Reflections of my recent album recording and release

Here's some thoughts and reflections and stuff from when I was struggling to make and release "Young & New vol. 1: I Won't Fall Down."  

After a lonely demo-recording-winter of 2011, I thought I was going to invent a new band called Young & New.  But destiny came-a-calling and I found myself more bound than ever to my brothers from other mothers, Shane Smith and Alex Shepherd.  We had some long heart-to-heart conversations, played some tunes, and decided to take a huge plunge.  We brought on Ryan Smith as bassist, and made the Windsor Oaks Band the main project in all our lives.  So I was halfway through recording the "I Won't Fall Down" concept-EP, and I had to make a HUGE decision: EITHER keep fighting to make Young & New a real band AND be a part of the Windsor Oaks Band to the best of my ability; OR ditch the Young & New idea and call these recordings by their real name--a solo album (with the help of some of the most amazing musicians I have the pleasure of knowing).  I STILL LOVE the concept of the Young & New idea....the refreshing sound of new musicians playing together, the idea that we can all be young forever...So over the next few years, when I can find some time in my soon-to-be-pretty-crazy-Windsor-Oaks-schedule, I will put out a few more (at least 2 more) Young & New concept volumes (I think the next one is gonna be called "PARTY" and have a cool selection of feel-good songs...I'll keep you posted). You'll notice when you check out these 10 tracks, that there's a common theme to the message of all the songs: I WON'T FALL DOWN.  I wrote these songs, and fell in love with these two cover songs, in the wake of some pretty stressful events in my life.  The lyrics and messages just speak to what I have been going through over the last year or so. And being in this music business has been an uber-struggle, but I promise I'm going to be trying to make something of me and my music (and our music) until the day I breathe my last breath.  I know this album may seem a bit repetitive to you, but it's in line with this crazy concept-EP idea that I cannot get out of my head.  I hope that one of these songs speaks to you in whatever you're going through in your life.

Watch the MUSIC VIDEO for "I Won't Fall Down" on YouTube:

http://youtu.be/Cid6rYrLAQM

If you're on Pintrest, I'll be keeping a board of stuff pertaining to this album at:
http://pinterest.com/brandondidit/young-new-vol-1-i-won-t-fall-down/

DIGITAL LINER NOTES:

http://brandonscottmclean.com/iwontfalldown

Right now, I'm up in Port Jefferson, New York (on Long Island) sitting on a couch in the most amazing recording studio I have ever been in.  We're wrapping up things in our 4th and last week of making a brand new Windsor Oaks Band full-length album TAKE A CHANCE (due out March 2013).  Things are going great.  Check out my YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/brandonscottmcleantv to see all kinds of video evidence of the crazy stuff we've been up to!

Next time I write I got some big news about what we're gonna do with our spring and summer...

Happy Holidays,
and Thanks a Million,
Brandon Scott McLean

Album Release Turkey Weekend / Watch My Video on YouTube!

Happy Thanksgiving! 
I sure have a LOT to be thankful for this year!  Someday I will invite you over for turkey, not kidding... As a huge thanks for supporting me in my plight I'm offering the download of the single "I Won't Fall Down" all Thanksgiving weekend for all those who view the brand new music video at LINK. The link to the download of the FREE MP3 will appear in the comments of the video from Thursday to Sunday, all weekend. :)

LINK TO VIDEO: http://youtu.be/Cid6rYrLAQM

Thanks for all those who have sup

ported my fundraiser thing athttp://www.indiegogo.com/iwontfalldown

If you like the video and free Mp3 download, you can grab the rest of the album at http://www.cdbaby.com/brandonscottmclean4

If you like the video, please SHARE it with your friends and click LIKE on YouTube and/or Facebook. 

Thank you to everyone who was involved in making the video, especially Rob Underhill. Check out his other stuff at http://www.robunderhill.com/

Enjoy your turkey weekend,
Brandon

What gets youuuuuu in the Halloween SPIRIT?

Happy Halloween!!!

Windsor Oaks Band here and we have a special Halloween pumpkin carving video for you. My dear friend Michelle brought a pumpkin down from New Jersey (she's alright after FrankenStorm)....We decided to carve it up and share it with you. Hope you have as much fun watching this as we did taping it! And a HUGE Thanks to Pete for letting us film this at his house.

here's the link: http://youtu.be/l0D1elpz8-4

Adios,
Spookily,
Scarily,
Brandon Scott McLean

A BIG "Thank you" and... the two best bands I bet you've probably never seen live

Thank you thank you thank you :)

I think this year I got an unprecedented record number of  “Happy Birthday" posts on my my facebook timeline, and I got a lot of a handful of birthday support to the Indie GoGo Project. :) I have such amazing friends and family and I feel so lucky. Thank you.

