Blog

The Birth of Our Band

Fri, 11 May 2012 09:40:00 GMT

One wintery day in 2009, Ivan was headed off to O'Hare airport to jump on a plane to visit family for Christmas; right before he took off, he said something along the lines of "why don't we start up a band as a duo? Things will be easier if we just start something on our own without relying on other musicians to be on the same page as us." We came to this realization that the two of us alone could create a band we were passionate about. So when we started it up in early 2010, we didn't really know what direction it was going to go in musically. We only knew that our songwriting styles and our voices worked well together; the combination of those two elements would be enough to build the structure of this band...so with an acoustic guitar, a drum set, and our voices, we started Pinto and the Bean.

As song ideas were born, we felt like getting a bit more experimental with what we were doing; Paul thought it would be interesting to take his acoustic guitar and morph it into something different by running it through an effects pedalboard; so he started shopping for guitar pedals - Ivan thought about turning his drums into an acoustic/electric hybrid set so he purchased an 80's Simmons electronic drum kit (one of the first electronic drum kits ever made). We bought a microKORG (you've probably seen a band or two or a million use this because it's an incredibly badass little toy). Plenty of other musical contraptions were also purchased along the way. So, to make a long story short - some weird sounds/effects started creeping their way into an otherwise raw/acoustic band. We eventually started playing shows with these new toys and sounds; later we recorded the songs for our album 'The Waiting Place'.

One of the songs on our album is a ballad called "Wake Up" and it happens to be a favorite among many of our fans. If you don't know the song, you can download it for free by signing up on our mailing list in the upper right hand corner of this screen. We recently noticed one of the top search terms for our web site is "Pinto and the Bean Wake Up Lyrics"...which is interesting because we didn't realize people were searching for our lyrics (Did you know all our lyrics are hand written in crayon? You can find them on the music page of our web site). "Wake Up" was actually the first song we wrote together; we hadn't really decided to officially start a band yet but we were experimenting with songwriting anyway. Ivan had a vocal melody idea and chord structure and he had a general vision of what he'd like the lyrics to convey. So we worked on writing the song. Now, you may know 'Wake Up' from our album, but did you know there's a version we recorded with Ivan playing percussion on a garbage can lid? There's some piano in it and other odd instruments as well; when we listen to our album version next to the original recording, they are so completely different - almost like two different bands. Head on over to the secret page of this site to take a listen to the original recording. We just posted it and we'd love to know what you think. Anyway, do we talk too much? We'll stop rambling now. Talk to you soon :-)

New Music Video Now Officially Available!

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 05:42:00 GMT

Check it out friends! Our third official music video, shot completely on an iPhone, we present to you,

Let's Make Noise

NEW MUSIC VIDEO NOW UP ON THE SECRET PAGE!

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 02:31:00 GMT

Hey folks! We don't have a bunch to say today. We'll let our newest music video for 'Let's Make Noise' do the talking. It's up on the secret page of our web site RIGHT NOW! All you have to do to check it out is enter your email address in the space below. You'll get immediate access to it before it's officially released to cyberspace next week.

New Music Video Is Here!

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 09:04:00 GMT

Our ?Let?s Make Noise? music video is HERE! The specific video release date information is listed below. Nick Palazzo, our director and good friend, is just working on the final touches as we write this. We realize many of you are excited to see it; but rather than do the traditional YouTube release as we?ve done in the past, we decided to spice things up a bit?because we?re pinto beans ? and pinto beans are best served spicy.

Two of the ways you can access the video involve you and ourselves watching it together while throwing back a few beers. The other two options are much more cyberspacey if that?s more your thing. So, without further ado, below are 4 ways YOU can check out our music video for ?Let?s Make Noise?.

1) Friday, March 30, 2012 (Double Decker House Party - 2953 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL) The Premier of 'Let's Make Noise' music video. This will be the very first time any human being aside from ourselves will witness this video. We will be releasing the video on a projector at a hot and sweaty house party in Logan Square before our performance. Our good friends 'Bad Bad Meow' will also be releasing their first official music video that night with us. If you like drinking until the early hours of the morning in packed houses, then you'll probably have a bad ass time at this party. Last time we were there, you could barely move! Fair warning. Tune into wluw.org on Thursday, March 29 @ 9pm central time for a 'Battle of the Music Videos' radio interview.

