Why this blog was started today.

This blog wasn't supposed to be started today, but I'd like to share with you what happened to spark the spontaneous creation of this blog.

I wanted to take my dog for a hike this morning, but when we (my dog and I) arrived at the park, we were informed that parking would be $6, and despite multiple assurances that, even though my dog and I were both going to walk around the park, that she would be the only one going to the bathroom in public, $6 was still the mandatory parking fee. Now before you get the idea that I'm cheap, I figured I could look at the tree on the corner of my block for free, so I came home and started writing this instead of giving $6 for the priviledge of, what should be free, enjoying nature. Makes sense and my dog is curled up on the couch dreaming about her newly acquired treats, and doesn't seem to be disappointed by the situation at all, so it's a win win for everyone.

I'm getting ahead of myself. My name is Ian and I run an independent label called SDMP Records. I wanted to start a blog to both inform and entertain you, the reader, since the SDMP newsletter is primarily for SDMP related news, and this is more open to whatever strikes my, and your, fancy.

I wasn't too sure what would make this blog interesting to people, but after making an informal list of the subjects that I was familiar with, I wasn't left with any choice but to make this blog mostly about music, although the occasional post not related to music might pop up if the spirit moves me.

Reviews of music equipment, independent CDs, or live performances, commentary on the state of "popular" music are some of the thing I look forward to sharing with you. I am open to anything and everything (mostly) music.

Any independent artist who would like a review of their music by "Mostly Music" should email a link to their website/myspace, etc... to sdmprecords@yahoo.com before sending a package. I want to make sure that I am familiar with your genre, and am able to fairly review your music, before you spend the money to send a package (CD, bio, photo), and I spend the better part of the Spring trying to figure out what to write.

A little bit about SDMP Records:

1) We are located on the internet at http://www.sdmprecords.com/
2) We are a poor independent label, so please don't contact us looking for a $2 million dollar record deal, because we'll tell you right now, that ain't gonna happen.
3) To date we have three releases and are planning the fouth for 2009, and our fifth for 2010.
4) We do some audio engineering and producing for artists that are affiliated with labels other than SDMP.
5) We are located wherever we happen to be at the time. We have a portable protools studio, and are able to record in many different places. For example, the SDMP release planned for this year has been recorded in several different places so far. The bass and drums were recorded at Sweet Sounds Studio in New York City, and once we had the audio files for the bass and drums and had them loaded into protools, everything else, guitar, piano, synth and melodica were recorded directly into protools at our current location and will be edited and mixed at our next location, but we'll tell you more about the recording as we get closer to that release.

Feel free to sign the mailing list at http://www.sdmprecords.com/ to be kept up to date with our releases and also for periodic tips for independent artists, in case you, or someone you know, are trying to get there music "out there".

I should mention what I'm listening to as I write this since this blog is about music. The beginning of this post was written to the sounds of Full Blown Chaos (not my dog's favorite) and the music is now being provided by The Cranberries, so clearly, I do listen to a wide range of music, which leaves me open to review most genres.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to providing you with useful, as opposed to useless (you really don't need to know what I had for lunch) music information.

Please feel free to email us about anything at sdmprecords@yahoo.com, and sign the mailing list and learn more about our previous releases at http://www.sdmprecords.com/

If you, much like me, think "American Idol" is a ridiculous show, please enjoy the video below over and over until my next post:


“From each according to his faculties; to each according to his needs” --- Mikhail Bakunin