Cool New Things

Hey everybody,

I'd like to take a moment to express my thanks for all of the support I've received toward my musical ventures. Making music is a dream of mine and the fact that people enjoy my works is an awesome bonus.


My Bill Murray EP is finally available for purchase, both digitally and physically.
If you would like a physical copy of the album for $5 (US), feel free to shoot an email to CDs@andymarin.com. My methods of delivery are a bit limited at the moment, but it's nothing I can't work around, especially for those of you in the Dallas or Austin areas.

Digital copies of my EP can be found in several locations across the web, including the following locations:

• AndyMarin.com
• SoundCloud.com/AndyMarin
• cdbaby.com/cd/andymarin 

It's also available for streaming on Spotify.

In case you didn't notice, one of the links was my brand new personal website powered by Bandcamp! All of the tracks are available for free download on my website and SoundCloud, but feel free to use the name your price option on my website. Musicians need to eat too.




Look forward to more news soon...

Love,
Andy

Bill Murray is Alive!

Finally. My solo songwriting project is a tangible reality (almost!)

Thanks to some eager friends and supporters as well as a well-timed tax return, I have amassed the funds and materials necessary to distribute the music into which I channelled so much of my energy, time, and emotion. I am proud of my work, despite any flaws in quality or performance, because each of these tracks is special to me. I hope that others will find similar merits in my work.

The album, titled Bill Murray EP, consists of the following tracks:

1. Hey Mary  1:37
2. Stutter Sickly   3:35
3. Box Springs and Quiet Dreams  4:02
4. I'm Afraid to Love You   2:32

I know it's short, but I do feel that each of these songs is worth your time.

The mp3s are available for purchase here. 

They will also be on iTunes and available for streaming on Spotify shortly.

For those of you interested in hard copies (CDs) more info will be available in my next post. I'd like to hear your feedback and don't be afraid to contact me with your questions. 

Also, here's an old cover I did of "Tonight You Belong to Me." It's a tad quiet though and didn't quite make the cut for the EP.

Thanks for your support,

Andy Marin

Good Morning

So it has almost been a year since my last post.

In my absence quite a few things have happened, the least of which is the delay of my album (of course, one can always argue that many other events less important have occurred, such as my last haircut or the time my roommate disinfected my giant teddy bear.)

I return bearing good news, or at least news that I hope will be received well. In the past year, I've faced a lot of decision making and a bit of turmoil regarding my music. I even lost my ability to sing for two months thanks to a nasty bacterial infection. My tonsils still aren't the same, but everything works and I'm grateful for that.

However, I've decided to go ahead with the release of my solo musical debut. The track listings have changed slightly, but I'm proud of the music I've produced. I can't afford a fancy studio or professional engineers, but I've put a lot of work into my tracks to make them bearable at the least (although I prefer the term listenable.) Hopefully, you readers will find that these tracks resemble music as well.

Before I go, I'll leave you with the album art. You will be hearing from me again shortly with more details regarding the release. Let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

Bill Murray EP

© 2011 Andy Marin
Photo credit: Taylor King

I'm Back...Sort of

In my last post, I mentioned that I would play in the streets at SXSW. Well I managed to find a somewhat quiet spot to set up and play a few of my latest works.

My friend and I grabbed our acoustic instruments (I played guitar and he played bass) and stood on the sidewalk singing for all passersby. At first, people generally ignored us, but after a while we managed to gather a small crowd. It was an enjoyable experience, but hopefully I'll be able to play at an actual venue next year.

Unfortunately, I've been quite busy these past few weeks and I've had to delay work on my EP. However, I do have one more track to share with anyone willing to listen.


This one is titled "Box Springs and Quiet Dreams."
Box Springs and Quiet Dreams by Andy Marin

I encourage first time readers to check out songs/information in my earlier posts. Hopefully, I won't wait as long to post updates in the future.

OMGTTYL!
-Andy

SXSW!

Several months ago, my band Rin Tin Tin applied for a showcase at the legendary SXSW in Austin, Texas. Naturally, they turned us down and I immediately made arrangements to attend as a spectator.

I will be heading to Austin tomorrow and will be staying with my friend and his family. Being young and poor, we'll definitely be hitting up all the free shows in town.

However, I saw this as an excellent opportunity to share some of my solo stuff. So I will be bringing my guitars along and playing in the streets. If you're in the general Austin area this week, you should look for me.


I love you
Andy

Track Listings

So last night I began working on my latest song. I hope it turns out as well as the others, but it's gonna take a lot of work. I'll explain the recording process in a later post.

However, I decided its time to reveal my track listings. There will be a total of 5 songs on The Bill Murray EP (although, since I'm not done recording, I'm not sure if it's technically an EP yet.)

