We are very pleased to announce that our new album “The Other Side” is available for purchase in physical form as well as a slew of merchandise. We are also pleased to announce that 50% of all profits for ALL merchandise will be donated to a cause close to our hearts, Love Street Light Circus.

Love Street Light Circus is a Houston-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that brings music to local children’s hospitals.  ”We are very grateful to Wayside Drive for their support,” said Love Street founder Patrick Waites.  ”Their performances at the hospital have brought smiles to many children’s faces. While Wayside Drive’s financial contribution from sales of “The Other Side” will help us as we continue to grow our programs, we are most gratified that it is their visits to the hospital inspired them to do so.”

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Peter Gabriel is having a contest to remix his song “Games Without Frontiers”. Here is my submission “Games Sans Frontiers (Julie Andrews You’ll Be the Death Of Me Yet)“.

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If you’re not already familiar with it, Google offers an extremely powerful tool called Google Analytics. Basically you put in a line of code in the back-end of your site and it gathers extraordinarily detailed information of your visitors. One of the reports they offer show the keywords used in a search engine which brought traffic to your site. Through the content on your site and the tags you use for your posts your site may come up in some very interesting and unrelated queries.  I pulled a report for all search terms used in the past year which brought traffic to the Wayside Drive website. Below are my favorites:

fizzle sticks
food is like music
2pacs doppelgänger
the tail of fame
artistic control”" in record deals
made me more altruistic”"
the tail of fame”"
2pac on the ukulele
are shriners evil?
big al and dr. rock romano
can i hear the 35000 year old flute being played
carrots rhyme
cat skank
chinese gods of electricity
diy seasaw
effect of music on food
evil marshmallow bunnies
famous musicians on ccmixter
free music sheet of cello oblivion
gregorian chant remix samples
houston music scene sucks
huberman “”citizen provocateur”" austin
i like food musique
in girum imus nocte et consumimur igni phonetic palindrome
kevin costner english accent
my favourite toe
nikola tesla paul is dead
saturday 07/18/09 michael jackson tributes in houston, tx
scratch and dent houston wayside
spinny things in parks
ten ken “”for posterity”" free download
things to rhyme with carrots
vidéov de wayside
what are some of the ways that music and technology have always interwined?
why do we need more fruit?
wszystkie poranki swiata alan corneau
youtube coffee & milk mary magsamen
видео wayside

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Listen to The Final Exit

Download the song for free here. Download the stems for remixing here.

The Final Exit

I want you to know that when I take my final bow
When the curtain draws, I will not be afraid
For this life is but a flutter of a butterfly’s wings
The vapor of breath in the morning

Our highest goals, our greatest schemes will mean nothing when that moment comes
All that will remain is the love that we’ve given, the love that we’ve shared

When my moment comes, to the one’s I love,
Forgive me for the times when I’ve not recognized
The sacrifices made, the tears that you have shed
Every act of love is each a single thread
That’s sewn into my heart a complex tapestry
An interweaving of memories that have molded me

The Final Exit by Wayside Drive is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

(c) 2010 Jeremy Osborn and Natalie Osborn
Produced by Jeremy Osborn
Mastered by Allen Corneau at ES Mastering

Jeremy Osborn: Vox, Electric Guitar, Tin whistle, atmospherics
Natalie Osborn: Cello
Kevin Robinson: Drums
Aric Alan: Guitar textures

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Listen to The Best Part Of Me

Download the song for free here. Download the stems for remixing here.

The Best Part Of Me

In all you do
Everywhere you go remember
There is no one like You

I know that the world can look frightening
No one can take from you who you really are and yes you are wonderful

When the storms rise up against you
And the night grows so dark
I’ll hold your hand and in the face of all that comes against us
We shall both hold our heads high

I will always be with you, in-between every heartbeat
You are my wonder, my miracle
The best part of me

When the sunlight comes in the morning and the moon is still out
When the moment slows to a single frame
The silence is punctuated by your heartbeat and then mine
In time

I will always be with you, in-between every heartbeat
You are my wonder, my miracle
The best part of me

You are inside my head when I’m dreaming and when I wake up
I’ll hold your hand through the high times and through the low ones
We shall both hold our heads high

The Best Part Of Me by Wayside Drive is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

(c) 2010 Jeremy Osborn and Natalie Osborn
Produced by Jeremy Osborn
Mastered by Allen Corneau at ES Mastering

Jeremy Osborn: Vox, Acoustic Guitar
Natalie Osborn: Cello

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We are honored and privileged to post this interview with music producer extraordinaire Dan Workman. Dan is the President and co-owner of SugarHill Recording Studios in Houston, TX. A list of his credits would take up an entire post on it’s own but I encourage you to read more about him at his official biography here.

Dan also played his signature Casio SK-1 as well as various guitar bits on our song Listen To What’s Missing.

Dan Workman, Kuwait City, May 7, 2010 On tour with Kareem Salama

Do you ever listen to the CD’s you produced after the fact?
There are a very few that I have never listened to,…. not even once, but those are the rare exception. Some of them I listen to for weeks after they are finished. Some, I need a break from to listen to enjoy,…usually about 6 months. Back in the old days when I was mixing without automation, I could not listen to the songs without rehearsing the mix moves in my head! I’d dream those damn mixes, which really screwed with my enjoyment of the music!

