Under Kings - New Track Up_

May 8th, 2008: Posted first mix of Look outside.  I can tell it needs more work.  The "facing, facing, facing" is bugging me.  Likely reduce it to one "facing".  We plan to Keyboards next session.  Hope everyone enjoys for what it is.

Jamie

May 7th, 2008: Still mixing down stuff from studio.  Bryan is heading in to studio Thursday to do some "stuff", and I may join him.  Still need to get back in with Hammond player and do some final tweaking and vocal stuff.  So far, everyone is pretty happy.  I am the hardest to please, looking for those epic moments around every bend in the arrangements and it's a little touch and go.  We have some plans on which tracks will be used as we mix it down; there are many ways to go with all the tracks we put down on "Valentine" in particular.  This is what making music is all about, and I am so glad to be sharing with all of you.

May 3rd, 2008: Preparations for studio tomorrow continue.  Website redesigns are logged on "TO-DO" list.  Lots of busy work around here that needs to be handled.  Stay Tuned.


April 25th, 2008: It's way too early to be up.  I partied like it was 1999 last night with the guys down at the Tavern.  We had a great jam, Bryan, our bass player got to play with the drummer we are bringing into the studio and fell in love immediately.  They locked up and sounded phenomenal.  "Look Outside" was popping - I was told after the fact the song sounded like something from Widespread Panic...all in all plenty of compliments about the new tune.  You guys have heard it here before, but it was a new treat for the "gang".  Rob, our other guitarist, couln't make it last night, so Ted Van Berg sat in on leads and did his magic.  He's amazing.  One bit of bad news, I was unable to get the camera set up to do video.  Rob was not there to be included, Bryan forgot the tripod (DOH) and I felt like it could wait.  I got clearance from management to tape and hope to do it more regularly going forward, but working out the kinks...I guess I should go buy my own tripod :).  Fret not, we will get the video worked out, and also decent quality audio through the board, too.  Okay that's enough for this AM, was out too late and perhaps had a few too many beers.  Ughhh :)


April 21st, 2008:  Continue to write some lyrics for the Magic Roundabout collaboration.  It will come.  All systems go for May 4th Studio Session, where it appears we will be recording the Single "Look Outside," and with enough time and effort "Valentine."  Should be interesting and a great time time with the addition of new players to spice things up.  I am going to be preparing myself on all fronts.  I need to put in my best performance.  Other than that, just trying to manage my time effectively.  thank you to all my believers...any lurkers wishlistme and stick around a while.  I have big plans for everyone.  :)  Hasta...

April 16th, 2008:  Submitted my vocal/lyrical work to The Magic Roundabout for their review.  I hope to share it with you all soon.


April 12th, 2008:  The sun is shining.

Seems spring has sprung around the Suburban Philadelphia area.  The air is full of the aroma of fresh blooms and the temperature is perfect for a nice round of golf. *FORE*

The new season brings some changes for the Under Kings.  After a long time of playing together, the under kings have parted ways with their drummer Tom Stone, in an effort to find a greater more sincere bond between the band members.  The Under Kings is a team effort, and although Tom's commitment to the band was very much appreciated over the years, there were some things that seemed never to change that I felt would keep the band from forming the appropriate mutual respect I deem necessary to go for the long haul.

I am a believer that change is good.  We are talking to a couple different players, but in the meantime the melodic portion of the band is going to focus on re-identifying with our core sound.  We are breaking into the acoustic instruments and spending rehearsals working on vocal harmonies and tighter, more compelling instrumentation.  Expect a WHOLE LOT of new tunes from this new direction.  When the three of us play together, the notes just pour out and the beats we follow are something new for the Under Kings.  And best of all there are smiles all around.

Music is like life, it really is something quite beautiful.

Sincerely,

Jamie



April 3rd, 2008:  Where has the time gone?

Holy cow.  Been chaos around here.  We had the electrical panel replaced in our house yesterday, so that was a lost day...I guess that's where the time went.  Anyway, just popping in to check the latest news.

Also, the ALteR EGo project is in effect.  Look forward to some mystery and excitement from participating members.  The thread is live on the main messageboard.

back to "stuff"...uh man...

Jamie

 


March 28th, 2008: Played last night at Whitpain Tavern.  Had a great time.  Marc Supsic, another member of SAB, stopped in and we had a good time getting to know one another.  What a great bonus of becoming a part of Sell aband.  Busy around the house with stuff, have some real life work come on line today so looks like it might be a busy weekend.

Good times this week.  With the generosity of  the  SAB community The Under Kings  have  broken over $500.   In a half promised gimmick / promotion, I got a haircut since we reached $500.  I went from a guy who looked like he's been lost in the woods for 6 months to a slightly more malformed George Clooney.  Not an hour after I got my hair cut some kid walking with his mom said, "He looks like a soldier."  WOW.  It's funny how much people assume by the way someone looks.  Life is cool when you mix things up.

