I spoke with Custom today. Custom is a great guy who has had a few bad breaks over the past few years trying to get his music back on store shelves. His 2002 release Fast is solid.
It sounds like I might be able to make a very cool Custom announcement soon. That's all I can really write on the subject right now. I'm pretty close to his new tracks, having had a lot of them for three years now, so he asked me to rank the pure-Custom tracks as he prunes them down for his next release. Here's what I sent him.
I got the latest issue of Rolling Stone last week, but I'm only getting a chance to read it now. There's an interesting article about how January 2007 was the worst week for CD sales in SoundScan history. The Dreamgirls Soundtrack led the way by moving 66,355 units which would have placed it in twentieth place ten years ago when No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom shipped 250,842 units in a notoriously slow month for CD sales.
I'm sure digital music sales will offset this 67% decline over the past decade, but I'm positive digital sales aren't making up the difference. In 1997, if you wanted an album or a song, you bought it. The technically savvy might burn the disc from a friend, as we did in the previous decade when we dubbed cassette tapes, but most of us shelled out $20 for the CD. It's hard out there for a musician, especially those in the large tier beneath the likes of Justin Timberlake and Norah Jones. That has me thinking about my pal Custom.
Custom had a big hit back in 2002 with Hey Mister and he released an album called Fast. I actually heard Hey Mister this morning on CFNY Edge 102. Back in January 2005 I became fast friends with Custom after he came across our SLS discussion about Hey Mister. All my Custom-related entries are here if you want to catch up. Long story short, I started doing web work for him and I've had access to all of his unreleased material since Fast.
Custom's material is good. Actually, it's really good. Since his label died in 2004 he's been looking for a new deal, but here we are in 2007 and the follow-up album we were hoping to hear two years ago is still stuck in limbo. P2P networks are giving artists more exposure, but is it reducing the bottom line to a point where great new material is suppressed? And if it is, how much great stuff is out there that we haven't heard?
In Tragically Dipping I noted the clear and dramatic drop in album sales for the Hip since Fully Completely. The Hip make their money these days touring, but they're touring behind a wealth of material and for a devoted fan base. How does an artist like Custom build his catalogue and fan base in this era to a point where he too can make a comfortable living touring?
I remember buying many new CDs a month in the early to mid-nineties. I'll be the first to admit this isn't happening any more. Is anyone out there still buying music or are we all "borrowing" new tunes and sharing the love gratis?
If you want more doom and gloom, here's a very cool video for an unreleased Custom song, USA.
Only six days ago I went off on MySpace. I believe I called them facist bastards and worse. They cancelled my myspace.com/teamcustom account without indicating why or giving me a chance to appeal. I was pissed.
Custom and I chatted about it that night and he, like many in the biz, knew somebody. This somebody knew somebody on the inside, and in less than a week not only was the account reactivated with the old friends and comments but we were given the URI we always coveted, myspace.com/custom. I'm guessing they just turfed the guy who's had it forever. That, my friends, is rock n' roll.
To recap, I went from cursing the SOBs out to appreciating their help in less than a week. We went from nothing and no chance of anything to what we had and a whole lot more. myspace.com/custom is now live and to celebrate we're sharing two gems from Fast, "Beat Me" and "Hey Mister". Two new tracks will be online soon. Thanks Rupert!
Personally, I hate MySpace. The pages are ugly as sin, the users are perpetual pre-teens completely void of depth and the network is a cesspool of scams, abuse and danger. For these reasons, I don't have a MySpace page, but as the third most visited page on the web, you've got to respect the power MySpace beholds. That's why I created a page for Custom and started streaming his new tunes there last year.
I checked email tonight after a game of Trivial Pursuit in the backyard and I found this gem sitting in my inbox from hjyn___hjynxffw.rfh@message.myspace.com.
Hello,
MySpace has deleted your profile because we received a credible complaint of your violation of the MySpace Terms of Services.
Prohibited activity includes, but is not limited to:
-Any automated use of the system, such as using scripts and/or bots to add friends, send messages, etc.
-For band and filmmaker profiles, MySpace prohibits sexually suggestive imagery or any other unfair, misleading or deceptive content intended to draw traffic to the profile.
