Hey RoshamFAM!
Every month we take new song requests from our Patreon supporters. We then learn, produce and perform one of those songs and put our spin on it. This month's cover, "Living in America," by James Brown was requested by Steve B. Thanks Steve! You picked a good one! If you want to get in on the voting you can subscribe to our Patreon page at patreon.com/roshambeaux
Before we show you the clip you just HAVE to watch this Barbara Walters interview with James Brown! It's HILLARIOUS! One day we hope to have enough songs to answer every interview question with a song title!
Living In America
The full version of our performance is available on Patreon but you can watch the trailer for it below.
What's Up With Kyle...
We're in the pick up stage of completing our upcoming record. Pick ups are when we comb over anything we may have missed and re-track anything that's needed before mastering and sending it off for distribution and print.
Last year, we released a single called, "Neighbors." Reviewing for pick ups, we noticed a little hum in the vocal tracks so we've decided to re-track them before releasing this album. While "Neighbors" is most likely the simplest song that we'll be on the record, it's been the most challenging for me vocally. It's funny how that works. I was really happy with the original takes and was a little stressed about recreating them line for line.
When we record music we're not trying to capture notes and emotion, we're capturing a moment in time that includes all of the emotion, struggle and lessons we've learned up until that moment. I struggled a good bit this week trying to recreate a moment from almost a year ago when we first wrote the song. After a whole day of tracking, I wasn't happy with it. It sounded forced. It sounded dull. It sounded like I was singing but I wasn't there. I finally came to realize that, that moment was gone. Frustrated, I left it alone for another day.
The next day I decided that I'd sing the song in the moment: not trying to recreate that "perfect" take but singing it for what it means for me now. I'm happy with it. For me, I don't think there is such a thing as the perfect take but I do think that there can be honest ones. I know not everyone records music but I hope that you'll find a way to not worry about perfect moments when they cost real ones.
This next album is called "Existential Threat" and is the summery of our lives as full time musicians over the past few years (and what a few crazy years it's been). I can honestly say it's my best work and I know J can say the same. Look for Existential Threat Fall 2021. I've gotten a few full shows on the books to pair with our album release and working on adding more. We'll announce where we'll be as Fall approaches. If you want to know what those dates are sign our mailing list at roshambeauxmusic.com/email-list and you'll be the first to know!
-Kyle
P.S you can hear that original version of Neighbors (hum and all) at roshambeauxmusic.com/shop
What's Up With J...
This past week Kyle and I were able to rekindle some old feelings of just playing, having a good time and jamming with friends. We are super grateful for our good friend Miah for inviting us out to join him and a few others to jam for a wonderful group of people by the river. It was such a pleasure to be able to see some old friends and to be given the chance to just jam some tunes. After the show we all hung out, shot the shit and Kyle and I both were shown some hula hoop tricks. It's crazy how long it's been for me to have the opportunity to just be in the moment and enjoy the company of others. It's such a blessing that we have one another to share in this crazy experience of life. All of us on different paths, battling different things, a sum of all our own personal experiences. But still able to share in a sense of community and support. I truly am grateful for this life and all it's complexity. I hope you can also find a sense of gratitude for the little things. I find that most of the things we consider "small" are really the true blessings in this life. To anyone who reads this....I am so grateful for you and love you very much! -J
Special Thanks!
We wouldn't be able to keep making content for you without the generous contributions of our Patreon supporters. As you can imagine, being independent musicians isn't the most lucrative ambition but we're incredibly grateful for those of you that support us every month! Every month we release bonus music videos, photos and behind the scenes goodies. Join our tribe alongside:
Steve B, Nancy B, Renee T, Nadia M, James M, Jeff C & Phyllis F!
We couldn't do this without you!
Want More Roshambeaux?
There's always more to rock out to on YouTube! Whether it's music videos, official audio, live performances, podcasts or funny little skits, we got something for you. Be sure to subscribe and ring the bell so you'll be up to date on all of our latest YouTube content.
New Tees!
We have a few new designs since being off the road! Check them out at our new partner store StoreFrontier! They handle all the manufacturing, shipping and communication for us. They're super pro! We heard Lil Jon uses them too. Click the image below!
Artwork
J's been making jewelry over the past few months and has a really cool collection at roshambeauxmusic.com/artwork. Take a look!