I have been working a lot to get as many distribution points as I can. I am simply amazed how much music distribution has progressed since my last major release. There are so many more outlets! The album will now be distributed not only on iTunes but on AMAZON.COM for mp3 downloads. I have 13 other digital distribution outlets for the album not including ring tones that will be out on most cellular networks. I have been getting a secret thrill every time I find another outlet to distribute. If I could somehow rig my album up to a giant Tesla Coil and have it transmitted into everyone's brain at 12:01 May 27th I would.

Don't worry this is entirely impossible (Tesla Coil's can't do that) but I will if no one buys the album! That is probably my biggest fear is that the album will not sell well.

In other news... I have become obsessed about getting a Nerf gun. Ever since the film work I did a few week backs and seeing them shoot people with them I wanted one. I haven't a clue what I would shoot with it. Maybe line up my zombie action figures and peg them off like I did when I was 14 with a bb gun.

I saw three films this past weekend that were good. How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog. It's a comedy with Kenneth Branagh in it. He is a a playright in LA and befriends a young girl while he is trying to learn how to be a better writer. I also watched a copy of "Cannibal Girls" that came out in 1973. It's a horror movie that is like a B movie but it was done really well. I also watched the made for TV movie "Do you like Hitchcock?" which was written and directed by Dario Argento. It was made for Italian TV which would never air in the US. A lot of the usual Argento film elements were in it like his use of red lighting and his fixation on architectural surroundings in relation to the people within it. I would place the film more in the suspense category than true-horror genre. If you like Argento you would love this film.

The official CD Release event for "Beyond the Blind" will be at Sanctuary in Providence RI on Sunday May 25, 2008. So come on down (or up whichever location you are at) and listen to tracks from the album and possibly win a copy of the album before it comes out on Tuesday May 27th :) or win a t-shirt! Memorial Day will be the next day so no one will have to worry about going to work on Monday.

I will write about it some more as the date gets to be sooner.

Lyrics from the album have been posted here.

The whole steampunk movement is official. There is an article from the NY Times.

Oh OH OH!

I keep reminding myself to write this in here but I keep forgetting. I had this dream a few nights ago about the future of movies, television shows, music, artwork, books, magazine, newspapers...everything media. (and this was probably inspired somewhat from Neal Stephenson's "The Diamond Age") One day there will just be feeds being wired directly to either cell phones or tv sets that are like computers. All media (books, movies, music etc etc) will be supplied by like 3 feeds and everyone will pay a subscription rate for the feed. Single units of things like DVD discs, books, CDs will be obsolete because you literally can have everything created by humanity supplied from "the feed" . Obviously guess who will be the #1 feed provider? GOOGLE . Probably after 2 or 3 other sources and then there would be lesser sources for alternative information. I wouldn't be surprised if it will actually be wired into people's brain. Artists will be paid by these subscription-based feed providers similar to how television shows are done for networks. Mark my words.... that is the future....

album album album. I think I am getting to the point of being hypnotized by my album release. There is still a lot of work to do while juggling 5 different other tasks at the sametime. It's all good though.


Coming soon in 3 weeks ! 5/27

Last night I went to the Boston Independent Film Festival. They had a screening of "My Winnipeg" directed by Guy Maddin. It was a really fascinating film. The film details Guy's view what his home city is like and how his past is incorporated into it. The distorted narrative is filled with strange anecdotes that includes frozen horses on a river and seances on the town hall steps of Winnipeg. The film is edited and filmed in a way that you can't get bored while watching it. There is this vast barrage of visuals that are almost hypnotic at times.

After the screening the director was there for the Q&A's. He is probably the most easy going director I have come across. . Two new projects he is working on is a larger budgeted feature written by the same writer as "Saddest Music Of The World". He also is working on an Internet portal that will feature clips of recreated films (his version of it) that have been lost from the early 20th century.

I gave Guy a copy of "Prometheus Triumphant" . I usually never give celebrities anything because I don't want to come off as being needy. I hate it when at screenings people ask the director "hey, can I be in your movie?". ouch lame! However this time he honestly seemed happy about getting a copy of it to watch it.

I have been working a lot on getting the CD ready for release. There are a lot of roles while doing this release. Distribution, digital distribution, booking for shows, media coverage, music videos, and radio airplay. The bad side of doing everything myself is that I can't devote a lot of energy to every single one item but spreading myself out on all of them. The positive side of this is that I have no one on payroll, I don't have to train anyone, and I get the job done. I figure if I can devote a little for each task every day that compounded after a few weeks it comes out to be a lot.