What’s the most challenging thing about producing a record?
Hands down, the most challenging thing is to make the song the best it can be before you go into the studio. Make sure the story is great, the lyrics are economical and tight, and that the arrangement and performances are as good as humanly possible. That list really boils down to getting a great performance of a great song. Being able to facilitate that is a job that is unique with each project.

What are some of the things you’d like to see artists be more prepared for before going into the studio?
Write a killer song. KILL ME with how good it is. Most of us (me included) write songs that we like to perform,… that have a cool part in them that really sends us over the edge. While that is fine and good, a song writer and performer has to write and perform FOR THE AUDIENCE. You have to be able to totally captivate the audience with the song. It’s for them, not for us.

What’s been the most rewarding thing about being in the Recording Academy?
The connections. Once I got off my high horse, and started socializing and volunteering in the Academy, I met and became friends with people I would have NEVER had access to. Now I sit on the P&E Steering committee with my heroes: Sylvia Massy, Ed Cherney, Chuck Ainley, Phil Ramone, Nathanial Kunkle. These people consider me their peer. WTF!!!!!

Do you prefer natural acoustics when possible or post-recording effects?
Loves me some natural acoustics,… but that’s no surprise since I’m paying for the real estate at SugarHill to have incredible natural acoustics. While I also love my TL Space convolution reverbs, there is something so organic about a natural space. I can tell you that I have learned how the outside temperature and humidity affect the sounds in Studio A and B at SugarHill. So much so, that I mic things up differently in the Winter as opposed to the Summer.

Do you ever experiment with the recording medium itself?
Sure. I recorded a (Southern) Backtones guitar part on a portable cassette deck while pushing on the capstan with an eraser to make it wobble. I’ve sent signal backwards–in through the headphones output–on a 1970′s motorola receiver. My latest fun is to create crazy signal chains with the Casio SK-1

Any producer heroes?
George Martin, Tom Dowd, Nigel Godrich, Mark Trombino (mid-90′s Jimmy Eat World).

What’s the biggest thing you’d like to see happen in the Houston music community?
I want to see a badass Tejano Band open a punk rock show and see 500 punk rockers totally dig on it. Houston’s strength in the music world is our diversity. If we collectively put down our iPads long enough to venture out, I think that killer variety shows are the future. Screw waiting 2 hours to see your favorite band play for an 45 minutes. My idea of a good time is to see four or five bands play their finest for 20 minutes each, back to back.

What recording artist (living or passed) would be your dream to produce?
Well, some of them are dead. , I think that I would like to produce the world’s most accessible noise band, whoever that is. I’d also really like to take Two Star Symphony to the next level. Sh-t, how about 5 more levels,… That band captivates me. As for identifiable artists, I’d consider giving a body part to work with Imogene Heap.

Where do you see the music industry being in the next 5 years?
We’re experiencing a die-back in the business caused by two somewhat interrelated events: 1) commercial music became controlled and marketed by corporate entities who were beholden to stock holders and boards of directors, and their musical decisions sucked. Bigtime. So we got contrived mainstream acts that create music that is just lubricant for your day instead of art that is changing your life. 2) We are living in an age where we have not yet developed the discipline and methodology to find a balance between free digital distribution and paying for content.

We are going to mature past both of these barriers,.. I’m just not so sure how long it will take. In the meantime, there will be killer musicians, writing and performing and selling to smaller, but more loyal fan bases, which is fine by me. It is hard to see the dream downsized a bit, but I promise you, if you write soul-stirring music that defines the times, and your performances captivate an ever-increasing audience, then you will have a WONDERFUL career. You just might not own your own jet.

Any living musical artists you would still get star-struck by?
(Paul) McCartney. Almost sh-t a brick standing close to him. Thom York. If Jeff Tweedy would just take a f–king shower, I’d love to hang with him.

What do you consider your best strength as a producer?
Communication. I love music, and I’m a decent musician. I can figure out the grammar and vocabulary to talk and inspire almost anyone. I recently realized that I really love being a musician, and I love the company of musicians in general. When I help a performer to do his or her best, I feel like I played the part myself, hence my ‘musical reward center’ gets totally lit up by my work through others.

What’s the biggest “wow look what I did!” moment you’ve had while producing a record?
Tracking Beyonce‘s (Destiny’s Child) Bootylicious. I knew that song was a hit after we got the first hook down. I said to myself, “If I don’t f–k up my part of this, we are making history right this moment!”, and I was right.

Probably more important are the many, many times that I have been totally blown away by a performance or mix. I never tire of seeing the work come together. My biggest triumph, really, is always the most recent record I have finished–I give my all to each project I take.

If George Martin and Phil Spector got in a fistfight who do you think would win?
Martin would take that punk down. Spector would be crying like a baby, and Martin would be sayin’ “Now THAT’S a wall of sound!”

Dan Workman elsewhere on the web:
http://danworkman.com/
http://www.sugarhillstudios.com/
http://twitter.com/producerboy

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Listen to Just 5 Minutes More

Download the song for free here. Download the stems for remixing here.