The titles and orders of the songs will be:

1. "Hey Mary" 
2. "Oil Slick"
3. "Stutter Sickly"
4. "Box Springs and Quiet Dreams"
5. "Surfer's Hymn"

I understand that the track listings don't necessarily mean anything to anyone other than myself at the moment, but once I've finished and made the songs available for download, I'm hoping that  the songs  will take on new meanings for other people.

I need some input though. When I'm done recording and I've finalized all of the tracks, I have to decide how to distribute them. Of course iTunes would be the most obvious option, but I'm not sure if I feel comfortable selling my songs, or if I did sell them, would I even make enough money to offset the cost of distribution.

I'm not opposed to the idea of making my songs available for free download and I almost prefer it, but some methods of free distribution can be confusing (although I'm sure I can find a simple way to do it.)

What do you think?

Also, for new readers, I've posted two of my songs in older posts. Check them out if you haven't! Love,
Andy

At Last! Fifty Followers!

To my fifty followers and all potential followers/casual browsers, I am excited to announce that I have finalized the track listing on my solo debut. However, the track listings will be disclosed at a later date.

As I promised in my previous post, I will share another track from my upcoming record, The Bill Murray EP.

I wrote this song for a close friend of mine (who really liked it) so I hope all of you will like it, too. If you don't, that's fine; I will still love you. Keep in mind, I'm doing all the recording myself, so my songs probably won't be excellent studio quality

This next track from the EP is titled "Stutter Sickly."
Here it is:

Stutter Sickly by Andy Marin

For all new readers, be sure to scroll down and listen to "Hey Mary," the last song I posted.
Feel free to share these songs with people you like (or despise.) Please comment and tell me what you think!

Enjoy!
-Andy

And the title is...

I'm finally back after a long hard week of writing research papers. Sorry to leave you guys in suspense. I'm sure I left everyone on the edge of their seat, pondering the title of my upcoming solo debut.

Well the title is...

                    The Bill Murray EP

No one will ever believe you.

What do you think? Also, if I reach 50 followers, I will post another song from the album.

See ya!
-Andy

Hey Mary

As I promised in my last post, here's a preview of my solo work. It will be the first track on my upcoming EP.

Hey Mary by Andy Marin

I don't have any fancy equipment or years of mixing experience (audiophiles beware!) so don't expect these songs to be chart topping hits. I do, however, hope to make music that others enjoy.


In the past, my neurotic relationship with songwriting has been the product of an an egocentric writing process—a sort of indulgent musical masturbation. I would push myself to make a song technical or weird and turn what should have been a work of beauty into a self-righteous, showy mess. I would write something others couldn't relate to, and then blame my own abilities for the lack of connection. As a result, the majority of the material I wrote never saw the light of day. And if it did, there was no guarantee that the song would become a mainstay in my repertoire.

This characteristic in my writing is something I've been trying to do away with. As a result, none of the songs on my EP will be participants in my customary process of narcissistic composition. I'm washing my hands of the self-love presented in my former works and the busy hysteria of their contents. The songs will be simple and (hopefully) pleasing. In my upcoming release, none of the songs will be results of my pride or ego. Instead, my writings will be made for/about others. I think it's about time I left my throne and wrote something worthwhile. What do you think?


Also the title of my EP will be...

disclosed in my next post! 

(Sorry to keep you waiting, but I don't want to run out of blog material too quickly.)

Peace out, bro

-Andy

The Future of Shitty Music!

Hey everybody,


You're probably wondering who I am or what to expect in my upcoming posts.
Well I'm a hardcore mathlete/science nerd extraordinaire from Dallas, Texas. Although I enjoy math and science, I've always held a particular passion for music. I fell in love with the idea of being a musician when I was 11 and have been playing for a little over 6 years.

I have held several musical side projects and been in several bands, the most successful of which is the notoriously sexy White Girl Rap group Rin Tin Tin (Our Facebook.) You should check Rin Tin Tin out if you haven't yet. We're worth the listen (although our live shows are in a completely different category.)

However, stylistic differences between Rin Tin Tin's funky phresh groove and my natural songwriting tendencies tend to prevent me from composing additions to Rin Tin Tin's library of hit tunes.

I have been in other bands, such as my current side project Creature Comforts, that allow me to express my musicality much more freely. However, I recently decided to try my hand at a solo career, that is, writing, arranging, performing, recording, and releasing music solely of my own accord. This idea has been met with encouragement from many of my friends as well as members of my several bands (so don't expect a falling out to occur.)

This blog will track the progress and development of my future solo debut, the title of which will be disclosed in my next post (in addition to a preview of my solo work.)
I could post it now, but where's the fun in that?

I hope you like it.



Love,
Andy