2) Thursday, April 5, 2012 (Beat Kitchen - 2100 W. Belmont, Chicago, IL) - 'Let's Make Noise' video premiers via projector at Chicago's Beat Kitchen before our performance. For those of you who missed the party, this night will be more of an OFFICIAL release of the video, with extra perks. Each person who signs up for the free raffle will receive a goodie bag including a free copy of our album 'The Waiting Place', and opportunities to win free t-shirts, signed posters, drum sticks, and guitar picks. Also, by coming to this show, you will be supporting a good cause. The CCAC (Chicago Children?s Advocacy Center) will have a table set up at the venue to explain how you can prevent sexual child abuse.

3) Thursday, April 12, 2012 (Exclusive Mailing List Members Only Video Release) - 'Let's Make Noise' music video will be released to the 'secret page' of our web site, which is ONLY accessible to our mailing list. Be sure to sign up on our mailing list BEFORE April 12, 2012 to access the video on this date. Click here to sign up now.

4) Thursday, April 19, 2012 (Worldwide Video Release) - 'Let's Make Noise' music video will be officially released via YouTube to the general public at 4 p.m. central time - in order to view it, simply visit pintoandthebean.com/video. More details coming soon on how you can appear in our next music video by helping us promote and share this one.

Respectable Oscars vs. Trashy Grammys

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 06:33:00 GMT

The 2012 Oscars aired this past Sunday and watching the show was a lovely experience. It makes you want to sit back, relax and order a pizza to go with a nice glass of wine. It's three hours of seemingly honest appreciation and recognition in the world of film. This year's Oscars resonated with energy, soul, and passion. We haven't seen any of the movies nominated, but that didn't really alter the effectiveness of the show. There was a segment where several random actors/actresses briefly discussed why it is they are so deeply in love with acting and another segment where they discussed in detail what movies truly mean to them; several of the of the award speeches were incredibly inspiring and heartfelt. It's refreshing and liberating to witness people in the movie industry speak highly of one another, and demonstrating gratitude for the awards they receive as a result of the blood, sweat, and tears they put into their passions. All in all, from the beginning of the ceremony to the closing credits, it was a hugely intriguing end entertaining three hours that you didn't want to see come to an end.

Now...let's discuss...the Grammys for a bit...possibly a long bit...sorry to kill the positive vibes but we're artists/musicians here, and honestly, the Grammys, which aired a few weeks back, just stink. They're a pile of dog poop sitting on a sidewalk on a hot summer day. It's very difficult to admire the Grammys and the funny thing is that the show is set up in a very similar fashion as the Oscars. There are similar types of speeches, acknowledgements, and awards, all given to professionals in the music industry who apparently deserve all this praise. Here's the big difference between the Oscars and the Grammys. The Oscars FEEL carefully thought out and sincere (hopefully they actually are). The Grammys FEEL confused and plastic-like; there doesn't seem to be much integrity that goes into choosing the best acts of the year. See, the music industry has been crumbling apart ever since underground artists/bands discovered avenues of promoting themselves online. Whereas in the past, musicians at the top of the food chain (a.k.a. megastars such as Lady Gaga, Green Day, Foo Fighters, etc...) had all the power over the independent world of music, today, the playing field is the same for everyone; if you make smart decisions and work hard as an indie artist, you can definitely make a living in the music industry today. Many of these bands/artists whom you have never even heard of are turning their art into full time careers, by carving out their own little niches, finding die hard fans, and living their music dreams. Because there are SO many artists out there who are successfully doing this, the music industry is in a serious state of confusion - major label acts are no longer selling nearly as much product as they were 10 years ago because now they're competing with the world of independent musicians; indie music has skyrocketed to become a HUGE part of the music market. Because the world of music has changed dramatically, die hard music fans now have access to a wider variety of music than they ever did before; the internet has opened up so many doors for artists and people are no longer forced to listen to what the mainstream industry throws at us - music fans can now pick and choose; it's sort of like being at a candy store.

