Come take a first look at the new music video for my song Honest Mistakes. Directed by Brad Aldous and edited by Merge Creative Media, the video features choreography by the quietly brilliant Jeremy McQueen (Ailey School).
While you’re at it, be one of the first to taste the artisan cocktails at the brand new Kinfolk Studios in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Owned and operated by extended Pete Miser family, Kinfolk has already become the official clubhouse of the discerning urban know-it-all!
WHAT:
- Honest Mistakes Video Premiere Party
WHERE:
- Kinfolk Studios 90 Wythe Avenue (and North 11th St) Williamsburg, Brooklyn
WHEN:
- Tuesday, October 11, 7:30 – 11:00 PM
WHY:
- ‘Cause DJs Leecy T, Blowout and DP-One will be on the turntables
- ‘Cause the all-star cast of amazing dancers will be signing autographs
- ‘Cause you will be able to say “wait, you’re just finding out about Kinfolk now? Where have YOU been?”
- ‘Cause we’ll be showing the video on the big screen
- ‘Cause attendees will get a free download of the entire Honest Mistakes album
The short version goes like this:
After six long years I have new album out! It’s called Honest Mistakes. You can listen to it here: www.PeteMiser.BandCamp.com and you can buy the hard-copy double-cd here: www.cdbaby.com/Artist/PeteMiser . I hope you check it out and I hope you dig it!
The long version goes like this:
It’s been six years since I released Camouflage Is Relative. In that time, so much has changed in the music industry that most artists are having a hard time figuring out which way is up. Independent artists such as myself, who also function as their own record labels are having an even harder time. It used to be I just needed know how to make hot music. Now I need to join the industry-wide effort to understand how people view and consume music in a world of digitization and downloading.
My response has been to downsize. The economics of having my cds in every Tower Records store in the U.S. have become unrealistic – particularly since Tower Records went bankrupt years ago! I figure the whole world is a Google search away from finding my music so I’m soft-releasing Honest Mistakes through a few manageable avenues.
Ironically, despite the quiet release, the initial reaction from people is that this is my best record yet. If that’s the case, it’s due to the people who have contributed to it: Imani Coppola makes many appearances on vocals and violins. One of my all-time favorite MCs, Dres, from Black Sheep blessed a song and even Blast Master KRS-One shows up at an unexpected moment. As much as these household names laced the album, my long-time crew brought more heat than ever to Honest Mistakes. Goldxilla, Maya Azucena, Blowout, M-TRI, Vini Miranda, John Deley, Bosko… The list goes on and on. These people either inspired my best performances or built skyscrapers on the foundations I laid. This is my official thank you to them!
So why did it take six years to complete? It didn’t! I’ve just been so deep in other projects that my own record was easy to put on the back burner. Between writing music for films, producing other people’s tracks, doing goofball projects like Hit Me On My iPhone and the odd commercial here and there, I just kept collecting more and more songs meant for the new album I kept talking about. In the end, I chose the sixteen songs on Honest Mistakes from more than thirty contenders. Hopefully I chose the right ones. I guess that’s up to you more than me. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.
Oh, and by the way, people have been requesting instrumental music from me for years. Honest Mistakes comes complete with every song in an instrumental version as well as the original vocal versions. Enjoy!
Years before the Roots released their first album and a decade before the Dap Kings hit the scene, I was in a band called 5 Fingers Of Funk. Nine men strong with a full horn section and the incredible DJ Chill on the turntables, we lit up stages from coast to coast with a sound that was somewhere between A Tribe Called Quest and James Brown. In six years I did more than a thousand shows as the front man of 5 Fingers Of Funk. It’s safe to say that 5 Fingers was college for me.
5 Fingers was a completely independent band that still managed to play shows from New York City to Los Angeles. Despite our travels, our favorite venue was Berbati’s Pan in Portland Oregon. We played Berbati’s when it was just a small Greek restaurant. We played the opening night in 1993 when it became the venerable music venue that would go on to host such greats as Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley. We played Berbati’s every other month for years.
Now the venue that has become a fixture in Portland’s music scene is closing its doors for good. For one night only, DJ Chill and I will return to the stage with 5 Fingers Of Funk. Join us on New Year’s Eve 2010 to say hello and goodbye to some old dear friends as we honor the place we called home.
If you saw Alex Gibney’s riveting new documentary, Client 9: The Rise And Fall Of Eliot Spitzer and thought you heard some familiar voices during the end credits you were right! I wrote and recorded a Hip Hop version of the Frank Sinatra classic New York New York for the final scene and end credit sequence. The song is called “Higher Power” and features the powerful voice of my good friend, Maya Azucena. The song is featured in the trailer. The film is in theaters now!
Can you believe it took me this long to release my first 7 inch vinyl single? The rules of engagement were simple: Kathleen asked if I’d release a song through her label, No No Records. The only catch was, it had to be recorded on a 4 track. No computers allowed! She A Hippie is the result. There are only 300 in existence! In keeping with the old school theme, you can only get a (hand-numbered) copy by sending a check or money order for $20 to:
Ho-Made Media / P.O. Box 1108 / NYC, NY 10113
Click on the cover to hear the song:
