Aces Fans - by Derek Irving

Aces July 2011 stuff

2011-07-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a while. Last night July 2nd I saw James Cotton, Mojo Buford and Hubert Sumlin in Oakland at Yoshis. BTW Yoshi's is a top notch venvue, great sound, good seating arrangements, clean venue and great food. If you add the ages of Cotton, Mojo and Sumlin you get about 243 years now that's some life experiences and great music creation.

Aces shows:
July 9, private party, Napa
July 22, The Tradewinds, Cotati
Aug 19, Negris, Occidental

Come out and say hi.

2011Gigs to date

2011-02-01T15:15:00.000-08:00

Friday, Feb 25 @ The Forestville Club ($5), 9pm
Saturday, March 19 @ Russian River Brewing Co, 9pm

Upcoming Shows

2010-12-21T12:54:00.001-08:00

Celebrate New Years Eve with The Aces at Russian River Brewery, Santa Rosa
Dec 31 2010 at The Russian River Brewery 9pm - no cover

Educational Foundation Presents CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE & THE ACES
Jan 15, 2011 at The Raven Theater, Healdsburg CA 7:30pm
Tickets $40 and $125 for VIP / 1-5 rows

The Aces - "E Romp" - to hear more see us on New Years Eve in Santa Rosa @ Russian River Brewery

2010-12-15T09:23:00.000-08:00

Aces award and next few shows

2010-10-08T23:09:00.000-07:00

Here's our 2010 Northbay Music Award !

Fri. Oct 15, The Aces at Hopmonk in Sebastopol opening for our buddies The Pulsators, 8pm
Fri. Nov 5, The Aces are at The Old Western Saloon in Pt Reyes, 9pm

2010 Northbay Music Award Winners

2010-10-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

Thanks for everyone who voted for us. We are winners of the 2010 Northbay Music Awards under the Blues/R&B category! Award was given out on September 29th 2010 .

Fuck YEA - you'll love this live version of "House On The Hill"

2010-07-26T23:27:00.000-07:00

The Aces "House On The Hill" recorded by a friend at this killer lounge in Santa Rosa, CA. LOUD, RAW, OVERDRIVEN, you'll love it !

You'll have to hit us up on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=415056276673&oid=54091954644

Our facebook page is http://band.to/theaces

Next gig:

Aug 7 - Russian River Brewing, Santa Rosa - 9pm

ESPN picks up "You're Gonna Lose"

2010-03-29T12:53:00.000-07:00

Our tune "You're Gonna Lose" was just picked up by ESPN for their NASCAR programming. This was via Fuzztopia and Little Steven!

Check out this hot iTunes mix and pickup to You're Gonna Lose

Maverick Magazine (UK) gives 5 stars

2010-03-20T20:57:00.000-07:00

Aces get a 5 star review from Maverick Magazine (UK) - SWEET

Shit it's March 2010

2010-03-11T14:26:00.000-08:00

THE RUST IS STARTING TO SETTLE IN

What it's almost Feburary 2010 ?

2010-01-30T21:31:00.000-08:00

Well yea "Mr Highway Man" from No One Rides for Free and Irving/O'Banion "Lets Get Together" have been blasting at the Sundance Film Festival in horror movie The Violent Kind !!! Lot's of other great music in that one. Getting ready or I should say rehearsed for our the Harmonica Blowout next Tuesday in Petaluma, CA which features Kim Wilson - I think our set is gonna blow the roof off. Also we got some kind words in UK's Blues Matters magazine. http://lnk.ms/4FPYQ
Things are good ! How are they for you?

The Aces and the Sundance film festival??

2010-01-11T00:14:00.000-08:00

Stay tuned for more info on how The Aces will be associated with this years Sundance Film Festival. Also on February 2nd The Aces are special guests in Petaluma @ The Mystic Theater for a Harmonica Blowout featuring Kim Wilson. More news as it progresses...........

How awesome is this?

2009-12-13T00:31:00.001-08:00

For the week of Dec 4th 2009 The Aces were number #16 on the roots radio airplay charts for bands out of California.......

A super gift for the holidays. The sound will charge you and your family/friends!

2009-12-11T19:23:00.001-08:00

Give the gift of music this year. CD and T-Shirt holiday package deals for the low price of $35 with FREE shipping.

You also have the option of purchasing CD's or T-Shirts seperatly as well as donating to The Aces !

Your contribution counts.....

