Wakey!Wakey » tumblr http://wakeywakeymusic.com Just another WordPress weblog Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:53:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Big ups to the Savannah bartender that gave me my new answer to the forever awkward question-… http://wakeywakeymusic.com/big-ups-to-the-savannah-bartender-that-gave-me-my-new-answer-to-the-forever-awkward-question/ http://wakeywakeymusic.com/big-ups-to-the-savannah-bartender-that-gave-me-my-new-answer-to-the-forever-awkward-question/#comments Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:53:56 +0000 admin http://grubbs.tumblr.com/post/1086941646 Big ups to the Savannah bartender that gave me my new answer to the forever awkward question- “What does your music sound like?”

The Answer- Emo Billy Joel.

]]> Big ups to the Savannah bartender that gave me my new answer to the forever awkward question- “What does your music sound like?”

The Answer- Emo Billy Joel.

]]> http://wakeywakeymusic.com/big-ups-to-the-savannah-bartender-that-gave-me-my-new-answer-to-the-forever-awkward-question/feed/ 0 Tour, day 1. http://wakeywakeymusic.com/tour-day-1/ http://wakeywakeymusic.com/tour-day-1/#comments Sat, 04 Sep 2010 18:12:15 +0000 admin http://grubbs.tumblr.com/post/1065130201

Tour, day 1.

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Tour, day 1.

]]> http://wakeywakeymusic.com/tour-day-1/feed/ 1 Look at how mature we are! We’re enjoying a leisurely… http://wakeywakeymusic.com/look-at-how-mature-we-are-we%e2%80%99re-enjoying-a-leisurely/ http://wakeywakeymusic.com/look-at-how-mature-we-are-we%e2%80%99re-enjoying-a-leisurely/#comments Sun, 06 Jun 2010 21:52:17 +0000 admin http://grubbs.tumblr.com/post/670897940 [Flash 10 is required to watch video.]renderVideo("video_player_670897940",'http://grubbs.tumblr.com/video_file/670897940/tumblr_l3m4um3Fbn1qa9683',400,533,'orientation=portrait\x26amp;portrait=true\x26amp;w={400}\x26amp;poster=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_l3m4um3Fbn1qa9683_r1_frame1.jpg,http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_l3m4um3Fbn1qa9683_r1_frame2.jpg,http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_l3m4um3Fbn1qa9683_r1_frame3.jpg,http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_l3m4um3Fbn1qa9683_r1_frame4.jpg,http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_l3m4um3Fbn1qa9683_r1_frame5.jpg')

Look at how mature we are! We’re enjoying a leisurely drive to SC. No show tonight, and we’re excited for a relaxing evening with some of Patrick’s relatives.

]]> [Flash 10 is required to watch video.]

Look at how mature we are! We’re enjoying a leisurely drive to SC. No show tonight, and we’re excited for a relaxing evening with some of Patrick’s relatives.

]]> http://wakeywakeymusic.com/look-at-how-mature-we-are-we%e2%80%99re-enjoying-a-leisurely/feed/ 9 Than we experimented with making my head smaller… http://wakeywakeymusic.com/than-we-experimented-with-making-my-head-smaller%e2%80%a6/ http://wakeywakeymusic.com/than-we-experimented-with-making-my-head-smaller%e2%80%a6/#comments Wed, 02 Jun 2010 23:11:31 +0000 admin http://grubbs.tumblr.com/post/657960241

Than we experimented with making my head smaller…

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Than we experimented with making my head smaller…

]]> http://wakeywakeymusic.com/than-we-experimented-with-making-my-head-smaller%e2%80%a6/feed/ 1 Me sleeping at SXSW, after Tanya’s new app. http://wakeywakeymusic.com/me-sleeping-at-sxsw-after-tanya%e2%80%99s-new-app/ http://wakeywakeymusic.com/me-sleeping-at-sxsw-after-tanya%e2%80%99s-new-app/#comments Wed, 02 Jun 2010 23:10:41 +0000 admin http://grubbs.tumblr.com/post/657957887

Me sleeping at SXSW, after Tanya’s new app.

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Me sleeping at SXSW, after Tanya’s new app.