-MySpace also investigates credible complaints of copyright/trademark infringement and will delete any materials that infringe upon the intellectual property rights of third parties.
For a more thorough list of prohibited content/activity, please refer to the MySpace Terms of Service located at the bottom of MySpace.com.
If we delete your account, it cannot be reinstated.
Thank you,
MySpace.com
At first, I thought it was a piece of spam. Just in case there was some weight to it, I tabbed over to http://www.myspace.com/teamcustom where I was greeted with a cold "The account has been deleted" message. This was the real deal. Everything was wiped away, the hundreds of friends, the comments, the emails... it was as if it had never happened. The was no opportunity to appeal, nowhere to turn, no chance of getting the old account back... the account was gone for good.
We never used an illegal script or bot, Custom owns the copyright to the tunes we shared and, in my opinion, nothing on the page was overtly sexual except a few of the lyrics to "Hey Mister", which we only added eleven days ago. Check out the lyrics to "Hey Mister". Did someone complain about the F-bomb in that song? Would someone on MySpace really be offended by that? What else could it be?
I created a new account and secured that same URI, so http://www.myspace.com/teamcustom is back but we're starting from scratch. Damn MySpace and their fascist policies without recourse. To kick off the second go round for Custom's MySpace page, we're sharing one song. Wanna guess which one?
Ever since I started Custom's MySpace page we've stuck to sharing new, unreleased tunes. People seem to dig the new stuff, but requests for one older song have been flooding in ever since. Today, we decided to give the people what they want.
Now streaming at http://www.myspace.com/teamcustom is Custom's one and only hit thus far, "Hey Mister". Even if you haven't heard of Custom, you've probably heard this tune and might enjoy hearing it again. As someone who maintains Custom's official site and MySpace page, I can vouch for the fact "Hey Mister" continues to be a very popular song that's constantly in demand.
Enjoy "Hey Mister". The people want what the people want.
Over on Custom's MySpace page I've taken down "Fogg" and am now sharing "Beautiful". We've actually shared "Beautiful" before, but people seem to really dig it so it's back by popular demand.
It's been about a year since we re-launched Custom's official site and some felt there was a little too much white space. The clean layout with plenty of white space was actually there by design, web 2.0 and all, but after a year it was probably time to mix things up anyway.
If you head on over to http://www.teamcustom.com now, you won't find any white space. It's back in black, baby. I threw in a few other enhancements to up the sex appeal. The redesign probably isn't finished, but it's well underway.
Don't forget, we're streaming four new Custom songs on his MySpace page and four new CDLX song on this MySpace page. Have a listen and throw your comments in the comments for this entry. There's way more to this guy than "Hey Mister".
When Custom first sent me fourteen new tracks he was working on, I was blown away. What I haven't been able to write about until today is that he also shared with me a bunch of tunes that he was producing, performing and attributing to a side project he called CDLX. CDLX stands for Custom Deluxe and the CDLX tracks were as impressive as the Custom tracks. This multi-talented freak has a shitload of amazing new material that I've been enjoying for the past ten months.
CDLX is more hip-hop than the Custom material, but it's totally wicked. Today I got permission to let this cat out of the bag and I'm streaming four CDLX songs on the CDLX Myspace Music page. Do yourself a favour and click on over there to listen to "Whatever", "Bong Bubble", "Fuck Off" and "Weed" then listen to them again and let me know what you think.
While I was at it, I decided to share four new Custom tunes on Custom's Myspace Music page. I'm now sharing "Fogg", "Field", "Yes, Dear" and "One Day". "One Day" appeared on Custom's debut Fast but this is the UK remix.
If you like what you hear, you'll want to bookmark Custom's official site which I built and maintain. Prepare yourself... you'll be singing "Bong Bubble" for a while.
I blabbed about RSS when I implemented a feed for this blog on September 17. If you want to know more about RSS, here's the Wikipedia page. It's evolution, baby.
Earlier today, I launched an RSS feed for Custom's official web site blog. If want an alert when things start to cook over there, you'll want to add this feed.
"Custom" is a rather popular term on the world wide web. There's custom everything, from tee shirts to software, not to mention customs, which opens an entirely new realm of data. I recently spoke to the people who own the domain custom.com only to learn they wanted a small fortune for it. The term "custom" is extremely important to a wide variety of industries.
