Cocky and No One's Fool

Hey all!

We decided to release 2 songs today. New song of the week, Cocky, is available now and when you buy the Digital Album you get the other song (No One's Fool) free!

So click here and get 2 for $1

(or donate more if so inclined)

DON'T FORGET...

I'll be playing live at M Bar on July 10th in Los Angeles. Be there! :)

Sacha Sacket Live at M Bar

Saturday, July 10, 2010. 10:30pm. $10. 21+
1253 Vine St., Los Angeles, CA

MAP

Sending love to you all!

Get ready for a new side of things starting next week :)

xoxo

Phew

So tired :)
whisked away to Lake Tahoe for a beautiful and romantic wedding. Finally got to meet my lovely goddaughter - which really was just magic. And even managed to get a hike in and enjoy some nature.

finally got back today.

Phew.

Time to get back to it. Needed some input after so much output. It's really important to get out of your space and see life in perspective. If even for 2 nights :)

Got to do pictures tomorrow. Going to release 2 songs on Tuesday. Look out!

Sending love...

Green Grass and Lottery Luck

Well it's been a few days since I've written here :) Things are going really well. I hit a little roadblock with some of the songs but I think we are almost in the clear. Right now I am searching for the perfect clavichord. I figure if it's good enough for Stevie Wonder, then it's good enough for me. Don't you wish your last name was something awesome like that? Sacha Fabulous or Sacha Spectacular... Sort of makes me feel like a cirque du soleil act/superhero or something... maybe not.

I have a wedding to attend up in Lake Tahoe for the weekend. Which I am both excited for and a little nervous about. I don't like being away from an instrument for too long - especially with my new creative mandate. I might bring an acoustic guitar with me, but planes can be spotty about that sort of thing. Get to see all my friends and their new babies. It seems everyone is having babies or getting married the last few years... and I don't feel ANY peer pressure :)

I think we are going to release Cocky next. It's sort of a different little song, has a retro feel, a bit glam actually and I want to start releasing some of the more electronic, futuristic music I have been hounding on. Ready to show another shade. So we'll cap it off with Cocky and show something new in July.

The hardest thing lately has been trying to promote the music while creating. It's always an impossible feat to do both simultaneously. And it seems I am always caught in purgatory.

It's so easy to feel the grass is greener on the other side and all that. Like U2 or Lady Gaga have it made. They just get to be all creative and have a 1 ton gorilla to take care of their promotional needs. Soooo not true though. I know it. But you can't help but feel that at times.

For some reason this video came to mind. Maybe because I am determined to have it all :)

Colin

New song of the week - Colin - is available NOW!

Go take a listen and get it here

I felt it was time to do a "Sacha on piano" song and get back to basics. We sort of randomly recorded this song one night when we were supposed to be doing something else. Just got on the piano and pressed record. Hope you enjoy it!

Did you know that my music video to "Used," hit #1
this week on LOGO's "Click List!?" Really exciting stuff! Thanks again so much for taking the
time to put in your vote every week. It's amazing that so many made the effort. And I definitely love you for it. Please help keep me at #1! Vote here :)

ALSO...

I'll be playing live at M Bar on July 10th in Los Angeles. Be there! :)

Sacha Sacket Live at M Bar

Saturday, July 10, 2010. 10:30pm. $10. 21+

1253 Vine St., Los Angeles, CA

MAP

And finally... I just wanted to break it down for a sec and send a really big bear hug to all of you who are buying the songs, emailing me supportive notes, and even donating more than the $1 per song. It really means so so so so much - especially with everything so hectic as it is with the Viscera project.

With everything online and streaming and instant and in your face. Just the fact that you are tuning into what I do, is such a huge blessing. I couldn't do this without your love and support. So I just want to just say THANK YOU REALLY LOUDLY for all the positive energy you have been sending my way :) You are amazing and beautiful. And I appreciate you all so so much.

I hope this finds you all in bright spirits!