This week I saw two huge bands, Lucero and Passion Pit.  and I gotta say I was absolutely blown away by both bands.  And the dudes in Passion Pit were all so cool and met us after and stuff too... I wanna thank my friend Katie Jones for bringing me to see Passion Pit on a last minute ticket.

I've decided to put the new album out as a solo album called Young & New vol. 1: I Won't Fall Down, but I'll explain more about that later...

Well, have a good weekend...I'm off to go to play acoustic style Napper Tandy's in Raleigh with my friends Shane and Alex - The Windsor Oaks Band.  Tomorrow I got a solo gig at the Well in Raleigh--first solo gig in a while...kinda got the jitters. lol

Still ain't too proud to beg, 

Brandon Scott McLean

Spotlight: The Windsor Oaks Band

Formerly Cougar Magnum, The Windsor Oaks Band has carried the musical torch since 2006.  We got a bunch of new songs, and getting ready to go up to NY to record some of them.  Here's one Shane wrote called TOUCH THE SKY, from our early 2012 performance at Deep South in Raleigh:

We had the whole WOB come into Bongo's studio background vocals for a few of the songs on our Young & New album including "I Won't Fall Down" and one I'm really excited about, "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley.

We got lucky that Ryan Smith was in town for some other reasons (because he actually lives in CT) and Alex Shepherd was able to get out of work to come sing their hearts out for this project for a few minutes.
Check out the Windsor Oaks Band at www.thewindsoroaksband.com and follow on twitter at @WindsorOaksBand.


All the best,
Brandon Scott McLean

Young & New Engineer/Producer Spotlight: Bongo John

Well, today Shane and I have joined together with some friends to leave for a short cruise from Florida to the Bahamas, so that I can compete in the semi-final round of a karaoke contest in the eventual hopes of winning $10,000 and maybe even $250,000.  (My song is "Friends in Low Places" and you can see my earlier victorious performance at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej4NI8fEgck hahaha) Anyway, while I go gamble on a song in the middle of the ocean, I can't help myself but tell you about someone very special to our whole Young & New recording project:

I want to tell you about the amazing man who helped us get this whole project off the ground...

“Bongo John” John Metcalf is one of Raleigh’s greatest human beings and best musicians.  He has a notable reputation in central NC for his skills as a drummer, percussionist, keyboardist, songwriter, and recording engineer.  Most of his formative years were spent recording noises and experimenting with sound recordings, which eventually led to his position as a recording engineer at Studio 313 in Morrisville, NC, where he has worked for over four years.  With extensive experience with ProTools, Logic, and Sonar recording software platforms, and an eclectic taste in song-writing, he has managed to work with several styles/genres of music, such as rock, jam-band, funk, pop, reggae, folk, jazz, blues, drum-n-bass, electronica, world beat and classical. In his 15+ years living in the Raleigh area, he has recorded/performed with many artists, including Yo Mamma's Big Fat Booty Band,  Rubber Gypsy, Jason Adamo, Zegg, Miles Partridge & The Hipslack, Rebecca Lynne, Triplicity, The Monika Jaymes Band, The Finger Puppets, Ascella Vega, Montage, Jordan Okrend, Cammie Ward, and Triple Fret.  He has a few solo albums, a comedy album, a piano instrumental album, and a series of drums and percussion lessons called The Bongo Method. 

You have got to check out this super quirky music video he made for one of my favorite Bongo songs, "Doomsday Romance":

Check out his website at http://www.bongojohn.net and drop him a line to say hello.  If you ever need a drummer or percussionist for a project, a recording engineer or a studio, or even just a great friend full of laughter, don’t hesitate to contact him.