I built and maintain the official web site for an extremely talented musician who goes by the name Custom. At one point this past weekend, a Yahoo! search for the term "custom" had that very site ranked #1. Yesterday we were #3 and today we're back to #2. Just ranking in the top three is no small feat and something I'm quite proud of. Our Yahoo! fu is strong.
Our next target is Google, but it's proving to be a little more difficult. The proliferation of "custom" content on the web means we need your help. Lets Google Bomb the hell out of the term "custom" by placing the following snippet of XHTML code on as many web pages as possible: <a href="http://www.teamcustom.com" title="Custom's Official Web Site">Custom</a>
I maintain the official Custom web site and by far the most popular piece of multimedia over there is Custom's "Hey Mister" video. The star of this video is a sweet girl named Caitlin and she was nice enough to agree to an interview. Here it is for your enjoyment.
Q: How did you become the "Hey Mister" girl? A: To make a long story short Custom and I had mutual friends so I started hanging out at the house in Malibu where he was finishing up the album. I had a major crush, but never did anything about it because I thought he liked my friend until after about two weeks he
asked me to do the video. The rest is history.
Q: Even three years later, the "Hey Mister" video remains extremely popular and I have the bandwidth statistics to prove it. I love it because it seems so organic and raw. Did you work from a script, a rough outline or did you just grab a camera and improvise? A: The video originally had a script, a huge budget, special effects and me flying through the air, but then 9/11 happened and Custom didn't feel right making a huge video with all the crazy and more important things going on in the world. So with the help of friends Chris and TJ, two very talented guys, we conceptualized the more raw organic version of Hey Mister. We sort of had a plan, but the video really took on a life of its own and we just started shooting. Three weeks later we had this awesome video which was really the story of us actually going to Vegas being crazy almost getting married, and falling in love.
Q: "Hey Mister" was banned from MTV. According to Custom, their standards and practices people felt you looked prebubescent. What was your reaction to all this controversy? A: It was all absurd. At the time I was 22 years old and a college grad. It was so stupid, me on the beach in my underwear with a tank top on can barely be called provocative, come on, look what's on MTV. Jessica Simpson in the 'Boots" video for "Dukes." Hello!
Q: There's a rumor on the web that the original concept for the "Hey Mister" video was Custom going to The White House and trying to pick up Bush's twin daughters. Is there any truth to this? A: Yes. In cartoon form. The guys who made napster bad metallic good were to do it. After 9/11 it did not seem appropriate to make fun of the president and his family.
Q: Custom's in-home studio, which has been dubbed "120", is a growing legend among Custom fans. He's not reading this, tell us about all the crazy stuff that happens at 120. We won't tell a soul. A: There is way too much crazy stuff that goes on here to tell all. Its basically one big party with tons of friends hanging out all of the time. More than anything though it is a creative haven for all sorts of crazy artists to come do their thing be it music, painting or whatever. There is rarely a dull moment at Hotel 120 as we call it here.
Q: Any chance you'll appear in a future Custom video? Have you had any discussions of this nature? A: Who knows, you will have to ask Custom that one. I would always love to though if he ever offered.
Q: Other than starring in every Custom fan's favorite 3:26 of video, what else have you been up to? A: Lots of stuff but mainly working on my TV show with Custom. Its called MMMgirls, its this crazy cool cooking show with hot girls. Ask Custom to send you the trailer.....
Q: Why haven't you chimed in on the official Custom bulletin board? The username "heymistergirl" is being reserved for you. A: I will have to start won't I.
Q: What music are you listening to these days? A: I have a little bit of everything on my ipod, i listen to a lot of the new Custom stuff, to The Police (my all time favorite), Johnny Cash and Green Day.
Q: Custom is a fellow Canuck. Have you ever been to his home and native land? What do you think of Canada, eh? A: Love Canada!!! I have only been to Montreal one of my favorite cities, and skiing in Mt Tremblant. I think we are planning to visit some friends in Vancouver later this year and I can't wait I have heard great things.
Q: Is there anything else you want to share with the MikeBoon.com faithful? A: All I can say is that the new stuff you guys haven't heard is amazing. This album rocks!! P.S. Because i have the super vip inside track Custom has this amazing side project called CDLX a mix of excellent Custom rock and real cool hip-hop, that will be coming out sooner than later.
I uploaded a bunch of really cool Custom videos so you all could watch them. Ok, I actually uploaded them for visitors to TeamCustom.com, but you can watch them too.
In order to watch these videos, all you need to do is install the Google Video Viewer. Once that little ditty is installed, simply click one of the links below and click "Play whole video".
Custom's video for his new song "USA" is a thought provoking, politically charged video that's garnered some controversy. You can download the .mov file or watch it in Google Videos. It's raw, it's effective and it's real.
On the other side of the spectrum is Dennis Madalone's "America We Stand As One". It's a honkin' slice of American cheese and you can watch the video here.
I strongly recommend watching Custom's "USA" video and Dennis Madalone's "America We Stand As One" video back-to-back or even simultaneously. I can't wait for the Custom - Dennis Madalone duet.
One moment can change your life forever. One seemingly typical event on an otherwise normal night has the power to radically alter your life path and turn the world you thought you knew upside down. This is Madison's story.
Raised by acadmemic parents in Miami, Madison focused on scholarly pursuits. She attended a private school in Boston, graduated from college as a premed student and moved to New York to take a position in the Psychiactric Department at Columbia University. Her days were spent in a neuroscience research lab, studying for her medical school entrance exam and working on extremely high level research projects. Her path in life was clear, or so she thought.
Madison's boyfriend at the time was friends with Custom. One night, one random night like any other night, Madison ended up at Custom's loft where a group of people were hanging out, rapping and singing in his studio. Custom invited Madison to take a turn on the mic. She didn't sing, she had never been recorded, she was going to med school, she didn't sing. She did sing.
Custom put up a beat. Madison sang "Both Hands" by Ani DiFranco. Custom threw up some guitar. This was the moment. One seemingly typical event on an otherwise normal night. Days later, after Custom added a rap that recounted that moment in time and finished the track, Madison heard herself and was reborn. She said goodbye to the deposit she put down on her med school tuition. She said hello to poverty, the life of a starving artist, making ends meet by working many a difficult job. She said goodbye to the life she thought was hers and said hello to her true calling. After a year of writing and playing with a band she formed she signed a publishing deal with Windswept Pacific. Madison is a singer.
I've heard this interpretation of "Both Hands" and it blew me away. The collaboration is as magical as the tale it tells. In her words, "I am forever grateful to Duane for pulling the trigger...shooting the gun...hope is dope". This is Madison's story.
Last month I mentioned we were streaming four new Custom tracks from his upcoming album. Today, I took down those four and threw up four more.
Now streaming on this Myspace page is "Field", "Television", "Beautiful" and "Truth". They're all awesome, so get over there and turn up your speakers. If you care to share, I'm interested in your feedback....good and bad.
While recording his new tracks, Custom produced a side project he calls CDLX. He explains CDLX below.
cdlx was basically while i was making the new custom record. i collaborated with different people who came through the studio and made this other project. some of the elements are:
scooter: my drummer from atlanta who had a record out on sony as a hip hop artist. he plays drums and rhymes on whatever
sasha: a chicano ninja friend of mine who is one of the main rappers
matt: bass player for taking back sunday's who used to be in my band and played on this record and the last
jd: custom's keyboard player
true master: original wu tang member who rhymes on bong bubble
gary dean: remixer/ singer/ multiinstrumentalist did remixes on a lot of the songs so there are actually two versions of everything.
emily: friend of mine, singer song writer who sings on whatever and bong bubble etc.
These tunes are really, really good. We're streaming four CDLX songs on this site so click on over and have a listen, particularly if you're a fan of good hip hop. These be some infectious grooves.
Following Trent's lead, we're streaming four new songs on this Myspace page. Hit that link and you'll see there are four tracks to stream. Turn up the speakers, give them a go and share with me your analysis.
Right now we're sharing "Love Letter", "Catch Me", "Funny How" and "Shoot First". A fifth, "USA", is available in video form on Custom's page, if you're interested.