So what does this have to do with the Grammys being trashy? Well, it seems the Grammys only acknowledge what's hot on the Billboard charts, while ignoring the ENORMOUS amount of independent music being created and released. Many of these bands are ones you've seen perform at your favorite music festivals; you purchase tickets to their concerts months in advance; you buy their merchandise and music as soon as it's available; you adore them and thousands of other people do too - this seems to be where the Grammys are confused. They KNOW you're a die hard music fan out there and that an enormous amount of independent bands are making very noticeable dents in the music industry; but it's not noticeable enough to the mainstream viewing public, so would nominating any of them on the Grammys look attractive to its audience? The Grammys need to be on top of what's hip. These bands DO make very good livings as professional artists, but they aren't on the top 40 Billboard charts selling as many records as Adele, Bruno Mars, Coldplay, Nickelback, and many others. It's not that any of these artists mentioned are bad. These musicians certainly work very hard on their craft, just as independent musicians do. This is NOT why the Grammys stink. The Grammys stink because everything about them seems to be a popularity contest which concerns only those listed in the top of the charts. That's understandable, and the Grammys tried to trick us into thinking they knew what was cool in 2011 by awarding Arcade Fire with the best album of the year. But really, that was a desperate attempt for them to show they knew something about art when they clearly don't. Bottom line is this: the music industry has fallen apart - the Grammys don't know left from right or up from down, so they choose to nominate what's hot and popular to the mainstream public even though they're very well aware the music industry is in such a huge state of change, and the independents are slowly but surely taking over.

Maybe the film industry is as bad as the music industry, but it just doesn't seem to be as blatantly obvious. It seems to truly embrace the beauty of film and what it stands for. The Oscars seem to want to acknowledge the people out there trying to do something different with their passions and those people who are trying to make a difference in the world to make it a better place. That's why art SHOULD be acknowledged, but right now the music industry is having an identity crisis and the Grammys don't seem to understand that.

93 Band Name Ideas We Had Before Choosing 'Pinto and the Bean'

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:05:00 GMT

*scroll to the bottom of this blog post to read the 93 different band name ideas we had before finally setting on 'Pinto and the Bean'

In June of 2010, we decided this little rock & roll project of ours needed a band name. We had already written half a dozen songs since January of that year and the band certainly couldn't perform concerts without a name. Soon, the thought occurred to us to ask people for their favorite band name ideas and to eventually settle on the one we liked best among all the choices. We headed out to concerts, parties, and festivals and also sent out emails to friends. When there were 100 band name suggestions, we decided to narrow down the list to a handful we liked. 'Pinto and the Bean' was obviously one of the choices. It was sort of funny and it was definitely memorable. It also wasn't such an over the top idea that people wouldn't take us seriously if we did choose it as our name. Whenever people heard 'Pinto and the Bean', they either smiled or laughed, and almost everyone was amused by it. It sort of had a Foo Fighters ring to it. 'Foo Fighters' sounds silly at first, but when you take a listen to any of their songs, you know right away they take their music seriously. Well, our band name may be silly, but we certainly care about the music we put into the world; more importantly, we hope it makes a difference in other people's lives.

So, in the end, it definitely was a tough decision to choose 'Pinto and the Bean' as our band name - for the same reason it's difficult to make any major decision life. Once you do, it's not easy to go back and change it. Yes, there have been moments we've been self conscious about it, and we wondered if people pigeonhole our music into a certain category. What kind of picture does our band name paint in a stranger's mind when hearing it for the first time? Well, we chose 'Pinto and the Bean', be it awkward, silly, memorable or all of those things and more. Popeye the sailor man said 'I am what I am and that's what I am'. For better or worse, our band name is here to stay - and we hope it's not what's on the surface that rocks you, but the energy that lives within the music that does. So, that's our story, and we hope you've enjoyed it.

