. My school was not the place for an artist, a rocker, a sensitive type. Kids in my class were driving at 10, shooting at 8 and were well-versed in the formula for moonshine by the time they squeezed outta their mother's darkest spot. The internet didn't exist and my family couldn't afford to travel, so I couldn't find others like me. So I walked a lot . . . at night. One sighting involved a huge, glowing orb floating in the sky . . . just hovering there, looking at me. It didn't move, it didn't make a sound . . . but it was there . . . glowing red/orange. It was beautiful.

For LIGHTS FANTASTIC, I wrote a song called MACHINES IN THE SKY. A lot of people have been writing in and asking me to explain this song and it's lyrics. I typically don't do this. The only thing I hate more than artists explaining their work are artists that intentionally explain their work . . . prob while simultaneously sipping a venti caramel macchiato, surfing free wi-fi and vociferously proclaiming their detest for popular culture. I admit it; I love popular culture. Does that make me uncool? Fuck you.

So here it goes . . .

MACHINES IN THE SKY is a love story that takes place during an alien invasion. Not a nasty invasion where we all become slaves, but an invasion nonetheless that will ultimately change how we operate and live as a society. It's the point in our history where we know for a FACT that things will never be the same. Maybe this event happened long ago and it's been wiped from our written record? Maybe this will happen in the future? Regardless, when machines in the sky float down from space . . . I promise it won't last long. So don't hide your eyes, embrace the chaos, let's not waste this chance to witness the ending of the ages. We've past the point of no return. So c'mon . . . grab my hand, slam your eyes closed and take a breath . . . you're going out with me tonight to watch the world end!

Let's not waste this chance to witness
Ending of the ages
We've no hope at all it's gone
Don't hide your eyes from machines in the sky
I promise this won't last long
There's no hope at all it's gone
When the world ends

C'mon! You're going out with me
Out with me tonight
C'mon! You're going out with me
Out with me tonight
One last time

We've past the point of no return
Now let's call it quits and watch it burn
Most are angry, some stoked
We've no hope at all it's gone
I know it's hard to comprehend
That our time has come and soon will end
now slam your eyes closed, take a breath
Nothing matters
Nothing's left
When the world ends]]> Mon, 01 Sep 2008 22:09:38 -0700 http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/MACHINES-IN-THE-SKY-explained http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/Recording-Update http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/Recording-Update#comments
Where to begin? We are in Austin recording our full-length album with Dave Percefull and oh the stories to tell. Dave fucking rules; the sessions are going incredibly smooth and we are ahead of schedule. The songs are sounding amazing. This is going to be a helluva record! Dave can take a band of drunk chimps and make a killer record . . . oh wait . . .

Yellow DOG Studios is located in the West Hills of Austin. Lots of trees and wild life surround us. I feel like I'm in rehab. I'll wake up and shuffle around a bit. Do some recording, then shuffle around some more until King of the Hill comes on. I guess Mike Judge lives around here somewhere. The weather has been beautiful and we've had some time outdoors.

Dave Percefull has also done lots of work with David Cook. It was a little bizarre being out here in yellow DOG Studios recording our sessions and then taking a break to watch David Cook win American Idol. David Cook rules and he's gonna do huge things.

We've been taking some video and pics of the entire experience and will be posting them here on the ol' myspachay page very soon. I've been eating nothing but veggie corndogs and room temp water. Don't get me wrong . . . the veggie corn dogs F N rules, but they get old after about the 4th box. They also have some nice carrots and beer down here. The local grocery store is called H.E.B., but the best place to get a breakfast taco is at Grandpa's down here on the corner of 71W and Bee Creek Road. Grandpa rocks asses with his tacos. He does things with the breakfast taco that modern taco-makers only theorize about in text books.

We partied on Saturday and I was scared to death. Lots of the dudes down in the party scene are 9ft tall and can outdrink me 10:1. The girls were checking us out, but our rock-aura was too intense to handle so they didn't speak to us much. Our rock-aura . . . I'm sure that was it.

I about died too. In the shower. No, I didn't trip over myself. I was attacked by a scorpion. I have a theory that scorpions are alien visitors from the moons of Jupiter. Little tiny robots sent to spy on our civilization and beam back messages to their home moon. They have claws and stingers to protect their data. If you could crack their quantum computing code, you'd find eons of video and stats on the human race. Well this week they captured a grown man screaming like a baby that just spilled scalding coffee in its diaper. It wasn't pretty. I had body parts flailing everywhere and it just sat there . . . and stared at me . . . collecting data and beaming it up to space. I bet those fuckers are still laughing. Laugh it up. Laugh it up moon men.