Click HERE now to find the perfect holiday gift

The Aces - December 2009 - what have we been up to?

2009-12-01T19:30:00.000-08:00

Dear aces fans,

We would like to invite you to come and see the aces at one of san francisco's premiere blues clubs,biscuits and blues on december 15th,are c.d. release party showcase you can't miss it! http://www.biscuitsandblues.com/

As you may know are debut c.d. is out on El Toro records and is available at: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/theaces Every one needs one in their stocking, under the tree or for your personal collection!!! Also on iTunes, Amazon and rootsCD. Simply search for "The Aces No One Rides For Free"

The Aces have had numerous european and domestic reviews which have been nothing less than wonderful! For more info check out the Aces website at:www.acesfan.com or http://www.myspace.com/theaces thank you for your support and happy holidays!

The Aces

more.....

2009-11-24T00:14:00.000-08:00

Alright, Aces t-shirts are now in stock at a gig near you ! Oh yea we have Cd's too.
Some good news coming soon....

Deep Blues - The Music of THE ACES

2009-11-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

Really, I shouldn't dig these guys as much as I do. But I can't help myself. Everybody knows I got issues with harmonica players. They rarely know when to shut the hell up and let the song breath. The Aces harp man/singer Sky O'Bannion (I actually googled to see if he copped his name from a celluloid cowboy/super hero. Nope) gets my gripe and gives his fellow Aces plenty of room to breath and roll and that is seriously refreshing. Not enough bands understand that what you don't play is just as important as what you do. The Aces get it..... READ MORE

Tim’s Top Six

2009-11-09T07:13:00.000-08:00

Tim’s Top Six - Check out The Aces Bonus Track Mention

CD Revew - Dutch to English Translation

2009-11-03T16:13:00.003-08:00

View Dutch CD Review

NOTE: Some of the finer points are lost in Google's translation.

Last week I received four CDs from the label El Toro Records. A Spanish label that specializes in music from the 50 and 60 years, including music by taking a large dose of rockabilly.
Unfortunately, few truly original work, but mostly contemporary artists like replicas that tried that period and genre as identical as possible to imitate. The first 3 CD's - which I am not going to mention names - include for me personally very clichéd material. Quentin Tarantino is such an ace dated renewed work to enrich his films, but his niche is reserved for me. Undoubtedly there is a market for people who very much fun with this medium, only because I belong very definitely not.

Exception in this mission was the CD of the Californian band The Aces. Although their cover was also my first shudder, these guys have a damn good sense of how a piece of raw blues to play. Thud dominate a dark sound, with a heart-wrenching harmonica player is primarily in the center is able to push. The voice of that guy, Sky O'Banion, goes towards Jim Morrison, but refrain from making these ego-tripping band remains very consistent. Exceptional is the lack of a bassist. Drums determine the rhythm and the sound of this apparent slight tire for me a huge gain. This is simply enjoy. Clearly a band that has confirmed to the wrong label. (That this is possible) "No One Rides for Free" consists of 10 great blues driven music that is almost standard in your car should be. What a pulsating force is out of this fine piece belly blues. Although recorded live with the microphones 40 and 50 years, but because of the unique approach that is traditionally grafted very contemporary music. Straight Line recommended that manifests itself outside the paths of the contemporary idiom. They even suspect that they have deliberately chosen this vague label, as long as they can not stand them continue doing their thing. Their music is so compelling that I can not imagine that these guys are seriously lost. Music for a party uncoordinated.

CD Revew - Dutch to English Translation

2009-11-03T16:13:00.001-08:00

What ? Aces in San Francisco ?

2009-10-29T00:36:00.000-07:00

Just booked a Dec 15th show in San Francisco at Biscuits and Blues - this is awesome for us. We'll make this our San Francisco CD Release party too. On a side note, wonder if I'll have an Analogman Beano boost pedal for that show ? hmmm the quest for good tone never ends. There is something about hot saturated power tubes and guitars which is exciting !

What people are saying about "No One Rides For Free"

2009-10-22T15:09:00.000-07:00

The Aces CD stands out among all the modern blues bands. Raw emotional playing, great raw production. From the opening harmonica wailing reminiscent of Little Walter to the rest of the driving band, this absolutely rocks. For fans of Charlie Musselwhite, Paul Butterfield and all the Chicago blues greats. - Barry - Red Devil Records

Our First Single......