Things are lovely here. It's getting time to get to recording again tonight! Been practicing on my beat making skillz and am excited to show the results of my latest experiment in the coming months :) Wish me LUCK! It's definitely something new :)

Sending love from LA...

xoxo

Sacha

Sacha Fever!

So I finished up the vocals to this song called Cocky. Really glad I re-did them. It has a better feel :) Hoping to get that song out sooner than later - sort of having a love affair with it. They only last so long until the next one comes knocking on my door. But I really am enjoying the song at the moment. perhaps a little toooo much.
too. much. information.

And I started working on new material today. Which has been like a breath of fresh air. I think I was spending too long on some older stuff - making sure it was right. Now I can just make music and not worry about finicky stuff (until I get to mixing of course and then it starts again). Anyway it's much more fun and alive right now. Feel more like a musician now.

If any of you get the chance to spread some of the music around on facebook or by email that would be a huge help! There is a share button under every song at sachasacket.bandcamp.com . If you could take the time to share it with your friends, it would help things go a bit more "viral." :) infect some friends with some Sacha fever! Okay that was cheesy :) but reaaaallly. Would love it if you could.
infect your friends with Sacha fever that is....

and now for a picture of my dogs kissing:


Smooches.

British vocals and techno rock

So today was great. The allergies went away and let me sing! I had a hiccup with work flow for 2 days but it was good in the end. In some ways I am feeling a bit burnt out lately. Realizing quite profoundly that I want to work on new songs instead of rehashing old ones. I get obsessed with the perspective of the song which - for me - comes from the vocal. Not a fan of just delivering a solid vocal, always searching for something that reflects the mood of the song. Tiny inflections change. Delivery. Sometimes the voice wants to be crisp and other times it needs to be lazy. Breed was a good example of that. It was a hard vocal to nail because it was all in the timing of the phrases and how it was sung. It took me a while to find the right voice. And this one is proving the same. I feel like he is a little British for some reason :) Not in the accent... sort of in the way it is sung.

I am working on a naughty song called 'Cocky' at the moment. The idea has sort of been in my head for years, but I started writing it about 8 months ago and I am finally finishing it up. It started out as pure dance but actually turned into something a bit more interesting. It has this sort of 70ish thing going on that I like. Thinking I might have some remixes done of it - but I have to finish it first before I know :)

For I while I have been experimenting with merging a rock band with dance/techno elements and seeing how far I could take it. A few songs will come out in July that reflect that. It was a lot of fun to work on. And the two separate worlds sort of merged pretty naturally in studio.

Dogs are doing much better now. Jack has gotten used to his dreaded cone and is back to his naughty self. Nice to see.

Just got the masters back from a new song - Colin - today. Which will likely be the song for this Tuesday. Will write a little more on that later in the week :)

All is going well. Excited to get working on some beats and lyrics for this new song that's been itching at me. Hopefully tomorrow while Paul mixes 'Cocky!'

Bises.

Allergies and a sulking dog

So allergies took me completely off track yesterday and today. Really sux! It happens every year at least once. And it hit hardcore yesterday. About 8 hours straight of sneezing. And Claritin did nothing at all. Sometimes once my body starts going, nothing will stop it. A shower offered temporary respite. So my voice is shot and I was supposed to track vocals the last 2 days. Oh well. Hoping to catch up again tonight. Crossed fingers. Working on getting 2 tracks of lead vox done - hopefully by tomorrow if I can sing a bunch tonight.

My dogs got "fixed" yesterday - so I guess they had it worse than me. :) It was really hard to make the decision but they are really young, so it's not supposed to be as difficult. I picked them up (sneezing like crazy at the pet hospital) and they had tails wagging and everything - so that made me feel better. Jack hates his cone though. Gets so depressed with it on. He'll freeze if his cone hits something. His sense of space is totally off and he's sulking like crazy. Been babying him a lot - but I gotta sing! Wish me luck! Jameson is totally cool. He's totally independent in general and it's almost like nothing has happened.

Sending love from my cave.

Chalk

So that time of the week is back and a new song - Chalk is available NOW!

