Bushybits EP update

This has got to be the most dreary humid day I have ever spent in Antioch. Overcast, warmer than comfortable...just sweaty and no chance of a tan today.

There is good stuff afoot though! Every since I have been focusing all my writing efforts into Bushyhead, I have enjoyed being the singular songwriter for this venture. I have repeatedly said over the last 6 months...and 6 days...that if this music project succeeds or fails that it is on my head...my Bushy-head.  :) With in mind, this is the decided cover artwork for "Bushybits" the new EP, slated for the updated release of August 30th.

Here is the back cover:

"Bushybits" is the Bushyhead debut and I am very excited to get this completed. It was a bit difficult deciding which songs to include for a number of reasons. Overall, I based my view of the songs selected that represent the celebration of a few snapshots of my journey and omitting some that I am anxious to forget and move on from.

The three chosen were written over the last 6 months and out of the 20+ songs I considered, these particular selections when played just acoustic with vocals stand strong. The reason why I volunteer that is because the full-length album is going to feature something different, but very familiar in approach.

I said all that to share this bit of news.

The followup to "Bushybits" tentatively called, "Trip-Wire Heart" will feature the music generated by a three-piece band consisting of myself on bass and vocals and two top-notch musicians, one person in particular who can play any style thrown his way but it not known for Acoustic Contemporary work. He is a human drum machine with a soul of fire and a hero in the thrash metal subculture. I am honored to have the opportunity to work with him. More details will be disclosed soon.

For "Trip-Wire Heart", expect to hear a little bit more like radio-friendly rock. Being a fan of bands like Hootie and the Blowfish and Alabama Shakes, I can see where Bushyhead listeners who like those two would love the new stuff I have worked on arrangements for this venture. Same destination but very different transportation! Again, more soon...

In closing, during the first week of July I will offer info on securing pre-orders of "Bushybits" as well as something no other musician or band has offered regarding involvement on the thank-you listing inside the CD cover.

Vince aka Bushyhead
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Then and now - my last 5 years and what I have learned

Yep, this was me a little over 5 years ago. I was married and had accepted the fact that my weight would eventually kill me. But, in this picture, in that hospital room connected to all sorts of beeping machines and facing doctors trying to keep a positive outlook on my status...I made the decision that I wanted to live.

My wife at that point took this pic against her will. She protested and said it was morbid, but I persisted saying I needed it to remind me. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't remember this moment. I was a mess and figured that if I was going to die, I wanted people to know that I decided to go out fighting instead of dying like a defeated fat man.

I kept a journal in the form of a blog that I used to document both my frustration and my progress. Within 9 months, I lost 69 lbs. Within 16 months, I was down another 100 lbs. I fought and stayed on task, even when my wife left me, my car was repossessed and no job would hire me because of my health and the fact the economy tanked. I stayed focused.

That isn't to say that I made a number of mistakes along the way coming to grips with my new-found single status and hunky sexiness.  ;)  I even dealt with the humiliation of close family members not taking my commitment to better health seriously and accused me of using drugs while they were in and out of rehab for prescription pill abuse. I stayed focused.

Every challenge in life can be tripped-up with outside interference. I almost lost my way a number of times, and it was the following factors that I have realized along the way that kept me on track:

Faith - I am a Christian. I may not act like it all the time but show me someone who does and I'll show you a fake.

Family - People can still be family even when there is not a blood-tie. I have the coolest family!

Friends - I may be poor in the wallet, but I am rich in friendship. Straight, gay, liberal and conservative. Metalheads and hip-hop lovers. Christians and atheists. My friends are diverse and teach me something every day and they deserve the best person I can be in hopes to enrich their lives in return.

Music - Bushyhead's music is the most unlikely of musical journeys I could have taken. I am a veteran heavy metal bassist. I have performed over 900 times as a screaming, bass guitarist on stages all over the place. But Bushyhead's music is my purest, most satisfying and scariest venture I have ever pursued. It is inspired by heartache, struggles with weight-loss, financial ruin, extinguished family ties and starting over. It speaks to many situations yet ties everything I have endured together and defines who I am now.