Thank you to all the supporters of the Under Kings.  We will keep on building new colonies...by the order of the King.

Until next time...



March 23rd, 2008:  Booked two gigs...see Shows for details.


March 21st, 2008 (2PM EST):  Last night was a real good time.  The Under Kings made and appearance at the Whit Pain Tavern last night (me and the bass player, Bryan Walbridge).  We were looking to work our chops and play with their house band, some mates we've befriended over the years - they all work at the local music store.  Anyway, they had a whole slew of bands doing cover tune after cover tune, while we waited until midnight to finally get on stage.  The band before us was doing some fantastic blues, so we kept the blues momentum going and broke out "Sit Down Jonny," a song about a friend of mine when I lived in Hollywood, CA who was quite a big voice for a little man and the one thing you never want to do, as detailed in the song, is to say "Sit Down Jonny".  Then we went on to play "Candy," a song about either a girl or all the other sweet temptations in life - it's up to the listener to decide.  Finally we closed with "Look Outside," which if you haven't heard is available for people on SAB to review through the info tab.  We kept all the arrangements more basic so all the players had a chance to do their thing.  Man, jamming is the best.

Good news from the night:  We bonded well with the house band, smiles all around as we ripped through the tunes.  And Dave, the keyboard/organ player committed to coming into the studio with us in May, to REALLY punch up the material with some epic work on the keys...the guy is amazing player and has a heart of gold.  I can hardly wait until May 4th to get some new stuff for the SAB community.

I guess that's it for now.

Peace,

Jamie

March 19th, 2008 (12AM):
Link to 140 MB video of "Look Outside"
www.theunderkings.com/videos/LookOutside.mpg


March 17th, 2008 (10AM EST):

Well rehearsal was pretty cool last night.  After Rob showed up later in the evening, we implemented the changes on "Look Outside" and managed to catch a decent take on video.  The bummer is the camaera must have been moved because the frame is off center.  The audio is good enough to let others hear.  It's almost there as far as the energy in the tune.  Rob played acoustic guitar for his parts and the lead; it's very old school roots sounding.   I am loving it.

I will likely put a copy up for observation, but may put High Rez vids up on www.theunderkings.com so believers can get a better look at what we are talking about :)..it may take a few days to get the DVD to Bryan to encode and to rip the high rez version here.

Peace

Jamie

March 16th, 2008 (10:30 AM EST): Changed out High Priestess Girl to feature original solo acoustic version.

All Solo acoustic stuff can be seen at:

http://jamiekeefer.com/soloredondo/index.html

March 17th, 2008 (9:30 AM):
A world of friends and fellow musicians.  Sellaband is the only social networking site I can get into.

We have rehearsal tonight.  Going to have to get everyone fired up about spreading the word.

Hope to bring Video Camera and get some footage of some never before seen tracks for your listening pleasure.

March 14th, 2008 (10;25 PM):
Added High Priestess Girl to the play list replacing Change or Perish.  Again these recordings were after being with the new lineup for only a couple months.  I goofed around with some background/accompany vocals, but budget restraints left us off as is.  Listening to other recordings on Sellaband, I hear some great production quality, and I look forward to getting back into Studio 210 to lay down some more tracks.  Need to redo some of the "classic" recordings I have made available thus far on Sellaband and plan to record a new single.

Time to go listen to some sellaband music.  i have a gift part to spend :).


March 11th, 2008 (10:45PM, EST):
More thoughts and comments on last nights rehearsal.  I intended to video rehearsal, but decided not to because Rob could not make practice, and I wanted everyone to be there.  Get it done next week.

Tonight I am just listening to music, doing a little work and thinking about booking dates at a few local places that support original music.  Crazy Karl's and Tom's Bar...get ready for a revolution. :)  I'll update "shows" section as soon as I get firm dates.  May have to put any money we make into parts...hmm.

March 10th, 2008 (11PM EST):

I booked the studio for a sunday next month to record the new single, (and hopefully a video of the recording session.) 

Rehearsal tonight went well.  Good time.  Always learning.  We going to make some calls to book some gigs and polish the act.

Jamie


March 10th, 2008:

Sellaband, the greatest idea ever?  I have a real good feeling about all this.

The faith people are putting into the performers is astonishing.  It overwhelms me with joy.  I know I put my heart and soul into the music, and never wanted any compensation for my efforts, really.  The results are gift enough.  I have never been more motivated to take this to the next level.  There has never been as viable a solution as sellaband.com to get this done. 

Until next time...

Jamie

March 9th, 2008:

Going to see if anyone catches this and has any comments about the orginal versions of some of my material.  I recorded these songs ( www.jamiekeefer.com/soloredondo/index.html ) on a portable 4 track live in my one bedroom apartment in Redondo Beach, Ca.  Some people enjoy the solo acoustic sound, particularly on the "High Preistess Girl," track which can be heard directly here.
www.jamiekeefer.com/content/music/hpgwb56/High%20Priestess%20Girl.mp3


Hello Everyone,

My name is Jamie Keefer the primary songwriter for the Under Kings.  Thank you for taking time to hear our music and learn more about our band.

