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What We’re Listening To ::: Jan. 11, 2010
Jan 11, 2010 Music Picks 1 Comment
Posted by Josh Carroll
So we thought we’d let you all in on the music that keeps us going through the weekend every Monday. Here’s what we’ve been listening to lately:
Josh
Switchfoot – Hello Hurricane
This album has been playing in my car almost nonstop since it came out. You can regularly find me driving around town screaming (literally) along with Bullet Soul. And seriously, the unison vocal / fuzz guitar part in the bridge of Mess Of Me is filthy. I love the more subdued, lyrically driven tracks, but I can’t stop rocking the harder tracks.
Scott
Victor Wooten – Palmystery
Bought this CD on iTunes last week and can’t quit listening to it. Usually Victor’s music is pretty unlistenable by non-musicians as the technical aspects of it are much more appealing than how it sounds, however, I highly recommend this album to friends because it’s similar to a Flecktone’s album (Victor’s other band) with Victor showing how well he can sit in the pocket and groove with a band while still being incredibly innovative in his playing. This is definitely a jazz album, which I can’t ever seem to wrap my head around, but I love it, so the album is stretching me musically. It’s been on repeat at work non-stop since I got it.
Damien Rice – O
An oldie but a goodie. This album’s been on repeat in the car and at home for the past few days. Don’t really know why, I just love the simplicity of the music and the emotion in Damien’s voice. Songs like “The Blower’s Daughter” and “Cannonball” are the kind of songs I wish I could write when I sit down with my acoustic.
Brandi Jo
Eleisha Eagle – Neither Here Nor There
I have found myself intentionally seeking out songs from “Neither Here Nor There” by Eleisha Eagle this week. Her jazzy pop sound coupled with a strong voice and sassy lyrics have made songs like “Hooked (Addicted You Might Say)”, “Rocketboy” and “When I’m With You” some of my favorites and the album as a whole a frequent visitor to my ears. I stumbled across her purely by accident (went to Monks to hear another band play one night when she opened), but am certainly happy to have added her to my shuffle opportunities!
The Chronicles of Narnia
My other consistent album this week? Actually, it’s not an album at all. It’s a series of audiobooks: Focus on the Family’s Radio Theatre drama of The Chronicles of Narnia. I’ve never read the books and received the series of audiobooks as a gift for Christmas. I feel like a kid again while still being challenged by Lewis’s subtle “moral behind the stories” points!
What are you listening to? Leave us a comment and let us know!
A New Year…
Jan 10, 2010 News Leave a comment
Posted by Josh Carroll
So, it’s a new year, a time for making and breaking new resolutions and diets. It’s also a time when bands begin to think about what they’d like to accomplish in the coming months–hoping for more than sitting around jamming in their moms’ basements like last year…
In that spirit, I thought I’d post a few of our thoughts and dreams for 2010:
- Record and release something new. Actually, we’re already working on the beginning stages of a new record. Let The Record Slow is something I’m still very proud of, but with the transition from solo artist + friends to actual band lineup, our sound has necessarily changed some (for the better, in my humble opinion).
- Actually use this blog. I’ll be honest, I have barely blogged because I haven’t had any idea what to write. But we’ve put our collective brain together and come up with a few ideas. Hopefully, it won’t be completely useless information all the time. The way I see it, as long as I blog more often than I break an arm, I’m doing better than ’09. And hopefully Jo, Scott, and Dion will chime in as well.
- Play more shows. We’ve got a good friend helping us with booking, so there should be more chances to come
get your socks rockedhang out with us than ever. - Give away more stuff! We love our fans, and we love to give back. T-shirts and stickers are on the way, and hopefully we’ll have new music to give out sometime this summer.
So yeah, lots of plans. To keep up with us, why not join our e-mail list? You can sign up using the form in the sidebar of our website.
Thanks for a great ’09!
–Josh
We’re actually (gasp!) a band now
Oct 13, 2009 News 1 Comment
Posted by Josh Carroll
When I started putting songs together and thinking about recording last year, I really just thought it would be a fun project. I played most of the instruments myself, had a lot of fun, and got a little lonely. It’s way more fun to do music with other people. So I pulled in a few friends to contribute. Suddenly the project had a life of its own, and I could see that this was going to be more than a small project for me.
