So what are we talking about here? Well, first and foremost – we’re working on a new album. Most of you may already know this much, and we sent a few of you who are on our fan list an email a couple of weeks ago, detailing exactly what’s going on. Plus, you may remember from late last year, before we took a blogging hiatus, we were talking about the new studio that was being built above our old practice facilities – well now that studio is complete, and we have finally begun tracking what’s looking like a grand total of 10 completely new songs. More to come on that in the coming weeks, including a video update or two, so check in when you can.

Another topic worthy of a re-launch post, is that along with our upcoming release (which we can’t tell you the exact date yet, but think summer), we’ll be doing some cool new stuff to interact with our fans, and be more engaged here on the web. And we know you’re thinking, you guys have fans?, but yes, we do have at least 5 good fans, and we’re going to work hard to connect with them as much as possible. In fact, we’ll be blogging more, social webbing more, sharing more, and we’ll even be rolling out a forum here pretty soon – so get ready to chat us up with your comments and stern disapproval!

Finally, we have a few words to say about this moment in time, the right here and now. If you’re reading this, we think you’re cool. AND, if you’re reading this, know that you’ll be able to look back in a couple of years (when we’re all the way up to 25-30 fans), and say, yeah I supported those guys before they made it big! HA. We laugh and mostly cry at the thought of ever “making it big”, but on sort of a serious note, we truly believe that right now is a moment in history for us. We’re on the verge of releasing our second album, and our first full length record. We have over 2 years, the making of our last album, and tons of other crazy events that have contributed to our experience and maturity as a band. And most importantly, we know now, more than ever, exactly what we are going for as a band – and that includes our music, niche, appeal, and even our look. We may not be a trendy band, but our confidence is unshaken, and in fact is now stronger than ever as we face the biggest moment in our short existence thus far – and we couldn’t be more excited. Hang with us as we make the journey through this year, and chime in every step of the way; it’s gonna be a great year!

Look for more posts very soon.

Life Stage

Life Stage is about good music, plain and simple. Our “heros,” if you will, are the bands, musicians, and composers that made music great, and are continuing to make music great to this day. From Mozart to Bethoven, from Tchaikovsky to Debussy, from Dave Bruebeck to John Coltrane, from John Cage to David Lang, from Elvis to The Beatles to Led Zeppelin to Van Halen, from King Crimson to Pink Floyd to Rush to Dream Theater to Porcupine Tree, from Sabbath to Maiden to Metallica to Mastodon and others, ALL of which (and there are PLENTY more we could name) have had HUGE impacts on us both collectively, and individually.

So what comes to mind when hearing these named individuals and bands with regards to their profound impact on music itself? Why were THESE guys so important? Honestly? Who knows. What we do think though, is that these people all did one thing in common – they made music that was true to themselves. Some of these composers and artists were completely obscure, especially for the time they lived in, and yet, they pressed on because they believed in what they were making – history.

Somehow, music today has lost that. That drive, that passion, that innocence. Not ALL music of course, for as you can see we do have some modern bands (and there are many others not listed) that we really respect, and influence us just as much as the rest! But the point is, that by-in-large, music is just not what it used to be. It’s almost as if since the 70′s, when rock was completely revolutionized like the world had never seen, and bands(record companies) began seeing profits like the world had never seen, music took on a whole new meaning – one centered around marketability, profitability, and returns, and less about art, creativity, and individuality.

Now, I know, I’m putting a WHOLE LOT of personal spin and infusing my own opinions on the history and current state of music and all, but I get the feeling that a WHOLE LOT of people out there would agree with me! In fact, I know they would, and DO. This is why you’re seeing (and hopefully you ARE seeing it) a HUGE trend towards independent bands, artists, musicians, etc. who are (finally) doing things their own way! While, yes, we still have to be able to make a living (and some will still do better than others), and yes, profits are great, and no there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s still NOT ok to sell out, and make a passionless record just to make a million bucks. This is the state of music today, and it’s been this way for some time now. The point is, we’re doing something about it. Not just us, but every band, musician and artist out there, who is literally risking it all to do what they love as a career, and not sacrificing their spirit (the same spirit that enabled some of the great artists listed above) and their passion for what they do to get there.

And that’s pretty much the point here today: We, Life Stage, are all about making good music, and creating it with passion, regardless of typecasts and trends. And you can help us in our efforts! When you purchase our album (off iTunes or our store at music.lifestagemusic.com), make a donation, or even just tell your friends about us, you are doing SO MUCH to help us, and it means SO MUCH to us, really. Heck, even just signing up for our mailing list (lifestage.fanbridge.com) and keeping in touch via Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, or your favorite social networking site, gives us a huge boost of moral, and you help us further our career, without succumbing to industry pressure! So thank you in advance for doing all that you can to support us, it does not go unnoticed.

