The Greasy Hand Preachers Documentary On Kickstarter

Shinya Kimura's workshop

"A biker crossing a beautiful landscape is an image that, for most, conveys the idea of freedom. However, the mechanic who builds and repairs this bike remains perceived as proletarian with dirty hands, a man who is without a doubt dominated in the economies of knowledge. How did this generalized devaluation of manual labour create the image of a man in his garage as a prisoner of his own intellectual and financial misery? We can often recall hearing this saying at school: “if you don’t work you’ll end up a mechanic”. As if our good report cards would forever prevent us from becoming poor and stupid.

However, recently, the media has taken a liking to this new wave of handymen who seem to have deliberately chosen their track: from vintage motorcycle customizers to bakers, the fact that they are good with their hands hasn’t been a cause for lack of respect. It’s actually quite the opposite.

Often it’s white-collar workers who no longer find meaning in the contemporary working world. They have rediscovered the virtues of “savoir-faire”, the pleasure of building something tangible by seizing control of a method of production fit for their level and, above all, the satisfaction of understanding what they are doing. So, while the contemporary working world renders the act of “working” obscure by relentlessly continuing to separate the conception from the carrying out and the doing from the thinking, these new craftsmen see in the art of mechanics a way of finding a grip on reality. And, if we look at it closely we can see that there’s a lot more to it than it seems.

Amongst these bikers/craftsmen are those who walk the path to becoming a sensei. They seek perfection in their art without any financial rationality. Their lives are dedicated to this priesthood of seeking perfection; and of going against most things by achieving a certain generosity in their work. Others are, above all, interested in travelling on the machines they’ve created, giving a soul to their motorcycles by redesigning them to fit their own images. But all of them, as craftsmen, gain an honest satisfaction from both the actual physical and practical side and the marvel of the person for whom the machine is meant to be for.

Even if they all demonstrate the same kind of enthusiasm, they remain individualistic in their approach to work. Building a motorcycle is an affirmation of your personality. But, at some point, comes the need to share. Where it be on a road-trip, at a race or at a festival, there is always a sense of community, a “band of brothers”, that involves the enjoyment of being together. There is, in this crude world of mechanics and bikers, a need and desire that reveals an original outlook on work and pleasure, on the group and the individual, on the present and the past. Like surfers, bikers are dedicated to an authentic lifestyle and pure freedom while remaining in connection with the beauty of nature. It makes you wonder if they don’t have in their garage all the tools to build a happy life."


Help them out on Kickstarter

Support An Awesome Project On Kickstarter

Our warranty is rock solid, we build all of our products to last.

After being dissatisfied with a lack of quality tool rolls readily available, we decided to create our own. There are a plethora of tool rolls on the market, but most are bulky with large pockets that require you to search for the items you need. Our motivation to create these tool rolls came from a desire to carry the right tools and for a tool roll of superb quality. At the onset of the design, several concepts were the most important:

• Must last for many years through wear and tear
• Tools are easily visible with printed pattern
• Unique folding pattern to minimize space
• Carry only the right tools, avoid bulk
• Tools cannot fall out
• Items cannot rattle

After a year of research and development, we have partnered up with a fantastic manufacturer here in Raleigh, NC to launch our new tool rolls aptly titled String N' Roll and Wrench N' Roll.

Our manufacturing partner is RLCB (Raleigh Lions Clinic for the Blind). The textiles branch of RLCB manufactures contract military tactical gear, kit bags, and specialty pouches. With over 81% of their workforce being visually impaired, RLCB seeks to “empower people who are blind and visually impaired through employment opportunities and services to achieve social and economical equality.”

Because we are an indie music label, manufacturing and tight budgets are already part of our core business. We chose to focus on the two areas we know best for our tool roll designs: musicians and motorized vehicles.