The more money we raise with our IndieGoGo campaign, the more likely we’ll be able to work with a badass like Bongo John again.  You can get a limited edition copy of our upcoming CD for a contribution of just $30, or you can just throw us a buck and smile knowing you helped us out big time. :) http://igg.me/p/204091?a=1024370

Love,
Brandon and Shane
Young and New

Cool video of me and Shane and Bongo John - shredding guitar solos

Hey, Shane and I are getting on a cruise ship this week for 2 nights so I can participate in a karaoke contest to hopefully win some extra cash to fund this project.  Now I know what you're thinking, "How can these clowns afford to go on a cruise when they're trying to raise money for an album?"  Well to answer your question...this CRUISE is FREE because I won the last karaoke contest on the last boat I was on....pretty sweet huh?  And we played a couple shows in the last couple nights to be able to afford to get down ton FL, and we plan on finding a "lettuce gig" somewhere in the next 48 hours to help recoup some of our bar tab! (Translate: 'Let Us Play a Gig Here.')

For our album, we did a cover of "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley.  So I felt it appropriate to share a little video I made with the footage of the first and only take of our trading guitar solos in the song.  Bob Marley....cruise ship....island....get it?


[Don't see the video above? Here's the link: http://youtu.be/9gsIiQrPzNs]

There's a chance I could win a bunch of money on this boat, but I'm not getting my hopes up.  No matter what it's going to be a super fun time.  This is some more info about the karaoke contest I'm part of: http://www.idolcelebration.com/

Bon voyage,
Brandon and Shane
Young & New

Song Spotlight: “I’m Alive” by Brandon Scott McLean

Hi,

Two of the songs on our brand new album are actually cover songs.  There are a few reasons for this, but mainly because our versions have been turning heads in bars for quite some time and I believe in these songs so much that I just had to get them out of my head. 

One of the songs we covered is called “I’m Alive.”  This song is co-written and recorded by the country singer Kenny Chesney.  He wrote the song with Dean Dillon and Mark Tamburino, and it was first recorded by Willie Nelson on his album Moment of Forever, which Chesney also produced.   Chesney himself later recorded it (as a duet with Dave Matthews) on the 2008 album Lucky Old Sun.  This version later appeared on his 2009 Greatest Hits II album, from which it was released to radio in August 2009.

Hear Dave and Kenny’s version (and see the official video) here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLgLfD3wElQ

The song has gotten some pretty seriously mixed reviews.  Seems reviewers like the song but haven’t really liked a version of it that has come out….(and frankly, I’ve felt the same way for a couple years now.) 

CM Wilcox of The 9513 gave it a thumbs-down review, and said that the song had "somewhat ambitious" lyrics, made note of Matthews' vocal performance, but said that Chesney sounded like a "workaday singer" and that the duet did not have a sense of interplay between the two vocalists.  The Washington Post said, "The song is supposed to be an anthem about strength and survival and soldiering on…Yet it sounds more like a weary wish than a declaration,” and the Hartford Courant said that it "may be the plainest thing Matthews has ever done."

I feel the same way.  I think the lyrics are so powerful and intense, but the song was so lagging and dreary….UNTIL NOW…check out my version:

Despite all the bad reviews of Dave and Kenny's version, the song reached #6 on the Country Charts, and #32 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2009.  I think our song has a chance of making some waves, since so many people already know and love the tune but haven’t heard anything like this.  Do you agree?

Thanks for listening, and thanks for your on going support...you can share it on facebook, twitter, or show your grandma!

Love,
Brandon Scott McLean

Can’t Contribute? Please spread the word?

Two weeks into our fundraiser, we've raised over $1200!!  Thank you SO MUCH for the support, and we can't wait to share all this new music with you.

If you’re as broke as we are, it’s gonna be hard for you to make a financial contribution to this thing.  BUT, if you believe in us and our music, would you consider helping us spread the word about it?

IndieGoGo provides each campaign with a set of “Share Tools” to help you spread the word about our project.  The Share Tools are located in the box right below your Pitch video at http://www.indiegogo.com/iwontfalldown.  

We’re learning that money does not just show up out of nowhere, but it requires a good and consistent outreach—sharing it with friends, friends of friends, family and fans.  How you can help:

Check out the Share Tools at http://igg.me/p/204091?a=1024370

YOU CAN:
-Copy the campaign URL and paste it into an email or social media update
-Click on the Facebook, Google Plus or Twitter icons to share through your social media networks
-Add a widget to your blog or personal website. Click Embed and then copy and paste the widget code. 

CLICK ON THIS LINK to increase our GoGo Factor to increase the odds that strangers will come across it and help us: http://igg.me/p/204091?a=1024370

Thank you so much for your support and your help.  We cannot do it without you.  