2009-10-21T13:55:00.001-07:00

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

T-Shirts and New Song

2009-10-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

The band is going through some t-shirt designs and prepping for an out of town gig this weekend. Also got a new tune in the works -

You think you know, but you don't......

2009-10-11T22:14:00.000-07:00

It's 10pm and my 3yr daughter just asked for a bowl to vomit in. Awwww life of a rock star !

Perception it's a bitch

2009-10-05T16:32:00.000-07:00

I have to admit my wife has some great points. One such point is that music listeners need to hear independent music before they love it. You know
kick the tires around, find a great song, become one with the music and lyrics, connect emotionally with the music/band - then they can become true fans.
That's basically what radio does for commercial music - play it hundreds of times then you love it or hate it. I experience this at Aces shows, for people
familiar with our sound they love what we do. For others they may need to hear it a few times in order to be "sold" on what we're doing.

I've also come to the realization that unless you're a well known band/artist, it benefits you to have a record label's support to get you to the next step. Think of it as before you had a girlfriend or boyfriend. When you don't have one, no one is interested in you. But when you have one people start to think "hmm they
must have something to offer" I've experienced this with job hunting. When I was un-employed no one would talk to me, couldn't get an call let alone an
interview or job offer. It's always the "if this guy was good he'd be hired" syndrome! Of course this is perception, but perception is real. So as a band
on a label we differentiate ourselves from the thousands of other bands with CD's. We don't get the "well if they are so good why aren't they signed"? - again
perception. Think about it, with technology being what it is today, we all know someone or have a family member putting out a CD recorded in their home studio,
doing the graphics with Photoshop, pressing the CD's with Disk Makers and selling online with iTunes or CD Baby. I mean I've seen some very impressive self
released CD's. It's actually great because lots of great music which would have otherwise gone un-noticed is now able to get it's time in the light. But one difference is that getting a booking agent, getting meaningful gigs, getting fans interested in what you do is simply at a different level when you have a label. Now as the music industry continues to evolve, in the short term I feel people think that if a label is willing to invest their money into an artist, than that band is
slightly more justified/professional for your ears and money. This actually came to me after my wife put on a great documentary called "Before the music dies" - an eye opener. Hell I'm just one of the lucky ones who can test this theory! As well as being very honored to be on a label who likes my/our music. - derek

Hello World !

2009-09-28T01:03:00.000-07:00

After a very hot day in Santa Rosa at the Handcar Regatta with the family (think the kids overheated) that evening I found out that The Aces record is available world wide at CD Baby, El Toro Records, etc - http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/theaces

Bye Bye Fender, it's been nice knowing you

2009-09-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

Ok – Sky and Derek have upgrade our rigs. Sky has acquired a Meteor Harp amp combo loaded with 2x10” Weber speakers and 1x12" Weber speaker rated at 50W. I’ve acquired a 65 amps “London” head pumping a 2x10" cabinet loaded with Jensen reissue P10R speakers rated at 18W. The London is two channels with one channel voiced after a VOX 15ac and the second channel voiced after an 18W Marshall. A Lo-Fi band stepping into the boutique realm – go figure…. - derek

www.meteoramps.com
www.65amps.com

Sept 1 2009

2009-09-01T13:53:00.000-07:00

Well here it is Sept 1 2009 and I’m listening to the Dan Auerback record. If you’re not familiar with Dan, he’s ½ of The Black Keys (who I love) and his new solo record is an example of his songwriting more than The Black Keys raw fuzzed energy.

Personally I’ve been going through a re-birth of sorts with my family which has been going very well – it’s all about balance as the wife says. I have a slight chance today in going over to the Wells Fargo Center here in Santa Rosa to check out Sheryl Crow’s sound check and meet Peter Stroud who not only play’s guitar with Sheryl, but is a partner in 65 amps. I absolutely love the 65 amps partially the London and Lil Elvis model although I lean towards the London. Peter has been using them on the tour and I’m hoping to get a one on one demo of the amp and hear it in a full band situation before I make the decision to purchase the London. Hmm by saying London it sounds like my mind is made up.

