Hello Old MacBook My New Friend

Apple recently discontinued the MacBook and went to just offering the MacBook Pro...good news for me! Now that the old MacBooks have been phased out owners of these 2-4 year old dinosaurs are selling them...CHEAP!

So yesterday I picked one up, loaded the new GarageBand on it and I plan to use it to record the next CD. I have already made some tracks on the iPad andean to use it to cash in on the Smart Instruments (which to my surprise the Mac version is missing, OMG!).

Anyway, still just trying to get this project started. I've pick a bunch of songs, started writing others and I've been toying with the new computer.

Still need an accordion player ( or keyboard God that can emulate one).

Hang in there, this should turn into a madhouse as I get closer to the deadline!

Hula Hoopla, first song written for the next CD

I am so excited, I just wrote the first song for the new CD (4 of 12). It's called Hula Hoopla.

The music is going to be like "Wipe Out" with lyrics. Here are the lyrics, let me know what you think.

Photo by awesome kids singer and air guitar ninja Will Hale

Hula Hoopla By William Charles Grisack III (c) 2012 

As early as 500 BC
All the way to our century
There's been a form of exercise
To move your core shake your thighs
In the 1950's it became a splash
Hula hoopla caught on like a flash
Spin a round, spin a round
Spin a round, spin a round
Round and round and round and round
Spin a round

Before the hula hoop got it's name
Before molded plastic made it's frame
Before the stripes and shakers inside
Before Wham-o Toys put their logo wide
 Just a wooden toy boys and girls wore out
Hula hoopla still makes kids shout!
Spin a round, spin a round
Spin a round, spin a round
Round and round and round and round
Spin a round

You can spin one, two or three
Even more but don't hit you knee
If you do they all might fall
One by one you might drop them all
But once you get it down you won't stop
Hula hoopla really rocks!

Spin a round, spin a round
Spin a round, spin a round
Round and round and round and round
Spin a round

The New CD cover, what do you think?

As I mentioned before I'm a week behind starting the new CD. Usually I pick a topic, write or find songs, record and do the artwork...BUT I am totally doing this CD backwards. First I did the cover, here it is...do you like it?

I did cartoon versions of Wil and Taelor for the last CD, but this is the first time I have ever cartooned my wife Cathi.

Next I am picking the songs I want to do, but then I have to write them...after that I guess I'll record...need to get the whole thing done before the end of the month...crazy huh?

So what happened to CD 4?

I have a confession to make, recording a CD on location is a LOT harder than working at home! When I first started this project I planned to record for about a week, edit for a week and do the mix, artwork and release in week three. That would give me a week off before I stared the process all over.

That worked for CD 1 & 2, but when I took CD 3 on the road ( to the railroad museums), thing took way longer. In fact I barely made was able to release the CD before the month of April.

I was so wiped out that I decided to take a week off before I started the next CD. The next CD, April release, is called "Moving Day", 12 song about moving, dancing, exercising...I was supposed to start today. So far all I have done is ask folks for song ideas and ( ready for this?) started the ARTWORK! See below.

Here are some of the ideas I have gotten so far.

Have a Ball
Clap Your Hands
What I Say
Wave Hello
Freeze Game
Hoola Hoopla
Yoga
Jumping jack
Fast and slow
The Circle Song
Puddle Dance
Moving Day
Twist and shout
Tortoise and the Hare
Moving madness medley
Ants go marching
Limbo
chicken dance
Electric slide
Macarena
Time warp
Mashed potato
Penguin waddle

Do any of my musician/songwriting friends have any ideas or music tracks/loops to add?

Let me know, here I go off on another recording adventure!

The Kids Music Easter Egg Hunt Contest is Happening Now!

Peter Cottontail and Mr. Billy are hopping all over the CD Baby website leaving songs for eager Easter bunnies to find and download for FREE. But if that wasn't enough, the family favorite singer songrocker is holding a contest...and the grand prize is HUGE!

The winner of the contest will get a FREE private Mr. Billy concert in their home, school, library or any other venue of their choice. If the winner is local Mr. Billy will appear at no cost to the winner. If the winner lives in another state or country they have the option of paying for the performers travel expenses or having their private show delivered through SKYPE or uStream on their computer (free of charge).

So what is the contest and how do you win? Simple...

Just visit the Mr. Billy CD distributor CD Baby at http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/MrBilly and start looking for FREE downloads (hint, there are over 20!).

Send the number of free downloads along with the titles and if you have the total and song titles correct, YOU WIN! All entries must be sent to hello@misterbilly.com

The contest starts right now and ends on Easter Day at 11:59 PM CST.

If two or more contestants have the correct number and titles the grand prize winner will be chosen at random by an independent 3rd party.

Everyone wins! There are over 20 songs FREE for the taking worth about $1 each...what are you waiting for go hop over to http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/MrBilly and start searching now! Good luck!

Can you MOVE me please?

OK, new month new CD (this will be CD #4 of 12) , right? One problem...the last CD took 2 weeks longer then expected so I never had time to write or find the songs for the next CD.

This CD is all about MOVING. Songs with movements, dance, exercise...you get it.

Please send me your ideas for songs original of classic ASAP, I should be recording right now!

If you know a great song and want to send a track for it on your instrument or a midi production, cool, I'm all ears today.

The new CD is called 'Moving Day!" I have two of my older songs that I'm going to re-record, "What I Say" ("Simon Says" kinda thing) and "ClapYour Hands" ("If You're Happy and You Know it"-ish). That'all I got.

HELP!

12 CDs in a year is too easy

Today April 1, 2012 i realized that its just too darn easy to do a CD in a month. Starting today I will write, record, produce, master, mix, make videos, have a CD release party and do a multi-city tour each day.

I will start off by doing a CD based on the novel War and Peace followed by CDs based on Lord of the Rings, Star Wars (all episodes), Friday the 13th and all information on Wikipedia.

I will rename my blog 365 CDs in 365 Days and go to Disneyland in my spare time.

Oh, BTW all my songs on http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/MrBilly are free today.

Happy April 1