Q: What do you think of "illegal" music downloads and the lawsuits by the RIAA against music fans in the U.S.? A: i think that guys who host gigantic servers full of music and film to give out for free should be dealt with. this is different than fans sharing songs they love. that is an ancient tradition which is beautiful. from the sixties and seventies when people would gather in dorm rooms to listen to whole new albums together, to mix tapes, to campfire like singalongs. where does one draw the line. hey mister was downloaded millions of times. i'm glad people are enjoying the song, but....
Q: Do you think a new business model will emerge, one in which gives the artist control (and ownership) of the creative product? A: Artist's can and have been able to control their product forever. I don't know why everyone is whining. If you want to make your shit like we all do at your home studio and then put it on the web or burn cds for your friends etc. you can. If you want to be on the radio and mtv and get to people around the world you need someone to spend money for you. that's the record company. in what business does someone do all that for you and not have ownership and control? hopefully there will be new models coming out of this market correction. because fifteen dollar cds are a tough sell at this point.
Q: What are your thoughts about the need for direct communication between artists and their fans? A: i have mixed emotions about this. even as i write answers to your questions here, which i think are important and interesting, i think it's not really my job. my job is to communicate through my recordings and performances. that is the direct communication i am interested in. that is ultimately what it is all about.
Q: Your upcoming album is peppered with politically-charged lyrics. Can you tell us about your opinions and thoughts conveyed in the music? A: i hope they are decoded by the listener as they stand without much further intervention by me.
Q: Do you think it is important for artists to speak out on political and social issues? A: i do. since conventional news media does not seem to relay any news it is important for us at least to raise the awareness to ask the question why? or what is really going on? unfortunately it's a seemingly dangerous thing to do. there is a great deal of actual censorship going on right now and any sort of 'anti-american' sentiment will get squashed quite quickly. even thought it seems very obvious that people should be questioning, questioning itself it seems is considered 'anti american'. it is highly improbable that any band could release a song right now that said 'should we really be at war right now'. the gatekeepers (radio etc) would make short work of that, and that is scary.
Q: When will Smells Like Sour be able to release a preview of your upcoming video? A: usa is being previewed right now. i hope people respond to it.
Q: What are your musical influences? What tunes did you listen to during your formative years and what are you listening to today? A: i've been hearing the new mars volta song frequently lately on the radio in la. i like it alot. i am excited about the new nin record, i hear it is a masterpiece and i have always found trent r to be extremely inspiring. prince the cure pink floyd biggie the clash sex pistols and all the obvious things have inspired me. talk talk laughing stock is a sick record. i don't know. tons of shit.
About a month ago I got the opportunity to preview fourteen unreleased Custom tracks. One of these tunes was called "USA" and was a political rocker calling the USA out on some of their practices.
There's now a video for this tune and it's awesome. Download Custom's video for "USA" and have a listen. The song is great and the video is better.
As a side note, the lyrics for the version in this video are slightly toned down from the version I heard last month. Never underestimate the influence of Dubya's Jesusland.
I threw together the new official web page for Custom. It's now live at it's permanent URI but I don't consider it complete. I want readers of this site to visit it and share with me their honest feedback.
I rarely assign you homework, but that's exactly what I'm doing right now. Visit www.teamcustom.com and tell me what works and what doesn't. I'm more interested in the aesthetics, usability and concepts rather then hearing there's content missing. I know there's content missing.
I wrote earlier this month about how I was corresponding with Custom and how great his new music is. He was nice enough to grant me an interview, and here it is.
Q: Most people know you for your hit single "Hey Mister". That was a few years ago now, when can the people expect to hear some new Custom on the radio? A: in the spring hopefully.
Q: Jazz composer Maria Schneider took home a Grammy last night for her album "Concert in the Garden," without selling a single copy in a record store. She financed the album through an Internet-based music delivery service that opens the financing of production to dedicated fans. Is this the future? A: Potentially. I think it's up to people like you who 'the audience' look to for taste. Tastemakers. If the tastemakers of yore are mtv and radio, can the web and maybe satellite radio fill that space somehow? Here is hoping. Also, Ani DF has done the indie thing with great success for years. It's about the artist's dedication and creativity. We are now responsible to think as much about reaching an audience as we are how to make good music. It's a lot but it seems to be reality. I think the days of letting the label do everything are waning.