Now for The Aces, we’ve slowly been revving things up and will need to start getting our ace in gear. Word from El Toro Records is our record has come in from the pressing plant and is getting ready for distribution. So what does this all mean? While I have goals I’m not absolutely sure how this will all unfold. Sure the traditional way is to release a record, get some publicity behind it and then hit the road. Well it’s not that easy these days. First there needs to be balance with family life and there needs to be a clear sense of direction for the band. It’s no longer jump in the van and play every bar/club from California to Maine. While that does define touring, it does not define a successful tour. I’d prefer us doing a "supporting act" roll for an already established band to get maximum exposure and experience. There’s not only the so called “road” experience, but there is an aspect of learning to adapt to different venue’s night to night, the aspect of 5-7 nights of shows in a row and driving, working with different personalities in the venues, learning to fine tune your sound and get the best sound possible out of unknown sound systems, learning how to keep reigns on your money (that’s right I want to make money to support my family, career and band), how to keep the energy and emotional state positive (wheat grass anyone) and keep four personalities from getting frustrated with each other. This is why I feel we need to be in a position for success while still taking some chances/risks. I’d also fool myself and the band if I think our core fan base is blues. While we’re rooted/influenced in the blues, we’re not a blues band we can appeal to fans of other genres (rock, blues, punk, alt, roots, etc). Some of our songs show that we’re not that type of band and I feel our songwriting can evolve. Believe me I’ve been though this before when I was in my 20’s with Mitch Woods (well the driving across country and playing bars/clubs) so I’m familiar with what it takes – that’s why I’m setting my expectations higher – putting this out in the world on what I want to do so I can make the right connections and the universal can make things happen (e.g. luck).

So we’ll see how this unfolds over the next say 3 – 9 months. And yes I’d love for the band to hit the road and show what we have domestically and internationally. It should help us build our internal relationships as well as grow our songwriting. And the sheer possibility of meeting great smart & creative people along the way is inspiring to me.

Oh BTW The Aces have entered into the Independent Music Awards too. Looks like I have to fix this layout too.

All the best – Derek Irving

Record coming soon !!!!!!!

2009-08-17T11:18:00.000-07:00

Looks like our El Toro Records release will be ready around December. So this means we'll be thinking how or if we want to use a publishing. Also we entered "You're Gonna Lose" and "Mr Highway Man" into the 2009 Independent Music Awards. Results will be Jan 2010.

Quick blast

2009-07-24T00:55:00.001-07:00

Tune into KSRO 1350am or KSRO.com today (friday) at 5pm to hear The Aces live in studio. Then next week it's our Lo Fi Explosion show at The Last Day Saloon on July 30 at 8pm - burlesque, fuzz guitar and exploding amps - FUN ! - derek

16 hours away from NOW

2009-07-19T00:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday headed over to a local music flee market. Saw a Line 6 echo park, but the price was not interesting enough. Picked up a megaphone for my show tonight - well in 16 hours from now. Also gonna use the house Fender Super Reverb instead of my normal fender tweed bassman, looking for some different tones. I was unable to find a Marshall JTM45 plexi, so I opted for the Super. Anyway we have load-in around 5:30pm on today (sunday 7/19), sound check from 6pm - 6:30pm, get some food, do the preshow meet and great then hit the stage at 8pm sharp opening for The Arc Angels in Petaluma CA - Mystic Theater. Awesome place which holds over 1000. Hope you can make it.

Aces will also be on KSRO on friday 7/24 promoting my Lo Fi Explosion show on 7/30 at the Last Day Saloon in Santa Rosa. Going ?

Action !

2009-07-11T21:22:00.000-07:00

Derek and Sky from The Aces will have a small roll in an upcoming Butcher Brothers horror film called "The Violent Kind" - more on this soon !

The Beat Man in SF

2009-07-07T21:56:00.000-07:00

I saw a killer show this past weekend with the wife. Reverend Beat Man was at the Hemlock Tavern in SF. This guy is killer ! Raw PUNK BLUES !!!! He is a songwriter, musician, and voodoo rhythm records owner. I mean wow! Beat Man is from Switzerland and I'm starting to thing there is some F'n good music over there. Check out Voodoo Rhythm Records from Switzerland and El Toro Records out of Spain. This stuff beats what is coming out for blues in US maybe with the exception of Fat Possum - what's great is they don't put out any "formulated sound". By that I mean the guitar plugged into a fender stuff. While that's good and all, after a while all the artists start to sound the same. Music should be fresh, raw and primitive. You know like the old Chess and Sun stuff.

Aces open for Arc Angels in Petaluma July 19

2009-07-04T23:42:00.000-07:00

The Aces have been selected by The Arc Angels to open their show in Petaluma at The Mystic. The Arc Angels features Doyle Bramhall II, Charlie Sexton and the Double Trouble rhythm section. This show will be sold out so be there or be square.