Scroll to the bottom of this blog post to check out 93 band name ideas people came up with for us. Also, below are the 4 names we were debating upon before choosing 'Pinto and the Bean'

-Coke Babies

-Blue

-No Names

-Paul & Ivan

The following is a list of the band name ideas people came up with. There are more that we can't locate, but here are 93 that we DID find:

93 Band Name Ideas We Had Before
Choosing 'Pinto and the Bean'

-Sound Travels
-Galactic Shamanic Paragdigm
-Brown Town Thank You Ma'am!
-Dumbass Blonde
-Mario Bros.
-2 Raw
-Life Alert
-The Shades
-Cool Water
-The Glacactic Shamanic
-Cheap Beans
-I've Fallen & I Can't Get Up
-Angry Monkeys
-Tampon Lollypop
-Club &
-The Kidney & The Bean
-The Paulivanizers
-We Are Giving You Gold!
-Intergalatic Shamanic
-Strange No Names
-The Crazies
-Fist
-Ignorance Is Bliss
-Pyvan
-Mary Gold
-Organic Fiber Fools
-Chick & The Pea
-The Shadows
-Prison Bitch
-Mighty Lightning
-Double Fist
-Quiet Breath
-Stinky Boys
-Pauly and the Finkleman Doodle Bops
-Pinto and the Bean
-Paulapoluza
-Baby Of 9
-Shamanic Paradigm
-Whereabouts
-Organic Iceberg
-Amy’s Breakheart
-Blueprint
-Looks Better at Dusk
-Glory Hole
-Incases
-Future Mouth
-Punctuation From Mars
-Mario & Luigi
-Neutral 2
-Navy Beans
-Ivan and the Oily Spit Widgets featuring Paul and the Short Stack Sensations
-Flying Fading
-Natural Windblowers
-Banging Against Rusty Rails
-Cuddly Stranger
-Slutty Dumpster
-Galaxy
-Brand New Dawns
-What's Your Middle Name?
-Vergon
-Enigma
-The Argument
-Klutzy Winos
-Thing 1 & Thing 2
-Steamworks
-Paul & Ivan
-Bob's Your Uncle
-Dusty Sanchez and the Teather Speds
-Symbiosis
-Toxic Gasbag
-Dirty Rice
-By, You
-Ivan and the Sappy Japs
-Dust Cloud
-Palvin and the Chipmunks
-Waiting for Melanie
-Coke Babies
-Filfthy Boys
-Annoying Chilean
-Two Beats Off
-The Wet Umbrellas
-The Flaming Hars
-No Names
-Poppy Peterson
-Exit
-A Violet Mind
-The Believers
-Blue
-Life and Limb
-The Watermelon Monsters
-Shoot The Moon
-I Think I Dreamed About You Last Night

93 Band Name Ideas We Had Before Choosing 'Pinto and the Bean'

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:26:00 GMT

In June of 2010, we decided this little rock & roll project of ours needed a band name. We had already written half a dozen songs since January of that year and the band certainly couldn't perform concerts without a name. Soon, the thought occurred to us to ask people for their favorite band name ideas and to eventually settle on the one we liked best among all the choices. We headed out to concerts, parties, and festivals and also sent out emails to friends. When there were 100 band name suggestions, we decided to narrow down the list to a handful we liked. 'Pinto and the Bean' was obviously one of the choices. It was sort of funny and it was definitely memorable. It also wasn't such an over the top idea that people wouldn't take us seriously if we did choose it as our name. Whenever people heard 'Pinto and the Bean', they either smiled or laughed, and almost everyone was amused by it. It sort of had a Foo Fighters ring to it. 'Foo Fighters' sounds silly at first, but when you take a listen to any of their songs, you know right away they take their music seriously. Well, our band name may be silly, but we certainly care about the music we put into the world; more importantly, we hope it makes a difference in other people's lives.

So, in the end, it definitely was a tough decision to choose 'Pinto and the Bean' as our band name - for the same reason it's difficult to make any major decision life. Once you do, it's not easy to go back and change it. Yes, there have been moments we've been self conscious about it, and we wondered if people pigeonhole our music into a certain category. What kind of picture does our band name paint in a stranger's mind when hearing it for the first time? Well, we chose 'Pinto and the Bean', be it awkward, silly, memorable or all of those things and more. Popeye the sailor man said 'I am what I am and that's what I am'. For better or worse, our band name is here to stay - and we hope it's not what's on the surface that rocks you, but the energy that lives within the music that does. So, that's our story, and we hope you've enjoyed it.