Love,

Brandon and Shane :)

You want to hear what we've been working on?

So you've been hearing and seeing us rave about this new project....but you're still in the dark about the whole thing.  So why not check out some early mixes?

There should be an orange play button in a SOUNDCLOUD widget just below this...but if not you can click on http://soundcloud.com/youngandnew/i-wont-fall-down-album-preview

For those of you (like me) who prefer a video with something to look at, I put together a slide show with some pictures from the sessions and this summer in a YouTube video:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to8AGtnqRk4

If you like what you're hearing, I want to let you know that the album comes out on Thanksgiving 2012, and we're doing a crowd-funding thing, trying to raise some money to cover some of the expenses for the project...basically like PRE-ORDERING our album....please check it out? http://igg.me/p/204091?a=1024370 

http://www.indiegogo.com/IWONTFALLDOWN

Glad to share this stuff with you,
Brandon and Shane

Young & New Musician Spotlight: Autumn Rose Brand

Hello, 

Like we said in one of the last emails, there’s a plethora of amazing musicians and singers on this album.  And that is especially true of Autumn Rose Brand.  She came into Bongo’s studio on 3 days notice and busted out some AMAZING violin parts and some PERFECT background Vocals. 

Here’s some video of Autumn working with us on the I Won’t Fall Down EP on the song "Take Me Away From this Show (to the River"):

Autumn originally hails from the state of Washington, but now resides in Raleigh and plays in a really amazing folk-rock arrangement called Saints Apollo.  Autumn has a couple gigs coming up in Durham and Carrboro.   You can check her out on Saturday, September 22 at the Motorco Music Hall in Durham; and then the next week on Sunday September 30 at the The Station in Carrboro, NC

They’re a really cool mix up of violin, cello, keys, acoustic guitar, and drums that has been described as “unparalleled” by Oak City Livin.  See here:

 

On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgiACWTRJS4
Twitter: @SaintsApollo
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Saintsapollo
their site: http://www.saintsapollo.com/

Your contribution at http://igg.me/p/204091?a=1024370, our IndieGoGo album fundraiser, will ensure that we can keep working with Autumn and other amazing musicians in the future.  Please consider helping us out so we can pour Autumn’s violin and her amazing vocals into your ears when our album comes out on Novermber 22, Thanksgiving Day :)

Love,
Brandon and Shane

VIDEO TEAM Spotlight: Rob Underhill and Aravind Ragupathi

We hired an AMAZING video team to make our music video for the title track of our brand new album, “I Won’t Fall Down.”

Rob and Aravind have worked together on several independent films, and they are really making some waves. 

Their recent work includes the new feature film, DAR HE: The Lynching of Emmett Till (2012)—www.DarHeMovie.com—winner of 6 Best Film awards. 

The two films “Empty Space” (2009) and “Wolf Call” (2010): winners of 24 festival awards and 9 nominations. “Wolf Call” also was nominated for a 2012 Black Reel Award for Outstanding Short Film—www.WolfCallMovie.com. They’ve just completed the new Sci-fi/disaster genre film, The Carrington Event—www.TheCarringtonEvent.com
Check them out on the news!

Director/producer -  Rob Underhill—www.RobUnderhill.com

Cinematographer/producer, Aravind Ragupathi—www.AravindDP.org

VIDEO INFO:  Are you in Raleigh?  Want to come be in the video?  Are you available on Sunday, September 16^th?  See details at http://www.youngandnew.com/musicvideo or check it out on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/events/304752956290322/

Please check them out, and you can see our IndieGoGo promotional video that they made for us at http://igg.me/p/204091?a=1024370

Hope to see you soon,
Brandon Scott McLean

Who Won’t Fall Down? – Cast of Characters in this Project

Hi,

As you may already know, we are wrapping up recording our debut Young & New album, I Won’t Fall Down.  In the last message, we told you that it’s a really exciting project featuring  tons of great talent from all over the east coast.  So…who are all these people, you ask?