Don't quit your day job until......

2009-06-18T23:32:00.000-07:00

We'll on a day job front, I'm still un-employed after my day job got sent over sea's. I'm looking for IT Security or System Administration consultant work (part time or full time) until I can land a permanent IT job in Sonoma County. I've actually been in IT for 10 years, have a systems/network auditor certificate, etc.

Until this music thing pans out, the day job keeps my music dream alive and family feed.... Plus how can I buy tubes and strings?

$h*t - 4 guitars damn why do i like different tunings

2009-06-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow night (sunday june 14th) The Aces will be over at The Russian River Brewery 7pm - 10pm (early show). I'll have a Dirt Transmitter Fuzz connected and due to different tunings and an interest in a tele I have, I'll be bringing four guitars tomorrow. Two will be tuned to standard E, one tuned to standard D and another tuned to open G. I probably only need one of the two guitar's tuned standard E but I'm thinking people will think I mean business if I have four guitars :)

2009-06-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

Today is Sunday around 10:30am enjoying eggs and coffee. Last night Sky and I played our "blues trash duo" music over at a small coffee shop in Petaluma. It was like a mini school reunion for me with lots of people I have not seen for around 20 years. The gig was pretty cool some low wattage amps, guitar, harp and vocals. Even a small 10 watt amp was loud in the coffee shop so I think I'm going to hook up my Dirt Transistor fuzz box next duo gig. Sky and I are also thinking it'd be interesting to have a standup bass too. So we'll see if we can line that up for our next June 26 duo gig.

Earlier in the week The Aces recorded an episode for Santa Rosa's Community Access TV station. We'll be appearing on a show called The Beat. We did our performance on their sound stage, and this upcoming friday we'll heading to a Taco Truck on Sebastopol Road to shoot the "B" roll. The "B" roll will contain interview footage, etc

On Sunday June 14th The Aces be at The Russian River Brewery after the Peggie Sue Cruise. This is a Sunday from 7pm - 10pm

After that gig we have some duo gigs, then my "Lo Fi Explosion" gig at the end of July. The Lo Fi event should be pretty cool, got all the bands and burlesque lined up and I'm just finalising the funky cool vendors.

derek

June Schedule

2009-05-30T23:53:00.000-07:00

June Schedule of Shows

June 6th - Aqus Cafe, Petaluma - Blues Trash Duo Featuring Derek Irving & Sky O'Banion
June 14th - Russian River Brewing, Santa Rosa - The Aces
June 26 - The Filling Station, Santa Rosa - Blues Trash Duo Featuring Derek Irving & Sky O'Banion

2009-05-30T13:47:00.001-07:00

Got some new happenings going on. My first "Lo Fi Explosion #1" has been booked on July 30th at The Last Day Saloon in Santa Rosa. This will be a night of burlesque, garage and blues trash. Also looking to have some local aritists / crafts on hand too.

Check out some new "Blues Trash Duo Featuring Derek Irving and Sky O'Banion" recordings. We recorded these in Sky's living room with low wattage amps, lo fi gear and lots of soul. The only thing needed was some mastering on my part and here you go - enjoy. Blues Trash Duo 5 new songs

Lo Fi Explosion #1

2009-05-27T12:43:00.001-07:00

I'm putting together a killer show in Santa Rosa on July 30 at The Last Day Saloon. The night will feature The Aces, Huge LARGE and a burlesque act. It is a show I'm presenting as "Lo Fi Explosion #1" an evening of Burlesque, Garage, Blues Trash and FUZZ..... Stay tuned..... Also The Aces are planning a trip down to LA in July as well to play the legendary Redwood Bar/Grill. Details on this show will come soon as well. And the last shameless promotion is The Aces doing a community TV show called The Beat. We're filming next week for an Aug premiere. Be sure to check out the El Toro Records family www.eltororecords.com, shop local when you can and be green :) – Derek Irving

Lights, Camera, Action

2009-05-20T16:56:00.000-07:00

I’ve always had a few pipe dreams and today I made one happen. I’ve always had some sort of interest in doing film / acting. Not theater but film or video. Today I was cast in a winery training video and I’ve got to say it was pretty fun. I was very nervous and almost backed out at the last minute. But then I thought, you know what I’m bigger than this and jumped right in. Not only did my fears go away quickly, but I made it a point to step up and introduce myself to the other cast members too. Normally I’ve always been somewhat shy around people especially when not on stage, but I felt I made personal steps today to better my career and allow me to get over the fear of failure. The scene was pretty easy, no lines or anything. Just stand with another actor and enjoy wine and speak with the guy pooring the wine. The whole shoot took about 3 ½ hours, got paid and a light lunch. Plus I got done in time to pick up my daughter from school. I think I’m going to pursue this more. I need something to help supplement my music career you know !