OK, so that’s it for today. That should keep you toasty for a while until we can get back to blogging consistently. Until then, we’ll continue to make the best music we possibly can, and of course we’ll be in touch on every single corner of the web! And yes, we do have a mailing list, so go sign up!

Until Nextime,

Life Stage

So let’s check out some stats:

Giveaway #2 – From 02/01 – 04/01
- 150 CD’s sent out/passed out/teletransported out (lol) in 2 months
- ALL CD’s localized around the Houston area this time (except for a few)
- ~500 TOTAL CD’S GIVEN OUT THUSFAR B/T GIVEAWAY #1 & #2!!! HUGE!

And that’s it! 2 HUGE CD giveaways have now come and gone, and we’ve GIVEN out approx. 500 since the first one started back in September. 500. Wow.

Thanks so much to all who requested CD’s, and told your friends about us. We know it sounds weird that we’re thanking people who, by the industry’s standards, are basically “stealing” from us, but for us, it’s simply a way to get OUR music into YOUR hands. And what a better, simpler way, than Free? Now granted, we don’t have an endless supply of these physical CD’s to give out, but we’re doing what we can, and we hope that by making an investment in our fans, they’ll make an investment in us for the long haul! So thanks!

Also, if you didn’t get one this time around, feel free to purchase a copy or download the album via our album page @ music.lifestagemusic.com, OR, who knows, we might just be doing this again sometime in the future, and you can grab one then!

Either way, thanks again to everyone for your support. Please, please continue to share us with your friends, family, co-workers, and pets, and help spread the word about Life Stage!

Until Nextime!

-Life Stage-

Facebook
Myspace
Twitter

Well you see, when you find something you like, it’s tempting to just hog it all to yourself. You think, “oh cool! I’m gonna be the only one that knows about this!” But what you soon find out is that nothing is ever quite as fun by yourself. I mean, sure, you can play catch by yourself, or go to the movies by yourself, or countless other team-sport type of activities, but when you do that, you’re missing out! And that pot of gold you found is really useless until you have someone to spend it on or share it with. I mean let’s face it – we were built for community! Humans need other humans and like other things that other humans like! We need to share the things we love, or else it’s no fun. Life is just… boring.

So. What’s the take home here? Basically, it’s this: If you like us, or love us – SHARE US. It’s that simple! We feel so honored to share what we’ve made and what we love with you, now turn around and pass it along so you can enjoy our music with ANYONE else who MIGHT JUST FEEL THE SAME WAY YOU DO! And that is the clincher – ANYONE MIGHT JUST FEEL THE SAME WAY YOU DO. You never know. So please take the time (all of 5 minutes) to share our page on Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter, (not to mention any other place you’re blogging, blurbing, or sharing) and be the first to tell your friends about Life Stage! It would mean the world to us, and it might just make you or someone you know’s world a little better too.

And that’s it for today! We want you to know we truly appreciate you. Stop by anytime, any place, and let us know what you think, and SHARE with your friends! We’d love to hear from you.

Talk to you soon,

Life Stage

Well what in the world does that mean? Glad you asked. It means, that aside from (or in addition to) iTunes, AmazonMP3, Napster, Rhapsody, Emusic, and a few others we were already on, (which is pretty much global as far as retailers go) we are now (or soon to be) up and running on several top streaming music sites and online radio stations, such as LastFM, Pandora, and MOG, and a few new retailers to boot, such as Puretracks, MooZone, & ThinkIndie! In fact, you can see the complete list of partners below, and feel free to check each of them out (do Bing search or something) to get a feel for what they do. Who knows, you may even find one you like better than iTunes! There’s other cool stuff included too, like the leading ringtones site, Myxer, and syndication through Wal-Mart online! Oh, and not to mention Zune for all you zuners out there! Cool huh?

Yes, indeed this is pretty sweet, but for now, we’re still giving away downloads of our EP, as well as FREE physical copies to those who ask, so don’t hesitate! Get your FREE copy or digital download before we end this offer – at which point you’ll have to find us on one of these mentioned sites – and have to actually PAY for our music! You wouldn’t want that would you? So go to music.lifestagemusic.com today and get your free download. OR, stop by anytime via Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and ask for a free copy of Stage 1. Don’t be shy! Just shoot us a message, comment, @reply, whatever, and say “I want a CD!”, and we’ll get you one, we promise.

Thanks so much for all your loyal support, and look for us to be up on these sites – coming soon! In the meantime, keep in touch. Talk to you soon!

Life Stage