Thanks for checking out my page.
I'm interested in seeing what other people are up to in the indie music world. I like people who are about the process of songwriting and production, who understand the nonsense of corporate entertainment and overnight success. I'm also interested in hearing about people's DIY projects! Independent thinkers, artists, poets and muses. You are all welcome here!
BUY Jim Geezil's music on itunes!
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UPDATES
(July 14, 2009)
Hey...'been breathing recycled/filtered air in my home studio for months now (really since last spring). What is oxygen good for anyway? Please excuse me if I sound kinda punchy. I've been writing (and re-writing) 12 new songs, and of course, recording them. I've been engineering this production, solo (again), I've had to walk away from some songs that just didn't feel right, even after several days (OK, months) of recording them (frustrating). But after arranging and performing the drums, the electric and slide guitars and bass guitar, I'd FINALLY felt the confidence to start mixing down the first 3 songs (WOMAN, GEORGIA, YOUR MAN). With that done, I'm nearly finished with the mastering process, which has been over a period of a week. (...so happy)
Next week, I'll start uploading one song a month to my online distributor. (It just sounds cool to say shit like that.) But anyway, I hope you'll look for the track, "WOMAN" on itunes, which will be available in about 4 to 6 weeks.
b.t.w Thanks for checking in everybody, it really means a lot. I'm going to sleep now, so tired.
(March 2009)
About the new album: I've written a new song last week and I'm very excited about it. I have completed mixing about half the album and I have to see about getting them to the mastering studio when funds are available. Since I'm on a limited budget, I might release one to two songs at a time on itunes, throughout 2009. Please check back here for more updates. Thanks to everybody!
(JAN 2009)
I'm still recording more tracks for the new album. It's taking more time than I thought, trying to juggle the domestic stuff in my life too, relationships, home improvement projects, chores, work...but I'm happy with what I've tracked in the studio, so far. I've decided to record two different versions of the same song, and I'm getting a nice bass guitar arrangement, finally! Everything takes time because I've got to learn every part before I record it, so it sounds as tight as possible. So far, the new album has got 10 songs, but who knows that might change...never know.Thanks for checking in guys! Back to the studio!
(JUNE 2008)
I'm now in the studio writing and recording a new album. Release date will be in spring 2009! Keep checking back for more info.
(APRIL 2008)
I'm just thrilled about the reports I'm getting about the new album, thanks to everyone who has been streaming and downloading the tracks!
BIOGRAPHY
Jim Geezil is a singer/songwriter and music producer who grew up in a small town outside of Boston, Massachusetts. His early musical influences were classic blues harp legends, Sonny Terry, Sonny Boy Williamson II and Junior Wells. In his teen years Jim carried the harmonica around with him everywhere. It was the blues and its improvisational form that ignited his interest in playing music.
From an early age, Jim learned he could create simple melodies on the piano. He wrote songs discreetly on acoustic guitar all through high school. After graduation, he attended Northeastern University with the intention of studying acting. Instead, he studied songwriting independently and left the country for the first time, reuniting with artist friends in Belgium. For the first two months, he lived in the city of Antwerp where he sang with his guitar in terraces and bistros. Jim began to develop his singing voice and became more confident with his performances.
Europe
Between 1989-1992, Jim performed in over a dozen countries in Europe. He set out playing a solo act with acoustic guitar, harmonica and a tambourine on his foot. Beautiful towns like Feldkirk, Austria, and Ghent, Belgium, offered inspiration for Jim's songwriting. Even as he encountered uncertain places like "Needle Park" in Zurich, Switzerland, he always kept his head making music his first priority. As Jim traveled alone he met a variety of strangers who would be a mixture of craziness and kindness. Jim saw the best and the worst in people and it was a powerful tool in helping him write about the human condition. When he toured in an Irish folk band in Germany and Scandinavia, he performed live for the first time for larger audiences, playing drums. Jim's freedom to arrange the percussion work at popular German festivals like Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market), gave him a broader understanding of music theory. Following a brief return to the United States, he then spent a year in Portugal, where he became immersed in the language. He listened to Portuguese rock music from artists like Xutos & Pontapés. At that time, Xutos & Pontapés was played everywhere. Jim met new friends and often found himself riding around the university city of Coimbra on vespas. He was introduced to Portuguese folk music at all night gatherings, which ended in the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes he would end the night at a local bakery, and help make the first batch of bread for the day. He performed in cafés and bars and later worked as a bartender in The Algarve and as a music teacher in Lisbon. As a teacher, he was encouraged to attend Fado performances and he gained a great appreciation for its craft. He organized a music festival at the end of the school year and was voted best arts/music teacher by the graduating senior class. In 1992 he left the country with a strong sense of Portuguese history and culture. Jim took a short trip back to Lisbon and Coimbra in 1993, visiting with friends and saying 'adeus' (goodbye), eventually choosing to live permanently in the U.S..
Santa Fe to Boston
Jim moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the fall of 1993, and lived there for just over three years. Hired by two hotels as a bookkeeper, Jim soon became the managing auditor in charge of new employee training. As Jim continued to write new songs, he became subtly influenced by southwestern roots music. Jim gained a strong admiration for musicians like nouveau flamenco artist Ottmar Liebert and Native American flute player Carlos NaKai. At that time, he began his first professional recording sessions and eventually took his first trip to LA to attend a songwriting exposition. The experience introduced him to the mechanics of the music industry. He then started to explore the idea of organizing his own independent record label and music publishing company.
In 1997, Jim moved to Boston, Massachusetts. He immediately began to audition as a singer for local rock groups, but eventually started his own band, The Jim Edwards Band. The band was short lived after a few performances, a four-track production and a music video. The following year Jim took a brief trip to The Netherlands, where he discovered techno music.
When he returned to Boston, Jim met up with an old friend, she persuaded him to see Orbital and The Crystal Method perform live at the Worcester Centrum. Both groups would later inspire him to record his own original interpretations of industrial dance music. Two of the songs can be heard on "His American Pop" on the tracks "Wide Awake" and "Bugs."
Los Angeles
Since 2000, Jim has lived in Los Angeles, CA where he writes, records and releases music under his own indie label, ebdb records (ASCAP). He's also worked with various indie bands, mixing and co-producing on several albums.
Jim built his own recording studio between 2001-2003. Recently, he began learning how to play traditional Chinese instruments. One that he has been working with is called the Erhu. You can hear more on his latest release, "Facing Harder Reasons Than Before."