At the end of the day, I can smile. I am in love with my life. And, not just life...I am in love now as well with someone who amazes me every day. It seems like it took forever to get here from when I started over in that hospital bed. But I am standing and I cannot wait to share what I have learned with others in hopes to save a life of someone who needs to see it is all worth fighting for, even when it looks impossible.

Vince aka Bushyhead
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13 hours of Bushywork and now I am blogging?

Business cards are completed and ordered!

New recording of "Indian-Style" in it's demo form is done. Video should be posted tomorrow but if you gotta gotta see/hear it click here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ3d4te87E0  It is a fun song for a demo!

Time to hit the Bushymattress and regenerate. Love you all!

Vince aka Bushyhead
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Sunday night bloggin'

I love this pic! Nancy Lee Brown aka The Bushyhottie snapped this pic of yours truly.

Sooo, here is the Bushyagenda for this week:

I am well-overdue for a break in order to avoid burnout, but before I do I am planning on finishing up my demo track of the song, "Indian-Style" tomorrow. Once completed, I will stack the three tracks and hand them over to Aaron to do his voodoo he does so well at the final mixing and mastering to get the "BUSHYBITS" EP ready to market. Then, it is time for shows again!

After the final work is done on my end, I can also start working on new material! I am currently immersed in three new song ventures, one of them being a tune called, "Soul Candy". I love writing lyrics, one of the lines in the song;

My face is sore from the smiling

Tensions fade, no need for unwinding

I’ll travel hundreds of miles on my knees

You are my soul candy

I have been writing lyrics and poetry every since I was 12 years old as even back then I knew I wanted to be like my hero Billy Joel and write music. Later it was Led Zeppelin, Y&T and Black Sabbath and somewhere mixed in was Prince and Kenny Rogers...I had a diverse musical upbringing  :) But, I knew I wanted to write, perform and share my music as much as I could with as many people as possible. I have always said that music was merely transportation, but the message was the destination. Good lyrics are lasting and can stand the test of time. Songs like "Stairway To Heaven", "Piano Man" and even "The Gambler" are great not just because of the music, the stories they tell create visions for people to cherish. Romantic songs like Joel's "This Is The Time" to Barry Manilow's "Weekend In New England" pull at the heart and make the listener yearn to love deeper. And as for Prince, he just makes you feel like...  ;)  

There is more to talk about and the coming week is already full of more exciting things taking place in Bushyland. Before I do sign off, let me say that what makes this so much fun is the fact that I am surrounded by some really great people. See, as 2012 closed, I had made the decision to walk away from a number of relationships that I figured would leave me lonely at first even though I knew it would eventually make me stronger. The true blessing is the fact that not even halfway through 2013 I find myself daily swimming in the calm waters of gratitude and the realization of how fortunate I truly am. I am blessed, now is my time to be a blessing to others through the songs of Bushyhead as it is my joy set to music.

Love you all!

Vince aka Bushyhead

\m/ B! \m/

I got done tracking the music for the song "Indian-Style" earlier today and ended up finding out that I had a a bit of a sore throat so I decided to take a break and do some doodling with a new software package for photo editing. The pic above is the result of about 10-15 minutes of playing around with it. It is easy when I can work with Nancy's already stellar photography.

Speaking of artwork, I have received a number of Bushyhead-related art that after talking to my dear friend and fellow weight loss Superwoman, Cai von Kugler, I am considering a page here devoted to featuring some of the art renderings. If you are a fan of the Bushytunes and artistic and feel inspired by the music, bring it!

As promised, I posted the music video for the song "Hero" today and as of now, it has been viewed 2,745 times from Facebook's Bushyhead music site. Thanks to all who posted very encouraging comments.

Reverbnation.com is reporting that Bushyhead has made another jump up from #4 to #3. You guys rule! I would have been happy at #10! When I make it to #2, is that gonna sound dirty?

I am getting tired but I think I still have some creativity in me.

Vince aka Bushyhead
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Exciting stuff going on in Bushyland this week!