Check out our project on Kickstarter

We have chosen to work with RLCB Inc of Raleigh, NC which uses an 81% blind workforce and is a military contractor

The Wrench N' Roll is the best motorcycle tool roll money can buy

Our tool rolls are made for travel and ease of use

The String N' Roll is the first musicians tool roll made for stringed instruments

The Wrench N' Roll is made for portability and to keep the right tools with you on the road

Easily add the Wrench N' Roll to your bike for road side fixes

String N' Roll embroidered emblems

String N' Roll and Wrench N' Roll tool bag color options

U-Turn Audio, Offers Up A Great New Turntable

Finding great new audio gear is indeed a passion, just as much as enjoying your vinyl. There is a great new turntable company that recently got funded on Kickstarter and from the looks of their equipment, it will indeed be a high quality product.

"We love listening to music on vinyl, and we believe that everyone should have access to a quality vinyl experience. But we found that capable turntables were prohibitively expensive. That’s why we designed the Orbit – a remarkably simple turntable that cuts the cost of high-performance playback in half."

Find out more about U-Turn Audio

The Orbit, a new turntable from U-Turn Audio

The Orbit, a new turntable from U-Turn Audio

The One Motorcycle Show And One Awesome Sportster Powered Motard

The One Motorcycle Show looks to have been a damn cool event, from the photos posted up on Iron & Air Magazine. One of the better aspects that we noticed from the photos was the variety of bikes that were present. Instead of just focusing on one group of bikes, there were a plethora of customs and vintage machines to make any two wheeled fiend start to salivate. 

If you need to roll your tongue back up and have a keep sake to remember the event, why not dive over to Kickstarter and check out the cool books that are being cooked up.

Tight and narrow choppers are always a good choice

Motard or a tricked out sporty?  Who cares, that bike is stout and on point as the perfect city bike

Very cool front end set up with individual shocks that have been used to create a new style of front end

Is that one of the Icon builds?

Race ready vintage iron

Selection of sweet rides at the One Motorcycle Show in Portland, OR

Super clean cafe style bike

Another shot of the Motard Custom Sportster

Lester's Time Has Come Today, Corrupt Music Labels Need To Pay Royalties

If you have listened to classic rock, there are artists for whom you aren't sure of their names, but you know the melody and can place the music to a certain era. The Chambers Brothers are one of those bands that could finally be getting the recognition they deserve and the royalties owed for past album sales. 

One saddening notion to hear about are the musicians, who haven't been paid for their past record sales in the pre-digital download era. It is currently far easier to track the sale of music through streaming and downloads, thus allowing the sales to be transparent, instead of fuzzy math. For all the musicians that came before the explosion of Itunes and other digital outlets, getting exact figures on album sales was a shady aspect of the business. The sad part is that we still know of bands this is happening to, due to bad business dealings and out right thievery.

Social Media and the explosion of the internet have created a whole new outlet for bands to grow. As an artist be on top of your music and the business end of it, to build a solid foundation for your efforts to flourish.

Find out more about Lester Chambers on Kickstarter






"Record companies screwed over Lester Chambers of The Chambers Brothers for decades and as a result, today he's poor. My social enterprise, breadpig, is working with Lester and his son Dylan to organize this Kickstarter to back a new album by (and entirely owned by) Lester Chambers himself so the man can finally get his due. The open internet can make right what the music industry has done so wrong.
---

As seen on r/videos and the frontpage of YouTube, this trailer of Lester's story has now had over 500,000 views!

Read Lester's reddit Ask Me Anything interview from Dec 13th.
Last spring, we saw the story of Lester Chambers bubble up on the internet. The lead singer of 1960s soul music group The Chambers Brothers posted this photo:

Lester Chambers' hand written note on never receiving royalties for his music

“I am the former lead singer of a 60′s band. I did not squander my money on drugs or a fancy home. I went from 1967-1994 before I saw my first royalty check. The music giants I recorded with only paid me for 7 of my albums. I have never seen a penny in royalties from my other 10 albums I recorded. Our hit song was licensed to over 100 films, TV & commercials without our permission. One major TV network used our song for a national commercial and my payment was $625 dollars. I am now 72, trying to live on $1200 a month. Sweet Relief, a music charity, is taking donations for me. Only the 1% of artists can afford to sue. I am the 99%.”

The music industry may have screwed Lester Chambers for decades, but we the internet public can right their wrong.