If you haven't yet joined my mailing list please do. There will be a lot of free stuff coming to everyone on the mailing list very very soon.

The new Portishead album "Third" came out today and it's brilliant. The music industry needed this album. It's vastly different to anything out there today. Sure they were popular in the 90's and it might sound dated because of that but they discovered different paths to follow. They put a ton of work on the album. If you live in the New England area you can buy the album today at Newbury Comics and get a limited-edition white vinyl 45" single for free. Which is kind of cool but I don't have a record player. I should get one. I have this theory that records will have a revolutionary (ha! the pun) return to the mainstream.

Here is the only scene were you can see me in the movie "21"




The 48 Hour Film Festival was a blast. The ‘The Lavimont Expense Report,’ came out pretty well. Here is a news article on the directors for the film. It should be posted soon on youtube.

In other news I have been busy busy BUSY with ramping up for the album release. I somehow don't remember having so many things to do the last album release but there are lot more promotional things that exist than the last album release.

The new Dr Who series is AWESOME.

If you like Steampunk you might want to get this book "Steampunk" . Former Boston DJ Lady B has a section written in it.

The results of the "What zombie shall DESAR be? " are in... Pirate Zombie won!

Wow, what a long day. It's interesting how one day could equal like 15 dull days.

So it started off with me jumping into a pirate costume and going to the casting studio. Usually you are never to wear a costume to an audition but the casting agent told me to. So I arrived and someone asked (seriously) if I was there for the American Express commercial or the pirate film audition. I felt like telling her I was there for the Geico commercial and which lizard should I talk to? but I didn't and told her.

So I was nervous all morning reading my lines and I walk in and the director was all curious by my costume and I had to explain it for several minutes. Then they have me reading lines in this scene with another woman where we are supposed to be in bed. Except we weren't we were sitting on folding chairs. So I am stretched out on the chair pretending I was laying down. So I did my lines ok except the director asked "be more Irish but not too Irish" . So I tried again and I probably sounded like a retarted Scottish. Hell I don't know I never had formal dialect training. So then they placed me with another actor (a male one this time) and gave me a hat and a really cool pistol. So I barked out orders in my Lucien's-version of Irish and then that was it. I doubt I will get the part but at least it was a learning experience. I think next audition I will learn my lines instead of partially reading them.

So I left all relieved that the whole ordeal was over and drove to Cambridge to park my car. I was scheduled to go to the Audio for Film Networking Conference in Boston. The problem was I was still dressed as a pirate. I thought about changing in a parking garage and thought I probably would get arrested. So I went to the Cambridge library to sneak in and change in the bathrooms there. Everyone is staring at me, this crazy looking pirate, and the people in front of me was slow...not like slow but close-to-death slow. I had people coming up to me asking "why are you dressed as a pirate?" and I had to explain the whole audition thing which lead to explaining the movie. ANYWAYS.. so I finally get pass the 4 people in walkers to get in to the library. I get the key and then change in probably one of the most disgusting bathrooms in Cambridge. Jumping out as Clark Kent Lucien I set forth into public back into the 21st century.

I had a lot of time before the conference so I went to Harvard Square to see if I could get the latest Dame Darcy comic at Millionaire's picnic. Then I went to Newbury Street and eat at Deluca's Deli right behind someone of some public stature (I don't know who it was some lady that the paparazzi was taking pictures across the street at her) . Then I walked by Owen Wilson who was dressed like he was playing on a 1970's basketball court.

So finally I went to the convention and met the most composers in one location ever in my life. I usually meet a composer once every..... 10 months? not very often... here they were all assembled talking about scoring for films. I didn't learn anything I didn't know but it was interesting to see some of the demos by other composers. I was rather surprised the bulk of them are using loops and midi samples to score. Which I guess is fine for temp tracks or if you are using elements of loops and samples within "live" instruments but to make an entire score is just lazy and trite. The ones that used actual real instruments in their recordings sounded soooooooooooooo much better.

Last but not least my ALBUMS CAME ! the first shipment from the manufacturer. They came out perfect and the printers did an awesome job (I didn't get a physical proof of it just a digital copy so I wasn't sure). When will YOU get them? May 27th. I can't have any for sale until that date for strict legal reasons because of publishing rights.

Now I am beat. I didn't get much sleep last night trying to think what would Sam Bellamy do? First I need to eat some Captain Crunch then sleep............

I am still trying to find a location for the music video to be filmed in late May early June. I am starting to run out of locations so I am scouting for new locations for a cabaret scene (located in Boston or areas).