]]> http://wakeywakeymusic.com/me-sleeping-at-sxsw-after-tanya%e2%80%99s-new-app/feed/ 0 Tanya got a new iPhone app. http://wakeywakeymusic.com/tanya-got-a-new-iphone-app/ http://wakeywakeymusic.com/tanya-got-a-new-iphone-app/#comments Wed, 02 Jun 2010 23:09:56 +0000 admin http://grubbs.tumblr.com/post/657955719

Tanya got a new iPhone app.

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Tanya got a new iPhone app.

]]> http://wakeywakeymusic.com/tanya-got-a-new-iphone-app/feed/ 0 An open letter to a young artist… http://wakeywakeymusic.com/an-open-letter-to-a-young-artist/ http://wakeywakeymusic.com/an-open-letter-to-a-young-artist/#comments Thu, 20 May 2010 02:21:52 +0000 admin http://grubbs.tumblr.com/post/614868107 Dear Young Artist,

I don’t know if you saw my previously posted open letter entitled,
‘Dear Major Label Music Executive’, but in it I lightheartedly poked
fun at the music executives that were newly discovering Wakey!Wakey!

Previous to our indie self-released endeavors, we’d reached out to everysingle major label in the US. We were looking for partners to help
release the albums that probably led you to this letter. Needless to
say, they just didn’t get it. We were too indie, or too corporate.
They couldn’t hear it on the radio. They didn’t care to listen to it
at all. Whatever their reasons were, they all passed.
Now fast forward to May 19, 2010, the day I sit writing this. We’ve
broken into the mainstream charts on iTunes, and without breaking it all down,
things are going very well. As a result, not one or two, but
EVERY SINGLE MAJOR LABEL has reached out to us within this very week. ”We’ve been following you for months.” “We see so much potential in your project.” I would love for just one of those A&R reps to just say, “I discovered your band on the soundscan reports for the first
time this week. You seem to be doing something right. We’d love to share
your profits, now that it’s going well and the hard work has been done.” I might actuallytake that person seriously. At least he or she would be honest.
I’m sure you can tell from my tone that I’m annoyed, and here’s why. I
almost gave up. I almost never made our last album, because I never
thought I’d be able to support a family as an artist, and I was just
so beat down. After ten years of breaking my back, I actually started to
believe these people.

So I just want to say, I just need to say this one thing, and I’ll get
off my soapbox and go back to making music for a while. Dear Young
Artist, please don’t give up. Don’t stop trying. Forget what these
people say. 99% of them don’t know anything about art. All they can
read are units sold. The world needs new and interesting voices like
yours. Go make some noise. And remember that any label starts with a few people in a room saying, let’s release this record. Don’t go it alone. Ready the music as much as you possibly can, then build your own team. Find your own manager, your own PR, your own interns, your own distributor. Start simple and watch it grow.  But whatever you do, don’t expect the majors to help you. They can’t even help themselves. 
I’m not saying that Major Labels don’t serve a purpose. They’re great at curating the careers of long successful bands and artists, but the idea that there is any artist development inherent in a modern deal is a complete myth. For young artists to think that they’ll get any help jump starting a career is not only false, but extremely dangerous. Develop yourself. Believe in your art, then stand your ground.  If you make your music from an honest place, people will react. We can’t be mad at the dinosaur business model of the majors forever, but it is time that we put them in their place. Which, from my experience I can honestly say, is at the end of a long, very hard, and if done right, very rewarding road. Think of them as a retirement village at the end of a hard career. Fight while you have the breath and lay down when you’ve earned it. 
Respectfully,

Michael Grubbs

Wakey!Wakey!

]]>
I don’t know if you saw my previously posted open letter entitled, ‘Dear Major Label Music Executive’, but in it I lightheartedly poked fun at the music executives that were newly discovering Wakey!Wakey!

Previous to our indie self-released endeavors, we’d reached out to everysingle major label in the US. We were looking for partners to help release the albums that probably led you to this letter. Needless to say, they just didn’t get it. We were too indie, or too corporate. They couldn’t hear it on the radio. They didn’t care to listen to it at all. Whatever their reasons were, they all passed.

Now fast forward to May 19, 2010, the day I sit writing this. We’ve broken into the mainstream charts on iTunes, and without breaking it all down, things are going very well. As a result, not one or two, but EVERY SINGLE MAJOR LABEL has reached out to us within this very week. ”We’ve been following you for months.” “We see so much potential in your project.” I would love for just one of those A&R reps to just say, “I discovered your band on the soundscan reports for the first time this week. You seem to be doing something right. We’d love to share your profits, now that it’s going well and the hard work has been done.” I might actuallytake that person seriously. At least he or she would be honest. I’m sure you can tell from my tone that I’m annoyed, and here’s why. I almost gave up. I almost never made our last album, because I never thought I’d be able to support a family as an artist, and I was just so beat down. After ten years of breaking my back, I actually started to believe these people.