Thanks to the open internet (things we fought for against SOPA, PIPA, ACTA, etc.), sites like Kickstarter and other innovations that are being worked on by entrepreneurs right now, we have the opportunity to do right by artists and cut out those who'd mistreat them. We have the opportunity to create solutions that will support artists in the digital world.

The Chambers Brothers

Lester Chambers is putting together a new album titled "Lester's Time Has Come." With this project, we have the opportunity to support not only the awesome work of a storied and talented musician, but we have the chance to stand up against the tyranny of the record industry. Stand with Lester, and stand for innovation that supports artists' rights.

A note from Lester: "I thank God for the opportunities I have been blessed with and when Alexis Ohanian called all I could say was WOW. All the times I sat hoping and wishing I could make another record had finally come true. In this record I promise to have some of the worlds GREATEST songs from your past and some Great New songs for your new year to come!"
Read more about Lester in his interview with Vice.

Lester Chambers with his son Michael Dylan

Even with a daunting list of illnesses and a life of hardship at the hands of the music industry, Lester is not a beaten man, far from it, and it's clear that his son is a big part of that.

"My son, Michael Dylan, said 'Dad don't worry. I'm never gonna leave you. Always stay by your side.' He slept on the floor with me.... Every father in the world should have a son like I have."
"Fathers be aware, if your son is not what Michael Dylan is to me, to you -- straighten him out."

Lester & Dylan Chambers

Funds from this project will go to Lester via the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, which provides financial assistance to career musicians who are struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability, or age-related problems. Sweet Relief has been supporting Lester and other musicians in need, and they will be helping produce Lester's album.

This project is managed by Breadpig, an online publisher headed by Alexis Ohanian. Breadpig gives a majority of its profits to its artists (in this case 100%).

We cannot thank Lester and his son Dylan for opening up to us and taking a day to tell their story. May this kickstarter campaign let us all finally say that Lester's Time Has Come.

Lester Chambers performing in San Francisco

**
Special thanks to Lerone Wilson of Boondoggle Films for all video work, as well as Maneli Jamal, who generously rocked the music on said video.
Here is Lester's detailed budget for this album, Lester's Time Has Come.
Rehearsal costs: $3,800
Producer: $8,000
Musicians (Band): $8,000
Five Weeks Studio Time: $10,000
Mastering: $2,400
Musician fees (including Tower of Power Horns, Lenny Williams, Zakiya Hooker, Ant Dog, & Marin City Choir): $6,200
TOTAL: $38,400

Add captionLester & Alexis

Filming this kickstarter trailer in Lester's home

Risks and challenges Learn about accountability on Kickstarter

The Christmas songs are all set, and we'll be sending those along to all our backers on a rolling basis. 

The album "Lester's Time Has Come" is a work in progress. We'll be working on the album, and the art as this campaign rolls along. We hope to keep you as looped into the process as much possible. We'll send updates your way, and let you know if there are any delays in production. 

And of course if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to any of us."

The Great White Hype - Beck's Sheet Music

Who will be the next Great White Hype? Well in this case, Beck has taken to the publishing world, to hype his new album and Bob Lefsetz has done quite the interesting write up on it. 

Opportunity exists where talent, luck and skill rendezvous in a dark abode. Call this dwelling the soul and you will be on the right path, as it is where true character is born into existence. Now imagine, as you the craftsman, look into the mirror each day and know, that the achievements to be earned, will be from never giving up and never going back.

Can you do this and not lose momentum? Should everyone do this and reflect on what they want to accomplish? Well, that is entirely up to you and the journey for which you are seeking the map to the calling of your desired destination.

The other day I was speaking with a buddy and he was telling me about seeing Springsteen the other night. He said he was taking notes as the show was in his top five of all time. The chemistry on stage, the music and most of all his charisma lit up the stadium like a Christmas tree. Springsteen is a dude not resting on his years of hard work, but continuing to cultivate his work as a true music craftsman and fellow musicians look on in awe. 

Bruce Springsteen on stage in Foxboro, Massachusetts 2012, photo by Jo Lopez

Now let's get to the nitty gritty of Bob Lefsetz's write up as he digs calling a spade, a spade. Read through his diatribe below and think on what he is saying. Without fire, there is no smoke. So if ya want your music to be heard, it's got to be damn good. This goes along with your stage show, your presence and every single aspect of what it is, that you represent. Fans don't have time for ego or petty bullshit as they will leave you for someone else with true character at a moments notice. If you want to last, you have to be better than the last show you just played. Don't ever forget that music comes from the soul, but fans come in the front door and pay for the experience.