Scroll to the bottom of this blog post to check out 93 band name ideas people came up with for our band. Also, below are the 4 names we were debating upon before choosing 'Pinto and the Bean'

-Coke Babies

-Blue

-No Names

-Paul & Ivan

The following is a list of the band name ideas people came up with. There are more that we can't locate, but here are 93 that we DID find:

-Sound Travels
-Galactic Shamanic Paragdigm
-Brown Town Thank You Ma'am!
-Dumbass Blonde
-Mario Bros.
-2 Raw
-Life Alert
-The Shades
-Cool Water
-The Glacactic Shamanic
-Cheap Beans
-I've Fallen & I Can't Get Up
-Angry Monkeys
-Tampon Lollypop
-Club &
-The Kidney & The Bean
-The Paulivanizers
-We Are Giving You Gold!
-Intergalatic Shamanic
-Strange No Names
-The Crazies
-Fist
-Ignorance Is Bliss
-Pyvan
-Mary Gold
-Organic Fiber Fools
-Chick & The Pea
-The Shadows
-Prison Bitch
-Mighty Lightning
-Double Fist
-Quiet Breath
-Stinky Boys
-Pauly and the Finkleman Doodle Bops
-Pinto and the Bean
-Paulapoluza
-Baby Of 9
-Shamanic Paradigm
-Whereabouts
-Organic Iceberg
-Amy?s Breakheart
-Blueprint
-Looks Better at Dusk
-Glory Hole
-Incases
-Future Mouth
-Punctuation From Mars
-Mario & Luigi
-Neutral 2
-Navy Beans
-Ivan and the Oily Spit Widgets featuring Paul and the Short Stack Sensations
-Flying Fading
-Natural Windblowers
-Banging Against Rusty Rails
-Cuddly Stranger
-Slutty Dumpster
-Galaxy
-Brand New Dawns
-What's Your Middle Name?
-Vergon
-Enigma
-The Argument
-Klutzy Winos
-Thing 1 & Thing 2
-Steamworks
-Paul & Ivan
-Bob's Your Uncle
-Dusty Sanchez and the Teather Speds
-Symbiosis
-Toxic Gasbag
-Dirty Rice
-By, You
-Ivan and the Sappy Japs
-Dust Cloud
-Palvin and the Chipmunks
-Waiting for Melanie
-Coke Babies
-Filfthy Boys
-Annoying Chilean
-Two Beats Off
-The Wet Umbrellas
-The Flaming Hars
-No Names
-Poppy Peterson
-Exit
-A Violet Mind
-The Believers
-Blue
-Life and Limb
-The Watermelon Monsters
-Shoot The Moon
-I Think I Dreamed About You Last Night

The Making of 'Let's Make Noise' Music Video

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 07:12:00 GMT

Exactly a month ago today, we headed out to Michigan to begin filming our third music video for the song 'Let's Make Noise'. If you aren't familiar with our two official music videos for 'Midnight Monsters' and 'Robot Wars', check them out because we're total music video nerds and we get all giddy when we're about to make a new one.

Before we tell you how it all went down, we realize you may just want to jump straight to the video...if that's the case, then you can check out the video footage below. It's pretty raw and random - we probably haven't shown this side of ourselves to P&B fans before...yep, it's a dorkier side of us and that's just fine and dandy. So, click on the video below to see the 'Making of Let's Make Noise' video.

Paul's family has a cottage in Lakeside, Michigan and it was sort of a last minute decision to ask his mom if we could stay there for a week to film this video. We just needed a room that was large enough to hold a giant black backdrop/curtain that we bought from a fabric store...we couldn't find a place here in Chicago that was within our budget to rent out for a few days. So the three of us (Paul, Ivan, and Nick) headed out to the cottage and stayed there for the week. If you've ever been to the ginormous Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo about an hour outside of Chicago, we weren't far from that.