When the lights go down in the city (SF).....

2009-05-19T20:34:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I went to the SF Music Tech Summit in San Francisco. There were about 700 people there and
I'd say it was 60% technologist and 40% musicians. There were tree different tracks every hour. I decided to go to the following tracks "Reaching Fans", "Social Networking", "Doing Deals", "Marketing your Brand" and "Future of the Music Industry". There were other interesting sessions but these seemed to speak to me the most. I'd say the ones that blew my mind were "Reaching Fans", "Marketing/Branding" and "Future of the Music Industry". I anticipated that I'd love the Social Networking session, but it just did not fit what I was looking for. I'd prefer someone from Facebook or Twitter there to discuss how to use their platform to promote and/or market music or even artists who successfully use these tools. The session was ok but just did not have the BAM I was looking for. The "doing deals" session was ok too but a panel of lawyers can only be so exciting. The Reaching Fans and Marketing ones were very inspiring and educational. In fact the Reaching Fans and Marketing/Branding go hand in hand. The more marketable you are, the more fans you have a potently of reaching. Also the panel pointed out that every band, every member is a brand. From the music to the image it's all a brand. Everyone was in agreement if you're going after a sponsorship or if a company is going to use your brand, Music is the most important. Music must connect on lots of levels but primarily emotionally. This is why music fans are so passionate about their bands. - derek irving

A naked .......

2009-05-15T19:46:00.000-07:00

Here is what the sound stage looks like naked.

Last night Mike, Sky, my wife and I headed over to the community access TV station where we'll be shooting "The Beat" in june. We're pretty execited at the opportunitye not to mention this is FREE publicity for the band. I'm also expecting this will be used for promoational materail as well. The only think I'm thinking is if I can convinence them to allow 15-20 people there so we have a crowd to play too. I'm afraid it will be a bit static/stale without a crowd. We're not the most enthistic musicians when it comes to practice, but when the lights go on it's "show time" baby !

Podcasts, SF Music Summit and more....

2009-05-14T01:10:00.001-07:00

Be sure to check out podcasts from CDBaby. Also I'm heading to the SF Music Tech Summit on monday. Looking forward to this. Also I'm now on the board at Sonoma Country Day School as Communications Director. It's a volunteer position for my daughters school. Feeling good that I can contribute !

How about open file sharing for all music ?

2009-05-09T09:33:00.000-07:00

Two points of view for music industry business models. Which one would you choose? I lean towards open file sharing. http://bit.ly/HCUTj

In any event artists will need to diversify their revenue stream. You can no longer think all you need to do is sell music and play gig's. You're going to need to be more involved with your fans and look for other ways for involvement. Your fan is your customer. What are you doing to make them return customers?

Big Kahuna Burger

2009-05-08T23:56:00.000-07:00

Aces just got done opening for Tommy Castro at the Mystic in Petaluma. The band sounded great. Actually the Mystic is a great room for live music. It was a live theater back in the early 30's so the acoustics are fabulous. We play all the hits off our upcoming record. On the way home to replenish we stopped at In and Out for a few burgers.. While the crowd was more mature, we had a good reception. I attached a photo of a few of the band mates doing sound check. Our next gig will be a local TV show called The Beat. Expect to see some of this posted in Aug. Before that, we have some local shows too. Check our calendar and join us on facebook and twitter. - derek

New tunings from the devil

2009-05-03T16:36:00.000-07:00

Devil made me do it

Here is a new tuning I've been messing around with. Kind of haunting sounding (at least to me) - derek

The Aces ( Derek Irving & Sky O'Banion on iLike - Add iLike to your MySpace

Do you get your Twitter on?

2009-04-30T15:30:00.001-07:00

I just read this article referring to how twitter has a low retention rates. Now I'm not sure if you use Twitter, but basically Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

While some people don't like it or don't return, could be because they are not using it to its benefit. For example I see twitter as a platform to give your "elevator speech" in 140 characters or less. Basically get to the point and show me the value. (This 140 character idea would be nice in business meetings and probably save time. After a while business meetings can tend to go on about nothing). The three reasons I use tweeter is (1) value (2) entertainment and (3) a bit of hey what is he/she doing.

