"Overrated" iTunes single

The digital single for Overrated will be available online October 31st (perhaps sooner, but that's the day I'm promoting!). It will be available on iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody, & eMusic.

Things are starting to come together for the album release. The company I will be working with for the release is planning to release "Brighter Side" probably around late March. Originally I planned to release the record in January, but for promotional purposes (and some financial reasoning; read here) March is going to be the best time to release the new album. So you'll have to wait just a little bit longer, but that's the way it goes sometimes!

I will post another new track online before the release, most likely in November.

From Michigan,
Brad

"Overrated" Lyrics

On September 30th the new single "Overrated" will be debuting on Myspace.com, iLike.com, and PureVolume.com...

About the song...
This song was written in October 2005. I think a lot of our society (especially the youth) is starting to get very materialistic with cars, ipods, clothing/image, partying, etc... things that are marketed to us in a way that make us think it's important to buy into whatever image it projects. As in, you're only cool if you look a certain way, drive a certain car, or listen to a certain type of music. To me that stuff has always been overrated because it's only cool until we're marketed something else, and that can change in a day. Sad thing is I don't think it's ever going to really stop because the average person takes what they're marketed and really does buy into it. I hope listeners will learn from the song in that it teaches them not to worry about looking cool or keeping up with the latest "what's hot and what's not" list. In about 20 years the straightened long black emo rockstar hair look will be the equivalent to your parents having an afro in the 70's...

"Overrated"
written by Brad Skistimas
from the forthcoming release "Brighter Side"

So what I need is a fast car
Maybe think like a superstar
'Cause "everybody's doing it"
I'll coin the phrase and prove it to all

What you are is your own self
At the bar you were someone else
That plaid skirt and button up shirt
Don't label who you are

And I see this is overrated
I believe we're just concentrated
On what's overrated
It's never gonna stop

Hear a song on the radio
Sing along, so predictable
'Cause it's hard to be original
When everyone's so typical
Or maybe I'm just living it to

And I know it's not about me
Or anything that I've gotta say
'Cause it's all in how you see it
You might not believe it
The politics could change in a day

And I see this is overrated
I believe we're just concentrated
On what's overrated
It's never gonna stop

And I see this is overrated
I believe we're just concentrated
On what's overrated
I believe we're just concentrated
On what's overrated
It's all overrated
It's never gonna stop
Gonna stop no no no no
It's never gonna stop


copyright 2007 Seven Places Music (ASCAP)

Overrated [Digital Single]

It's officially been announced that September 30th will be the debut of the new single "Overrated." I will be debuting it on myspace.com that day, as well as on iLike.com (which it will stream in MUCH better quality than myspace). Soon after it's debut the digital single should be released on iTunes for purchase.

Check back soon for lyrics to the song!

it's all overrated

It's been a month since I last updated you guys on the album. Since we finished up recording it's been a wild ride the last few weeks. I was in LA working with Andy Zulla on mixing the record, then left for the tour as soon as I got back from that. While on the road I did a little research on who I wanted to master the record and I went with Adam Ayan at Gateway Mastering. I had to have Gateway send the reference master disc to our cozy hotel here in Meadville, PA. So we got that today and the record is pretty much done now! Hurray!

Now the question is... when are YOU going to get to hear this music?? As of right now, I'm planning to release "Brighter Side" in January of 2008. This will give me time to promote it's release properly and really make a splash when it's released. Now, because I'm such a nice guy and I don't want you guys waiting 3 or 4 more months on new music, I'm going to be adding one new track every month until then to my myspace. The first track will be "Overrated" and I hope to have it up by the end of September on the FTA myspace page, followed by a digital single release in iTunes and other digital stores.

When details are confirmed I will post them right here for you, and as we draw closer to it's debut I will post the lyrics for the song here as well.

Tomorrow and Monday I will be hanging out with photographer Mustafah Abdulaziz taking pics for the album artwork.

closing thoughts, go!

It's been a wild ride. 21 days out of the last month I've made it my business to make the next "Thriller" record. Recording is now complete and it feels good. I'm proud of each song and I can't wait to get them into your ears. I really think you're going to love it.

I should give props to everyone who worked on the record. The following is a list of people you might've seen in videos and people you will hear on "Brighter Side"

Todd Pipes - producer, bass, crumar, and piano bits
Toby Pipes - producer, shakers, tambourine, and background vocals
Ed Toth - drums
Nolan Theis - bass
Josh Goode - keys and piano
Junior Knight - pedal steel

My parts on the record were vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, banjo, xylophone. Yeah there's xylophone on the album, what about it?! Anyway, thanks again to the other players for making the album what it is. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm excited about... and I want you to be too! :)

So the next step is the mixing process and I won't be there for most of it. I'll be heading out to LA in a few weeks to get the final mixes done, but until then Mr. Andy Zulla will be messing about with the sessions and making them pretty. I'll be back to report how my LA trip goes in a few weeks, so for now this is bye bye - thanks for following along on my adventure this month!

put a bow on it

STUDIO DAY #20

Tomorrow will officially be the last day in the studio, but we're basically done with everything. Soooo... that's all I've gotta say. I will be doing a final studio blog tomorrow and recap all of the greatness that will be this album. Until then...

let's tidy up

STUDIO DAY #19

I will be honest and say I don't have much to report. We're just going over the tunes one by one now and adding any little extras we find necessary. There are only a few more days and the adventure is over. It's gone by super fast and it went easier than I ever could have hoped for.

However, for you hardcore FTA fanatics that are dying to know what songs will be on the album I'm going to let you in on what the tracklisting will probably be. Some of you might have heard some these songs on the last tour and you can bet you'll be hearing them on the upcoming tour as well...

Brighter Side tracklisting:
1.) Giving It All To You
2.) The Good Life
3.) Overrated
4.) Surface
5.) Beautiful Girls
6.) Sunrise
7.) Sentimental Spell
8.) Here
9.) One Way Road
10.) Who You Are
11.) The Lighting
12.) It's Not Over

So anyway, of course we're still months away from releasing the album but I don't see anything wrong with sharing some insider info with you now.

No video today, sorry. I'll be making another 2 day montage tomorrow.