Here's a list of all the great people who have helped us create this amazing piece of sonic and visual art:

Guitar/Vocals/Producing/Mixing: Shane Smith (Windsor OaksBand / Cougar Magnum)
Guitar/Vocals/Producing/Mixing: Brandon Scott McLean (Windsor Oaks Band / Cougar Magnum)
Drums: Chad Campbell (JDC Funk Project)
Bass: John Federal (JDC Funk Project / Cougar Magnum)
Violin/Vocals: Autumn Brand (Apollo Saints)
Saxophone: Elliot Wernlund (The Balance)Synthesizers: Adam Nash (Igor's Egg/Codename)
Keyboards: Adam Pitts (Pseudo Cowboys)
Background Vocals: Bongo John, Jim Schaeffer, Diana Sedito, Ryan Smith (WOB), Alex Shepherd (WOB)
Engineering/Producing: Bongo John
Mixing: Dick Hodgin at Osceola Studios (Hootie and the Blowfish, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Clay Aiken)
Mixing: Mike Garrigan at Two Egrets Media & Recording (Young Cardinals)
Music Video Production: Rob Underhill - Wake Drama; Aravind Ragupathi - ZoningMedia, 

Cover Artwork: Zeke DiBiaso

(NOTE: this is not the official artowork....I made this on an iPad for fun)

I think we put together the perfect studio band, and we spent the last few months recording what we our best album to date.  We think it sounds BEYOND AMAZING….it features Saxophone, Violin, SYNTHESIZERS, a whole crew of male and female background vocalists, heartwarming acoustic sunshine, shredding electric guitars, and the TIGHTEST BASS AND DRUM rhythm section we could have ever imagined, which all together is sure to make your ears smile and your booty shake.  We expect HUGE and MONUMENTAL giant things to happen when this album and video come out on Thanksgiving Day 2012!  Will you help us make it a reality?  You can help with as little as a buck! http://www.indiegogo.com/iwontfalldown

Album Progress, Exciting News, and How You Can Help...

Hello, Today I’m writing to share a little bit of exciting news, and to ask for your help.  As you may already know, we are wrapping up recording our debut Young & New album, I Won’t Fall Down.  It’s a really exciting project that features tons of great talent from all over the east coast.  We originally hired “Bongo John” to help us track this album with us, and we felt so good with him that we had him mix "Three Little Birds" all the way to the end!  We got help from other producers and mixers in the area, including Dick Hodgin at Osceola Studios in Raleigh NC, and Mike Garrigan at TwoEgrets Studio in Greensboro NC.  The only thing with this strategy is that it increased the cost of this recording project, so now we have to pay for it.  We got some amazing sounding material, but some pretty hefty credit card bills to pay because of it. 

Are you familiar with CROWD-FUNDING?  The current state of the music industry is changing very fast, and there’s a NEW STANDARD for indie bands and artists like us.  Sites like Kickstarter, Feed the Muse, and IndieGoGo.com make it easy for musicians and artists to raise money for their art projects, albums, movies, and books and stuff.  For the first time in history, artists are relying on direct help from friends, family, and fans to see their art projects come to life.  We need your help to finish this project. 

So the other day, we started a campaign at IndieGoGo.com to raise the $8500 total that we need to finish the recording, film the music video for the title track, and promote it to the masses.  In exchange for contributing, you can get all kinds of prizes and perks in return when we finish our project, ranging from exclusive CDs, apparel, posters, and even a tennis lesson from Shane!

We know times are tough.  But would you consider helping us? http://www.indiegogo.com/iwontfalldown

You can contribute with as little as ONE DOLLAR, and you can use PayPal or any credit card on IndieGoGo’s secure website.  The deadline to raise the funds is October 5, 2012, so you have a little time to check it out and think it over and see how much you can help us out, if at all.  (Oct. 5 is my birthday, so even if you throw us a birthday buck, that will help out a lot!) Over the next few weeks we’ll send you some updates about how the production and the campaign is going, as well as introduce you to a few of the main people involved in this project.

Thanks for being a part of our musical lives, and we love you whether you contribute to our campaign or not.  
We have 41 days to go…

All the best,
Brandon Scott McLean
YOU CAN HELP NOW: http://igg.me/p/204091?a=1024370

Hello and Happy Summer!

We just wanted to drop you a line with a few quick updates, including some stuff about our new album "I Won't Fall Down," some music video shoots, Brandon's photo project and debut TV pilot role, and Shane's skills on the slow-pitch softball pitcher's mound.

"I Won't Fall Down":
Because we want to make our first Young & New album and pro-video as epic as possible, we pushed back the official release of the album and video to Thanksgiving: November 22, 2012.  So while you're munching that turkey and stuffing, expect an email with a link to a crazy music video of us (and maybe you) on rollerskates.  This debut Young & New album features a lot of amazing musicians from Raleigh bands, and some northerners too.  We'll disclose who's finishing up the mixing and who's doing our music video very soon.....prepare to be amazed!