Just 5 Minutes More

I won’t pretend that I’m following you
Words slip on through when I’m lying in bed
Finding comfort in my comfortable pillow
It’s not that I don’t care just right now it’s hard to care
I’m ready for oblivion
I’m ready for that freedom from consciousness
I’m ready to stake my flag on the side of the moon
Just want to let you know that i’m checking out early

I’m so tired in the morning
From the lack of motivation
And due to sleep deprivation
I keep thinking if i get up then i’ll wake up
I’m just so tired, just 5 minutes more

Pull back the sheets, turn on the lights
None of it will help when I’m dancing in dreamland
I could probably sleep through World War III
I could probably sleep in the back of a freight train
I’m telling you I sleep like the dead
None of it matters in the world I inhabit
For I am the master of my universe
I can bend space and time with the tip of my finger

I’m so tired in the morning
From the lack of motivation
And due to sleep deprivation
I keep thinking if i get up then I’ll wake up
I’m just so tired, just 5 minutes more

Just 5 Minutes More by Wayside Drive is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

(c) 2010 Jeremy Osborn and Natalie Osborn
Produced by Jeremy Osborn
Mastered by Allen Corneau at ES Mastering

Jeremy Osborn: Vox, Synths, Guitars, Programming
Natalie Osborn: Bass Guitar
Kevin Robinson: Drums
Spinmeister: Synths

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Listen to Listen To What’s Missing

Download the song for free here. Download the stems for remixing here.

Listen To What’s Missing

Breathe slow
Don’t Speak
Eyes closed
Listen
To what’s missing
Which is

Everything

Listen very closely
I’ll whisper in your ear
Listen very closely
To the words you long to hear

Listen To What’s Missing by Wayside Drive is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

(c) 2010 Jeremy Osborn and Natalie Osborn
Produced by Jeremy Osborn
Mastered by Allen Corneau at ES Mastering

Jeremy Osborn: Vox, Synths, Guitars, Programming
Natalie Osborn: Vox, Bass Guitar
Kevin Robinson: Drums, percussion
Dan Workman: SK1, Guitar, misc loopings

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Listen to The Great Divide

Download the song for free here. Download the stems for remixing here.

The Great Divide

Once there was a time when I could handle this,
It’s seem that I’ve become a silhouette of my former self,
I’m waiting, I’m watching just to catch a glimpse,
And see the other side, the great divide

I have not forgotten all the words you said,
One by one I line them in order of their shade of red,
I’m waiting, I’m watching just to catch a glimpse,
And see the other side, the great divide

I don’t know what you expected to find,
You can’t see me, you see through me,
Evolution is just a question of time,
Find the meaning, find a meaning now

A hundred million candles burning at both ends,
Light a hundred million holes just filled with oxygen,
I’m waiting, I’m watching just to catch a glimpse,
And see the other side, the great divide

Pressure to perform amid so many eyes,
It’s getting so much harder to hide the devil inside,
I’m waiting, I’m watching just to catch a glimpse,
And see the other side, the great divide

I don’t know what you expected to find,
You can’t see me, you see through me,
Evolution is just a question of time,
Find the meaning, find a meaning,
Now that you can see me I can tell you anything I want to

Fading out, you’re fading out,
Fading out to nothingness,
Fading out, you’re fading out,
I can’t hear you anymore

I don’t know what you expected to find,
You can’t see me, you see through me,
Evolution is just a question of time,
Find the meaning, find a meaning now
I can tell you any, anything I want to
Anything I want to

The Great Divide by Wayside Drive is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

(c) 2010 Jeremy Osborn and Natalie Osborn
Produced by Jeremy Osborn
Mastered by Allen Corneau at ES Mastering

Jeremy Osborn: Vox, Synths, Guitars, Programming
Natalie Osborn: Vox, Bass Guitar
Kevin Robinson: Drums
Aric Alan: Guitars

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The short of it… Ford is relaunching it’s Fiesta line and putting the advertising into the hands of local teams across the major cities. Team Houston is having a Battle of the Bands competition that we have been accepted into. It’s May 1st from 6-11pm at Houston’s Warehouse Live. This is a FREE event, but you must RSVP to receive an electronic ticket.

And… you can help Team Houston send one of the local bands to BONNAROO! Send 1 text to 44144 with the word “ROCKSTAR” to cast your vote for Houston to win (normal text messaging rates apply and they promise to not spam you afterwards). It Team Houston wins the competition for these texts, then the band that wins the Battle of the Bands goes to Bonnaroo. It’s as simple as that.

The lineup includes:

Black Queen Speaks
Peekaboo Theory
Robert Ellis & The Boys
The Tontons
Tyagaraja
Versecity
Wayside Drive

VIP access is available for $10 at the door. (100% of VIP Proceeds go to Noah’s Kitchen)

VIP includes:

• exclusive bar & lounge access
• beer by Saint Arnold’s
• food by somewhere awesome
• commemorative poster print by local artist DeneyTerrio
• fun door prizes
• silent auction with music memorabilia, local treasures & more!

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