The manufacturers for the album called me to tell me they were shipped this afternoon. So I should have them by Friday? the first batch. I can't wait!

I am auditioning for a pirate film tomorrow (yes an actual pirate film shooting in Boston!). I am psyched about it. Even if I don't get the part I can still say I at least tried for it.

Wow, I am tired tonight. I am slowly going through the massive To Do list with working on the release of the album. I could, in theory, hire someone to do all this work but it would take me just as much time to explain everything than to just do it myself. The only downside of all this work I hardly have time to just play the piano. I think sometime this week I will just take a nice 3 hour block of time and just play whatever I want.

Any day now I should get the first shipment of the album to arrive. I am pretty psyched to see how the printing came out for it.

I have an ad that will be placed in the next issue of "Gothic Beauty". If you are curious what it looks like it's here in TIF format (warning: It's really large, do a right click/save as) .

The 48 Hour Film I worked on over the weekend is going to be called "The Lavimont Expense Report." . It's screening in Cambridge 9:30pm on Tuesday, April 15th at Kendall Square Cinema.

I got a DVD copy of Argento's Tenebre from eBay last week. I had VHS copy of it (that I have watched many many many times) but it vanished. Now I am trying to look for a DVD for Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!. I only found it on-line going for $40 or more because it's out of print (that price is just silly).

The warm weather returned to New England today. I was able to go outside without a jacket on. I haven't been able to do that since I was in Hollywood back in February.

The CD "Beyond the Law" is still at the manufacturer. I approved the final design from the graphics department so they are pressing it now. I still have roughly 17 more things that has to get done from now until May 27th when it is released. Not included in those tasks is producing the music video for "Club Monbijou". I am still trying to pinpoint a location which I am dearly hoping I can get resolved by the end of this week.

I am already coming up with new music to create. I feel like the last song I completed "Babylon Train" was a start of a completely different realm of music I never tried out. I guess it can't hurt to start writing lyrics and music while I am inspired.

I have been singing a lot lately. I think because of the bacterial infection I had it scared me to think that I could have never sung again. So now I am singing all the time everywhere I go. I am not singing it loudly but I am sure if someone walked passed me they probably thought I was nuts.

I watched 21 on Friday. The film was ok. I was cut out of one scene and in another scene I am in the background. So that was about 19 hours of work for maybe 5 frames of exposure? At least I still got paid and I got to meet Kevin Spacey.

So to continue my self-cinematic-abuse I went to two casting calls yesterday for two more films being shot in Boston this coming month. I am going to start looking for better roles pretty soon.

The album is still in manufacturing. This week I will work on marketing/publicity designs. I am also still scouting for a location for the music video which I haven't been able to do last week because I was focusing on getting my album out the door.

I have been watching a movie called "Burned at the Stake" which was a TV movie filmed in 1981 in Salem. Some of the acting is pretty forced and there is a lot of running in the film but it's still entertaining.

So the CD master is shipped off to production. It should be completed and sent off to the distributor in about 3 weeks. Now I am working on the publicity side of the album release. I will be setting up a CD release party in the Boston area around the release date May 27th. Shows will be announced shortly. I want to have a bulk of a few shows to announce instead of announcing single shows as they get booked.

Last night I watched House by the cemetery (aka "Quella villa accanto al cimitero" ) directed by Lucio Fulci . It's an interesting film that I can't really say if I could understand all of it. There were a lot of creepy elements to it. Portions of it were filmed in Lexington MA. It was a good film that any fan of 1970's (well this was 1981 but that is still 70's) horror movies would like it.

Package with the CD master for manufacturers is set to mail out tomorrow. Soon let the games begin!

In case anyone missed it I have a poll where you can ask me any question that will be placed in the press kit and video blog (that will be posted here later) . Thus far the questions asked are awesome!

The design for the cover was finished yesterday. I am filling in some paperwork tomorrow and then shipping out the master to the manufacturer by Tuesday. I had forgotten how much paperwork and things that have to be done with an album release. I am having the album digitally distributed as well so the paperwork doubles for that. I am even having ring tones of my songs to be distributed. I am on auto-pilot with all this being it's my 4th album but this time I am hoping this album will peak more interest in a larger variety of people.

I have another Jack Hill movie to watch that my friend Bill let me borrow called "Switchblade Sisters" . What I really like about Jack Hill movies is that they all are filmed in a serious style but there is obvious humor elements in it that are very subtle. There are a few filmmakers that can create that same vibe.

The album is done mastering and the production of the album is done! The sound quality is so much better now thanks to the genius of Mike Caglianone the recording engineer at 7A West.