Q: Most readers of this site are from the Great White North. Please share with us the details of your Canadian roots. We love CanCon. A: Wild Rose Country. Born and raised in Alberta with stops in Halifax and Vancouver later on to make a movie. I fucking love Canada. I feel especially patriotic even though I am living down here in New York.
Q: Your single "Hey Mister" was selected by the esteemed Smells Like Sour committee for SLS7. Is it fair to state this is your finest achievement to date? A: By far. Think that in ways The MTV awards for film and music to a degree have surpassed the Oscars and Grammys in their legitimacy with the audience. They are more indicative of true public perception about the work. And MTV is a relatively new thing in the broader timeline. Perhaps SLS will be the next step in the evolution of awards.
Q: I consider INXS's "Kick" to be one of the finest pop-rock albums ever. You directed Michael Hutchence in "Limp" just before his tragic death in 1997. What kind of guy was he? Did you notice anything out of the ordinary with Michael in late '97? A: Michael was an amazing guy. He was incredibly dedicated, charismatic, creative, fun to be around and down to earth. He was really a 'rock star'. That may sound like a weird thing to say, but there are lots of famous musicians and then there are 'stars'. He had that. Magnetism. Like even people who didn't know him, would feel something, look up when he entered a room.
Q: Speaking of "Limp", why was it never released and how does one get access to it in order to actually view it? A: Michael passed away shortly after principle photography. That led to a myriad of complications, obviously, that are too vast and complicated to discuss here. There are no plans for release at this point.
Q: What's next for Duane Lavold the filmmaker? A: Something is brewing. I'll let you know.
Q: What's your favourite movie? A: So many. I don't know. The obvious ones: Smokey and the Bandit. No. Scarface, Godfather, Apocalypse, Breakfast Club, Fight Club, Trainspotting... I don't know. I like a lot of movies but don't watch enough. Recently, Lost in Translation. I love Bill Murray and S.C. is a fucking brilliant director to make that beautiful a film from such a simple story. Very difficult. Station Agent. Just watched that scene in Miracle last night, where the coach is making the guys skate lines after losing the game to Russia: Again. Again. Again.... then the player says his name, coach says, "who do you play for?" The United States of America. Wow. Scenes like that kill me. It's a perfect scene. So intense, hard to accomplish. Beautiful. Moments. Like songs, that capture an emotion perfectly. That's what it's all about. What we aspire to do as artists. What a fucking scene.
Q: Is there anything you'd like to share with the MikeBoon.com faithful? A: Yeah, my new music. Maybe we can arrange for a little preview situation. I have a cool video for the song 'USA' maybe we could get up. Something like that.
Custom emailed me 14 MP3s of tunes he's considering for his new album, requesting my honest feedback. I got the MP3s yesterday and began playing them while I worked yesterday and today. Then, I burned them to CD and played them in the car on the way home this afternoon. Then, I played the CD on the living room stereo while we ate our dinner.
Although at first I wasn't sure, I knew there was something special happening when I caught myself singing each song out loud and felt my heart rate increase as it does when I'm hearing tunes I dig. This is an amazing collection of music that I'm just loving. I caught myself enjoying these tracks late this afternoon but couldn't tell if I was listening with rose coloured headphones because I'm getting an exclusive and I've become friends with the artist himself. Because I knew I was tainted with this bias, I actually tried not to love these tunes. I wanted to tell Duane a few of the tunes were duds. I wanted to give him a list of songs he'd best keep on the cutting room floor. I didn't want to be a starf*cker, telling the artist everything he touches is gold when I know it's not.
Instead I'm left totally digging all fourteen songs. I like each one for a different reason and there's not one I'm skipping over at this point. In fact, I'm no longer listening because Duane wants my feedback but because it's already my favourite album of 2005. It's a more mature Custom with some beautiful compositions and thought provoking lyrics. It's a little slower than fans of "Hey Mister" would expect, but it's slightly melancholy nature reminds me of Hayden and Nick Cave with a sprinkle of Hip Hop thrown in the mix.
I haven't yet shared this feedback with Duane but I will shortly. He promised me earlier today to send me a few more files so I'll wait to hear those. If they're as good as the first fourteen I've heard, this could be quite the album.