Go take a listen and buy it here for just $1

(better yet - forward the link to all your friends)

What's even cooler is that the song comes with a multimedia package. We recorded Chalk in one take as a band, and the download comes with video of the actual recording taking place - as well as some awesome photos we did for the song. I was still cleaning out my ears days later ;)

So for $1 you are getting the song, a video, and a photo story! Cheaper than that gum or soda you bought at your local gas station! You could downgrade that grande latte to a tall and still manage :) All profits go back into this project and help
create cool recording opportunities. So please help an artist out.

I've got a new live show in Los Angeles too! Be there!

Sacha Sacket Live at M Bar

Saturday, July 10, 2010. 10:30pm. $10. 21+
1253 Vine St., Los Angeles, CA

MAP

You can now download my music videos for super cheap! Click on the pictures below to get them!

AND my music video to "Used," hit #2 this week on LOGO's "Click List" this week! Thanks again so much for taking the time to put in your vote every week. Please keep the votes coming!

Sending LOVE

Sacha

sachasacket.com

Too Much Screaming

So. I had to scream a vocal part today and am contending with a pretty sore throat. I am not a screamer. Not my kind of style - but for some reason, I got it in my head to break with the norm. Should be back to normal by tomorrow. But no more singing for today. I sound like a horse (not sure why that analogy came to mind - but there it is).

I feel majorly behind today really. Got some good work done over the weekend. But wanted to be much further ahead that I am by the week start. Really want to get into some brand new songs this week and get them recorded with the band by early next week. That's still my goal. But we are in the middle of mixing and putting final touches on songs, which is really important. So we'll see how it goes. I have a lot of structural work on the new material before I can bring it into a session - so I am crossing fingers that I have time to do that extremely important base work.

The project so far has been both easier and harder than I thought. Easier in that there is always a lot of energy because new ideas are always exciting and people have been pushed to try new things instead of talk or think about them. I love that and it gives me fuel - which I didn't account for. However, I've really been dealing with my perfectionism lately. Still struggling with letting things go. But I am doing it, and I hope that it gets easier as we go along. Still looking for the flow...

Baby Dance Music

So we sampled some "baby beats" last night which was a lot of fun. Within a few minutes of recording them, I even came up with a little dance number for everyone to groove to. Going to make these little 6 month old twins rockstars or dJs before they know it!

Tracking some vocals today and in general getting everything ready for the week so we can hit it hard again. Overwhelmed with it all - but taking it step by step.

It's really nice having a place full of dogs and babies. There's that baby/puppy smell everywhere, bottles, diapers, cradles, blankets, chew toys. Very primal and comforting. Have some friends bringing ANOTHER baby over just to visit really quickly. So it's definitely a mad house today. And I am somehow getting work done! Sort of amazing.

Just watching the amount you have to do to take care of twins has given me a whole new appreciation for the work that goes into raising a kid. DEFINITELY skittish now, if I wasn't already before :) Magic is in the air though - and it's wonderful to soak in. Hope they actually stay longer - but seeing as how taxing it is (they haven't really slept at ALL), I think they are going to escape to grandparent's place and get proper help. My music skills are pretty useless for them all :) But they'll come to appreciate it once there is a song to listen to dammit!!!!

Babies are going to play on one of my songs

We are recording vocals at the moment. Just taking a little break to write :) My place is about to be inundated by babies in about 30 minutes. Have out of town family coming to stay for the next 5 days or more (perhaps 3 weeks - eek!) and they have 6 month old identical twin boys! I flew to South Carolina when they were born (actually spent this Christmas in the maternity section of a hospital) and saw them in their first moments. It definitely does change you. The limitless possibility of new life.

So I am really really really excited to see them again! It's going to be funny recording and having babies in the house at the same time. I think they have to make it onto a song. Want to sample them and turn them into a baby beat of some sort :)

Hoping to get 2 songs close to complete by tonight. There's a lot of work to do! Got harmonies to lay down next! Wish me luck!!!

