Crypto Musings

Too Big For His Britches

Our very own Director of Marketing, Etan Rosenbloom, fancies himself a bit of a writer.  Perhaps you've read some of his rambling, almost incoherent posts here on this site.  Well, he went and got himself published, and we're darn proud.  Check out his review, and chase it with a listen of your favorite Cryptogramophone release.  Here's to Etan, without whom the world of rock journalism would be a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. OK, I stole that from Hunter.  But you get the point.

Update Central.

It's been all quiet on the Western Front recently. The Noah-style deluge that Los Angeles has been experiencing has dampened the mood, the news about Hunter S. Thompson just made it worse. But in the immortal words of pre-suck Metallica, "time marches on, for whom the bell tolls." And so, here's a rundown of what's happening these days:

--Radio presence for Giant Pin and Like A Dream remains strong. Even a month after radio adds began, the Darek Oles album has cracked the top 50 in the JazzWeek charts, and the Nels Cline Singers disc remains at #7 on the CMJ Jazz charts. Crypto tunes are blaring from car stereos all the way from Walla Walla, WA to Portmousth, NH and all points inbetween.

--I'm genuinely excited about this week's double dose of Cryptonight . I've seen Mark Dresser performing with far less worthy compatriots than pianist Denman Maroney and drummer Mike Sarin, and he still shined like a Vegas marquee. So to get to hear him with players just as stellar as he is will be a massive treat. I wish, I *wish* I was allowed to play you some tracks from the CD they're releasing with us in a few months, which also features vocalist Alexandra Montano. If you are a jaded hipster intellectual, the album will make you fall in love with music all over again. If you are a sensing, feeling, empathic music listener, bring a bib or better yet a lead apron, because you will be either slobbering all over yourself or emitting radiation when you hear it. If you are deaf, I am very, very sorry for you. And of course the same goes for the second Cryptonight concert this Thursday, with Crypto founder Jeff Gauthier and his Goatette. The guy's a great violinist and bandleader, an awesome composer, and he does a pretty nice job at being my boss, too. I'll be taking your money at the door and watching fondly from the sidelines, a lady on my left arm, a beer attached to my right arm, and a heaping plate of pupusas on the table in front of me.

--The storage trailer out behind Crypto headquarters is really, really messy. Our CDs are flying off the shelves, but not in the good way.

Sundries

A few pieces of news:

1) Nels Cline is on the cover of Guitar Player magazine! Writer Barry Cleveland interviews him and generally drools all over the page --the piece starts with the phrase "Nels Cline is a genius" and only gets more laudatory from there. Read the whole article right here. Finally Nels is getting his due.

2) Radio response remains strong for The Giant Pin, with heavy airplay reported by WXYC (Chapel Hill, NC), KWCW (Walla Walla, WA), KGNU (Boulder, CO) and a number of others.

3) We're just gearing up for a big press release for our two April releases, "Your New Old Friend" by LA-based pianist Alan Pasqua (with Peter Erskine and Darek Oles accompanying) and "Cloud Plate" by Alex Cline, GE Stinson, vocalist Kaoru and electric Koto player Miya Masaoka. Keep your eyes out for reviews in the next couple months.