Now in order for me to get value from Twitter I need to be selective in who I follow and in return be selective in what I post. For example I follow googleatwork to keep up with Google technologies and MrBuzzFactor for new music marketing idea's. These are very useful to me and I view them daily. Any people I follow which I lose interest in, I simply stop following. It’s nothing against that individual, it’s just I get no value from their information. In addition to my twitter account twitter account (www.twitter.com/dirving_theaces) I use tweetworks which allowed me to create a group of followers. (www.tweetworks.com/groups/view/theaces) I can update a group in one single post.

Challenge yourself to be creative with Twitter. For example use it as a powerful marketing tool. Being I have a band, I can use twitpic to tweet backstage pictures or studio shots. I can use twitter for quick updates (e.g. Be the first to hear our new song. Let us know what you think.) Or you can get more advanced and integrate this with Google maps. Image your at a bar or show, you can tweet your location; your friends can see where you are and use Google maps to find you. You may even be at a great show, tweet a few pictures and comments, your friends see this, use the TweetMapper application and are able to meet you at the show. There are endless possibilities so be creating and use twitter to empower you.

What ? A TV show and you may be invited?

2009-04-29T22:19:00.001-07:00

The Aces will be doing a TV shoot for a local TV show called "The Beat" This will be a feature on the band and include some lucky fans as well. So we'll be looking for that 50's pinup / burlesque look - so if you have tattoos or holes in your fishnets, etc - we're looking for you. If you have a rat rod we want you too. Looking for about 5-7 greasers/pinups to be included. Dates will be in June, shoot will be in santa rosa, possibly around the airport. So we'll keep you posted.

just played with a punk rock band and it was....

2009-04-27T01:22:00.001-07:00

We just played a benefit for a good friend of ours who's screen printing business has hit hard times with taxes. (Hey shouldn't you be ready for taxes and aren't taxes yearly?) Anyway we very supportive of his business and I think he had a good night. And hey, we're going to need t-shirts soon anyway. We'll this week we have one rehearsal before our huge Friday gig for about 500 people. We need to connect, we need to connect..... Be sure to check our links on the left and join us on our twitter group, email, etc - We need you to help us with photo's and idea's so drop us a line and upload your pictures to flickr.

No One Rides For Free

2009-04-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

"No One Rides For Free"

The Aces = blues trash machine

What is blues trash you ask? It's a distorted wall of sound topped by wailing harp.

What does this all mean, product coming soon.

Hey - check out of friends at www.eltororecords.com - the sound will charge you.

Things to come....

2009-04-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

Google "The sound will charge you"

What self publicity tools are you using?

2009-04-14T00:40:00.000-07:00

Have you been to www.musicthinktank.com recently if you're an indie artist? Or being a music fan have you checked out iLike? Actually if your an indie artist and you don't have a reverbnation profile yet you should! Reverbnation has some very nice tools for you to manage your music, add widgets to your blog or facebook, great reporting tools on visitors or song downloads including geographical regions, manage your calendar including adding the crowd attendance, ability to sell songs/merchandise, distribution on itunes, etc and a very nice email management program.

You know, how great it would be if you're diligent enough to keep your ReverbNation calendar updated, gig attendance updated and monitored your reports. The reports could be another tool to add to your EPK / promo pack. Now agents, publicist, etc can see real results. So check it out and use these free tools today. (there is also a premium service too)

The Aces - Blastin' "You're Gonna Lose" in Memphis TN

2009-04-12T14:11:00.001-07:00

2009-04-11T20:42:00.001-07:00

Preparing a treat for the easter bunny.

Blues Trash !

2009-04-11T19:24:00.001-07:00

Check out Need Your Lovin' It's killer!

From: http://song.ly/2yb7

To Tweet or not to Tweet, that is the question

2009-04-10T08:14:00.001-07:00

Found a great new site to use with Twitter. (Actually my wife found it) it’s called Song.ly. Basically it allows you to share and discover music on twitter. So for example, if you have a MP3 located at http://www.site.com/music/record/getmysong.mp3, song.ly will allow you to create a short link to the download allowing them to play the song right in the browser without having to download the song first. So now the URL http://www.site.com/music/record/getmysong.mp3 would look like http://song.ly/wf9x1 which can easily be posted to Twitter, sent in SMS text messages, posted to blogs, facebook or myspace. The shorten URL is more user friendly than the long URL. Image how powerful this can be. Say you’re at a friend’s gig and you record 2 minutes on your iPhone. At the gig within minutes, you can create an MP3, upload the song.ly and post to twitter or better yet SMS text this to your friends. Your friends can have instant access to your night and deiced to change their plans and meet you at the show. Pretty powerful stuff for indie artists and fans. Now there is always the question on if the band is for or against live show audio/video taping. I feel as long as people are not producing something to sell for profit (this has copy write restrictions) I’m total for it. When The Aces perform, we’re not doing anything I would not want others to hear or see, in fact I need people to spread the word on the band.