I have been making music all my life.  I spent my childhood hanging around my fathers band rehearsals, rocking and rolling and appreciating the emotions that music can evoke.

My songs have been written in various places around the USA and I remain prolific today.  I think I choose words and melodies that appeal to many, as I am not trying to write just for me... the lyrics don't always tell the tale so literally.  Somewhere between the archetypes all humans can identify with and my own mysterious poetry is where my craft at it's best.

Perhaps over the coming days I can tell you stories about what inspired the different songs you can find on the set list, under "Info".  It's not something I normally do while performing, because I like to let the listener have their own ideas, but here, while I try to plead my case with future believers, I think it is fair to tell you all the things that went into making these songs.  Some of the stories are unbelievable, and I might not believe them myself if it hadn't happened to me.

What I can tell you now, is that my writing approach usually starts with a melody.  I play the melody over and over until my mind feels the emotions in the notes I chose.  I generally have a theme and try to use vocal melodies that add rhythm and harmony.  A new piece I just wrote in January was written on my acoustic guitar alone in my house.  It's a song about the US economy, although, the words might not make you realize that - I like to use metaphor and double meanings.  I like to make listening to music open to multiple interpretation.  The emotions in my material run deep, because I feel like I am carrying the weight of the world sometimes.  Thank goodness for music, because without it I might not be here today.

The three tunes available to listen to are 3 of 5 I have recorded in a quality that is decent enough to share.  Furthermore the recording are prior to adding our lead guitarist Rob Corso.  There are plenty more tunes where these came from and I hope to share them all with my prospective believers as soon as possible.  We have plans to go into a local studio to record the new single I wrote in January, "Look Outside."

Thanks again,  I appreciate your time.

Jamie Keefer


2/23/08
I added a new track to replace High Priestess Girl.   High Priestess Girl was an R&B ish tune I wrote thinking of a Macy Grey as a performer and might be out my vocal element, so I felt Change or Perish is more "me" and put that instead.

I can not wait to get some samples of the latest material up with the full 4-piece band.  I need some feedback.  Also, I may put up some solo acoustic stuff to give another flavor.

3/1/08
We got a few believers.  I am so happy to see the wheels to start turning.  I am putting a pressure on myself to bring the bands performances to the next level.  You know we are a group of guys having fun singing songs about "everything under the sun," but it's not always easy.  I am hoping everyone sees the importance of being the best we can, because it's too easy to get lax and frankly it shows.  I am not going to tolerate half hearted efforts.  I want everyone to do there best and strive to grow musically.  There is no way we can afford to half-ass our way to the top.

I am planning to get the guys into the studio for a new single, "look outside," as I mentioned above.  This is more than just a recording session, it's a strategy going forward to get teh players to lock in on their parts.  Too much lately some members of band have been inconsistent with their executing of the tunes.    I like to Jam as much as the next guy, but  I am trying to craft a polished product and the time for "experimentation" is over.  Experiment after you lock down a solid part for XYZ change.

Ya know sometimes I think about why not just go into the studio and record the damn album myself.  I have a very affordable studio with talented operators.  Heck the owner of Studio 210 wants to collaborate with me on writing music.  But the idea of sellaband is so good.  I had a similar idea, more about collaboration on the web, but sellaband is an even better idea because it bring all music participants, both artists and their believers together -- to make some dough.  Oh yeah.  My goal is to be the TOP sellaband gainer and put this site and my career on the map in a huge a way.

Go sellaband and May the Under Kings live on...

Feb 6th 2008

Well, I am doing a lot of thinking about the bands direction.  As spring approaches I have a lot on my plate to promote the band, the music and my songwriting aspirations.  The marketing of the band and booking for gigs is high on the list.  More marketing of individual tunes and publishing deals is a new area I am approaching.  Also, hunkering down with my muse to fabricate more insane music will take an effort as I prepare to create a "rock opera" of sorts with all new music to tell the tale of rising, falling and crawling back from the brink of madness.  The Under Kings provides me with most of the instrumentation I need and a decent palate of aural delights to mold into what will perhaps turn out to be my first masterpiece.  The band is still growing as a unit and our rehearsals have gotten over the tedious part of teaching the material, although a lot of stuff needs to be nailed down still, by our latest addition, Rob Corso on Lead.  The strategy going forward is to, first and foremost, enjoy the time we get to share making music.  Rehearsals as of late are being freed of the mundane and jam is being set loose.  Really, the future of the Under Kings depends on our identifying a new sound we all share that is pleasing to others.  We're on the trail of something.

May 15th, Whitpain Tavern, 10PM

www.theunderkings.com