Watch the stinger,
Hugs and kisses,
Calvin]]> Fri, 23 May 2008 21:25:30 -0700 http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/Recording-Update http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/Recording-CD-LP-this-May-in-Austin-TX http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/Recording-CD-LP-this-May-in-Austin-TX#comments
We'll be posting a daily video diary during the recording process.

Stay tuned.

Love you.

Calvin]]> Fri, 07 Mar 2008 22:11:57 -0800 http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/Recording-CD-LP-this-May-in-Austin-TX http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/Good-or-Bad-Calm-down-it-doesnt-really-matter http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/Good-or-Bad-Calm-down-it-doesnt-really-matter#comments
My name is Calvin and I don't care if you think what I do is good or bad.

"What? That sounds weird!"

Good and Bad are opposite concepts - or different perspectives of the same concept - just like Black and White or 1 and 0 for the computer nerds that are reading. Simple ideas can be described using this set of axioms.

"Is it day or night?"
"The sun is out."
"Therefore, it is day."

As daily experience substantiates time and time again, most people - and most things - cannot be explained using two ends of the same pole. Interesting and complex behaviors, ideas and people require a plethora of variables to dictate and describe potential outcomes.

This is quite different than the way most modern bands feel. It's human nature to want to be accepted. A lot of modern bands - calm down, I don't mean you - are too focused on their myspace numbers, soundscan traction, radio spins, site hits, ticket sales and more and they lose site of what really matters: THE FAN. Your fan doesn't care that you just added another 500 'friends' today or that you sent out a myspace bulletin every hour to tell people how great your new song is. Mass messages are meaningless. I don't care what bands are on TV, but I do care what bands my friends are talking about.

Face it, most people are NOT going to like what you do. A Gold Record in the United States is classified as any recorded LP that sells 500,000 units. That's an incredibly successful album in today's music environment! But there are 300,000,000 people living and purchasing products in the United States. Most people live outside of your Universe and are not aware of your existence. Those that are aware of your music - because you worked hard and exposed your music to the masses - are exposed to millions of other products daily and will have little time or money to spend on your wares.

So - I guess - the point is whether you are a musician, artist, poet, CEO, gardener, truck driver, etc - don't get caught up on being good or worry too much about being bad. Calm down, be true to yourself and just make things that are interesting. Make things that will make a difference to people. Be interesting, innovate and inspire because at the end of the day - it doesn't really matter unless someone is talking about you, unless someone finds your ideas interesting. If someone says you are good or bad, ask WHY!!! I promise that the conversation will be interesting and you will make an impression on folks.

Whether it's 10,000 people or 10,000,000 people, find your group that cares. Find your group that thinks you are interesting and GIVE to them - these are your FANS, not the idiots listening to commercial radio on their way to work! I would much rather SUPER-SERVE the fan with the option to own records, shirts, stickers, posters, collectibles, or things they can keep and treasure as a badge of honor than sell 1 CD to the masses of people that will quickly forget who I am. Give your fan an experience they can't get anywhere else!

Standards are timeless, but they become static - forever frozen in their destiny. The world is moving and I want to be a part of it; I want my music to be a part of it . . . and the only way to be relevant is to be 'interesting' - not simply 'good' or 'bad.' Stay away from good and bad, remove them from your vocabulary and stop trying to convince people you're simple enough to be described with either of these words.

Yours,
Calvin]]> Sat, 16 Feb 2008 10:31:42 -0800 http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/Good-or-Bad-Calm-down-it-doesnt-really-matter http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/Featured-Artist-on-Cyqo-com http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/Featured-Artist-on-Cyqo-com#comments
Be sure and swing by the site and download their new podcast. Our song "Fossil Jaw" is featured!

Yours,
Calvin

www.calvinyordy.com
www.myspace.com/calvinyordy
calvinyordy.fuzz.com]]> Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:13:35 -0800 http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/Featured-Artist-on-Cyqo-com http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/College-Radio-Going-for-Adds http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/College-Radio-Going-for-Adds#comments
Going for Adds at regional College/Specialty Radio

FEB/11-FEB12

See the list of stations at www.myspace.com/calvinyordy and request they spin Calvin Yordy!

Yours,
Calvin]]> Mon, 14 Jan 2008 18:15:35 -0800 http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/College-Radio-Going-for-Adds http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/New-Site-Launches http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/New-Site-Launches#comments
These guys designed it:
www.otterball.com

Check it out.

Yours,
Calvin]]> Mon, 14 Jan 2008 18:14:29 -0800 http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/New-Site-Launches http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/Enter-to-win-an-iPhone-New-Merch-Store-Open-Now http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/Enter-to-win-an-iPhone-New-Merch-Store-Open-Now#comments Wed, 19 Sep 2007 07:47:03 -0700 http://CalvinYordy.fuzz.com/blog/entry/Enter-to-win-an-iPhone-New-Merch-Store-Open-Now