Tips for the not so famous

2009-04-07T20:33:00.001-07:00

I had an interesting reaction when I posted a question on LinkedIn. I was asking if online press releases were worth doing. So instead of the traditional press release with print magazines, what if I did it to all online sites. The people interested in the topic was great and respones were passionate. Actually I realized by using social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Blogs, etc, you can have a whole team available to bounce idea's off of and hear from their experiences allowing you to decide it yourself (DIY)

http://tweenmarketing.blogspot.com/2009/03/tips-for-becoming-not-quite-famous-by.html

It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses

2009-04-07T00:40:00.000-07:00

You know, I really love technology. There is a conference coming to San Francisco called The SanFran Music Tech Summit being held in San Francisco. I’m planning on attending this with my wife to put me up front and center on how technology is helping the indie band/artist. I read something which said DIY means “Decide It Yourself”. I like that saying a lot. There is some powerful technology available and when combined with creative thinking can really be inspiring and exciting.
On The Aces front, this is the week we put together our heads and get our liner notes together. Actually when it comes to thanking people, following the twitter model (less is more so make your comments count) fits…...

No taco trucks tonight after the show !

2009-04-04T00:48:00.001-07:00

I just arrived home (12am PDT) from The Aces opening for Charlie Musselwhite. I was pretty surprised in the response we had. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves plus the dancers were in full swing. I’m always a bit cautious when we perform in front of a mature crowd. We can either be too loud or rambunctious or they will dig what we do. Well it was a good night and the crowd did enjoy our set. (The set did sound pretty good to me too) We meet a lot of new folks (Jill, Matt, Charlie and others I can’t remember) who were very supportive of us. We played a 9 song set featuring classics such as “You’re Gonna Lose” and “Stole Something From Me”…… We’ll it is approaching 12:45am in California and I’m getting tired – until next time, be sure to visit us at www.acesfan.com

Thursday April 2

2009-04-02T13:56:00.000-07:00

Today is thursday, one day before we open for charlie musselwhite in santa rosa at the last day saloon. Earlier this week on monday Sky and I appeared on KRSH 5:01 blues. We were featured with Charlie Musselwhite to promote our show coming this friday April 3. The show was un-rehearsed, acoustic and a blast. We performed three songs off the cuff. As Charlie says "you can never go wrong with a 1-4-5 shuffle in the key of A". Lets see tuesday we had a band meeting and rehersal. Danny West is going to be appearing with us on 2nd guitar and was kickin' on House on the Hill. Rehearsals are less then inspiring, but required none the less. Once the curtains go up and lights go on, it's show time....... We'll probably be to loud and trashy for some people on friday and just enough for others. It should be a pretty exciting show...... We will also have some good news soon on our CD.

Support This Artist Directly.

2009-01-02T22:05:00.000-08:00

PURCHASE OR DONATE TO THE ACES

Limited Time Holiday CD and T-Shirt deal for only $35 FREE SHIPPING IN USA. International orders are $45, email theaces@hotmail.com for an international invoice.

No One Rides For Free - CD - FREE SHIPPING IN USA

In Europe please purchase our CD from www.rootscd.com or www.eltororecords.com

T-Shirts - FREE SHIPPING IN USA

DONATE CASH GIFTS DIRECTLY TO THE ACES

Well many members of the general public have been enthusiastic about donating directly to their artists and by supporting them making more art-making possible. Your donation will allow us to continue to record, travel, purchase music equipment, get gas for shows, create posters, etc - thank you for your consideration.

USD $ Donations

EURO $ Donations

*MONEY DONATIONS ARE NOT TAX DEDUCTIBLE

Record Company and Booking Info

2009-01-01T20:23:00.000-08:00

Record Company - El Toro Records - www.eltororecords.com

Booking - Derek Irving - derekirving1@gmail.com