So now with the album out in all the major online retailers and live shows being played and whatnot, three of my good friends have agreed to join me as official band-mates in The Penny Jar: Brandi Jo Magee (who played violin on Nothing and Down Alone on the album), Scott Deloney (who played bass on Down Alone, formerly of The Rocketboys), and Dion Fink on drums (formerly of Nobody Famous).
The Penny Jar at Monks Coffee Shop in Abilene TX
I am beyond excited to be joined by such a talented crew of musicians! Now it appears we have work to do: new photo shoot, band bio to re-write, new press kit, and gigs to book.
–JC
Get our album FREE while you can
Oct 6, 2009 News Leave a comment
Posted by Josh Carroll
We will pull our album from NoiseTrade at the end of the week. You can get it free right now, though, by recommending the album to friends!
http://www.noisetrade.com/thepennyjar
Enjoy!
We’re on eMusic!
Sep 30, 2009 News Leave a comment
Posted by Josh Carroll
You can now download Let The Record Slow in full or in part from eMusic!
Now on Amazon.com!
Sep 25, 2009 News Leave a comment
Posted by Josh Carroll
You can now purchase our songs on Amazon.com! 50% of money spent on music from this album will still benefit World Vision regardless of how it’s purchased.
Acoustic in Abilene
Sep 5, 2009 News Leave a comment
Posted by Josh Carroll
Got a couple small acoustic gigs lined up in Abilene. Keep an eye on the Shows Page as more dates will be posted soon!
- ArtWalk This Thursday (Sept. 10), 7:00 PM, at Minter Park across from The Center
- Starbucks on Buffalo Gap Rd. on Friday, Sept. 18, 8:00 PM
Good News, Bad News
Aug 4, 2009 News Leave a comment
Posted by Josh Carroll
So I guess it’s been one of those days. I’ll start with the bad news:
- I got a ticket for expired state inspection
- The bone in my arm is not reattaching and healing as hoped.
- We found another random piece of bone floating around in my elbow and the doc has no idea where it came from
But there’s good news too:
- The cop only gave me warning for speeding, and didn’t ask for my proof of insurance (which I couldn’t find)
- The doc doesn’t want to do surgery, and thinks my arm will heal ok whether or not the broken piece ever reattaches. 2 more weeks in a splint, then physical therapy!
- Apparently the random bone fragment isn’t bothering anything.
- The new album hit the front page of NoiseTrade
Had its downs, but the ups win. Overall, not a terrible day!
A Disc In The Tree Is Worth…
Jul 30, 2009 News Leave a comment
Posted by Josh Carroll
My brother says I should make up a better story; say I pushed a kid out of the way of a train or something. But truth is that I broke my left arm Saturday practicing disc golf. It went something like this:
Disc in tree. Me in tree. Limb broken. Broken limb.
Go ahead and laugh. I know it’s funny.
Long story short, I’m in a splint for a while. If the bone sets itself as the swelling subsides, that’s all I’ll need. If it moves, there will be surgery and probably no gigs for a while. I should know more next week.
In the meantime, I’m compiling a list on Twitter of all the everyday activities that have suddenly become adventures now that I’m down to one good arm.
Here are a couple photos of the damage:
“Let The Record Slow” Is Here!
Jul 7, 2009 News Leave a comment
Posted by Josh Carroll
Well, the day has finally come!
After lots of hard work, the debut album from The Penny Jar has finally been released! I hope you all love it as much as I do. Please download it and spread the word to your friends on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc.
As you’ll see, I’ve chosen to work with two great organizations: NoiseTrade and WorldVision. If you haven’t already, please check out both of them. NoiseTrade is a great place to find new music and support artists you love. WorldVision is one of the leading charities making a difference world wide in the fight against poverty. I would highly recommend saving a few pennies each day and considering becoming a sponsor to a child.
Special thanks to my beautiful wife and daughter for being patient with me throughout this process; to Brett Stewart, Brandi Jo Magee, Scott Deloney, and Brenton Dowdy for contributing their musical skills to the album; to Sherry Young for creating such incredible album art; to Heather Turner for her photography; to Paul Matta for listening to me and helping me get the best of out of my songs; to Leighton Lockett and Jeremy Kirles for their guidance and wisdom; and to all of you who have listened, tweeted, blipped, and otherwise encouraged me along the way.
Enjoy the music!