So, the way it all went down - we first had to build a structure to hold up the backdrop before we could really do anything else. There was quite a bit of hammering and sawing going on in order to build the giant frame that would eventually hold up the backdrop. Then there was the covering up of every single window in the living room where the video was to be shot. We used dark blankets for this - which is essential for vampires - you may or may not know this, but we are vampires...we need darkness at all times....we didn't wake up until late afternoon each day when the sun had already gone down so the blankets turned out not even being needed....you know what - let's just make a bullet point list below of some of the highlights of making the video:

Animated pieces. We built a ship, a heart, and a clock - all using Christmas lights - so they turned out looking like a Lite Brite...that toy from the 80's that we've never actually seen in person, but heard is pretty cool. The challenge was to animate these Lite Brite objects in the video.
The buildings for the city scene were made from broken down cardboard boxes we got from Walmart. We then covered them in bed sheets and finally painted windows on them to make them into buildings.
The actual filming of the making of the video. We came to realize that although we may not be funny...we think we're pretty funny when we're holding a camera...sometimes
The clothes we're wearing...not really a highlight and not sure why we wore what we wore, but whatever...
The actual structure and backdrop - mentioned in the paragraph above. Without that, the video would never be capable of existing.
Lights - this is really the motif of this third music video of ours. It all revolves around lights...Christmas lights.

Empty Bottle show

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 06:38:00 GMT

We want to thank those of you who came out to our show on New Years Eve at Horseshoe. We really couldn't ask for anything more - surrounded by our favorite people on the last day of 2011, while making balloon animals, drinking champagne, and playing music.

Our next show is in a few weeks - January 23, a free Monday night at Empty Bottle with some other really great bands...Otter Petter, Mutts, and Wally Dogger. Otter Petter and Mutts have both had their albums on several top 10 lists in 2011...come to think of it, we did too. Our album The Waiting Place is one of Windy City Rock's Frank Krolicki's favorite albums of 2011. Check it out here.

New Years Eve party at Horseshoe

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 06:01:00 GMT

Boys and girls - the holidays are among us and we want to close out the year by inviting you to a New Year's Eve party! We'll be spending the evening at Horseshoe (4115 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL) celebrating the last moments of 2011 in a night that includes a buffet, champagne, and of course music. All of this for $20!

Joining us in the fun will be our sweet friends PoundCake from Kankakee and fine felines Bad Bad Meow from Chicago.

So, mark your calendars to party with us at Horseshoe on New Years Eve; it's gonna be a grand feast, a drunken blast and a perfect way to say goodbye to 2011!

Contact us for any questions or details - band@pintoandthebean.com

Old Christmas Song

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:02:00 GMT

So we were just looking through an old hard drive and found a Christmas song we wrote almost two years ago. This was well before Pinto and the Bean even existed. Listening to it... awkward...is that the right way to describe this song? It's called "Christmas Hug". We're thinking about sending it out in our next newsletter. If you aren't already on our mailing list, sign up in the box above. Thanks folks! Happy Holidays! Here's the flyer to our next show at Cole's on Friday, December 16.

BTW - here's a very recent review/interview with Bad Ass Bands Blog. Thanks so much to Jo Scott for the interview!

Streetside show next Saturday night

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 10:22:00 GMT

Lovelies, we're sorry we've been away hibernating. It happens during these cold wintery times. We'd love to see your pretty faces next Saturday night at Streetside. Our very good friends Bad Bad Meow will also be performing. Check out their music if you haven't yet. They're a pretty rocking' acoustic country punk duo. It'll be a grand ole time. It's a free show and they've got delicious drinks and food. See you then!

The Waiting Place now available on Bandcamp

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 03:21:00 GMT

Our debut album 'The Waiting Place' is now available where all the cool kids hang out! That's right, it's on bandcamp. Click here to check it out. T-shirts and posters available soon...We'll keep you posted with happenings...and there are LOTS of happenings coming. Talk soon!

Write Up in the Red Eye

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 03:06:00 GMT

our new stickers

Hey there friends! Our CD release party is only 1 day away! We can't wait to see you there tomorrow. All the details are at THIS LINK - we just got written up in the Red Eye today too which is pretty sweet. Check it out here!

Check out the pics of all that has arrived at the Pinto Bean practice space this week!

cds and posters

and of course t-shirts

Ivan's Light Up Drums

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 02:38:00 GMT

Yep, another little video of our new light up instruments. It's been a journey this past week learning how to practice with all these lights. We can't wait to see you at our CD release party this Saturday night! If you don't already know the details, click below.