Third take's the charm

Hey all. So I am pretty tired today. What happened. Well we worked most of the day. I had to rent a mic and contend with LA rush hour. That was NOT fun. But I got it, and we recorded Simon Hancock on drums today to a song that has sort of been one of those things that you look at from every angle until you find the right approach. It's been a hard song to frame. I actually have recorded drums to it THREE times. which I have never done before. So I am praying that I don't wake up tomorrow and decide we didn't capture it again. But I really think we GOT IT this time.


The first session was just a mess. The second time, I got sideswiped with someone else's opinion - and let them have at it - when I knew it was wrong while we were recording it. I think part of me was so frustrated with finding the right part - I stopped following my gut and just hoped it would take care of itself - which it didn't (always follow your gut!). So today we valiantly tried again and I stuck to my guns more. And I think we found it. Crossed fingers. The song has the initials F.W.Y.F. Don't want to give the title away yet - but you'll know about this situation once it gets released.

We have 3 more weeks of intense recording and mixing and then I am going to take a little mini-break to clear the air. I want to try some new recording techniques and have to develop that idea a bit.

I really love the live takes we have done recently. The song I am releasing this coming Tuesday - Chalk - was done that way. We all played it together at the same time and that's the take you are getting. No overdubs. We just added a few little touches of synths here and there because I only have 2 hands. But the organic performance is there and you just can't touch that. I am becoming less and less of a fan of recording vocals separately from the band (or doing each instrument individually) - which is how most albums are made. There is something wonderful about a band just playing live together and capturing the moment.

Anyway - going to sign off for now. Got to go drop off my engineer Paul so he can get some shut eye before we go at it strong again tomorrow.

Hope you are all having sweet dreams!

Surrealist Art Punk Dada Music

So I am a little bleary at the moment. I think I have been awake too long :) but things are going well. We are in the middle of finalizing 2 songs and finishing up 2 others. It's sort of nuts juggling 4 songs at the same time - but it's also very liberating. We are going with our gut so much more now - which was my intention with this project in the first place. And things feel so much more alive with the creative process. We just don't time to discuss the eq situation on a vocal and why 2 dbs less on this works. If it works, just lower it 2 db!!! (db is a volume term - decibels).

I have this song that I think is one of the more commercial things I have ever written and it's freaking me out a bit. I love this artier kick we have been on lately and the thought of "commercial" just brings back bad memories with producers long gone
BUT the song is who it wants to be. Created with pure intent, kept the marketing campaign OUT of the studio. And who knows - maybe everyone will be like: that song is sooooo surrealist art punk dada.

Here is a picture of my engineer/co-conspirator Paul who is either praying for death or mixing my song. I can't decide.

GIVE IT TO THE MAN

So that time of the week is back and my new song - Give It to the Man, is available NOW!

Go take a listen and buy it here.

Any profits fully go back into this project and helps create cool recording opportunities. So please help a musician out :) And I really want to thank so many of you for buying the song and donating more than the asking price. I love you for it.

Also, my music video to "Used," made it onto the Top 10 list for LOGO's Click list this week! It's been airing all week on the channel. So thank you so much to all who took the time to vote and got their friends to vote as well. It's great exposure. Please keep the votes coming!



CLICK ON THE BANNER AND SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE TO FIND ME

In other news, a song called "At a Time" from my old record Shadowed has been put on a benefit CD aimed to help homeless GLBT youth. It a great cause so please buy it here and spread some love.

Thanks so much again all. Back in studio today cooking up some new stuff. See you next week!

Sacha and Daft Punk Make Nice

Today has been quite fun. We are still going actually. Probably into the wee hours again. Got a master to Give it to the Man today (which will likely be released tomorrow), tracked extra synth parts to and finished mixing a song called Chalk, and I re-tracked lead vocals to finish off a song called Caroline. Really excited about Caroline - it lightly reminds me of a Daft Punk song called "one more time." I always have the visual of that music video with the blue alien people in my head when I listen to it :) We actually had it playing on the computer while we were tracking drums and bass to it. Right now it's a bit heavy on the synth action, so i am probably going to track some piano to it but effect the piano out, so it sounds like something else. See how that experiment goes tonight. :)




