We know we’ve been away too long, but sometimes good things just take time! This is why we’ve waited to re-launch our blog, and why we’re now more excited than ever about what’s to come – we simply wanted to make sure everything was in place!
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
February 18, 2011 | Categories: Album/Studio Updates, Stuff We Think Is Cool, Stuff You Should Know About Us | Tags: blog, blog re-launch, life stage, life stage band, life stage blog, life stage music, music, music blog, new life stage album, prog metal, prog rock, studio update | 2 Comments »
While we know it’s been a while since we talked, we come to you, humbly today, asking that you prepare yourself for what’s to come! We’re working on, and have been working on cooking up something new for you guys, and we want you to know we’re FINALLY about to come out of our laboratories to announce some big new happenings, and make some big new changes in the Life Stage camp. Having said that, we want all of our fans to be prepared and in the know FROM THE GET-GO, and that means signing up for our official fan list! If you consider yourself a fan (and you do), you MUST sign up for our fan list. Now! Really! There’s no time to waste, and while we can’t give you any details now, we’ll be making our first official announcement NEXT WEEK. If you’re not already on board, sign up today, and don’t miss a beat, a note, or anything else for that matter as we embark on what will be the most substantial year yet for Life Stage. Don’t miss out, sign up now:
January 26, 2011 | Categories: Album/Studio Updates, Stuff You Should Know About Us | Tags: life stage, life stage fan list, new music, prog metal, prog rock, progressive rock | 2 Comments »
So, some of you may remember our last “Summer Plans” post (and if not, click here), and how we outlined all these things that would be happening this summer, surely. THEN, of course, we came in with our last post, and announced that all of our previous announcements regarding this summer, were now null and meaningless. BUT, we did assure you that though things had changed, we would in fact figure things out, and come back at you with some NEW summer plans – well, THIS is those summer plans! (..or these are, or this is the summer plan, or, ah crap who cares)
Anyways, as I was saying – These are our new summer plans in light of recent events, and I really think you’ll like what we have going on. We’ll keep it short and sweet, but spare you no meaty details on what we’re thinkin’, hopin’, and expecting will happen this summer, in the next couple of months. So here we go, in bullet form, starting with this week, then going through the rest of the summer:
This week:
- Andy is back in town from a teaching gig last week
- We’ll add more new songs to the 4 we already have for our next album (we have about 7 more to work on, we’ll finish what we can this week)
- Do some more video blogging (we haven’t done that in a while!)
- Record all new songs in garage for demo purposes
- Then Andy leaves out for his music festival in NC!
Rest of the Summer Plans/Goals:
- Complete and launch our website (BIGGIE! Already working on it, and it should be launched by the end of this summer.)
- Complete our next album’s worth of songs (continue writing thru summer, then finish them when Andy returns)
- Continue to network and build connections to our fanbase and friends (the website/mailing list will help a lot with this)
- Continue to put the word out and garner reviews from top notch experts on our first release: Stage 1 (2009 EP)
- Get some actual photos done so we look like a band, not a band in the woods 
(when andy gets back, of course)
- Put together our official Life Stage electronic presskit so that we can play shows come fall and winter!
- Put out consistent video blog posts, just to keep in touch, and let you know what’s goin on
& Finally:
- Fundraise for our next album project so we can record and put out another album – this one being full length and of epic proportions!
And there are so many more little things, but this (or, these or, whatever, gah), is at the heart of what we’re doing this summer, and ULTIMATELY: This summer is a platform! We’ll use this time Andy will be gone to build the infrastructure and tools needed to bring our tiny little band up to the next level of professionalism, and one step closer to realizing our dream of making our music dream, a reality. So thanks so much for backing us in that process, and know that after this summer, we have even MORE huge things planned, that should all be possible depending on what happens in the next 2-3 months.
Those plans will more directly REWARD you (ie lots and lots of shows, new album, etc), but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get INVOLVED right now. We have a mailing list you should sign up for (you’ll soon see the value in that!), and we’ll REALLY need your help soon as we begin our fundraising efforts later this summer. So please stay involved, and stay in touch! We really appreciate hearing from you, it let’s us know you’re there, and that you’re rooting for us to succeed here. Shoot us an email (info@lifestagemusic.com), or talk to us on Myspace, Facebook, & Twitter, and let us know what YOU think!
Until Nextime,
Life Stage
June 15, 2010 | Categories: Stuff You Should Know About Us | Tags: life stage, life stage band, life stage blog, lifestagemusic, prog metal, prog rock, progressive, progressive metal, progressive rock, stage 1, summer 2010 | 1 Comment »
In light of not having posted anything in a while, let’s do some catching up today, and talk about, what we’re about.
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
April 29, 2010 | Categories: Stuff You Should Know About Us | Tags: good music, life stage, life stage band, life stage music, lifestage, metal, prog metal, prog rock, progressive, progressive rock | Leave A Comment »
Hey boys and girls, welcome back. Our lesson today is about sharing. Why is it important to share?
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
March 30, 2010 | Categories: Links, Stuff We Think Is Cool | Tags: facebook, life stage, life stage band, life stage music, music, myspace, prog metal, prog rock, progressive metal, progressive rock, progrock, twitter | Leave A Comment »
Visit Our Homepage
whoisross.com