CD RELEASE PARTY DETAILS

Paul's New Light Up Guitar

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 01:08:00 GMT

Check it out! We'll be debuting this at our CD release show on Saturday September 24. More details here. Look out for another video coming soon...drums next time

CD RELEASE HOUSE PARTY

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 08:27:00 GMT

Boys and girls - the time has come. As many of you know, we've been working diligently on our debut album for over a year, and it's finally made its way to a physical form known as the CD. We thank you for helping us choose our album artwork; we thank you for being a part of our musical journey - and we now feel it's time to have a grand party to celebrate this wonderful event.

To make this party as intimate as possible, we've decided NOT to have it at bar, club, or music venue. This party will take place in the backyard of a very good friend of ours who happens to throw kick ass parties. He calls this yard "La Hacienda de Los Gatos".

What: Pinto and the Bean CD Release Party

When: Saturday, September 24, 2011

Where: 4326 N. Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60613

6 p.m. - FREE beer & food available throughout the night!

9 p.m. - Pinto and the Bean takes the stage

We decided to make a list below for you to see why you need to be there. Check it out:

TEN REASONS TO MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR OUR CD RELEASE PARTY ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24th.

1. FREE beer

2. FREE food

3. Our debut album "The Waiting Place" will be available for the first time

4. Pinto and the Bean T-Shirts will be available for the first time

5. Pinto and the Bean posters will be available for the first time

6. Pinto and the Bean stickers will be available for the first time

7. A live performance by Pinto and the Bean unlike any of their shows you have seen

8. Paul's guitar will light up like a space ship! You don't want to miss this.

9. Ivan's drums will light up like flying saucers! Again...you don't want to miss this.

10. We'll have some pretty sweet giveaways and goodie bags

Let's Rock This Saturday Night

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 05:09:00 GMT

We've been so consumed with trying to get organized for our debut CD release, we apologize for not mentioning we have a show this Saturday night at Cole's Bar (in Logan Square) with our good friends Matadora and new friends The Sunshine Elsewhere. It should be a great night! Please come out and have some drinks with us. Try to keep the end of your September open. It looks like we'll be having our CD release show then - it will be...a...BLAST. We'll keep you posted with the details!

Vote For Your Favorite Album Cover

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 07:48:00 GMT

Last week we finished recording

our debut album 'The Waiting Place'. It's out in L.A. getting mastered this minute, but we haven't yet decided on artwork for the album cover.

We would love for you to help us decide. As you may know from our previous blog post, Ivan has been furiously painting this week. He's created 7 potential album covers and we want you to choose which one you like best. Please take a moment to look at them all and VOTE for your favorite album cover here. You can click on any picture to enlarge it. We will choose our final album cover artwork based on the most popular vote. Here's the facebook event for you facebookers. That's about it for now. We're looking forward seeing your responses.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE ALBUM COVER

p.s. Ivan is still adding some minor details to these paintings before we choose the one with the most votes. We will then get that painting professionally scanned and use it as our album cover.

Vote For Our Album Cover

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 11:38:00 GMT

Paul always wanted to be Megaman...one day...

So, tonight is the night...all our songs are finally
mixed and being sent off to get mastered. Mastering is like icing on a cake, in case you're confused about it (and most people are). The inside of the cake doesn't change, and it will taste the same whether there's icing on the cake or not. But that icing really makes the cake LOOK appealing. Well, that's sort of what mastering is. A great mastering job won't mess with the ingredients (individual instruments) on the inside. It actually CAN'T mess with the ingredients on the inside because it doesn't have access to them. It can only polish up what's already there on the outside and make the songs sound more appealing to the ear. It's somewhat of a magical art we don't fully understand.

Ivan's prohibiting anyone from seeing these until done

So, now that you're a pro at mastering, let's move on...albums usually come supplied with music...but they ALSO often come all dolled up with artwork. Well, guess what? We haven't yet decided on the artwork for the cover of our debut album "The Waiting Place". Ivan has been diligently painting up several different album cover ideas based on what we've discussed.

Ivan's Painting Gear

When he's finished painting these, we're going to post a survey on our web site for you to choose your favorite cover. The majority vote will win. So, we'll be in touch when this is all ready to go. Talk to you soon.