Next stop album design

The antibiotics are finally working on my coughing and I am almost not coughing at all. Which I am glad of. I hated playing the piano or trying to sing and every other measure I would be coughing. I haven't been able to sing normally for nearly a month and it feels like I am rebuilding myself to sing again.

I bought a copy of "Foxy Brown" directed by Jack Hill this afternoon. Jack Hill also directed one of my new favorite movies "Spider Baby". I am not sure why but I am fascinated on anything that is from 1970-1974. I can't believe I was actually born back then because it seems so long ago. I feel like I was born in 1982 because my memories of the 70's are pretty limited.I remember everything from a very young viewpoint but I have no idea what it was like to have been an adult. I am sure smoking must have been more pervasive everywhere as well as polyester clothing. I remember all the adults were upset that they couldn't get gas on certain days.

I have a few prospective locations for the music video (thank you everyone who helped me out with it!) . I have to contact the locations and visit them all to find the right one. Tomorrow I have a teleconference with the director so we can establish a shooting date for it. The bottom line will be, as with everything, is cost in the final decision where it will be shot.

The mastering session for "Beyond the Law" will be on Tuesday March 18th. Once that is completed the music production of the album is completed and the next phase is design then manufacturing.

It's been raining like crazy here today. Which is fine because if it was just a little bit colder there would be a blizzard. I have been complaining constantly of the weather lately. I just want to go outside without wearing a jacket as thick as an astronaut.

I forgot to post the trailer for the film "Red Sister Red" on here so here it is! (viewer discretion is advised)



Special thanks again to Wendy Mittelstadt for the violin and the vocals at the start of it. The film is still in production and I will be working on the soundtrack in a few weeks. The music will be like this trailer but also containing Irish elements to it.

This week I am rehearsing my set and doing all the organization of material for the design of the album cover. I want to especially give thanks to >Robin for the inspiration of the cover of it. She did some amazing digital manipulation of the photo that Kris made. I still have to write out the linear notes and the credits for it. I dread doing linear notes because I thank everyone than I can think of on it but I almost always forget someone. I shouldn't worry about it because not a lot of people bother reading them and more people will be downloading it anyways.

Right now I am reading a book called White Chapel Gods by S.M. Peters. It's a steampunk-era book set in Victorian London with man fighting machine that controls the city of London. It seems like a good book. I am also reading Professor Winsnicker's Book of Proper Etiquette for Well-mannered Sycophants by Leven Thumps. Which I picked up at a bookstore not knowing anything about the series it's based on. I just liked all the scribbles in the margins of it and the drawings. Between those three books I have been reading a collection of short stories called "The Steampunk Trilogy" by Paul Di Filippo that has some rather funny parts in it. There is this one story where they replace the Queen of England during the Victorian era with a human-sized licentious salamander. Need I say more?

The HorrorPops came out with a new album last week called "Kiss Kiss Kill Kill" . I liked it better than their last (2nd) album "Bring It On!". This new album is a lot like their debut album "Hell Yeah" with the lead singer having Siouxsie Sioux's voice.

I am so glad to have the feeling back in my mouth. Needless to say I have to go back to the dentist later this month to have it done some more. I kind of wish they would just shoot me with a tiger dart and then while I am knocked out all my teeth would be fixed.

I am now in the phase of the album process of waiting... I have one more track that is being completed at the studio by other musicians and then it will get shipped to mastering, then at that exact time the cover is getting designed which should be a simple process since I have all the design elements done. I am also starting production on two music videos that should be completed by mid-December and released on the web. One will be very artistic & abstract and the other one will be really simple.

I also am having my shows starting to be booked for the coming year. Hopefully they will be booked in interesting places. I wish there were more places that had pianos on site. It would make travel a lot easier.

I watched an episode of BBC's "Robin Hood" tonight. It's pretty good but the music is loud! Way too much brass and drums and booming. I hate to say bad things about people these days because I could quite honestly meet someone that I was critical of them. However, I think John Scott (the composer) was directed to compose that way to make it a little like Erich Korngold score from the Errol Flynn films.

STAND & DELIVER!

My entire website is revamped. I can now say that my next album which will be called "Beyond The Law" is set to be released February 29, 2008.

I now have a mailing list! Join it please: http://desar.com/mailinglist.htm I don't spam, I never share my mail list with anyone ..I probably will send like one newsletter a month. Also once a month I will randomly pick one person and send them free swag...like stickers, Cd's, t-shirts, concert tickets, compilation albums, letters, post cards etc etc.