by Dan | Dec 30, 2015 | Ninja Stuff
Well, it’s the end of another December, so it’s time for the annual sheepish apology post.
This time last year, we really did think you’d be listening to the project right now. What happened? Not enough and too much, to be honest. We got three songs fully recorded and had a good head of steam in late spring, and we were still looking at a November 2015 release. Then we both hit real-life delays — I bought a house, Jude had another child, and we were both swamped with our real-world jobs. (As a reminder, Jude is a research scientist who often has to travel to do science, and I work at a videogame company on a title that puts out new DLC every single week.) So “I’m going to work on some music this weekend” is a great thing to say but not easy to actually do. And this is taking priority for what little time is available; for instance, Dan’s podcast with his wife is on hiatus until this project is finished.
We realize that while we are musicians and we really only care about making the songs sound good, that’s not how people consume comedy online. If you don’t have a video for your song that people can pass around, you don’t get exposure — weirdly, if you don’t give people video, they don’t listen to your audio. So we realize that video of some sort simply has to be part of the process; we need these songs to debut as videos. One of the things we did this year was reach out to friends who know more than we do, and they helped us reach out to potential partners to help us create those videos. We do have some interest, but it’s all still vague because we haven’t finished the music. Justifiably, when you’re asking someone to put their time, money, and resources into your idea, it’s riskier for them to commit if your idea is not complete and tangible. So, it still comes back to what we already knew: We need to get the music done first, even if that means not releasing it immediately, while our partners build on it and make it something far more attractive. We want the total package.
We know we’ve been inactive for too long. We love hearing from people who say the songs we’ve done still bring them joy and they sing our lyrics when the originals come on the radio. We know all seven of our fans are out there, and we really are grateful for your patience. But doing this right is far more important to us than doing this fast. Just yesterday we talked on the phone and agreed to push the schedule back as long as it needs to be pushed, and realistically, that might mean it doesn’t even come out in 2016. Our musical deadlines are all still next year, and we’re trying to find both the right partner and the right opportunity to release what we really think is going to be the best thing we’ve ever done.
It shouldn’t take this long…but it is. This project is ambitious, scary, and time-consumning — but it’s not impossible, and we really do think it’s going to be worth the wait.
Happy new year?
— Dan
by Dan | Jan 22, 2015 | Ninja Stuff
Has it really been more than a year since we posted anything here? It can’t be true. And yet there it is — nothing since “Major Rip-Off.” Oh man.
Well, here’s the good news: In the interim, we have been writing and recording, even taking some classes and upgrading a little gear here and there, and things are starting to take shape on The Big Project. We have the lyrics complete, at last, and reviewing them, we think they really work. Jude has been tracking drums and key parts along with other miscellaneous instruments (real and simulated) involved in this one. Dan’s starting to add in temp vocals and some final guitar/bass parts. It feels good to be this far — it actually has reached the point where we’re tired of dreaming about it and need to see it actually exist!
Unfortunately, we’re still a ways off, and we’ve got to keep it all under wraps until it’s done. We will explain why when it’s finally unveiled, but we do think this will be something you will finally get to download in 2015.
Let’s meet back here.
by Dan | Aug 27, 2013 | Music, Video
Remember that big project we said we were working on that would be worth the wait? This isn’t it. This is just a little thank-you for being so patient because it’s taking so darn long.
This song — based on Peter Schilling’s 1983 hit “Major Tom (Coming Home)” — was something we concocted a few years ago; probably 2010, because I remember working on lyrics during PAX East in Boston at the Hynes. We finished the lyrics and Jude got most of the synths worked out, but it just didn’t feel like the time was right, for a few different factors. So we shelved it and moved on to other projects that seemed more exciting and timely (or in the case of our current secret project, timeless). (more…)
by Dan | Jun 30, 2013 | Ninja Stuff
Jude and I do this because it’s fun. But I won’t lie — the recognition we’ve gotten from fans is huge to us, and we have shared a secret dream since we started. We never planned to be rich or famous (and to date, we’re operating according to plan), but we did want one thing. And on June 29, 2013, we got it.
We were featured on the Dr. Demento Show.
A few weeks ago, I sent in four of our tracks — “Arcade Gaming Shrine,” “Rage Quitter,” “Halo ((All I Play-Oh))” and “Learn to Spell” — for consideration. You submit songs the old-fashioned way: You burn a CD and mail it to them, and they ask that you just send a few songs. The good Doctor and his team listen to everything personally and screen every song, so I didn’t have any expectations of hearing things soon. But the encouraging words from our fans made me feel it was the worth the effort and we could let ourselves dream just a little bit.
And there it is, “Arcade Gaming Shrine,” right between Rick Moranis and Jimmy Fallon — real, honest-to-goodness professional funny people.
I mean, seriously? It’s all we’ve ever wanted. If you are a band that wants to “make it,” maybe you dream of touring or having a video or doing groupies — but if you are a couple of dorky guys who copy Weird Al’s formula and replace all the relevant pop-culture parts with highly specialized references to videogames, then there is no better form of “making it” than being on Dr. Demento.
This gives us a great morale boost as we move forward. And yes, we are moving forward. You have not heard the last of Palette-Swap Ninja — we promise.
And again, thank you for the support, fans. You are both great people.
by Dan | Jan 1, 2013 | Ninja Stuff
Yeah, pretty much the same as the plans for 2012. This past year really caught us at a bad time — Jude has a family to raise, and I just slacked. The size and scope of what we are planning is pretty daunting and it actually demotivated me — I was just plain scared, so I put it off and did other things. If you’ve ever seen the old stage musical The Music Man, it was a little like that for me — the kids in the school band are taught to “think” about the music rather than actually take lessons. That’s what I did — I considered this thing, a lot. But we are making progress, slowly, and it’s just going to have to be one of those when-it’s-done-it’s-done things. We have talked about that aspect of it and we both think it’s worth doing right rather than rushing it, and that it has the potential to be very awesome no matter when it comes out. But that said, I’m more serious about making progress than I have been in a while, so here’s hoping. Kat is actually helping me out with idea generation, lyric writing, and just plain organization and scheduling. So that can’t hurt.
Thanks for your patience. We’re simply not rock stars.