So much stuff going on, I am at a loss in deciding where to start...here goes:

1. Bushyhead continues to climb up the ranks on Reverbnation, up from #17 last month to currently sitting at #4. This is all due to YOU! If you haven't checked out the songs posted there, please click on the big blue button labeled "BE A FRIEND" on the right-hand side of the center of the page at www.reverbnation.com/bushyhead. There are plenty of exciting local artists there to check out as well, so please give them a listen as well and be sure to let them know you heard about them from a Bushyfriend!

2. www.BEAT100.com is an amazing site from the U.K. that I have been a proud artist of since waaaay back in Bushyhead's recent resurrection (last December...waaaaay back!). There are some exciting things happening that I am having to be patient and wait to announce. Buuuut, what I can state is that later this month, the song "From Here To Heaven (Bethany's Song)" will enter the video music charts in their monthly contest for best song from an unsigned artist in which I have recently received the Bronze Song Award for a 'well-written original song'. Not bad for my first time out! If "From Here To Heaven" wins, the awarded funds will be delegated to the non-profit charity of Tammera Foster's choice in honor of her daughter. I will make the announcement very soon when this promotion campaign will begin. By the way, this video can be viewed right here on www.bushyheadmusic.com as well as the Official Facebook site at www.facebook.com/bushyheadmusic, where it was viewed 3,000 times in the first 24 hours of its' posting!

3. I love you all. Word!

4. Speaking of videos, there are new ones posted regularly here and on the other Bushyhead music sites. But hey, this is always a great place to get the low-down on the haps in Bushytown. \m/  Last night, I posted a cover of The Black Crowes' "She Talks To Angels" that has received a number of positive comments. Up for all to view on the MEDIA page in the "Comedy and Satire" section is a 25 second video called "Bushyblunder". Part of my rehearsal time is spent in front of a digital video camera that I use for the purposes of refining my music. That being said, there are always plenty of mistakes that make for some humorous footage. That one, I couldn't let go without poking a little bit of fun at myself...plus it made for an ad for all the Bushysites that was viewed over 800 times so far.

5. This weekend, I will post a new music video for the original song "Hero" no later than 6am (PST) on Saturday. It is being submitted for a contest for a foundation centered around Fathers. It is a personal favorite I wrote for my Papa aka Chief Bushyhead, the inspiration behind this music venture's name and in his honor. I will also release a video similar to the past Bushyblogs intended to say hello to new friends of the music. Both videos will be posted here as well as the other Bushyhead sites.

There's more stuff that I will cover later this weekend...until then have a great night!

Vince aka Bushyhead
\m/ B! \m/

Reverbnation chart climb continues!

#7!

Check it out at www.reverbnation.com/bushyhead and be a friend!

This weekend, I posted a music video in honor of Tammera Foster, a dear friend who lost her daughter Bethany almost a year ago. I did not realize the overreaching effects it would have and how many it would touch as anyone can relate to its message by those who have lost a loved one. Within 24 hours of posting, the music video was viewed over 2,800 times. The numbers are continuing to rise.

Later this month, "From Here to Heaven" will enter the BEAT100.com international charts. Beat100 is a wonderful international website who run a monthly contest for aspiring independent recording artists. If Bethany's song charts in the Top 3, it will be eligible for a cash prize, of which will be given to Tammera to donate to the non-profit organization of her choice. 

I will inform everyone when I receive word of the song's chart entry, but in the meantime, feel free in familiarize yourself with the music of Bushyhead at the following sites: 

www.bushyheadmusic.com (Official site for Bushyhead's music)

www.beat100.com/bushyhead (just received the BEAT100 Bronze Song Award for a ‘well-written original song)

www.reverbnation.com/bushyhead (currently, Bushyhead is in the Top 10 at #8 and climbing) 

www.facebook.com/bushyheadmusic (please ‘like’ & share!)

Watch “From Here to Heaven” here -https://www.facebook.com/Bushyheadmusic/posts/667164659975885 

Vince DiMaggio aka Bushyhead
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