So I just want to say, I just need to say this one thing, and I’ll get off my soapbox and go back to making music for a while. Dear Young Artist, please don’t give up. Don’t stop trying. Forget what these people say. 99% of them don’t know anything about art. All they can read are units sold. The world needs new and interesting voices like yours. Go make some noise. And remember that any label starts with a few people in a room saying, let’s release this record. Don’t go it alone. Ready the music as much as you possibly can, then build your own team. Find your own manager, your own PR, your own interns, your own distributor. Start simple and watch it grow.  But whatever you do, don’t expect the majors to help you. They can’t even help themselves. I’m not saying that Major Labels don’t serve a purpose. They’re great at curating the careers of long successful bands and artists, but the idea that there is any artist development inherent in a modern deal is a complete myth. For young artists to think that they’ll get any help jump starting a career is not only false, but extremely dangerous. Develop yourself. Believe in your art, then stand your ground.  If you make your music from an honest place, people will react. We can’t be mad at the dinosaur business model of the majors forever, but it is time that we put them in their place. Which, from my experience I can honestly say, is at the end of a long, very hard, and if done right, very rewarding road. Think of them as a retirement village at the end of a hard career. Fight while you have the breath and lay down when you’ve earned it.

Respectfully,

Michael Grubbs

Wakey!Wakey!]]> http://wakeywakeymusic.com/an-open-letter-to-a-young-artist/feed/ 7 Season finale tonight! http://wakeywakeymusic.com/season-finale-tonight/ http://wakeywakeymusic.com/season-finale-tonight/#comments Mon, 17 May 2010 20:25:24 +0000 admin http://grubbs.tumblr.com/post/607753651 Tune into your local CW station at 8 for the season finale of One Tree Hill. We still don’t know if we’re getting a season 8, so show your support by helping us get the most viewers possible! After the episode at 9:30, come over to our Facebook fan page, and watch our final live stream show with special guest, Rosi Golan!

]]> Tune into your local CW station at 8 for the season finale of One Tree Hill. We still don’t know if we’re getting a season 8, so show your support by helping us get the most viewers possible! After the episode at 9:30, come over to our Facebook fan page, and watch our final live stream show with special guest, Rosi Golan!

]]> http://wakeywakeymusic.com/season-finale-tonight/feed/ 15 Garen Rocks Brooklyn http://wakeywakeymusic.com/garen-rocks-brooklyn/ http://wakeywakeymusic.com/garen-rocks-brooklyn/#comments Tue, 11 May 2010 22:00:00 +0000 admin http://grubbs.tumblr.com/post/590548420 Garen Rocks Brooklyn:

Click the link above to see a great video of 12 year old Garen Hudson performing our song, Brooklyn, at his school’s open mic. Pretty impressive stuff. Check out how the crowd goes wild at the end. Quite a talented kid!

]]> Garen Rocks Brooklyn:

Click the link above to see a great video of 12 year old Garen Hudson performing our song, Brooklyn, at his school’s open mic. Pretty impressive stuff. Check out how the crowd goes wild at the end. Quite a talented kid!

]]> http://wakeywakeymusic.com/garen-rocks-brooklyn/feed/ 0 Thanks to all of our friends and fans for helping keep Dance So… http://wakeywakeymusic.com/thanks-to-all-of-our-friends-and-fans-for-helping-keep-dance-so/ http://wakeywakeymusic.com/thanks-to-all-of-our-friends-and-fans-for-helping-keep-dance-so/#comments Mon, 10 May 2010 23:11:20 +0000 admin http://grubbs.tumblr.com/post/587940119

Thanks to all of our friends and fans for helping keep Dance So Good the Number 1 track on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter charts for 7 consecutive days!!!

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Thanks to all of our friends and fans for helping keep Dance So Good the Number 1 track on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter charts for 7 consecutive days!!!

]]> http://wakeywakeymusic.com/thanks-to-all-of-our-friends-and-fans-for-helping-keep-dance-so/feed/ 1