Check out what Beck is up to with his Sheet Music from Forbes.com

Beck's sheet music album

Link to Bob Lefsetz writings, ramblings and bad ass vernacular on the music industry

"It's a publicity stunt.

Unable to sell an album, people no longer interested in what he has to say musically, Beck has made an end run around the music business and gotten his old fans and techies excited, and has them spreading the word better than any major label campaign publicity would be able to.

Josh Freese started this.

Radiohead capitalized on this.

Kickstarter institutionalized this.

And now Beck is employing the same paradigm.

Let's separate music from publicity. The dirty little secret is if you're nobody, publicity doesn't count and music is everything. If you're nobody, if you've never broken through, if you have no toehold, you've got to create at least one track so good it's passed on virally to everybody.

Yes, the track can be good in a train-wreck way, a la Rebecca Black's "Friday," but it's got to be noteworthy. And this is much more difficult to do than to create a genius marketing campaign.

But if you've already got traction, if people already know who you are, then it's time to put your thinking cap on and come up with a left field marketing idea.

In other words, that old newspaper/magazine/interview game doesn't work anymore. Unless you say something truly astounding, like you were humiliated by a famous paramour, like John Mayer did, traditional publicity doesn't go viral. Everybody shrugs their shoulder and sees it for what it is...hype.

And we've become immune to hype.

Of course, if you can get your song on the radio, that pays dividends. Radio is still the dominant way to expose music, but contrary to the blowhards employed in it, radio's power is fading and will continue to diminish. These are the same self-satisfied pricks who said the CD was forever, that no one would want to buy an MP3. Just wait a few years, when there's Internet in the car, hell, there's already Internet in Audis, radio's mindshare will decrease. Just like network TV ratings plunged in the wake of the advent of cable and the resulting hundreds of stations. Talk radio is vital, on the pulse, music radio is not. Which is why MTV got out and now relies on longform shows. Music is an on demand item. You can hear it whenever you want wherever you want with a mouse click or a finger touch, ever hear of YouTube? Sure, people need to know what to listen to, there's room for trusted filters, but most commercial radio is beholden to advertisers, it's anything but trustworthy. As for satellite... What we've learned here is people are cheap. And satellite will never become ubiquitous. But Pandora is free. As are many other Internet music options.

Which brings us back to the issue of fame and exposing new music.

These old acts...no radio station wants to play their music. None that mean a damn. So, these acts can either work with Max Martin or Dr. Luke or stop making music or realize they're journeymen. Ironically, it's these old acts who will triumph most as radio declines, people no longer care if an artist is signed to a major label, an indie is just as credible, being on the radio won't be the end all and be all in the future.

Great music will still count. And we can debate whether these old acts can still create great music all day long, but one thing they have is their fame, can they leverage their fame?

That's what Beck Hansen has done here. He's a known quantity. Furthermore, he's known for cutting edge innovation. So people are interested in what he's doing. And he was smart enough to get them interested without the music! People haven't been talking about Beck for years, but with this one little stunt he's become part of the discussion. And what's even more interesting is the word was not spread by the music press, or traditional mainstream media, but "Forbes." ( http://onforb.es/RtkRYm) In other words, if you want to go viral, you're better off being featured in "Wired" or on Gizmodo than in the "New York Times" or "Time." Because the former outlets have no b.s. images. They're not known as bastions of hype. People trust them. It may not be true if it's in the newspaper, but if it's in "Forbes"?

What Beck is doing is no different in theory from what Trent Reznor did years ago. What artists do every day on Topspin. They're upselling. Selling products that have nothing to do with the music itself. Like books. All Beck has done is push the envelope.

Name your own price is dead.

Sheet music has now been taken.

How will you get the public's attention in the future? How will you go viral?

It depends entirely on creativity. By the book, pardon the pun, does not work online, does not work with today's generation.