What a day. I'm only now coming up for air. For all I know Canada is at war with Iceland, the NHL and the NHLPA have reached a deal and Dubya has resigned.
I just checked the news and it doesn't appear any of the above has happened. Between my clean install of XP and a series of meetings I've been out of commission since about 06:30 EST this morning.
When I finally installed all my applications and got back online I had a series of interesting emails awaiting me from Custom. You may recall he and I exchanged emails last month. As promised, Custom has sent me fourteen tracks he's produced in L.A. so I can provide him with my honest feedback. I'm going to do just that. I'm going to play them while I work and tell it like it is. I may just be able to influence what cuts make the album. Here are the titles I'll be hearing:
Goodbye
One Day (UK)
Catch Me
Yes Dear
Beautiful
Field
Love Letter
USA
Fogg
I Believe
Funny How
Shoot First
Television
Truth
I don't understand why more recording artists don't follow Custom's lead and send me the MP3s before their disc is pressed. That's what I'm here for.
Earlier today I mentioned that Custom had left a comment on the SLS page for his hit "Hey Mister", which appeared on SLS7. Although I was fairly certain it was legitimate, I wrote him an email to be certain.
It's the real deal. Custom, or Duane Lavold as he signs his emails, and I exchanged emails throughout the day and it turns out he's a very cool guy. He thought the whole SLS concept was awesome and complimented our taste in tunage. After reading the SLS guide he wrote me the following.
it's really cool what you are doing for music. as the standard bullshit big label thing is crumbling services like yours are going to be more and more important. i think if the audience listens to real music lovers for advice about what to listen to it's a much better source than which label pays the most. let's discuss more later...
What's even cooler is his promise to send me a rough mix or two of the songs he's working on for his new album.
A comment was left early this morning on our SLS page for Custom's "Hey Mister". It appears to be from Custom himself and it appears to be legitimate. Here's what he wrote.
this is custom. i fell apon this site. i live in new york and am from canada. thanks for all the nice comments. my new record is finished and should be coming out in the spring. we are redoing the website and it should be up soon as well. teamcustom.com
He even provided his aol.com (poor guy) email address and I've written him to ensure we're not being duped. The post was made from Austin, Texas and I suspect it's the real deal. It's easy to find our page considering we're #2 in Google when you search custom hey mister.
While listening to tunes earlier today, I realized there are some songs I can no longer sing aloud to. A good example is "Hey Mister" from Custom, a song I liked enough to put on SLS7.
I was singing along with Custom when I heard it today until the closing line he repeats over and over again. "I hope I never have a daughter...I hope I never have a daughter".
It's a good tune so I'll still listen, but I'm done singing along to this one.
I spoke with Custom today. Custom is a great guy who has had a few bad breaks over the past few years trying to get his music back on store shelves. His 2002 release Fast is solid.
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I got the latest issue of Rolling Stone last week, but I'm only getting a chance to read it now. There's an interesting article about how January 2007 was the worst week for CD sales in SoundScan history. The Dreamgirls Soundtrack led the way by moving 66,355 units which would have placed it in twentieth place ten years ago when No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom shipped 250,842 units in a notoriously slow month for CD sales.
Unreleased Custom songs I believe would be hits
Only six days ago 
Over on 
When 
I blabbed about RSS when I implemented a feed for this blog 
"Custom" is a rather popular term on the world wide web. There's custom everything, from tee shirts to software, not to mention customs, which opens an entirely new realm of data. I recently spoke to the people who own the domain custom.com only to learn they wanted a small fortune for it. The term "custom" is extremely important to a wide variety of industries.
I maintain 
I uploaded a bunch of really cool Custom videos so you all could watch them. Ok, I actually uploaded them for visitors to 
One moment can change your life forever. One seemingly typical event on an otherwise normal night has the power to radically alter your life path and turn the world you thought you knew upside down. This is 
I threw together the new official web page for Custom. It's now live at it's permanent URI but I don't consider it complete. I want readers of this site to visit it and 
What a day. I'm only now coming up for air. For all I know Canada is at war with Iceland, the NHL and the NHLPA have reached a deal and Dubya has resigned.
A comment was left early this morning on our