Music Videos:
Can you rollerskate?  Along with the theme of "I Won't Fall Down," we will make a ONE-TAKE MUSIC VIDEO at a roller rink in Raleigh, NC.  Tentatively, it will happen on Sunday, September 16, 2012.  We need as many people to be involved as possible, so ALL ARE INVITED.  More details to come.

This Friday we are also shooting a LIVE ACOUSTIC VIDEO for one of the world's favorite songs THIS FRIDAY in Raleigh.  Yeah, it's a Bob Marley song, so we can say that. We will send out a separate email to Raleigh friends, fans, and family later on tomorrow :) 

brandonwithshades.tumblr.com:
Brandon is doing a photo project in an attempt to get 1000 pictures of himself wearing other people's shades, so that someday he can make one of the crazy collage-poster like the one pictured above, maybe for a future album cover or something.  Almost 200 down, 800+ to go!

brandonwithshades.tumblr.com

Brandon Scott McLean cast as "Mike" in the TV pilot for GarageBand:
He plays a slightly silly dude in an aspiring local rock band on a rocky road....shouldn't be that hard to pull off, right?!  Here's some info on that: http://jufilmproduction.com/blog/the-cast-of-garage-band/

Shane the Underhand Wonder:
Shane Smith has once again joined the Namoli's NY Pizza slow pitch softball team, and he's gonna throw some strikes.  That's right, his floater is second to none.  We'll keep you posted on the progress his team makes.  Check out the best pizza in ALL of the Raleigh, NC area here: www.namolisnypizza.com

That's all for now folks.  We don't have a lot of touring left do this summer, except for a few stops on the DelMarVa, Rhode Island, and western Massachusetts.  SEE THE SCHEDULE HERE: www.youngandnew.com/shows

All the best,
Brandon and Shane
Young & New

Memorial Day Newsletter and Summer TOUR Announcement

Hello!  Happy Memorial Day!  I hope your long weekend is filled with hammocks, grills, and grinning!  I have a bunch of  announcements for you...a whole bunch of great things happening in the Windsor Oaks and Young and New camp including our summer travel and tour plans, some recording dates for a October 5th release, some exciting music licensing stuff, and my  cable TV acting debut! 


Summer Travels and Peaceful Picnics Acoustic Tour
So I am getting older.  And I know this because some of my dear friends have begun to get married.  Since I reside so far from my native homeland of Rhode Island, attending these weddings will be some serious mileage.  So instead of just traveling up north for only the wedding festivities, we decided to make a bit of a Summer Acoustic Tour out of it.  We or I will play lots of smaller bars, coffeeshops, and living rooms up and down the east coast from North Caroloina to Massachusetts.  I'm so excited to attend these marriages of some of my dearest friends, and I am even lucky enough to be a best man in one of them, for someone who really is the best man, if you ask me! See the full schedule, as of right now, HERE:  http://youngandnew.com/shows

No More Big Green Van!
This is my/our 5th summer on the road, and this is the last time we will do it for a while.  We downsized our vehicle from the familiar "big green van" and swapped it out for a 1998 Saturn Wagon.  For a good part of the summer it will be only Shane Smith and I out on the road, and some of these summer shows will be me solo.  With some luck, we will get some help from the  Windsor Oaks and Young & New crew when within range.  We are striving to add more house concerts and backyard-style cook outs to our schedule.  And if you take a look at our calender and realize you can and want to host a party or event, then check out what our musical compadres The Whiskey Boys and Brian Vander Ark (the Verve Pipe) have been up to....http://www.whiskeyboys.com/book-the-boys/house-concert-faq/ 

Recording News
Alex has been busy writing up a storm for some new Windsor Oaks songs, and I have been busy lining up a studio to get some recordings of some of my solo and Young & New stuff.  Some of the recordings will feature Chad Campbell on drums and John Federal on bass, courtesy of the JDC Funk Project.  Demos on SoundCloud HERE: http://soundcloud.com/brandonscottmclean  I will put out an EP of new music on October 5th, 2012.  My birthday.  Windsor Oaks is still narrowing down the release date, and we will keep you posted.