I'm reading a really interesting book at night (it takes forever for me to fall asleep) called Outliers. It's actually really good for all artists/dreamers to read. Sort of a 'how to' on being the best you can be. It tracks famous figures, using their upbringing and even their ancestry to show how it led them to become geniuses. His big premise is that it's not, as much, nature as it is nurture. Fav story was on the Beatles and their first big gig in Hamburg. They were paid to play 8-10 hours a day at a club while people milled in and out. That's pretty much nuts!!! But they went into it supposedly being horrible live (admission by their own manager) and coming out brilliant. All that practice led to something extraordinary. Anyway, I am not doing the book real justice. It's better than that :) If you are looking for a read and some inspiration - pick it up :)

Day before the storm

Well today is sort of the day before the storm. Spent some time digging holes for plants and a little bit of gardening. I have no knack for it though - just a huge chore if you ask me :)

Going to be hitting the studio hardcore the next 3 weeks on a bunch of songs and won't get up for air for a little while until my show on July 10th :) Have a bunch of ideas and it's time to sort of pull them all together. I work best under pressure, even if I am running on adrenaline/caffeine the whole time.

Going to post some videos of the process in studio for you soon.

We are finalizing the mix to a new song - "Give It to the Man." I am thinking it will be going up on Tuesday.

Been jittery all day because there are so many ideas in my head. Just want to get them down on tape so I can stop mulling. Less think, more DO.

My Dogs have Learned to Dig up Trees and a few thoughts on Mastering Music

Today we are doing some photos. Going to drive out to Castaic Lake in 2 hours or so. Really excited about it. The pics are going to be something entirely new for me. An experiment if you will. My goal is to do a photo with every song as well. Sort of give a glimpse into the world of that song. Express it visually.

As for the songs, we are finalizing mixes this weekend actually and I have to figure out mastering for Monday. Which is a bit stressful but it will come together. Even if it is last minute :) Mastering is a weird process. Hard to really explain to people. The basic premise is to level the song out and bring the overall volume up. So basically, you don't have to play with your volume knob as you listen to the song. It's all balanced. Bad mastering is when you find yourself needing to turn up or down a song in the middle of it, just to have a comfortable experience. There are of course other things that they do as well, making sure the bass is not too heavy, making the mix sound "warmer," more analogue, etc...

But mastering is a weird thing because you can have this cheapo version done and this super expensive version done and have trouble telling between them. Of course, there are times when you definitely know why this mix costed more - but from my limited experience, there have been moments where I really do not HEAR why this mastering mix costs so much more.

I am still learning to figure out that whole situation. The hardest part is you can spend days mixing a song, and when they master it - the mix is TOTALLY different. And you just have to eat it. So I have a bit of distaste for the whole process. But it's entirely important to do right at the same time :)

As for daily life... my 2 dogs have discovered digging. And pretty much everyday there is a new hole somewhere in the yard... It's hard to stay angry with them though. As far as I understand, you have to find a "good digging spot" for them and encourage them to focus their energy there. That way you channel their instinctual behavior and they don't end up ruining the entire yard. Wish me luck :) Between digging holes with my dogs in "very specific areas of the yard" and finding the "best mastering setup", my days are getting quite "exciting"...




xox

My new project Viscera

So. I am going to start blogging regularly now. Share my thoughts and process with you all. I started this new project - Viscera - that I am really excited and terrified about and thought it would be a good idea to sort of drag you along for the journey. I hope you are game :)

Basically, the idea behind this whole project is to release a new song every week. Starting with my first song, Breed, which I released on June 1st, 2010. I am actually hoping to top that a bit and release more than that. But a song a week is a huge challenge in its own right and seems largely ambitious. If I can do more, then bully for me. Extra songs will for the most part be for free.

The funny thing about it is when I started telling friends about my idea, most people thought I was setting myself up for disaster. The first responses usually were sort of from the "Are you crazy" variety. And I guess it sounds a little nuts in a world where most artists release an album every 2 to 3 years. But when I would think about it on my own, it made complete sense.