So Beck gets some notoriety and some coin. Maybe this stunt even drives people to his show.

But it is a stunt and it's not about music and it's no different from having some has-been movie actor appear on a sitcom. If the sitcom sucks, it's just a payday. If the sitcom is great, it burnishes your image.

It all comes down to the music. And creating great music is almost impossible.

And we're only interested in great. Good just ain't good enough.

But "Loser" was phenomenal! You only had to hear it once and you needed to hear it again. It made Beck's career. It set him up so he could employ this sheet music stunt and people would care. Have you written "Loser"?

It not, better keep your day job."

Reno Divorce - New Album, Become A Part Of The Recording With Kickstarter

Our pals over in the killer Denver punk outfit Reno Divorce are looking for your help. Kickstarter has proven to be a great place to help secure crowd sourced funding and they need a few bucks from each fan to make this happen. Recording is not cheap, nor is putting albums into production. For all of that you enjoy and believe in the music, it would be great of ya to send over a few bucks instead of just streaming it all for free. We are all guilty of this as we peruse for new music, so lets help to do our part and invest in whats going to be an amazing album.

RenoDivorceBand.com

Fund this project through Kickstarter.com 

About this project

"We are a punk/ rock and roll band based in Denver, CO. This year marks our ten year anniversary, and we want to commemorate it by releasing our best record to date. After years of touring the U.S. and Europe, and sharing the stage with practically all of our heros and influences, we’ve met some incredible people and made some of the most loyal fans in the world. Which brings us here to Kickstarter. Being an independent band is a double edged sword, but its rewards certainly outweigh the risk. Being in control of our artistic vision and not compromising our “image” or “sound” has always been a source of pride for us, but unfortunately, our pockets aren’t as deep as a major label’s. So thats why we are turning to you, our fans. You are the ones responsible for us going as long as we have and the reason we’ve kept our ideals intact. Your support over the years has enabled us to record our own records and retain the rights to our music and merchandise, which is a luxury we have never taken for granted and its your tenacity and fervor that have fueled us to keep recording and touring. You have really played a huge part in our journey so thank you for all you've done and please, if you can, support us with our latest project. We wouldn't ask if we didn't believe in it ourselves and we are confident that you’ll find this record to be the best one yet! We are also extremely excited that we will be able to give back to people who help contribute with Kickstater’s rewards. Until we meet again, peace and hair grease"

More info on Reno Divorce 

With equal parts Orange County punk, honky tonk country, and rockabilly sensibilities, Reno Divorce strikes a unique chord of their own in a diluted genre of what passes as “Punk rock’n’roll”. Throw in well-crafted and deftly executed songs that straddle the line between Smithereens and and Social Distortion, and you’ve got a band that truly stands out amongst the herd. Oh, and there’s one more thing....this aint the boys’ first rodeo...they’ve played with almost all their punk hereos (ALL, Social D, TSOL, Adolescents, Agent Orange, Shattered Faith, X, The Blasters, Motorhead), and shared a tour bus with more contemporary heavy hitters, ala U.S. Bombs, The Bones, and Street Dogs. They’ve worked with the cream of the crop behind the scenes, as well. Their last record, “Tears Before Breakfast” was produced by Jason Livermore at the world famous Blasting Room and the support tours for that album were handled by M.A.D. Booking in Europe, where among other great festivals, they graced the Saturday Night Fever Stage at With FUll Force. Always captivating live, and wrought with more hooks than your uncle Bob’s tackle box, Reno Divorce has carved out a reputation as the real deal, a true “musician’s band” that pushes the envelope with every release, without sounding contrived or formulated. Brent Loveday’s deft songwriting and clever storytelling are brought to life by the band's flawless execution of no frills punk rock and roll. With Brent on lead guitar and vocals, Tim Jadowski on bass, Tye Battistella on Rhythm guitar, and Ruben Patino on the 1,2,3,4's, the band fires on all cylinders. Reno Divorce has earned honors in Kerrang, Metal Hammer, Loud Fast Rules, and (more importantly to the band) the respect of their peers. 

Reno Divorce at Rusty Knuckles Music Showcase - SXSW 2011, photo by Jonathan McPhail