"I'm So Lucky Today" Got LICENSED in a movie!
Cindy Hsieh, an aspiring film graduate in Greensboro, NC made a movie called "Degrees of Lucky" and used my song, "I'm So Lucky Today" as the ending credits song.  She will submit this movie to lots of regional film festivals and stuff, and I feel very honored that she used my song in her movie!  I also appeared in the movie as an extra, as a runner in the park!  Hear the song on SoundCloud HERE: http://soundcloud.com/brandonscottmclean.  Learn more about her film project at http://filmstudies.uncc.edu/.

Angel Dolphin Scholarship Winner Chosen
We got over 70 applicants for the 2012 Angel Dolphin Scholarship award!  And after legitimizing the Scholarship into a legit entity with a selection committee of 5 close friends and family members, we have chosen a winner!  We have not yet notified the winner and made the official announcement, but expect more news about that soon with the winner's artwork to be featured on our site shortly thereafter.  Learn more about the Angel Dolphin Scholarship HERE: www.angeldolphinscholarship.org 

One Last Thing:
THANK YOU for being part of this musical community.  I cannot wait to see you this summer or in the future.  


Much peace and love,
Brandon Scott McLean

Weezer: The Blue Album (what I think about the Blue Album and how it changed my life)

 Weezer: The Blue Album
(what I think about the Blue Album and how it changed my life)


“Brandon, please turn that down. He sounds like he’s dying....” is what my mom said the first time she spoke that evening in her white Chrysler Sebring coupe when she just couldn’t take any more of Rivers Cuomo singing “In the garage I feel safe, no one cares about my ways...”   And I, as a young student of music, disagreed this time, whole-heartedly, with her all too often 90’s rock lead singer critique: “He sounds like he’s dying.”  I say disagreed this time, because there were actually countless times that I have agreed with her (although I dug the tune anyway) that yes, sometimes they did sound like they were “dying.”  Kurt Cobain’s “hello hello hello hello" in "Smells Like Teen Spirit” I can see, and maybe some Layne Staley (Alice in Chains) or Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam), whining and moaning, respectively.  But Rivers?  Hell no. Rivers does not and did not sound like he is “dying!”  I wanted to scream out, “Mom! The meticulous harmonies...the short and sweet well written guitar solos...motown-worthy catchy hooks and phrases....how you gonna say it sounds like he’s dying?!”  But I didn’t.   I just let her take my favorite blue CD out of her built-in CD player and endured one of her favorite blues bands, Roomful of Blues crank out a few songs in a row in typical 12 bar, one-four-five fashion.  I remember thinking how it sounded so plainfully noisy and showy-boring compared to anything offered by the artful perfect plain-ness of the choices made by drummer, Patrick Wilson, on track 5, “Undone - The Sweater Song.”


That happened in probably 1997 or 1998, when I was middle school, probably still playing in Planet Penguin or Wound Up.  Since then, I’ve been in a couple bands who have all independently agreed it would be an excellent idea to actually cover the entire Blue Album, and maybe even do it under a pseudonym (Teezer, or Teezer Blue), but it’s never actually come to fruition.  I think it’s mostly a crazy dream of mine, but I hope it still happens someday.   As a result, I have listened to that 30-something minute epic tape, CD, and digital files (I would bet) over 569 times.   There was a time in my life where it would stay in my little green truck’s tape player for 4 or 5 weeks at a time while I analyzed it.....front speakers, back speakers, right speaker, left left speaker, right, both, left, rewind, play, rewind, play.....listening to this note or that, counting repetitions, counting choruses, counting beats.  You’d be surprised in the layers and voices and guitar tones you can pick out if you look for them.  Weezer’s blue album is quite possibly one of the best albums I have ever heard in my life.  To be honest, I have not actually gotten into any other Weezer album like I have this one.  Sure, I like tons of selections from the host of all the other albums, but I don’t think I have ever owned a copy of any one of them.   Not even Pinkerton!...which I probably know 70% of the lyrics from every single song I know of from it.   Now that I type this I have decided I would like to get my hands on a copy of Pinkerton, and listen to it a few times in a row and see if I can get into it even half as much as I fell for the Blue Album. 







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My name is Brandon Scott McLean. I am a lover of music first, and a maker of music second. Feel free to check out my "solo stuff" and download a FREE TRACK.


I am not a music critic, no one cares what I think or type and nor should you. Read at your own risk and take everything I say with a grain of salt....