The thing is... I really do write a TON of music. I have for years now. There are so many songs in my computer that still have not seen the light of day. That no one knows about but me. And that has always bugged me. I tend to write about 5 songs a day. Most of them are not the best, of course. But every few days to a week, one or 2 songs pop out as great jumping off points. Things I would love to make. And I always hated the idea that so many of them might never be heard.

I have two major issues/weaknesses when it comes to Art. One - I am a huge big ugly perfectionist. I can drive people NUTS with tweaking. I can mix a song for a month if you let me. I tend to come up with so many melodic ideas and arrangements, I choke what I am making. Most people can't hear half the things I am trying to put in there. My good friend and engineer Paul Bessone says a listener can only really focus in on about 4 things at the same time with music. This includes the vocal and drums. I am always pushing that with my music (and I still think we can hear more than that - especially on the third or fourth listen). I want the vocal, drums, bass, guitar, and 4 different cool synth parts All At Once Dammit. So there has always been a dialing back of things with me. And I am cool with doing that. I think as I make music, I start understanding that it's much more about the one or 2 GREAT ideas, than the 10 cool ideas all mushed together. It saves some time too. :)

The second problem I have is laziness. I won't lie. I am hugely lazy. It's pretty much the thing I hate most about myself. Most of my life is spent fighting my procrastination. Which after deliberation - translates to fear. I get scared to put myself out there (as most people do I believe). It's really difficult to take real risks in life. Taking leaps of faith. Do things that you have no control over - you just know that you want to do them. Basically throwing caution to the wind and following your gut BLINDLY. And while I believe strongly that it is the only way to live (it's the only time I feel really alive), I avoid putting myself in those places. I have to really force myself into situations where I am challenged. And it takes up a lot of my energy. The whole mental back and forth thing. It's all very cerebral and a month of psyching myself up for something is not the way to go about things.

So in a way, Viscera exists to trump my hobgoblins. Over the past few years, I have noticed that the first takes are where my music is really made. The immediacy of a performance is integral to it being honest. When you have that first musical idea, you just have to get it out there. If you practice it to death, or re-record it over and over - you lose the whole thing you were trying to capture. It's not about every note being perfect, it's not about showing how "talented" you are. Music is about the great REVEAL. And only happens when you are lost in the moment. In those first takes.

My goal with a song a week, is to force myself to allow for that. Because if I don't, then I will not complete this project :) It's just not possible.

Don't get me wrong - there is room for the critical mind. I will put out stuff that I am proud of, that I feel pushes me as an artist. I will always work to create something NEW. But the emphasis has to be rest on the childlike creative ID state. Not the grammar-school-teacher EGO critical state.

I'm gonna keep you all up to date with some of the cool recording ideas we do, and instruments we use, so stay tuned.

I'm in between releasing 2 songs this Tuesday, my crazy art band synth pop song. Or my dark piano torch song... Still can't decide :) You'll see soon enough!

Sending love from The Cave.
xo
Sacha

And in the Beginning...

Hey Kiddies.

I am about to embark on an adventure.
It is called the Viscera project.

A song a week. For a year. Every Tuesday at 7p Pacific Standard Time.

Starting today with "Breed."

Featuring Joey Waronker on drums (Beck, REM, Thom Yorke), Gus Seyffert on bass (Norah Jones, Sia), and Jermiah Baca. Mixed and Engineered by Paul Bessone. And Mastered by Bob Ludwig.

Written and Produced by yours truly.

Recorded at my own new studio, The Cave.
And
The Bank in Burbank, CA.

So many reasons to do this. And I am a bit breathless. Much like jumping off a cliff.

Will you let me lead the way?

xx

S

Running Away Music Video

Hey Kids.
Check out my new music video to Running Away! It took a long time to get it out there - but I'm really glad we finally did.

I basically ran and had to purposefully fall down about 50 times. Got super cut up amd bruised. :) We shot it up in the San Bernadino mountains. Those nymphs were running around basically naked in freezing temperatures, so give them a round of applause :)
Hope you enjoy
xox